The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-11-25
gRItsce1lmenms,
REV. 7. DEWITT TALMAGE
WITNESSES BEARING TESTIMONY
FOR RELIGION
Our Weapon in this Conflict is Faith'
Not LOgIc-B But TO Have FRith' We
Must Have Testimony.
srpIECr-"w1TNEssRs ON THE sTAND."

sUBJECT-"wITNEseRs ON THE STAND
Text-Acte 3:l5-"We are witnesses"
In the days of George Stephenson, the
perfector of the locomotive engine, some
scientists proved Conclusively that rail
train could never be driven with steam
power successfully without peril; but the
rushing express trains from Liverpool
to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to
London, have made all the nations wit
nesses of the splendid achievement. Ma
chinists and navigators proved conclu
siyely that q steamer could never cross
the Atlantic Ocean but no sooner had
they proved the impossibility of such an
undertaking, than the work was done
and the passengers Of the Cunard, and
the Inman, and National, and the White
Star lines are witnesses. There went up
guffaw of laughter from some of the
wise men at Prof, Morse's proposition to
make the lightning of heaven his errand
boy; and it was proved conClusively that
the thing could never be dope but now
tie news of the wide world by Associat-
ed Press, put in your hands every morn
ing and evening" has made all nations
witnesses. In the time Of Christ it was
proved ConClusively that 1t was impossi-
BILE for man to rise from the dead. 1t
was shown logically that when a man
was dead, he was dead, and that the diff
ferent organs having ceased to perform
their offices, the limbs would be rigid
beyond all power of motion. They pro-
we'd it to be an absolute absurdity that
the dead Christ should ever rise again;
but no sooner had they proved this than
the dead Christ arose, and the disciples
saw Him, heard His voice and talked
with Him. They took the witness'stand
to prove to be true what the wiseacres
Of the day had proved to be impossible,
namely, the record in the text: "Him
hath God raised from the dead, whereof
we are witnesses"
Now, let me play the sCeptic for mo.
ment. There is no God, for have never
seen him with my physical eyesighC.
Your Bible is pack of contradictions,
There never was miracle. Lazarus
was not raised from the dead, and the
water was never turned into wine. Your
religion is an imposition on the credul.
ity of the ages. There is an aged man
moving in the pew az though he would
ike to respond. Here are hundreds Of
people with faces flushed at the an.
nouncements, and all through this house
there is a suppressed feeling that would
like to cry out in behalf Of the truth Of
our glorious Christianity. The fact is,
if this world is ever brought to God, it
will not be through argument, but by
testimony. You might cover the whole
earth with apologies for Christianity and
learned treatises in defense of religion
you would not convert soul. Lee
lures on the harmony between science
and religion are beautiful mental disci-.
pliue, but they have never saved soul,
and never will. Put man Of the world
and man of the church against each
other, and the man of the world will, in
all probability, get the victory. There
are thousand things in our religion
that seem illogical. Our weapon in this
conflict is faith, not logic; faith, not con.
troversy. But then, to have faith, we
must have testimony; and if one man, or
ten get up and tell me they have felt the
religion of j esus Christ joy, comfort,
help, I am bound, as fair minded
man, to accept their testimony.
l want tonight to make three propo.
sitioDs. the truth of which, 1 think, you
will attest with overwhelming unanim-
ity. The first proposition is, the religion
Of Christ is able to convert a soul. The
Gospel may have had a hard time to
conquer us-We may have fought it
back; but we are Vanquished. You say
conversion is only an imagination, We
know better. There never was 80 great
change in our heart and life on any
other subject. People laughed at the
missionaries in Madagascar, bee luse they
preached ten years without one convert;
but there are thirty.three thousand con.
verts in Madagascar to-day. People
laughed at DR.. Morrison, in China, for
preaching there seven years without
single conversion; but there are fifteen
thousand Christians in China to-day.
But why go 80 far from home to find
evidence of the Gospels power to save a
soul, We are witnesses. We were so
proud that no man could have humbled |
US; we were so hard that no earthly |
power could have melted us; angels of
God were all around US, aud they could |
not overcome US. But one day, at a
Methodist meeting, or at a Presbyterian |
lecture, or at burial, power seized us,
and made US tremble and knael and cry |
for mercy; and we tried to get away from
The grasp, but could not. 1t flung us on
our knees, and when we arose we were
AS much changed as Yourgis, the heath.
an. He went into prayer meeting with
a dagger and a gun TO disturb the meet.
ing and destroy it, but the next day he
was found crying: "0h, my great sins!
On. my great SaViorp For seven years
be preached the Gospel of Christ to his
fellow mountsineers, and his last words |
were: Free graCel Oh, it was flee
grace" There ia man who for ten
years was hard drinker; the dreadful
had sent down its roots until they were
Interlinked with the vitals of body, soul