The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-07-15
TALMAGE IN KENTUCKY.
The Eloquent Divine breaches LS a
Historic Camp Ground.
He Takes His Text from Well Known
Passage In the Acts of the Apostles
The Whole World witnesses
OF the Loving and Com
forting Power Of
the Gospel.

Rev. DR.. Talmage preached last Sun
day to vast concourse Of people on
the historic camp ground at High Bridge,
Ky. The text OF his sermon was from
Acts, i'll, 10: 1--WE are witnesses"
Standing amid the hills and groves of
Kentucky, and before this great multi
tnde that no man can number, most OF
whom I never saw before and never will
see again in this world, choose very
practical theme. In the days of George
Stephenson, the perfector of the loco
motive engine, the scientists proved con-
clusively that railroad train could
never be driven by steam power sue
cessfully without peril, but the rushing
express trains from Liverpool to Edin-
burgh, and from Edinburgh to London,
have made all the nations witnesses of
the splendid achievement. Machinists
and navigators proved conclusively that
a steamer could never cross the Atlantic
ocean; but no sooner had they success
fnlly proved the impossibility Of such
an undertaking 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 guffaw 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 into
your hands every morning and night,
has made all nations witnesses.
So in the time of Christ it was proved
conclusively that 1t 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 and the lungs have ceased to
perform their Offices, the limbs would
be rigid beyond all power Of friction or
arousal. They showed it to be an alb
solute absurdity 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 wise
acres of the day had proved TO be inn
possible; 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, let me play the skeptic for a
moment "There is no God" says the
skeptic, 'for ! have never seen Him
with my physical eyesight. Your Bible
is pack of contradictions There
never was miracle. Lazarus was not
raised from the dead, and the water
was never turned into wine. Your re-
ligion 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 al
these announcements, and all through
the throng there is suppressed feeling
which would like to speak out in behalf
Of the truth Of our glorions Christianity,
as in the days OF the text, crying out;
1--WE are witnesses"
The fact is, that IL this world is ever
brought to God, it will not be through
argument, but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with apol-
ogies for Christianity, and learned treat
ises in.defense Of religion-you would
not convert soul. Lectures on the
harmony between science and religion
are beautiful mental discipline, but have
i, never saved soul, and never will save
a soul Put man Of the world and a
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
win seem illogical.
Our weapon in this conflict is faith,
mot logic: faith, not metaphysics; faith,
not profupdity; faith, not scholastic ex-
pioration. But then, in order TO have
faith, we must have testimony, and II
fpe hundred men, or one thousand men.
or;five hundred thousand men, or FIVE
million men get up aud tell me that
they have felt the religion Of Jesus
Christ Joy, a comfort, n help, an inspi-
ration, / am bound as fair,minded
man TO accept their testimony. want
Just now 10 plt before you three propo-
sitioas the truth Of which think this
audience will attest with overwhelming
unanimity. The first proposition is: We
are witnesses that the religion Of Christ
Is able to convert soul. The gospel
may have hads hard time TO conquer
us, we may have fought II back, but we
were vanquished You say conversion
is only an imaginary thing. We know
better I'VE are Witnesses" There
never was so great change In our
heart and life or any other subject as on
this. People laughed at the mission
aries in Madagascar because they
preached ten years without one con-
vert; but there are many thousands Of
converts In Madagascar to-day. People
laughed at Dr. Judson, the Baptist mis-
sionary, because he kept on preaching
In Burmah five years without 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
1ingle conversion; but there are many
thousands Of Christians in China to-day.
People laughed at missionaries for
preaching at Tahiti for fifteen years
without single conversion, and at the
missionaries for preaching in Bengal
seventeen years without single con-
version; yet in all those lands there are
multitudes Of Christians to-day.
But why go so far TO find evidences Of
the gospels power 10 save soul? 1--WE
are witnesses" We were so proud that
no man could have humbled US; we we're