Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-13
THE GOSPELS TRUTH.
Dr. Talmage Points Out the Need for
Faith Above All Things.
SOULS ARE NOT SAVED BY LOGIC,
But by Simple Abiding Trust in the Mes
sage of Jesus Christ,
CHEERING WORDS FOR ALL SUFFERERS
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THR DISPATCH J

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE 2IsPATcH.l
HIGH BRIDGE, KY, July ia vast
concourse Of people assembled this morning
o2 the historic camp ground at High Bridge,
Ky. to Lear DR. Talmage preach. They
came t.com all the surrounding cities, towns
and neighborhood A large contingent
L-om louisville and another from Cinein-
matt were present. Many Of the visitors
hnve remained here since yesterday after
noon, when DIR. Talmage preached in the
same place The text of his sermon this
morning was from Acts iii. Is: "We are
witnesses"
Standing amid the hills and groves OF Ken
tuckv, and before this great multitude that
no man can number most OF whom never
Saw before and never will see again in this
world, l choose Il very practical theme. In
She days of George Stephenson, the per
fector OF the locomotive engine, the scient-
lists proved conclusively that a railroad train
could never be driven by steam power suc-
Gessfully without peril; but the rushing e1-
press trains from Liverpool to Edinburgh
and from Edinburgh to London, have made
all the nation witness OF the splendid
achievement. Machinsts and naylgators
proved conclusively that a steamer could
never cross the Atlantic ocean, but no
sooner had they successfully proved the I'M
work was done and the passengers on tine
Gunard and the 1nman and the NATIONAL
and the White star lines are witnesses.
There went up guffaw OF wise laughter at
Prof. MurSe's proposition to make the light
ming of heaven his errand boy, ana II was
proved conclusively TINT the thing could
never be done: but now all the news OF the
wide world put in your hands every morn
ing and night has made all nations wit
DeSscs.
So in the time of Christ it was proved con-
Clusivelv 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 he rigid beyond all power of
friction or rarousal. 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 beheld Him, heard His
voice, and talked with Him, and they took
the witness stand, to prove that to be true
TO be impossible; the record of the expert
mcnt and of the testimony is in the text:
E'Him hath God raised from the dead, where
OF We are Witnesses
Witnesses to the Truth.
Now let me play the sl1eptic for moment.
t'There Is no God" says the skeptic, ''for 1
have never seen him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible lisa pack of contradictions.
There never was a 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 i'll that pew
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
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
Ne1,, Il,
ment, but through testimony. You might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treatises in defense
OF religion-vou would not convert a soul
Lectures on the harmony between science
and religion are beautiful mental discipline,
bBt have never saved "A soul. and never will
save soul. Put man Of the world and a
Inan 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 1
the world, and always will seem illogical
Our weapon in this conflict is faith, not /
logic; faith not metaphysics; faith, not pro-
funditY; faith, not scholastic exploration.
But then, in order to have faith, We must
have testimony, and if 500 men, or 900 men,
or 100000 men, or 100000 men get mp and tell
me that they have felt the religion of Jesus
Christ a joy, Il comfort, a help, an inspira-
tion, am bound as a fair-minded man to ac-
cept their testimony. l want 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 a soul.
conquer us, we may have fought it back
but we were vanQuished. You say CONVEX
sion is only an imaginary thing. We know
better I'VE are Witnesses
A Missionary Story.
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
Il
years without one convert; but there are |
many thousands of converts in Madagascar |
to-day. People laughed at DR.. Judson, the |
Baptist missionary, because he kept on |
preaching in Burmah five years without a |
single convert: but there are many thou
sands OF Baptists in Burmah to-day. People |
Ia ughed al Doctor Morrison, in China, for |
preaching there seven years without a |
single conversion: but there are many |
thousands OF Christians in China to-day. |
People laughed at the missionaries for |
preaching at Tahiti for Il years without a |
Single conversion. and at the missionaries |
for preaching in Bengal Il years without |
single conversion; yet IN all those lands there |
arc multltudes Of Christians to-day.
There is a man who was for ten years hard |
drinker. The dreadful appetite had sent |
tongue and on down until they were inter- |
linked with the vitaIs of body, mind and |
for TWO years. What did that Not tenn |
perance societies Not prohibition laws. |
Not moral suasion. Conversion did it, |
why. said one upon whom the great |
] were somebody else" There is sea cap |
tain who swore all the way from New York |
10 Havana, AMI from Havana to San Fran |
CISCO and when he was in port he was worse 1
than when he was on sea. What power was |
Il that washed his tongue clean of profan-
tiles, ana made him psalm singer? Con- /
version by the Holy Spirit. There are thou
sands OF people here to-day who are no more
v1-ot rli iS
or morning lark is a yuIture
Or day is night.
Ashamed of Religion.
Now, if l should demand that all those
people here present who have felt the con-
verting power OF religion should rise, SO far
from being ashamed, they would spring to
their feet with more alacrity than they ever
spranE to the dance, the tears mingling with
their exhllaration as they cried, 1--WE are
And If they tried to sing tho
old Gospel hymn, they would break down |
with emotion by the time they got to the
second line;
Ashamed Of Jesus, that dear friend
On whom my hopes OF heaven depend?
NJ! y hon blush, be this my shame:
That no more revere his name
Again, 1 remark that 1--WE are witnesses,
Of the Gospels power to comfort When a
man has trouble the world comes in and
says: Now get your mind off this; go out
and breath the fresh mir; plunge deeper into
business What poor advice! Get your
mind of OF 1t! when everything is upturned
with the bereavement, and everything re-
minds you OF what you have lost. Get your
mind OF it! They might as well advise you
% stop thinking, and you cannot stop think |
ng in that direction. Take a walk in the |
resh air. Why, along that very street or
nat very road she once accompanied you
IT into that show window she looked fasci.
N ted. saying, Come see the pictures