Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-12-02
Calnnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. ID.


sermon introduces mass of evidence,
direct and collateral, which the un-
biased searcher after truth will gladly
welcome. The text is Hebrews xi, /,
Faith Is the evidence of things not
SEEN"
What is evidence? Testimony, proof.
demonstration. 1t is q statement of
facts made in court by witness. by
which a juror is led to believe some
thing that his eyes have not seen nor
his ears heard. 1t is the alibi by which
man proves that he could not have
been on the scene of crime. 1t is the
proof which a wrongly eyicted owner
produces OF his right and title to an
inheritance. 1t is an argument from
admitted and existing facts to prove
the operation of causes remote in time.
1t is the means by which truth defends
itself against the onslaught of error
and the weapon with which il over
throws the fortresses of superstition
and false doctrine.
Evidence OF the unseen has a mo-
mentous mission. For the greater mum.
Der of us it is the only basis we have
for our knowledge. IL we were to be-
lieve in nothing that we have not our
selves seen we should have to give up
our belief in facts and events innumer-
able. 1T is not necessary for me TO
so and see London before believe that
there exists such n city as London. -
once wrote a great Bible commentator,
in reference to my text. l know that
such a place as st. Petersburg exists.
although 1 have not seen it. Whyf
i am convinced by the testimony of
those who have seen it. The evidence
OF things not seem has proved to me
that it exists. have read books writ.
ten about the city OF st. Petersburg. /
nave seen pictures of the great build
ings OF that Russian capital. its cathe-
drGls, its royal palaces, its memorial
halls on its magnificent boulevards. I
have heard my friends, who have tray
eled among the MuscoviteS, describe
Its bridges and it's citadels. Why should
then doubt St Petersburg exists, al
though my eyes have never seen it?
1 never personally saw my grandpa
Their, David Talmage. He died before
was born. But know such a man
by that name once existed in the flesh
The evidences of things not seen" are
absolutely conclusive. One Wednesday
evening in my Chicago church an old
man arose. He startled me with these
words: II knew your pastors great
grandfather, Thomas Talmage I
knew well your pastors grandfather.
David Talmage. 1 was a playmate of
your pastors late father And when
go to bis home tonight after this
service and kiss your pastors son my
eyes will have seen five generations
OF the Talmage family" have in my
family album n picture of David Tai
mage. My aunt said IL was his pic
ture, and that was his name Ny IA
Their some years ago took me to David
Talmage's grave, marked with his
name upon the tombstone, and told me
al about my grandfather's Characters
tics. / have never seen David Tai
mage I'm the flesh, but on account OF
the conclusive evidence OF things not
seen" know he existed.
why Columbia. Knew II.
Days before Christopher Columbus
landed at San Salvador he knew he
was approaching land. The Genoese
admiral and his fleet had been sailing
on, week I'm and week out. The NUT
terings or sailors mutiny grew loud
er and louder in the forecastle. At
last delegation waited upon their
commander and practically said: GO
lumbus. you are sailing away TO GER
tain death. We will never find land
In this direction. Either you turn
ship and head toward home or we will
pitch you overheard and go home any
way" Give me just three days Ion
ger OF a western course, and then If
unsuccessful 1 will turn back" an
swered the great captain. Within the
three days branches of trees were seen
floating past the boats. There is
land" cried Columbus. "AIen, see.
there is land! By yonder tree branch
es we have the evidence OF itr'
For days and weeks the old North
American Indians could follow their
foes by the tracks left upon the ground
by the enemy. They could tell by
those tracks how many men, how many
women, how many children, how many
horses and how many wagons and cat
tie composed the party ahead They
could unerringly read all these facts
by the evidence OF things not seen"
In the same way in which the Indian
by visible signs we may find the
footprints OF the Man of Galilee"
not only in Palestine, but also in all
sacred history. We may prove by the
same process that Jesus is not a mere
vision and that our gospel faith is not
merely poetic dream. They are far
more than these. Our faith is rational.
1t is founded upon the conclusive "evi-
dence Of things not seen"
First, our faith is rational. Its geo
graphical foundation stones are strong
and true and well anchored. / not
only ind 1.-The footprints of the Man
or Galilee" visible all through Pales-
tine, but, as DIR. Thomson once wrote
lind the land and the book are one.
nnd, by going among the holy hills,
that Jesus was not a mythical charac-
ter. living among mythical people I'm
mythical age. Christ was God !;
Christ was also a man. He lived, he
breathed, he walked, he slept, he ate,
among those Hebrew people OF the
east as one OF themselves. We find
the place OF his birth. We can find
the places where he passed his boy
hood, where he went as q man, where
he died, where he was resurrected and
the hill from which he assembled
The Land and the Book.
The land and the book are one The
personality OF Jesus Christ, in the first
place, has true, vitality true, geo.
graphical setting. No Bible student
ever walked the Judaean hills with eyes
truly opened to the divine truth that
he did not have his belief I'm Jasus
Christ irrevocably scaled and infinitely
strengthened by the conformation of
eastern customs and geographical facts
with the recorded biographies of
Christ's life. Henry A. Harper, the
great archaeologist, the author of that
marvellous book entitled ''The Bible
and Modern Discoveries" presses
home this statement unop his v.aodarS