Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-13
TALMAGE'S SERMON
DELIVERED AT HIGH BRIDGE KENTUCKY, TO A
LARGE AUDIKNUa
The Saving Powers Of Gods Gracs-TAs Death
bed Witness Of His Mercy "A Sermon
Delivered to q Large Audience on
an Historic Camp Ground.
Spsc.al 7slsqran % ths Rsaistsr.

Dleo tnlS morning on the historic
camp ground at High Bridge,
KY, to hear DR.. Talmage preach. They
came from all the surrounding cities,
towns and neighborhood. A large con-
tingent from Louisville and another
from Cincinnati were present. Many Of
the visitors have remained here since
yesterday afternoon, when DR.. Talmage
preached in the same place. The text
OF his sermon this morning was from
Acts 3: 10: 1--WE are witnesses"
Standing amid the hills and groves Of
Kentucky, and before this great multi
tude that no man can number, most OF
whom / never saw before and never will
see again IN this world, choose a very
practical theme. In the days of George
Stephenson, the perfector of the locomo-
tive engine the scientists proved conclu-
sively that a railroad train could never
be driven by steam-power successfully
without peril; but the rushing express
trains from Liverpool to Edinburgh,
and from Edinburgh to London, have
made all the nation witnesses
of the splendid achievement. Ma
chinists and navigators proved
cOnclusively that a steamer could
never cross the Atlantic Ocean; but no
sooner had they successfully proved the
impOsSibility Of such an undertaking
than the work was done and the passen
gers 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 ma
tiOns 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 a man was dead, he
was dead, and the heart and the liver
and the lungs having ceased TO per-
form their Offices, the limbs would be
rigid beyond all power Of friction or
arOusal. They showed IL 10 be an alb
soluto absurdity that the dead Christ
should ever get alive: but no sooner had
they proved this than the dead Christ
arose, and the disciples beheld him,
heard his voice, aud talked with him,
aud they took the witness stand, %
prove that % be true which the wise
acres of the day had proved 20 be I'm
possible; the record OF experiment and
Of the testimony f. In tho text: "Ilim
hath God riscd from the dead, whereof
we are witness"
PLAYING TIE sCEPT1c.
Now, let me play the sceptic for a
moment. There is no God" says the
sceptic, "ior 1 have never seen him with
my physical eyeslght. Your Bible is a
pack OF contradictions. There never
was 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 in that
pew as though be would like 10 respond.
Here are hundreds of people with faces
4 little flushed AT these announcements,
and all through this thrOng there Is a
suppressed feeling which would like TO
speak out I'm behalf of the truth OF our
glorious Christianity, as in the days OF
the text, crying out: "We are wit
nesSesl'
The fact is, that if this world is ever
brought to God, il will not be through
arguments but through testimony.
You might cover the whole earth with
apologies for Christianity, and learned
treaties 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 q soul. Put a man OF the
world and q man of the Church against
each other, and the man Of the world
will. 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.
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 II
five hundred men, or one thousand
men. or five hundred thousand men, or
five million men get up and tell me that
thew have felt the religion OF Jesus
Christ a Joy, comfort, help, an In
sniratfon. / am bound as fair-minded
man to accept their testimony. want
inst now TO put before you three prOpo-
sitions. the truth of which think this
audience will attest with overwhelming
unsnimity. The first proposition Is: We
ave witnesses that the religion OF
Christ is able to convert q soul. Inc
Cosnel may have had had time to con-
oner ms. we may have fought it back,
bnt we were vanQuiShed. You say con-
version is only an imaginary thing. we
1.,ovv hotter. 1--WE are witnesses. I"
Tbere never was so great change IN
o,r heart and life on any other SUBJECT
son this. People laughed at the mis-
sionaries in Madagascar because they
,reached ten years without one convert;
krt there are many thouands Oh
coDverts in Madagascar to-day.
Peonle laughed at DIR. Jud-
sons the Baptist missionary, because
no KENT on preaching in Barmah hve
wears without a single convert; Out
there are many thousands OF baptists
in Burmah to-day. People laughed at
doctor Morrison, in China, Tor preach
inr there seven years without single
conversion; but there are many thou-
sands of Christians in China to-day
poonje laughed at the missionaries Tor
preachinS at Tahiti for hfteen years
without a single conversion, and at the
missionaries for preaching In Bengal
seventeen years without single con-
,,arsion. vet in al those lands there are
multltndes of Christians to-day.
But why 90 so far to find evidences
of the Gospels power to save Soui,
eve are witnesses" We were so proud
that no man could have humoied US