Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-08-06
For the Fayette County Herald ]
CAMP MEETINGS.
BY REV. DAVID SMITH.

Continued from second page lust loeek
/. 1t has been objected against
these meetings, in certain regions
, of the country, that they have de-
clined in usefulness and this cir
cumstmee, we are told, is q proYi-
Dental indication Of the will Of God
! that they should give place to other
means, better adapted to the pres
ent phases Of society. TO this OBJ
. lection we reply; AS to the fact as
: suned, viz, that camp-meetings
have declined in their usefulness,
t it is confidently believed that there
has nowhere been witnessed such
decline, except where the Church
herself has failed to sustain them by
the presence, sacrifices and labors
of her members. And how much
consistency is there in forsaking
means Of grace, honored Of God,
us this has been, and then pleading
the fGebleness with which it is sus-
tanned, as the apology? Such
course of reasoning and action, ap-
piled to the meeting house, would
first make it empty, and then pull it
down; and, if applied to d child,
would first starve him, and then kill
him outright because lie is poor
And what has the new phase of So
ciety, about which men talk, to do
with the question IT'S true there
is more intelligence and refinement
in society than there was but what
then2 Camp meeting services are
not barbarous rites, nor do they
employ class Of appliances fitted
only to rude society. The religious
exercises Of the camp, meeting are
those of the sanctuary precisely,
and consist of prayer, preaching,
singing, eXhortation, and the nara
ton Of individual experience,-
Again, large towns and cities are
regarded as taking the lead in that
sort Of refinement to which allusion
is supposed to be made in this OBJ |
lection and yet many of the eastern
cities continue to employ this means
Of grace, with the happiest results
The great facts of the human char
actcf and Of human condition are
unchanged, Men are immortal and
their souls are priceless. Men are
sinners, and must be converted
from the error Of their ways. Men
are asleep on the edge Of hell; God
saves men by the Gospel-and by
the Gospel only. Men have curios-
ity; and thousands of them that
will not hear the gospel in the
church, will hear it III the grove
The decline of camp-meetings in
some parts of the country is, as we
fear, proyidential indication in
deed-an indication, painfully dis
tinct, of the growing worldIiness Of
the Church. !
2. Again it is said that the neces-
sity for camp-meetings is passed j
away in consequence of the ample J
supply Of church edifces, 10 this
objection we answer that there is =
not fact in the whole history Of '
the Church TO sustain it; for, l. The c
Methodists OF these States were
never in straits for places Of wor-
ship in the Summer time, and they 6
never hold camp-meetings in the
winter season. 2. Camp meetings q
were never held to supply the lack t
Of Church buildings. On the con- e
Lrary, several of the first camp
meetings appear to have been held
in churches, the people encamping d
IN the groves around, merely to l
prevent the necessity of a daily re- : :
urn to their homes. 8, Again, the i
notion that our fathers should So o
Oerly think to make amends for the /
want of church to worship in Il
throughout the year, BY going into h
ne WOODS Tor q camp meeting one c
week of the year, is certainly no h
very high encomium upon the prac- !, q
ical wisdom Of these men of God. =
Our brethren of the cities-Bos- a
on, New York, Philadelphia, Balti- Ii
more, Cincinnati, &c. where most p
lmple church room is engaged, are
Gaping large haryests Of spiritual a
,roit on the camp-ground is
3. But it is said that much wick =
.dness is committed by persons Il i
Who attend camp-meetings from un- 81
worthy motives The writer has |,
.ttended a great many Of these meet s.
ngs within the past thirty years, and :
II many instances has been con
,o,4nJ ,,,itb 4ho ,,,o,,o,r,,,,.,r,t o,1 ! w