Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-02-28
From the Boston Recorder.
PHILOSOPHY or RELIGION.

PHILOSOPHY or RELIGION.
NhiIe protruc'ed meetings, rtick this ar.
Hcie recommends, may have been blessed
in many ms anceS to the conversion Of the
sinner. IMina that their inJguencc upon ihc
general stcte ofr3Esioa, through Mc length
and 6readM Of the land, has aot been saia-
tary. and that the Church acouM hare been
IN g tet'er condition arihoW them. 1t ap-
pears 10 me that ministers and churches
have been leaning to their own understand
ing, and 50 occupied in DEvlsING WAYS
AND MEANS TO CONVERT AND SAVE SINNERS.
and DO up the work al once, that they have
had but ii;;Ic time to study the religion Of
the Bible, or to inquire wha! the Lord would
have them to do. Thc Lord ,ciN be
known and acknowledged as God as 'he
au:hor OF all holy, efficient influences, by
which his peculiar work is revived. \
course has been pursued which TO me has
the appearance o.! shutting God out Of the
Church; of excluding the operations Of The
Divine Spirit in converting sinners; courS"
which has set human wisdom above III
wisdom OF God, and eXalied human insru-
mentality very much 10 Inc exclusion of the
Holy Ghost from his peculiar province of
gracious operation. Go.. has been robbed
of h glory. | would specify some c:;Scs
in which this appears to me to have been
done.
Ias cad of relying UPON Gods Blessing
uron The faithful Iabors oi hr s. bah. anJ
tie express institutions Of his grace. how
many nave depended upon Pro,racted mee;-
ings, Of ten, twenty, or even Tory days, o
revive religion if they wished for a revival
of religion, multi;udcs have supposed thar
they must have protrac'ed m"c'ng; that
they could not nationally expect revival
without it, and felt almost assured of wltneS-
sing the conversion of many snn"rs as t!r'
result Of such a meeting; TIC measure was
relied on as next to Omnipoten. One good
minister said TO me, in reference to pro-
tractcd meetings, "s:lanse We never before
discovered how 10 produce reyiyals = On
ly have proiracied meetings. erough, ana
rcyva!s would be perpetual. The rrlnc-
pal dependence FOR sustaining and c,argnH
;hc Church by fresh conversons, was evil
dcnt'y placed by many good people upon
these meetings. Blu, very little account WAS
made OF common Sabbath duy preaching,
and some other express Institutions o. God.
Again, o!her ministers. and portions o.
the Church have depended more upon ndI-
viGual persons, rs revival preachers. They
have thought pro ractcd meeting a good
thing, but still, comparatively Of l't;Ic Us"
without some "revval man. 10 take the
management of the whole concern. And
when Mr.. B., or Mr. f., or Mr. p. or some
other man verSed in converting siHncrs
came upon the ground, they expected no.
thing short of 4 great revival. Many haze
looked on ;hesc men as he great power
OF God. Their dependence was upon :hc
mon. If revival cnsa"d, ii Vas aScrIbcd
10 them. This is g!orying in man.
Agan,others have enlightened the world
by their Philosophy Of reLg'on,-THE PHI
LoSo2HY OF THE SINNERS CONVERSION !!
They have undertaken to tell the sinner
how 20 be converted withoa any hing d'iii.
cult 10 be compre,ended, or any d:pcnd-
encc upon the Spirit Of God 20 teach and
direct him in the way he should 90, though
our Lord himself hath sad, The wind
b!oweth where it lisleth thou nearest the
sound thereof but canno' 'clI whcncei com.
eth nor whittier it goeth so is every one
that is born Of the Spirit" On this phi
losopty many have depended for rcyiyals,
m,hcr than on tht: grace Of COO in tic lit
OF his Spirit. Many mil>tc@s tave nus
aught ;heir hearers, and sonc cvana"IIs's S
have made il he gram! ohIoc o;trcIr ann,
10 persuade wicked men 10 r. Solrr, without
regard motives, that they would submit
TO Christ. They have not pressed uTon
them immediate repentance and prayer, but
the formation Of resou ioE 70 repent and
seek the Lord J.; and such Il resolution has
been accounted conversion, ard those WHO
have made il. ar'l avowed j.. have be en- en-
H, =,