The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-03-10
the minister begins to preach, they will

the minister begins to preach, they will
TAKE OUT THEIR SUNDAY PAPERS,
and read them all the while the minister
is preaching. The organist, if he isn't
under the influence of liquor-and some
of them are-if he is not drowsy, and
sleepy, he will read the Sunday paper.
perhaps, while the minister is preaching
and the minister wonders why God don It
revive His work; he wonders why he is
losing his hold on the congregation; and
wonders why people don't come crowding
into our churches; why people are run
ming after the world instead of coming
into the Church The trouble is that we
have let down the standard we have
grieved the Spirit of God. One drop of
Gods power is worth more than all your
intellectual power, and what the Church
of God wants to-day is to get down in the
dust, wake up, confess our sins, put away
our sins, and go out and be separated
from the world and then see if we don't
have power with God and with man.
The Gospel has not lost its power; it
is just as powerful to-day as it ever has
been. We don't want any new doctrine.
1t is the old Gospel, the old power, the
Holy Ghost power; and if the churches
will just confess their sins and put them
away, and lift the tandard-instead of
letting it down, lift it up-and pray to
God to lift us all up into higher and
holier life, then the fear of the Lord will
come to the nations around us.
1t was when Jacob put away strange
gods and turned his face toward Bethel
that the fear of God fell upon the nations
around. And when the churches turn
back to God and we get done grieving
the Spirit, and let the Spirit of God work
through us, we will then have CONVEX
sions all the while. They will be added
to the Church daily. 1t is sad when you
look over Zion and see how desolate it is,
and see how little spiritual life, spiritual
power, there is in the Church of GO to-
day; many of the church members are
not looking for the Holy Ghost power.
They don't want it; they want intellec-
tual power they want to get some man
who will just draw get choir that will
draw; they don't care whether any one
is saved that is net the question. Only
fill the pews; have good, nice society,
fashionable people and dancing; where
they can 60 one night to the theatre and
the next night to the opera; they don t
like the prayer-meetings they abominate
them; if the minister will lecture and en-
terrain them, that just suits them. said
to man some time ago, How are you
getung on over at your church" ooh,
splendid" Many conversions?" well,
well, on that side we are not getting on
so well. But, he said, 1--WE rented all
our pews and pay all our running ex-
penses; getting on splendidly." That is
what the world calls "get ing on splen-
didly, because they rent the pews, pay
the minister, and pay all the running ex-
penses. Conversions! that is a strange
thing. There was man being shown
through one of the cathedrals of Europe
when l was abroad they were telling
me of it-he had come in from the coun-
try, and one of the men belonging to the
cathedral was showing him around, and
finally says he to the man, "Do yorf have
many conversions here?" MANY what p
" Many conversions here" "Ah, man.
this is not a Wesleyan chapel" The
idea OF there being conversions there
And you can go into good many
churches In this country and ask if they
have many conversions there, and they
would not know what it meant, they are
so far away from the Lord they are not
looking for conversions and don't expect
them. st. Louis Presbyterian