The New York herald., 1876-02-27
me Revival OF Religion.

one OF rellBlOn. we might say, IN the words
of the Scriptures, that the spirit of the Lord
is moving over the face of the earth. In Eng
land great statesman finds no theme 50 alb
sorbing as the power of Rome The last can
vass was upon Beer and the Bible" In
France we have demonstrations and pilgrim
ages and votiye offerings to many holy
shrine. In Germany Bismarck confesses that
his ulterior foe is the Pope, with the Jesuits
behind the Pope. The insurrection in the
Principalities is really the Cross against the
Crescent, while the young King of Spain has
his chief trouble with religion. Don Carlos
fights for creed as we'll as crown.
President of the United States appeals to re-
/ ligious passions an agency of political
strength, and Methodist bishop answers
the appeal by nominating him for a third
/ term In addition to this infltration of re-
| ligon into politics we have another move
ment of more thoroughly religious charac-
ter-the revival thai now spreads over the
United States
This movement, however, comes from
abroad. The success of Moody and Sankey
is only the American confirmation of an
English triumph. The revival in New York
is the second chapter of the revival in Lon
don. Moody and Sankey are Americans.
They spent most of their lives in America.
They were for years prominent in religious
works-in the pulpit as exhorters and in the
army. But they made no impression. The
harvest was not ripe. They were regarded
very much as we regard some of those en-
thusiastic revivalists who stop sinners on
Broadway to admonish them of the wrath to
come, and who go from camp meeting to
camp meeting in the summer calling upon
sinners to be saved The prompting came to
visit England. They went about their work
quietly, fervently, doing good wherever op-
portunity served, until in Newcastle the
flame burst forth. II was like the prairie
fire. 1t swept with ever-increasing vio-
lence, tapping its way through Scotland and
Ireland, until it lit up the great English
metropolis itself The unknown expounders
of text and song who would have been glad
when they reached England to feel sure of
thousand in the congregation on Sundays
found thousands hanging on their
words They became ''the rage"
All classes, poor and rich, simple
and gentle, focked to their ministra-
tions. The clergy of established churches,
disposed to see nothing but mob outside of
the vestry windows, were shy but this shy
ness could not continue with plain, direct
sin-pounding, dewitt -thumping evangelist
like Moody who had no creed but Christ
crucifed, and minstrel like Sankey, who
did not pretend to sing, but to chant pious
words and meditations to the sound of an
organ. The Established Church-and wisely,
we think-remembering how Wesley and
Whitefeld Jared, took up the movement, and
accepted Moody and Sankey as skilled shep-
herd dogs, whose business was to scour the
meadows, seek out the stray sheep and drive
them into the folds. 1t was no business of
theirs which fold gained the sheep, SO long
as they were under shepherds care 1t
was not their mission to discuss Calvinism
or Arminianism, predestination or free will,
the Thirty-nine Articles or the Westminster
Confession of Faith. They were neither the
advocates of the abbey nor the tabernacle.
They had only one message-that Christ
came into the world to save sinners, and that
if sinners would only turn to Christ and
believe that His precious blood would wash
them as white as snow their work was done.
In this spirit the evangelists labored in
London In this spirit they now labor in
New York. They are sustained by all re-
ligious classes. We believe that Mr.. Froth-
ingham, who has his own views about the
devil, does not believe in thunder and light
ming conversions. The Cardinal has not
taken part. Although he has said nothing
against it His Eminence feels, no doubt, that
he can fight the devil with the batteries that
came down to him from old ST. Peter, and he
does not need guerilla aid But Brother
Moody is understood to say that he does not
care whether the converts 60 to the Catholic
Church or not that he would take as much
pleasure in the filling up of the Cathedral as
of DR.. Halls meeting house. Unlike ma
jority of revivalists, Brother Moody is fight
ing the devil, and not the Pope, and we
could wish, if we dared to advise these holy
men about matters SO sacred and exclusive
that there could have been an alliance between
the disciplined legions of the Cardinal and
the guerilla band of Moody. The devil if
we may accept the burden of testimony on
the subject, is considerable parsonage.
We shall have no peace until he is bound
hand and foot for a thousand years. And
although, as journalists anxious to do our
duty with the news, we have some anxiety
as to our columns during the millennium,
we are willing to take our chance with the
rest of the world. Therefore, if there could
be a general concert of action against the
devil-a harmonious blending of all Chris
tian interests in the one duty-a steady,
prolonged, persistent chase-there is no rea-
son why he should not be run down at last
4 and bound in chains Unfortunately the