The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-07-23
TALMAGE IN KENTUCKY,
WIT NeSSES TO THE TRANSFORMING
POWER OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION.


Generous Action OF Madame Sonunr--
The Min.ionHries and Their K.wnr,l.
Ignorance at unbelieyers
H'GH BRIDGE, Ky, July IA vast
r"ncourse oi people assembled this morn
ing on The historic camp ground at IIi.h
Bridge, ky.. To hear DR.. Talmaue
preach. They came from all the sur
rounding cities. towns and dncghborhOod.
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 III the same place. The
text OF his sermon this morning Was from
Acts iii, Is, I'VE are witnesses"
Standing amid the hills and groves of
Kentucky, and beior this great multitude
that no man can number. most of whom
l never saw before and never will see
again in tins world, | choose IL very
practical theme. In thc days of George
Stephenson, the pcrfcctor OF the loco.
motive engine, the scientists proved
concus'vely that Il railroad train could
never bc driven by steam power success
FULLY without peril; but the rushing tX.
press trains from Liverpool TO Edu.
hurgh, and from Edinburgh to London.
have made all the nation witnesses OF
the splendid achievement.
Machihists and navigators proved con-
vlusivcly that steamer could never
cl"ss the Atlantic ocean; but no sooner
had they successfully proved the impos.
sIbllitt OF such an undertaking than the
""lk was done, and the passengers on
ll'e Cunald, and the Inman, and the
National, and the White Star line are
Witnesses. There went up a yullaw of
wlse laughter at Professor Molse pro-
position 10 make the lightning OF heaven
hls errand boy, and it was proved con-
clusivcIy that the Thing could never be
done; but now all the news of the wide
world put in your hands every morning
aud night has made all nations witness
seS.
so in the time Of Christ it was proved
conclusivcly that it was impossible Tor
him to rise from the dead. 1t shown
logically that wien man was dead, hv
was dead, and the heart, and the liver.
and the lungs having ceased TO perform
their offices, the limbs would 6e rigid
hey Ond all power of friction or aruusal
They showed it to bc an absolute absur.
dity that the dead Christ should cvcl
set up alive; but no sooner had The,
lrOved this than the dead Christ arose,
and the disciples bchcld him, heard hi.
voice, and talked with him. and tn cy
took the witnt sscs stand TO prove that tC
be tue which the wiseaeres Of The du,
had proved To be impossible; the rccort
OF the experiment and of the testimony
Is III the text: "IIim hath God raisct
from thn Innl " whnrnni ,rn
ses."
FOLLY OF TIE AGNOSTIC.
Now let me play the skcptic for /;
moment. "Thtrt is no God" SAYS The
skeptic, for Lave never seen hlm will
my ply sical ey esighl. Your Bi lc is &
pack OF contradictions. There never
VAS Il miracle, Lazarus was not rai>ct
from the dead, and the water was nev, l
TUNED into wine. Your religion IS al
imposition on the crcdullty of the ages >
\ here is an aged man moving in that
pew though he would liket respond
Here are hundreds of people with faces
little flushed at these announcements,
and all through this throng there is Il
suppressed feeling which would like tC
speak on; in behalf of the truth ot oul
glorious Christianity, as in the days OF
the text, crying out, we are witness
sce!'
The fact is that if this world IS cvcl
bought to God 1t will not be through
argument. but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with a,'olo-
Uies for Christianity and learned t"ca-
tises in defense OF reliyl0n-you would
not convert Il soul. Lectures on the
harmony between science and religion
ale beautiful mental discipline, hut have
never saved soul and never " III save 1,
soul. Put man OF the world and il mull
of the church against each oth,r, and
The man OF the " world will, in all Iroba-
blity, get the triumph. There are IL
thousand things in our religion that stein
illogical TO the world. and always will
seem illogical.
Our Weapon in this conflict Is iai.h,
not logic; faith, not mctaphN sics; laith
not pruiundit): faith, not scholastic cX.
pl0rnlon. But then. in order to have
iuith, We must have testimony. and Il
five hundred men, or one thousand men
or five hundred thousand men. ur five
million men get up and tell me That they
have ielt the reli- ION Of Jesus Christ i
joy. Il comfort. q help, an inspiration.
am bOuLd rs a fair minded man To arcrp
their testimony. want jusLnow To pu
before You thlce propositions. thr lIuli
OF which think this audience will allce
with overwhelming unanimily. Tn,
first proposition is: We are witnesses
that tLa religion of Christ is able to con
vert II s"uI. The Gospel may have ina,
Il hard time to conquer us, we ma, lav
fought 1t back, but We were vanuusl,rd
You say conversion is only an inay,nar
thing. We know better. Nv L are " it
nesses." There never was 80 great
change in our heart and lie on an, Olhc
subject as on this.
Peopc laughed at the missionaries il
Madagascar because they preach, d tel
years without one convert; but There ar
many thousands of converts in Mudasas
car today. People laughed at Dr. Jud
sOn, the Baptist missionary bcc l Sc h
kept on preaching in Burmah five year
without single convert; but lhele ar
many thousands of Baptlsts III Burlna
Today. People laughed at DR.. Morris,
IN China for nrp0rhi tL,.rr Srynn MAR