Democratic messenger., 1894-12-08

Robert Hall, the prince of Baptist
preachers, was converted AT II years Of
age II is supposed he knew what he
was about Matthew Henry. III" com
mcntatcr. who did more than any man
of his century for increasing the inter
est in the study of the Scriptures. WAS
converted at II years Of age: Isabella
Graham. immortal in the Christian
church. WAS converted III 10 years of
age; DIR. Watts. whose hymns will be
sung all down the ages, was converted
at . years of age: Jonathan Edwards,
perhaps the mightiest intellect that the
American pulpit ever produced, Was con
vertcd at ! years of age, and that father
and mother take an awful responsible
ty when they tell their child at : years
of age, "You are too young to be y
Christian, or "You are too young to
connect yourself with the church. =
That is mistake as long as eternity.
Early Conversions.
If during 4 revival two persons pre-
sent themselves rs candidates for the
church. and the one is 10 years Of age,
and the other is 10 years of age, / will
have more confidence III the profession
of religion Of the one 10 years of age
than the one 40 years of age. Why:
Tho one who processes at 10 years of
age has 10 years of impulse i'll the
wrong direction to correct, the child has
only 10 years i'll the wrong direction
to correct. Four times 10 are 30. Four
times the religious prospect for the lad
that comes into the kingdom of God.
and into the church at 10 years of age
than the man at 10.
l am very apt to look upon revivals
rs connected with certain men who foS
tered them. People who i'll this day do
not like revivals nevertheless have
not words TO express their admiration
for the revivaliSts of the past, for they
We're revivalists-.Jonathan Edwards,
John Wesley, George Whiteficld, Fletch-
er, Griffin, Davies, Osborn, Knapp,
Ncttlcton and many others whose names
come t. my mind. The strength Of
their intellect and the holiness of their
lives make me think they would not
have anything to do with that which
was ephcmcral. Oh, it is easy to talk
against revivals.
a man said 10 Mr.. Dawson: Il like
your sermons very much. but the after
meetings I despisc When the PRAYER
meeting begins, | always go up into the
gallery and look down, and | am dis
guSted. p" "Well," said Ir. Dawson.
''the reason is you go ON the top of
your neighbor's house and look down
his chimney To examine his fire, and Of
course you only get smoke III your eyes.
Why don't you come i'll the door and
sit down and warm
Oh, l am afraid to say anything
against revivals of religion, or against
anything that looks like them, because
think it may be n sin against the Holy
Ghost, and you know the Bible says
that a sin against the Holy Ghost shall
never bc forgiven. neither III this world
nor the world TO come. Now. if you are
a painter. and speak against your pic
lures, do j not speak against You: If
you are IN architect, and speak against
a building you put up. do / not speak
against you? If revival be the work
of the Holy Ghost, and speak against
that revival, do | not speak against the
Holy Ghost And whosoever speaketh
against the Holy Ghost. says the BIZ
bic. he shall never be forgiven. neither
i'll this world nor in the world 10 come.
l think sometimes people have made II
fatal mistake i'll this direction.
The beginning of Sin.
Many Of you know the history Of
Aaron Burr. He was one of the most
brilliant men of his day l suppose this
country never produced stronger in
telcct He was capable of doing any
thing good and great for his country or
for the church of God had lie been right
ly disposed, but his name is associated
with treason against the United States
government, which he tried to over
throw, and with libertipism and public
immortality
Do y0u know where Aaron Burr start
ed on the downward road? 1t was when
he was i'll college, and he became anx-
ious about his soul and was about 10
put himself under the influences of y
revival, and minister of religion said:
Don't go there, Aaron; don't 20 there;
that's place of wildiirc and great ex-
citcment; 10 religion about that; don
go there" He tarried away. His seri-
ous impressions departed. He started
on the downward road. And who Is re-
sponSible for his ruin? Was it the min-
lister who warned him against that re-
vival?
When ! am speaking OF excitement
in revivalS, of course / do not mean
temporary arrangement of the nerves.
do not mean the absurd things Of which
we have read rs transpiring sometimes
in the church of Christ, but mean an
intelligent. intense, all absorbing agi-
tation of body, mind and soul i'll the
work Of spiritual escape and spiritual
rescue.
Now / come to the real, genuine
cause Of objection TO rcvivals. That l.
the coldncss of the objector. II i the
secret and hidden but unmistakahlo
cause i'll every case-a low St2sc of rcli-
gion III the heart. Wide awaAe, conse-
Grated. useful Christians are never
afraid of rcvivals. II Is the spiritually
dead who are afraid of having their ;, p
ulchcr molcStcd The chief agents OF
the devil during great awakening are
always unconVerted professors of rcli-
gion. As soon as ChriSt'S work begins
they begin to gossip against it. and tak,
a pail of water and try to put nut this
spark of religious influence. and they
try to put ont another spark. llo they
succeed: As well when Chicago WAS az
fire might some one have gone uat with
garden water pot trying To ext nguiSh
il.
a Fail Of Cold Water.
The difficulty is that when 4 revival
begins in Il church il begins at So many
points that while you have doused on'
anxious soul with u pail of cold water
there are 500 other anxious soul, Oh fire.
ANY one who has children will rcioc'
with l.. i. milford, of plainiield. y. j
IJi. l;ttl,. la, nN, RparS al ntsc ,taS ~i,.i