The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-12
TAI.MAC7E>
SER MON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMaGE. DID.
Pastor Of jefferson Park PresEg-
terrain Church, Chicago

than the pulpit and that a dumb pew
makes a dead church, while a live, cor
dial, cooperating and Christ confessing
pew makes an effective pulpit and
triumphant church The text is John
tx, 16, There was division among
them
One day Lepaux, the great French
infdel, came to Napoleon. He said:
Your ma jesty. have evolved new
religion which l call TEcophilanthro-
py. | know that it is a better gospel
than Christianity, bur the French peo-
pie will not believe or accept it. What
is the matter? What shall | lO?" The
great French emperor turned and
smiled Then he raised his arm and
placed his hand kindly upon his
friends shoulder rs he aus WOr"d: lie
DauX, there is one trouble about your
rev religion-y0u have 10 witnesses.
Go and open a few blinded eyes. Tn
stop some deaf ears. Straight"n som"
crooked limbs. Raise the dead: BE
crucifed and buried. Rise again from
the grave. On the third day appear
unto them who put You to death. Then
the people will accept your religion
and believe in VOC as they believe in
Jesus Christ LepauN. it is by your
witnesses that your new religion must
win it's w, Y into the hearts of the
people, not by your theories Napo-
leon was right, The gospel of Jesus
Christ is to be carried to the farther
most parts of the world by the power
of gospel testimony, not by theories,
not by arguments, not by brilliant
collection of metaphysical or poiemical
disserta tons.
An illustration of this statement is
furnished by the scene of my text.
There was great excitement in the &C.
clesiastical world of Jerusalem. The
Pharsees the members of the sanhe
fIrin and the priests had cOnclusively
settled it with themselves that Jesus
Christ was frand. a charlatan, an abb
surd pretender. But one day there was
brought into their presence. seeing,
man who had been born blind. In all
probability they knew him, for he had
been one of the beggars who took their
|
one who went to the temple knew him.
aWho opened your eyes?' one of the
learned doctors asked in surprise. .'No
man ever lived before who, having
been born blind, received sight on this
side of the grave" When the Young
man answered Jesus the priests and
their hireIings were beside themselves
with rage. They threatened him.
They browbeat him. They eXcommu-
nicated him. At last they entirely lost
their reasoning faculties and common
sense They practically cried aloud:
eve do not believe that Jesus opened
those eyes. Away with this fellow
called Jesus. Away with him. Away
| with him. But some of these learned
Pharisees could not be put off by any
such superficial condemnation. Me-
| thinks can hear learned doctor say
to some of his friends: Il do not know
about this. Perhaps we may have been
| wrong Perhaps this new teacher aft
er all is tie promised Messiah. Ger
tainly no other human being could
ever work such miracles" And there
was a division among them," the
same kind of division which will oc-
cur among worldly men today if the
| bombshell of consecrated Christian tes-
timony can only be hurled among them.
Are we Ready to Give Testimony
4 practical application of this prin-
eiple is now facing u.s. one and all.
Are we Christian men and women
ready to give our gospel testimony
wherever we go? Are we ready to tell
what Jesus Christ has done for u.s.
| Ready, even though it may bring upon
us sneers and ridicule? Ready. though
| it should involve prosecutions and os-
tracism? Ready as the young man of
old was ready who stood up and wit
messed before the priests and the Phar-
isees. when he made division among
/ them?
Would that the dumb spirit would
come out of the lay members in the
Christian churches. Everywhere we
| hear the question being asked: What
| is the matter with our churches? Is it
| that the pulpit is losing its powerg,'
! Oh. no. the pulpit is not losing its pow
| err. There are more consecrated minis
ters today than ever before More
brilliant and well developed beads and
hearts. are yearly being trained in our
theological semiaarles than ever be
| fore. More eloquent sermons are being
| preached from the sacred desk on this
Sabbath than on any Sunday of any
| other generation that ever lived. What,
| then. is Tie nlatterf The pulpit has
not lost It's old power. but the pew
has abandoned It's duty. The great de
feet Of the church today is that the
! pew has RELOCATED 10 the pulpit nearly
/ all its public duties, Of preaching IS
| vel as public praying. as il las de
| pended on the choir for its singing.
The result is that when the pew ceases
| to speak the message OF tie pulpit IS
| neglected. The pulpit Of the Lord be
stis Christ is today groaninss Under the
| weight Of tie Infinite load which the
pew has piled unon it. 40 church is