Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-07-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR LAST
SUNDAYS SUBJECT.
Behold the Days Come, Saith the
Lord, That the FIowman Shall Over
take the Reaper''-Amos, tx, 13-The
Force of the Bible.


Washington, July Although DR..
Talmage was hindered from attending
the great annual meeting of the Chris
tian Endeavor society at Cincinnati,
his sermons show him to be in SYM
pathy with the great movement;
text Amos tx, 13, Behold the days
come, saith the Lord, that the plow-
man shall overtake the reaper"
Unable because of other important
duties to accept the invitation to take
part in the great convention of Chris
tian Endeavorers at Cincinnati, began
last week, 1 preach a sermon of con-
graduation for all the members of that
magnificent association, whether now
gathered in vast assemblage or busy
in their places of usefulness, trans
atlantic and cisatlantic, and as it is
now harvest time in the fields and
sickles are flashing in the gatherings
of a great crop, 1 find mighty sugges-
tiveness in my text.
1t is a picture of a tropical cline,
with a season so prosperous that the
harvest reaches clear over to the
planting time, and the swarthy hus-
bandman, busy cutting the grain, al
most feels the breath of the horses
on his shoulders, the horses hitched to
the plOw, preparing for a new crop.
Behold the days come, saith the Lord,
that the plowman shall overtake the
reaper" When is that? That is now.
That is this day, when hardly have
You done reaping one harvest OF re-
Hgious result than the plowman is
getting ready for another.
In phraseology charged with all
venom and abuse and caricature
know that infidels and agnostics have
declared that Christianity has col
lapsed; that the Bible is an obsolete
book; that the Christian church is on
the retreat. L shall answer that whole
sale charge today.
Growth of Christianity.
But now let us see whether the book
is a last years almanac. Let US see
whether the church of God is a Bull
Run retreat, muskets, canteens and
haversacks strewing all the way. The
great English historian Sharon Tur-
ner. man of vast learning and great
accuracy, not clergyman, but an at
torney well as a historian, gives
this overwhelming statistic in regard
to Christianity and in regard to the
number of Christians in the different
centuries: In the first century, 500 900
Christians; in the second century
100000 Christians; in the third CEN
tury, 100000 Christians; in the fourth
century 100000 Christians; in the
fifth century Is, 200, 900 Christians; in
the sixth century 20.000,000 Christians;
in the seventh century $4,000 900
Christians; in the eighth century, 3d.
100000 Christians; in the ninth cen
tury 40 900 900 Christians; in the tenth
century $4,000 900 Christians; in the
eleventh century 70.0Oo,0OO Christians;
in the twelfth century 10000, 900 Chris
tians; in the thirteenth century 75,-
100000 Christians; in the fourteenth
century S0.000,000 Christians; in the
fifteenth century 1OO,00O,O0O Chris
tians: in the sixteenth century, 1885,
100000 Christians; in the seventeenth
century 155 900 900 Christians; in the
eighteenth century 100000. 900 Chris
tians-a decadence. as you observe. in
only one century, and more than made
up in the following centuries, while it
is the usual computation that there
were at the close of the nineteenth
century 470, 900 900 Christians, making
US to believe that before this century
is closed the millennium will have
started its boom and lifted its hosan-
ma.
Poor Christianity, What a pity it
has no friends, How lonesome it must
be! Who will take it out of the poor
house? Poor Christianity, Four hun
dred millions in one century In a
few weeks of this year $500 900 copies
of the New Testament distributed.
Why, the earth is like an old castle
with 20 gates and a park of artillery
ready to thunder down every gate
See how heathendom is being sur
rounded and honeycombed and at
tackled by this all conquering gospel.
At the beginning of the nineteenth
century $50 missionaries; at the close
of that century $4,000 Missionaries and
native helpers and evangelists. At
the beginning of the nineteenth CEN
tury there were only 10000 converts
Now there are over l. 900. 900 converts
from heathendom.
The Force of the bible.
Suppose the congress of the United
States should pass law that there
should be no more Bibles printed in
America and no Bibles read. If there
are 60,00o.000 grown people in the
United States, there would be 60. .O0O.-
600 people in an army to put down
= such a law and defend their right to
read the Bible. But suppose the con-
gress of the United States should
make law against the reading or the
publication of any other book, how
many people would go out in such