The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-10-12

and clouds winch had gathered about
her, so it may be now, when every
thing seems to point to a new awak-
ening. But these great revlvals are
slow and noi<eless--theSe grand ef-
fects do not come "shered j" by the
whilwind or the fire, but the "stil|
small voice" which speaks t" mans
inner nature. Science, the hand maid
of religion, has made Of one brother
hood, IA they are Of one blood, all
the nations of the earth--hnmanity
revoIts at the c,ucl'ieS of war. men
no longer answer t" the fire and the
knife for their opinions, and looking
at the signs of the times, We may
hope, as well as pray for the time
when the kingdom OF peace will be
established on earth as in Heaven.
We turn to the Bible, as the rale of
our faith, the teachings of.Chvist as
the basis of our religion. We feel
that it is a matter of reason as we'll as
faith. Come, says the High and
mighty one, "let us reason together"
Revival in the common acceptation of
the word, are miraculous displays of
Gods spirit, given in answer t. ear
nest and continued prayer. We are
told that without such seasons, thu
world would have been Goddess and
forsaken, the Church shron Of her
beautiful garments, wonld have wan.
dered off into tho nists of error
"not u temple ip the land' would re
main open for his worship. Would
God then have left himself without a
witness? Even in the time of great
desoati"n, which vexed the righteous
soul of Elijah, "tbcre were yet ZOO
souls who had not bowed the knee to
Baal.'
There are doubtless periods in every
mans life, when the truths of religion
are brought more forcibly to the con-
science--the fitness, and beauty, and
reasonableness of a Christian life,
the instructive feeling that God ia
not mocked,' that "as a man sows, 81
shall he reap" more deeply impres sed
upon his mind. Then, there are ten
der and loving natures when the sur
passing goodness OF the Divine per
son leads to repentance. From this,
will and must grow a purtr life, in
harmony with Him, and with itself,
and this entire change of purpose,
whether it lie long or short, must be
the regeneration, the birth into new
err, higher life, but its effects, are al
ways seen a conservation Of all thu
powers, of being, to a practical, work
ing out of the law of love, not b.!
stormy and convuIsive emotion. Mel
are apt to set up a standard for them
selves in religious matters, as in al
others, forgetting that the insplrec
word has clearly defined what il
means to he a christian. With such
unless one can point to a precise tim'
when according to the accepted phra
; seol"gy, religion was ''got," as if i
4 were some tleeting cloud TO be brough
s down by tempestu"us prayers an!
! one can shout in triumph, at fan
cied escape from everlasting wrath
he is yet in tho gall Of bitterness an
', bonds Of iniquity," forgetting tia
; "the wisdom which is from above,:i
. first pure, then peacable, easy t" b
o entered, full of mercy and 60"
:, points, There is need, there mus
r. , be change Of purpose and OF NE
= we must learn to hate the Gin who
shuts rs out from all communion wit
. purity aud goodness, bNt VIII" sha
:, dare to say, that because III
). divine work has goue on silently al"
'. slowly, like gentle dew, brlng'"
=" - out the good seed from the darke"e
=, earth, who shall dare to say, heca"s
- it shrinks from all noisy demo"strs
. ton, because it never finds express'"
" in temptstuous prayers, aud turot
:, lent emotions, that it is not the VOL
= Of the Divine spirit?
-, "By thei, fruits ye shall know them
~ ~ There Is great danger that these mons
-, :" professors should exhaust the stre"gt
10 10 of their feelings in loud prayers, AL
- long "amens," leaving IT," little It
~ the practical. exhibitions OF life. IL
=" turbid mountain torrent pour tnr'"u
;, ly along, blot,ing out old landmark
~ ~ and spreading devastation in its pat
"a but the deep river rolls majest'cal
~ 90, enriching the land through whit
30 .. it flows with it's fructifying p"we
.f and sending back the light of Heav'
w in every shining ripple. So it Htt'
i, is with the suddenly converted. Tht
~ are the good seed upon stony grooo
~ One thing is certain, that life wh'
~ ~, is not in itself daily and practie
- exemplifcation of the teachings
hs Christ, the "uew commandmer
"f which He gave, is not ch, ist'an II
&c of and that life which is all this, no M
M to, by what name or sect it is des'
~, ~ mated, no matter whether it can pol
W, to any precise time when change
Oh purpose took place or not, is a chr
tan lite.
:, We have been much struck by
ny recent letter of the good Vicar Ter
raj, of New Orleans. Some narI'
%. minded bigot, had been troubled
o. the fact, that there was a "want
,re unity, Of faith" among the memo'
~ of the Howard Association, and
-" says, among many other admira
%" nf things, this "Corne|ius was Pag'
=. y. having, as we'll as all the me@b
~. ~ Of his house the fear of God, and d
Ius tributiug abundant alms to the pa
| |Ho An angel houored this Pagan wit
' t"' VISIT" and said to him Cornelius,
w. "; prayer is heard, and thine aims
W." W. come up as a memorial before 90
~; The good Bishop says, ''let US II
a. a.. encourage these gentlemen OF
H. Howard Association. But st. re
40 makas a still stronger comment