The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-07
POWER OF TESTIMONY.
TALMAGE breaches IN THE OPEN
AIR IN NEBRASKA.

Years Ago Now Proven by Living
witnesses-The Existence OF God
Also Easily Proven-Witnesses to
the Power of the Gospel
BEATRICE, NEB.. July Cdr. Talmage
preached here in the open air to an immense
congregation which had gathered from all
the surrounding country to hear the famous
preacher. His text was: ave are wit
nesses." Acts ill.,, Is. Following is his ser
mon:
In the days Of George Stephenson, the
perfector of the locomotive engine. the
scientists proved conclusively that a rail-
way train could never be driven by steam
power successfully and without peril, but
the rushing express trains from Iiverpool
to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to Lon
don, have made all the nations witnesses of
the splendid achievement. Machinists
and navigators proved conclusively
that steamer could never cross
bne Atlantc ocean, but no
sooner had they successfully proved the inn
possibility of such an undertaking than the
work was done, and the passengers on the
Cunard, and the Inman, and the National
and the White Star lines are witnesses
There went up guffaw of wise laughter
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 done; but now all the news
OF the wide world. by Associated Press put
In your hands every morning and night,
has made all nations witnesses So in
the time OF Christ it was proved con-
clusivelY that it was impossible for
him to rise from the dead. 1t was
shown logically that when e man was dead
he was dead, and, the heart and the liver
and the lungs having ceased to perform
their offices, the limbs would be rigid be-
yond all power Of friction or arousai. They
showed it to be an absolute absurditv that
the dead Christ should ever get up alive
but no sooner had they proved this than
the dead Christ arose and the disciples
behind him heard his voice and talked with
him, and they took 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 testi-
mony is in the text: Him hath God raised
from the dead, whereof we arc witnesses"
Now, let me play +the skeptic for a mo-
ment. There is no God, says the skeptic,
"for have never seen him with my physi-
cal eyesight. Your Bible is a pack of CON
tradictions. There never was a miracle.
Lazarus was not raised from the dead and
the water was never turned into wine
dulity of the ages" There is an aged man
moving over yonder as though he would
like TO respond. Here are hundreds of peo-
pie with faces a little flushed at these an
nouncements, and all through this assembly
there is suppressed feeling which would
like to speak out in behalf of the truth Of
our glorious christianity, as in the days of
the text, crying out, I'VE are witnessesI"
The fact Is, that if this world Is ever
brought To God N will mot ho% brot,orb aYer,,
ment, but through testimony You might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
christianity and learned treatises in defense
OF religion-you would not convert a soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
and religion are beautiful mental discipline,
but have never saved a SOUL and never will
save a soul. Put a man of the world and a
man of the church against each other aud
the man of the world will in all probability
get the triumph. There are thousand
things in our religion that seem
illogical to 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 testi-
mony, and IL five hundred men, or one
thousand men, or five hundred thousand
men, or five million men get up and tell me
that they have felt the religion of Jesus
Christ joy, a comfort, help, an aspira-
ton, am bound as fair-minded man to
accept their testimony. | want just now
to put before you three propositions, the
truth of which l think this audience will
attest with overwhelming unanimity.
The first proposition is, We are witnesses
that the religion Of Christ Is able to convert
soul. The gospel may have had hard
time to conouer us; we may have fought it
back. but we were vauquished. You say
conversion Is only an imaginary thing. We
know better. I'VE are witnesses" There
never was 80 great a change in our heart
and life on any other subject as on this.
People laughed at the missionaries
in Madagascar because they preached
ten years without one convert: but
there are $4,000 converts in Madagas-
car to-day. People laughed at Dr.
Adoniram Judson, the Baptist missionary,
because he kept on preaching in Burmah
five years without single convert: but
there are 10000 Baptists in Burmah to-day.
People laughed at DR.. Morrison In China for
preaching there seven years without single
conversion; but there are ), 1855 christians in
China to-day. People laughed at the mis-
sionaries for preaching at Tahati fifteen
years without single conversion, and at
the missionaries for preaching in Bengal
seventeen years without single conversion:
yet in all those lands there are multitudes
of christians to-day.
But why go 80 far to find evidence If the
gospels power to save soul? 1--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 about US,
they could not overcome us; but one day,
perhaps at Methodist anxious seat, or at
a Presbyterian catechetical lecture, or at a
burial, or on horseback, a power seized US,
and made us get down, and made us trem-
BILE, and made US knee, and made us cry
for mercy, and we tried to wrench our
selves away from the grasp, but we could
not. 1t flung us fiat, and when we arose
we were as much changed as Gourgis, the
heather, who went into a prayer meeting
with a dagger and a gun, to disturb the
meeting and destroy it, but the next day
was found crying, "Oh, my great sins Oh,
my great Savior!" and for eleven years
preached the gospel Of Christ to his fellow
mountaineers. the last words on his dying
lips being, Free gracep Oh, it was free
gracel
There is a man who was for ten years a
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate aud
the tongue, and on down until they we're
interlinked with the vitals of body, mind
and soul but he has net taken any stimu-
lants 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