Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-16
Rev. DR.. Talmage's Sermon at
High Bridge, Ky.
ON A HISTORIC MP-GROUND.
Listened to by Vast Gathering of People
Who Came from Far and Near.
n. Pictures the skeptic in All His yaga-
rias. and Offsets Certain Theories
Advanced in Manner That Ad-
mits Not of Argument.
SERMON IN KENTUCKY.

R..H BRIDGE. KY, July IA vast con-
course Of people assembled this morning on
he historic camp ground at High Bridge,
X. 10 hear DIR. Talmage preach. They
came from all the surrounding cities, towns
and uci-hborhood 4 large contingent
nom Louisville and another from Cincin-
natl were present. Many of the visitors
have remained here since yesterday after
,gar when DR.. TalmAge preached in the
sane place. The text Of his sermon this
morning was from Acts 3:l5: We are
Witnesses.
standing amid The hills and groves of
Ern'uvay. and before this great multitude
.!a5 no man can number, most of whom
never saw before and never will see again
iu his world. | choose d very practical
theue In the days of George Stephenson,
IN. n.rFrcter Of the locomotive engine, the
scientists proved conclusively that a rail-
road train could never be driven by steam
powrr successfully without peril; but the
rushing express trains from Liverpool to
Edinburgh and from Edinburgh to London,
have made ali the nation witnesses of the
splendid achievement.
NAcHINISTS AND NAYIGATORS
D. we'd rcuclusively that Il steamer could
never cross the Atlantic ocean; but no
sooner had they successfully proved the i'm
possibility Of such an undertaking than the
r0rh was done, and the passengers on the
Cunard and the lnman and the National
and the White Star lines are witnesses.
There went up i outlaw 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
never could be done; but now all the news
OF The wide world put in your hands every
morning and night, has made al nations
witnesses.
so in the time Of Christ it was proved
conclusi"ely that 1t was impossible for him
Ia rise from the dead. II was shown logi-
,a.y that when a man was dead, he was
dead. and the heart and the liver and the
lungs having ceased to perform their Of
foes. he limbs would be rigid beyond all
power of friction or arousal. They showed
j 10 DC 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 behed him.
heard his voice, and TALKED with him, and
they took the witness stand to prove that
20 be true which the wiseacres OF the day
had proved to be impossible; the record of
The experiment and Of the testimony is in
lie text: Him hath Coo raised from the
dead. whereof we are witnesses"
Now lei me play the skeptc for mo-
meur There is no God" says the skep-
lie for have never seen him with my
physical eyesight. Your bible is
APACK OF CONTRADICTION.
There meyer was miracle. Lazarus was
pot raised from the dead, and the water was
never turned into wine. Your religion is
All imposition on the credulity of the ages"
There is an aged man moving in the pew as
though he would ike 10 respond Here are
hundreds of people with faces a little
flushed at these announcements, and all
through this thromg there is a suppressed
feeling which would like TO speak out in be-
half OF the truth of our glorious Christian
ity, - in the days of the text crying out:
1--WE are Witnesses"
Th. fact IS. that if this world is ever
brought 10 God, il will not be through ar
gument but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with apollo
gies for Christianity, and learned treatises
ia defence Of religion-you would not con-
vert sonl. Lectures on the harmony be-
tween science and religion are beautiful
mental discipline, but have never saved a
SOU, and never will save a soul
Put man of the world and man
Of the church against each other, and the
man of the world will, in all probability
Ect ;he triumph. There are a thousand
things in our rel gipn that seem Illogical to
the world. and ;Iwly will seem illogical.
Our weapon IN this conflict is faith. not
logic; faith. not metaphysics; faith, not
profIrditI: faith, not scholastic eNplora-
ton 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 they have felt the religion
OF les'.s Christ. a joy. a comfort, help, an
inspiration, / am bound as fair-minded
man to accept their testimony. want just
now TO put before you three propositions
the truth of which | think this audience
will attest with overwhelming unanlmlty.
THE FIRST PROPOSITION 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
lis, may have fought it back, but we
were vauquished. You say conversion is
only al imaginary thing. We know better.
We are " tneSSeS" There never was SO
great change in our he art and life on any
other subject as on this. People laughed at
Tho missionaries in Madagascar because
they preached ten years without one con-
vert. but there are many thousands OF con-
vertS in Madagascar to-day. People laughed
n DR. JudSou, the Baptist missionary, be-
cause lie kept on preaching i'll Burmah five
years without a single convert; but thetS
an. many thousands OF Baptists in Burmah
today. People laughed n DIR. Morrison,
II China. for preaching there seven years
I-uOut a single conversion: but there are
many thousands of Christians in China to-
day People laughed at the missionaries
for preaching e Tahiti for fifteen years
without a single conversion. and al the mis-
years without single conversions yet in |
AL those lands there are multitudes of |
Christians to-day.
But why 60 so far to find evidences of the |
Gospels power 10 save a soul We are
witnesses" We were so proud that no man
COuld have hunble0 US; we were so hard
that no earthly power could have melted |
Us; the angels OF God We're all around |
= bout US: they could not overcome us; but |
oue cay perhaps Ut a Methodist anxious |
seat or Pres byterian catechetical lecture, |
or ~ a burial, or on horseback, d power |
seized us and made us get down. and made |
is tremble. anu made Us kneel. and made US |
CRY FOR MERCY, |
and we tried to wrench ourselves away |
from the grasp, but we could not. II flung
Us fiat and when we arose we We're as |
much changed rs Gourgis, the heather, who |
went iuto 4 prayer-meeting with dagger !
aud 4 gun, to disturb the meeting and de-
s,roy it. but the next day was found crying:
oh, MY great sins, Oh, my great Sa- |
viour!' and for eleven years preached the |
gospel Of Christ To his fellow mountaineerS, |
The last words on his dying lips being Free
grace oh! il was free grace!
There is man who was for ten years a |!
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had |
sent down its roots around the palate and !
the tongue, and on down until they were 1
with the vitalS of body, mind and |
soul; but he has not taken any stimulants 1
for two years What aid that? Not tenn |
per&nCe societies. Not prohibition laws |
Not moral suasiOn. Conversion did it |
''Why." said one upon whom the great |
change had come, sir, feel just as though /
| were somebody else There is sea 1
captain who swore all the way from New |