Sharp County record., 1891-01-22

l may give you, or you may give me, by
encouraging words and actions, Power
from on the level, when we stand by
each other in any Christian undertake
ing. Power from on the level when
other pulpits are in accord with ours.
Power from on the level when the re-
ligious and secular press forward our
Christian undertakings. But power
from on the level is not sufficient. Pow
er from on High iswhat we need to take
possession of us. Power straight from
God, Supernatural power, Omnipotent
power, all-conquering power. Not more
than one out of thousand of the minis
ters have it continually. Not more
than one out of ten thousand Christians
have it all the time. Given in abun-
dance these last ten years of the nine
teenth century would accomplish more
for God and the church and the world
than the previous ninety years of this
century.
A few men and women in each age of
the world have possessed it. Caroline
Fry, the immortal Quakeress, had it,
and three hundred of the depraved and
suffering of Newgate prison, under her
eXhortation, repented and believed.
Jonathan Edwards had it, and North
amptOn meeting house heard the out
burst of religious emotion as he spake
of righteousness and Judgment to come,
Samuel Budget, the Christian mer-
chant, had it, and his benefactiohs
showered the world. john Newton had
it. Bishop Latimer had it. Isabella
Graham had it. Andrew Fuller had it.
The great evangelists, Daniel Baker
and DR.. Nettleton, and Truman Osborn
and Charles G. Finney had it. In my
boyhood saw Truman Osborn rise to
preach in the village church at Somer-
vile, n j., and before he had given
out his text Or uttered a word people in
the audience sobbed aloud with relig-
ious emotion. 1t was the Power from
on High. All, in greater or less degree,
may have it. Once get it, and nothing
can stand before you. Satan goes
down. Caricature goes down. Infdeli-
ty goes down. Worldliness goes down.
All opposition goes down.
Several times in the history of the
church and the world has this Power
from on High been demonstrated. In
the seventeenth century, after great
season of moral depression, this power
from on High came down upon John
Tillotson and Owen and Flavel and
Baxter and Bunyan, and there was a
deluge of mercy higher than the tops of
the highest mountains of sin. In the
eighteenth century, in England and
America, religion was at low-water
mark. William Cowper, writing of the
clergy of those days, said:
Except few with Elrs spirit blest
Hophni and Phineas may describe the rest.
The infdel writings of Shaftesbury
and Hobbies and Chubb had done their
work. But Power from on High came
upon both the Wesleys and Lady H1nJ
tington on the other side of the Allan
tic, and upon William Tenant and Gil
bert Tenant and David Brainerd on
this side the Atlantic, and both hemi-
spores felt the tread of a pardoning God.
Coming to later date, there may be here
and there in this audience an aged man
or woman who can remember New
York in 1881 when this Power from on
High decended most wondrously. It
came upon pastors and congregations
and theaters and commercial establish
ments. Chatham Street Theater, New
York, was the scene of most tremend-
GUS religious awbening. A committee
OF Christian gentlemen called upon
the lessee of the theater and
said they would like to buy
the lease of theater. He said; "What
do you want it for?" They replied;
"For church" "For w-h-a-t?" said
the owner. "For a church." was the
reply. The owner said; "You may
have it, and I will give you one thou
sand dollars to help you on with your
work" Arthur Tappan,a man nightly
prosecuted in his time, but man, as |
saw him in his last days, as honest and
pure and good as any man ever knew,
stepped on the stage Of old Chatham
Theater as the actors were closing their
morning rehearsal and said; "There
will be preaching here tonight on this
stage" and then gave out and sang
with such people as were there the old
hymn:
The voice OF free grace cries, escape to the
mountain,
For all that believe Christ has opened a
fountain,
The bar-room OF the thcatcr was
turned into prayer.room, and eight
hundred persons were present at the
first meeting, For seventy successive
nights religious services were held in
that thcater, and such scenes of mercy
and salvation as will be subjects of con.
Vorsation and congratul0tion among the
in glory us long as Heaven
lasts, But come TO u later time-1s57
remembered by many who are here.
remember 1t especially as had just
entered the Office Of the ministry. IL
was u year Of hard times. A great
panic had flung hundreds Of thou
sands of people pcnniless. Starvation
entered habitations that had never be-
fore known want, Domestic life, in
many eases, became u tragedy, Sui.
,idp pnrroiinp hurplnrv nssnsuin,t,o,