The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-11-18
FoR THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
An Attempt to get up Revival of Religion.

An Artemptt 10 get up a heVlVa1 OF neAlSlVn
Many years ago, having heard that a
protracted meeting was in progress In
the town in which happened to be resi-
ding at that time, and that an interesting
sermon had been preached on the preee-
ding night, l determined to go the next
evening and see what means were made
use Of in that place to get up a REVEAL Of
religion.
When / entered the basement of the
church where the meetings were held, the
minister who occupied the pulpit was de-
livering an exhortatiOn to large con-
gregation with fervor and zeal, in loud
and animated tone of voice; and almost
the very first sentence that he uttered,
was to this effect:
"Some persons maintain, that God
can do his own work in his own way, and
at his own appointed time; but We hold
no such sentiment We regard it with
horror and deteStatiOn. We regard it
as an abominable heresy." He went on
afterwards to show that the members of
church ought to be co-workers with
God in bringing about better state of
things. eff Christians would not come
up to the help of the Lord" he said,
that "nOthing could be done" In other
respects his exhOrtation was unexceptiOn-
able. His object seemed to be, to prove
that all the disciples of the Saviour ought
ever to be active and dihgent in his ser
vice.
In order to show what private mem
bers of the Church could do, he told US
of an old negro woman, who went to the
church on a certain occasion, when the
minister preached learned and eloquent
sermon against Infdelity. The old wO-
mans seat was in the gallery Of the
church. AS she came down stairs, after
the services were over, she had to hold
ON to the banisters, and to proceed very
cautiously on account of the steepness of
the steps. A gentleman, who was pass
ing out of the church, kindly extended
his hand and assisted the old woman in
her descent. When she was safe at the
bottom of the staircase, she looked up
in that gentleman face and said, Mas
sa, do you love Jesus?' He was an In
6del. The sermon of the preacher had
produced no effect upon his mind, but
the simple, yet plain and pointed ques-
ton of the poor old woman went home,
as an arrow to his heart. That night he
could not sleep, and in the morning he
went t, . the preacher, whom he had
heard the Z, ening before, that he might
converse with him on the subject of reli-
zion. "Ahw said the minister, as soon
as he saw him, . | thought that my SER
mon would work conviction in your
mind" " You are entirely mistaken,
said the gentleman; "my concern on the
subject of religion has been excited sim
ply by an old negro woman's asking me,
if l loved the blessed Saviour" We
were all assured that we could do some,
thing, and exhorted to be diigent, since
simple question put to an uncOnverted
person might be the means of saving a
soul.
The minister's anecdOte seemed to us
to prove, that God could do great dea
by the simplest instrumentaity, but thai
man could do very little, even by his
best efforts. Moreover, we could not helI
wondering that any poor, blind mOrta
should ever think of saying, especially
in the pulpit, that God could not do hi
own work in his own way, and at hi!
own appointed time. THAT is hot Ar
minianism, said we to ourselves, sit il
blasphemy.
When the preacher who first occupied
the pulpit finished his exhortatiOn, tn,
pastor of the church arose and followed
his brother minister in a similar strain
He said that sister in the church haC
encouraged him TO hope that they wOulo
soon have revival of religion, for sh
had noticed that they always had revi
val in that church in the fall of the year