Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-07-07

steamer never cOulu cross luc
Atlantic Ocean; but no sooner
had they successfully proved the
impoSsibility of such an undertaking
than the work was done, and the pass
engers on the Cunard, and the lnman,
and the National, and the White Star
lines are witnesses. There went up
guffaw of wise laughter at Professor
Morse'S proposition to make the light
ming of heaven his errand-boy, and 1t
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 Wit
neSseS. So in the time of Christ 1t was
proved concluSively that il was I'M
possiblc for Him to rise from the
dead. Ii 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 IL to be an absolute abSurdity
that the dead Christ should ever get
Iup alive: but no sooner mad they
proved this than the dead Christ
arose. and the disciples behcld Him,
heard His voice. and talked with Him,
land them took the wtneSS-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,
! ,,.Iovnnr ,yp arc Witnesses
Now. let me play the sceptic for Il
moment. There is no God" says the
sccptic. '.for | have never seen him
with my physical eyesight. Your Bible
| is pack of contradictions. There
never was a miracle. Lazarus was not
raised from the dead, and the water
was never turned into wine. Your re-
/ ligion is an imposition on the crcdulity
/ of the ages" There is an aged man
moving over yonder as 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 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 Witnesses
CONVERSION THROUGH TESTIMONY.
The fact is, that if this world is ever
brought To God, il will not be through
argument, but throgh testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with apol-
ogies for Christianity and learned
treatiSeS in defense Of religion-you
would not convert soul. Lectures on
the harmony between science and relig-
ion are beautiful mental discipline, but
have never saved a soul, and never Will
save soul. Put man Of the world
| and a man of the Church against each
other, and the man of the world will in
all probability get the triumph. There
are a thousand things in our religion
that seem Illogical To the world,
/ and ALWAYS will seem Illogical. Our
weapon in this conflict is fdiui, not
| logic: faith, not metaphysics; tdiuI, not
profundity; faith, not scholastic eX-
ploration. 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 the religion of Jesus Christ Il
JOY. a comfort, help, an aspiration, |
am bound as a fair-minded man TO ac-
cept their testimony. want just now
TO put before you three propositions, the
truth OF which think this audience
will attest with overwhelming unani-
nifty.
The first proposition is, We are wit
-nesses that the religion of Christ is able
TO convert soul. The Gospel may have
had q hard time TO conquer MS, we may
have fought ii back, but we were van
quished. You say conversion is only an
imaginary thing. We know better.
eve are witnesses" There never was
so great change in our heart and life
on any other subject as this. People
laughed at the missionaries in NadagaS-
car because they preached ten years
without one convert; but there
are $4,000 converts in NADIA
pascar to-day. People laughed
nj DIR. Adoniram JudsOn, the Baptist
missionary, because he kept on preach
inc in Burmah five years without a SIN
gle convert: but there are 10000 Bap-
lists in Burmah to-day. People laughed
at Doctor Morrison, in China, Tor
preaching there seven years without
single conversion; but there are 25,OOO
Christians in China to-day. People
laughed at the missionaries for preach
ing at Tahiti fifteen years without
single conversion, and at the misSiona-
ries for preaching in Bengal seventeen
wear without a single conversion; yet IN
au those lands there are multitude OF
Christians to-day.
THE GOSPELS COMFORTING POWER.
Again remark that 1--WE are wit
nesses of the Gospels power to com
fort. There are Christian parents here
who are willing to testify to the power
of this Gospel TO comfort. Your son
had lust graduated from school or col
lege and was going into business, ana
the Lord took him. Or your daughter
had Just graduated from the young IA
dies seminary, and you thought she
was going To be a useful woman ana oil
long life: but the Lord took her ana
You were tempted TO say, "All TINS cul-
ture of twenty years for nOthing! Or
the little child came home from
school with the hot fever that
stopped not for the agonlzed
PRAYER or Tor the SklIluI phH HslVidh'
and the little child was taken. Or the
babe was lifted out of your arms by
some quick epidemic, and you stood
wondering why God ever gave you that
child at all, if so soon He was to take it
away. And yet you are not rcpining,
Won are not fretful, you are not fight
ing against God. What has enabled
YOU 10 stand all the trial? oh you
say. II took the medicine that God gave
my sick soul. In my distress l threw
myself at the feet of Il Sympathizing
God: and when l was too weak TO pray,
or TO look up, He breathed into me
peace that | think must be the foretaste
of that heaven where there Is neither a
tear. nor farewell, nor n grave.
Come all We who have been out
IN the grave to weep there
come. all We comforted souls, get
u.