Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-01-05
THE AWAKENING.
[Contlnlled from vs. Paqe.

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take possession of us. Power straight
= from God. Supernatural power, ON
nipotent power. all-conquering power.
Not more than one out OF thousand OF
the ministers have IL continuously. Not
more than one ont of ten thousand
Christians have II all the time. Given
In abundance these last ten years OF the
nineteenth century would accomplish
more for God and the Church and the
world than the previous ninety years OF
this century.
4 few men and women in each age OF
! the world have possessed 1t. 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
/ hampton meeting house heard the out
/ burst of religious emotion as he spake
of righteousness and judgement to come.
| Samuel Budget, the Christian merch
ant, had il and his benefactiOns shower
ed the world. John Newton had 1t.
/ Bishop Latimer had il. Isabella era
ham had it. Andrew Fuller had IT, The
great evangeliStS, Daniel Baker and DIR.
NettletOn and Truman Osborn and Chas,
q. Finney had il. In my bOyhOOd | saw
| Truman Osborn rise TO preach in the
village church al SOmerville, New Jer
sey, aud before he had given ont his
text or uttered a word, people in the
audience sObbed aloud with religious
emotion. IL was the power from on
high. All in greater or, less degree
may have il. Once get il and nothing
can stand before you. Satan goes down.
Caricature goes down. lnfdelity goes
down. WorldlineSS goes down. All OPP
position goes down.
PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE
GIFT.
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 GA high came down upon John
TillOtSon aud Owen and Flavel and
Baxter and Bunyan, and there was 4
deluge OF mercy higher than 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 Els 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 Hunt |
ington on the other side the Atlantic, |
and upon William Tenant and Gilbert
Tenant and David Brainerd on this
side the Atlantic, aud both hemiSphereS
felt the tread of a pardoning God. |
Coming to later date, there may be here
aud there in this audience an aged man
or woman who can remember New York I
in 1881 when this power from on high
descended most wOndrOusly. 1t came
upon pastors and congregations and
theatres and commercial establishments. /
Chatham Street Theatre, New York.
was the scene OF most tremendous re-
ligiouS awakening. A commit
tee of Christian gentlemen
called upon the lesseeS of
the theatre and said they would like to
buy the lease Of the theatre. He said,
what do you want it for?" They re-
piled, "for a church. For wh-a-a-t?'
said the owner. For church was the
reply. The owner said: "You may
have il and l will give a thousand dol
lars to help you on with your work.
Arthur Tappan, man nightly perse-
cuted, but a man as saw him in his last
days, as honest and pure aud good as any
man ever knew, stepped on the stage
of the old Chatham Theatre as the ac-
tors were closing their morning rehear-
sal 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 an that believe Christ has opened foun-
tain.
The bar room of the theatre was turned
into Il prayer room, and eight hundred
persons were present at the first meet
Ing. For seventy successive nights re-
HgiOus services were held in that theatre
and such scenes of mercy and salvation
rs will be subjects OF conversation and
congratuation among the TansOmed In
glory as long as heaven lasts. But ]
come To a later time-lS57-remembered
by many who are here. | remember II
especially as l had just entered the
cflice OF the ministry. 1t was year OF
hard times. \ great panic had flung
/ hundreds OF thousands OF people penni-
/ less. Starvation entered habtations
that had never before known want.
Domestic life, I'm many eases, tragedy
Suicide. garroting burglary, asSaSsina-
/ ton were rampant. What an awiul day
/ tbas vas when the Banks went down.
/ There has been nothing like it in thirty
wears. and I pray God there may not be
anything like IL In the next thirty cen
| turtles. Talk about your Black Fridays.
/ IL was Black Saturday, Black Sunday,
Black Monday. Black Tuesday, Black
Wednesday, Black Thursday, rs well rs
Black Friday.
BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT.
This nation in its extremity fell help
less before the Lord and cried for par
don and peace, and upon ministers and
lavmen the power frcm on high de-
scended Engine-houses, ware-rooms,
hotel parlors, museums, factories from
twelve 10 one o'clock while the opera
tiveS were resting, were opened for
pravcrS and sermons, and inquiry
rooms.and Buttons old theater on
Chambers street, where our ancestors
used TO assemble to laugh at the come
, dies. and all up and down the streets,
and ont on the docks and on the decks
of ships lying at the wharf, people
sang, ''All Hail the Power OF Jesus
Name" while others cried Tor
F, mercy. A great masS-meeting OF
, Christians on weekday, In
.Iayne's Hall, Philadelphia, telegraphed
To Fulton Street Prayer Meeting, in
. New York. saying: what hath God
4 wrought2" and telegram went back
saving Two hundred souls saved at our
meeting to-day" A ship came through
the Narrows into our haroor, the cap
tl,t if,,entf and nIl tho