News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-01-08

added a line of prayer meetings from
the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and
from the ST. Lawrence to the Gulf of
Mexico.
THE REVIVAL OF 1857.
In those days what songs what SER
mons, what turnings to God. what re-
citals of thrilling experiences, what prod
igals brought home what burning It'd
ings of souls saved, what serfdom of
sin emancipated, what wild rout of the
forces of darkness, what victories for
the truth What millions on earth
and in heaven are now thanking God
for 1857, which, though the year of
worst financial calamity, was the year
of Americas most glorious blessing!
How do you account for 1857, its spirit
ual triumphs on the heels of it's worldly
misfortune? 1t was what my text calls
the power from on high,
That was thirty-three years ago, and
though there have been in various
parts of the land many STRINGS of the
Holy Ghost there has been no general
awakening Does it not seem to you
that we ought to have and may have
the scenes of power in 1857 eclipsed by
the scenes of power in 1891? The cir
cumstances are somewhat similar.
While we have not had national panic
and universal prostration as in 1857,
there has been a stringency in the
money market that has put many of
the families of the earth to their wits
end Large commercial interests col
lapsing have left lnultitudes of EN-
ployes without means of support. The
racked brains of business men have al
most or entirely given way. New Illus
trations all over the land of the fact
that riches have not only feet, on
which they walk slowly as they come,
but wings on which they speed when
they go. Eternal God! thou knowest
how cramped and severe and solemn
time it is with many. And as the
business ruin Of 1857 was followed by
the glorious triumphs of grace, let the
awful struggles of 1890 be followed by
the hallelujahs of a nation saved in
1891.
Brethren in the Gospel ministry! if
we spent half as much time in prayer
as we do in the preparation of our ser
mons nothing could stand before US.
We would have the power from on
high as we never had it. Private mem
bership of all Christendom! if we spent
half as much time in positive prayer
for this influence as we do in thinking
about it and talking about it, there
would not be secretaries enough to
take down the names of those who
would want to give in their names for
enlistment.
We would have hundreds of cases
like those recently reported when a
man said 10 an evangelist: Il am lost
sinner. Pray for pe. Ny wife has
been u professor of religion for years,
but I knew she did not enjoy religion,
and / said if that was all there was in
religion l did not want it. But for the
last few days she has looked and acted
in such an elevated and glorious spirit
that cannot stand it away from God.
| want the same religion that inspires
her" C0mel Come. all through the
United States, and all through Christen-
dom, and all around the world, let us
all join hands In holy pledge that we
will call upon God for the power. Oh,
for the power from on high. the power
that came on Pentecost, yea, for ten
thousand Pentecosts! Such times will
come, and they will come in our day If
we have the faith, and the prayer, and
the conservation.
WHY NOT THE REVIVAL OF 1912
As the power from on high in 1857
was more remarkable in academies of
music and lyceum halls and theatres
than in churches, why not this winter
of 1891 in these two academies of
music, places of secular entertainment
where we are during the rebuilding of
our Brooklyn Tabernacle, 50 grandly
and graciously treated by the owners
and lessons and lessees; why not e5-
pect and why not have the power
from on high, comforting power, arous-
ing power, convicting power convert
ing power, saving power, Omnipotent
power? My opinion is that in this clus-
ter of cities by the Atlantic coast there
are 500, 600 people now ready to accept
the gospel call, if. freed from all the
of the church, it were
earnestly and with strong faith pre-
sented to them.
In these brilliant assemblies there are
hundreds who are not frequenters of
churches, and who do not believe much
if at all in ministers of religion or eccie- !
siastical organizations. But God knows
you have struggles in which you need
help and bereavements in which you
want solace, and prosecutions in which
you ought to have defense, and per
plexities in which you need guidance,
and with a profound thoughtfulness
you stand by the grave of the old year,
and the cradle of the young year, won
dering where you will be and what you
will be when rolling years shall cease
to move"
Power from on high descend upon
them! Men of New York and Brock
Ign, offer you God and heaveni From |
the day you came to these cities what |
a struggle you have had | can tell |
from your careworn countenances, and
the tears i4 your eyes, and the deep
sigh you have just bpeatled that Won
want reinforcement, and here it is.
greater than Butcher when he re-
enforced Wellington, greater than the
Bank of England when last month it !
re-enforced the Barings-namely, the
God who through Jesus Christ is ready
to pardon all your sin, comfort all your
sorrows, scatter all your doubts, and
swing all the shining gates of heaven
wide open before your redeemed spirit.
Come into the kingdom of Godl With
out half second of delay come in!
Many of my hearers today are what
the world calls and what l would call
splendid fellows and they seem happy
enough. and ase jolly and obliging, and
if were in trouble / would go 10 them
with as much confidence as / would to
my father if he were yet alive. But
when they go to their rooms at night,
or when the excitements of social and
business life are off, they are not CON
tent, and they want something better
than this world can offer. l under
stand them so well | would, without
any fear of being thought rough, put |
my right hand on their one shoulder
and my left hand on their other shout
der, and push them into the kingdom
OF God. But | cannot. Power from |
on high, lay hold of them!
Years ago, at the close of religious |
service in BROOKLYN Tabernacle q gen |