Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-07-30
lisor the f'oyette county Herald J
CAMP MEETINGS.
BY REV, DAVID SMITH.


st Camp Meetings are believed t
= owe much of their success to th
% following considerations
e |, They call Gods people ava.
d rom their worldly business AM
II cares for several successive days
Thereby securing time for the minc
i. to disentangle itself from worldly
: care, and rise to an undistracteC
g contemplation of spiritual realities
: 2. The mind Of the Church is as
! sisted in the effort thus to rise, by
being held so constantly and so long
t in contactwith the sublime truths oil
revelation.
3. Camp meeting services are
well adapted to exercise the powers
, of faith and prayer in the Church
: and they therefore greatly strength
en- those powers,
. A. BY calling large numbers of
our ministers and people together
to labor and engage in concert, they
improve the bond ofchristian union
among us. f5l. Hgs
s. They offer to the Church an
admirable break upon the worldli-
ness Of Summer.
6. Multitudes hear the Gospel at
camp-meetings, who rarely orneyer
attend church services elsewhere );
and ofthose attracted to the place,
as they have been, by the SINGULAR
| ty of the occasion, thousands have
been converted to God. Il adj i
7. Nor are those the only per-
sons converted at camp. meetings
These meetings are perhaps never
held without being attended by
persons under a painful sense of
unforgiven sin, who go there with
an intention-often secret, It may
be, but firmly fixed, nevertheless
to avail themselves of the extraor-
dinary facilities there afforded for
seeking salvation. These have not
sought in vain; and many a happy
father in our Israel has driven his
carriage home from the camp meet.
ing, containing his whole family Of
children rejoicing in the Lord.
8. The introduction Of camp
meetings and their subsequent
adoption as a special means Of
grace, are to be recorded among the
instances in which the course of
the Church has been shaped by the
providential indications of tile will
of God. They originated in Ken
tucky, in theyear 1899 Two pious
brothers, named William and John
niece, the former Presbyterian
and the latter Methodist Minister,
had settled in West Tennessee. For
some years they had labored har-
moniously for the establishment of
Christianity in that new country
During the year above named, they |
set off on tour through Kentucky /
5oward the State of Ohio. Arriving /
1t settlement on the Red River in t
he State of Kentucky, they found S
Presbyterian Church, under the
PASTORAL care of Rev. Mr.. MGrady. :
They tarried to attend q sacrament !
Il service, then about to be held. - !
Mr. John niece was invited to !
preach, which he did with great !
BOWER. Sermons and exhortations
rom Others followed, attended by
such an outpouring ofthe spirit of !
Tod upon the people, that, instead
If separating as usual, they contin. :
led the meeting, and Others from :.
he surrounding country, hearing I
If the extraordinary indications of
he Divine presence, came in, and e
he meeting continued several days, I
he people, meantime, supplying h
themselves with provisions, and Il
odging in covered wagons, huts c
nd booths. The MGees soon ap-
pointed camp-meeting in an ad- t
dining district, and subsequently +
which were signally owned Il
If God in the conversion ofsinners, n
md the sahctifcation Of believers. tt
See Dr. Bangs History of the Nj,
:, Church, r
tits to be regretted, however, that /,
iappilY as this peculiar means of !
yrace is adapted to the promotion II
# vital piety, and splendid as have q
'een the victories won on these
piritual battlefelds, some, even
.mong tho members of our own y
jhurch, are known seriously to !,
question their utility. Hence we q.
will proceed to answer the leading !
objections to camp meetings; !,
trO BE CoNTSuEDl . y"