The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-23


Now that the evangelists have closed their
revival services at the Hippodrome our re-
ligious exchanges very freely discuss their
methods and the results of their labors and
appeal to city churches and pastors to carry
on the work which they began. The nu-
merical results are comparatively few, but
the spiritual results are said to be widespread
and encouraging. The IntcNigencer is de-
lighted that Mr.. Moody is not "a deep
preacher" in the ordinary sense of those
words, but no is q man of warm piety and
practical earnestness, and breaches to the
hearts of men. and not merely to their
heads. 1t is not deep preaching that the
world needs or Graves SO much as it does the
message of salvation from Gods own holy
Word And this Mr. Moody gave simply
and earnestly. The deep preaching that
MI. Moody lacked has been the main cause
of that caste in the churches which
is SO displeasing to Christ, and which the
Church Union deprecates. The Saviour's
prayer for the unity of His people cannot be
realized SO long as this caste exists, and the
preaching that will help to remove it from
the churches is the best and purest if not the
deepest kind. Mr.. Moody's preaching, if it
did nothing more than reach the large class
of nominal Christians, which it did reach,
as the Baptist Weekly declafes, would not
have been barren or unfruitful. But it did
verted, churches were quickened and good
has resulted in many other ways And these
results flow from working with God, as the
Methodist very clearly intimates. Sinners
need warning, entreaty, help and nero
professional service cannot do this work.
Hence it is tho duty of every Christian man
and woman to invite sinners to the Saviour
and to encourage and help them on the
way and when they come to the meeting
place where sins are pardoned and souls
saved. This is what the Christian at Work
calls active Christianity, or Christians OF
work. God means that this world shall
be converted to Him through the
efforts of Christians, and the present remark
able revival, this journal estimates, has
added to the Church not less than three
warm-hearted, impulsive and glowing with
the intense ardor Of a new-found love. This
is a result to be deeply grateful for, and it
and the Pentecostal revival suggest to the
Christian Ledoer some elements Of ministerial
power, among which it names the union of
interest and accord among the ministry, the
simplicity of style and manner of preaching
ms well as simplicity of matter. Jesus of
Nazareth; and the result of this co-opera-
tive divine and human preaching led in the
Pentecostal revival to the conversion of three
thousand souls in one day. In the absence
Of such unity and cooperation there is little
or no power. The preacher becomes a
sounding brass or tinkling cymbal. The
Observer thinks Mr.. Moody's preaching has
been in the main addressed to the under
standing and conscience, with view to pro-
ducing conviction of sin rather than to the
feelings to cause excitement His preaching
has, therefore, received the assent of nearly
oil Christian ministers who have visited the
Hippodrome. The numbers converted, the
Observer says, are counted by thousands,
of the city has been as great as within
it Tho secular press has been a powerful
instrument for spreading abroad the Word
and thus helping forward the work of re-
vival. The Evangelist thinks the results will
warrant oil that has been done by way of
preparation and all the cost and outlay of
time and money. The meetings have dem
onstrated, as never before, that the masses"
are susceptible of religious impressions, that
they are eager to hear and many of them to
embrace the salvation offered in the Gospel
The Catholic papers have very little faith in
the conversions made. They count the num-
Der who have been sent from the Hippodrome
to the insane asylum. According to one au-
thority ten have gone thither MS the result Of
the revival meetings here. The Jewish papers
have rival henceforth in the Independent
Hebre,o, which comes out at o price much
below its rivals.