The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-03-29
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY the NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject EeViVais reneht - Lessons
Drawn Prom Famous Religious iwsk-
enings = The Most Useful Christians
Are Those CoVerted Early in Life.

WASHINGTON. ID. C.-Ihis discourse ~
DR. Ialmage Is most pertinent az thls
time, when, a widespread effort for re.
hgious awakenlpS Is being made, text,
Luke y, 6, They inclosei a great multi-
tude of fishes, and their net brake"
simon and his comrades had expert
enced the night before what fishermen
call poor luck" Christ steps On board
the fishing smack and tells the sailors
TO- pull away from tho beach and al.
enough, very soon the net Is full of
fishes, and the sailors hegin 20 haul in
10 large a school Of fishes was taken
that the hardy men begin TO look red
m the face as they pull, and hardly
have they begun % rejoice az their sue
cess when snap goes thread of the
net. and snap goes another Thread, so
there i danger not only of losing the
hsh. hut OF losing the net,
Without much care as - how much
the boat tilts or how much water is
sphshed on deck the fishermen rush
'hout gathering up the broken mcshes
Of the net. Out yonder there Is ship
dancing on The waves, and they hail VI;
ship ahoy' Bear down this wav" The
ship comes. and both boats. both fishing
smacks. are filed with the hounderng
treasures.
"Ah," saws some one, chow much better
II would have been f they had staid IN
NAlhlf NNN NNItu WIN Il NtRk Ail AAnt
and taken one at a time instead of hav.
ing this great excitement and the boat
almost upset and the net broken aud
having 10 call for help and getting sopping
wet with the sea-"
The church Is the boat, the gospel is
the net, society is the sea, and great
revival is whole school brought in at
for that man who goes ont with a hook
and line 20 fish. ! admire the way he
unwnds the reel and adjusts the bait and
drops the hook iu n quiet place on .
still afternoon and here catches one and
there one. but like also = bag boat and
swift oars and stout soils and \ still
breeze and great multitude Of souls
hrought-so great a multitude that YOU
have 10 get help 10 draw Il ashore. strain
ing the net 10 the utmos, until II breaks
here and there, letting few escape, but
bringing the great multitude into eternal
safety.
In other words, I believe in revivals
The great work OF saving men began
with 5000 people joining the church IN
one day, and il will close with forty or
a hundred million people saved in twenty.
four hours when nations shall be born IN
a day. But there are objections 90 re-
vivals. People are opposed to them be.
cause the net might get broken, and II
by the pressure of souls it does not get
knives and slit the net "They inclosed
brake"
II is sometimes opposed to revivals OF
religion that those who come into the
church at such times do not hold out.
As long as there Is gallo OF blessing they
have their sails up, but as soon rs strong
winds stop blowing then they drop into
a dead calm. But what are the facts IN
the caseg In all our churches the vast
majority OF the useful people are those
who are brought IN under great awaken
ings, and they hold out Who are the
prominent men in the United States ~
churches, in prayer meetings, in Sabbath.
schools? For the most part they are
the product OF great Awakening
| have noticed that those who are
brought into the kingdom of God through
revivals have more persistence and more
determination IN the Christian life than
those who come IN under low state OF
religion. People born m an icehOuse may
live, but they will never get over the
cold they caught IN the icehousc.
A cannon ball depends upon the i'm
pulse with which II starts for how far 1t
shall go and how swiftly, and the great.
or the revival force with which soul
is started the more far.reachiug and far.
resounding viii be the execution.
But IL H. sometimes objected to re.
vivals that there is 30 much excitement
that people mistake hystcria for religion.
We admit that m every revival of re-
lClon there ls either a suppressed or a
demonstrated excitement Indeed, II a
man can 90 out OF state OF condemna,
tlOn into "A state of acceptance with God
or see others go without any agitation OF
soul he is IN an unhealthy, morbid state
and j. as repuisivc and absurd a. a man
who should boast he saw a child snatchOd
out from under horses hoois and felt
no agitation. or saw man rescued from
the fourth story Of a house on fire and
felt no accclcration OF the pulses.
Salvation from sin and death and he'll
into life and peace aud heaven forever
Is such q tremendous thing that II a nm
tells me he can look ON It without any
agitation doubt hs Christianity.
The fact is that sometimes excitement
IL the most important possible thing. In
case OF resuscltatIOn from drowning Og
freezing, the one idea Is 10 excite ANNA
ton. Before conversion we are dead. II
u the business Of the church 20 revive,
arouse, awaken, rCsu.cltlte, startie INTO
life
Excitement is bad or good, according
TO what u makes us do II II makes us do
that which Is bad, IT is bad excitement,
but II ~ makes Us agltatCd about our
eternal welfare, II 1t makes us pray, II IT
make u5 attend upon Christian service II
lt make us cTy unto God tor mercy, then IT
is good excitement.
j. - sometimes said that during TO.
viylls OF religion great mulutu1cs # chIl.
drpu and young people are brought INTO
the chutch, and they do not know what
they are about. H. has been my ODscr-
vatiOn that the earlier people come into
the kingdom Ot God the more useful they
are Robert Hall the prince OF preachers,
was converted at twelve years OF age. II
IL likely he knew what he was ABOUT
I A 80. L..
did more than any man Ot his century tor
increasing the interest ~ The study Oi the
Scriptures, was converted at eleven years
OF age Isabella Graham, immortal in the
| Christian church was converted at ten
years Of age, DR. Watts, whose hymns
will be sung ali down the ages, was con
verted at nine years Oi age, Jonathan
Edwards, perhaps the mIghtlest intellect
that the American pulpit ever produced.
was converted az seven years Oi age. and
that father and mother take an awful re-.
sp1nsibilIty when they tel their child ~
seven years Of age, You are too young 20
be a Christian or, y on afe too young
% connect yourself with the church.
That ~ mistake ~ long as eternity.
II during a revival two persons pre-.
sent themselves az candldates for the
/ church, and the one D. ten years OF age
and the other Is forty years ~ age,
will have more confidence Iu the prgtcs
/ sion % religion Oi the one ten years 0t age
/ than the one forty years Oi age. Why.
/ The one phO processes 40 forty years oi
/ age h4s forty yoifs oi Impulse in the
wrong direction ty correct, the child has
/ only ten years il the wrong direction q
correct -Four times ten are iOrty. -Four
/ times the religious pr0spect iOr the lad
/ that comes into the kingdom Of God and
/ into the church "a. ten years Of age than
I the man at forty.
am very apt n look upon rev.yals a..
I connected with certain men VINO iDstered
I them People who 10 thH day do not like
I resIvl.- nevertheless have not words 20
/ express their admiration for The revival
is,s Of the past. for thcy were reylyalist'