Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-12-03
Oh, how much better it would be to lay
hold Of the chariot of Christ's gos2e!

Oh, how much better it would be to lay
hold of the chariot of Christ's gospel
and help pull it on rather than to fling
ourselves in front of the wheels, trying
to block their progress! We will not
stop the chariot, but we ourselves will
be ground to powder.
Did you ever hear that there was
convention once held among the ice
bergs in the arctic: 1t seems that the
summer was coming on, and the sun
was getting hotter and hotter, and there
was danger that the whole icefield
you'd break up and flow away, so the
jallest and the coolest and the broadcast
of all the icebergs, the very king of the
arctics, stood at the head of the conven-
ton, and with a gavel of ice smote on a
table of ice, calling the convention to
order. But the sun kept growing in in
tensity of heat, and the south wind
blew stronger and stronger, and soon
all the icefeld began to grind up, ice
berg against iceberg, and to flow away.
The first resolution passed by the con-
vention was, "Resolved, that we abol-
ish the sun. F"
But the sun would not be abolished.
The heat of the sun grew greater and
greater until after awhile the very king
of the icebergs began to perspire under
the glow, and the smaller icebergs fell
over, and the cry was: 'Too much ex-
element! Order, orderI' Then the
whole body, the whole field, of ice be-
gan to flow out, and 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 into the bosom Of
the Atlantic ocean. The warm sun is
the eternal Spirit. The icebergs are frig-
id Christians. The warm gulf stream is
a great revival. The ocean into which
everything melted is the great, wide
heart of tho pardoning and sympathiz-
ing God.
A Word About the Ministry.
But I think, after all, the greatest
obstacle to revivals throughout Chris
tendon today is an uncOnverted minis
try. We must believe that the vast ma
jority of those who officiate at sacred
affairs are regenerated. but I 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 REVEALS
How did they get into the ministry?
Perhaps some of them chose it as a 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 hos 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 re-
generated. Gracious God, what a sol
emu thought for those of us who minis
ter at the altar! With the present min
istry in the present temperature of piety
the world will never be enveloped with
revivals. While the pews on one side
the altar cry for mercy the pulpits on
the other side the altar must cry for |
mercy. Ministers .quarreling. Ministers
trying to pull each other down. Minis
tiers struggling for ecclesiastical place. |
Ministers lethargic with whole congre-
cations dying on their hand. What
spectacle!
Aroused pulpits will make aroused |
pews. Pulpits afame will make pews
afiame. Every body believes in revival /
in trade, everybody likes revival in
literature, everybody likes revival in
art, yet a great multitude cannot I'M
derstand revival in matters of reli-
gion. Depend upon it, where you find a |
man antagcnistic to revivais, whether
he be in pulpit or pew, he needs to be
regenerated by the grace Of God.
/ could prove to q demonstration that |
without revivals this world will never
be converted, and that in 100 Oh 200 |
years without revivals Christianity will
be practically extinct. 1t is a matter of |
astounding arithmetic. In each OF our
modern generations there are at least
80, 900, 900 children Now add 32, OOO,-
900 to the worlds population, and then
have only 100, 900 or 900, 900 converted |
every year, and how long before the world
will be saved? Never-absolutely never!
We Cannot Afford to Be Fools.
During our war the president Of the
United States made proclamation for
rs, 900 troops. Some of you remember
the big stir. But the King Of the uni
verse today asks for 500, 900, 900 moro
troops than are enlisted, and we want
it done softly, imperceptibly, gently, no
excl cement, one by one!
You are dry goods merchant on
large scale, and I am merchant on
small scale, and come to you and want
to buy 1000 yards Of cloth. Do you
say: 'Thank you; I'll sell you 1000
yards of cloth, but I'll sell you 20 yart
today, and 20 tomorrow, and 30 the next
-
sell you the whole 1000 yards; you
will want as long as that to examin
the goods, and I'll want as long as tina;
to examinn tho credit and heSidns that