Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-07-12
THE TALMAGE SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches on
the Power of Testimony"
Preached I'M Open Air Mt Beatrice, Neb.,
to mn Immense Congregations.
TEXT: ave arc ,ritncsscs. Acts ill.,, ii

to mn Immense congregation.
TENT: ave arc ,ritncsses. Acts ILL.,, Is.
In tho days of George Stephenson, the
porfector OF the locomotive engine, the sci
entiss proved conclusively that n railway
train could never be driven by steam power
successfully aud without peril; but the
rushing express trains from Liverpool to
Edinburgh and from Edinburgh to LONDON,
have made ali the nations witnesses OF tho
splendid achievement. Machinists and
navigators rrovol conclusivey that n
steamer could never cross tho Atlantic
Ocean; but 10 SOONER had they successfully
proved tho inipossibiity OF such al under.
taking than tho work was done, and the pas
sen.crs OH the C,,nard anl the lnmaa md
tho National anil tho White Star lines are
witnesses. There went up n outlaw ut wise
laughter ut Professor Morsc's proposition to
mako the lightning OF heaven his crran;l
boy. and it was proved canclusively that the
thing could never be done; but now all tho
news of tho wide world, by Associated Press
put in your hands every morning and night
has made all nations witnesses.
SO in the timo OF Christ it was proyc1
conclusively that it was impossible for Him to
rise from the dead. 1t was Shown logically
TINT when q nm was deal he was dead, and
the heart and the liver and the lungs having
ceased to perform their Offices the limbs
would bo rigid beyond oil power Of friction
or arousal Thcy showed it to be an absolute
absurdity that the dead Christ should ever
get up alive; but no sooner had they proyel
this than the dead Christ arose, anil tho dis.
ciples bchcld Him, heard His voice end
talked with Him, and thcy took tho witness
stand to prove that to be true which the
wiseacrcs of tho day had proved to be i'm.
possible; the record Of the experience an OF
the testimony is in tho text: Him hath God
raised from tho dead, whereof we are wit.
ncsscs"
Now let me play tho skeptic for n moment
There is no Cod" says the skepLic, FOR
cyesight. Your Bible is pack OF contra
dictions, There never was 4 miracle. Laz-
arus was not raise from the dead, anl wa
ter was never turned into wine. Your re-
ligion is MI imposition on the crcdulity OF tho
ages Thereis an aged man movin.; over
yonder as though he would like TO respond.
Here arc hundreds Of paople with faces q
little flushed at these announcements, an |
all through this assembly there is sup
pressed feeling which would like to speak
out in behalf of the truth OF our glorious
Christianity, rs i'll the days OF the text, cry
ing out "Wcarc witnesses
brought to God it will not be through argu.
ment, but through testimony. You might
cover tho whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned trcatises in defease
of religion-you would not convert soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
aud religion arc beautiful mental discipline,
but have never saved soul and never will
save soul. Put man of tho world and
OF tho church against each other and tho
man of the world will in all probability get
tho triumph. There are Thousand
things i'll our religion that seem llo1i.
cal 10 the world and always will
is faith, not logic; faith, not metaphysics,
faith. not profundity; fuith, not scholastic
exploration. Gut then in order to have faith
we must have testimony, and il five hundred
mon, or ono thousand men, or five hundred
thousand men, or five million men get up and
tell me that they havc felt the religion OF
Jesus Christ n joy, q comfort, help an as.
piration, AM bound as 4 fair minded mau To
accept their testimony. want just nor I }
put before you three propositions, tho truth
Of which think this audience will attess
with overwhelming unanimiiy
Tho first proposition is: We are. witnesses
that tue religion of Christ is able to con-
vert soul. The Gospel may have had
hard timo to conquer lis We may have
fought it back but wo wero vnnquislcd.
You say conversion is only m imaginary
thing. We know better. 1--WE arc wit
nesses." There never was 50 great Il change
in our heart and life OF any other subject
as on this People laughed at the mission
aries i'll Madagascar because thej' preached
ten years without ono convert but there
People laughed ut DR. Alderman Ju.ls)l,
tho Baptist missionary, because he kept or
preaching in Burinah five years without n
single convert but there are 20, 600 Bapt:sts
in Burmah to-day. People laughed ut DR..
Morrison, in China, for preaching there
seven years without single conversion; but
there are 81, 900 Christians in China to-day.
People laughed Mt the missionaries for
preaching at Tahiti fifteen years without 4
single conversion, and ut the missionaries foI
preaching i'll Bengal seventeen years witliou;
a single conversion; yet i'll all those Lands
there arc multitudes oil Christians today.
But why go SO far to fad evidence OF til,
Gospels power to save soul? I'VE nro
witnesses" We werc so prolil that M
IMAM could have humbled us; wc wero so
hard that no earthly power could hav.
melted us; angels of God wcro all around
about us; they could not overcome lis. But
ono day, perhaps at Methodist anXioui
seat or at n Presbyterian catechetical ec-
ture, or at burial. or OIL horseback,
power seized us, and ua'lc lis get down, all
made us tremblc, and nado us llnec!, II
made lis cry for mercy. and we trle.i u
wrench ourselves away from the grasp but
wc could not. 1t flung us flat, and w''od We
arose We were as much changed rs GJar.s
The hcathcn, who went Into prayer needing
with dagger and gun to disturb thu meet
ing and destroy it, but tho next day was
found crying: "Oh, my great sins! "a, my
great Saviour" anil for eleven years
preached the Gospel Of Christ to his fellow
mountniueers, tho last words on his dying
lips being Free Grace" Ga, it was Tree
grace!
hard drinSer The dreadful appetite had
sent down it's roots around the palnte and
the tongue. and OH down until they wero
intcrlinkeG with the vitals OF tbs body,
mind aud 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.n said one upon whom the great
change hal come, sir, feel just as
though were somebody else" There is
sea captain who swore all the way from New
York to Havana, and from Havana to San
Francisco, IN when he was in port he was
worse than when he was OF the sea. What
power WIS IL budlG W iloilcst uiS bOu0 w SSi ~
profanitics and made him q psalm singer?
Conversion by the Holy Spirit. There are
thousands Of people in this assenblago to-day
who are no moro what they once were than
n wnteriily is a nightshade or morning
lark is vulture. or day is night.
Now, if I should demand TINT all those
people hers present who have felt tho con-
verting power Of religion should ris,, so far
from being ashamed til y would spring to
their feet with more aacrity than they ever
sprans to the dance, III, toars lninglinr with
their cxlilaration as they crieJ, We nro
witnesses AMI if they tried to sing tho
old Gospel hymn they wolll break down
with emotion By the time they got to Tho
second line.
Ashamed Of Jesus, that dear Friend
On whom my hopes Of heaven depend?
No! Whcu ID, b this my SHINE;
That no moro revere His name.
Again Iromarls that VIC are. witnesses OF
thu Gospels power TO comfort. There are
Christian parents hero who arc willing to
testify to the power Of the Gospel to conf
fort. Your son had just gr.;du1tel from
school or collegeand was going into business,
and the Lord took him. Or your daughter