The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-07-18
TALMAGE OUT WEST.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE PREACHING IN
NEBRASKA.
An Open Air Sermon Delivered to the Null
titudes From tho Text, 1--WE Are witness
scs.'

scs."
On Sunday DR.. Talmage preached
ut Brentrice' Nebraska, in the ope1
air to IN immense congregation
which had gathered from all the
surrounding country to hear the fa
nous preacher. His text was, "We
are witnesses" (Acts 3: 15.) Fol
lowing is his sermon:
In the days of George Stephenson
the perfector of the locomotive en-,
glne, the scientists proved conclu-
sively that railway train could nev-
er be driven by steam power success
fully and without peril; but the rush
ing express trains from Liverpool to
Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to
London, have made all the nations
witnesses of the splendid achieve
ment. Machinists and navigators
proved conclusively that steamer
could never cross the Atlantic Ocean
but no sooner had they successfully
proved the impossibility of such an
undertaking than the work was done,
and the passengers on the Cunard,
and the Inman, and the National,
and the White Star lines are witnes.
ses. There went up guffaw of wise
laughter at Professor Morse's propo-
sltion to make the lightning ofheaven
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 III your hands every morning and
night, has made all nations witnesses.
SO IN the time of Christ it was proved
cconclusively that it was impossible
Tor Him to rise from the dead. It
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 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 behold Him,
hear His voice, and talk with him,
and they took the witness stand to
prove that to be true which the wis
cacres of the day had proved to be
impossible; the record of the exper
ience and of the testimony is in the
text: "Him hath God raised from the
dead, whereof we are witnesses"
Now, let me play the sceptic for
moment. "There is no God" SAYS
the sceptic, 'for have never seen
him with my physical eyesight. Your
Bible is Ii pack of contradictions.
There never was 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" There is an
though he would like to respond.
Here are hundreds Of people with
faces little flushed at these an
nouncements, and all through this
assembly there is suppressed feel
ing which would like to speak out in
behalf of the truth of our glorious
Christianity, as in the days of the
text, crying out, 1--WE are witnesses!'
The fact is, that if this world is
ever brought to God, it will not be
through argument, but through tes-
timony. You might cover the whole
earth with apologies for Christianity
and learned treatises in defense of
religion-you would not convert
soul. Lectures on the harmony be-
tween science and religion are beau
tiful mental discipline, but have never
saved soul, and never will save n
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 thousand things in our religion
that seem illogical to the world, and
always will seem illogical. Our weap-
on in this conflict is faith, not logic:
fundity; faith, not scholastic explora-
ton. 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 Joy, a comfort, help,
an aspiration, am bound rs q fair
minded man to accept their testimony
want just now to put before you
three propositions, the truth of
which 1 think this audience will attest
with overwhelming unanimity.
The first proposition is, we are
witnesses that the religion of Christ
is able to convert soul. The gos-
pei may have had hard time to con
quer 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 witnes-
ses." There never was so great a
change in our heart and life on any
other subject rs on this. People
laughed ut tho missionaries in Ma,
dagascar because they preached ten
years without converts; but there are
$4,000 converts in Madagascar today
People laughed at DIR. Adoniram
Judson, the Baptist missionary, be
cause he kept on preaching in Bur
nah five years without single con
vert; but there are 10000 Baptists il
Burmah today. People laughed a
Doctor Morrison in China, for preach
ing there seven years without n sin
gle conversion; but there are 25,O0(
Christians in China today. Peopl,