The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-12-13
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The objections to Reiig
ious Revivals.'

| OF rSheS. ana their net DIdht. -IuhO 'st "
simon and his comrades had experienced
the night before what fishermen call 'pool
luck" Christ steps on board the fishing
smack and tells the sailors topull away from
the beach and directs them again to sink tht
net. Sure enough, very soon the net IS fui
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-
ioice 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 much care as to how much the
boat Tits or how much water Is splashed on
, deck, the fishermen rush about gathering
ND the broken meshes of the net. OUT
Wonder there is ship dancing on the
wave, and they hail it, "Ship alloy, bear
down this wayr' The ship comes, and
both boats, both fishing smacks, are filled
with the foundering treasures.
"Ab," says some one, chow much better
it would have been If they had staid ON
shore, and fished with hook and line and
taken one at a time. instead of having this
great excitement. and the boat almost upset.
and the net broken. and having to call for
help. and getting sopping wet with the
scar The church is tue boat, the gospel IS
the net. society is the sea. and great re-
sweep OF the net. / have admiration for
that man who goes out with a 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 1 like also big boat. and
a large crew and net mile long, and swift
oars, and stout sails, and a stiff breeze, and
n great multitude of souls brought-so great
q multitude that you have to get help to
draw it demonstrating the net to the ut
most until it breaks here and there letting
few escape but bringing the great multitude
into eternal safety.
In other words, l believe in revivals. The
great work fsaving men began with 3OoO
people joining the church in one day. and 1t
will close with 40, 900, 900 or 100, 600 900 peo-
pie saved in "a hours, when nations shall be
born in a 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 1t doest not get broken,
then they take their own penknives and slit
the net. "They inclosed great multitude
OF fishes, and the net brake"
1t is sometimes opposed to revivals OF re-
ligion that those who come into the church
at such times do not hold out as long as
there is gale of blessing they have their
sails up, but as soon as strong winds stop
blowing then they drop into dead calm.
But what are the facts in the case? In all
our churches the vast majority OF the useful
people are those who are brought in under
great awakenIngs, 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 the pro-
duct of great awakenings.
l have noticed that those who are brought
into the kingdom of God through reviyals
have more persistence and moro determina-
ton in the Christian life than those who
come in under low state of religion. Peo-
pie born in an icehouse may live, but they
will never get over the cold they caught in
the icehouse! A cannon ball depends upon
the impulse with which it starts for how far
it shall go and how swiftly, and the greater
the revival force with which soul is started
the moro farreaching and far resounding will
be the execution.
But it is sometimes objected to revivals
that there IL so much excitement that people
mistake hysteria for religion.
We must admit that In every revival of re-
ligion there is either q suppressed or a
demonstrated excitement. Indeed If a man
can go out Of state of condemnation into
a state OF acceptance with God, rsee others
go, without any agitation of soul, he is in an
unhealthy, morbid state, and is as repulsive
and absurd as a man who should boast he
saw a child snatched out from under a
horses hoofs and felt no agitation, or saw a
man rescued from the fourth story OF a
house on fire and felt no acceleration OF the
pulses.
Salvation from sin and death and hell into
life and peace and heaven forever Is such a
tremendous thing that II 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 resuscitation 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 life.
Excitement is bad or good according to what
it makes us do. If 1t makes us dothat which
is bad, it is bad excitement, but if it make US
agitated about our eternal welfare, II II
make us pray, If it make US attend upon
Christian service, If 1t make us cry unto God
for mercy, then it is a good excitement.
1t is sometimes said that during revivals
of religion great multitudes OF children anc
young people are brought into the church
and they do not know what they arc about
1t has been my observation that the Garlic
people come into the kingdom of God thu
more useful they are.
Robert Hall, the prince OF Baptist preach
ers, was converted at twelve years of age.
is supposed he knew what he was about
Matthew Henry, the commentator, who di,
moro imam any man OF MS century Tor IN
creasing the interest in the study OF tn
| Scriptures, was converted at eleven years Q
age; Isabella Graham, immortal in tn
Christian church, was converted at te
years OF age; DIR. Watts, whose hymns vii
be sung all down the ages, was converted a
nine years of age; Jonathan Edwards, pei
haps the mightiest intellect that the Amer
can pulpit ever produced. was converted Il
seven years OF age. and that father an
mother take an awful responsibility whel
they tell their child at seven years of age
You are too young to be Christian" o
You are too young to connect yourself wit
tho church That is q mistake as long a
eternity.
Ii during revival two persons presen
themselves as candidates for the church IAN
the one Is ten years OF age, and the other i
forty years OF age, l will have more conf
dence in the profession of religion OF the on
ten years OF age than the one forty years c
age Why? The one who processes at fort
years Of age has forty years OF impulse j
the wrong direction to correct, the child ha
only ten years in the wrong direction t
correct. Four times ten are forty. Fou
times the religious prospect for the lad tina
comes into the kingdom of God. and int
the church at ten years of age than the ma
at forty.
am very apt look upon revivals as col
nected with certain men who foster then
| ppOnla Wbo In fhis dow do ont lila raui