The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-04-06

words how the seeking Of good Is made
the condition Of that higher llte which I
Is the abiding presence of the Lord,
/ wonder how many Of YOU have seen
/ the conclusions to which this line Of /
/ thought Is leading US, All viii agree, |
/ ! am sure, that the church and the
world Of to-day need a true and deep
! revival Of religion, How may this be
brought about? IN what direction arc
we 70 look for the next great aWak-
i onlng3" What Is to be our answer to
tho people who come TO us with this
question Of the text on their lips,
what shah We do?
First Of all, there are some things
We cannot DO, we cannot hold TO those
methods that are out Of harmony with
the whole thought and spirit Of the
present age, The revival that our
fathers knew VIII very soon be thing
of the past, II Is breaking down in our
hands, and only the crudest fanatic
ism VIII sock to unite the piece into
one perfect whole, 1t was method
of promoting the spiritual HE OF the
community that had It's points Of
strength; but 1t was doomed from the
beginning because of certain inherent
weaknesses. 1t placed too exclusive
emphasis upon the salvation of the In
dlvldual soul What would we think
of the surf-ilGhtors ON our coast whose
chief concern during the hours Of a.
shlpwreck was his own safety2 You re-
member tho wave Of indignant horror
that swept over the civilized world at
tn etimo Of tie sinking Of the French
steamship, La Bourgoyne, when II was
learned that in those last moments of
Wild confusion men. who should have
forgotten themselves and remembered
only their obligations Of duty, fought
Ike mad bea Sts for their own safety,
The story Of tho Pilgrims Progress Is
moi one that needs particular emphasis
! to-day. We see nothing heroic In
! Bunyans Christian leaving his native
city, his nome. his wife and children,
and making II his chief concern to save
his own miserable life. lie should
have stai1 whore ne was. and gone
down Ia his doom with the others.
, fighting 80 the last breath for better
municipality. Thank God. We arc out
$ growing the time when people soc any
, hcrosm IN singing
rs charge TO keep have.
q God Ia glorlfy,
A never dying soul TO save
Aud fit Il for the sky"
The hcroism Is In that other stanza
Of the hymn
TO serve the present age,
i, My calling to fulnllj
| ON may II an my powers engage
70 do my Masters will"
I hut this leaves our question IMAM
I swered: "What shall we do" II the old
Q method of promoting the religious life
Q Of the community Is breaking down,
{ may there not be some other to take
( It's place? Some time ago an editor on
i one Of our religious journals asked DR..
+ Campbell Morgan as to what impress
4 sion he had gained from his obscrva-
= lions of the religious conditions of this
= country. His answer was TO the effect
T. that those who maintained that the old
~
y only ones. were thereby making a
great bunder. God has yet other
q ways" he said, "of manlfestlng Him
= self to tho world" These words. from
!: a man whose sympathy Is generally
e with the old view arc of deep import.
" And ! venture to say that these other
Q ways" Of which he speaks may be
r generally summarized In this answer
II Of John the Baptist to the question
# what shall we do?" The method OF
+ trying to promote religion by appealing
l. TO men to save their own souls Is going
n out Of fashion. II Is out Of harmony
y with the best thought OF the day and
n the finest ethical insight. It IL based
l. upon a theology that has been utterly
VI dlscredited. II Is not for MS to pour
Z contempt upon the theological beliefs
% aud religious methods of our fathers
g We shall do well IL We are as wise I'm
d our day as they were in theirs. But We
must face the actual facts In the pres
: ent situation: and We must have the
" courage to shape our course by the
10 leading of those facts. In this city We
= have Just witnessed a really heroic at
s. tempt to reproduce the soul stirring re-
n viyal of the old days Money, time
g. energy "A large force of workers. skill
r full advertising, business methods all
n the devices of modern evangelism were
= brought to bear. What was the re.
II suit? | think the community has al
le ready answered that question. And
i while | do not think It would be very
If gracious In me to draw certain plain
70 lessons from the recent evangeistic on.
l. deavor, | viii venture the prophecy
If that this is the last effort of the kind
t. that New Haven will ever see. II
= would be a bold man who would pro.
II pose next fall to invite the churches OF
Is this city for another such campaign
n. The present temper of the laymen, the
IS officers, and the ministers In oui
10 churches would not permit them to toll
" crate the proposal This much may b'
10 said, | think of the recent rcyivalistiD
4 endeavor, IL clearly demonstrated t
,e our churches the lnadequacy of thu
40 od-fashioned revival to meet the new
81 conditions of the present generation
rs Whether we like 1t or not the plan
I'm fact is simply this, the old revival tina
to was built upon the endeavor to saw
A. ones soul from some imaginary plac
In of torment in the world to come, |
he going out Of modern church life and
as can never be brought back Is Their
Is anything that we can put in its place
os This brings me to consideration o
of the other type Of revival which be
yn lievc Is surely destined to suppant II
NJ If New Haven has seen the last Of tn
Is, old revival that was purely individual
in. istlc, It is only at the beginning Of tina
81 revival which shall he the applcatlo