The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-29
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
1.-THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN.
b. DAY SERMON.
@nbject: sWitnesses to the Truth
of Christianity" preached
ut High Bridge, ky.)

no man can number, most of whom never
Saw before and never will SEQ again in this
world, choose very practical theme. In
the days of George Stephenson, the perfector
bf the locomotive engine, the scientists
proved conclusively that a railroad train
Gould never be driven by steam power sue
Sessfully 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.
k5Machinists and navigators proved conclu-
lively that steamer could never cross the
atlantic, but no sooner had they success
fully proved the impossibility of such an un-
Hertaking than the work was done, and the
passengers on the Cunard. and the Inman,
and the National, and the White Star lines
hre witnesses There went up guffaw Of
wise laughter at Professor Morse's PROPOSE
Non to make the lightning of heaven his er-
rand boy, and it was proved concluslvely
that the thing could never be done; hut now
Au the news Of the wide world put in your
hands every morning and night has made all
nations witnesses.
b 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 man was dead ne was dead, and
the heart, and the liver, and the lungs hav-
ing ceased to perform their Offices, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power Of friction
or arousal They showed it 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-
sEble; the record Of the experiment and of
Al -. . Eh@ faxr Iyv, hnfh
God raised from the dead whereof we are
witnesses"
J Now let me play the skeptic for moment.
t.sThere is no God" says the skeptic, "for I
have never seen Him with my physical eye
sight. Your Bible is a pack Of contradic-
rdons There never was a 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
sas though he would like to respond. Hereare
hundreds of people with faces little flushed
.ht these announcements, and all through
This throng there is a 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
b 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 treatisasin in defense
of religion-you would not convert soul.
Lectures on the harmony between science
and religion are beautiful mental discipline,
but have never saved q soul and never will
save soul. Put a man of the world and
man of the church against each other, and
che man of the world will, in all probability,
get the triumph. There are thousand
"Ehings 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, in order to have faith we must
. have testimony, and if FIVE hundred men, or
one thousand men, or five hundred thousand
men, or five million men get up and tell me
that they have felt tho religion OF Jesus
Christ Joy, a comfort, help. an irspira-
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-
Etiou is: We are witnesses that the religion
of Christ is able to convert soul. The Cos
Del may 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. I'VE
are witnesses" There never was so great
. change in our heart and life on any other
subject rs 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 a
single convert; but there are many thou
sands OF Baptisss 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 Ben
gal seventeen years without single conver-
sion: vet in all those lands there are multi
tudes of Christians to-day.
! But WHY 20 so far to find evidences OF the
Gospers power to save q soul? 1--WE are wit
inesses." We were so proud that no man
could have hunibled 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. perhap;
at Methodist anxious seat or at Presby.
terian catechetical lecture or at a burial or
on horseback, power seized us and made US
get down and made us trenble and made Us
kneel and made us cry for mercy, and we
tried to wrench ourselves away from the
grasp, but we could not. It flung US fat
and when we arose we were as much changed
as Gourgis, the beathen, who went into q
prayer meeting with dagger anil gun, to
disturb the meeting and destroy it, but the
next day was found crying: "Oh, my grea,
sinsl Oh, my great Saviour and for
eleven years preached the Gospel of Christ
to his fellow mountaineerS, the last words
on his dying lips being "Fres grace" Oh,
1t 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 AMI
the tongue, and on down until they were
interlinked with the vitals of the body, mind
and soul, but he has not taken any stimu-
lants for two years. What did that? Not
temperance societies. Not prohibition laws.
Not 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
tain who swore all the way from New YorS;
TO Havana, and from Havana to San Fran
cisco, and when he was in port he was wors
than when he was on sea. What power was
IT that washed his tongue clean of pro-
families and made him psalm singer? Con-
version by the Holy Spirit. There are thou
sands OF people here to-day who are no more
what they once were than a water lily is a
nightshade, or morning lark is vultuuc,
or day is night.
Now, if should demand that all those
people here present who have ielt the con.
verting power os 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 minglin !,
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