Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-01-23

| man Osborn rise to preach in the viflagt
| church at Somervihe, n. j., and before ID
| had given cut his text or uttered a word
people in the audience sobbed aloud with re-
igious emotion. It 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. Caricatura goes
down. Infdelity goes down. Worldinesa
goes down All Opposition goes down.
Several times in the his tory of the church
and the world has this power from On high
been demonstrated In the seventeenth
century, after q great season OF moral de-
preston, this power from on high came
down upon Eohn 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 I'm. In the
eighteenth century, in England and America,
religion was at a low water mark. William
Cowpar, 9riting Of the clergy OF these days,
said:
Except few with Els spirit best,
Hophni and Phineas may describe tie rest.
The infdel writings of ShaftesDury and
Hobbies and Chubb hao done their work.
But power from on high cane upon both
the Wesleys and Lady Huntington on the
other side the Atlantic, and upon William
Tenant and Gilbert Tenant 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 audience an aged man
or woman VINO can rSuGIuDST we" I OkA III
1881, when this power from on high de-
scended most wondrously. 1t came upon
pastors and congregations and theatres and
commercial establishments. Chatham
Street Theatre, New York, was the scene OF
a most Tremendous religious awakening.
A committee of Christian gentlemen called
upon the lessee of the theatre, and said they
would like to buy the lease of the theatre.
He said, ''What do you want it for:" They
replied, For church" For wh-a-at?'
said the owner. For a church." was the
reply. The owner said 'You may have it,
and will give you a thousand dollars to help
you on with your work" Arthur Tappan,
a man nightly prosecuted in his time, but
man, as l saw him IN his last days, as honest
and pure and good as any man ever knew,
stepped on the stage of old Chatham Theatre
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:
Tee voice of free grace cries, escape to the mount
For all that believe Christ has opened fountain
The barroom of the theatre was turned in
to a prayer room, and eight hundred per-
sons were present at the first meeting. For
seventy successive nights religious services
were held in that theatre, and suca scenes Of
mercy and salvation will be subjects OF
conversation and cOngratulatlOn among the
ransOmed in glory as long as heaven lasts.
But I come to later NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
bered by many who are here. l remember
it especially, as had just entered the Office
Of the ministry. 1t was year Of hard times.
A great panic had flung hundreds of thou
sands Of people pennileSs. Starvation en-
tered habitations that had never before
known a want. Domestic life in May cases
became a tragedy. Suicide, garrOtlng,
burglary, assassination were rampant What
an awful day that was when the banks went
down. There has been nothing like it In
thirty years, and pray God there may not
be anything like it in the next thirty CEN
turtles. Talk about your Black Fridays! II
was Black Saturday, Black Sunday, Black
Monday, Black Tuesday, Black Wednesday.
Black Thursday as we'll as Black Friday.
This nation in it's 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, wareroons, hotel parlors museums,
factories, from 10 to l o'clock, while the oper.
atives were resting, were opened for prayers
and sermons and inquiry rooms, anC
Burtons old theatre on Chambers street,
where our ancestors used to assemble &c
laugh at the comedies, and all up and down
Ehe S@eats, and out on the docks and on the
decks OF ships lying at the wharf people sang,
''All hail the power Of Jesus'5 name" while
others cried for mercy. A great mass meet
ing Of Christians on week day, in Jaynes
Hall, Philadelphia, telegraphed to Fulton
Street Prayer Meeting in New Y ork, saying,
What hath God wrought?" and telegram
went back saying, 1.-TWO hundred souls
saved at our meeting to-day" A ship came
through the NarrOws into our harbor, the
captain reporting that himself and all the
crew had been converted to God between
New Orleans and New York.
In the busiest marts of our busiest Amer
lean cities, where the Worshipers OF Nam.
mon had been counting their golden beads,
men began to calculate, what shall it pro.
f1t 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. Police
men asked consent of the Commissioner Of
Police to be permitted 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 fire.
men of New York saying, Come as suits
your convenience best whether in fire OF
citizens dress, but come! Gomez Quarry
men knelt among the rocks. Fishermen
knelt in their boats. Weavers knelt among
the looms. Sailors knelt among the ham
mocks. SchoolmaSters knelt among their
classes. A gentleman travelling said there
was a line OF prayer meetings from Omaha
to Washington City, and he might have
added a line Of prayer meetings from the
Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and from the
ST. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico.
In those days what songs, what sermons
what turnings to God, what recital of thrill
ing 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
victories for tn truth! What millions on
earth and in heaven are now thanking God
Tor 1857, which, though the year Of worst
financial calamity, was the year of Amer
ica'S most Glorious blessing How do Won