Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-07-18
REV. DR.. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divins's Sun
day Sermon.
4 Subject; witnesses to the Truth Of Chris
tianity." Preached ct High Bridge. Ky.)

TEXT: 1--WE are witnesses. Acts ill.,, Is.
Standing amid the hills and groves of Ken
lucky, and before this great multitude that
no man can number most OF whom 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 locomotive engine, the scientists
proved conciusively that railroad train
could never be 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.
Maehinists and Davigators proved conclu-
sively that a steamer could never cross the
Atlantic, but no sooner had they success
fully proved the impossibiity 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 a gtffaw of
wise laughter at Professor Morse's PROPOSE.
ton to make the lightning of heaven his err
rand boy, and it was proved conclusively
that the thing could never be donei hut now
all the news Of bhe wide world put in your
hands every morning and night has made all
nations 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 a 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 arousal. They showed 1t to be an abso-
lutte 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 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 a moment.
''There is no God" says the skeptic, for
have never seen Him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible is a pack of contradic-
tons. 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. Hereare
hundreds of people with faces little flushed
at these announcements, and all through
this throng there is 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 if this world is ever
brought to God it will not be through argu-
ment, but through testimony. You might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treat;sesin defense
of religion-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 soul. Put man of the world and a
man of the church against each other, and
the man of the world viii, in all probability,
get the triumph There are a thousand
things in our religion that seem Illogical to
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, i'll order to have faith we must
have testimony, and if five hundred men, or
eh5 thousand men, OF five hundred thousand
fhen, or five million men get up and tell me
that they have felt the religion of Jesus
Christ a joy a comfort, help an inspira-
ton, am bound, as 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
pei NAV have had hard time to conquer us,
we may have fought it back. but we were
vanquished. You 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 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
Baptist 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 at DR.. Morrison in 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,
and at the missionaries for preaching in Benz
gal seventeen years without single eonver-
sion, yet in all those lands there are multi
Tides Of Christians to-day.
But why go so far to find evidences of the
Gospels power to save a souls ''We are wit
nesses.n We were so proud that no man
could have humbled us: we were 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 Presby.
terrain catechetical lecture or at a burial or
on horseback, power seized us and made ia
get down and made us tremble and made us
kneei AMI made US cry for mercy, and we
tried to wrench ourselves away from the
grasp, but we could not. 1t flung rs fat
and when we arose we were as much changed
as Gourgis, the heather, who went into a
prayer meeting with dagger and gun, to
disturb the meeting and destroy it, but the
next day was found crying: ''Oh, my great
sins! oh, my great Saviourp and for
eleven years preached the Gospel of Christ
to his fellow mountaineers, the last words
on MS dying lips being FIRES gracsw Ga,
it was free grace!
There is man who was for ten years a
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate aud
tne tongue, and on down until they were
lnteriInked with the vitals of the body, mind
and soul, but he has not taken any stinu-
lants for two years. What did that? Not
temperance societies. Not prohibition laws.
Mog moral suasion. Conversion did it,
Why" said one upon whom the great
change had come, sir, / feel just as though
were somebody else" There is a sea cap
tam who swore all the way from New York
10 Havana, and from Havana to San Fran.
cisco, and when he was in port he was worse
than when he was on sea. What power was
u that washed bis tongue clean of pro.
fanitles and made him psalm singerf Con.
version by the Holy Spirit There ara thou.
W
what they once were than a water lily is a
hightshade, or morning lark is vulture,
or day is night.
Now, if l should demand that all thoss
people here present who have felt the con.
Nerting power of religion should rise so far
from being ashamed they would spring to
their feet with far more alacrity than they
ever sprang TO the dance, the tears niingling
with their exhilaration as they cried, I'VE
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 Jeeu,, that dear friend
I'm whom my hopes of heaven dependt
Moi When blush, be this my shame,
mat no more revere His name.
Again, | remark that I'VE are witnesses
OF the Gospels power to comfort. When
man has trouble the world comes in and
saysi NOW get your mind off this: 70 out
and breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper in.
70 business" What poor advicel Get your
mind off It'll when everything is uptur1 ed
with the bereavement, and everything re-
minds you of what You hRve lost. Get your
mind Off i'll They might as well advise you
TO stop thinking, and You cannot stop think-
ing In that direction. Take a walk IN the
fresh air Why, along that very street, or
that very road, she once accompanied you.
Out of that grass plot she plucsei flowers,
or into that show window she looked fasci-
mated. saying, Come. see the pictures" Go
deeper into businessi Why, she was asso-
ciated with all your business ambitions, and
since she has gone you have no ambition left
oh. this is clumsy world when it tries to
comfort broken hearth
| can build Corliss engine. I can paint
Raphael's Madonna" can play Beetho-
yen's symphony as easily as this world can
comfort broken heart. And yet you have
been comforted. How was it done? Did
Christ come to you and say: ''Get your mind
off this Go ont and hraatha thu fresh air