Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-01-24
though there have been mSvar1ous parts OF
the land manr strings Of the HOLY Ghost,

Tx l04A I46A1 ~ "a $NS ~ f 4
there has been no general awakening.
Does it not seem to you that we ought to
nave and may have the scenes or power IN
1857 eclipeed By the scenes OF power In 1891!
Tho circumstances ARE somewhat similar.
While we have not had national panic and
universal prostration az 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
collapsing have left multitudes Of employees
without means of support. b racked
brains of business men have almost Or en-
tire!y given way. New illustrations 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
20. Eternal God # hou nowest how cramped
And as the business ruin OF 1857 was fol-
lowed by the glorious triunphs OF grace. let
the awful struggles of 1890 be followed b.
the halle,ujahs Of q nation saved IL 1891.
Brethren III the Gospel ministry, II we
spent half as much time 10 prayer as we do
in the preparation Of our sermons nothing
could stand before US. We would have the
power from On high as we never had II. Private
membership Of all Christendom! If we spent
half as much time in positive prayer for this
influence as we do in thinking about 1t and
talking about it, there would not be secre-
taries enough to take down the names Of
those who want to give in their names for
enlistmentA
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 enter
tainment where We are during the rebuilding
Of our Brooklyn Tabernacle, SO grandiy and
graciously treated by the owners and lessons
and lessees; why not expect and why not have
the power from on high, comforting power,
arousing power, convincing power, convert
ing power, saving power, ~onlnlpotent power?
Ny opinion is that in this cluster Of cities by
the Atlantic coast, there are five hundred
thousand people now ready to accept the
Gospel call, if, freed from all the convention
alities of the church, it were earnestly and
with strong faith presented to them.
In these brilliant assemblies there are hun
dreds who are not frequenters Of churches,
and who do not believe much II at all in mill
listers of religion or ecclesiastical organiZa.
tons. But God knows you have s%trugglesla
which you need help, and bereavemenrs IL
which you want solace, and prosecutions in
which you ought to have defense, and per-
ple1ities in which you need guidance, auai
with a profound tho~ughtfulness you stand Nv
the grave OF the old year, and the cradle ~
the young year, wondering where you willy
and what you VIII be when rolling yes
shall cease to move. Power from on hik,
descend upon them,
Men Of New York and Brooklyn. l Of. ,
you God aud heaven From the day yo,,
came TO these cities what a struggle you have
had! lean tell from your careworn counte-
uances, and the tears in your eyes, and tho
deep sigh you ave just breathed that you
want reinforcement, and here it is, greater
than Butcher when he REINFORCED Yelling
ton: greater than the Bank of England when
last month it REINFORCED the Barings-naEe-
ly, the God who through Jesus Christ, is
ready to pardon all your sin, comfort all your
- Ill rO,,~ 1o,.h% o~J ~I-,-.
all the shining gates of heaven wide open
before your redeemed spirit. Come into the
kingdom OF God. Without a half second of
delay come IN.
Many of my hearers to-day are what the
world calls, and what I would call splendid
fellows, and they seem happy enough, and
are jolly and Obliging, and if l were in
trouble l would &C to them with as much
confidence as I would to my father, if he
were. vet alive. But when they go to their
rooms at night, or when the excitements of
social and business life are off, they are not
content. and they want something better
than this world can offer. l understand
them so well l would, without any fear of
being thought rough, put my right hand on
their one shoulder and my left hand on their
other shoulder and push them into the
kingdom of God. But | cannot. Power
from on high, lay hold Of them.
At the first communion after the dedica-
ton of our former church three hundred and
twenty-eight souls stood up in the aisles and
publicly espouSed the cause of Christ. At
another time four hundred souls; at another
time five hundred; and our four thousand
five hundred membership were but q small
part of those who within those sacred walls
took upon themselves the vows of the
Christian. What turned them What
saved them? Power from the level? No.
Power from on high.
But greater things are to be seen if ever
these cities and ever this world is to be taken
for God. There is on" class OF men and
women in all these assenblages in whom /
have especial interest, and that is those who
had good fathers anc mothers once, but they
are dead. What multitudes of Us are Or
phans, Wemay be 40, so, so years old, but
we never get used to having father and
mother gone. Oh, how often we have hal
troubles that we would like to have told them,
and we always felt as long as father and
mother were alive we had some one to whom
We could go! Now [ would like to ask il you
have been answered. mo" you say. 'bu,
it is too late; the old folks are gone now"
| must courteously contradict you. It il
not too late. Ihave a friend in the ministry
who was attending the last hours Of an aged
Christian, and my friend said to the ole
Christian, us there no trouble on youl
miud"' The old man turned his face to the
wall for q few moments, and then said
Only one thing. hope for the salvation O.
my ten children, but not one Of them is We
saved. Yet am sure they will be. Coz
means to wait until l am gone" So he died
When my friend told OF the circumstance
eight of the ten had found the Lord. and
have no doubt the other two before this have
found Him. Oh, that the long postponed
answers to prayer for you, my brother, fol
you. my sister, might this hour descend il
power from on high.
Oh, unanswered prayers OF father AM
mother, where are you? In what room Q
the old homestead have they hidden? Oh
unanswered prayers, rise in a mist Of man,
tears into a cloud, and thenTbreak in a shove
which shall soften the heart of that ma