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

THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "a Religious Movement in
1891"

high."-Luke XIV, 40.
For a few months, in the providence OF
God, l have two pulpits, one in Brooklyn
and the otl:cr IN New York, and through the
kindness OF the printing press an ever
widening opportunity. 10 all Sucn hearers
and readers come with especial message.
The time has arrived for forward move
nent such as the church and the world have
never seen. That there is a need for such
religious movement is evident from the tact
that never since our world was swung out
among the planets has there been such an
organized and determined effort to over
throw righteousness and make the Ten
Commandments obsolete and the whole Bible
a derision. Meanwhile alcoholism is taking
down its victims by the hundreds Of thou
sands, and the political parties get down on
their knees, practically saying: 30 thou al
mighty rum jug we bow down before thee!
Give US the offices-city, State and national.
Oh, give Us the Offices and we VIII worship
thee for ever and ever; Amen"
The Christian Sabbath meanwhile, ap-
pointed for physical, mental and spiritual
rest, is being secularized and abolished. AS
if the bad publishing houses of our own Coun-
try had exhausted their literary filth, the
French and Russian sewers have been invited
TO pour their scurriiitY and moral slush into
;he trough where our American swine are
lOw wallOwing. Meanwhile there are enough
houses of infamy in all our cities, open and
unmolested OF the law. to invoke the Omnipo-
tent wrath which buried SOdOm under de-
huge Of birthstone. The pandemOniac world,
L think, has massed its troops, and they are
at this moment plying their batteries upon
family circles, church circles social circles,
political circles and national circles. ApOllyon
is in the saddle, and riding at the head Of his
myrmidOns would capture this world for
darkness and woe.
That is one side of the conflict now raging.
On the other side we have the most magnif-
cent gospel machinery that the world ever
saw OF heaven ever invented. In the first
place there are in this country more than
eighty thousand ministers OF religion and,
take them as class, moro cOnsecrated,
hoIler, more consistent, more self denying,
more faithful men never lived. [ know them
10y the thousands. have met them in every
city. [ am told, not by them, but by people
outside OF our profession, people engagedin
Christian and refOrmatOry work, that the
clergy of America are at the head of all good
enterprises and whoever else fail they may
be depended on. The truth of this is demon
strated by the fact that when a minister of
religion does fall, it is so exceptional that the
newspapers report it as something startling,
while hundred men in other callings may
go down without the matter being considered
as especially worth mentioning.
In addition TO their equipment in moral
character the clergy Of this country have all
that the schools can give. All archaologi-
cal, rhetorical, scientific, scholastic, literary
attainment. So much for the Christian
ministry of all denominations In the next
pltice OH our size UN0 COnnlcO we nave Ul0
grandest churches of al time and higher
style of membership and more Of them, and
a host without number of splendid men and
women who are doing their best to have this
world purified, elevated, gospelized. But
tve all feel that something is wanting
Enough hearty songs have been sung and
enough earnest sermons preached within the
last six months to save all the cities of Amer
lea, and saving the cities you save the world,
for they overflow all the land either with
aheir religion OF their infamY.
But look at some of the startling facts,
1t is nearly nineteen hundred years since
Jesus Christ came by the way of Bethlehem
Saravansary to save this world, yet the
most OF the world has been no more
touched by this most stupendous fact of
all eternity than if on the first Christmas
night the beasts Of the stall, amid the bleat-
mgs OF their own young, had not heard the
bleating of the Lamb that was to be slain.
Gut OF the eighteen hundred million Of the
human race fourteen hundred million are
without God and without hope in the world
the camel driver of Arabia Mahomet, with
his nine wives. having half as many disciples
as our blessed Christ, and more people are
Worshlplng chunks Of painted wood and
carved stone than are worshiping the living
and eternal God. Meanwhile, the most Of
us who are engaged in Christian work.
speak for myself as well as others-are toll
ing up to our full capacity of body mind and
soul, harnessed up to the last buckle not
able to draw pound more than we are
drawing or lift an ounce more than we are
lifting.
What is the matter? My text lets out the
secret We all need more of the power from
on high. Not muscular power not logical
power, not scientific power, not social power,
not financial power, not brain power, but
power from on high. With it we could &C
cOmplish more in one week than without it
IL hundred years. And am going to get
1t, If Ill answer to prayer. earnest and long
continued, God will grant it to me, His un-
worthy servant Men and women who know
how to pray, when you pray for yourself,
pray for me that may be endued with power
from on high I would rather have it than
ell the diamond fields OF Golconda and all the
(earls of the sea, and all the gold of the
Mountains. Many of the mightiast inteilects
never had touch or 1t, and many of the less
than ordinary lntellects have been surcharged
with 1t. And every man and woman on earth
hasa right to aspire to it. right to pray for
1t, and, properly persistent, will obtain it.
Power from on the level is a good thing
such power as may give you, or you may
give me, by encouraging words and actions
Power from on the level when we stand by
each other IN any Christian undertaking.
Power from on the level when other pulpits
are IN accord with ours. Power from on the
level when the religious and secular press
forward our Christian undertakings. But
power from on the level is not sufficient
Power from on high is what we need to take
possession of us. Power straight from God.
Supernatural power, omnipotent power. all
conquerlng power. Not more tnan one out
OF thousand Of the ministers has it con-
t1nuouSIy. Not more than one our OF ten
thousand Christians has it all the time Given
In abundance, these last ten years of the
nineteenth century would accomplish more
for Zoo, and the church, and the world than
the previous ninety years OF this century
A Few men and women in each age of the