The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-19
REV, DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Objections to Relis-
ious RevivaIs.'

Subject: "The Objections to Relis-
ious Revivals."
TEXT ''They inclosed great multitude
of fishes, and their net brake. Luke ", 6.
Simon and his comrades had experienced
the night before what fishermen call "poor
luck" Christ steps on board the fishing
smack and tells the sailors to pull away from
the beach and directs them again to sink the
net. Sure enough. very soon the net is full
of fishes. and the sailors begin to haul In.
So large school Of fish was taken that the
hardy men begin to look red IN the face as
they pull, and hardly have they begun to re-
joice at their success when snap goes
thread of the net. and snap goes another
thread, so there is danger not only Of losing
the fish, but Of losing the net.
Without mnch care as to how much the
boat tilts or how much water is splashed on
deck. the fishermen rush about gathering
up the broken meshes OF the net. Out
wave, and they hail It, "Ship ahoy, bear
down this way" The ship comes, and
both boats, both fishing smacks, are filled
with the foundering treasures.
"Ah, says some one, show much better
It would have been II they had staid on
shore, and f1shed with hook and line, and
taken one at time. instead OF having this
great texcitement.' and the boat almost upset.
and the net broken. and having to call for
help. and getting sopping wet with the
seaw The church is the boat, the gospel is
the net, society is the sea. and great re-
vivar is whole school brought In at one
that man who goes out with hook and line
to fish. admire the way he unwinds the
reel and adjusts the bait and drops the
hook In quiet place on still AFTER
noon, and here catches one and there
one, but like also big boat. and
a large crew, and a net mile long, and swift
oars, and stout sails, and stiff breeze, and
great multitude Of souls brought-so great
multitude that you have to get help to
draw It ashore-straining the net to the ut
most until It breaks here and there, letting
few escape, but bringing the great multitude
into eternal safety. s-..t
In other words, believe In revlvals. The
great work ofsaving men began with 5000
people joining the church In one day, and It
will close with ,40, 900 900 or 100, ,000 900 peo-
pie saved in "A hours, when nations shall be
born in day. But there are objections to
revivals. People are. opposed to them be-
cause the net might get broken. and II by
the pressure OF souls It doest not get broken,
then they take their own penknives and slit
the net. "They inclosed great multitude
Of fishes, and the net brake" ~,
II Is sometimes opposed to reyivals OF re-
Hgion that those who come Into the church
at such times do not hold out as long as
there is a gale Of blessing they have their
sails up, but as soon as strong winds stop
blowing then they drop into a dead calm:
But what are the facts in the casef In all
our churches the vast majority Of tho useful
people are those who are brought IN under
great awakenlngs, and they hold out. Who
are the prominent men IN the United States
In churches, in prayer meetings, IN Sabbath
schools? For the most part they are thepro-
duct of great awakenings.
have noticed that those who are brought
into the kingdom of God through revivals
have more persistence and more determtna-
ton In the Christian life than those who
come in under low state OF religion. Peo1
pie born In an icehouse may live, but they
VIII never get over the cold they caught In
the icehousel A cannon ball depends upon.
the impulse with which II starts for how far
Il shall go and how swiftly, and the greater
the revival force with which o soul Is started
the more farreaching and far resoundtng Will
be the execution. 1t-'
But It is sometimes objected to revivals
that there Is 30 mnch excitement that people
mistake hysteria for religion. -
We must admit that in every revival OF re-
ligion there is either q. suppressed or
demonstrated excitement. Indeed II man
q state OF acceptance with God, orsee others
20, without any agitation OF soul, he Is In an
unhealthy, morbid state, and Is as repulsive
and absurd, as man who should boast ne
saw a child snatched out from under a
horses hoofs and felt no agitation, or saw
man rescued from the fourth story OF
house on fire and felt no acceleration OF the
pulses. a =
Salvation from sin and death and hell into
life and peace and heaven forever ts such
tremendous thing that II q man tells me he
can look on It without any agitation doubt
his Christianity. The fact Is that sometimes
excitement IS the most important possible
thing. In case OF reeuscitation from drown
ing or freezing. the one idea is to excite ami
nation. Before conversion we are dead. 1t
is the business OF the church to revive,
arouse, awaken, resuscitate, startle into lite.
Excitement Is bad or good according to what
1t makes rs do. II It makes Us dothat which
is bad, It Is bad excitement, but II 1t make Us
agitated about our eternal welfare, II It
make Us pray, If It make US attend upon
Christian service, II 1t make rs cry unto God
for mercy, then ii Is good excitement.
It Is sometimes said that during revirals
Of religion great multitudes Of children and
young people are brought into the church,
and they do not know what they are about.
It has been my observation that the earlier
people come into the kingdom Of God the
more useful they are.
= Robert Hall, the prince Of Baptist preach
ers, was converted at twelve years OF age. 1t
Is supposed he knew what he was about.
Matthew Henry, the commentator, who did
more than any man Of his century tor in
creasing the interest in the study Of the
Scriptures, was converted at eleven years OF
age Isabella Graham, immortal IN the
Christian church, was converted at ten
years OF age; DR.. Watts, whose hymns will
be sung all down the ages, was converted at
nine years Of age Jonathan Edwards, per-
hnps the mightiest intellect that the Ameri
can pulpit ever produced, was converted at
seven years OF age. and that father and
mother take an. awful responsibility when
they tell their child at seven years Of age,
''You are too young to be Christian" or
s'You are too young to connect yourself with
the church." That is mistake as long as
eternity. 49,.
II during q revival two persons present
themselves as candidates for the church, and
the one Is ten years OF age, and the other is
loIty yodt6 VI dSe. WILL a6Vo mofe cOuu-
dence In the profession of religion Of the one
ten years OF age than the one forty years OF
age. Why? The one who processes at forty
years OF age has forty years OF impulse In
the wrong direction to correct, the child has
only ten years in the wrong direction to
correct. Four times ten are forty. Four
times the religious prospect for the lad that
comes into the kingdom of God, and into
the church at ten years OF age than the man
at forty.
I am very apt to look upon revivals as con-
nected with certain men who foster them.
People who In this day do NOT like reYivals,