Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-10
WE ARE WITNESSES!
DR.. TALMAoE'S OPEN AIR SER
MON AT BEATRICE, NEB.
The Logic of tho skeptie Is Met by the
Overwhelming Testimony Of Millions OF
Christians and Proved to Be False.


preached here in the open air to an i'm
mense congregation which had gathered
from all the surrounding country to hear
the famous preacher. His text was, We
are Witnesses Acts iii. 15). Following is
his sermon:
In the days OF George Stephenson. the
perfector OF the locomotive engine. the
scientists proved conclusiyely that rail-
way 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 Lon
don, have made all the nations Witnesses OF
the splendid achievement. Machinists and
navigators proved conclusively that
steamer could never cross the Atlantic
Ocean; but no sooner had they success
fully proved the impossibility OF such an
undertaking than the work was done. and
the passengers on the Cunard, and the In
man, and the National, and the White Star
lines are witnesses. There went up guf-
faw OF wise laughter at Prof. Morse's prop
osition to make the lightning Of heaven his
errand boy. and it was lproved conclusiyely
that the thing could never be done; buf
now all the news Of the wide world, by AS
sociated Press put in your hands morning
and night. has made all nations witnesses.
So in the time of Christ it was proved
conclusively that it was impossible for Him
to rise from the dead. 1t was shown logic
ally 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 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 wisacres of the day had proved to be
| impossible; the record Of the experience
| and of the testimony Is in the text: Him
| hath God raised from the dead, whereof we
( are witnesses"
Now, let me play the skeptic for a NOM
ent. There is no God" says the skeptic,
"for have never seen him with my physi-
| cal eyesight. Your Bible is pack of con-
| tradictionS. There never was miracle.
Lazarus was not raised from the dead. and
the waterl was never turned into wine.
| Your religion is an imposition on the credu-
| lity of the ages" There is an aged man
moving over yonder as though he would
| like to respond. Here are hundreds OF peo-
pie with faces little flushed at these an
nounceSents, and all through this assem-
| bly, there is q 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: we are wit
| neSSes"
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 de-
fense of religion-you would not convert a
soul. Lectures on the harmony between
| science and religion are beautiful mental
| discipline, but have never saved d soul. and
never will save a soul. Put man Of the
| world and 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 faith. not
| logic; faith, not metaphysics; faith, not pro-
fundity; faith. not scholastic exploration.
But then, in order to have faith, we must
have testimony, and il five hundred men,
| or one thousand men. or five hundred thou.
sand men, or five million men get up and
tell me that they have felt the religion Of
Jesus Christ joy, comfort, help, an
aspiration, 1 am bound as affair minded man
to accept their testimony. l want just now
to put before you three propositions, the
| truth of which / think this audience will at
test with overwhelming unanimity.
The first proposition is. We are witnesses
that the religion of Christ is able to convert
SOUL The Gospel may have had hard
time to conquer us. we may have fought it
| M
conversion is only an imaginary thing. We
know better. I'VE are witnesses" There
never was so great change in our heart
and life on any other subject as on this.
People laughed at the missionaries in Mad
agascar because they preached ten years
without one convert; but there are $4,000
converts in Madagascar to-day.
People laughed at DIR. Adomram Judson
the Baptist missionary. because he kept on
preaching in Burmah five years without a
single convert; but there are twenty thou
sand Baptists in Burmah to-day. People
laughed at DR.. Morrison, in China, fol
preaching there seven years without sin
gle conversion; but there are twenty five
thousand Christians in China to-day. Peo-
pie laughed at the missionaries for preach
ing at Tahiti fifteen years without a single
conversion, and at the missionaries fol
preaching in Bengal seventeen years with.
out a single conversion; yet in all those
lands there are multitudes OF Christians to-
day.
But why go SO far to find evidence of the
Gospel power to save soul? I'VE are
witnesses" We we're SO proud that no mar
could have humbled us; we were so hare
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 Methodist anxious seat, or at {
Presbyterian catechetical lecture, or at {
burial, or on horseback. power seized us
and made us get down, and made us trem
ble and made us kneel. and made us or.
for mercy, and we tried to wrench ourselves
away from the grasp but we could not. L
| flung us fiat, and when we arose we were q!
much changed as Gourgis, the heather
who went into prayer meeting with dag
ger and gun to disturb the meeting an(
destroy it. but the next day was found cry
ing, Oh. my great sinsl Oh, my grea
Saviourl" and for eleven years preached th'
Gospel of Christ to his fellow mountaineers
the last words on his dying lips being, Free
gracel" Oh, it was free grace!
There is man who was for ten years
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite hat
sent down its roots around the palate ant
interlinked with the vitals OF the body. mine
and soul; but he has not taken any stimu
lants for ten years. What did that? No
temperance societies. Nor prohibition
laws. Not moral suasion. Conversion di'
it. Why" said one upon whom the grea
change had come, sir, l feel just as thougl
we're somebody elsep There is SCI
captain who swore all the way from New
York to Havana, and from Havana to Sal
Francisco. and when he was in port he wa
worse than when he was on the sea. Wha
power was 1t that washed his tongue cleal
| OF profanities and made him apsalm singer
Conversion by the Holy Spirit There ar
thousands Of people in this assemblage to
day who are no more what they once wer
than waterlily is night shade, or morn
4 ing lark is a vulture, or day is night. N
Now, if should demand that all thos
people here present who have felt the con
, | verting power of religion should rise, so ia
from being ashamed they would spring t
their feet with more alacrity than they eve
sprang to the dance. the tears minglin
, with their exhilarations as they cried; w
are witnessesl" And If they tried to sin
the old Gnsnal HYMN they would hraa