Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-12-01
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. u. d.

great battle that is being waged he
tween infidclity and christianity this
sermon introduces q mass of evidence,
direct and collateral. which the Un
biased searchcr after truth will gladly
welcome. The text il Hebrews xi, l.
Faith Is the evidence OF things not
secn."
What is evidence? Testimony, proof,
demonstration 1t il statement of
facts made in court by witness, by
which juror is led to believe some
thing that his eyes have not seen nor
his cars heard. II is the alibi by which
IMAM proves that he could not have
been on the scene OF crime. II is the
proof which wrongly evlctcd owner
produces of his right and title TO an
Inheritance It is an argument from
admitted and existing facts TO prove
the operation of causes remote in time.
II ia the means by which truth defends
itself against the onslaught OF error
and the weapon with which it over
throws the fortresses of superstition
and false doctrine.
Evidence of the unseen has n mo
Inentous mission For the greater num-
her of us II is the only basis we have
for our knowledge If we were to be.
'iicve In nothing that we have not our
SELVES seen we should have TO give up
our belief in facts and events innumer-
able. ut Is not necessary for me to
so and see London before believe that
there exists such city as London"
once wrote 8 great Bible commentator,
in reference to my text I know that
sucb place as St Petersburg exists.
although I have not seen It. Why
\ am convinced by the testimony of
those who have seen It. The evidence
Of things not seen" has proved to me
that II exists. l have read books writ
ten about the city Of St Petersburg.
have seen pictures OF the great build
apgs of that Russian capital its cathe-
drals, its royal palaces, its memorial
balls on its magnificent boulevards. I
have heard my friends, who have trav-
<.led among the MUscovitcs, describe
its bridges and its citadels. why should
l then doubt st, Petersburg exists, al
though my eyes have never seen It?
I never personally saw my GRANDPA.
Their, David INlmage He died before
l was born, But / know such Il 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. l
knew we'll your pastors grandfather.
David TalInage. l was a playmate OF
your pastors late father. And when
go to his 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 picture or David Tai
mage My aunt said il was his pic
ture. and that was his name. My IA
Their some years ago took me TO David
TAlmage's grave, marked with his
name upon the tombstone, and told me
all about my grandfather chaTacteris
tics. have never seen David Tai
mage in the flesh, but on account OF
the conclusive evidence Of things not
seen | Know he existed.
why Columbus Knew It,
Days before Christopher Columbus
landed at San Salvador he knew he
was approaching land The Gcnocst
admiral and his feet had been sailing
on, week in and week out. The NUT
terings Of a sailors mutiuy grew loud
ar and louder In the fOrecastle. A
last a delegation waited upon thei1
commander and pra ctically said: go
Omnibus. you are sailing away TO Ger
tain death. We will never find LAND
an this direction. Either you turI
ship and head toward home or We VII
pitch you overheard and go home any
way give me lust three days Ion
yer Of western course, and then /
unsuccessful will turn back an
swered the great captain. Within th'
three days branches of trees were seel
foating past the boats. There l.
land" cried Columbus. Men. see
there is land! by yonder tree branch
es we have the evidence of it,
For days and weeks the old Mort
American Indians could follow the!
foes by the tracks left upon the groun
by the enemy. They could tell b
those tracks how many men. how man
women, how many children, how man
horses and how many wagons and cal
tie composed the party ahead The
could unerrngly read all these fact
by the evidence OF things not seen.
~ the same way in which the India
warriors Of old followed their enemie
by Visible signs we may find III
footprints of the Man OF GailiHe
not only In Palestine, but also In a
sacred history. We may prove by III
same process that Jesus is not n mel
vision and that our gospel faith Is M
merely poetic dream. They are II
moro than these our faith Is rntiona
1t Is founded upon the conclusive "ev
dence OF things not seen"
First. our faith Is rational. Is ge
graphical foundation stones arc stror
and true and well anchored. ! N
only find the footprints Of the Ma
Of Galiiee' visible MI through Pale
tine, but, SIS Or. Thomson once wrot
find the land and the book are one.
And, by going among the holy hill
that Jesus was not a mythical chara
ter, living among mythical people
mythical age. Christ was Go
Christ was also man. lie lived,
l. bad l,.. al. la 4