Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-07-11

WASHINGTON, July 7.-Although Or.
Talmage vas hindcrcd from attending
the great annual meeting of the Christian
Endeavor Society ut Cincinnati, his SER
mon shows him TO he in sympathy with
the great movement; text, Amos tx, IL,
Behold the days come, saith the Lord,
that the plowman shall overtake the
reaper"
Unable because of other important du-
ties to accept the invitation to take part
in the great convention of Christian En-
deavorers at Cincinnati, begun last week,
i preach q sermon of congratulation for
all the members Of that magnificent ASSOC
citation, whether now gathered in vast as
semblage or busy in their places Of use
fitness, transatlantic and cisatlantc, and
rs it is now harvest time in the fields and
sickles are flashing in the gathering of n
great crop, | find mighty suggestiveness
in my text.
1t is picture of tropical cline, with
season so prosperous that the harvest
reaches clear over 10 the planting time,
and the swarthy husbandman, busy cut
ting the grain, almost feels the breath OF
the horses on his shoulders, the horses
htched to the pillow, preparing for 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 religious
result than the powman is getting ready
for another.
In phraseology charged with all venom
and abuse and caricature | know that in
fdels and agnostics have declared that
Christianity has collapsed; that the Bible
is an obsolnte hook. that tina Christian
church is on the retreat | shall answer
that wholesale charge today.
Between 5000, 900 and 100000 En-
deavorers sworn before high heaven that
they will do all they can to take America
for God, Europe for God, Asia and Az
RIGA for God-are not the signs most
cheering? Or, to return 10 the agrcul-
tural figure Of my text. more than Il mil
lion reapers are overtakcn by more than
a million plovmen Besides this, there
are more people who believe in the Bible
than at any time in the worlds existence.
An Arab guide was leading a French in
fdel across the desert, and ever and anon
the Arab guide would get down in the
sand and pray to the Lord. 1t Disguised
the French infdel. and after awhile, as
the Arab got I'D from one of his prayers,
the inidel said, How do you know there
is any God?" And the Arab guide said
"How do know that q man and camel
passed by our tent last night? ! know il
by the footprint in the sand. And YOU
want to know how know whether there
is any Godr Look at the sunset Is that
the footstep OF man." And by the
same process Won and have come to nm
derstand that this book is the footstep of
God.
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, capteeps and hayer-
SO cl1s etrewing all the way, The great
English historian Sharon Turner, n man
Of vast learning and great accuracy, not
d clergyman, hut an attorney as well as a
historian, gives this Overwhelming statis-
tic in regard to Christianity and in regard
to the number Of Christians in the differ
ent centuries: In the first century 200 600
Christians, IN the second century 1000
600 Christians, in the third century
100000 Christians, in the fourth cen.
fury 100000 Christians, in the fifth
century 15,OoO, 900 Christians, in the
sixth century 2O,0OOO0O Christians. in
the seventh century 24,O00, 900 Chris
tians. in the eighth century sc, 900 O0C
Christians in the ninth century 100000.
600 Christians, in the tenth century so.
600 600 Christians. in the eleventh con,
fury 10000 900 Christians, in the twelfth
century $4,000 900 Christians. in the thir,
teenth century 1900. 600 Christians. in
the fourteenth century S0000,00O Chris
tians, in the fifteenth century 100 600 OOC
Christians, in the sixteenth century 1o5.
100000 Christians In the seventeenth
century 100000 Christians. in the
eighteenth century 20O,O0O.O0O Chris
tians-a decadence, as you observe. in ONLY
one century, and more than made IN il
the following centuries. while it is the
usual computation that there We're at the
close of the nineteenth century 100000,
900 Christians, making us TO believe thai
before this century is closed the milen
mum will have started its boom and lifted
its hosanna.
Poor Christianity! What pity 1t ha.
no friends! How lonesome il must be
Who will take it out of the poorhouse,
Poor Christianity! Four hundred mil
lions in one century. In few weeks OF
this year 100000 copies OF the New
Testament distributed. Why. the eertl
is like an old castle with 20 gates and +
park OF artillery ready TO thunder down
every gate. See how heathendom is be
ing surrounded and honeycombed and at
tackled by this all conqnerng gospel Al
the beginning OF the nineteenth century
tall m agA lam IL