Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-06
MILLS SHOWS THE WAY.
The Evangelist's Ideas About
Salvation.
He Is Greeted by an Immense
Audience.
Simpson Tabernacle Filled with an In
terested Audience-The Opening
services-Appearance Of the
Young Exhorter.

Rev. B. Fay Mills, the eminent revival
ist, tell in magnetic manner some
home truths about religion. Every seat
in that large auditorium was occupied !;
all the chairs of the neighborhood
round were next brought in, and still
the throngs came. Finally, even all
the standing-fbom on the main floor, in
the two galleries, in the aisles and in
ante-rooms and corridors was occupied,
and the tired but effective corps OF ush-
ers were perforce compelled to close the
doors.
Still the people kept coming until
there were fully $500 people outside of
the tabernacle, blockading the street,
and apparently unwilling to leave
without seeing the distinguished
evangelist or hearing the chance phrases
that foated out of the windows. The
interior of the large building presented
marvellous picture shortly after z
O'Clock. There was vast sea of moving
faces stretching from the dome to the
edge of the pulpit platform. Old men
and young; the lame, the halt, the
blind rich and poor all sorts and con-
ditions of men and women were there
eagerly awaiting the inauguration of the
new work in the science of religious
stimulation. Clusters of roses and lilies
decked the walls above the speakers
stand, and just back of it sat nearly
every minister in the city. Back OF
them sat the choir of 140 picked voices.
Beginning at o. clock there was a song
service, and the familiar old hymns were
sung with power and breadth of
rhythm that fairly made the rafters ring.
DIR. Hutchins offered an earnest prayer
for especial blessings and then the con-
gregation sang the long meter doxology,
after which DR.. Reed offered up an in
vocation. Announcements of the meet
ings arranged for the week were made
by pr. Chichester, and the Rev. Mr..
Smithers then gave succinct sketch of
the work OF arranging for the present
evangelistic work, saying that thirty
three churches OF this city were now in
terested and identified with it. Mr..
Lawrence Greenwood, who accompanies
Rev. Mr.. Mills, sang solo: O., Every
One That Is Thirsty in Spirit.
At the close OF the singing a small
man clad in black attire, with smooth
ly shaven, boyieh face, and curly light
brown hair with an expressive, speaking
face, marked in forceful lines by pro-
jecting eyebrows and an aquiline nose,
stepped forward on the platform. His
blue eyes were luminous with kindly
sympathy, and his extremely youthful
appearance-for he is only 35 years old
engaged the attention of everyone. This
was the Rev. B. Fay Mills, the man who
has made such wonderful stir in re.
ligious circles throughout the length
and breadth of the land.
His manner of speaking was exceed
ingly simple and matter of fact. It was
in the nature of stringing together a
series of timely thoughts and sugges-
tions couched in the simplest diction
the use of words of one syl-
lable-but underneath it all there was
deep, moving spirit of earnestness that
carried profound conviction. The audi
ence was impressed with the truth thai
the speaker felt all he said. It was not
altogether what was said, but the man.
or of saying it, that impelled the
earnest attention of all, and carried
home with striking force the truisms
uttered. There was magnetism about
the speakers personality that caught
the minds of all in the mech of sym
pathy and carried them with him along
the stream of deep religious impressions
and suggestions.
At times his discourse was fervid, and
again there was solemnity about it
that found response in the profound still
ness that shadowed that vast congrega-
ton. There was no elaboration of ideas
mo flowers of rhetoric twined into
nosegays to please the senses-just the
elemenss OF the idea, oftentimes frag-
Mentary, were touched and the auditor
filled in the spaces. Taken all in all,
Rev. Mr.. Mills is man who under
stands how to revch the tendrils of the
heart and freshen them with the living
truth.
Mr.. Mills read portion OF the l26th
psalm. 1.-THE only sad thing about
dreams," said he, "is that we awaken.
When the Jews came from captivity
they felt they we're dreaming. Then
turn again captivity. There was an ele-
ment of sadness in the Jews return.
There were broken families; there were
absent ones still in Babylon. They that
SOW in tears shall reap in Joy. I always
think of turn again captivity when 90
to an old-fashioned revival meeting.
The spirit of sacrifice puts God before
money and business; it is going forth to
do Gods work first, and the seed shall
fall on the ground that has been pre-
pared by the Holy Spirit"
At the request of the speaker the con-
gregation then sang the hymn Sowing
The Seed. Mr.. Mills continued: "a
minister once said he wanted to sing
Come Holy Spirit once and feel the
Spirit would come. / believe the Holy
Spirit is with us tonight We must
open the door and let it in. hestreams of
the south never freeze. Let us pray from
our hearts. turn again captivity and let
the spirit flow on us like the streams of
the south. They who SOW in tears shall
reap IN joy." The speaker read from
ii Corinthians, viii 6. "They first gave
their OVID selves to the Lord" ra
I'VE talk so much about giving orr
selves to God," said Mr.. Mills. 1'that
the phrase becomes commonplace and
without meaning. What is gift?
First it must be voluntary. You can't
force man to give himself to God. I
am glad am a man, that can make a
voluntary choice between right and
wrong. Let US believe in doing good be.
causeit is right, not because it Is easier
to do good. A gift to God should be
unselfish; we are not asked to sell our
selves to God; if we were what could
we give Him? We cannot purchase
even this transitory existence OF ours
man in New York offered two and half
millions for an hours life. The queen
of England in clden days would have
0iven uliIliOna of money for an inch ~