Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-07-24
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DININE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "WITNESsEs TO THE TRuTH
OF CHRISTIANITY. Y" preached
AT IIGH BRIDGE, KY)

up Lilull Ctll iulilutl, lLONN OI NuOu never
saw before and never will see again in this
world. choose a very practical theme. In
the days of George Stephenson, the perfectOr
of the locomotive engine the scientists
proved cOncluSlvcly that u railroal tram
could never be driven by steam power sue
cessfully without peril; but the rushing ex.
press trains from Liverpool to Edinburgh,
aud from Edinburgh to London, have made
all the nation witnesses of the splendid
achievement.
MaChinists and navgatOrs proved couCu-
tively that u steamer could never cross the
Atlantic, but no sooner had they success
fully proved the impUssibillty Of such an un-
dertaking 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 a gutfaw OF
wise laughter at Professor Morses PROPOSE
ton to make the lightning OF heaven his err
rand boy and 1t was proved "nE"'"siv"ly
that the thing could never be done; hut now
all the news OF the wide world put in your
hands every morning and night has made all
nations witnesses.
SO in the time Of Christ ii was proved con-
cluslvciy that it was Impossible for Him 10
rise from the dead II was shown logically
that when man was dead he was dead, and
the heart, and the liver, ani the lungs hav.
ing ceased to perform their Offices, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power of friction
or arousal They showed it 10 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, nnl
the disciples beheld Him, heard His voice,
and talked with Him and they took the wit
ness stand to prove that to be true which the
wiSeacrcs OF the day had proved to be inIpos-
sble; 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 skeptic for moment.
''There is no God says the skeptic, for |
have never seen Him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible is PACK Of contradic-
tons. 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 crcduiity Of the ages"
! There is an aged man moving IN that paw
as though he would like To respond. Here are
! hundreds OF people with faces little flushed
at these announcements, and all through
! this throng there is suppressed feeling
I which would like to speak out in behalf Of
I the truth Of our glorious Christianity. as i'll
| the days Of the text, crying out we are
wtnesses'
The fact is that il this world is ever
/ brought to God il will not he through argu-
ment, hut through testimony. You might
| cover the whole earth with apologies for
!
OF reli ,ion-you would not convert a soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
| and religion are beautiful mental discipline
| but have never saved "a soul and never will
save soul. Put a man Of the world aud
man of the church against each other, and
| the man OF the world Will, in all probability,
ret the triumph There are a thousand
things in our religion TINT seem illogical TO
the world, and always will seem illogical.
Our weapon in this conflict is faith, not
logic; faith, not metaphysics; faith. not
protundity: 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 thev have felt the religion of Jesus
Christ n Joy, comfort a help, au inSplra-
ton | am bound as a fair-min1ed man, to
accept their testimony. | want to put be-
fore you three propositions the truth Of
which | think this audience will attest with
overwhelming unanimIty, The first propo-
sition is: We are witnesses that the religion
of Christ is able TO convert soul. The Cos
pei may have had "A hard time to conquer us,
we NAV have fought it back but we were
vanquishei You say conversion is only an
imaginary thing. We know better 1--WE
are witnesses There never was great a
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 many
thousands of converts in Madagascar TO.
day. People laughed ut DR.. Judson. the
Baptist missionary, because he kept OIL
preaching in Burmah five years without d
single convert; but there are many thou
sands of Baptists in Burmah day Peo pie
laughed at Dr. Morrison in China for preach
ing there seven years without n single con
version, but there are many thousands o
Christians in China to-day. People laughec
at the missionaries for preaching at Tahiti
for fifteen years without a single conversion
and at the missionaries for preaching in Ben
gal seventeen years without single conver
sion; vet in all those lands there are multi
tu1es of Christians to-day.
But why go so far TO find evidences of tn
Gospels power TO save a soul? I'VE are wit
e uesses" We were so proud that no ma
, could have humbled us; we were so har
that no earthly power could have melted us
Angels of God were all around about us, the
could not overcoms us: but one day, perhaI
at a Methodist anxious seat or at n Presby
terian catcchetcal lecture or at "a burial {
r on horseback, power seized us and made !
get down and made us tremble and made I
u kneel and made us cry for mercy, and "
t tried to wrench ourselves away from tt
4 grasp, but we could not. IL flung us fla
:. and when we arose we were as much change
y as Gourgis, the heather, who went into
y prayer meeting with a dagger and gun,
q disturb the meeting and destroy it, but Il
next day was found crying; "Oh, my gre'
sins! Oh, my great Saviour and f
eleven years preached the Gospel of Chri
i to his fellow mountaineers, the last wort
10 on his dying lips being "Free grace" o
- 1t was free gracel
~ There is man who was for ten years
N hard drinker. Tho dreadful appetite hs
A sent down its roots around the palate al
the tongue and on down until they we
u interlinked with the vitals of the body, mir
d and soul, but he has not taken any stim
lants for two years. What did that? n
temperance societies. Not prohibition Law
Not moral suasion. Conversion did
o. why" said one upon whom the gre
- change had come, ''sir / feel just as thou!
III | were somebody else" There is a sea ca
r tain who swore all the way from New Yo
II to Havana, and from Havana to San Fra
Lt cisco, aud when he was in port he was wor
Nv than when he was on sea- What power W
en 1t that washed his tongue clean of pr
families and made him psalm singerY Co
version by the Holy Spirit There are the
sands of people here to-day who are no inc
v what they once were than a water lily il
t nightshade, or morning lark is vultu
II Ur day is night
id Now, il should demand that all the
re people here present who have telt the &C
ot verting power of religion should rise, so
oS from being ashamed they would spring
Vi their feet with far more alacrity than tn
ever sprang to the dance, the tears mingli
with their exhilaration as they cried, ~
NJ are witnesses And if they tried to 81
or the old Gospel hymn they would break do
no with emotion by the time they got to
II second line
ia Ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend
ID On whom my hopes of heaven depepd7
mol When blush be this my shA.AS,
That no more revere His name
70 Again, | remark that i've are witness
of the Gospels power TO comfort Whel
ls man has trouble the world comes in 1
says; "Now get your mlnd of this; go