Telegram-herald., 1890-07-07
We ARE WITNESSES!
On TsLs'AeEs OPEN Ar SERMON
At BEATRICE, KEs

an immense eoagres alton which lid
gathered flom al the surrounding
country 70 hear tho famous prezcher
His text vas. We are witnesses" (Acts
In, IS. Following Is his sermon:
Ia the days of George Stephenson,
the perfector Of tie locomotive engine,
the scientists proved conelusively that
a railway train could never be driven
By steam power successfully and with
out peril bat the rushing express trains
from Liverpool 70 Edinburgh. and from
Edinburgh 20 London, have made all
the nations witnesses Of tho splendid
achievement. Maehinists and naviga-
tors proved conclusively that a steamer
could never cross the Atlantic ocean;
but no sooner had they successfully
proved the imposssbility Of such al an
der,aking than the work was done, and
the passengers on the Cunard, and the
InInan, and the National, and the
White Star lines ara witnesses. There
went up a guiIaw OF wise laughter at
Professor Gorss's proposition 10 make
the lightning of heaven his errand boy,
and IL was proved conciusively that the
thing could never be done; but now all
the news Of the wide world, by Asso-
eiated Press put in your hands every
morning and night, has made all na-
tiOns witnesses.
So in the time of Christ il was proved
conclusively that it was impossible for
him 20 rise from the dead 1t was
shown logically that when a man was
dead he was dead. and the heart and
the liver and the lungs having ceased
10 perform their offices, the limbs would
be rigid beyond all power of friction or
arousal They showed it TO be an abso-
lutte absurdity that the dead Christ
should ever get up alive; but no sooner
had they proved this than the dead
Christ arose and the disciples beheld
him, heard his voice and talked with
him, and they took the witness stand
TO prove that To be true which the wise
acres of the day had proved TO be i'm
possible; the record Of the experience
and of the testimony is In the text
Him hath God raised from the dead,
whereof we are witnesses.
THE sXEPrIC's ARGUMENT.
Now, let me play the skeptic for a
moment. There is no God, says the
skeptic, 'for / have never seen him
with my physical eyesight. Your Bible
is n pack of contradictions. There never
was a miracle. Lazarus was not raised
from the dead, and the water was never
turned into wine Your religion is an
imposition on the credulity of the ages. y
There is an aged man moving over yon-
der as though he would like to respond.
Here are hundreds of people with faces
a little flushed at these announcements,
and all through this assembly there is
suppressed feeling which would like
10 speak out in behalf of the truth oi
our glorious Christianity, as In the days
of the text, crying out: 'We are wit
neSsesi"
The fact is that if this world is ever
brought TO God it viii not be through
argument, but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with apol
ogies for Christianity and learned trea
tises in defense of reGgiOn-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 Wi
save a soul. Put a man OF the world
and a man of the church against eacf
other. and the man OF the world vii
in all probability get the triumph
There are a thousand things in our re
I ligi0n that seem illogical to the world
and always viii seem illogical.
Our weapon IL this conflict is faith
not logic; faith, not metaphysics; faith
not profundity; faith, not scholastic
exploration But then, in order Il
have faith, we must have testimony
and if five hundred men, or one thou
sand men. or five hundred thousand
men, or five million men get up anC
/ tel me that they have felt the religion
of Jesus Christ a Joy, q comfort, a help
an aspiration, | am bound as fail
minded man to accept their testimony
I want just now 10 put before you three
I propositions the truth Of which / thinl
this audience viii attest with over
wheiming unanimity.
I RELIGION BRINGS CHANGE OF HEART
The first proposition IS. We are wit
f nesses that the religion Of Christ is abl'
+ TO convert soul The Gospel maj
have had hard time to conquer US
we may have fought il back, but W,
were vanquished. You say conversion
is only an imaginary thing We know
T better. We ere witnesses. Their
never was 50 great n change in on
+ heart and life on any other subject a
on this People laughed az the mission
aries in Nadagasear because the.
T preached ten years without one con
vert: but there are %, 600 converts II
+ Madagascar today.
t' Ptr itNst---t- az AT A4oiiE tii > az
son. the Baptist missionary, because h.
f kept on preaching in Burmah FIVE year
without a single convert, but there ar
twenty thousand Baptists in BuTmal
today People laughed At DR. Morri
son. in China, for preaching there sever
years without a single conversion, bu
there sre twenty-five thousand Chris
tians in China today People lsuehe'
81 the missionaries lot preaching &C ia
hih fifteen years without a single con
version. and at the rissionaries 20
preaching in Bengal seventeen year
withont-a sin.-.s ranva-sinn v.t h e