The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-04-22
RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS.
By REV. J. o. COUGH, MANNING, S. C.
REVIvALS.

REv1vALS-
The Lord gave US true way OF
success in all Christian work, and
more especially in what is called a
revival. He said that the work is ac-
complished mot by might nor by
power, but by my Spirit" The Holy
Spirit filing the hearts of church
members make the church Spiritual.
The Spirit of God alone can give a
revival. I have less confidence every
year in the revival work as carried on
by the evangelist. knew an evan
gelist once in my own town to carry
on series Of meetings and at the
close claimed that two hundred peo'
pie had been converted. Six months
or less had not passed before all who
| were moved" were in the same state
Of living, To this day know OF but
one who held out faithful in the
| church and lived a Christian life
Give US a revival that will last. But
I sometimes think that the preachers
make mistake in this special SER
vice. A revival means the awakening
and reviving of the church members
and not so much the gathering in o.
the lost
a sinner, as 1 understand it, is rep,
resented az being "dead IN sin,
hence he has nothing or but little tc
revive. Let US in this special work
seek to arouse the church, and wher
the stumbling blocks" are out OF the
way and the Eternal Spirit fills oul
hearts, the slost will be found" and
the sinners saved.
We sincerely hope and pray thai
the revival now in progress at the
Methodist church may be the cieans
in Gods hands Of sloriously revivine
the church. and bringing back and
binding by the bonds of love those
sheep that have gone astray" ano
the saving Of the lost in our midst.
PRAYER MEETlNG
We would be so glad to have re-
vival in our prayer service. So few
of all our churches seem to feel Ike
they have auy interest in the prayer
meeting. Glow many members o.
your church attend the prayer meet
iugs?" Il am sorry to say but very
few indeed" This is the ccnversa
ton that I recently heard between
two ministers.
What will you do or think OF
church with membership of three
hundred and fifty and only about
thirty or forty at the week day se1'
vice?" This is a question that re-
mains to be answered.
One has said that ''the prayer meet
ing is the thermometer of the
church" If this be true, many ot
our churches are not only freezing
but they are below zero. When the
time comes for prayer-meetiug "they
all with one consent begin to make
excuses" with, of course, a few ez.
ceptions to the call"
DR.. S. g. Dixon, OF Brooklyn, N. Y.
said in Raleigh, n. c., last week
sWhenever I find church member
quit attending prayer meeting, I say
to myself, she has been eating mess
of onions If some sLrewd Yankee
trader among the Egyptians had fol.
lowed the marching Israelites with
sleek and garlic for sale. he would
have made his fortune
The prayer meeting is an impor:
tant service and you ought to attend
because you need the benefit to be
derived from it yourself. BY so at.
tending. you will strengthen you,
pastor and the faithful men and wo.
men who attend, and by attending
the prayer meeting you can please
God and serve Him better.
NEW STOCK.
"I wish to call the attention OF my
friends end the public to my new
stock of liquors, which I honestly
claim will make dTunkards, paupers
and beggars for the sober, industri'
Gus and respectable community tc
support. My liquor will excite you
to robbery, riot and murder, increase
your expenses, and shorten yoar life
Ny liquor will make fathers fiends
wives widows, mothers cruel, chill
dren orphans. As reference refer
you to the pawn-shop. poor-house
police Office, hospital, the jail anc
gallows." l would like to suggest
that this SIGN be hung out at the