Connecticut western news., 1895-03-28

ence. It was the Holy Ghost. What useful thing it would be if every minis ter would give the history of his ser mons! Years ago at an outdoor meet ing in the state of New York preached to many thousands. There had been much prayer on the grounds for great outpouring of the Holy Ghost at that service, and the awakening power ex- ceeded anything I ever witnessed since began to preach, with perhaps the ex- oeption of two or three occasions. Cler- gymen and Christian workers by the score and hundreds expressed themselves as having been blessed during the serv- ice. That afternoon took the train for an outdoor meeting in the state of Ohio, where l was to preach on the night of the next day. As the sermon had proved so useful the day before and the thome was fresh in my mind, resolved to re- produce it, and did reproduce it as far as could, but the result was nothing at all Never had l seemed to have any thing to do with flatter failure. What was the difference between the two serv- ices? Some will say, You were tired with a long journey. No, was not tired at all. Some will say, "The tenn poraI circumstances ill the first case were more favorable than in the last. <" No, they were more favorable in the last. Tho difference was ill the power of the Holy Ghost-mightily present at the first service, not seemingly present at all at the second. I call upon the ministers of America to give the history of sermons, for I believe it will illus trate as nothing else can the truth of that Scripture, Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord"
 On the Sabbath of the dedication of one of our churches in Brooklyn, at the morning service, 32s souls stood up to profess Christ. They were the converts in the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where we had been worshiping. The re- ception of so many members-and many of them baptized by immersion-had made it an arduous service, which con- tinued from half past 10 in the morn ing until half past 3 in in the after noon. From that service we went hcme exhausted, because there is nothing so exhausting as deep emo- | tion. A messenger was sent out to l obtain a preacher for that night, but | the search was unsuccessful, as all the ministers wore engaged for some other | place. With no preparation at all for | the evening service, except the looking | in Cruden s Concordance for text and | feeling almost too weary to stand up, ! began the service, saying audibly while | the opening song was being sung, al- | though because of the singing no one but | God heard it.: 70 Lord, thou knowest | my insuficiency for this servicel Come | down in gracious power upon this peo- | pie. The place was shaken with the di | vine presence. As far as we could find | out, over 4G0 persons were converted | that night. Hear it, all young men en- | tering the ministry; hear it. all Chris | tian workers. It was the Holy Ghost. In the Second Reformed church of Somerville, N. J., in my boyhood days, Mir. Osborne, tho evangelist. came to hold a special service. see him now as he stood ill the pulpit. Before he au- | nounced his text and before he had ut | tered word of his sermon strong men | wept aloud, and it was like the day of | judgment. It was the Holy Ghost.
 | A Wonderful Power.
 In 1857 the electric telegraph bore strange messages. One of them read, My dear parents will rejoice to hear that I have found peace with God" | Another read, Dear Mother. the work continues. and l, too, have been convert ed. !" Another read, "At last faith and peace. In Vermont religious meeting i was singing the hymn, Waiting and Watching For Me' The song rolled out on the night air, and n man halted and said, 'I wonder if there will be any one waiting and watching for me?" It started him heavenward. What was it? The Holy Ghost. In that 1857 Jaynes' hall, Philadelphia, and Fulton street prayer meeting, New York, telegraphed each other the number of souls saved and the rising of the devotional tides. Monday prayer meetings were held in all the cities. Ships came into harbor, captain and all the sailors saved on that voyage. Police and fire departments met in their rooms for divine worship. At Albany the legislature of the state of New York assembled in the rooms of the court of appeals for religious serv- ices. Congressional union prayer meet ing was opened at Washington. From . whence came the power? From the Holy Ghost That power shook New York.
 That power shook America. That power shook the Atlantic ocean. That power shook the earth. That power could take this entire audience into the peace of the gospel quicker than you could lift your eyes heavenward. Come, Holy Ghost! Come, Holy Ghost He has comei He is here I feel him in my heart. There are thousands who feel him in their hearts, convicting some,
 saving some, sanctifying some.
 The difference in evangelical useful
 ness is not go much a difference in
 brain, ill scholarship or elocutionary gifts as ill Holy Ghost power. You will not have much surprise at the extraor- dinary career of Charles G. Finney as 8 soul winner, if you know that soon after his conversion he had this experience of
 the Paraclete. He says:
 "As turned and was about to take a seat by the fire received baptism of
 the Holy Ghost. Without any expecta-
 tion of it, without ever having the
 thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recol-
 lection that I had ever heard the thing
 mentioned by any person in the world,
 the Holy Ghost descended upon me in a
 manner that seemed to go through me,
 body and soul. Indeed, it seemed to
 come in waves and waves of liquid love,
 for could not express it in any other
 way. It seemed like the very breath of
 God. can recollect distinctly that it
 seemed to fan me like immense wings.
 No words can express the wonderful love
 that was shed abroad in my heart I
 wept aloud with joy and love. These