St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-02-28

was educating the masses in tho truths of.
the Bible, invthe different systems. and
faiths Of different seoss, in the history Of:
the church ii, all ige.; and its kear,iaE on
the history Of thesrorld. A 81 ldl Of orr i
d DIM * saRs.cit. Brought up in aGe1sp,pt
family, usually knew more Of tho Bible
and theology, at twelve years Of age, than
the average praashers pow' doat forty, for,
they held that faith should be founded on
knowledge. When portion Of this. peo: J.
pie established = church in this country
they examined its institutions, and con:
cluded that some Of them were contrary
to God lsw: s., they refuse, to ssts III :
oath to support tho Constitution, because
it does not recognize that law as paramount.
They neither vote, nor hold Office under It 3
and so resign allelaim to powerand patron
age at the call Of duty. Yet one Of their
old, hoary-haired martyr heroes, after a
long life Of selfdenial and persecution,
would not dare proclaim bis own saiatship.
One Of their. preachers who would stand
in the pulpit ind refer to his own CONVEX
sion as foresoue conclusion, would be
deposed from the ministry; for they hold
that the internal assurance of regeneration
and acceptance is typi6cd by "ths hidden
MANN" and "the white stone, wherein:
new uameis written, which no man knoweth,
save him who receivcthG it," and which,
is given to chin that overcometh." They
insist that it is the business Of the chris
tian minister to preach Christ, and him
ceuci6ed; not John Smith, aud him
converted. They believe that conversion.
and the ihteral evidence of conversion
are matters" with which the world has no.
thing to do ;1that no man can read the new
name on the white stone, "save him who
rcceivcth it." Well, We were received
into full membership in this church before
We were sixteen and about four years If:
ter, our lost and undone condition attract-
ed the special attention Of set Of revival
lists. For seven years, they spent as much
effort for our conversion as might, had it
been turned IN that direction, have induc-.
ed one, out Of every hundred Of their year.
ly converts, to have read the Bible clear
through, from the beginning OF Genesis:
to the Of end Revelations ; or, to havestud-
led the. ten commandments until they
could have repeated them from memory
and gwen some general idea Of their
meaning. ) -;
From the nature Of the efforts used to
induce US to "get religion" and the effect
it appeared to have on those who did get
it, we soon concluded that we would rath-.
er get the smallpox. 'Wo do not pretend
to say this was right, or is right; but we
feel just so yet We have seen IN average
Of two revivals year, for twenty years.
In two Of these eight hundred people were
convertcd-four hundred in. each ; and if
We were on oath, before a court, wc should
feel compelled to say, that to the: best of
our knowledge and belief, the effect was
evil, only evil, and that continually. .
One of these big'revivals was got up,
and carried on by Maf6t, as thorough a
scoundrel as ever ran unhanged,. the other
by a man who, there was good reason to
believe, choked his wife and then hung
her corps in the cellar: to make it appear
she had committed suicide. We have
known but one earnest, honest man who
was successful revivalist. Under his
preaching people used to take the jerks
1t turned out atterward that he was a
powerful mesmerizer; and he himself told
us he believed this had been the secret
cause Of his success. We believe that a
revival is simply an epidemic disease of
the nervous system, brought on by fear Of
the devil; and if "a child of ours got under
such an influence, we should treat him, or
her, as if he had "St. Vitus'' Dance, land
hold that man or woman mortal enemy