The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-02-13
"RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENT.

appeared IN Ihe wing OF the 30th ultimo,
replete with good suggestions and we'll cal
culated to awaken inquiry among the friends
of religion generally, and especially among
the members of the Methodist Episcopal
! Church. The only portion of the article to
which exception could properly be taken, is
the closing sentence, viz: "It is plain to
everybody that more than half the so called
conversions and getting through, which
result from these periodic movements, are
purely animal or nervous excitement
We are far from thinking that any i'm
proper motive dictated the above sentence;
it was evidently penned in haste, without a
full knowledge of the facts in the case, or
due consideration as to the results that
might follow. Still we may have cause to
/ thank the Editor, if his article shall be the
occasion of calling attention to the subject
of "religious excitement" and of apply
ing such tests as will afford proper cri-
terion by which to judge between the true
and the false in such matters
With all Difference, we beg leave to differ
from the statement, that, "It is plain to
everybody that more than half the So called
conversions are purely animal or nervous
excitement" On the contrary, the fact
assumed els plain to nobody. The ON
niscient mind alone SO perfectly under.
stands the connection between the animal
and the mental, and the influence of the
one upon the other, as to be able to deter
min hon r., 81
to is "purey nervous or how far the
result of the operation of the Holy Spirit.
Every one at all acquainted with mental and
spiritual phenomena. knows that "purely"
religious influences will sometimes produce
strong mental emotions, and that such emo
tons may strongly affect the nervous sys-
tenn. Any of the religious affections, as
fear, love, joy, or hope, strongly excited,
will draw upon the nerves, and if the nerv-
Gus system be particularly sensitive, or the
temperament highly sanguinous, there may
be great nervous excitement "purely"
the result of religious influences. We think
we wot of some, who, did they see their
own danger of being lost, would become
H., i
he, who turns to God and escapes that danger
and feels the JOY of spiritual emancipation
springing up within him, should experience
some "nervous excitement Not to be
excited would be the greater marvel. We
have somewhere read, that when the joyful
news of the surrender of CORVALLIS spread
over the country, it SO affected the nerves
of some as to produce commissions and that
the aged door keeper of Congress expired
from the violence of his feelings. When
the Queen of Sheba beheld the wisdom and
the glory of Solomon, "there was no more
spirit in her, Her mental emotions be-
came too strong for her nerves and she
tainted.
But if the mental and nervous systems are
liable to be thus affected by the earthly and
the temporal, how much more by the spirit
ual and the eternal?
The difference between the former and
the latter is far greater than the difference
between drop of water and the vast ocean
between grain of sand and the material
universe. Hence the wonder is not, that
the great truths of religion, when rightly
apprehen ded by the intellect, and pressed
home upon the conscience, should produce
strong mental emotions, or 'tnervous ex
element The wonder is that such emo
tons do not become too strong for endur-
ance.
ETERNITY! Who can think of it with
out emotion An eternity of happiness! or,
an eternity of scoei The thought is over
whelming, and the mind reels under it.
Why, then, undervalue religious exercises,
or call in question the genuineness of con-
versions, because attended with "nervous
exctement?'
But we pass to another view of this sub
ject. While religion may call forth and
Justify strong excitement, still it is true,
that excitement is not religion, nor is it
always an evidence of religion. "All is
not gold that glitte:s." Nor is the wheat
always free from the chaff. In religion, as
elsewhere, the vile is sometimes mixed with
does the church more greatly err. than in
the unrestrained license given to "religious
excitement" There are two ways by which
religion is injured. One is to let it run
down into a cold and heartless Journalism:
the other is to let it run off into wild fanati
cism. In either case the enemy is the win
ner Extremes react. Invitations in bnsi-
ness produce financial revulsions. Over
wrought mental emotions are followed by
corresponding depressions. And SO cold
ness and dullness in religion are often the
natural rebound of undue excitement
That which may be lawful and proper in
Itself is not always expedient. "All things
are lawful for me-" says Paul, "but all
things are not expedent."
The need of the church is a acarm, zeal
Gus, consistent piety, equally removed from
GOODNESS and formalty on the one hand, and
from wildness and fanaticism on the other
THE golden mean - is not less important
in religion than elsewhere, as will appear
from several considerations. In the first
place, strong mental emotions always draw
upon the "animal or nervous" feelings,
and when freely INDUCED, such feelings are
likely to gain the ascendency, and that
which began in the spirit may end in the
flesh. Hence it often happens that those
who run to the extreme of emotional excite
ment, suffer iii their spirituality and prove
the least stable and consistent in practice
1t also often happens that much of the
fruit of revivals conducted on an emotional
basis when tie understanding, Judgment
and conscience are left in the background
is short lived. or superficial, or perhaps
both. The leaders of our Israel should
awake up to these facts. On them rests
a fearful responsibility. Religion suffers
much - in the house of her friends,'' and
still more among her foes, from the lack of
a wise and discreet leadership. Nalor alone
will sometimes secure temporary success.
but such successes are often the forerunner
of ruinous defeat. Remember s'Bull's
Run In second place, when high wrought