The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-23
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN'S DIVINE SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Power of Testimony"

Subject: "Power of Testimony"
TEXT: "Ve are ,citnesses."-Acts ill.,, 10.
In the days Of George Stephenson, the
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 Cunard and the Inman aud
the National and the White Star lines are
witnesses There went up gutfaw OF wise
laughter at Professor 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
conclusiyely that it was impossible for Him to
rise from the dead. 1t was shown logically
that when 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 beyond all power OF friction
or arousal. They showed it to be an absolute
nbsurdity that the dead Christ should ever
get up alive; but no sooner had they proved
this than the dead Christ arose, and the dis.
ciples beheld Him, heard His voice. and
talked with Him. and they took the witness
stand to prove that to be true which the
of &Lo l,oI l.
possible; the record of the experience ana OF
he testimony is in the text: Him hath God
Used from the dead, whereof we are wit
.leSSeS."
Now let me play the skeptic for moment.
There is no God" says the skeptic, FOR
I have never seen Him with my physical
eyesight. Your Bible is a pack of contra
dictions. There never was miracle. Lag
arus was not raised from the dead, and wa
ter was never turned into wine. Your re-
ligion is an imposition on the credulity OF tho
ages" There is an aged man moving over
yonder as though he would like to respond.
little flushed at these announcements, and
all through this assembly there is sup
pressed feeling which would like to speak
out in behalf of the truth Of our glorious
Christianity, as in the days of tho text cry
ing out, ''We are witnessesw
The fact is that il this world is ever
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 treatiseS i'll defense
of religion-you would not convert soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
aud religion are beautiful mental discipline,
but have never saved a soul and never will
save soul. Put man Of the world and a
OF the church against each other and the
man of the world will in all probability get
the triumph. There arc thousand
things in our religion that seem illogi-
cal to tho 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 aud
tell me that they have felt the religion OF
Jesus Christ a joy, n comfort, q help, an as
piration, am bound as fair minded man to
accept their testimony. want just now to
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 religion Of Christ is able to con-
vert soul. Tho Gospel may have had q
fought it back, but we were vanquished
You say conversion is only an imaginary
thing. We know better. ''We are wit
nesses" There never was so great a 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 ono convert; but there
are 33 900 converts in Madagascar to-day.
People laughed at Dr. Adonram Judson,
the Baptist missionary, because ho kept on
preaching in Burmah five years without q
single convert; but there are 20, 900 Baptists
in Burmah to-day. People laughed ut DR..
Morrison, in China, for preaching there
seven years without single conversion; but
there are 25, 900 Christians in China to-day.
People laughed Mt the missionaries for
single conversion, end at the missionaries for
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 for to find evidence OF the
Gospels power to save a soul? ''Wo are
witnesses" We wero 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 a Methodist anxious
seat, or at a Presbyterian catechetical lee.
ture, or at a burial, or on horseback, a
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 the grasp, but
we could not. 1t flung US fat, and when we
arose wo were as much changed as GourgS,
the neathen, who won't into q prayer meeting
with dagger and gun to disturb the meet
inr aul DESTROY it. but tho next day was
found crying: "Oh, my great sins! On, my
great Saviourm AMI for eleven years
preached the Gospel Of Christ to his fellow
mountaineers, tho last words on his dying
lips being Free Grace" On, it was free
grace!
There is man who for ten years was a
harI drinker. Tho dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate and
thu tongue and on down until they were
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 hal come, "sir, l feel just as
though I were somebody else~ There IS
sea captain who swore all the way from New
York to Havana, and from Havana to San
Francisco, ani 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 psalm singer?
conversion by the Holy Spirit. There are
thousands OF people in this assenblage to-day
who are no more what they once were than
O waterlily is a nightshado, or morning
lark is vuture, or day is night.
Now, if should demand that all those
people hero present who have felt tho con-
yerting power OF religion should rise, so far
from being ashamed th y would spring to
their feet with moro alacrity than they ever
sprang to the dance, tho tears minsling with
their exhilaration as they cried, I'VE aro
witnessesr AMI if they trie1 to sing the
thou 1uanll hraa'S DOM