The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1894-12-05
RELIGIOUS REFIVALS.
he" Or. Z aimage Points Out Some of
the Good Fruit Resulting.
some People Find Objections TO the old
Fashioned Awakening The Greas
Preacher Declares the Greatest
Obstacle is an Uneonrcrtcd
Ministry.

DIR. Ialmage chose for the subject of
his sermon through the press last sun
. day. Tine Objections To Religious Re
viva-s.' from the text: Luke v. C:
They enclosed great multitude of
6shes, and their net broke"
Simon and his comrades had cxucr-
fenced the night before what fisher
men call POOR luck Christ steps on
/ board the fishing smack and tells the
sailors % phil 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 tn ken
that the hardy men began TO look red
In the face as they pull. and hardly
have they begun 10 rejoice NJ their
success when snap goes thread Of
their ncc.and snap goes another thread.
so there - danger not only Of losing
the fish. but OF losing the net.
Without much care rs to how much
the boat tits or how much water Is
f. spla>hed on deck, the f-hermen rush
about. gathering up the broken mesheS
OF the net Out youGcr there Is a ship
dancing on the wave, and they hail If:
''Ship ahov, bear down This vav.'' The
ship comes. and both boats, both fish
irr smacizs, are filed with GouuGeriug
I treasures
'-Ah"' says someone. show much bet
te- II would have been if had they
stayed ON shore and .tished with hook
and line. and taken one at a time. in
stead OF having this great excitement.
. and the boat almost upset. ana the net
/ broken. and having 20 call for help,
1 ami Getting sopping wet with the sea-"
. The church Is the boat. the Gospel Is
the net. society Is the sea. and "a great
/ revival Is a whole school brought
I'm at one sweep OF the net.
I have aia.sa-ion Tor that man
who goes out with hook and
lire 70 fish. admire the way he un-
winds the reel, and adjusts the bait,
and drops the hook in q quiet place on
a still afternoon. and here catches one
and there one; bu. l like also a big
boat, and q large crew. and a net d
mile long. and swift oars, and stout
sails. and d stiff breeze. and q great
I multitude OF souls Jrol-ht-so great Il
multitude that you have 20 get help 20
draw II ashore. straining the net To the
utmost until 1t breaks here and there.
letting d few escape, out bringing the
great multitude into eternal safety.
In other words. ] believe in reviyals.
The great work OF saving men began
with 3 900 people joining the church
one dav. and IL viii close with 10000
600 or l0a010010 people saved in n
hours. when nations shall be born In
day. But there are objections to re
vivals. People are opposed TO them be-
cause the net might get broken. and if
10y The pressure of souls It does not get
broken. then they take thei- own pen
knives and slit the net. They inclosed
a great multitude Of fishes and the net
broke"
1t sometimes opposed to revivals of
religion that those who come into the
church At such times do not hold ont;
a. long as there is a gale of blessing
they have their sails mp; but as soon as
strong winds stop blowiu~. 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
I great awakeninCs. and they hold out.
. VINO are the prominent men in the
United States in churches. in PRAYER
meetings. in Sabbath-schools? For the
most part they are the product of great
aNyakeninEs.
/ have noticed that those who are
brought into the kingdom of Goo
through REVEALS have more persistence
and more determination in the Chris
tian life than those who come in under
a low state Of religion. People born
in an ice house may live, bat they viii
never get over the cold they caught in
1 the ice house. y cannon ball de- ends
upon the impulse with which II starts
for how far it shall go. and how syif-
lv: and the greater the revival force
with which a soul is started, the more
= far-reaching and far-re>Ounding viii
be the execution
But Il is sometimes objected TO reviv-
ais that there is so much excitement
that people mistake hysteria for re
licion.
We must admit that in every revival
Of religion there is either "a suppressed
or d demonstrated excitement. In
deed. + Z man can 20 ont OF a state of
condemnation into state of accept
ance with God. or see others 90. with
ont any agitation of soul. he is in an
unhealthy morbid state, and is as re-
. uulsive and absurd as man who
should boast he saw child snatched
out from undera 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 for
b ever If such a tremendous thing that
If a man tells me he can look on II
without any agitation l doubt his
Christianity The fact is that some
times excitement is the most impor-
taut possible thing. In case Of resus-
citation from drowning or freezing
b the one idea is 70 excite animation.
p Before conversion we are dead. It 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. j
1t makes us do that which is bad it is
bad excitement; but II 1t makes us ag'
itated about our eternal welfare, # il
makes us attend upon Christian ser
vice. If it makes US cry unto God fol
mercy, then it is a good excitement.
1t is sometimes said that during re
vivals Of religion great multitudes Of
children and young people are brought
into the church; and they do not know
what they are about. 1t has been my
observation that the earlier peOpl,
come into the Kingdom of God III
more useful they are.
Robert Hill. the prince of Bap' is
preachers. was converted at 70 years 0
age. 1t is supposed he knew what h
was about. Matthew Henry. the com
81 mentator. who did more than any MAJ
= Of his century for Increasing the in
tcrest in the study of the Scriptures
was converted at Il years Of age Isa
bella Graham, immortal in the Chris
tan church was converted at i
ve1rs Of age. Or. Watts. whose hymn.
viii be sumo an down she ages, wa
converted ut o wears OF age. Jonathan
Elwaras perhaPs the faightiest intel
lect sfat the -imser'can 2 - -ee
dree5. was converted al 4 years oi age
and lat fd.aeI -ad mother take al
= awful iesponsilihZ whel t.ic .el
a their child at seven years 81 a5e- -
arr TOO Young to BE Christian. o
q 49,, ..ro 100, ,-o,,f,rr to connect rot1f