Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-07-23
TALNAGE IN KENTUCKY.
WITNESSES TO THE TRANSFORMING
POWER OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

Ignorance of UnbeIisvers.
HIoH BRIDGE, KY, July IA vast con-
course Of people assembled this morning
On the historic camp ground at High
Bridge, KY, TO hear DR.. Talmage preach.
They came from all the surrounding cities,
towns and neighborhood. A large contin-
gent from Louisville and another from
Cincinnati were present. Many OF the
visitors have remained here since yester-
day afternoon. when DIR. Talmage preached
in the same place. The text Of his sermon
this morning was from Acts iii, 10, I'VE
are witnesses"
Standing amid the hills and groves OF
Kentucky, 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 n very practical
theme. In the days Of George Stephenson,
the perfector Of the locomotive engine, the
scientists proved conclusively that rail
road train could never be driven by steam
power successfully without peril; but the
rushing express trains from Liverpool to
Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to Lon
don, have made all the nation witnesses OF
the splendid achievement.
Machinists and navigators proved con-
clusively that a steamer could never cross
the Atlantic ocean; but no sooner had they
successfully proved the impossibiiity 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 Professor
Morse's proposition to make the lightning
OF heaven his errand boy, and 1t was proved
conclusively that the thing could never he
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 it 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
it to be an absolute 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 wiseacres Of the
day had proved to be impossible; the rec
ord of the experiment and of the testimony
isin the text: Him hath God raised from
the dead, whereof we are witnesses"
FOLLY OF THE AGNOSTIC.
Now let me play the skeptic for mo-
ment. "There is no God, !" says the skeptic,
"for have meyer seen him with my phys
ical eyesight. Your Bible is pack OF con-
tradictions. There never was q miracle.
- khod nd
the water was never turned into wine.
Your religion is an imposition on the ere
dulity 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 a 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
dogs of the text, crying out, 1--WE are wit
xessesI''
The fact is that If this world Is evel
brought to God it will not be through ar
gument, but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with apollo
Ees for Christianity and learned treatiset
In defense of religion-you would not con
vert soul. Lectures on the harmony be
tween science and religion are beautiful
mental discipline, but have never saved {
soul and never will save soul. Put mar
OF the world and a man of the church
against each other. and the man of tht
world will, in all probability, get the tri
umph. There are a thousand things IL
our religion that seem illogical to th'
world, and always will seem illogical.
Our weapon in this conflict is faith, no
logic; faith, not metaphysics; faith, no
profundity; faith, not scholastic explora
tion. But then, in order to have faith, w,
must have testimony, and if five hundret
men, or one thousand men, or five hun
dred thousand men, or five million mel
get up and tell me that they have fel
the religion of Jesus Christ joy. com
fort, help, az inspiration, am bound a
"A fair minded man to accept their testi
,mony. want just now to put before yol
three propositions, the truth of which
think this audience will attest with over
whelming unanimity. The first proposition
is: We are witnesses that the religion O
Christ is able to convert soul. The Cos
pei may have had hard time to conque
us, we may have fought it back, but W
were vanquished. You say conversion i
only an imaginary thing. We know BET
ter. 1--WE are witnesses" There neve
was so great change in our heart and hf
ON, any other subject as on this.
People laughed at the missionaries i
Madagascar because they preached te
years without one convert; but there ar
many thousands of converts in Madaga!
ri ear today People laughed at Or. Judsor
the Baptist missionary, because he kept O
preaching In Burmah five years will
out single convert; but there are man
thousands of Baptists in Burmah toda,
People laughed ut DR.. Morrison in Chin
for preaching there seven years without
single conversion; but there are man
thousands of Christians in China toda
People laughed at the missionaries fl
preaching at Tahiti for fifteen years witt
out single conversion, and at the mi
sionaries for preaching in Bengal sevel
teen years without a single conversions; y
in all those lands there are multitudes
Christians today.
But why 60 so far to find evidences
the Gospels power to save a soulp "W
are witnesses" We were so proud that I
man could have humbled us; we were
hard that no earthly power could ha'
melted us. Angels Of God were all arour
about us; they could not overcome us; bl
one day, perhaps at Methodist anxiol
seat or at a Presbyterian catechetical lie
ture or at burial or on horseback, a pow
seized US and made us get down and mat
us tremble and made us kneel and mat
us cry for mercy, and we tried to wrent