Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-07-24
POWER OF TESTIMONY,
Rev: d. Talmags Talk, Of tbs Influ ,no,
of Witnesses.

The Celebrated Brooklyn Divine Preach,, a
Sermon to an Immsnse Outdoor Congre-
cation In Nebraska- His Elegan
Clo,hsd Argument
Special to the Kansas Ciy Times
Rev. 7. Dc Witt Talmage preached to
m immense outdoor assemblage at
beatrice, Neb., last Sunday. HIS text
Has 1--WE are Witnesses" (Acts 3:l5.)
Following Is his sermon:
In the days Of George Stephenson, the
perfector OF the locomotive engine, the
scientists proved conclusive that q ra l.
way train could never b, driven by steam
power successfully aud without peril; but
the rushing express trains from Liverp ,ol
to Edinbu b, and from Edinburgh 10
London, have made all the nations wit
nesses OF the splendid achievem Mt Ma.
chinists and navigators proved conclus-
lively that steamer could never cross the
Atlantic Ocean; but no sooner had they
successfully proved the i'm possibility of
such an undertaking than the work was
done, and the passengers on the Cunard,
and the lnman, and the National, and the
White Star lines are witnesses. There
went up o guffaw OF wise laughter at Prof.
Morss's proposition to m Ike the lightning
OF heaven his errand-b boy, and it was
proved conclusively that the thing could
never he done; but now all the ncws OF the
W de world, by Associated Press put in
your hands every morning and nignt, has
made all nations witnesses. So in the
time OF Christ it was proved con .lu .ively
that it was inpossibl, for Him to ri e
from the dead. 1t was shown logically
that when man was dead, he wa. dead,
mt skn
having ceased to perform their offices, the
limbs would be rigid beyond ali power of
friction or arous Il. They showed it to be
an absolute absurdity that the dea Christ
sho I'D ever pet up alive; but no sooner
had they proved this than the dead Christ
arose. and the disciples bshcld Him, heard
his voice, and talked with Him, and they
look the witness stand TO prove that to be
true which the wiseacres OF the day had
proved to be impossible; the record of the
experience and Of the testimony is in the
text: Him hath God raised from the
dead, whereof we ar, witnesses"
Now let me play the steptic for O moment.
There is no God,' says the sceptic, ''for
nave never seen him with my physic Il eye.
sight. Your Bible is pack of ,ontradic-
ions. Ihere never was miracle. Laza-
rus was not rails I'd from the dead, and the
water Was never turned into wine Your
religion Is an imposition on the ere luulity
of the ages" There is an aged man NOV
ing over yonder as though he would like 10
respond. Here are hundreds Of people with
faces little flushed at these announce.
men's, and all through this assembly there
Is suppressed feeling which would like to
epeaA'out in beha OF the truth of our
glorious Christ anity, as in the days Of tho
text, crying out 1--WE are witnesses"
The fat is. that if this world is ever
brought to God it will not be through
argument but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with
apologies for Christianity and learned
treatises iu defense of religion-you would
not convert SOUL anu never will
save soul. Lectures on she har-
mony between science and religion are
beautiful mental discipline, hut have never
saved IA soul. Put man of the world and
q man of the church against Q lch other.
and The man Of the world will in ali
probability get the triumph There are a
thousand things in OR religion that seem
Illogical to the world, and always
WIZ seem illogical Our weapon in
this conflict is faith, not logic; faith, not
met physics; taith, not profoundly; tuith,
not scholastic exploration. But tren. in
order to have iaith we must have test-
mony, and il five ~ ndred men, or one
thousand men. or five hundred thousand
men, or five mil ion men get up and toll me
That they have felt the religion OF Jesus
Christ JOY, u comfort, Q help, an a., ira
ton. am bound as fair minded man to
accept their testimony. l want Just now
to put before you three propositions, the
truth OF which think this audience will
attesk 9th overwhelming unanimity.
Tho first rroDosition is, We are wit
nesses that the religion OF Christ is able to
convert u soul. The gospel may have had
a'hard time to conq Ter us, we may b I'VE
fought 1t back, but We were vanquished.
You say conversi n is only an ina yinary
thing. We know better :" are wit
nesses." There never was 50 great a
change in our heart ANA life Oh any other
subject as on this. People laugh at the
missionaries in Madagasc, because they
preached ten years witho 1t one con-
vert; but there are 80, ,OJ converts in
Madagascar to-day. People laughed
at Dr. Adonirpm Judson. the Baptist mis-
sionary, because he kept on preaching in
Burmah five years without a sing,e con.
vert; but theI Q are $1,000 Bapt SITS in Bur.
NAH today. People laughed at Do, tor
Morrison, in China, for preaching there
seven years without single conversion:
but there are q, 100 Christians in China to-
day. People laughed at tho missionaries
for preaching at Tahiti fifteen years with.
out a single conversion, and ut the mis- sion
aries for preaching In Ben al seventeen
years without single conversions; yet in
all those lands there are multitudes Of
Christians today.
But why goso far 10 find evidence OF the
Gospels power TO save u soul ave are
witnesses" We were 80 proud that no
man could have BUNDLED us; we were so
hard that no earthly power could have
melted US; angels Of God were all around
about us, they could not overcome us; but
one day, perhap. at q Methodist anxious
seat, or at Pres BY terrain catechetical
lecture, or at burial. or on horseback.
power seized us, and made US get down.
and made US tremble. and made US kneel.
and made Us cry for mercy, and we
tried to wrench ourselves away from tho
grasp. but we could not 1t flung
Is fat and when We arose we were as
much changed as Gourgis, the heather.
who went into prayer-meetins with a
6a0Oer and n Unn IN diam n tho