The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-01-08
THE LONDONDERRY SITTER,
back, saying, Two hundred souls

saved at our meeting today"
A ship came through the Narrows
into our harbor, the captain reporting
that himself and all the crew had been
converted To Gol between New Or
,eans and New York. In the busiest
marts of our busiest American cities,
where the worshipers Of Mammon had
been counting their golden beads, men
began to calculate, What shall II
profit man II he gain the whole world
and lose his soul" The walters In res
tanrants after the closing of their days
work knclt among the tables where
they had served, Policemen asked
consent of the commissioners of police
10 be permitted to attend religious
meetings.
At Albany members of the New York
legislature assembled in the room of
the court of appeals ut half past s
o'clock in the morning for prayer and
praise Printed invitations were sent
out to the firemen of New York saying,
Come MS suits your convenience best,
whether in fire or citizens dress, but
come! come" Quarrymen knelt among
the rocks. Fishermen knelt in their
boats. Weavers knelt amongthc looms.
Sailors knelt among the hammocks.
Schoolmasters knSlt among their classes.
A gentleman travelling said there was q
line of prayer meetings from Omaha TO
Washington city, and he might have
added line of prayer meetings from,
the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and
from the st. Lawrence to the Gulf of
Mexico.
THE REVIVAL or 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 its worldly
misfortunef 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 las 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 1912 The cir
cunstances are somewhat similar.
While we have not had national panic
and universal prostration as In 1857,
there has been 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 multitudes 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 cranped and severe and solemn
time il 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 halleluiahs of 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 rs 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 to an evangelist II am n lost
sinner. Pray for me. Ny wife has
been professor of religion for years,
but knew she did not enjoy religion,
and | said II that WAS all there WAS in
religion did not want it. But for the
last few days she hs. looked and acted
in such an elevated and glorious spirit
that cannot stand il away from God
l want the same religion that inspires
her" Come! 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 il
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 lyceun 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, so grandly
and graciously treated by the owners
and lessons and lessees; why not ex-
pect and why not have the power
from on high, comforting power, arous
ing power, convicting power convert
ing power, saving power omnipotent
power9 My opinion is that in this clus
ter of cities by the Atlantic coast there
are 500, 900 people now ready to accept
the gospel call, if, freed from all the
conventionalities of the church, it were
earnestly and with strong faith pre-
, sented TO them.
In these brilliant assemblies there ART
, hundreds who are not frequenters o.
churches and who do NOT believe rnncl