The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-08-04
The FAITHFUL WITNESS
Sermon by Tho Rev. s. B. Hishard q
The Presbyterian Church.
The Testimony Of Jesus Christ
Competent and Convincing
An Able Exposition OF Or
thordox Doctrine.
by the Standards Special Wire.

by the Standafus special wire.
BUTTE, Aug. Sat the Presbyterian
church this morning the Rev. =. 4. Wish
ard, ID. D., superintendent of missions for
Utah aud Montana, occupied the pulpit.
He took as his text, ''From Jesus Christ,
who Is the faithful Witness" Rev. I, v.
His discourse was substantially as fol-
lows:
ave nave and receive our information
from testimony. All we know we know
from the testimony either OF friends
or Of teachers or Of our own lenses. The
education of children liz along the line of
testimony. In reference to things of this
world men are ready TO receive testimony
but when we step on moral ground. when
we make reference to the things of God,
then they begin to doubt testimony.
"Thcre are three steps In skepticism.
The first Is that OF ordinary doubt. When
the adversary came to Adam and Eve, he
adroitly inRratiated himself in the favor
of the woman. He first thrust doubt
Of .% Go afr wo nsnc She az fell when u s .Se dou is,ah
Then darkness came upon her mind. The
next step IL from doubt to deism. He
hath said in his heart God hath forgotten;
he hideth his face and will not see H.
Such is the thought OF the deist. The
third step is that of atheism. The fool
Ilttu rhiu III nlt DttlEt titEt 10 Io ~ All
this INT from false testimony. The
devil first darkened the human mind by
falsehood. and has kept IL her ever
since. The world has had a lie and wants
the truth. Where are we to find this
truth? All the philosophy and culture
and wisdom OF the world will not give IL;
but God hath spoken unto us in these
last days by his son, Jesus Christ He
hath sent "a wit~ness-Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness. Let us look at his quail
flcations as a witness. Is he a competent
witness? II so he must know the facts.
IL one had heard n story and should rome
into court with it, he would be
this is not competent testimony; the
witness must know the facts We look
in the book Of God and we find these
works: In the beginning was the word
and the word was with God and the word
was Cod and again, Without him was
not anything made that was made.' Jesus
Christ madet the plans OF the world and SO
he knew the facts. He had the first quail
ication. The competent witness must
next have intelligence to state h facts.
This is the second qualification. We
reasonably assume that he who created
knowledge. But in examining his testi-
mony we find that no man ever lived who
could state truth with the perfect clear
ness IN accuracy of Jesus Christ. The
people were astonished Mt his doctrines.
He touched upon points OF truth that the
Pharisees and Others had lost; yes, he
had the second qualification.
1.-THE competent witness must have n
third qualification. He must have courage
to state the truth. Sometimes the witness
t~estifies at the peril of his life. There Is
scarcely "A criminal case where witnesses
are not more or less inundated by public
opinion. Christ certainly had this quail
nrnttnp pf Tntrnnn for hn rebulaI the
Pharisees and disciples alike, declared
against the rich as well as the powerful.
When they did not wan him to go up to
Jerusalem he went az in the face of dan
ger. In the presence OF Plate he declared
i nm king
"As another qualification IA witness
must have no prejudice. No n can
truly testify against a friend. When we
speak the truth we insensibly color IL by
prejudice. Jesus Christ was not a preiu-
diced witness. He knew the facts, he
could tell what he knew, he had the cour-
age: and lie had disinterested kindness
toward every one. His W disciples got
nothing Of personal favor through any
prejudice on his part. What did he tes-
tify? He testified as 90 the reliability OF
the Old Testament. His quotations are
on record. He accepted not only the his
torical but also the prophetic portions OF
the Old Testament. He risked his life
and teachings upon the Old Testament
p~rophcsies. AS il was in the days of
Noah,' Christ says. Some people Of to-
day do not believe there ever was a Hood.
hut Christ says there was one. lngcrsoll
has pronounced Sodom and Gomorrah
myths, but Christ thought differently.
Christ tcstiiies to hat terrible story about
Jonah. As Jonah was three days and
three nights i'm the whales belly, so Jesus
should he three days in the bowels of the
earth. Christ, too, SAID hat the wicked
should go into everlasting punishment.
"This testimony concerns you and me.
We are on trial for eternal life. Here
comes a witness i'm the court OF your con-
science, saying, will you he saved and
escape eternal deathT IL you were on
trial for life, would you not watch the tes-
timony brought in COURT Jesus Christ
has come down To testify. What do
you think of his testimony. There
Is here no reprieve. no petition
for pardon possible. The testimony OF
Jesus Christ finally settles your case.
They have Moses and the prophets, let
them hear Them Again. IL they will
not G them. neither will they hear one
from the dead
"As for myself. l rejoice that | have nc
cepted the testimony of the ord Jesus
Christ about God. | don't believe what
the devil says about God. You receive
the testimony of men, says John, but
the testimony of God, ye will not hear.'