The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1895-01-04

minister who warned him against that re-
viveiY
Now come TO the real, genuine cause Of
objection TO REVEALS. That is the GOODNESS
of the obiecsor. II is the secret and hidden
but unmistnhable cause in every ease-a low
state Of religion III the heart. Wide awake
conseerated, useful Christians are never
afraid Of revivals. Il Is the spiritually dead
who are afraid Of having their sepulcner
molested. The chief agents Of the dovil dur
ing great awakening are always uneon-
verified professors Of religion. As soon as
Christ'a work begins theY begin to gossip
against II. and takea pail 81 wateran try 10
put out this spark 81 religious influence,
and they try TO put out another spark. 10
admiration for the ravlvallsts Of the past, for
they were eyiyallsts-Jon afhan Edwards,
John Wesley, George Whlteleld, Grimm,
Davies, Osborn, Knapp, Nettleton and many
others whose names come to 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
ephemeral. Oh, It is easy to talk against re-
Ylyals.
DO You know where Aaron Burr started
on the downward road9 1t Wis when he
was In college, and he became anxious
about his soul and was about TO put himself
under the influence OF a revival and min
ASlGA VI ANASANn Hdtu 4Qn ~ AuEA6f
Aaron; don't 90 there that's a place OF
wildfre and great excitement; no religion
about that don't go there" He tarried
they succeed? AS well when Chicago was on
IRE might some one have gone out with
garden water pot trying to extinguish it.
The difficulty Is that when q revival be-
gins In church it begins at so many points
that while you have doused oneanxious soul
with a pail OF cold water there are 300 other
anxious souls on fire. oh, how much bet
ter 1t would be to lay 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 viii not
stop the chariot but We ourselves will be
ground to powder.
Did you ever hear TINT there was con-
vention once held among the ieebergs 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
iceheld would break up and flow away. so
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 a gavel of Ice smote on Fl table OF
ice, calling the convention 10 order. But the
sun kept growing in intensity Of heat AMI
the south wind blew stronger and stronger,
and soon all the icefleid began to grind up.
NAs3ANAA A8AAn9t AgtBEAEt dI0 IL A0W away
The first resolution passed BY the convention
was, Resolved, 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 lee
bergs began TO perspirs under the glow, and
the smaller icebergs fell over, and the cry
was: "Too much excitement Order,
orderw 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 now2 Where are we floating TOP
We win all break to pieces" By this time
the ieebergs had reached the gulf stream,
and they were melted into the bosom of the
Atlantic Ocean. The warm sun is the
eternal Spirit. The icebergs are frigid
Christians. The warm gulf stream Is 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
to revivals throughout Christendom to-day
is an uneonverted ministry. We must be-
lieve that the vast majority of those who
ofieiate 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
antagonists to reyiyals.
How did they getinto the ministry Per-
haps some Of them chose it as a respectable
profession. Perhaps some chose 1t as O
means OF livelihood. Perhaps some OF them
were sincere, but we're mistaken. As Thomas
Chalmers said, he had been many years
preaching the gospel before his heart had
been changed, and, as many ministers of the
gospel declare, theywere preaching and
had been ordained to sacred orders years
and years before their hearts were regener-
ated. Gracious God, what a solemn 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
envelcped with reviyals. While the pews on
one side the altar cry for mercy the pulpits
on the other side the altar must cry for
mercy. Ministers quarreling. Ministers
trying to pull each other down Ministers
struggling for ecclesiastical place. Ministers
lethargic with whole congregations dying
on their hand. What spectacle
Aroused pulpits will make aroused paws.
Pulpits aname will make pews ahame.
Everybody believes In a revival of trade,
everybody likes revival in literature, every
body likes q revival In art, yet great multi
tude cannot understand revival In matters
of religion. Depend upon 1t. where you
find man antagonistic to revlvals, whether
be be In pulpit or pew, he needs to be regen-
Grated by the grace of God.
I could prove to demonstration that
without revlvals this world will never be
converted, and that In 100 or 200 years with
out revivals Christianity will be practically
extinct. It Is matter of astounding arith-
metic. In each Of our modern generations
there are at least 81, 100000 children. Now
add 80, 900 900 to the worlds population, and
then have only 100000 or 100000 converted
agery year, and how long before the world
will be saved2 Neyer-absolutely never
During our war the President of the
United States made proclamation for 10, 900
troops. Some of you remember the big stir
But the King Of the universe to-day asks for
800, 000,0 600 more troops than are enlisted,
and we want 1t done softly, imperceptibly,
gently, no excitement, one by one
You are dry goods merchant on a large
scale, and am a merchant On a small scale,
and come to you and want TO buy 1000
yards Of cloth. Do you say; "Thank you /;
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