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

Nestor of the congregational ministers
arose, good ole loving DIR. Warren Il.
Day He said: Brethren, you have
omitted to state the chief reason OF
Campbell Morgan's success in Los An
geles. 1t was due 20 The fact that hun
dreds and thousands OF Christians
paved the way for his success by weeks
of earnest prayer. The Christians pray
ell in their churches; they prayed in
their cottage prayer meetings; they
prayed everywhere Amen" said 1.
"Dr. Day is right" Campbell Nor
gans revival was due chiefly to the
fact that those meetings were lifted up
to heaven by thousands of pleading,
praying Christians. ]. Wilbur Chap
man when he reaches heaven viii see
there many saved during this Los An
geles revival. But the old mother in
Israel, the old Christian elder aud dea-
con, the old Christian church member,
will rejoice with him in this harvest.
Christ from his throne will recognize
their services. You wondered" he
will say to the evangelists, why il
was that your words so moved the sin
ner to seek salvation. 1t was in answer
to the prayers of these humble Chris
tians that the Holy Spirit touched the
hearts of your hearers so that the good
seed fell into good ground" Let us
thank God for such prayers.
The Los Angeles revival teaches an
other great lesson. The vast humber
OF people do not have to be taught who
Christ is. They know enough about the
-. a. q. n
will. They must be led by the power
of the Holy Spirit simply to make
stand, to come TO decision. TO do what
they know they ought to do. They do
not need to hear sermons on the au.
thenticity OF the Scriptures, the divini-
ty of Christ or the doctrine of original
sin. They are for the greater part be-
levers In Christianity. 1t is the person
al appropriation OF these truths that
they lack. They love sin so much that
they will not come to the desired de-
cision. In other words. they believe. but
they do not wish to give up sin. 1t Is
not information about Christ nor expla-
nation Of the truths of Christianity that
men need. They understand these
things already. 1t is the will that must
be captured. They do not realize their
danger nor that they must themselves
seek salvation through Christ. The SER
mons preached by the evangelists prov
cd that fact
Methods Of the EvanxeIIsts.
The city was mapped out into Sec
tons. Then the different Protestant
churches, Irrespective Of creed, united
in one central church OF their respec-
tive districts. Thus the rich and the
poor, the educated and uneducated, pas
tors as well as people. had the bread OF
life broken unto them. And how did
these evangelists break the bread OF
life? They gave their gospel message
in the simplest language, first taking II
for granted that all men believed In the
divine personality OF Jesus. And when
the invitation was given TO come to
Christ men and women arose by the
scores and often by the hundreds and
came. Ministerial friends. Christian
friends, we as class spend too much
time I'm proving that Christ is rather
than that Christ should be accepted. II
is TO bring them to public decision for
Christ which men already know they
ought TO make that is the chief work of
the Christian messengers. Hear IL. We
Christian laborers.
Men believe In and know enough
about Christ for salvation IL they wish
TO be saved. learn this fact from
all the evangelists. but especially from
one. Rev. G. T. Shaeffer, commonly
called 1.-THE children's evangelist" oh"
said /, IF Lam going to get any bene.
lit from these gospel meetings / must
get blessing for my children and my
children's friends" So 1 went about
the neighborhood and gathered in about
ten little ones. ] was father, mother.
nursegirl, companion, oil boiled down
into one for the afternoon. l alone
took the children. left all the moth.
ers home. and we. the children and nv.
SELF, went to hear the evangelist's mes.
sage. Well, the children got a bless
ing from that children's service. but
the old folks got just as great a bless
ing. First DIR. Shaeffer got all the lit
tie ones singing. Then he commenced
his address from the text ''AIy Gun run
meth over" oh, he made il so simple,
lie said practically this: Now. chill
dren, here is a bottle half filed with
water. That wator represents a moth
er's love. Now, my boys and girls. that
bottle Is not running over, is it," "No.
no." came back ready answer. .'Well,
children. here is a cup full of water.
We will call this cup food Here Is
smother cup full OF water we call raj.
ment.' Here is another cup we will
call light Here is another Gun we
viii call life" Then DIR. Shaeffer.
AFTER expatiating upon the benefits of
all the cups. poured their contents into
the bottle and said, MY children. the
bottle is not OVERLOOKING yet, is itr"
No. no." came back the united an.
swer. Then DIR. Shaeffsr took I'D an
other cup filled with what looked like
blood. This cup. children" said he.
represents the blood OF Jesus Christ.
Let me pour il into the bottle. Yes
with that cup the bottle is running
over. All these gifts God has given TO
you, children"
While DIR. Shaefrer was talking the
children were learning the sweet Cos
pei hSSSuSe lHey were being leo 10
trust in Christ and to give their young
lives to him. i said to myself: "Why
is 1t that we ministers cannot preach
like that? Why do we not talk in the
simple, earnest, straightforward Ian
guage of these evangelists? They take
for granted that most people In this
Christian land believe in Christ. Their
great and sole purpose seems to be to
lead people to decision to give them
selves to him. Cannot we, as gospel
ministers, do the same?"
The Lords Work a Basiness.
But another weighty lesson Is pressed
upon our hearts by this series OF meet
inSs. That Is this: The Lords work is
business. 1t is not a hysteria. 1t Is
not few holy CALCULATIONS. 1t is not
lifting your head above the clouds so
that the mists blind your eyes and
chill your enthusiasm for practical
duty on earth. 1t is not n few spasms
and few temporary gospel gymnas-
tics. It is n business-a business which
we ShOuld study carefully apI ola '.