Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-05-12
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
Ths Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: cover All Forever"

Romans tx, o.
For 1000 years the world lad been waiting
for deliverer- waiting while empires rose
and fell. Conqucrors came and made the
world worse instead of making it better
still the centuries watched and waited. They
looked for Him on thrones, looked for Him in
palaces, looked for Him in imperial robes,
looked for Him at the head of armies. At
last they found Him in barn. The cattle
stood nearer to Him than the angels, for the
former were in the adjoining stall, while tho
latter were in the. clouds A parentage OF
peasantry No room for Him in the Inn be-
cause there was no one to pay the hotel ex-
pense. Yet the pointing star and the angelic
cantata showed that heaven made up in APP
probation of His worth what the world
lacked. "Christ came, who is over all, God
blessed forever. Amen"
But who is this Christ who came? AS to
the difference between different denomlna-
lions of evangelical Christians have no con-
Germ. II 1 could by the turning over o. my
hand decide whether all the world shall at
last be Baptist or Methodist or Congregational
or Episcopaian or Presbyterian, would not
turn nv hand. But there are doctrines which
are vital to the soul. y Christ be not God,
we are idolators. To this Christological
question devote myself this morning and
pray God that we may thihk right and do
Alright in regard to question in which mis-
take is infinite.
suppose that the majority of those here
to-day assembled believe the Bible. 1t re-
quires as much faith to be an infdel as to be
a Christian. 1t is faith in different dlrec-
ton. The Christian has faith in the teach
ings of Matthew, Luke, John, Paul, Isaiah,
Moses The infidel has faith in the Tree
thinkers. We have faith in one class of men.
They have faith in another class OF men. But
as the majority of those, perhaps all OF those
here assembled, are willing TO take the Blple
for a standard in morals and in faith, make
this book my starting point.
suppose you are aware that the two gen.
erals who have marshaled the great armies
against the deity of Jesus Christ are Strauss
and Renen. The number of their slain will
not be counted until the trumpet of the arch
angel sounds the roll call of the resurrection.
Those men and their sympathizers saw that
If they could destroy the fortress of miracles
they could destroy Christianity, and they
were right Surrender the miracles and you
surrender Christianity. The great Ger
man eXegete says that all the miracles
were myths. The great French exegete says
that all the miracles were legends. They
propose to take everything supernatural from
the life c. Christ and everything supernatural
from the Bible. They prefer the miracles OF
human nonsense to the glorious miracles OF
Jesus Christ.
Tney say there was no miraculous birth in
Bethlehem, but that it is all a fanciful story,
Just like the story of Romulus said to have
been born Of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars.
They say no star pointed to the manager IL
was only the fash of passing lantern They
say there was no miraculous making of bread,
but that it is corruption of the story that
Elisha gave 20 loaves of bread to hundred
mel. They say the water was never turned
into wine but that it is corruption CT the
story that the Egyptian plague turned Inc
water into blood. They say it is no wonder
that Christ sweat great drops of blood; he
had been out in the night air and was taken
suddenly ill., They say that there were no
tongues OF fire on the heads of the disciples
at the Pentecost that there was only great
Tlunder storm, and the air was full OF cleo
trieity, which snapped and flew all around
about the heads'of the disciples.
They say that Mary and Martha and Christ
felt it important to get up an excitement for
the forwarding of their religion, and 80 they
dramatized afuneral and Lazarus played the
corpse. and Mary and Martha played the
weepers, and Christ was the tragedlan.
nut it in nv own words, but this is the exact
meaning of their statements. They say the
Bible is a spurious book written by super
stitious or lying men, backed up by men who
died for that which they did not believe.
Now, 1 take back the limited statement
which made few moments ago, when
said it requires as much faith to be an in
.fidel as to be a Christian. 1t requires a
thousandfold more faith to be an lntidel than
to be a Christian, for if Christianity demand
that the whale swallowed Jonah, then
skepticism demands that Jonah swallowed
the whale 1 can prove to you that Christ
was God, not only by supernatural appear
ances on that Christmas night, but by Wha'
inspired men said of Him, by what He says o.
Himself and by His wonderful achievements
"Christ came, who is over all" All, does
not that prove too much? Not over thu
CAESARS, not over Frederick, not over Alex
ander the Great, not over the Henrys, no
over the Louises? Yes. Pile all the thrones
of all the ages together, and my text over
spans them as easily as a rainbow overspan
mountain, "Christ came. who is over all.
Then He must be God.
The Bible says that all things were made b.
Him. Does not that prove too much3 Coul'
IL be that He made the Mediterranean, tina
He made the Black sea, that He made tn
Atlantic, the Pacific, that He made Noun
Lebanon, that He made the Alps, the Slerr
Neyadas, that He made the Hemisperes, the
He made tho universe? Yes. The Biblesay
SO, and lest we be too stupid to understan
John winds mp with magnificent relteratlo
and saws. "Without Him was not anythin'
wv
The Bible says at the name of Jesus ever
knee shall bow. All heaven must come dow
ON its knees. Martyrs on their knees, apos
tiles on their knees, confessOrs on their knees
the archangel on his knees. Before whom? !
man? No, He is a God. The Bible says ever
tongue shall confess--Bnrnesian, Malayan
Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Persian, English
Every tongue shall confess. To whom? God
The Bible says Christ the same yesterday, to
md To hat Oharo Of q
humanity Do we not change? Does no
the body entirely change in seven years
Does not the mind change? Does not tn
heart change? Christ the same yesterday
to-day and forever. He must be a God.
Philosophers say that the law Of gravita
ton decides everything and that the centrip
etal and centrifugal forces keep the worl'
from clashing and from demolition. Blu
Paul says that Christ's arm is the axle OF
which everything turns, and that Christ
hand is the socket in which everything is set
Mark the words, "Upholding-up holding al
things by the word OF His power" Then HI
must be God.
Then look at what Christ says of Himself
Now, certainly, every one must understand
himself better than any one else can under
stand him. If l ask you where you wer
born and you tell me, 81 was born in Ches
ter, England" or ~ was born in Glasgow
Scotland" or II was born in Dublin, Ire
land" or 81 was born in New Orleans, tn
United States, " you being man Of integrity
1 should believe you. If L asked you hov
many pounds you could lift and you SHOULD
say you could lift 100 pounds or 200 pound
or 500 pounds. should believe you. 1t is
matter personal to yourself. You know bet
ter than any one else can tell you.
If l ask how much estate you are worth
and you say $4,000 or 100000 or 100000
believe what you say. You know better