The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-02-19
+" The Anxious Bench

! oil the Reformed Chufch.
TKxr--Try the spirits.--I. John iv., l.
Why are we here9 Why are yon here ?
Why am here9 What kind of thoughts
have in my head ? What kind Of thoughts
have you in your heads? Some, undoubt-
edly, have come here out of curiosity, to
hear what may have to say, and to carry
the news across the way to the other Evan
gelical) church. see some are prepared
with paper and pencil to take notes. Write
away to your hearts coutentl It is, how
ever, not my intention to preach to you l
will more especially preach to the members
Of n,y ovn church They need it Some of
our members have left US, and gone to the
And now come of them want to belong to
both churches--run to and fro. But this
dare not be. We must now exercise the
discipline Of the church. Jesus Christ says:
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye
shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heav-
en-" You say this is catholic doctrine.
Well, it is the word of Christ, nevertheless,
and is its own best Interpretation. The
church has such power. But, by the help
of the sainted Father Brobst, Lutheran
minister, who wrote on this subject, will
preach my text, and tell you what think
of anxious bench confessions.
Spiritual deception is carried on at an
alarming rate in these days. Earnest pety
is being counterfeiled by false appearances
and by hypocritical show. The word Of
God is being falsifed. aud the people are
deceived by the fanatical teachings of men.
But haye not come here to scold. What
| say, l say to my own members--1 have
never preached against others. You will
patiently bear with me while read most
of my discourse tonight; you are not ac-
customed to hear me read sermons.
Why is it that at the anxious bench the
Spirit only maniiests Himself during the
singing and the praying, and not during the
preaching of the word of God? The Spirit
Of God operates upon the hearts of the peo-
pie only through the preaching Of tho word
and never through singing and prayer. See
Romans x, l7,and Romans tx, is. Why
is it that the Spirit never maniiests Himself
when the people are quiet, but that such
apparent manifestation is always accompan-
led by great deal of excitement and noise
Noise and excitement operates directly upon
mans nervous system, and thus the extra.
ordinary feelings and appearances are pro-
dnced. But do not understand me to teach
that the emotions have no place in religion
I say nothing against feeling. Man mus
feel Man is complex being, consisting o
will, sense (snn y and emotions. The chris
tan feels his religion, but he feels it through
; his works. But YOU say, works-se,f- rightc
business will saye no man. Neither will h,
be saved without works. We must do tina
which is good, and there is no good done a
tbeAnxious Bench. Ny feelings are no
produced by noise at the bench. Right do
ing begets right feeling. When am doinI
right feel good, and this makes anothe
one-even God, feel good; and then we botl
feel better than any one ever felt at tn
anxious bench.
> Why is it that these people must alway
be near together in their services, in orde
10 receive what they call the baptism of th
, spirit? Man possesses certain magnetl
powers which, when they are mutually CO
operative in body of people will magnet
ize the whole nssemblage and bring abou
Just such phenomena as is noticeable at a
anxious bench.
t Why is 1t that this anxious bench mod
! Of conversion is never practiced during Tn
day, when the mind of man is most sobe
and reflective; but that it is always resorte
to at night2 1t cannot stand daylight. Work
of darkness suit not for the day. See
Thes. ", 5-s, and Peter viii, Is.
Why is il that these anxious bench preach
ers never serve long at one appointment br
are continually itinerating?
Because their people who have been con
verted according to these new measure
will soon get tired of every thing that is OLE
the preachers included. See Mark H.,
and Acts xviii, 81.
Why is it that the modern, educate
Methodist preachers will have nothing moi
to do with the bench? They well know thu
the preaching of the word alone can say
the people. How could the 5000 at the pei
tecostal occasion have been converted in
day, according to the noisy and erderle
anxious bench process? You well kno
that it would have been impracticable ther
Why did not the great Luther and the 9th,
reformers adopt the anxious bench? The
adhered TO the word of God as the onl
means of salvation.
Why do all the educated ministers Of Il
gospel in entire Europe ignore the bench pr
cessl They abide by the custom of the
fathers and know that the anxious bench
an American invention of the nineteenl
century.
Why have the English Lutheran preacl
ers who formerly used the bench, entirel
discontinued its use? Those who used
were methodistically educated, aud cons
auently understood little or nothing Of Lutl
eran theology. Why did the Reforme
preachers discontinue its use? Dr. Neyi
a thoroughly educated minister among then
wrote a book against the "Anxious Bench
and that gave them sufficient light on Il
subject.
Preachers arc seed-sowers. What woul
you think of a farmer who would go out
the spring-tme and till his feld and So
his seed, and then get ready for an irnmed
ate harvest. And what do you think Of
preacher who sows the word from the pu
pit and then comes down to the bench eS
pecting to reap his harvest? =? Is not sue
machine worship2 The good preacher ,lik
the good farmer, viii DO willing to wa
patiently for results, believing in Gods prom
ises. sprouting seed is Of tender natur
and the rough anxious bench process wi
iuyorlably cripple H. Isa. lxv, and LUX