The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-04

What Is evidence2 Testimony, proof, demonstration. It is a statement of facts made in court by a witness, by which juror is led to believe something which his eyes have not seen nor his ears heard. It is the alibi by which man proves that he could not have been on the scene of a crime. It is the proof which wrongly evieted 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. It is the means by which truth defends itself against the onslaught of error and the weapon with which 1t overthrows the fortress of superstition and false doctrine.
 Evidence of the unseen has a momen- tous mission. For the greater number of us 1t is the only basis we have for our knowledge. If we were to believe in nothing that we have not ourselves seen we should have to give up our belief in facts and events innumerable. Tt is not necessary for me to go and see London before l believe that there exists such a city as London" once wrote a great Bible commentator, in reference to my text. l T burg exists, although 1 have not seen it. Why? 1 am convinced by the testimony of those who have seen it. The "evidence of things not seen" has proved to me that it exists I have read books written about the city of St. Petersburg. I have seen pictures of the great buildings of that Russian capital, its cathedrals, its royal palaces, its memorial halls on it's mag nifcent boulevards. I have heard my friends who have traveled among the Muscovites, describe it's brigades and it's cltadels. Why should I then doubt St. Petersburg exists, although my eyes have never seen it?
 I never personally saw my grandfather David Talmage. He died before 1 was born. But l know such a man by that name once existed in the flesh The "evi- dences of things not seen' are absolute ly conclusive. One Wednesday evening in my Chicago church an old mah arose. He startled me with these words T knew your pastors great grandfather, Thomas Talmage. I knew well your pas tors grandfather David Talmage I was playmate of your pastors late father And when I go to his home tonight after this service and kiss your pastors son my eyes will have seen five generations of the Talmage family" I have in my family album a picture of David Tal- mage. My aunt said it was his picture and that was his name. My father some years ago took me to David Talmage's grave. mrlled with his name upon the tombstone, and told me all about my grandfather characteristics. I have never seen David Talmage in the flesh, but on account of the conclusive "evi- dence of things not seen' l know he ex- isted.
 Why Columbus Knew 1t.
 Days before Christopher Columbus landed at San Salvador he knew was approaching land. The Genoese admiral and his fleet had been sailing on, week in and week out. The mutterings of a sail ors mutiny grew louder and louder in the foreeastle. At last a delegation wait ed upon their commander and practically said "Columbus, you are sailing away to certain 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 anyway "Give me just three days longer of western course, and then if unsuccessful l will turn back" answered the great captain. Within the three days branches of trees were seen floating past the boats. There is landr cried Columbus. Men, see there is land By wonder tree bran ehea we have evidence of it.!
 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 wo- men, how many children, how many horses and how many wagons and cattle 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 warriors of old followed their enemies by visible signs we may find the footprints of the Man of Gallee' 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 a poetic dream. They are far more than these. Cur faith Is rational It is founded upon the conclu- sive "evidence of things not seen
 First, our faith is rational. It's geo. graphical foundation stones are strong and true and well anchored l not only find "the footprints of the Man of Gal ileer visible all through Palestine, but, as Dr. Thomas once wrote, l find the land and the book are one l find, by going among the holy hills, that Jesus was not a mythical character, living among mythical people in mythical age. Christ was God; Christ was also man. He lived, he breathed, he walked, he slept, he ate, among those Hebrew people of the east as one or lnemselNes. we hhu thp place of his birth. We can find the places where he passed his boyhood, where he went as a man, where he died. where he was resurrected and the hill from which he ascended.
 Land and the Book.
 The land and the book are one. The personality of Jesus Christ. in the first place, has a true, a vitaiiy true, geo. praphical setting. No Bible student ever walked the Judaean hills with eyes truly opened to the divine truth that he did not have his belief in Jesus Christ irrevocably sealed and infinitely strengthened by the conformation of eastern customs and geo. graphical facts with the recorded bio- graphies of Christs life. Henry A. Harp CT, the great archaeologist, the author of that marvellous book entitled ''The Bible and Modren Discoveries" presses home this statement upon his readers in a pow erful way. On one of Dr. Harper's pages I find these words: "A very dear friend of mine, a splendid explorer, a great travel CT, was at heart and in secret an un- believer in the divinity of Jesus Christ. Circumstances compelled him to explore Palestine. To understand the country he found that he must read the Bible and
 reading it in the full blaze of light, which custom and country and modern investi-
 cations threw on it he found that Jesus
 Christ was indeed his Saviour. He
 brought the full power of his able mind to bear on all he read and all he saw, and as a result of those geographical studies and the Christ life in humble ad- oration he bowed before his God and Re- deemer There was no sudden, no vio-