The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-07-22

Generous Action of Madame Sontag---
The Missionaries and Their Reward
Ignorance OF Unbelieyers.
HIGH BRIDGE, Ky, July IA vast
concourse of people assembled this morn
ing on the historic camp ground at High
Bridge, Ky. to hear DR.. Talmage
preach. They came from all the sur
rounding cities, towns and neishborhood.
A large contingent from Louisville and
another from Cincinnati were present.
Many Of the visitors have remained here
since yesterday afternoon, when DR.. Tai
mage preached II the same place. The
text OF his sermon this morning was from
Acts iii, Is. I'VE are witnesses"
Standing amid the hills aud groves OF
Kentucky, and be:or this great multitude
that no man can number, most OF whom
l never saw before and never will see
again in this world, l choose a very
practical theme. In the days Of George
Stephenson, the perfector OF the loco
motive engine, the scientists proved
conelusively thata railroad train could
lever be driven by steam power success
fully without peril; but The rushing ex-
lresS trains from Liverpool to Edln-
Lursh, and from Edinburgh to London,
have made all the nation witnesses OF
tie splendid achievement.
Machihists and pavigators proved con-
clusively that steamer could never
cross the Atlantic ocean; but DO sooner
had they successfully proved the impos-
siblllty OF such an undertaking than the
work was done, and the passengers on
lie Cunard, and the Inman, and the
National, and the White Star line are
witnesses. There went up a sutfaw Of
wise laughter at Professor Morse's pro-
position 10 make the lightning OF heaven
hls errand boy, and it was proved con-
clusively 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 witness
ses.
50 in the time Of Christ it was proved
conclusively that it was impossible for
him to rise from the dead. 1t was shown
loscally 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 aroasal.
They showed it to be an absolute absur-
dity 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
%o1 ND oN
took the witnesses stand 10 prove that to
be true which the wiseaeres ofthe day
had proved TO be impossible; the record
OF the experiment and Of the testimony
is in the text: Him hath God raised
from the dead, whereof We are witness
ses."
FOLLY OF THE AGNosTIC.
Now let me play the skeptic Tor
moment. There is no God," says the
skeptic, '.lor Ihaye never seen him with
my ph, seal eyesight. Your Billie IS
rack 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 cre6ullty of the ages"
there is an aged man moving in that
new though be would like to respond.
Here are hundreds OF people with faces
little flushed at these announcements,
and all through this throng there is a
suppressed feeling which would like to
speak out in behalf Of The truth ofour
glorious Christianity, as in the days OF
the text, crying out, we are witness
sesn'
The fact is that if this world IS ever
brought 70 God 1t will not be through
argument, but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with a,,olo-
sies for Christianity and learned trea-
tises in defense Of reliSlon-you would
not convert a soul. Lectures Oh the
harmony between science and religion
are beautiful mental discipline, but have
never saved soul and never will save
soul. Put man Of the world and man
of the church against each other, and
the man Of the world will, in all prOba-
billty, get the triumph. There are a
thousand things in our religion tbatseem
illogical to the world, and always will
seem Illogical.
Our weapon in this colfict IS faith,
not logic; faith, not metaphS sizes; faith,
not protundity: faith, not scholastic ex-
ploration. But then, in order to have
faith, We must have testimony, and If
five hundred men, CT one thousand men,
or FIVE hundred thousand men, or live
million men get up and tell me that they
have felt the religion Of Jesus Christ
10y, comfort, a help, an inspiration, l
am bound as iair minded man to accept
their testimony. 1 want justnow to put
before you three propositions, the auth
of which l think this audience will attest
with overwhelming unanlmlty. The
first proposition is: We are wltnesse.
that The religion OF Christ is able to con-
vert soul. The Gospel may have had
hard time to conquer US, We may have
fought 1t back. hut We We're vauqulshed.
You say conversion is only animaslnary
Thing. We know better. Nv e are wit
nesses." There never was SO great
change in cur heart and life on any other
subject as on this.
People laughed at the missionaries il
Madagascar because they preached ten
Years without one convert: but there are
many thousands Of converts IN Madagas-
car today. People laughed at DR.. Jud-
son, the Baptist missionary becarse he
kept on preaching in Burmah tive years
without single convert; but there are
many thousands Of Bapusts IL Burmah
Today. People laughed a, DR.. Morrison
In China for preaching there seven years
without single conversion; but there
are MAJ y thousands Of Christians III
China today. People laughed at tie
missionaries for preaching at Tahiti Tor
fifteen years without single conversion,
and at the missionarie. tor preaching in
Bengal seventeen years without a single
conversion; Yet in all those lands there