The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-23
The Death OF Evangelist Moody.

By the death OF Mr. MOODY the last Of
the great revivalists or evangelists has
passed away, for his methods OF arousing
religious concern and his doctrines were
substantially the same as those OF tho
revivalists OF the early part OF this century
who gathered together the nucleus OF our
now most numerous Protestant Churches.
1t may be eaid OF him that he laid stress
on the love Of COP rather than on the ter
rors OF the Judgment Day, but both
were included In his belief. He was
one Of the plain people" OF LIN
COLIN. He had none OF the terribly In
tense logic with which FINNKY blanched
tho countenances OF his awe-struck hearers.
and was gentle OF speech as compared with
JACOB KNAPP In his sledge-hammer assaults
on the wicked. Mr.. MoopY's effort was to
persuade men TO become Christians after
the pattern he deemed requisite to their
salvation. He was not a theologian, not q
trained thinker. not educated, not gracious
In manner. not cultivated In language, but
he had definite and positive belief and
he was firmly convinced that COP had COM
missioned him to impress 1t on men to
enable them to attain everlasting life.
The time when Mr.. MOODY, with his sing
ing partner. Mr.. SASKEY, exercised his most
powerful influence as a revivalist In both
this country and England had receded into
the past, however, when few weeks ago he
was disabled by the illness which has
now eliminated In his death. 1t was dur
Ing the period running from about 1870
to 1890 or whereabouts, or before the pres
emit great disturbance OF religious belief
had begun or had got under full head
way. Since then he had ceased to be a
conspicuous and potent figure, his more
important labors being bestowed on his
training school for preachers OF the
evangelistic kind at Mortified. Appar-
emily, such revivals as he stirred up In his
prime are impossible in these days though
possibly may come hereafter as q reaction
from the present decline OF faith.
Mr.. MoopY's religious creed was founded
on absolute faith in the Bible as the revealed
and Inspired Word OF Gop, infallible in It's
truth. flawless and wholly sufficient in itself
as guide to salvation. Against that faith
there is now working, directly or by eva
sion, substantially the whole scholarship OF
the very theological seminaries which
were founded to sustain it, Mr.. MOODY,
therefore, became hardly welcome In quar-
tors where once his assistance had been
cordially invited. Ministers who had
sympathized formerly with this simple
faith began to hold aloof In their ques-
tioning, so that when 1t was suggested
that he had been using efforts to secure
ministers OF views similar to his own as
pastors Of Presbyterian churches in New
York, his interference was resented. No
great religious revivals called for his pro-
pelling force. Even the Methodist camp
meetings have become relatively cold.
Thus already before his death the influ-
ence OF Mr. MOODY had begun to pass away.
He represented phase OF religious thought
and character OF religious teaching which
have been abandoned even by the "Evangel-
ical" Churches under the opposing influ-
ence OF the Biblical criticism now In vogue.