The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-04-03
RELIGIOUS REV1VAIs
Dr.. Talmage, IN a Timely Discourse
+ Declares His Belief in Them.
seruou Adapted from tho story OF
Simon and the Fishers-GrearesS
Obstacle to Eevivals IL an
Uaconverted Ministry.

c,-,, and the Fishers-Greatess
Obstacle to EevivaIr IL an
Uaconverted Ministry.
rcopyr,Sht, 1901, by Louis Klopsch. n. u
Washington, March q
This discourse OF DR.. Talnage is
most pertinent at this time VIXEN
widespread effort for religious awak-
ening is being made; text, Luke, verse
s: They inclosed great multitude
OF fishes and their net brake
Simon and his comrades had eNper1-
enced the night before what fishermen
call "poor luck" Christ steps on ooaro
the fishing smack and tells the sailors
to pull away from the beach ana o1-
recta them again to sink the net. sure
enough. very soon the net IS 1uH o.
fishes, and the sailors begin to haul IN.
So large q school Of fishes was taken
that the hardy men began to look RED
in the face as they pull, and hardly
have they begun to rejoice at their sue
sess when snap goes threat OF the
net, and snap goes another thread, so
there Is danger not only OF losing 'ne
Ssh, but of losing the net.
Without much care as to how nucn
the boat tits OF how much water IS
splashed on deck the fishermen rush
about, gathering up the broken neshes
OF the net. Out yonoer there IS snip
dancing on the wave, and they hail II:
"Ship aboy! Bear down this way.
The ship comes, and both boats oo1h
fishing snacks, are filed with roe
Soundering treasures.
"Ah," says some one, chow mucn
better it would have been If they hao
steid on shore and isheo with nook
and line and taken one at a time IN
stead of having this great excitement
and the boat almost upset and the net
broken and having to call for help and
getting sopping wet with the seal" .
The church is the boat, the Gospel
IS the net, society is the sea, and
great revival is whole school brought
In at one sweep of the net. have ao-
niration for that man who goes out
with hook and line to fish. admire
the way he unwinds the reel and ao-
iusts the bait and drops the hook in a
quiet place on a still afternoon and
here catches one and there one, but l
Ike also big boat and large crew
md a net = mile long and swift oars
and stout sails and q stiff breeze and
great multitude Of souls brought-so
great q multitude that you have got
to get help to draw it ashore, straining
the net to the utmost until It breaks
here and there, letting few escape,
but bringing the great multitude into
eternsl safety.
In other words, believe in revivals.
The great work Of saving men began
with 5000 people joining the church in
one day, and it viii close with 40 or
hundred million people saved in "a
hours when nations shall be born in
day. But there are objections to re-
vivals. People are opposed to them
because the net might get broken, and
If by the pressure of souls 1t does not
get broken, then they take their own
pennives and slit the net. ''Ihey in
closed great multitude Of fishes, and
the net brake"
It Is sometimes opposed to revivals
of religion that those who come into
the church at such times do not hold
out. AS long as tbegeis q gale Of bless
ing they have their sails up. But as
soon as strong winds stop blowing
then they drop into dead calm. But
: what are the facts in the case? IN al
our churches the vast majority OF the
useful people are those who are
brought in under great awakenings,
and they hold out. Who are the prom
lnent men IN the United States in
churches, in prayer meetings, in Sab
bath schools? For the most part they
ere the product Of great awakenings.
have noticed that those who are
brought into the Kingdom Of God
through reyivals have more per-
Eistence and more determination in the
Christian life than those who come
an under low state Of religion. Peo-
pie born in an icehouse may live, but
they will never get over the cold they
caught in the icehouse. a caono2 ball
depends upon the impulse with which
It starts for how far it shall go and
how swiftly, and the greater the re-
vi7al force with which a soul is started
Ehenere far-reaching and far-resound-
ing viii be the execution.
But It IS sometimes objected to re-
viTals that there is 50 much excitement
that people mistake hysteria for 1elig-
ION. We admit that in every revival Of
religion there is either suppressed or
Q demonstrated excitement. Indeed,
Il man can go out of state Of con-
den1ation into a state of acceptance
with God or see others go without any
sgitation Of soul he is in an unhealthy,
morbid state and is as repulsive and
absurd as man who should boast he
saw 3 child snatched out from under q
horses heofs and felt no agitation, or
saw . man rescued from the fourth
story Of house on 6re and felt no &C.
celeration Of the pulses.
Salvation from sin and death and
hell into life and peace and Heaven for
ever is such tremendous thing that
Il . man tells me he can look on it
without any agitation I doubt his
Christianity. The fact is that some
times excitement is the most impor-
tant possible thing. In case Of resus-
citation from drowning or freezing
the one idea is to excite animation.
Before conversion we are dead. It is
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. II
e make US do that which is bad, it is
bad excitement, but If It make US agi'
HsSod about our eternal welfare, il
it make US pray, if it make US attend