Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-03-10


thousands. The drunkards. the liber-
tires. the outcasts-they came. oh. how
| tlev onged to come, Can any one who
witnessed that wonderful and inspiring
meeting In the Grand Opera House or
Los Angeles Feb. 3. 1905. ever forget
the revelations
An Impressive Spectacle.
The elements seemed 10 conspire
against the effort When the hours
drew toward the evening OF that won
derfu. night we said to ourselves, Can
we 60 out into this storm. even to
bring sinners to Christf'' The rain
then was falling In torrents. All the
batteries of the elements were uu-
limbered. Crash. crash- went the
booming of the thunder "Zigzag,"
went the lightning An electric thunder
bolt struck the North Methodist church
of Pasadena and set 1t on Are. The
cars were blocked. Freshets were every.
where. After the tl,eaters and places
OF amuscments were emptied, long aft
er most OF the great city was asleep,
hundreds of men and women marched
through the flooded streets, sometimes
wading above their ankles in water.
They marched singing and praising
God. They marched down to the
haunts of sin. Then, after they had
collected the Magdalenes and the hui
man prodigals who had been wallow-
ing In the swine troughs OF 1.-THE far
country they started back to one OF
the largest theaters In the city. There
In that theater were crowded at least
1000 men and women. Many were In
rags. Many faces were SCARED and
scared with the awful marks OF sin.
AL, whether outcasts or rescuers, were
anxious about souis-anxfous about
their own souls or about the souls OF
others. Some curiosity seekers may
have come to that meeting to scoff. bat
nearly all before they left prayed as
the poor publican prayed. There were
tears-penitent tears-which welied up
from breaking hearts. Yes. those tears
were glorious tears. flowing unbIddeu
and unchecked. Four thousand men
and women, many OF them criminals.
gathered together In the midnight hour
during the tempest to seek Christ. Did
you ever STE or hear the like OF Il?
Can any one whs witnessed that
wonderful! and transporting meeting In
the Grand Opera House OF Los Angeles
ever forget the revelation? Were we
not then taught how Christ wants us
TO so forth into the highways and the
hedges, seeking sinful men aud women
wherever they may be found?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
tolled the city bells. The evRngelists
and their followers worked on. Nine
ten, half past ten-the Christian disci-
pies worked On. Eleven, twelve, went
the clock. What! Is any one out to-
night? oh, yes; the messengers OF SIN
are out tonight. This is the harvest hour
for the demons OF death. But tonight
AYE. tonight-the angels OF mercy are
calling and pleading. Mothers aud ia
theirs in heaven, wives and children In
heaven, over the embellishments did We
not see the prayers being answered in
the midnight hour? Oh, God, teach us.
as these evangelists have taught us,
that the mission OF Christian church
is not alone TO care for q few people
who are our social equals and who hap
pen TO come TO our churchesi The
greatest mission of Christian churches
after them in saloons. In haunts of sin.
in gambling dens. everywhere and any
where-to go after them In the morn
ming, at noon and ut midnight.
The Church's Mission.
But. lastly, l learn from the work OF
these evangelists a lesson which ought
TO make us one and all ashamed OF our
selves. IL the churches or the Lord
Jesus Christ would Join together their
forces TO make conquest for Christ
they could win the same triumphs for
the Master year In and year out. The
mightiest mission OF j. Wilbur Chap
man and his associates Is to unite
Christ's forces. They have given us an
object lesson OF the victory that may
be won by the united effort of all the
denominations.
Surprising every fall the Congrega-
tional ministers, and the Baptist minis
tiers, and the Methodist ministers. and
the Campbellite ministers, and the Pres
Dyterian ministers. and the Lutheran
ministers. and the Reformed ministers
would all get together. Then suppos-
Ing they should say: LET us join I'm sec
lions. We Will exchange pulpits. We
VIII preach for souls. no matter in what
church we preach. We will have our
cottage prayer meetings and our noon
day prayer meetings. We will send our
best men down into the slums." What
would happen? Not only would they
break down sectarian lines, but they
would teach congregations that the
mightiest business on earth is net TO
build up denomination, but to saye
immortal sculs. They would DO lust
what DIR. Chapman and. his associates
have done. They wonld shake the cities
and the states from center TO circum-
ference s--f
One OF the most farseelng acts Or.
Chapman ever did for the advancement
or gospel movement was to combine
evangelists OF different ecclesiastical
denominations into unit for the
spreading OF the gospel. DIR. Chapman
Is Presbyterian and il iaboring under
the orders OF the general assembly of
the Presbyterian church. DR.. Henry
ostrum. his associate, Is a Methodist.
IiiInan IIobson is a Quaker Rev. i.
w. Slough Is n Congregationaiist. II. A.
Walton belongs TO the southern Pres
Dyterian church-here there were no
northern and southern churches-John
IL. Elliott is Dutch Reformed minis
Ter. All sectarian fences have been
burned In these evange.istlc meetings.
why cannot we do the same every year
as gospel minister's? Let us have for.
ward moyepaent, Yes. but also a unit.
ed movement for Christ. 9A
One I'm Rssentiais.
Every sectarian minister wants to
hoe In his own ecclesiastical row.
whereas. in fact and in truth, there is
but little difference In these rows. They
al end in having their sleaves of
wheat deposited at the foot of the
cross, Why cannot we work hand in
hand with other Christian denomine.
tons? Are we not all servants OF
Christ? The Presbyterian differs In
doctrine from the Methodist, the Con.
gregationallst differs in church govern.
ment from the EpiscopalIan, but all
a -