The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-05-14
FoR THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
THE REVIVAL.-No. II.
WHAT THE PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP CAN Do
THE OFFICERS AND THE SOLDIERS.

"The Spirit and the Bride say, come; and let hin
that heareth say come"
do not know whether I have succeeded
in the effort, which l have been prosecuting
in these numbers, toward awakening an aug
mented interest in the matter of great and
powerful work of God in our day. Would
that I could be assured of it! But should
be doing injustice to my brethren of the
vninistry, and even to those belonging to the
Glass of the private membership, if | left Of
where have done, after feating of what
ministers of Christ, as their duty and their
glorious privilege, ma5 t5gaeds go groa;
an end. Shall L say nothing of what the
elders, and the private members, male and
female, old and young, may contribute to it,
by their prayers, efforts, and Christian zeal
On the contrary, l would say that a pastor
can accomplish little toward the end spoken
of, so far at least as his own field of labor
is concerned, but by and with the earnest
sympathy and cooperation of his member
ship. Indeed this state of things is itself
in part, the fulflment of the great result now
spoken Of; for when any church or Chris
tian community is in a quckened state Of
spiritual feeling, revival of religion already
exists there, whether the conversion of sim
ners is taking place or not But who, that
has ever observed, will have failed to see
how generally this secondary result follows
the other?
All my observation, for two scores Of
years, iwpresses me with the conviction that
it is better, as regards the hope of impress
ing the outside part of community, to have
no church at all, than for the minister to con-
duet has efforts for their conversion IN the
midst Of church that is cold, wOrlaly, ana
not sympathetic wih those efforts. But
happy, thrice happy,iS the pastor that has
around him church alive and warm with
that sympathy! His, as respects conversion
will be successful pastorate. He will dc
good and joyful work of gathering. The
ministry is unduly relied upon for doing the
work of converting and saving souls. Where
in Scripture, is it said that they are to be
the exclusive agents in this angelic, Christ
like function? And can any true Christian
heart agree to resign it wholly to them
Does not the word of God put the matter
differently? "Ye"z7sshe Christian body al
large" "are the light Of she world. y
"They that turn many to righteousness
and "He which converteth sinner, do
the "they'' and the che refer exclusively
or even specially to ministers? The minis
try are but the officers of the Lords army
The pastor of church is the captain of
company. What can officers do, in battle
or campaign, without the prompt, brave
vigorous cooperation, of the soldiers vii
not achievement generally be just in proper
ton to that? Does not every body conced
that the splendid successes Of the first Napo
leon and of our Stonewall Jackson wer
owing mainly to the fact that they infuse
their own spirit into their armies, dow,
through all the crank and fle?"
have lately heard the public testimon
of pastor, in whose congregation more tha
two score souls had recently been hOpefull
converted. He said that he aScribed thi
result, under God, very much to the preciou
and contemporaneous efforts and prayers {
the church members, male and female,-e
forts in many cases directed specially to il
dividual8, and not without marked happ
result in quite number of instances. !
venerable pastor,-himself one of the mo'
useful ministers 1 have known, when ce
tain elder died, whose name many in my MT