National Republican., 1876-03-07


century are rema rkable for wonderful vigor
shown in the enlargement Of commerce, in
the high character of useful invention, in
the acquaintanceship and growing frater-
nal regard of nations, in the mighty pro-
gress of learning, in the swift development
Of the secret treasures of the earth, in the
brightness of thought and discussion, in the
dispatch with which history is recorded,
and, on the other hand, in the awful tor.
rent of crime which is surging through the
world, sweeping into the ocean of destruc-
ton o thousand wrecks of human happi-
ness, they are also remarkable for the pre-.
sentation of a phase wondrous in its beauty,
rich in its promise. strong with the insignia
of divine authority, and glowing with all
the splendors Of victory in the cause Of
righteousness andtruth. 1t is not in Wash
ington alone, nor yet in New York, where
there seems to be a concentration of that
spirit which directs the feet of men from
paths of sin into those of virtue; which
fills churches with newborn praise and
iberates human souls from the bondage of
moral death; but this spirit, this power,
this most persuasive tongue of fire, Is per-
vading the world There seems to be q
general uprising of the army of the Lord,
and to its standards men and women and
children are flocking from all quarters. By
some natural law the pulpit and the press
are working together. The voice Of the
one is emphasized by the power of the
other; the victory of the one is carried
over the world on the wings of the other.
tween the two there is harmony which is
producing most noticeable effect. These,
of course, come into clearer light in our
large cities, and We take it that eyangelists
are specially wise in choosing large cities as
fields of labor. Christ and His apostles
commenced their labors in Jerusalem, and
there the great scenes of the Day Of
Pentecost transpired. Paul's first SER
mon was delivered in Damascus.
Now they that were scattered abroad
upon the persecution that arose about
Stephen Travelled as far as Phenice, Cyprus
and Antioch" and from the Arcopagus of
Athens Paul preached his sermon from the
celebrated text, "To the unknown God"
Cities are the strongholds, and generals in
the army of the Lord ATTACK them. just as
Alexander and Caesar and Napoleon did
when fighting for the sceptrss of nations.
When these are captured the fruits of
labor and victory are realized, but not till
then. 1t is this fact which lends so much
significance to the special awakenings now
marking the history of the Church. They
sre purifying cities, and hence the streams
which flow from them out into the rural
districts. The magnitude and importance
of these reviYals is best understood by con-
trasting with them q few facts cleaned
from "Fish's Handbook of Reviyals:"
'"There are about one thousand four hun.
dred and twenty Orthodox Congregational
churches in New England. The number of
conversions or additions by profession over
losses by death and accommodation reported
by them for the year 1860 WAS 3S5, or about
one fourth OF one to each church: 1861, III, or
about one twelfth of one to each church: 1862,
q loss of 2S4 over all additions; 1868, gain Of
3lS, or less than one fourth of one to each
church; 1854, gain of l ,412, or nearly one to
each church; 1865, gain of 2,416, or nearly
two to each church; 1866, about l 1,257, or
ueaIlN Out " cdCu NtdTIy Que QalI OIL
these churches reported in each of these seven
years not . single conversion or addition by
profession. About two hundred other
churches reported in each of these seven
years only one addition each. A majority of
the remaining churches reported little over
two additions each. Nearly all the larger
gains were made by those few churches that
have made extra efforts for the conversion
of men. Such is New England's record for
the last seven years, and probably for the last
thirty years 1t has been little or no better.
''The average number Of the Orthodox Con-
gregational churches of the United States and
Canada for these seven years was about two
thousand eight hundred. Their gain over
losses for the year 1850 was less than one half
of one to each church; 1861, less than two
thirds of one to each church; 1862, less than
one and one twenty-scyenth to each church;
1865, less than one and one half to each church;
1864, less than one and one third to each church;
1866, about two and one tenth to each church;
1866, about the same as last year. So far as
can be gathered from their statistical reports,
the churches of the other denominations have
not been more successful in gathering con-
yerts from the world during this period than
the Congregational churches have been. As
the churches average less than one hundred
members, and make net gain of less than
one member year, at this rate of increase 1t
will take one hundred years for them to double
the present membership. While the popula-
ton of the country will probably double four
times in this period, and become one hundred
and fifty millions, the churches will be only
about eight millions. Without more general
and powerful reyiyals than ever have been,
bow soon the churches will be overwhelmed
and lost in the world ~
A deep thinker says:
AT our present rate OF march we can
scarcely keep in sight OF the army of aliens
whom we would subdue to Christ. / see the
cause of human salvation to be altogether
hopeless without the special interposition of
the Holy Spirit Should this interposition be
granted only to one individual in ten, (Which
has been, perhaps, about the average Of saw
ing conversions in our evangelical congrega-
tions, nine tenths-nfhs5 population even in
Nav se:IeIaHd would remain faliens from the
Commonwealth of Israel Darker still Is the
prospect in those sections Of our country where
scarcely one in fifty exhibits any evidence, or
makes any profession OF piety. The hope of
the Church, then, is in reyivals of religion
continued, powerful, general reyiyals."
1t is, to person outside of the Church.
but friendly to ii, wonder Of wonders that
it has so little power over the community,
or rather why its power is SO little exer-
cised. That it has power cannot be dis
puted; but, for the most part, it is latent,
hidden-lying as if in trance. In these
revivals we see only gleam of its bright
ness; feel but single pulsation of its tre-
mendous life; hear but one note of the vic
tory it could win; but all Christian people
are, nevertheless, thankful and inspired
with hope that better day is really dawn
ing upon mankind, and that the sweet and
solemn influences of pure religion viii take
the place of the vice and degeneracy Of the