The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-14

N-N8 1850 80 10A1 u NAAC VII
fury would accomplish more for God and
the church and the world than the pre-
vious 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
300 of the depraved and suffering of New
gate prison, under her exhortation. re-
pented and believed. Jonathan Edwards
had it, and Northampton meeting house
heard the outburst of religious emotion as
he spake of righteousness and judgment
to come. Samuel Budget, the Christian
merchant, had it, and his benefactiOns
shOwered the world. Jonn Newton had
it. Bishop Latimer had it. Isabella Ora
ham had it. Andrew Fuller had it. The
great evaHgelists, Daniel Baker and DIR.
NettletOn and Truman Osborn and Charles
CT. Finney, had it. In my boyhOod | saw
Truman Osborn rise to preach in the vii
lage church at Somerviile, y. j., and be-
fore he had given out his text or uttered a
word people in the audience sobbed aloud
with religious emotion. 1t was the power
from on high. All, in greater or less de-
gree, may have it. Once get it, and moth
ing can stand before you. Satan goes
down. Caricature goes down. lntidelity
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 sew
enteenth century, after a 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 han
the tops of the highest mountains OF sin.
In the eighteenth century, in England
and America, religion was at a low-water
mark. William COwper, writing OF the
clergy of those days, said:
Except a few with Ellis spirit blest
HOphni and Phineas may describe the rest.
The intidel writings of Shaftesbury and
Hobbies and Chubb had done their work.
But power from on high came upon both
the Wesleys and Lady Huntington on the
other side the Atlantic, and upon Will
liam Tennant and Gilbert Tennant and
David Brainerd on this side the Atlantic,
and both hemispheres felt the tread OF a
pardOning God. Coming TO later date,
there may be here and there in this audi
ence an aged man or woman who can re-
member New York in 1881 wh-n this
power from on high descended most won
drOuSly. 1t came upon pastors and con-
grega,iuns and theaters and commercial
establishments. Chatham st. theater, New
York, was the scene of a most tremendous
religious awakening. 4 committee of
Christian gentlemen called upon the les
See OF the theater and said they would
like to buy the lease of a theater. He
said: "What do you want it fOr?" They
replied: For a church" "For what? ?"
said the owner. For a church." was the
reply. The owner said You may have
it. and | will give YOU $1,000 to help you
on with your work" Arthur Tappen, a
man nightly prosecuted i'm his time, but
a man, a. [ saw him in his last DAYS, as
honest and pure aud good as any man /
ever knew, stepped on the stage of old
Chatham theater as the actors were clos
ing 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:
Tho voice of free grace cries, escape TO the mountain,
For all that bel eve Christ has opened a fountain.
The bar-rOom of The theater was turned
into a praying-room, and 800 persons were
present at the first meeting. For sew
enty successive nights re igious services
were held in that theater, and such scenes
of mercy and salvation as will be subjects
OF conversation and congratulation among
the ransomed in glory as long as heaven
lasts. But | come To a later time-lS07-
remembered by many who are here. |
remember it especially as | had just en-
tered the Office of the ministry. 1t was a
year OF hard times. A great panic had
flung hundreds of thousands of people
penniless. Starvation entered habitatiOns
that had never before known a want. Do
mestlc life, in many cases, became a trag-
edy. Suicide, garrOting, burglary, assns-
sinatiOn were rampant. What an awful
day that was when the banks went down.
There has been nothing like it in thirty
years. and L pray God there may not BE-
anything like it in the next thirty EMU
Ties. Talk about your Black Fridaysl 1t
was Black Saturday, Black Sunday, Black
Monday, Black Tuesday, Black Wednes-
day, Black Thursday, as well es Black Fri
dav.
This nation in its extremity fell helpless
before the lord and cried for pardon and
peace, and upon ministers and laymen the
power from on high descended. Engine
houses w~arerOoms, hotel parlors, muse
inns, factories from II 10 / o'clock, while
the operatives were resting, were opened
for prayers and sermons, and inquiry
rooms, and Burton's old theater, on ham
berS St, where u ancestors used TO assem-
bic TO laugh at the comedies, and all up
and down the streets, N out on the
docks and on the deck of ships lying ut
Tue wharf, people sang, All nail the
power of Jesus name" while others cried
for mercy. A great mass-mee. ing of
Christians on a weekday, in Jayne's hall,
Philadelphia, t~elegraphed to FuIton-st.
prayer-meeting in New York, saying:
What hath God wronght?" and a tele-
gram went back, saving, 1.-TWO hundred
souls saved at our meeting today" A ship
came through the NaTrows into our har-
Dor, the captain reporting himself and all
the crew had been converted to God be-
tween New Orleans 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 it
profit a man If he gain the whole world
and lose his soul" The walters in res
taurants after the closing of their days
work knelt among the tables where they
had served. Policemen asked consent of
the commissioner OF police to be permitted
To attend religious meetings. At Albany
members of the New York legislature as
semb!ed in the room of the court OF ap-
peals at $50 o'clock in the morning for
prayer and praise. Printed invitations
were sent out to the firemen OF New York,
saying: Come as suits your convenience
best, whether in fire or citizens dress, but
come Gomez Quarrymen knelt among
the rocks. Fishermen knelt in their boats.
! Weavers knelt among the looms. Sailors