The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-02-06

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extend far into the future 1t can
never be entirely eradicated. 1t
will more or less affect the destiny
of this community for all time to
come. ~ ssGc frFE 5fEEsTgf
Many of our people are naturally
standing in saInazeIDent at this sud
den revolution in public feeling and
+ sentiment toward matters of relig
ion. They are asking, what could
have brought it about?'' Gould anf
human instrumentalitv effect revo-
luton so sudden and radicalY'' as
| the little woman. Miss Jennie Smith,
possessed Of some supernatural, spir-
itual power, to thus get hold of the
hearts of the people,"
The philosophy of every kind of
revival" is the same, whether it he
temperance revival, a business
revival, " or a religious revival. :"
1t presupposes "a period Of apathy
and stagnation. In the temperance
revival it is the general revillsion
against excess and debauchery. In
business it is the reaction from en-
forced inactivity and general de-
preston in trade. In the church
it is the coming out of a period
of spiritual declension and death
We would hear of no such thing as
religious revivals' if there were no
religious apathy and backslidinG
If the church went forward from
year to year with steady, uniform
pace, full of spiritual life, of good
works and their fruits. a religious
revival" &hich is now n necessity,
would then he an impossibility. The
necessity which follows is that Of
doing the work of the year within
Il few weeks, at high pressure, and
more or less imperfectly.
The long period of religious Ian
guor that has possessed the chris
tian churches of this town is, there
fore, to be considered the natural
antecedent condition which has made
great and stirring religious re
yival" possible and necessary.
But there is also cause for these
periods of religious declension, as
well as the religious revival, which
deserves the consideration of the
churches and Christian people.
1t has become universal cause
of complaint that the churches no
longer draw the masses of the peo-
pie. The young men, especially, are
not found in the church. Ministers
are preaching fine sermons to empty
benches, and it requires the sweeping
revival to get the attention of the
masses and draw them into the
church.
But it will be noted, too. that the
character of the preaching changes
during the revival. ses
In speaking of the influence of the
evangelist, Holland saws: .#sF5
preachers full of the learning of
the schools go on from year to year
with their dry discourses, and won
der that nothing comes of them.
Then Christian ignoramus comes
along, with burning love and zeal
in his heart, and no theology to
speak of in his head, and bad
grammar on his tongue, and the
long winter breaks up, and the wa
tiers flow once more, and the meadows
blossom again. And this is done
over and over again, with some good
results and many bad ones
That there is too much theology
and too little gospel heard from the
modern pulpit is the all sufficient
explanation of the absence of the
masses from the pews. To set up
theological skeleton in the pulpit
that has been deprived of its heart,
its flesh and blood, and put it to
work pumping out theology and
metaphysics like an automaton, is a
sure method of cleaning out a
church. .e.,,a .... .,s.-.-.
Men don't want theology, they
want the gospel 1t is becoming a
serious question with the most ad-
yanced ministers of the present day,
whether theology ought ever to be
taken into the pulpit. A very learned
and very successful minister of one of
our great cities is reported to have
said that he keeps his theology as a
sort of, dry Goldfish hung up in his
study by the tail, and whenever he
wants it he cuts off chunk, but
he never ventures to exhibits it in
the pulpit.
1t is all right, and essentially i'm
porlant, that minister should be
thoroughly educated in religious
doctrines and be we'll up on all the
illogical questions. And it is no less
important that his flock should be
instructed in these DOCTRINES but
the pulpit is not the best place for
that work. The pulpit is for the
masses. Its office is to proclaim the
Gospel, and so long as it does so the
world will listen, but when it dis
penses only theological puzzles and
metaphysical disquisitions the world
will do as it has been doing-stay
away.
The successful preaching of all
time has been that which has been
addressed to the heart rather than
to the head--that kind of preaching