The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1867-08-31
For the Bolivar BuIletin.l
New Testament Conversions

New Testament Conversions
Are all recorded In religious excitement,
and I take the position that without excite
ment life is failure, much less the soul
moving power of religion in the soul The /
watch-word of Christ was, strive to enter /
in" which expression embodies all the /
powers Of the mind, soul and heart IN strong /
desire and excitement. Paups conversion |
was powerful; he was moved by the spirit |
Of Cod with atrembling and establishment /
He fell on the earth, three days without !
sight (mentaI of course), and in that time |
he neither eat or drank anything PauPs /
conversion took place under powerful ex-
citing circumstances. Acts, 9th chap.
JaiIor's conversion happened in the midst
of the most exciting scenes imaginable. He
called for q light, and sprang in, and came
trembling and fell down before Paul and
SiIas, and said Sirs, what must do to be
saved2' This all happened after he knew
no prisoners had escaped, therefore his life
was not endangered. On the account of the 4
Roman law if any of those prisoners had
escaped he would have been decapitated
hence it was purely conviction for sin, the
heavings of guilty conscience, the burden
of a smitten soul loaded with crime and re-
beIlion against the God that made him
" tremble"
! The thief on the cross was converted and
saved when the world was shocked and
trembled to its centre; when the sun rolled
back his flaming chariot wheels and refused
to look down on the aecursed abode of man;
when the frantic power of hell seemed to
triumph over truth and heaven, and the peo-
pie smote themselves upon the breast in the
vast volume Of excitement that characters
lied the scenes of the sufferings of Christ
and the conversion of the thief
The day of Penticost three thousand souls
were converted; tongues as of fire, the rush
ing mighty wind sounds from heaven, filed
with the holy spirit talked as the spirit give
them utterance. Seventeen different dia
leets were represented in that great revival
of religion. Some were amazed, some in
doubt, some did not know what to think
some supposed they were drunk, but Peter
said, no it was too early in the day-it was
the wonderful work of God. The speaker
and people were all excited because God had
seized their guilty bleod-stained conseiences
with the penetrating dagger of conviction,
and the cry was extorted from the multitude,
Men and brethren, what shall we doY'
Trouble, anguish and distress marked everv
face.
PauIs preaching and defense was of the
most vehement style. Thou persuad est
me almost to be christian" said Agrippa
after he heard the noble christian orator.
Festus said, on the same occasion, Paul.
thou art beside myself" When he reasoned
of righteousness, judgment and temperance
before Felix, he made the guilty old sinner
tremble," and said go away for this time.
Work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling was the grand motto of Paul
His whole life was characterized with energy
equal to a whirIwind his eye was like the
eagle, with a voice like thunder, and his
courage defiant as the lion; he lived in a
storm of christian excitement after his con
version to the eventfuI close of his life One
item more / am satisfied to assert without
truthful contradiction, that two-thirds of
the members of the Baptist Methodist and
Presbyterian churches were converted in
reviyals where excitement was abundant
Bolivar will bear me out in my assertion of
her diferenc churches and their respective
memberships, and if so in Bolivar, it will
stand the test anywhere else in all the broad
land. Opposition stronger never was put
forth any where else than in Bolivar tosthe
determination of New Testament reyigals,
such as 1 have described In this article; but
all opposition has proved to be worse than
futile against the power of God Metho-
Z dists, Presbyterians, Cumberland Presby-
terians and Baptists are ali united, and the
consequence is we have a glorious revival
Some mocked-others laughed-some did
not know what to think, but looked on in
wonder and establishment, and many Chris
tians were agreeably disappointed, never ex-
pecting to see such revival in Bolivar
Doubts and fears have given away, and
God is in the midst of his people So mote
it be. J. H. GARRETT
Bolivar, August %, 1867
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