The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-07-30
THE GREAT. PULPIT COMMONER.
Sam Joncs's Wonderful Success as a
Revivalist.

THE CREATE PULPIT COMM0NER.
Sam Joncs's Wonderful Success as a
Revivalist.
Correspondence Nashville american.
freely confess myself much less at
loss to make up my mind as to whether
Brother Jones is great preacher than !
have been to finally determine whether
Grant is a great general. If he were not
thoroughly earnest and honest i'll his
professions he could anot deceive not
only the people where he has preached
abroad, but those at home who have
known him las saint and sinner from
infancy-as a minister for twelve or
thirteen years. I have just conversed
with gentleman who was long resi-
dent of the county in which Gainesville
(Jones's home) is situated. He thinks
very much of this modern Jonah says
every word is true of the story he himself
Gelly of his former revelry and rapscal.
lionism. That he drank, drank, drank,
md went down, down, down, until he
rot to driving dray for living. This
may be true or not; if not, | hope
Brother Jones, in his next reference to
The press, will candidly admit that not
the newspapers, but the people, are the
champion liars of the age: Newspapers
are always honest, uth-telling interpre'
ters. Indeed, they could not be other.
wise. They reflect, just as mirror does,
that portion of the world held before it,
and if liars are abroad, or lies, like lousy
hats, encircle the air, they must be rep
resented in the faithful newsgatherer.
Papers are invariably truthful; it is you,
sir, and you, and you, who are the liars.
No ordinary Georgia scrub could come
to Tennessee and take possession as
Brother Jones has done. he is either the
greatest revivalist of the United States
to-day or Tennesseeans are the most con.
sl1mmate asses living. So, indeed, are
the Texans, Mississippians and others,
for he has aroused the same excitement
everywhere. Col. B. F. Lillard, of this
city, .pronounces him the great pulpit
cDmmoner, as Pitt, Clay and johnson
we're the great commoners of the politi-
cal world. Pick out from the list of the
converts the names of the few hardened
sinners" at the head of this letter.
They are men of brains and courage and
convictions men whom no ordinary
breeze could move from any position.
Read his sermons. Are they not, for the
most part, full of plain, practical sense
and theological orthodoxy If the
Christion's Bible is the foundation Of
hope, who could better testify to the
common people Tor the uncommon
people either) his faith in the divinity of
the written word than when he says:
~ believe the whale swallowed Jonah
believe it literally. I only:do not believe
that Jonah swallowed the whale simply
because the Bible doesn't say he did"
To the sinner who hesitates, who waits
for his "feelings" to- move him, who
wants to "feeP' that he is good enough
to 20 before he makes any change in his
conduct, was there ever q more homely
or more convincing illustration presented
than the anecdote of the man who sat
down, axe in hand, at the root of a tree
one cold, frosty morning, waiting for the
sweat to break out before he went to
wcrk2
Brother Jones admits his natural
weakness. He has the appearance OF
a man of hasty and once violent tenn
per. It must have been difficult at first
to keep lock upon his lips; be is no
doubt man, brave, impulsive, courage.
ous-the very sort open to temptation.
Was there ever a better illustration OF
one liable to fall, yet determined to stand,
than that made yesterday of himself: -.
II don't care how often one errs, if
he'll honestly strive to restrain himself
and recover his proper balance when he
does err. All along the way we meet
with conflicts and temptations. When
I stumble and fall, thank God always
fall like an India rubber ball, l fall
bouncing! God will put his angels on
half rations to keep an honest man and
his family from starving"
Withal, he reaches men of less impos'
sibIe sympathies by mixing horse sense
logic with horse sense anecdotes and
Illustrations, for no one can more clearly
establish to the multitude his PROPOSE
ton that religion is a matter of princi.
pie and conviction"
Hut the best answer to all his critics is
to point to results. What if Brother
JoIes's words are plain and blunt?
What though he prefers to call the devil
the devil rather than "His satanic excel
lency from the burned district?" Or
likes unshirted "hell" better than "shoeP
in purple and fine linen? He moves his
hearers. He holds in his hand the
assembled thousands; and whether he
preach forty minutes or two hours they
hang on, obedient to his will! Let
results decide the issue. Men of all
grades and classes enjoy his sermons
alike. They rise at 5 in the morning to
prepare for his 6 o'clock service-men,
woraen and children, who, perhaps, have
never seen the sun rise till now. And
when the exhortation is delivered aud
"Psalms of Victory" sung, they move
forward from all parts of the tent, and
"those who came to scof' remain to
pray" The barkeeper and his patron,
the gambler and his victim, the doctor
and his patient, men and women, lawyer
and client, good and bad, hardened age
and tender childhood, till within the
past three days, at this meeting alone,
three or four hundred have either pro.
fessed religion or declared themselves
penitent.
It is the proud boast of Brother Jones's
frierds and admirers that in single re.
vival,at Knoxville he closed twenty.sevcn
barrooms, and thus redeemed two hun.
dreci and seventy drunkards. How poor
and insignificant seem all the results of
the Maine liquor and bleeding Kansas
nroL;h;t;on lnms In cnmnarisnn with q