The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-04-07
THE REVIVAL WE NEED.
Sermon Preached by Rev. Ira &. BiIlman. of Toledo,
at the congregational Church, FiRdIay- Ohio.
SUNDAY. April :, 1876

at the Congregational Church, FindIsy. Ohio.
sunday. April :, 1876
| Is not this the fast that have chosen? to
/ loose The bands of wickedneSs. " And that
ye break every yoke-lsAIAH IS: G.
| We have been too much accustomed
| TO think of re0i1Gl as an occasion of
| purely religious excitement. When,
| therefore, the impression gains upon us
/ that il is a seasonable time for building
''our churches" the periodical cry is
/ heard in heaven, go Lord revive thy
work. What We often mean by this.
| il. fear, that we want again just such
| a return of Gods spirit as will make it
easy for US to discharge the no " irksOme
| duties of prayer, religious conversation
with the impeBitent. and other iik.
| obligations, with agreeable comfort go
| ourselves.
In a word, we are Concerned for a
blessing that will bring US real sensual
| pleasure in all the services of the sane
| tuary. Then, just in proportion, as this
| state OF feeling predominates III u, aid
| is put over on to others by the law of
social ympathy-although, along with
this renewed interest and punctuality in
the services OF the family or of Gods
| influence sternIy demanding reparation
to the wronyed here, forgiveness of in
| jury there, and spotless conduct every
| where-we have been in the custom of
| calling it IL great revival. Bat is this
| genuine lCorh Of ggGcei
| Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
| try the spirits, whether iiey he o. God?
| some question is legitimate" Therefore,
4.
| is this true, masculine revival such as
| may be called acceptable to the Lord."
The sentiment of our text, while
| mentioning fast, has reference to one OF
| the occasional revivals of the Jews, in
which God himself makes known to
| them their true and false characters
tics. 1t, therefore, better than any
| other scripture, we think, gives us the
appropriate answer. We may thus read
the passage without any violence.
''Is it such revival as have chosen?
! \ day for man to affiict his soul! Is
| it to bow down his head as bulrush,
and to spread sack-cloth and ashes under
him? Will thou call this revival aud
an acceptable day to the LordI'
sis not this the revival that l have
| chosen? to loose the bands of wicked
ness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to
| let the oppressed go free, and that ye
break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy
| bread to the hungry, and that thou bring
| the poor that are cast out TO thy house!
When thou seest the naked, that thou
cover him; and that thou hide not thy
self from thine own fiesh?"
eff thou take away from the midst of
thee, the putting forth of the finger, and
| speaking of vanity. If thou turn away
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day,
and call the sabbath delight, the holy
of the Lord. honorable, and shall honor
Him, not doing thine own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking
thine own words; then shall thy light
break forth as the morning and thine
health shall spring forth speedily, and
THY RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL GO BEFORE
THEE" -
| ''Thou shalt raise up the foundations
of many generations and build the old
waste places; and thou shalt be called
the Repairer of the breach, the Re-
storer of paths to dwell in" This is the
acceptable revival to the Lord; for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Here the mistake of tie old Jewish
church is at once evident. They imag
ined that God was pleased with cheap
and shallow show of religion. Not so,
says the prophet, answering tor Him.
''Ye shall not observe such revival as
We do this day, making your voice to be
heard on high"
1t no revival at all. But to break up
settled customs of evil, to throw off old
habits of sin, to correct every day con
duet, by the practice of neglected vir-
tues, to lay the AK at the root of the
particular vices of the times in church
and society, this is II reCiCGL that would
lift the old endeared name above all its
growing disrepute among men.
The enlightened consciousness of the
age has come at last into the full realiza-
ton of the Masters saying, by their
fruits We shall know them" The words
have given possible judgment to every
man we meet. They are the certain
kneIl of sentimental piety. Faith
without works IS dead" All revivals
must, therefore, be gagged hereafter and
forever by new meter. More and
more, they will come to be estimanted,
not so much by how many backsliders
were reclaimedi How many sinners were
converted; how many proselytes were
made; as by how many wrongs were
righted; how many quarrels were heal
ed; how many sorrows were dispelled;
how many debts were paid? Here, of
all other places, we must not fight down,
in an effort to be happy, the true spirit
of revival, when it is trying to ''Teprove
of sin, of righteousness and of judg-
ment" These things done, and all else
that is valuable must follow.
God takes care OF results. ''In every
nation he that feareth him, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with him."
Let that mean what it may, / want no
more. This. then, is the true revival.
What now, if this contravene many of our
old notionsl Still, let US have the truth.
We have been greatly concerned to
see a revival, such as has been prevailing
at the East, sweep over the whole land.
We have had visions of crowded affairs,
and thronged churches aud mighty
hymuals of praise.
1t would be great thing to have the
thoughts of nation thus turned toward
God in religious fervor. But if men and
women should afterward go our from
under its influence, and as professors, do
the same things over, that are now
affecting us as a people, it would prove
too much luxuriance of foliage, too wide
a stretch of branches for the roofing, is
dangerous. Be this as it may, still a
revival is needed. The public conscious
ness NAV be unenlightened and unde-
fined as to its nature, but as to the
thing itself, all are agreed. The very
air we breathe is impregnate. The
papers. those safety-valves of our high
pressure civilization, have been for
months blowing into the atmosphere |
about our heads, a constant cloud of |
steam from the over-h heated fire of ex-
pectation and waiting at the heart of |
society. Never was Messianic desire |
more prophetic. Under such circum
stances there must always be revivals.
And the men who lead them are those |
who are most fully the product of the |
popular want, full of blind zeal and |
dopmatism and not troubled with the |
discerning of spirits. This, then is a |
work that must be done by others than |
the leaders.
That it is a revival at all, is with them |
sufficient evidence-if even they have |
ever stopped to think-that 1t Is the re- |
viyal we need. Sure we are, there VIII |
be revival of which the present, Won |
derful as it is, is only a prelude. 1t can
not be prevented. 1t ought not, il it |
could; it would gEnd to powder the |
man that attempted TO stand IN ITS way.
But this we can do We can give the
divine momentum shape and direction
so as intelligently to develope the revival