The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-12-05

getting hotter, and there was danger |
that the whole ice-feld would break up /
and flow away; SO the tallest and cold
est and the broadest of all the icebergs,
the very king of the Arctics, stood at
the head of the convention, and with
gavel of ice smote on table OF ice |
calling the convention to order. But
the sun kept growing in intensity OF
heat, and the south wind blew stronger
and stronger, and soon all the icefield
began to grind up, iceberg against Ice
berg, and to-how away. The first reso-
luton passed by the convention was:
Resolved, that we abolish the sun"
But the sun would not be abolished
The heat of the sun grew greater and
greater until after a while the very
king of the icebergs began to perspire
under the glow, and the smaller ice
bergs fell over, and the cry was: "Too
much excitement. order! orderW Then
the whole body, the whole field OF ice,
began to flow out, and a thousand
voices began to ask Where are we
going to now? Where are we floating
to? We will all break to pieces" BY
this time the icebergs had reached the
Gulf stream; and they were melted in
to the bosom of the Atlantic ocean.
The warm sun is the eternal spirit.
The icebergs are frigid Christians. The
warm Gulf stream is a great revival.
The ocean into which everything melted
is the great, wide heart of the pardon
ing and sympathizing God.
But think, after all, the greatest
obstacle to revivals throughout christ
endom to-day is an unconverted minis
try. We must believe that the vast
majority of those who officiate at sacred
affairs are regenerated; but suppose
there may float into the ministry of all
the denominations of Christians men
whose hearts have never been changed
by the grace of God. OF course they
are all antagonistic to revivals.
How did they get into the ministry
Perhaps some of them chose it as re-
spectacle profession. Perhaps some
chose it as means of livelihood. Per-
haps some of them were sincere but
were mistaken. AS Thomas Chalmers
said he had been many years preaching
the gospel before his heart had been
changed, and as many ministers OF the
gospel declare they were preaching and
had been ordained to sacred orders
years and years before their hearts
were regenerated. Gracious God, what
solemn thought for those of us who
minister at the altar! With the present
ministry in the present temperature OF
piety the world will never be envel-
oped with revivals. While the pews
on one side of the altar cry for mercy
the pulpits on the other side of the altar
must cry for mercy. Ministers quar-
reling Ministers trying to pull each
other down. Ministers struggling for
ecclesiastical place. Ministers lethar-
gic with whole congregations dying on
their hands. What a spectacle!
Aroused pulpits will make aroused
pews. Pulpits ahame will make pews
afiame Everybody believes in re-
vival in trade, everybody likes a re-
vival in literature, everybody likes a
revival in art; yet a great multitude
cannot understand a revival in matters
of religion, Depend upon it, where
you find a man antagonistic to revivals,
whether he be in pulpit or pew, he
needs to be regenerated by the grace
of God.
/ could prove to a demonstration
that without revivals this world will
never be converted, and that in hun
dred or two years without revivals
Christianity will be practically extinct.
1t is matter of astounding arithme'
tic. In each of our modern genera
tions there are at least thirty-two mil
lion children Now add thirty-two
million to the worlds population, and
then have only one or two hundred
thousand converted every year, and
how long before the world will be
saved? Never-absolutely never!
During our war the president of the
United States made proclamation fol
seventy-fve thousand troops. Some o
you remember the big stir But the
King of the universe to-day asks foi
eight hundred million more troops thar
are enlisted, and we want it done
; softly, imperceptibly, gently, no ex
citement, one by one.
You are dry goods merchant on &
! large scale, and | am a merchant on &
! small scale, and | come to you ant
want to buy thousand yards Of cloth
Do you say: Thank you; I'll sell yor
thousand yards of cloth, but I'll sci
you twenty yards to-dey, and twenty
, tomorrow, and twenty the next day
and if it takes me six months I'll sci
YOU the whole Thousand yards; yol
! will want as long as that to examine
the goods, and I'll want us long as tina
] to examine the credit; and besides that
, q thousand yards of cloth are too mucl
to sell all at once?" No, you do no
say that. You take me into the count
ing-room, and in ten minutes the Who'll,
Z transaction is consummated. The fac
. is, we cannot afford to be fools in any
thing but religionl
; That very merchant who on SaturdR,
. afternoon sold me the thousand yard
of cloth at one stroke. the next Sab
: bath in church will stroke his bear,
0 and wonder whether 1t would not b
I better for a thousand souls to com
] struggling along for ten years, instea'
{ of bolting in at one service.
S We talk good deal about the goo
! times that are coming, and about tn
] worlds redemption How long befor
they will Gomez There is = man VIII
{ says Ave hundred years. Here is ma
; who says two hundred years. Here !
D some one more confident who says /
fifty years. What, fifty years? Do yo
b propose to let two generations pass o.
=