Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-01-16

replied, For a church For wha-atF'
said the owner. For a church, was the
reply. The owner said, "you may have IT,
and will give you thousand dollars 70 help
you on with your work. Arthur Tappan,
a man nightly prosecuted in his time, but
man, as 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
Gus ana sang With such people as were there
the old hymn:
The voice Of free grace cries. escape TO the mount
ain,
For all that believe Christ has opened a 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 such scenes OF
mercy and salvation as will be subjects OF
conversation and congratulation among ths
ransomed in glory as long as heaven lasts.
But l come to a later tlme-1S7--remem-
bered by many who are here. l remember
II especially, as had Just entered the Office
of the ministry. IL 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 want. Domestic life In many cases
became a tragedy. Suicide, garroting,
burglary, assassination were rampant. What
an awful day that was when the banks went
down! There has been nothing like it in
thirty years, aud pray God there may not
be anything like it in the next thirty CEN
turtles. Talk about your Black Fridaysl IL
was Black Saturday, Black Sunday, Black
Monday, Black Tuesday, Black Wednesday,
Black Thursday as well as Black Friday
This nation in its extremity fell helpless
before the Lord and cried for pardon and
peace, and upon ministers aud laymen the
power from on high descended. Engine
houses, warerooms, hotel parlors, museums
factories from IL to o'clock, while the oper-
atives were resting, were opened for prayers
and sermons and inquiry rooms, and
Burton's old theatre on Chambers street.
where our ancestors used to assemble to
laugh at the comedies and all up and down
the streets, and out on the docks and on tho
decks OF ships lying at the wharf people sang,
"All hail the power OF Jesus'5 name while
others cried for mercy. Agreat mass meet
ing OF Christians OIL week day in Jayne's
Hall, Philadelphia, tee9raphei u Fulton
Street Prayer Meeting in New York, saying,
What hath God wrought" and telegram
went back saying, Two hundred souls
saved at our meeting today \ ship came
through tho Narrows into our har Dor the
~ubeh'iA WIS phAG hihloC'A A'iA uit VI
crew had been converted 10 God between
New Orleans aud 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.
ct q man if he gain tho whole world and lose
his soulT' The waters in restaurants after
the closing of their days work l;nelt 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 tho room OF
| tine Court of Appeals at half.paSt eight
! O'Clock i'll 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 or
/ citizens dress, but comet come Quarry
men knelt among the rocks. Fishermen
knelt in their boats. Weavers knelt among
the looms. Sailors knelt among tho ham.
mocks. Schoolmasters knelt among their
classes. a gentleman travelling said there
| was 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 sertdOm OF sin emanciplted, what
wild rout Of the forces Of darkness, what
victories for the truth What millions on
earth and in heaven are now thanking Col
for 1857, which, though the year Of worst
financial calamity, was tho year Of Amer
ca's most glorious blessing. How do you
account for 1857, its spiritual trlumphs
on the heels Of its worldly misfortunei
1t was what my text calls the power from on
high.
That was thirty-thres years ago, ana
though there have been in various parts of
the land many STRINGS of the Holy Ghost
there has been no general awakening
Does it not seom to yc;4 that we ought to
have and may have the scenes of power n
1851 eclipsed by the scenes OF power in 1897
| The circumstances are somewhat nmilar
| While We have not had national panic and
universal prostraton as in 1851 there has
been n stringenCy in the money market that
has put many of the families Of the earth to
their wis end. Large commercial interests
collapsing have left multituies of employees
without means OF support. Tho racked
brains Of business men have almost or en-
tirely given way. New illustrations all over
the land, OF the fact that riches have not only
feet on which they walk slowly as they coma,
but wings Oil which they speed when they
go. Eternal God # hou know how crampcd
and severe and solemn time 1t is with many.
And as the business ruin of 1857 was fol.
Lowell by the glorious rsnnphs Of grace, let
the awful struggles Of 1890 be followed by
the hallelujahs Of nation saved in 1891
Brethren in the Gospel ministry il we
spent half as much time in prayer as we do
in the preparation of our sermons nothing
! could stand before US. We would have the
power from on high as we never had it. Private
membership Of all Christendom il we spent
bali as much time in positive prayer for this
in6uenceas we do in thinking about it and
talking about 1t, there would not be score.
taries enough to take down the names OF
those who want to give in their names for
enlistment.
AS the power from on high in 1857 wa,
moro remarkable in academies Of music aud
lyceum halls and theatres than in churches
why not this winter OF 1891 in these two
academies of muG.c, places of secular enter.
tainment where we are during the rebuilding
Of our Brooklyn Tabernacle, so grandly 0ud
graciously treated by the owners and lessor,
and lessees, why not expect and why not have
the power from on high, comforting power,
arousing power convincing power, convert
| Ing power, saving power, Omnipotent power
My opinion is that in this cluster Of cities by
the Atlantic coast, there are five hundred
thousand people now ready to accept the
Gospel call, if, freed from all the convention
| hHtleS Ol tne CnuTCn, IL were earnestly ana
with strong faith presented TO them.
In these brilliant assemblies there are hun
dreds who are not frequenters Of churches
and who do not believe much If at all in min
listers OF religion Jr ecclesiastical organiza.
tions. But God knows you have struggles in
which you need help, and bereavements III
which you want solace, and prosecutions in
which you ought to have defense, and per
plexities in which you need guidance, anc
with profound thoughtfulnessyo you stand b,
the grave of the old year. and the cradle q
the young year, wondering where you will b.
and what you will be when rolling YEAR
shall cease to move" Power from on high
descend upon theml
Men OF New York and Brooklyn, I offel