Connecticut western news., 1891-07-16
A SERMON IN KENTUCKY
DIR. TALMAGE CALLS THE WITNESSES
 TO- THE POWER OF CHRIST

Not Logic, Not Metaphysics. Not Anti
 quarian Research. but Faith Can Make Us Whole-The Gospel in India. China
 Tahiti and Madagascar
 HIGH RKlDGE. Ky. July 12. -A A vast concourse of people assembled this morning on the historic camp ground at High Bridge, Ky, to hear Dr. Tal mage preach. They came from all the surrounding cities towns and neighbor hood. A large contingent from Louis vile and another from Cincinnati were present. Many of the visitors have re 1nained here since yesterday afternoon. when Dr. Talmage preached in the same place. The text of his sermon this morning was from Acts iii. l5. We are witnesses
 Standing amid the hills and groves bt Kentucky and before this great multi tude that no man can number, most of whom never sa w before and never will see again in this world choose very practical theme. In the days of George Stephenson, the perfector of the lono motive engine the scientists proved -conclusively that railroad train could never be driven by steam power sue cessfully without peril; but the rushing express trains from Liverpool to Edin burgh and from Edinburgh to London have made all the nation witnesses of the splendid achievement.
 Machinists and navigators proved conclusively that steamer could never cross the Atlantic ocean, but no sooner had they successfully proved the i'm possibility 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 laughter at Professor Morse's proposition to make the lightning of heaven his errand boy, and it 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 nations witnesses
 WITNESSES OF THE RESURRECTION.
 So in the time of Christ it was proved conclusively that it was impossible for him to rise from the dead It 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 arousal They showed it to be an ab solute 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 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 skeptic for a moment. There is no God" says the skeptic, ~''for l have never seen him with my physical eyesight. Your Bi ble is pack of contradictions There never was a miracle Lazarus was not raised from the dead, and the water was never turned into wine Your re ligion 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 a little flushed at these announcements, and all through this throng there is suppressed feeling which would like to speak out in be half of the truth of our glorious Chris tianity, as in the days of the text. cry ing out, I've are witnessesl'
 The fact is. that if this world is ever brought to God it will not be through argument. but through testimony You might cover the whole earth with apol- ogies for Christianity, and learned treatises in defense of religion; you would not convert a soul. Lectures on the harmony between science and re ligion are beautiful mental discipline, but have never saved a 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 thousand things in our re- ligion that seem illogical to the world and always will seem illogical.
 TRIUMPHS OF THE GOSPEL.
 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 five hundred men. or one thousand men, ur five hundred thousand men, or five million men get up and tell me that they have felt the religion of Jesus Christ joy, d comfort, help, an in spiration. am bound as fair minded man to accept their testimony. 1 want just now to put before you three propo sitions. 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. The Gospel may have had a 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 We are witnesses There never was so great a change in our heart and life on any subject as on this
 People laughed at the missionaries in Madagascar because they preached ten years without one convert, but there are many thousands of converts ill Mad agascar today People laughed at Dr. Judson, the Baptist missionary, be cause he kept on preaching in Burmah five years without single convert, but ihoro sponv thrI,SorIS nf RantiStS