Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1838-12-19

" to family, from nelghborhood 10 nei gu
borhood, from country to country; when
The word of the Lord ''runs and is grrl'
fied;" when the gospel is .pr"ached with
the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven"
"Thus it was in the primitive times with
Peter, Paul, aud all the apostles. The
"fshers Of men" cast wide net. and took
larye shoals of fishes. Now The case is al
tered; we can only eaten a single fish now
and then. But it was not merely in the
primitive times, bur in various ages, and in
different parts ofthe Christian church since
there have been reyivals of religion. and
great things have been done. In the days
of St. Augustine, and at the blessed Refor-
nation this was the case. In The time OF
Mr.. Whitfield and Mr.. Wesley also, great
numb rs were truly converted, whatt Yer
errors were mixed with their proceedings.
Whenever things like these are seen, when.
ever numbers are brought 10 fear God and
repent and love Christ, and 1--we holy lives,
then the gospel is preached in the funess
of blessing.
"But these are blessings Of which our
fathers have told us-we have scarcely ev-
rr seen them ourselves. have been
thr,y.eight years fisher of men, and not
quite unsuccessful; but never vet saw any
Of this lulness Of the blessing of The gospel
of Christ.-Our profession, indeed, IS such'
that the least success in it is better than the
greatest in any other. One soul brought
20 salya'ion, is worth more than all the glo.
ries oflhe world. If but sing lie sinner re-
pents, there is joy in heaven-lhe only
event on earth, that we know OF, that occa'
sions that joy. If a man were TO labor
lhrty.eight years, and gain but one SOUL ne
nigh consider himself asgreatly onored.
Still who tha. loves his Saviour, and has
compassion for the souls ofmen, would not
long for more enlarged success would
thank God for even single soul, enllgh'-
ened, and pardoned, and sanctifed, but yet
if all nv parish were converted, and there
were only one left in its sins, | would strug-
gle with the devil for that one. There are,
in the present day, an increasing number
of gospel Ministers; and, by all, some good
is done; and in course of years we get to.
gelher little circle of converts. But such
success as mean by the fuIness of the
blessing, has not been VI uchsafed to any oil
US in these days, am not speaking of the
comparative success which one minister
may have above another, bet the success OF
all of US put together would be but little
compared with that of Paul or Peter.
He next iuquires into the reason of this
"What can be the reason of this Is the
Lords arm shortened that it cannot save
Is The gospel another thing than it was once!
Are We 10 say we cannot work miracles
Miracles never converted men, except as
the grace of God wrought with them.-
There cannot be a greater mistake tn m to
think that miracles can change the heart.
1t is the ordinary grace Of the Holy Spirit
winch produces that change. 1t was this
that converted Saul into Pa,ul."
His suggestions on the probnble causes
of the decline of religion, and on the meth
DDS best calculated to revive it, are the mos
importan paris Of he discours':
"We may inquire whether our modern
preachers of tine gospel do so prominently
hold out the pcculiarticS of Christianity, As
the apostles did; whether they come witt
the holy law of God as the mInisraIon o
condemnation in ole hand, and the gospe
of Christ, as the muistration Of life, in the
other; whether they warn sinne;s, like John
Baptist, not to trust in any outward forms
and then point out to them the Lamb Of
God.
"k is the work of the Spirit 10 glorify
Christ. May we not then ask, whether
God the Spirit is glori6ed in his person ant
grace, in his love and power in the work o.
conversion, whether we do not hold the
doctrine Of the Holy SPiri, slightly? For
if we do not honor the Spirit, how can we
expect that he will honor our Ministry
We must expect all success from his pow
er alone. If man trust in knowledge
taeuts, eloquence, human suaslon. ne will
do nothing. Ii is our business indeed to
do all that we can in inviting, cntfeatlng
and instrucling men; but when we have
done al, il is the Spirit of God who alone
can quicken the dead and enlishten the
blind, and if we depend not on him we shall
not, we cannot, succeed.
1--WE do not expect this fulness of bles'
sing, and we are satisfied wittom it, There
is a ttlcness in our faith and conception ol
things. We do not ask nor expect this full
ness, we have NO idea of it, it does not enter
our minds, Can we wonder then that tn
Lord says to us, "According to thy faith
be it known un:o thee" But the Apostles
went forth and expected, and asked a full
ness Of blessing. When man is IN ear
nest, nothing will satisfy hum butths. OH
ers may be satisfied without success. They
may go through formalset of observances,
and be con,enled; instead of examining their
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