Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-04-25
Wanted---Enthuslasm.


.f..r prayer-meeting recently one OF
thu brethren thanked me cordially for my
remarks and said, after pause, Excuse
me for asking, but are you a Methodist ?"
Now, as far as | myself can Judge, and as
far as can learn from my friends, my man.
ner is not unworthy Of Scotch Presbyte-
rian; yet II was that which caused the
question. Since then good pastor ex-
pressed his dislike for the form Of revival
excitement which is noticed among our
Methodist brethren this, too, in a church
where the people are 70 afraid of one
another that they would scarcely get ex-
cited If the church went on fire, and
then they would get water to cool it off
Now, | am well aware that the will, the life
must be reached, and not the emotions
only; 80 l am not pleading for excitement,
but for earnestness and enthusiasm. In
our church our sense of propriety very prop.
erly stiles all unseemly demonstration, but
does it not 60 too far ? Does it not check
the warmth and glow of earnest, active love
for Christ, and those for whom he died
that love which makes mans smile an in.
spiration, sends his handshake right to your
heart, and lends stimulating and strength
eping power to his words ? plead for that
zeal Of uord and life which will lift us above
this craven fear of one another, and show
plainly to others that we do believe in endless
woe, and mean, through Christ, to save men.
Why is it that Christians are not zealously at
work with ioord and deed II They gravely
hear the pastors teaching but to-mol row
will be as yesterday. Is there such thing
as spiritual gout ? Receiving much and
giving little, the word dies being unmixed
in them that hear it with the faith which
works by love- In trouble we pray like
Hannah, pouring out our souls before the
Lord, and of course we are answered. When
we pray like David in the ffty-frst psalm,
coupling petitions with promises to do
something--to sing, to teach, to show forth
Gods praise, the blessing must come. We
pray for an outpouriDg of the Holy Spirit,
but forget that the Spirit comes with march
ing orders, and bids us "stay not on the
order of your going" In prosperity we
find rocking chair and newspaper pre-
ferable to prayer.mettipg. Have we all
counted the cost before we begin this war
Eternal vigilance and activity is the price
of our liberty and victory. No wonder the
heather say, II this be true, why didn't
you come before 2" for the youHg of our
churches hear only small minority Of the
"church members pleading with them to
" flee from the wrath to come" am try
ing to get at the show of this matter,
How can saved man keep silent2 Why
does he Surely he is not ashamed Of
Christ, or'what he has done for him then
he must be ashamed Of himself because he
is such miserable exponent of Christian
living. Am not right? We do not get
near enough to Christ to "covet to proph.
esy" Compare the energy and animation
of a sociable with the solemnity and silence
of prayer-meeting. The solemnity is
well /; but silence did say 1t looks like
seepi No animation, no interest, no en-
thusiasm, no pleasure in saving dying men
I know many are at work-many, too, who
"glorify God" so that others may hear
but " were there not ten cleansed ?" What
wisdom, what unity, what zeal do we not
need in trying to save the young from the
destinations and beauty of world infinitely
more dangerous than that of the stake and
the sword long ago? "No, no don't gel
excited. It's SO odd; it's so troublesome
People would stare, and-and - Barti
meus shouted considerably, Paul was told
that he was beside himself, Peter preferred
defying the magistrates to keeping silent
While we give, while we go to church, let vi
also cry come" with DO uncertain sound
telling of the good God has done for us
How many faithful women in our meeting'
would speak if they dared but the men
yes, "where are the nine ?" "Follow me
is truly the way Of the cross, yet we mus
take our place there with the Man of Sor
rows" content to suffer, to be fools, to lost
our lives for his sake, since we shall also
be glorified together" since we " shall awake
satisfied in his likeness" This is an ex
citement to work asd pray for, an enthu
siasm worthy of one of the "sons of God.
j. B. H., in Presbyterian.