Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-07-18
skepiticlsm Answered by Modern Won

skepiticlsm Answered by Modern Won
ders.
A vast concourse OF people assembled
last Sunday morning at the camp meet
ing grounds at High Bridge, Kentucky
to hear the eloquent Brooklyn divine
preach. The text Of his sermon wa
from Acts, Iii, Is: I'VE are witnesses,
Standing amid the hills and groves
OF Kentucky, and before this great mul
titudc that no man can number, most o
whom never saw before and never will
see again in this world, l choose very
practical theme. In the days Of George
Stephenson. the perfector OF the loco
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.
burg and from EdinburP TO London
the splendid achievement. Mashinists
and navigatOrs proved conclusively that
asteamer could never cross the Allan
tic ocean; but no sooner had they sue
cessfully proved the impossibility 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 laugh
ter at Professor Morse's proposition to
make the lightning of heaven his en-
rant boy. and 1t was proved conclusive
" that the thing could never be done:
but now all the news OF the wide world
put into your hands every morning and
night has made all nations witnesses.
So in the time OF Christ it was proved
conclusively that it was impossible for
him to rise from the dead. 1t was
shown logically that when u 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 absolute alb
surdity that the dead Christ should
ever get I'D alive: but no sooner had
they proved this thar 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 sceptic for mo-
ment. "There Is no God" says the
sceptic, "for have never seen him with
my physical eyesight. Your Bible is q
pack OF contradictions. 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 Sges."
There is an aged man moving in that
pew as though he would like to respond.
Here are hundreds Of people with faces
flushed at these announcements, and all
through this throng there is a sup
pressed 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: I'VE are Witnesses
The fact is that il this world is ever
brought to God it will never be through
argument, but testimony. You might
cover the whole world with apologies
for Christianity and learned treatises
in defense OF religion-you would not
convert soul. Lectures on the har-
mony between science and religion are
beautiful mental discipline, but have
never saved a soul, and never will save
a soul. Put a'man of the world and q
man of the church against each other,
and the man OF the world will, in oil
probability, get the triumph. There
are q thousand things in our religion
that seem illogical to the world, and al
ways will seem illogical. 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 il 500 men, or 1000
men, or 500, 900 men, or 5000, 600 get I'D
and tell me that they have felt the re-
ligion OF Jesus Christ Joy, a comfort,
a help, an inspiration, am bound. as
fair minded man, to accept their tes-
timony.
Iwant 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. 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 imagi- |
nary thing. We know better. 1--WE
are witnesses" There never was so
great q change in our heart and life on
any other subject as on this. People |
laugh at the missionaries in Madagas-
car because they preached ten years
without one convert; but there are
many thousands OF converts in NADIA
gascar to-day. People laugh at DIR.
Judson. the Baptist missionary, be-
cause he kept on preaching in Burmah
five years without single convert: but
there are many thousands OF Baptist
in Burmah to-day. People laugh at
Dr. Morrison in China for preaching
there seven years without single con-