The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-06-14
RELIGIOUS ACTION AND REACTION,

The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher delivered
the eighth lecture of his course of12 before
the theological students of Yale College,
recently, at New Haven, considering the
topic of "Revivals," and answering many
of the difficulties which a-e found in the
minds of those that don't believe in them
and do not labor for their promotion in
their own communities.
Go among the ordinary, said he, the
working, the half intelligent, the common
ly ignorant people; 60 into the households.
Here and there you will find shrewd
woman. a sagacious and shrewd man; but
you take common folks as they are, and my
own impression from my acquaintance
with them is that there are very few house.
holds outside of Christian churches that
generate many moral thoughts, religious
thoughts, or religious impulses. The
higher feelings are extremely weak in
them, and if there is to be any way in
which you can reach and arouse these pco-
pie it must he by something which shall
lift the whole community; something in
the nature Of these revivals Of which we
have been speaking.
1t is said by those who are not in favor
Of rcvivals that they tend to run to wild
phantasm. That is precisely as if man
would dissuade us from breaking colts by
saying that horses run away. So they do
if they are not we'll broken and well driv-
en-, but never regard that as satisfactory
reason. A popular impulse will run away
with a community. Revivals of religion
are untamable just in proportion as they
are rare. They become mild and amena-
bic to good management just in proportion
to their frequency. 1t is said that the
work done by revivals is not to be COM
pared to the work which is done by church.
es in their ordinary apparel. Do all the
people that are brought up in regular
church connection turn out we'll :? Are
there no failures among the regulars as
we'll as among the militia? don't think
that man that has been brought into the
Kingdom through the instrumentality of
the Church is likely to be any better than
the man that has been brought in through
the instrumentality of devout outpouring
Of the Divine Spirit. 1t is said these re-
vivals of religion pour stream of raw and
uncultivated men upon the community.
No, they don't. They were in the COM
munity before. All! but they are relig-
ious now. But you would rather have
them dead in trespasses and sins and regu-
lar than trying to be better men, because
they scramble ON all tours. If it is life or
death, let it be life. When men have been
long dead until they stink n their vices and
evil habits, pride, selfshness, and worldll-
ness, anything that puts in them the germ
Of life is better than that long propriety Of
damnation. Applause 1t is said that
during the prevalence of revivals of relig-
ion men act under great excitement, and do
things which they would not do when
under the influence of calm reason. That
is as true as you live. Do you take notice
that nobody is afraid Of excitement in pol
itics or money matters' 1t is only when
sioss m"'eoi oesine W uie ou1 vi slSnI ana
ethereal visions come before men that we
hear these men croaking, moderation!
moderation! let your moderation be known
to all men," They are afraid that men
will come evangelical suddenly, that men
will tumble off the precipice of sin into
heaven. Suppose there is some little ex-
citement, can't you bear with it for the end
it contemplates?