The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-07-19
TALMAaE's SERMON.
! Dr.. Talmage's Discourse on the Growth
and Perfection of Christianity.

and Perfection of Christianity.
Although DR.. Talmago was hindered
from attending tho great annual moot.
ing Of the Christian Endoavor society
at Cincinnati, his sermon shows him to
be in sympathy with the great move
mont; text. Amos tx; 13, Behold
tho days come, saith the Lord, that
! the plowman shall ovortako tho reaper y
Unable booeuse Of othor important
duties to accept tho Invitation to
take part in tho groat convention OF
Christian Endoavorors at Cincinnati,
begun last week, | proach sormon of
oongratulation for all tho mombers OF
that magnificent association, whethor
now gathered in vast asaomblage or
busy in thoir places Of us efulnoss,
transatlantic and oisntlantio, and as it
Is now harvest timo in tho folds and
sioklor arc flashing in the gathering of
"A groat crop, l find mighty suggestive
ness in my text.
1t is a picture Of tropical climo,
with q season SO prosperous that the
harvest reaches clear over to tho plant.
ing time, and tho swarthy husbandman
busy cutting tho grain, almost fools the
breath of the horses on his shoulders,
tho horse hitchod to tho p]ow, prepar-
ing for now crop. "Behold the days
como, saith tho Lord, tho plowman
shall ovortsko the reapor." Whom is
that1 That is now. That is this day
whom hardly hayo you done roaping ono
harvesty Of religious result than the
plowman is getting roady for another.
In phrasoology charged with all
vonom and abuse ond oarioaturo know
that inields and agnoBtios havo deolar-
cd that, Christianity has collapsed: that
the Bible is an obsolete book; that tho
Christian ohuroh is on tho retreat. l
shall answer Shat wholesale charge to.
day. .B
Between 5000, 900 and 1900, 900 En-
deavors sworn before high heaven that
they will do all thoy can to take
Amerca for God. Europe for God.
Asia and Africa for God arc not the
sign most oheering2 Or, to return to
the agricultural figure Of my toxt, moro
than million reapors are overtaken by
moro than million plowmen. Besides
this, there are moro people who bolicvc
in the Bible than at any time in the
worlds existonoe. An Arab guide was
leading French infdel across tho do
sert. and ever and anon the Arab guido
would get down in the sand and pray to
the Lord. 1t disgusted the French in.
fdel, and after awhile, as the Arab got
up from one of his prayers, the infidol
said, How do you know there is any
God?" And tho Arab guide said:
How do | know that man and a
camel pasHod by our tent last night2
g {. know it BY tho footprint in the sand
i And.ayo = ID you want to know how [ know
whethor there ,is any God? Look at
the sunset. Is that the footstep OF a
mani" And by the same process you
and ! havo come to understand that
this book ia tho footstep Of God.
But now let US 500 whothor the book
10 . last years almanac. Lot us SOC
whether the church of God is Bull
Run retreat, muskets, oanteens and
havereaoks strewing all tho way. The
great English historian Sharon Turner,
o man Of vast learning and great ac
curaoy, not q clergyman but an attorney
as we'll as q historian, gives this ovor-
whelming statistic in regard to Chris
tianity and in regard to tho number of
Ohristains in the different oenturios;
In the FIRST century 500. 900 Ohristians.
in the second oontury 1000, 900 Chris.
tiane, in the third century 5000, 900
Christians, in the Fourth century TO-
< QUO, 600 Christians, in tho fifth century
10, 600 600 Christians, in the sixth cen.
tury 2O,000,000 Christians, in tho
seventh oontury % 100000 Christians,
ia the eight century 10000, 900 Ohria
tians, in the ninth contury 40, 900, 600
Christains, in the tenth century 3d.
OOO, 600 ChriBtians, in tho eleventh oen-
tury 100000 600 Christians, in the
Twelfth century 80,000,0000 Christians,
IN tho thirteenth century rs, 900 600
Christians, in tho fourteenth century
10000, 600 Christians, in the fifteonth
century 100, 900, 600 Christians, in tho
sixteenth century 5000, 900 Chris
tains, in the seventeenth century 1861
600, 900 Christians, in the oightconth
century 2c0. 100000 Christians de-
cadence, 10 you observe, in only one
century, and moro than made up in tho
following centuries, wnilo it is the
usual computation that there woro al
the close of tho ninetoonth oontury
470, 100000 Christians, making us to
believe that before this century is clos.
ed tho millennium will havo started
it's boom and lifted its hosanna.
Poor Christianity What pity it has
no friendsl How lonesome it must bol
Who 9ill take it out Of tho poorhouso2
Poor Ohristianityl -Four hundred mil
lions in ono oontury. In fow weeks
Of this year $500, 600 copios of tho Now
Testament distributed. Why, tho Garth
10 like an old castle with 20 gatos and a
park Of artillery ready to thunder down
every gate. Soc how hoathendom ID bo.
ing surrounded and honoycombed and
attacked by this all conquaring gospel.
at the beginning Of the nineteenth
century 100 missioparies; at tho oloso
of that century 81 600 missionaries and
native hclpcrs AMI ovangolists. At
tho beginning of tho nineteenth con-
tury there woro only $4,000 converts.
Now thore arc over 900, 600 converts
from hoathendom.
You all know that an important work
Of an army is to plant the batteries. 1t
may take many days to plant tho bat.
tories, and they may do all tho work in
ten minutes. Those gospel battorios
are being planted all along tho soaooasts
and in all nations. 1t may tako good
while to plant them, and thoy may do
all their work in ono day. They will.
Nations are to bo born in day. But