The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-25
HAS IT'S EBB TIDE
REV. j. r. STOUT SAYS RELIGION
is NOT ALWAYS PROGRESS
SIVE,
BUT THE REACTION COUNTS,
AND THE FLOW OF BLESSING Is
STRON GER THAN THE
EBR.
Religions Darkest Days Were Just
Before the Coming of the
'- NazaFene.

rev. y. r. Stout, d. D., preached at
the First NJ. E. church on Sunday
morning on "a Needed Quickening."
taking his text from Rev. XII. II: And
after three days and an half, the spirit
of life from God entered into them. and
they stood upon their feet, and great
fear fell upon them that saw them"
lie said in part:
The purpose of the mornings discussion Is
not TO advance any fanciful theory Of proph-
ecy, or attempt to find the time in human
history indicated by the author Of the Apoca-
typse, out merely to Gull for our own use some,
trutns that have to 90 with Christian life
IN all times. The text is the climax Of
9 gram passage which gives in pictorial
form some definite teachings. The two wit
nesSes mentioned stand for the spirit of low
atty IN all generations The LANGUAGE gives
US ghmpses Of the heroic acts of Moses.
Elijah and, at the Climax Jesus The proc,
eSseS by which the witnesses of God accom-
plish their work are likewise outlined. Tbev
represent witnessing church and ministry
are u1vlnely endowed with power, make their
appeais IN attestation to the truth in fiery
speech ana even, through God have a hold
on the powers Of the external world.
me me whole passage is revelation of Gods
netnod5 or power made necessary by the
obst2nacy and duli1ess Of the people with
whom he deals To the facts OF steps IN this
progressive method, attention Is called
GOD has allowed in all ages Of the worlds
history seasons OF great religious depression
the GIBBS in the tides Of His power allowed
them In the sense that He has not seen fit
10 use the resources of mere power to avert
them From the revelation of Himself in tbe
blessed relations of fellowship pictured in the
story OF Eden, followed the dark period OF
unbell@f and cruelty in the world heforo the
flood issuing IN spiritual darkness % n re-
round that the striving of the spirit virtually
ceased with the rebellious race The first
tioe OF cVine blessing ebbed and the sons
CT God were struggling in the mfre Of polIu
ton and sin.
The second rising wave of blessing, which
appeared in the revelation of God to Abra-
nam, ana through him to his chosen race
had Its ebb in captivity IN Egypt where +he
lives OF the favored Of God were made bitter
py nard bondage, the knowledge Of the new
revelation was almost blotted out and night
CT despair settled upon the race for which
there seemed to be no morning The witnesses
TO r the truth seemed dead in the streets
me THIRD ebb followed the esteb liShino of
Israel in the land Of promise and the mar
Vicious development OF the nation Israel was
lea away captive into Assyria and Judah
to Babylon In the streets of foreion citiar
the witnesses again Law dead in the streets.
they were the object Of the darision Of fheir
enemies. Their glorious temple was razed n
tne earth, the walls Of their mightiest city
We're overthrown, and they were slaves to
the WorshiperS Of idols. The remnant walled
out its woe by the streams OF Babylon and
ceased to sing upon God in measures of
The church of Christ has likewise
mad its Gibbs in the tides of divine power
by means Of which it has made its marked
advance. Pentecost and the phenomenal
growth through the agency Of the HOLY Shirt
were followed by the dark ages when truth
was covered in the filthy garments of super
stluon, time when cruelty and venaEtv and
fanaucism thronged the affairs oft he Christian
church, as though they had a right in hoIv
places: The rising tide of reformation ebbad
again IN unbeIief and frivolity until it seemed
that nowhere was place where Gods wit
nesses were able to declare the messages az
good viii and peace to dying men. In fact
to a greater or less degree there have hnen
and are seasons Of religious depression which
have in their time given and do give main
and trouble to all the loyal sons of God and
we need not be astonished to see them still.
The seeo"d teaching of the context is that
the world comNosed of the enemies of tbe
ruin eXults when the witnesses lie dead
They suffer not their bodies to be put in
graves. rejoice over them. and make merry
and send gifts. one to another because of tha
TWO who had tormented them. The ante
diluvfans scoffed at old Noah; Egypt sneered
at Israel; Babylon asked In derison of the
Jewish captfves for the songs of ZION rs a
rare curiosity. and unberef exulted in every
period OF powerfess witnesses as a sign If
falling gosEpel. The time for reioicinp has
rules centuries: He buries his workers sve
leaves them at times at the mercy Of a mock
really never forRets them who stand for Him
or His truth ard this leads us to tha nevt
stem in the divine process
Every season Of death is followed by
sion by divine revealment Of power; every
ebb by tidal wave of blessing. This "a
the promise Of the text IN to which the whole
passage leads This is the supreme encour-
agement to the Christian In the time of emptv
affairs and ltfeless witnesses. From the cor
rupt life of the early world. the projection
OF which into the future would have wrecked
all the civilizations of the future. by the
revelation of His power in the food of great
waters was given q new chance for the
world toward purity and God. Egypt awaked
from its period of seorn to time Of scourr-
Ing and beheld the seemingly dead witnesses
awake, and saw the nation they had scorned
delivered tn spite Of their boasted power and
at last established in the land of promise.
Babylon. too, awoke to see the desnised people
throw OF their sackcloth, open their hitherto
silent lips and in voice and act praise Him
who delivered and restored them to their
home, temple and worship. In the darkest
hour of the Christian church. the voice of
Him who raiseth from the dead reached the
ear OF a monk. who on his knees was climb
ing Pilates stairway In Rome and IN his
heart 1t spake THE Just shan live BY
faith" fIe became living witness. and God
added others through whom resurrsetion
came to the church Of Christ cnecarth That
period Of spiritual death In Chsistlart, England
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