Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-02-13
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALNAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Preshy-
terrain Church, Chicago

than the pulpit and that dumb pew
makes a dead church, while live. cor
dial, cooperating and Christ corfessing
pew makes an effective pulpit and
triumphant church. The text is John
them"
One day LcpauS. the great French
inhdel, came TO Napoleon. He said:
your majesty. have evolved a new
religion which call Theophilanthro-
py. / know that il is a better gospel
than Christianity. but the French peo-
pie will not believe or accept it. What
is the matter? What shall do?" The
great French emperor turned and
smiled. Then he raised his arm and
placed his hand kindly upon his
friends shoulder as he answered: lie
paux, there is one trouble about your
new religion-you have no witnesses.
Go and open a few blinded eyes. Un-
stop some deaf ears. Straighten some
crooked limbs. Raise the dead. BE
crucified 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 you as they believe In
Jesus Christ. Lepaux, it is by your
witnesses that your new religion must
win its way 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 a brilliant
collection of metaphysical or poiemical
dissertations.
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
Pharisees, the members of the sanhe-
drin and the priests had conclusively
settled 1t with themselves that Jesus
Christ was n frand. charlatan, an alb
surd pretender. But one day there was
brought into their presence, seeing, q
man who had been born blind. In all
probability they knew him, for he had
been one of the beggars who took their
stand near the temple gate, Every
one who went to the temple knew him.
"Who opened your eyes?- oa9 of the
man ever lived before who,l having
been born blind, received sight on this
side of the grave" When the young
man answered Jesus" the priests and
their hirelings We're 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:
1--WE do not believe that Jesus opened
those eyes, Away with this fellow
called Jesus! Away with himl Away
with him!' But some OF these learned
Pharisees could not be put off by any
such superficial condemnation. Me-
thinks i can hear a 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 oil Is the promised Messiah. Ger
tninly no other human being could
ever work such miracles" "And there
was n division among them," the
same kind OF division which will oc-
cur among worldly men today IL the
bombshell OF consecrated Christian tes-
fimony can only be hurled among them.
Are We Ready to Give Testimonyf
A. practical application of this prin-
ciple is now facing us, 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 us?
Ready. even though it may bring upon
US sneors and ridicule? Ready, though
Ii 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 be made n division among
them?
Would that the dumb spirit would
come out OF the lay members In the
Christian cburchesl Everywhere we
hear the question being asked: what
is the matter with our churches? Is ii
that the pulpit is losing its powerY'
oh, no; the pulpit is not losing its pow
er. There are more consecrated minis
tiers today than ever before. More
brilliant and well developed heads and
hearts are yearly being trained in our
theological seminaries than ever be-
Tore. 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 the matter? The pulpit has
not lost Its old power, but the pew
has abandoned its duty. The great de-
feet or the church today is that the
pew has relegated to the pulpit nearly
all Its public duties, OF preaching as
well as public praying, as it has de-
pended on the choir for its singing.
The result IS that when the pew ceases
TO speak the message. OF the pulpit is
neglected. The pulpit OF the Lord Je-
scs Christ Is today grooming under the
weight Of the infinite load which the
pew has piled upon it. No church Is
today consecrated evangelistic church
unless 1T has in its pews men who by
NE and testimony are preaching evan
eeiists as well as gospel ministers who
stand behind the sacred desk. Jesus
christ Is today speaking to the silent
pews In the same way as he spake unto
the dumb devn OF old that was cursinc
the life OF young child. He said un-
70 him, '"Inou dumb and deaf spirit.
CONS out or him and enter Nc. more L..
TO him" 1t is not the pulpit that ia
dead; 1t Is the pew which refuses to
speak and therefore has lost its power
10 listen.
Wesley and the Dumb Pew.
John Wesley, one OF the greatest men
VINO ever lived, no matter how you take
MIN, realized. and profoundly realized,
mat dumb pew invariably meant an
ineffective pulpit and a dead church.
What did he do? John Wesley, by d.
vine inspiration, made his pulpit one
OF the mightiest thrones OF the ages
when he kindled the pew into articu-
late life. John Wesley also harnessed
to the pulpit the power OF Christian
song. He started his brother Charles
writing hymns. He gave those hymns
TO the people. the common people, and,
like David, he cried: Praise We the
Lord; praise ye the Lord from the
heavens! Both young men and maid
ems, old men and children, let them
praise the name of the Lord! Then