The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-04-05

tensity Of heat, and the south wind blew
stronger and stronger, ard soon all the
ice6eld began to grind up, iceberg
against iceberg, n to flow away. The
first resolution passed by the ice con-
yention was, Resolved, That we abolish
the sun" But the sun would not be
abolished. The heat OF the sun grew
greater and greater until after awhile
the very king Of the icebergs began to
perspire under the glow, and the smaller
icebergs fell over, and the cry was: TOO
much excitement! Order! Order" Then
the whole body, the whole field of ice,
began to flow out, and a thousand voices
began to ask: Where are we going to
now? Where are we floating to? We
will all break to pieces" By this time
the icebergs had reached the gulf stream.
and they were melted into the bosom of
the Atlantic ocean. The warm sun is the
Eternal Spirit. The icebergs are frigid
Christians. The warm gulf stream is a
great revival. The ocean into which
heart Of the pardoning and sympathizing
God.
An Uncovered Ministry.
But I think, after all, the greatest OBJ
stacle to r~evivals throughout Christendom
is an unconverted ministry. We must be-
lieye that the vast majority Of those who
~oficiate at sacred affairs are regenerated,
but l suppose there may float into the
ministry of all the denominations Of
Christians men whose hearts have never
been changed by grace. They are all an
~tagonistic to revivals. How did they get
into the ministry? Perhaps some of
them chose it as a respectable profession.
livelihood. Perhaps some of them were
sincere, but were mistaken. As Thomas
Chalmers said, he had been many years
preaching the gospel before his heart had
been changed, and as many ministers of
the gospel declare they were preaching
and had been ordained to sacred orders
years and years before their hearts were
regenerated. Gracious God, what a sol
emn thought for those of us who minis
ter at the altar! With the present minis
try in the present temperature of piety,
this land will never be enveloped with
revivals. While the pews on one side
the altar cry for mercy, the pulpits on
the other side the altar must cry for
mercy. Ministers quarreling. Ministers
trying to pull each other down. Ministers
struggling for ecclesiastical place. Minis
tiers lethargic with whole congregations
dying on their hands. What a spectacle!
Aroused pulpits will make aroused
pews. Pulpits aflame will make pews
afiame. Everybody believes in q revival
in trade, everybody likes a revival in lit
erature, everybody likes a revival in art.
yet 4 great multitude cannot understand
a revival in matters of religion. Depend
upon it, where you find a man antago-
nistic to revivals, whether he be in pulpit
or pew, he needs to be ~regenerated by
the grace of God.
/ could prove to a demonstration that
without ~revivals this world will never be
converted and that in 100 or 200 years
without r~evivals Christianity will be
practically extinct. 1t is a matter of as
founding arithmetic. In each of our mod
ern generations there are at least 80, 000,-
o children. Now add 32.000,0 600 to the
worlds population and then have only
100000 or 100000 converted every year.
and how long before the world will be
saved? Never-absolutely never!
More Troops Wanted.
During our civil war the president of
the United States made proclamation for
10000 troops. Some of you remember
the big stir. But the King of the uni
verse today asks for twelve hundred mil
lion more troops than are enlisted, and
we want it done softly, imperceptibly,
no excitement, M by one. You are a
dry goods merchant On a large scale, and
l am a merchant on a small scale, and /
come to you and want to buy 1000 yards
of cloth. Do you say: Thank you. I'll
sell you 1000 yards of cloth, but I'll sell
you 20 yards today and 20 tomorrow
and 20 the mex day, and if it takes me
six months I'll sell you the whole thou
sand yards. You will want as long as
that to examine the goods, and I'll want
as long as that to examine the credit, and
besides hat 1000 yards of cloth is too
much to sell all at once?" No; you do
not say that. You take me into the
counting room, and in ten minutes the
whole transaction is consummated. The
fact is we cannot afford to be fools in
anything but religion.
That very merchant who on Saturday
afternoon sold me the thousand yards of
cloth at one stroke the next Sabbath in
church will stroke his beard and wonder
whether it would not be better for q
thousand souls to come struggling along
for ten years instead Of boiling in at one
service.
We talk a good deal about the good
times that are coming and about the
worlds redemption. How long before
they will come? There is a man who
says 500 years. Here is a man who
says 200 years. Here is some one more
| confident who says in so years. What.
so years? Do you propose to let two
generations pass off the stage before
the world is converted? Suppose by pro-
longation of human life at the end OF the
next so years you should walk tie length
of Pennsylvania avenue. Washington. or
| the length of Broadway. New York. In
all those walks you would not find one
person that you recognize. Why? All
dead or 81 changed you would not know
them. In other words, if you postpone
| the redemption of this world for so years
you admit that the majority of the two
whole generations shall 20 off the stage
unblessed and unsaved. | tell you the
church of Jesus Christ cannot consent to
it. We must pray and toll and have the
revival spirit. and we must struggle to
| have the whole world saved before the
L = III