The Iola register., 1891-07-24

TRUTHS" MILLIONS ARE TODAY
WILLING AND ANXIOUS TO TESTIFY
TO THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURES
skepIticism Answered by Modern Won
ders.
A vast concourse Of people assembled
last Sunday morning at the camp meet
ing grounds at High Bridge, Kentucky,
TO hear the eloquent Brooklyn divine
preach. The text of his sermon was
from Acts, iii, Is: 1--WE are Witnesses
Standing amid the hills and groves
of Kentucky, and before this great null
titude that no man can number, most OF
whom I never saw before and never will
see again in this world, 1 choose q very
practical theme, In the days OF George
Stephenson, the perfector of the loco
motive engine, the scientists proved
conclusively that railroad train coul d
never be driven by steam power sue
ceesfully without peril; but the rushing
express trains from Liverpool to Edin-
burg and from Edinburg to London
have made all the nation witnesses Of
the splendid achievement. Machinists
and navigators proved conclusively that
q steamer could never cross the Allan
tic ocean; but no sooner had they sue
cessfully 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 witnesses.
There went up guffaw of wise laugh
ter at Professor Morse's proposition to
make the lightning of heaven his er-
rant bow, and il was proved conclusive
ly that the thing could never be done:
but now all the news of the wide world
put into your hands every morning and
night has made all nations witnesses.
So In the time of Christ IL was proved
conclusively 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
Rrousal.
They showed it to be an absolute alb
surdity 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 WISE
acres of the day had proved to be i'm
possible: the record of the experiment
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 mo-
= Hn1
sceptic, "for have never seen him with
nv physical eyesight. Your Bible is a
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 aged man moving in that
pew as though he would like to respond.
Here are hundreds of people with faces
flushed at these announcements, and all
through this throng there is a 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, crying out: 1--WE are Witnesses
The fact is that if this world is ever
brought to God it will never be through
argument, but testimony. You might
cover the whole world with apologies
for Christianity and learned treatises
in defense of religion-you would not
convert a soul. Lectures on the har-
mony between science and religion are
beautiful mental discipline, but have
never saved soul, and never will save
soul. Put a 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 al
ways 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 500 men, or J, 900
men, or 500, 900 men, or S, 1000, 900 get up
and tell me that they have felt the re-
ligion of Jesus Christ JOY, comfort,
help, an inspiration, l am bound. as
fair minded man, to accept their tes-
timony.
Iwant 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 convert
SOUl. 1AC SOSpS1 Auo1 AoNS AoA -
hard time to conquer US, we may have
fought it back, but we were vsnquished.
You say conversion is only an imagi-
nary thing. We know better. 1--WE
are witnesses. There never was so
great change in our heart and life on
anv other subject as on this. People
laugh at the missionaries in Madagas-
car because they preached ten years
without one convert; but there are
many thousands of converts in NADIA
pascar to-day. People laugh at DIR.
hudson, the Baptist missionary, be-
cause he kept on preaching in Burmah
five wears without single convert; but
there are many thousands Of Baptist
in Burmah to-day. People laugh at
DR.. Morrison in China for preaching
there seven years without a single con-
version: but there are many thousands
of Christians in China to-day. People
laugh at the missionaries for preaching
at Tahiti for fifteen years without a
single conversion, and at the mission
aries for preaching In Bengal seven
teen years without single conversion,
vet in all those lands there are multi
tudes OF Christians to-day.
But why 60 so far to find evidences of
the gospels power to save soul? I'VE
are witnesses" We were so proud that
! no man could humble US; We were so
hard that no earthly power could melt
us: angels of God were all around
about us; they could not overcome US;
but one day, perhaps at Methodist
anxious seat, or q Presbyterian cate
chetical lecture, or at burial, or on
horseback, power seized us and made
us get down and made us trembie and
made us kneel and made US cry for mer-
cy, and we tried TO wrench ourselves