The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-04-28
Evangelists.
From the Religious Herald.

I
still in the public mind. There is some
thing of tyranny 1--WE use the word in
entire good nature) in some of the
methods in vogue among evangelists
and pastor-evangelists They frequent
~ forget that their audiences, while dis
posed to be compliant and amiable, have
some inalienable rights which ought to
be respected. For example: an evange-
list will insist-ths is quite common
that his Christian hearers proceed at a
certain stage of the services to argue
with and entreat the unconverted per-
SONS in the congregation to come out on
the Lords side Now, this is concededly
an excellent thing, and, under suitable
circumstances, ought to be faithfully
and lovingly done. But the individual
Christian is the best judge of his fitness
for such work. 1t is species of Chris
tian service for which everybody in not
fit a laundering, unskillful man may
do vastly more harm than good More
oyer, it is necessary to the successful ac-
complement of such a mission that he
who undertakes it shall do SO prayers
fully and sympathetically, otherwise it
will be either cold and perfunctory
performance, or such feeling as is shown
will be simulated. Good men, frequent
| ly the very best, sometimes refuse to
| obey the mandate of the evangelist. be-
cause they do not feel in all good con-
science that they are ready for this
/ IL nh ~ xrf icla
the leader Of the meeting with an OPP
portunity, which he improves with evi,
dent relish, for flashing the negligent
and careless church members. The
man temporarily in charge of a protract
ed meeting is not by virtue of that fact
alone qualified to pass judgment upon
his brethren. They have some right to
decide for themselves, and usually they
are much more likely to make wise de-
cision as to their duty in such a case.
Scolding and lashing them under these
circumstances is often a real imperti-
hence which ought to be rebuked.
This tyranny sometimes manifests it
self in another and yet more objections
BILE form. 1t is common feature OF
such services to call for what are testi-
monies" These are given sometimes
verbally and sometimes by certain sug
gested movements of the body, such as
standing, rising, bowling and-much
more Notwithstanding. Now the value
of the relation of personal Christian ex>
perience can scarcely be over estimated.
Many a fainting heart has been refresh>
ed by the simple story of another's
struggles and triumphs. It is good for
them that fear the Lord +" to speak
''often to one another" 1t is under
such conditions that the Lord hearkens
and hears them.'' All this is true, but
there are modifying truths which must
not be forgotten. The charm of a ser
vice in which Christian people unbur-
den their soul and reveal their interior
emotions resides in it's rarity and It's
spontaneity. The moment that it be-
comes frequent it becomes vulgar, and
whenever it is premeditated and prear-
ranged it is formal and artificial and
powerless. The pastor may wisely and
most effectively-if the Spirit moves
religious life he may do this sometimes
if it fits his mood. The Christian may
relate to his friends jn moments of mu
tual confidence the history of his doubts
and fears and hopes, and their sage
counsel and sweet sympathy, thus evok-
ed, may be an unspeakable blessing to
him. But it must never be forgotten
that the devotional life is not primarily
for the public eye The heart has its
secret history which no one else has
right to probe, the soul has its inner re-
cesses whose privacy none ought to seek
to violate The deepest experiences,
those Which have most profoundly af-
fected oar lives, we are instinctively
slow to publish. Profound natures have
long intervals of silence, but the super
fetal are always glib.
Devotional feeling will be quickened
and nourished by finding occasional
public expression. This it does find in
the praise and prayer of the ordinary
public religious service. But it will
mostly certainly dwindle and die when
dragged before the public And this is
emphatically true If the phase of de-
votional life belongs to the inner nature.
What right has an evangelist, or any
one else for that matter, to stand before
an audience and demand of them to
g manifest" by rising or standing or
what not if they desire the presence of
the Holy Ghost, or il they have the
"witness of the Spirit,.' or if they feel
the need of more conservation to the
service of Christ, or il they are confident
that their love of the Saviour is daily |
growing These and others like them
are questions which intimate Christian
friends would hardly PROFOUND to one
another and on which thoughtful Chris
tians would hesitate to pronounce.
One does not care to continually speak
to the public ear of his love for his wife
or of his grief for a dead child. The
woman who shares his toll and helps
him bear his burdens should hear the
one. and she and he together may speak
in hushed tones of the other. But both
belong to the sanctities of home and 1T
would be morbidy vulgar to expose
them to the public gaze. These truths,
if they are truths find an illustration in
many features of our modern evange-
listic services, but they also have wider
application We all need to learn again
the value of silence. We need to know
that silence is sometimes vocal and ar
ticulate, that strong and vital speech is
| born of silence. We must recall the fact
that speech was never intended to be an
exhaustive expression of thought and
feeling, and that when it is thus ex-
haustive it is not in order to offer con-