Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-07-12
THE TALMAGE SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches on
the Power of Testimony"
Preached I'm Open Air at Beatrice, Neb.,
to an Immense Congregation.
Text: eve are witnesses. Acts iii, Is.

Preached In Open Air at Beatrice, Neb.
to an Immense Congregation.
In the days of George Stephenson. the
perfector OF the locomotive engine, the SCI
entists proved conclusively that railway
train could never be driven by steam power
successfully and without peril; but the
rushing express trains from Liverpool to
Edinburgh and from Edinburgh to London,
have made all the nations witnesses Of the
splendid achievement. Machinists and
navigators rroved conclusively that a
steamer could never cross the Atlantic
Ocean; but no sooner had they successfully
proved the impossibility Of such an under
taking than the work was done, and the pas
sengers on the Cunarl and the Inman and
the National and the White Star lines are
witnesses There went up a guffaw OF wise
laughter at Professor Morse's proposition to
MAKO the lightning of heaven his errand
boy, and it was proved conclusiveIy that the
thing could never be done; but now all the
news of the wide world, hy Associated Press
put in your hands every morning and night,
has made all nations witnesses.
So in the time of Christ it was proved
conclusively that it was impossible for Him to
rise from the dead. 1t was shown logically
the heart and the liver and the lungs having
ceasel TO perform their offices the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power of friction
or arousal. They showed it to be an absolute
absurdity that the dea Christ should ever
get up alive; but no sooner hal they prove
this than the dead Christ arose, an | the dis
ciples beheld Him, heard His voice and
talked with Him, aud they took the witness
stand to prove that to be true which the
i'm.
possible; the record OF the experience an oil
the testimony is III the text: Him hath Go
raised from the dead, whereof we are wit
nessesn
Now let me play the skeptic for moment.
''There is no God" says the skeptic, 'for
have never seen Him with my physical
eyesight. Your Bible is a pack of contra
dictions. There never was miracle. LIZ
arus was not raise from the dead, AMI wa
ter WINS never turned into wine. Your re-
ligion is an imposition on the creduiity of thu
ages" There is an aged man moving over
yonder as though he would like 20 respond,
Here are hundreds of people with faces q
little flushed at THE announcements, and
all through this assembly there is a sup
pressed feeling which would like 10 speak
out in behalf of the truth of our glorious
Christianity, as in the days of the text, cry
ing out, "Weare Witnesses
brought to God it will not be through argu
ment but through testimony You might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treatise5 in defense
OF religion-you would not convert soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
aud religion are beautiful mental discipline,
but have never saved soul and never will
save a soul. Put man of the world and a
OF the church against each other and thu
Of tho xvnrIl oil o,ohi
the triumph. There are a Thousand
things in our religion that seem illoSi-
cal 10 the world and always will
seem Illogical. Our weapon in this conflict
is faith, not logic; faith, not metaphysics,
faith. not profundity; faith, not scholastic
exploration. But then in order to have faith
we must have testimony, and if five hundred
men, or one thousand men. or five hundred
thousand men, or five million men get up and
tell me that they nave felt the religion OF
Jesus Christ a joy, a comfort, help, an as.
pIration, am bound as fair minded man to
accept their testimony. want just now tt
put before you three propositions, the truth
of which | think this audience will attest
with overwhelming unanimity.
The first proposition is: We are witnesses
that the r,lgion of Christ is able to con-
vert soul, The Gospel may have had q
hard time to conquer us, we may have
You say conversion is only an imaginary
thing. We know better. "We arc wit
nesses." There never was so great change
IN our heart and life on any other subject
as on this. People laughed at the mission
aries in Madagascar because they preached
ten years without one convert; but there
are 1000 converts in Madagascar to-day
People laughed at Dr. Alderman Juison,
tho Baptist missionary, because he kept on
nrporhipor in 4,
single convert; but there are 90 900 Baptists
IN Burmah to-day. People laughed at DR..
Morrison, in China, for preaching there
seven years without single conversion; but
there are p, coo Christians in China to-day
People laughed at the missionaries fol-
preaching at Tahiti fifteen years without q
single conversion, and at the missionaries foi
preaching in Bengal seventeen years without
a single conversion; yet in all those lands
there are multitudes of Christians to-day.
But why go so far to find evidence oil til.
Gospels power to save soul? I'VE are
witnesses We were so proud that he
man could have humbled 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, perhaps at q Methodist anxious
seat, or at a Presbyterian catechetical lee
ture, or at burial, or on horseback, n
power seized us, and male us get down, aal
made us tremble, and made us kneel, 01i
made us cry for mercy, and we tried to
wrench ourselves away from the grasp, but
we could not. 1t flung us fat, and when we
arose we were as much changed as GourLii.
the heather, who went into prayer meeting
with dagger and gun to disturb the meet
ing and destroy it, but the next day was
found crying: ''Oh, my great sinsi Oh, my
great Saviour AMI for eleven years
preached the Gospel of Christ to his fellow
mountaineers, the last words on his dying
lips being Free Gracem Oh, it was free
grace
There is man who for ten years was q
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate and
thu tongue, and on down until they vera
interlinke9 with the vitals of the body,
mind and soul: but he has not taken any
stimulants for ten years. What did that?
Not temperance societies. Not prohibition
laws. Not moral suasion. Conversion did
it. Why" said one upon whom the great
change had come, sir, l feel Just as
though 1 were somebody elsep There is a
sea captain who swore all the way from New
York to Havana, and from Havana to San
Francisco, AMI when he was in port he was
worse than when he was ON the sea. What
power was it that washed his tongue clean of
profanities and made him a psalm singer
Conversion by the Holy Spirit There ara
thousands of people in this assenblage to-day
who are no more what they oncs were than
a waterlily is a nightsha1e, or a morning
lark is a vulture or day is night.
Now, if | should demand that all thos,
people here present who have felt the CON
verting power of religion should rise so far
from being ashamed tn would spring to
:heir feet with more alacrity than they ever
sprang to the dance, the tears mingling with
their exhilaration as they cried, ''We aro
witnesses" AMI if they tried to sing the
OIL Gospel hymn they would break down
with emotion by the time they got to thu
second line
Ashamed OF Jesus, thlt dear Friend
On whom my hopes of heaven dependl
MOI When blu n b. this my SHINE;
IhAt no mote revere His name.
Again I remark that we are witnesses of
the Gospels power to comfort. There are
Christian parents here who are willing to
testify to the power of the Gospel to COM
fort. Your son had just graduated from
school or college and was going into business,
and the Lord took him. Or your daughter
had just graduated from the young ladies'
seminary, and you thought she was going to
be useful woman and of long life: but the
Lord took her, and you were tempted to say,
AN this culture of twenty years for ucth-
ingr' Or the little child came home from
school with the hot fever that stoppe nos
for the agonized prayer or for the skillful
physician, and tho little child was taken. Or
the babe was lifted out of your arms by sDm
quick epidemic, and you stood won lerin
why God ever gave you that child at a !, ii
so soon He was TO take it away. An! yet
you are notrepining, you are not fretfui, you
are not fighting against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
trial? 'Oh," you say, Il took til, me licinc
that God gave my sick soul, In my dis.
tress l threw myself at the feet OF a SYM
pathizing God; and when was too weak
to praY or to look up. He braatheI int1 me-