The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-23
REyIYING RELIGIOUS ZEAL
A Large Audience Addressed BY Evan
gelist Mills at His First Meeting.
He Tells Simply the History of Revivals
and the Statistics of Conversions
Faith Alone Is the Great Force

the Protestant churches of the city haze been
preparing for a month, was inaueurated last
night at Meridiau-street III. E. Church. Every
seat in the church taken when the service
began at half past z o'clock. In the hall last
night were .number of the Protestant clergy
men. Rev. Drs. Mcleod ard Gilbert occupied
seats in the pulpit. and in the audience were
Revs. Haines, Rondthaler. McNutt, Neighbors,
Edison, Mitchell. Baltziy, Hendrickson, Lynch.
Hyde and others.
The singing was led by Mr. D. B. Towner, the
well-known evangelist singer. who was with Mr..
Moody on the occasion Of his visit to this city.
few years ago. Mrs. Towner is also with him.
and will of1ciate at the organ during the serv-
ices. Mr.. Towner is also to be assisted by q
large choir from the various churches through
out the city
The principal interest last evening. however,
conferred in Rev. B. Fay Mills. the young min
lister who is 10 conduct the meetings and in
whose hands the entire conduct of affairs
has been placed by the ministers of the churches
participating in the services, and almost every
Protestant church in the city is lending more or
less assistance Mr. Mills is young. smooth
faced man. with light hair. gray eyes and kind
but resolute face. He is almost boyish in aD-
pearance and certainly does not look thirty-one
years DID, which is his actual age. He dresses
plainly and looks so unassuming that one is inn
mediately impressed with the fact that he Is
not making any effort to attract public
attention to himself This impression is
strengthened by his manner of speaking-quier,
administrative but earnest. and yet without
the forced earnestness which clearly character
ICES some speakers who have attempted to work
in the same field IN which Mr.. Mills is labor ng.
The latter made effort, last evening, to
have altar service. His address was moro of
a history of revivals, their significance and the
manner of making them successful than an eff
fort either to convict sinners or arouse the luke
in the church. He chose his text from
Jer. xiv SO:
trouble, why shouldst thou be stranger in the
land, and as wayfaring man that turneth aside to
tarry for the nights
Why shouldst thou be as a man astonshed, q
mighty that cannot save! Yet thou, o Lord, art
in the midst of us, and we called by thy name;
leave not
There was about TO be naugurated in this city,
Mr.. Mills said an effort of the greatest magni-
tude-an attempt to bring about the greatest
revival that had ever been known in the
history of the city. There had recently been
discussion among the religious papers as to the
origin of the custom of revival services The
Methodists were frequently credited with in
augurating the custom. but the Protestant
Episcopal Church came forward and declared
that revivals were customary IN the church OF
England before the Methodist Church was born.
Then the Catholics came forward and
declared that the Roman Catholic Church
had preserved a custom of holding
special services for the purpose of
creating spiritual awakening before the Prot
estant Episcopal Church was in existence. AS
a matter of fact none of these churches could
be credited with establishing the custom of
special revival services 1t had originated in
the mind of Jesus Christ The latter had taught
the necessity of coming at periodical times to-
gether and of having seasons of feasts and OF
fasts. The people at that time were
accustomed to go long distances from one
village to another to attend special meetings.
There were periods when the merchants of
Jerusalem relinqulshed their business In order
to go to them. John the Baptist was proba-
bly, the greatest revival teacher who had ever
been on earth. with the exception of Christ
always drawing line ana asking men on which,
side of it they stood. Many up their busi>
ness in order to cast their lots with him aud la
Dor In the same cause. Christ had had the great
est success OF any revivaiSt who had
ever lived, and had spoken to the largest multi
tudes. Then. after Christ, came the Pentecost,
In which thousands were saved. and after Psnte-
cost continual Pentecost. The history of all
the foreign nations of to-day very closely
associated with great revival movements. No
nation bad been soundlv established which had
not founded itself upon the work of God. Some
had been slow in realizing this fact Ger.
many but reluctantly acknowledged the force of
it. France had gone so far to bar the door
against Christ, and atoned for the error with the
revolution, horrible in it's accessories to
be scarcely credited by the readers of history.
England left the door just little bit aiar. She
was afraid she would have to renounce some of
her foilies and wickedness. The result was she
had neither morality religion until Wesley
re- born. The history of other nations
showed great conquests that had been effected
by the gospel. In this country history was
plete with great spiritual successes. The Nation
was born out of, great tribulation nor was the
critical period passed when the revolutionary
war was over, for the soldiers carried back
home the vices of camp-life. and the infdel ideas
that had been communicated to them by
the soldiers of France. There
never a darker hour in the history of
this Nation than that just before the commence
~ P.1f 10 ao1
1902 the revival of righteousness came; what we
had paid for by blood was established by Jesus
Christ. There had been certain distinct periods
in this country of great national spiritual
awakening they were the years 1920 1880, 1887
and 1898. Many of the leaders and officers in
the church to-day traced their religious lives TO
the great revival season of 1897 and 1858.
And now was there never again
to be such = great ational revival
in this couutry7 Or was there yet
to be witnessed still greater success of this
character! Why not now we Il as thenR The
general outlook of the church was never 30
bright and promising day. and there were
many evidences that Gods power mighty
as OF old to move multtudes to confess Him IN a
single day 1t was q common thing to see two
Thousand souls turn to God a short period of
time. Statistics showed that the number of
conversions In this country averaged twenty
eight thousand per week, or four thousand per
day, and these statistics did not, probably cover
half the number. Theirs had been periods
In which the conversions had averaged 10, 900 a
day. and on some days there had been as many
as 10000 30 600 souls to proclaim divine bless
ing. Why should not Pentecost be repeated?
Why should not great work be done IN this
cityf Was not God able TO move this city as
city mad ever been moved7 Could not He do SO
if He wanted tot And did He not want tol
At this point Mr.. Mills asked all those who
believed Christ was able to effect such a
revival to stand up, and fully three
fourths of the audience promptly rose to their
feet. Mr. Mills then said he had mind to ask
those TO stand up who believed that Chriet
would do it That would put to practical test
their faith. and faith was the great thing need
full. God was ready 10 come down with
mighty power He had done all he could, and
the only more had not been done
ere this was because there had been
lack the part of Chris
tians. In conclusion, he stated that there were
certain conditions which a wonderful revival
depended First" said he, God will do won
derful things it we believe He will, and if
engage in earnest, persistent prayer for Him TO
do If l asked those of you to stand mp who
believe God will o this how many
would rise upa / would like to know