The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-03-12


God wrought?'' and a telegram went
back, saying: ''Two hundred souls
saved at one meeting to-day" A ship
came through the Narrows into our har-
Dor, the captain reporting himself and
all the crew had been converted to God
between New Orleans and New York.
In the busiest marts of our busiest
American cities, where the worshippers
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 restaurants 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 per-
mitted to attend religious meetings. AT
Albany members of the New York
Legislature assembled in the room of
the Court of Appeals at half-past eight
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 conven-
fence 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 knelt among
the hammocks. Schoolmasters knelt
among their glasses. A gentleman
travelling said there was line of prayer
meetings from Omaha to Washington
City, and, he might have added, line
OF prayer-meeting from the Atlantic to
the Pacific coast, and from the st.
Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico.
In those days, what songs, what SER
mons, what turnings to God, what re-
cital OF. thrilling experiences, what
prodigals brought home, what burning
tidings of souls saved, what serfdom of
sin emancipated, what wild rout of the
forces of darkness, what victors for the
truth! What millions on earth and in
Heaven are now thanking God for 1857,
which, though the year of worst finan-
clal calamity, was the year of Americas
most glorious blessing. How do you ac-
count for 1857, it's spiritual triumphs on
the heels of its 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 pal is
of the land many STRINGS of the Holy
Ghost, there has been no general awal5-
ening. 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 circum-
stances 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 in
terests collapsing have left null
titudes of employees without means of
support. The racked brains of bust
ness men have almost or entirely given
way. New illustrations all over the
lane 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 60 Eternal God!
Thou knowest how cramped, and Sc
we're, and solemn time it is with many.
And, as the business ruin of 1857 was
followed by the glorious triumps of
grace, let the awful struggles of 1890 be
followed by the hallelujahs of natl, n
saved in 1891,
Brethren in the Gospel ministry! If
we spent half as much time in PRAYER as
we do 10 the preparation of our sermons
nothing could stand before us. We
would have the Power from on High as
we never have had it. Private member
ship of all Christendoml 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 secretaries enough to take down the
names for enlistment. We would have
hundreds of cases like those recently
reported, when a man said to an
evangelist: 81 am lost sinner. PRAY
for me. My wife has been a professor
of religion for years, but l. knew
she did not enjoy religion, and l said if
that was all there was in religion, I did
not want it. But for the last few days
she has looked and acted in such an
elevated and glorious spirit that !
can not stand it, away from God.
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
join hands'in holy pledges that we will
call upon God for the Power. Oh, for
the Power 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 eonse-
Grafton.
Good and gracious God! What will
become of US if, after having such a de-
vout and praying parentage, we never
pray for ourselves? We will pray. We
will begin now. Oh, for the Power
from on High, power to move this as
semblage, power to save BROOKLYN and
New York, power of evangelism that
shall sweep across this continent like an
ocean surge, power to girdle the
round earth with a red girdle
dipped in the blood of the cross. If this
forward movement is to begin at all
there must be some place for it to be-
gin, and why not this placer And there