, 1875-03-29

''letNAt army as rtton OF eeInt- -bAelh!sh
handling OF The primo truths Of religion. For
what Ia mora barren than truth itself ovcrah hy
tho great sAnd.lll1Is which Fon htttt wind hase
ittven over 4 once fruitful fold And nlnt will
40 utterly commune cyory car o. wheat, every
green Leaf, a. tho swarm Of doubts that ncttle
down on tho Now Tcatamont; doubt wllet!or
Christ lc tho .'only Savior" simply tls beat
savior; tlouht wllothor man 10 really 'lost. y
or only bewiIdelcd; doubt whether 'regencrA-
lion Is tho beginning Of truly now life. or tho
Tue doubt wllotl.nr "salyation" be ANYTHING
moro than tho tlcltvoranco OF = man from vico,
and bcyonl that, from his own EronndlesA
fcsrs; doubt whether e''lnro and rollsfoi. sftcr
nL be not ono and tho eAnio thing |: doubt OIL
everything which Fcenis 10 tEnly aplti!nht mud
everlasting Kingdom, Of which Christ is the
Royal iIcad7
sslpposo tl.crc be no .leninl Of sny great truth
scarcely betscr. sunloso thnro 10 = foeble I'm.
piicaton here and there thhs possibly tho mis-
sion of JoBuh may be q rescue Of tho human
family; tlIs fceblo affirmation 10 In ita practical
effect on Tie minis Of men worse !tsu tho do
Mai: A hundred times bcttor tho slesian
children marching through tho strcota,
md turning the villages Lnpsdo down ;
y hundred times bottur Dlppcl mixing
religion, and medicine, autl jurisprudence, nnt!
alcllotny III 4 arrange couglomosasc, aud yet
singing.
Oh, Jeans, look, and g.ve me oonqusrinE ar,nsl
The will have. but nat tho power to do
wait, wcar, leavu Thee not TIL Thou,
Though death oncs rufpd. ahcdst lcs bright beams
Better believe With Petersen, who argued that
tho supernatural inspiration Of Now Testament
tinlcs contlneH to Our day III people Of rare Chris
tiau attainmcnts. anti who warmed iil tho glow Of
hs own gentt!s and Religious fervor the hoarta OF
those with whom he caulo In contact bottcr be
rs regardless Of clerical diguitaries as tho lmpu-
lnck Of ho3rt mud lack Of belief by adroit crlti-
cism and 'devcHtituto OF tho words of lifc rer-
sualo paoplo asaiuat all rerRuasions and Leave
tho Impression on their mintla. with or Nithout
Intention. that there Is no ''strntgh. cato" or
"i,arrow way" BY which to onter into the King
dom OF uearon.
I do rot advocate tho usc Of irregular mon, or
a1trayagances Of any kiud. There aro
merccnary pfcttats whom ono IN not
who should bo ocsrpised. wero il not moro ohris.
iAu to pity them. Whom mcn set themselves up
~ prophets. liko tho ahoemakers and saddlegs
Of Germany 150 yenrh nHo, or rcTcal any kin
dred ecceutricitos OF thought,.i will bo tlno to
manner OF good and faithful men, eyen though
they sometimes make strange molaugo OF tho
teachings Of John, aud panl. and Jesus Christ
And moro, re cnn rcjoico In thetr work as tho
q conservative church bosug = lolarnble balance
TO measures or words, or doctrines that arc not
In oil respects sound and wtso.
But aio t!,e fruits Of great revival periods per
mauont7 In gonural torms, yes that Is to say,
4 you regard tho general effect on religion.
Ing d good confession while they 1.-Two. The
waste, Bad na 1t may TO- in given iHstanccs, for
more tchaopa thAn haze ttna to montion, Ia,
after nlt, according to a universal law. You can
not build "a house or make Acolumn, or SOW aEt1
reap an acre Of wtea:, or engage In barter, OF nc
complain any work in life. without waste, material
loat or thrown aHa5, oneEgie8 mlsdreoted, and
shrlnhaGc In tho garner, Whitcfeld's work
L.. l.
abldes mono tho less. wes'ey's great royival
Moyemeut shapes Christfau thought the world
oyor. II waa tho incarnation, as It were OF IN
idcs the Synod OF bort could not ailon, namely,
that the Gospel In offered sincerely to tho whole
world. And Moody, second to mono In energy
and simple devotion to htu Alaatcr, and whom it
Is VAIN for any Que to initiate, is shaking King
dom, md winning thousands to Christ, n,aay OF
whom, DOUBTLESS. wiI enduro In the faith, and
shapo tho Christianity Of tho next generation,
workman, BY tue claas Of people among wtlom
thnJ work, BY the inheritance uf tho preceding
geuoration. and by now-shat is, to.day freshly
discoyercd-purposoa Of God. 1t will atwRya DO
open to criticism. Unexcoptional wisdom Is
loithor with .ha worker nor with tho observer.
The wiseat are not too wise 10 lcnr1s. remom-
bcr that wl,ru DR.. Kirk went to Boston ho was
Eecotvod with ooIdnosa by tho ministry, nd be-
gan hin loug md usefu, work there as "tAo
the Last century, The German pastor D'Annow.
This cluqaent and original preacher opeuod his
Louao for weekly prayer-meetiugs much 10 tho
scandal Of Ills brethren III tho mfniatry. And
much more 10 their scandal ho drew nway ttlelr
end to this "gaddlng and Visiting" whlch was
60 ''lisrcputablo and hostile to puro Chris
tlanity"l
Royisal periods aro Justified by several con-
aidorations which ase not a!wayu mentioned.
Que Ia the influence uf such periods on doclrnal
n I'D n a nr1F
lam Like that Of Tour Baptat brothreu, hyperostho-
do1y like that Of one wing IN our own Church,
the exclusive right Of ordained ministers to tho
scevico Of preaching tho Gospel aud all forms
which assert themselves ,hgainst the remainder
Of the world. aud which cannot be reasoned
down, arc melted down more and moro in 30 far
as thor contradict the unity OF the great Chris
tian family. Men panoplled Ia their ism eau
suswor Al argument, bnt they cannot resist this
Jesus Christ. In It'll sImcs they csn W punctusts
an nrstcls OF prayer against tho hope Of htlh-
cry soul. But whan tho spIr't Of God heaycs
the masses al truth 1eads like tho old, pure,
Hebrew Bible. which was burlouod by no mau's
Lord ID, thozo Is lberty!"
Another consideration is, the peculiar mental
qualities Of many In our churches. good people,
uod's people, worthy Of grent invo for hundred
reasons, actiro roligloualy. but inactive month!y,
burdensoms, who aro therefore ofton noary Of
ministry: attempting to apply tho Gospel 10 tho
whole Ito interest Of man, and to lay open tho
full meaning ot the divine history aud the divine
discipline Of the world. Tho great ldea-tho
forgiveness OF tins BY tho blood OF Jesus aud
tho friondAhip OF Jesua-thoy grasp with glad
negs and With vlgor. beyond this they cannot
20. And whoever goes beyond thoso essential
aud founllationaI truths Ia not suitnb1e mtuia-
ter for them. But tt 10 Impossible for any man
to preach on thosa tTo idsaa, year after year,
without using the came terms, repeating his H.
Illustrations, and otherwise making his themoa
threaabare, and theEeiose lifeless. Revival
periods arc great relief. They bring now
speakers to the people, with fresh modoa Of oou-
ceptiou, and expression, and illustration. And
these good pooplo havo mInlBtered to them tbs
sAme alimcnt warm and new Thelr ono thought
~ euliyened, becomes dearer aud eurer
to them. Although = large part Of the
meaning Of tie Gospel Ia lodt to thon,, ihoy
take Ia - much Of It VI they can, and are
ntronger for NIL tho conditions Of life, stronger
to work, and stronger to endure for Christa sake.
Thia IL q great good.
Another Qualification H., that revival Is q
popular moysmont, It la aps to reach tue
1na4Bes A. our churches do not reach them, Re-
Ngion has its fashion, It's caste, ns aocl9ty has.
Humble poop!o feel themselves ont Of place Ii,
moat Of onr congregations. Aud they are not
fTn.., -s-S