Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-07-18
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN'S DIVINE sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: Power of Testimony"

In the days of George Stephenson, the
perfector of the locomotive eng inc, the sci
entists proved conclusively that a 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 proved 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 Imam and
the National and the White Star lines are
witnesses There went up a outlaw OF wise
laughter at Professor Morse's proposition to
make the lightning Of heaven his errand
boy, and it was proved conciuslyely 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
conclusiveIy that it was impossible for Him to
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 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 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
wiseacres 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 wit
neSseS."
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 a miracle. Laz-
arus was not raised from the dead, and wa
ter never turned into wine Your re-
hgion is an imposition On the credullty OF tho
ages" There is an aged mar moving over
yonder though he would like to respond.
Here are hundreds of people with faces
little flushed at these announcements, and
all through this assembly there is q sup
pressed feeling which would like to speak
out in behalf of the truth of our glorious
Christianity, as in the days of the text cry
ing out, ''We are Witnesses
The fact is that if 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 in defense
of religon-you would not convert a 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
OF the church against each other and the
man Of the world will in all probability get
things in our religion that seem illogi-
cal 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 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 have felt tho religion of
Jesus Christ a joy, comfort, help, an as
I fol. 1a1 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
vert a soul. The Gospel may have had
hard time to conquer us, we may have
fought it back, but we were vanquished.
You say conversion is only an imaginary
thing We know better. 1--WE are wit
nesses.' There never was so great change
III our heart and life on any other subject
as on this People laughed at the mission
aries III Madagascar because they preached
ten years without one convert; but there
are 80 900 converts in Madagascar to-day.
People laughed at DR.. Adomram Judson,
the Baptist missionary, because he kept on
preaching in Burmah five years without
single convert; but there are 20, 900 Baptists
in Burmah to-day, People laughed at DR..
Morrison, in China for preaching there
seven years without single conversion; but
there are 25, 600 Christians in China to-day.
People laughed at the missionaries for
preaching at Tahiti 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 so far to find evidence OF the
Gospels power to save a soul? 1--WE arc
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 a Methodist anxious
seat, or at Presbyterian catechetical lee
ture at a burial, on horseback a
power seized us, and made US get down. and
made us tremble, and made us knee and
made us cry for mercy, and we tried to
wrench ourselves away from the grasp but
could not. 1t flung Us fat and when we
arose were much changed as GOurgis,
the heather, WHO went into prayer meeting
with dagger and a gun to disturb the meet
ing and destroy it, but the next day was
found crying: "Oh, my great sins! Ga, my
great Saviour and for eleven years
preached the Gospel of Christ to his fellow
mounta neers, the last words on his dying
lips being Free Gracer' Oh it was free
grace!
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate and
the tongue, and on down until they were
iuterlinkeG 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, | feel just as
though l were somebody elser' There is a
sea captain who swore all the way from New
York to Havana and from Havana to San