The Penn's Grove record., 1891-07-24
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon.


TEXT: we are fBttnSsSeS. -hcts H., l1s
Standing amid the hills and groves of Ken.
lucky, and before this great multitude that
no man can number, most Of whom Inever
saw before and never will see again in this
world, l choose a very practical theme. In
the days of George Stephenson, the perfector
Of the locomotive engine, the scientists
proved conclusively that a railroad train
could never be driven by steam power sue
cessfully without peril; but the rushing ex-
and from Edinburgh to London, have made
all the nation witnesses of the splendid
achievement.
Machinists and navigators proved conclu-
sively that a steamer could never cross the
Atlantic, but no sooner had they success
fully proved the impossibility Of such an I'M
dertaking than the work wa done, and the
Passenger on the Cunard, and the Inman,
and the National, and the White Star lines
are witnesses. There went up a outlaw Of
wise laughter at Professor Morse's PROPOSE
ton to make the lightning of heaven his err
rand boy, and 1t was proved conclusively
that the thing could never be done; but now
all the news Of the wide world put in your
hands every morning and night has made all
So in the time of Christ 1t was proved con-
clusively that It was impossible for Him to
rise from the dead. II was shown logically
that when a man was lead he was dead, and
the heart, and the liver, and the lungs hav.
ing ceased to perform their Offices, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power Of friction
lutte absurdity that the dead Christ should
ever get up alive; but no soone 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 wit
ness stand to prove that to be true which the
wiseacres of the day had proved to be impos-
sible; the record of the experiment and OF
the testimony Is in the text: Him hath
God raised from the dead. whereof we are
Witnessed
Now let me play the skeptic for a moment.
.sThere is no Cod says the skeptie. flor !
have never seen Him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible is a pack Of c~ontradic-
tons. There never was Q 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 a moving in that pew
as though he would like to respond. Here are
hundreds of people with faces a little flushed
at these announcements, and all through
this throng there is a 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, 1--WE are
| witnessesp'
The fact Is that II this world Is eysr
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 treatisesin defense
| of ~religion-you would not convert a soul.
| and religion are beautiful mental discipline,
| but nave never saved . soul and never will
save a soul. Put q man Of the world and a
| man Of the church against each other, and
| the man of the world viii, 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.
logic; faith, NOT metaphysics; faith, not
~profundity; faith, not scholastic exploration.
| But then, in order to have faith We must
have testimony, and II Ave hundred men, or
| one thousand men, or five hundred thousand
men, or Eve million men get up and tell me
that they have felt the religion Of Jesus
Christ a Joy, q comfort a help. an inspire
| ton, / am bound, 8 . fair-minded man, to
accept their testimony. l want to put be
fore you three propositions the truth Of
| which I think this audience will attest with
| overwhelming unanimity. The first propo-
sition Is: We are witnesses that the religion
Of Christ Il able to convert q soul. The Cos
pei may hAve had q hard time to conquer 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 Witnessed There never was so 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 70
day. People laughed az Dr. Sudson. Tue
~preaching in Burmah five years without q
\ single convert; but there are many thou
sands Of Baptists In Burmah to-day. People
laughed at Dr. Morr1sonin Emma Tor preach
ing there seven years without g sfngie con.
version; but there are many thousands o.
Christians In China to-day. People laughed
1t the missionaries for preaching at Tahtt
Tor nfteen years witnous . single conversion
gal seventeen years without 2 single CONVEX
mon; yet in all those lands there are multi
tudes OF Christians to-day.
But why 60 30 far TO IND evidences OF TIT
Gospels power to save a soula I'VE are wit
neeses." We were 80 proud that no mar
could have humbied Us; we were so hard
that no earthly power could have melted rs
Angels OF God were all around about us; they
could not overcome us; but n day, perhap.
ct . Methodist anxious seat or at o Presby
terlan catechetical lecture or at o burial OF
on horseback, . power seized us N made nj
get down and made Us tremole and made III
knsel and made US cry. for mercy, and w
diou W WNouch uiSoav~ wy Nv" WY
grasp, but we could not. 1t flung US fat
and when we arose we were IS much changet
IS Gourgis, the heather, who went into I
prayer meeting with a dagger and q gun, Il
disturb the meeting and destroy II, but tn,
next day was found crying: "Oh, my grea
sinsi Oh, my great Saviourp and fol-
eleven years preached the Gospel Of Christ
to his fellow mo~untaineers the last words
on his dying lips being "Free gracer' Oh,
1t was free gracei
There 10 . man VINO was Tor ten years :
hard thinker. The dreadful appetite had
SAINT down its roots around the palate and
the tongue and on down until they were
interiinked with the vitals OF the body, mind
and soul, but he has not taken any stimu'
lants for two years What did thatf Mo-
temperance societies. Not prohibition laws
Not moral suasion. conversion did II
why" said n upon wnom tne grea'
change mao come, ,sir, 1 neei just as tnougt
l we're somebody else" 1nere Is g sea cap
tain who swore all the way from New Yorf
to Havana and from Havana TO San Fran
cisco. and when he was IN Port ne was worst
than when be was on sea. power wa
II that washed his tongue clean o. pro
families and made mimi psalm sfngerf Con
version by the Holy spirit There are tnou
sands OF people here Today VINO are no mors