The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-12-06
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
RELIGIOUS REVEALS.
The Conversion of the World Depending
on Them.

simon and his comrades had experienced
the night before what fishermen call "poor
luck Christ steps on board tho fishing
smack and tells the sailors TO pull away from
the beach and directs them again to sink the
net Suie enough, very soon the net Is full
Of fishes. and the sailors begin TO haul in.
So large a school OF fish was taken that the
hardy men begin to look red In the face as
they pull, and hardly have they begun 10 re-
joice at their success when snap goes n
thread OF the net. and snap goes another
thread, so there Is danger not only OF losing
the fish, hut OF losing the net.
without much care as to how much tho
boat tilts or how much water is splashei on
deck. the fishermen rush about gathering
up the broken meshes OF the net. Out
yonder there is ship dancing on tho
wave and they hail It, "Ship ahoy, boar
down this wayV" The ship comes, and
both boats. both ilshing smacks, are filled
With the floundering treasures.
"Ah, says some one, show much better
n would have been IL they had s,aid on
shore. and flshed with hook and line, and
taken one at time. instead OF having this
great excitement, and the boat almost unset.
and the net broken. and having TO call for
help. and getting sopping wet with the
sea ~ The church is the boat, the gospel ia
the net society is the sea. aud a great re-
vival is a whole school brought in at one
that man who goes out with a hook and line
10 hsh. admire the way he unwinds the
reel and adjusts the bait and drops the
hook In quiet place on still after
noon, and hero catches one and there
one. but ! like also n big boat, and
large crew, and net mile long, and swift
oars, and stout sails, and stiff breeze, and
great multitude OF souls brought-so great
| 0 multitude tf"t you have 10 get help to
Hraw N N n ha ns 20 Nbn
most until II breaks here and there, letting n
| few escape, but bringing the great multitude
Into eternal safety.
1 IN other words, I believe in revivas. The
great work ofsav!ng men began with 5000
|people Joining tho church in one day, and Il
will close with 40 900 600 or 100, 900, 900 peo-
pie saved in "a hours, when nations shalt be
born In day But there are objections to
feviyals. People are opposed to them be-
fause the net might get broken. and II by
ihe pressure OF souls II doest not get broken.
hen they take their own penknives and slit
lhe net. They inclosed great multitude
fishes. and the net brake"
Il Is sometimes opposed to reyiyals OF re-
icon that those who come into the church
such times do not hold out as long as
here is gale of blessing they have their
als up. hut as soon as strong winds stop
lowing then they drop into dead calm.
Bu, what are the facts in the case2 In all
ur churches the vast ma jority OF the useful
People are those who are brought in under
peat awakenngs, and they hold out Who
re the prominent men In the United States
churches, in prayer meetings, In Sabbath
Enools2 For the most part they are the pro-
ut OF great awakenIngs.
! have noticed that those who are brought
hto the Kingdom of God through revvals
ave more persistence and more determina-
on In the Christian life than those who
pne In under low state OF religion. peo-
10 born in an icehouse may live, but they
III never get over the cold they caught In
le icehouse A cannon ball depends upon
e impulse with which 1t starts for how far
shall go and how swiftly, and the greater
le revival force with which a soul is started
e more farreaching and far resoundinS will
the execution.
But II is sometimes objected tQe,yevivals
at there is so r1nch erctepent Npeople
~ 1eAyst6T.a. Tor (. ..9soi..- ''.-'l' -
We must admit that In every revival OF re-
non there Is either n suppressed or a
nonstrated excitement. Indeed II man
p go out OF a state of condemnation into
F'ate OF acceptance with God, orsee others
without any agitation OF soul. he is in an
healthy, morbid state, and is as repulsiye
absurd rs man who should boast he
v child snatched out from under
rsos hoofs and felt no agitation, or saw
10 rescued from tho fourth story OF n
use on fire and felt no acceleration OF the
ses.
Nllva.ion from sin and death and hell into
and pence and heaven forever is suca n
nendous thing that II man tells me he
look on it without any agitation doubt
christianity. The fact is that sometimes
iemsnt is the most important possible
ng. In case OF resuscitation from drown
ins ha fAap Ia 90 .sN
tion Before conversion we are dead. Ii
h ae business OF the church to revive,
n -se, awaken, resuscitate, startle into life.
"a tement is bad or good according TO what
4 makes us do. II II makes us do that which
"a al, II Is bad excitement, but II 1t make us
"a lated about our eternal welfare, IL il
~ Ge us pray, II it make US attend upon
d fstian service, If it make US cry unto God
mercy, then 1t is a good excitement.
IA Is sometimes said that during revivals
q. feliglon great multitudes of children and
4. ng people are brought into the church.
"A they do not know what they are about.
as been my observation that the earlier
NJ, pie come into the kingdom OF God the
Ns re useful they are.
ep obert Hall, the p,ince of Baptist preach
,a was converted at twelve years of age. 1t
al upposel he knew what he was about.
sos thew Henry, the commentator, who did
IA
Al sing the interest in the study OF the
an. ptures, was converted at eleven years of
at Isabella Graham, immortal in the
,y stan church, was converted at ten
IN OF age DIR. Watts, whose hymns will
lhs all down the ages, was converted at
ned years OF age Jonathan Edwards, per-
I'm, the mightiest intellect that the Ameri-
tot pulpit ever produced, was converted at
4 b years OF age, and that father and
han aer take an awful responsibility when
,,,l 'ell their child at seven years of age,
are too young TO be Christian" or
are too young TO connect yourself with
lGvch." That is a mistake us long us
ity.
a1ring revival two persons present
hb selves ms candidates for the church, an Il
pen no Is ten years OF age, and the other is
wa years OF age, will nave more conf
iC In the profession Of religion of the one
lS9 ears OF age than the one forty years OF
pro WhyT Tho one who processes at forty
) iC OF ago has forty years OF impulse In
The tohg direction to correct, the child has
dur zen years in tho wrong direct ion TO
lun y. Four times ten are forty Four
Tue religious prospect for the lad that
Ass INTO the kingdom of God, and into
tan -ureh at ten years OF age than the man