The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-19
they succeed7 As we'll when Chicago was on

With pail OF cOlQ WaI6t luoE q oAo ooo o.heA
anxious souls on fire. Oh, how much bet.
Ter Il would be TO Law 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 Lot
stop the chariot. but We ourselves Will be
ground to powder.
Did you ever hear that there was @ con-
<ention once held among the fcebergs In the
arctic? It seems that the summer was COM
Ing on, and the sun was getting hotter and
hotter. and there was danger that the whole
lcef1eld would break up and flow away, 80
the tallest and the coolest and the broadest
Of all the icebergs, the very king OF the arc
tics, stood at the head Of the convention.
and with gavel OF Ice smote on q table S or
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 icefleld began to grind up,
iceberg against iceberg, and to flow away.
The first resolution passed by the convention
was, 'sResolved, that we abolish the sun"
But the sun would not be abolished. The
heat OF the sun grew greater and greater
until after awhile the very king OF the ice.
bergs began to perspire under the glow, and
the smaller icebergs fell over, and the cry
was: "Too much excitement Order,
orderr' Then the whole body, the whole
field, Of Ice began to flow out. and thou-
sand 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 ls tne
eternal Spirit. The icebergs are fr1gid
Christians. The warm gulf stream is a great
revival. The ocean into which everything
melted Is the great, wide heart OF the
pardoning and sympathizing God.
But think, after all, the greatest obstacle
70 reyiysls throughout Christendom to-day
ts an unconverted ministry. We must be-
lieye that the vast majority OF those who
oficiate at sacred affairs are regenerated,
but suppose there may float Into the minis
try 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 revlvals.
How did they getinto the ministry Per-
haps some of them chose It as a respectable
profession. Perhaps some chose 1t as
means OF livelihood. Perhaps some OF them !;
we're 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 tn !:
gospel declare, they were preaching and
5ad been ordained to sacred orders years
and years before their hearts were regener-
ated. Gracious God, what asolemn 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
envelopei with revivals. While the pews on
one side the altar cry for mercy the pulplts
on the other side the altar must cry for
mercy. Ministers quarrellng. Ministers
irving to pull each other down, Ministers
Struggling for ecclesiastical place. Ministers
letharnic with whole congregations dying
on their hand. What e spectacle! y; 49,
Aroused pulpits will make aroused pews.
Pulpits aname will make pews aname.
Everybody believes IN revival OF trade.
everybody likes revival In literature. every
body likes revival in artsyet great multi
tude cannot understand revival In matters
OF religion. Depend upon It. where you
find man antagonistic to revivals, whether
he be In pulpit or pew, he needs to be regen-
Grated by the grace OF God. -
could prove to demonstration that
without revivals this world Will never be
converted, and that In 400 or 200 years with
out revivals Christianity will be practically
extinct, II Is q matter Of astounding, ,arlth-
metic, In each of our modern generations
there are at least 81, ,000, 900 children. Now
add so, ,OOO, 900 to the worlds population, and
then have only 100, 900 or 200, 900 converted
eyery wear, and how long before the world
will be sayed2 Never-absolutely never!
During our war the President OF the
United States made proclamation for 75,0oO
troops. Some Of you remember the big STIR
But the King OF the universe to-day asks for
SOC, ,OO0, 900 moro troops than are enlisted,
and we want It done softly, imperceptibly,
gently, no excitement, one by onel
You are dry goods merchant on large
scaie. and am a merchant on small scale,
and I come to you and want to buy 1000
wards Of cloth. Do you say: "Thank you |;
ri sell you 1000 yards Of cloth, but I'll sell
YOU twenty yards to-dey, and twenty to-
morrow, and twenty the next day, and II 1t
takes me six months I'll sell you the whole
1000 yards you will want as long as that to
examine the goods; and I'll want as long as
that to examine the credit, and, besides that.
1000 yards OF cloth are too much to sell all
at once2" No, you do not say that. You
take me into the counting 70 om, and IN ten
minutes the whole transaction Is consum-
mated. The fact is, we cannot afford to be
fools In anything but religion!
That very merchant who on Saturday after
noon sold me the 1000 yards Of cloth at one
stroke the next Sabbath in church will stroke
his beard and wonder whether It would not
be better for 1000 souls to come struggling
along for ten years, instead Of boiling in at
one service.
We talk a good deal about the good times
that are coming and about the worlds re-
demption. How long beforethey will come?
There ia man who says 500 years. Here Is
a man who says 200 years. Here Is some
one more confident who says In fifty years.
What, fifty years2 Do you, propose TO let
two generations pass OH the stage before
A. Ia ady r.
Suppose by some extra prolongation OF
human life at the next fifty years you should
walk around the world, you would not In
all that walk find one person that you recog-
nize. Why2 All dead or 30 changed that
you would not know them. In other words,
II you postpone the redemption OF this
world for fifty years, You admit that the
majority of the two wnoie generations shall
20 of the stage unblessed and unsaved.
tell you the church OF Jesus Christ cannot
consent to 1t. We must pray and toll and
have the revival spirit, and we must strug-
gle to have the whole world saved before the
men and women now In middle life pass of.
"Oh," you say. ''it is too vast az enter
prise to be conducted in 30 short time. "
DO you know how long It would take to save
the whole world II each man would bring an
other. It would take ten years. BY cal
culatton IN compound interest, eacn man
bringing another, and that one another, and
that one another, In ten years the whole
world would be saved. II the world Is not
saved in the next ten years 1t will be the
fault OF the church OF Christ.
Is It too much to expect each one to bring
one? Some OF us must bring more than one
for some will not do their duty. want to
bring 10000 souls. should be ashamed to
meet my God In judgment If, with all my op'
portunities OF commencing Christ to the
people, could not bring 10000 souls. Bu
It Will all depend upon the revival spirit. The
hook and line fishing will not do It.
It seems to me as II God is preparing the
world for some quick and universal move
A Cd olo &