Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-17
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
subject: witnesses to the Truth of Chris
tianity." preached ut High Bridge, ky.)
Trxr: We are ,citnesses. n-Acts iii..

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 locomotive engine the scientists
proved conclusively that q railroad train
could never he driven by steam power sue
cessfully without peril; but the rushing ex
press trains from Liverpool TO Edinburgh
and from Edinburgh to London, have made
all the nation witnesses OF the splendid
achievement.
Macbinists and navigatorS proved conclu-
sively that a steamer could never cross the
Atlantic but no sooner had they success
fully proved the impossibihty of such an I'M
dertaking than the work was done, and the
passengers on the Cunar1, and the Inman,
and tue National, and the White Star lines
are witnesses There went up a guffaw of
wise laughter at Professor Morse's PROPOSE
ton to make the lightning of heaven his er-
rand boy, and it was proved conclusively
that the thing could never be done; hut now
all the news of the wide world put in your
hands every morning and night has made all
nsrsions witnesses.
SO in the time OF Christ it was proved con-
clusively that it was impossible for Him TO
rise from the dead 1t was shown logically
that when man was dead he was dead, and
the heart, and the liver, AMI the lungs hav-
ing ceased TO perform their Offices, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power of friction
or erousal They showed it TO be au abso-
Lutte absurditv 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 wit
ness stand to prove that to be true which the
wiseacres Of the day had proved to be impos-
sible; 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 letm play the skeptic for moment.
''There is no God" says the skeptic, ''for l
have never seen Him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible is a pack of cOntradic-
tiops 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 he would like to respond. Here are
hundreds of people with faces little flushed
Mt these announcements, ami all through
this throng there is a 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, I'VE are
witnesses"
The fact is that il this world is ever
brought TO God il will not be through argu-
ment. but through testimony. Hou might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treatises in defense
of relision-you would not convert soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
and religion are beautiful mental discipline,
but have never saved soul 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,
get the triumph. There are a thousand
things in our religion that seem Illogical 10
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 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 Jesus
Christ Joy, a comfort, help, an inspira-
ton am bound as a fair-minded man, to
accept their testimony. / want to put be-
fore YOU three propositions the truth Of
which think this audience will attest with
overwhelming unanimity. The first propo-
sition is: We are witnesses that the religion
of Christ is able to convert soul. The Cos
pel NAV have had hard time TO conquer us,
we NAV have fought it back, but we were
vanquished. You say conversion Is only an
imaginary thing We know better. "We
change in our heart and life on any other
subject as on this.
People laughed at the missionaries in Mad
agascar because they preached ten years
without one convert: but there are many
thousands OF converts in Madagascar to-
day. People laughed at DR.. Judson. the
Baptjst missionary, because he kept on
preaching in Burmah five years without
single convert; but there are many thou
sands Of BaptiSts in Burmah to-day. People
laughed al DR.. MorriSoni China for preach
ing there seven years without single con.
version: but there are many thousands OF
Christians in China to-day. People laughed
at the missionaries for preaching at Tahiti
for fifteen years without single conversion,
ami at the missionaries for preaching IN Ben
gal seventeen years without single CONVEX
sion: vet in all those lands there are multi
tudeS of Christians today.
But WHY 20 so far to find evidences Of the
GOSPELS power t. save n sOuls I'VE are wit
nesses." We were 50 proud that no man
could have humbled US; We were so hard
that no earthly power could have melted us
Auge's OF God were all around about us; they
could not overcome us; but one day. perhaps
at a Methodist anxious seat or at a Presby-
terrain catechetical lecture or at burial OF
on horseback, power seized us aud made us
get down and made US tremble and made US
knesl and made us cry for mercy. and we
tried TO wrench ourselves away from the
grasp, but we could not. 1t flung us fiat,
and when we arose we were as much changed
as Gourgis, the heather, who went into
prayer meeting with dagger aud gun. to
disturb the meeting and destroy it, but the
next day was found crying: ''Ob, my great
sins Oh, my great Saviour" aud for
eleven years preached the Gospel OF Christ
TO his fellow mountaineers. the last words
on his dying lips being Free gracer Oh,
At was free gracel
There is a man who was for ten years a
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate and
the tongue, aud on down until they were
interlinked with the vitals OF the body, mind
and soul, but he has not taken any stimu-
lants for two years. What did that? Not
temperance societies. Not prohibition laws.
Not moral suaSion. Conversion did il.
Why, said one upon whom the great
change had come, sir. feel just as though
1 were somebody else" There is sea cap
tam who swore all the way from New YORK
10 Havana, and from Havana to San Fran
cisco, and when be was in port he was worse
than when he was on sea. What power was
IT that washed his tongue cean OF pro.
families and male him psalm singer Con
version By the Holy Spirit. There ara thou
rams VI pcDpto uei = lD-ltN VINO are no more
what they once were than water lily is a
nightShade, or a morning larS Is a vulture,
or day is night.
Now, if | should demand thst all those
people here present who have felt tne con-
verting power OF religion should rise so far
from being ashamed toey would spring TO
their feet with far more alacrity than they
ever sprang to the dance the tears mingling
with their exhiarGtion as they cried, ave
are Witnesses Aud If they tried TO sing
the old Gospel hymn they woul break down
with emotion by the time they got TO ths
second line:
Ashamed Of Jesu', that dear friend
On whom my hopes OF heaven depend?
No When blush, be this my shame,
Ihat no more revere HIS name.
Again. remark that I'VE are witnesses
of the Gospels power TO comfort. When a
man has trouble the world comes i'm and
says; Now get your mind of this: 90 out
and breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper in
to business" What poor advicsi Get your
mind off it, when everything is upturr ed
with tue bereavement, and everything re-
minds you OF what You have lost. Get your
mind off it They might as well advise you
TO stop thinking, and You cannot stop think
ing in that direction. Take walk IN the
fresh air Why, along that very street. or
that very road, she once accompanied you.
Out of that QraSs Mot she t,lucLa1 Aova-s