The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1901-03-30

tant possible thing. In case of resus- ]
citation from drowning or freezing I
the one idea is TO excite animation. !
Before conversion we are dead. 1t is Z
the business of the church to revive,
arouse. awaken, resuscitate, startle
into life. Excitement is bad or good
according to what it makes us do. If
il make us do that which is bad, it is
bad excitement, but if it make us agi
tated about our eternal welfare, If
it make us pray, if it make us attend
upon Christian service, if it make us
cry unto God for mercy, then it is
good excitement.
1t is sometimes said that during re-
vivals of religion great multitudes of
children and young people are brought
into the church, and they do not know |
what they are about. 1t has been my
| observation that the earlier people
come into the kingdom of God the more
useful they are. Robert Hall, the
prince of preachers, was converted at
| 12 wears of age. 1t is likely he knew
what he was about. Matthew Henry,
the commentator, who did more than
any man of his century for increasing
the interest in the study of the Scrip
lures, was converted at IL years of
age; Isabella Graham, immortal in the
Christian church, was converted at ten
years of age; DR.. Watts, whose hymns
will be sung all down the ages, was
converted at nine years of age. Jona-
than Edwards, perhaps the mightiest
intellect that the American pulpit
ever produced, was converted at seven
wears of age, and that father and
mother take an awful responsibility
when they tell their child at seven
wears of age: you are too young to
? be a Christian" or You are too young
to connect yourself with the church
That is mistake as long as eternity.
If during revival two persons pre-
sent themselves as candidates for the
church and the one is ten years of age
u and the other is 40 years of age. vii
u have more confidence in the profession
N of religion of the one ten years of ag'
4 than the one 40 years of age. Why
~ The one who processes at 40 years o
:. age has 40 years of impulse in tn
~ wrong direction to correct. and tn
child has only ten years in the wroni
I'll direction to correct. Four times te
are 40. Four times the religious pros
l' pect for the lad that comes into tn
u kingdom of God and into the church a
A' ten years of age than the man at 40
y. !, am very apt to look upon revival
as connected with certain men VIII
~ fostered them. People who in TIL
day do not like revivals nevertheless
have not words to express their adm
D" ra tion for the revivalists of the pas
80 for they were revivalists-Jonatha
:" Edwards, John Wesley, George Viii
80 field, Fletcher, Griffin, Davies, D
~ borne, Knapp, Nettleton, Moody an
- many others whose names come
No my mind. The strength of their il
-. tellect and the holiness of their live
w make me think they would not hay
:. had anything to do with that whic
- was ephemeral. Oh, it is easy
- talk against reyivals!
A man said to Mr.. Dawson:
oa like your sermons very much, b.
, the after meetings l despise. Wht
-e- the prayer meeting begins 1 alwa.
AZ, go up into the gallery and look dow
nd and L am dlsgusted' NeI' Sd
lot Mr. Dawson, the reason Is you
,yn on the top of your neighbor's hou
in and look down ms chimney TO eNai
nd inc his ire and oil course you Z
only smoke IN your eyes. why oor
ais you come IN the door ana slt ooV
ito and warm?
old Oh, l am afraid to say anythli
ss- against revivals of religion or again
as anything that looks like them, |
ing cause l think it may be sin again
But the Holy Ghost, and you know I
all Bible says that sin against the Tic
the Ghost shall never be forgiven nelth
are in this world nor the world to con
Igs, Now, if you are painter and spe
,m- against your pictures, do l not spe
in against you? If you are an arc
alb tect, and 1 speak against ouIldi
1ey you put up, do 1 not speak agar
;. you? If a revival be the work of t
are Holy Ghost, and l speak against tn