The Forrest City times., 1891-07-17
WE ARE WITNESSES" "
DR. TALMACE TALKS AT AN
 HISTORIC SPOT.
A Thrilling Sermon at High Bridge, kentucky-He DiscOurscs From che Text Acts 3:l5-We are Wit. nesoeA

HIGH BRIDGE, Ky, July 12, 1so1.-A vast concourse of people assembled this morning on the historic camp ground at High Bridge, Ky, to hear Dr. Tal- mage preach. They came from all the surrounding cities, towns and neigh borhood. A large contingent 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 IS: We are Witnesses"
 Standing amid the hills and groves of Kentucky, and before this great null titude that no man can number, most of whom I never saw before and never will see again in this world, I choose n very practical theme. In the days of George Stephenson. the perfector of the locomotive engine, the scientists proved conclusivcly that rail- road train could never be driven by steam power successfully without peril; but the rushing express train from Liverpool to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to London, have made all na- tions witnesses of the splendid achieve ment. Machinists and navigators proved conclusively that steamer could never cross the Atlantic Ocean; but no sooner had they successfully proved the impossibility of such an un- dertaking 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 guifaw of wise laughter at Prof 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 nations witnesses.
 So in the time of Christ 1t 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 perform their offices, the limbs would be rigid beyond all power of friction or arousal. They showed 1t to be an absolute absurd ity 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 witness stand, to prove that to be true which the wiseacres of the 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 witnesses"
 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 thous- and men, or five hundred thousand men. or five million men get up and tell me that they have felt the religion of Jesus Christ. a joy, comfort, help, an inspiration, I am bound as fair-minded man to accept their testimony 1 propositions, the truth of which think this audience will attest with over whelming unanimity. The first propo- sition is: We are witnesses that the re- ligion of Christ is able to convert a soul The Gospel may have had a hard time to conquer us, we may have fought it
 
 say conversion is only an imaginary thing. We know better. We are witnesses. There never was so great a change in our heart and life on any other subject as on this. People laughed at the missionaries in Madagascar because they preached ten years without one convert; but there are many thousands of converts in Mada- gascar day. People laughed at Dr. Judson, the Baptist missionary, be- cause he kept on preaching in Burmah five years without a single convert; but there are many thousands of Baptists in Burmah to-day. People laughed at Dr. Morrison, in China, for preaching there seven years without a single con version; but there are many thousands of Christians in China to-day. People laughed at the missionaries at Tahiti for preaching for fifteen years without n single conversion, and at the mission aries for preaching in Bengal seven- teen years without single conver- sion; yet in all those lands there are multitudes of Christians to-day.
 But why go so far to find evidences of the gospels power to save a soulp We are witnesses" We were so proud that no man could have humbled us; We werc so hard that no earthly power could have melted us; angels of God were all around about us; they could not overcome us; but one day, perhaps at . Methodist anxious seat, or at a Presbyterian catechetical lecture, or at q burial, or on horseback, a power seized us, and made us get down, and made us tremble, and made us lxnecl, and made us cry for mercy, and we tried to wrench our selves away from the grasp, but we could not. It flung us fiat, and when we arose we were as much changed as Gourgis, the heather, who went into . prayer-meeting with a dagger and q gun, to disturb the meeting and destroy it, but the next day was found crying: "Ohl my great sins. Ohl my great Saviort' and for eleveniyears preached the Gospel of Christ to his fellow mountaineers, the last words on hls dying lips being Free grace" Oh, it was free gracel
 Now, if should demand that all those people here present who have felt the converting power of religion should rise, so far from being ashamed, they would spring to their feet with more alactrity than they ever sprang to the dance. the tears mingling with their exhilaration as they cried, We are witnesses!" And if they tried to sing the old Gospel hymn, they would break down with emotion by the time they got to the second line:
 Ashamed Of Jesus. that dear fiieni
 On whom my hopes of heaven depend?
 Nol When 1 blush, be this my shame:
 That no more revere his name,