Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-19

made loving and brotherly toward their
former enemies even. Such cases cannot
be explained except on the theory that
at the very center of the moral life a
/ heavenly force began to work. The men
themselves were content to say, I'VE have
been converted, born again through the
power of the Holy Spirit" and there
| appears to be no sound reason for re-
jecting their testimony given as to their
experience when they had become more
reasonable and trustworthy than ever be-
! fore In their history.
| Moreover this experience OF the new
birth is in all essential particulars the
same with men of all races and ages. 1
have heard Americans and Englishmen,
Mexicans and Cubans, Chinese and Jap
anese, Occidentals and Orientals, tell Of
! their conversions. and they give very
much the same account of the miracle
of grace wrought upon their moral ma
I lures, and their lives show subsequent
! ly the same transformation as to tenn
per and conduct.
Serious people who are concerned for
the welfare of mankind cannot and will
[ not despise such holy things as these.
The struggle for holiness is too tragic and
difficult for any to depreciate a moral
| force so uniform and blessed in it's opera
! ton. Mankind is too weak morally and
too benighted spiritually to turn away
from a life and light so manifestly di-
vine.
| The miracle of conversion is the ex-
! PLANTATION of the fact often seen that a
revival meeting reforms a neighborhood;
! nay more, that revivals have been known
| to change national and international his
tory. Iecky, man so removed from any
! thing akin to evangelical religion, as to
| be beyond all suspicion of bias. does not
| hesitate to declare that the Wesleyan
revival in England in the eighteenth
/ century did more to save Great Britain
than did the triumphs of Pitt in the
| cabinet or the victories of wellington on
! the field OF battle. In this conclusion all
recent historians, who have treated that
! period of English history, are agreed
| with absolute unanimity.
That acute observer and close think
| er, DIR. Austin Phelps, has written in his
| little book called THE New Birth" this
striking and suggestive passage concern
| ing the effect of revivals upon the world ::
! Scarcely can more memorable exhibit
ton of God be found than that presented
| by revival of religion. Historians sell
| dom take note of so obscure an event;
yet If the secret connections of revivals
| with the destiny of nations could be
| disclosed, they would appear to be mora
! critical evolutions of history than the
| Gothic invasions A volume has been
| compiled narrating the decisive battles
of the world. But more significant than
| this, and probing deeper the divine gov
/ eminent of the world, would be the his
] tory of REVEALS" These words of DIR.
/ Phelps are profoundly true. and the peo-
pie of the United States above all others
| should appreciate the truth he so forci-
| bly, states for revivals have had the
most marked effect upon our national
/ history THE Great Awakening in 1889,
1.-The Revival of $780," the revival Of
| 1858" and the revival under Moody and
| Sankey I'M the early seventies, averted
| national disasters, soothed national af-
ffiictions, reduced national perils, and
promoted national well-being.
| In the South the blessings of such re-
| ligious movements have been often ex-
! perienced, and ii Is to be hoped our peo-
| pie will not be less favoured in the fu-
/ ture than they have been thus blessed in
! the past.
Many plain, fervent, sincere men will
! conduct such services in every part of
| Georgia this year. They will meet doubt
! less with varying degrees of success. But
| one unheralded meeting, in which the
/ miracle of conversion was wrought in the
| case of a school-boy even, might change
| the history of our commonwealth. Nearly
| a hundred years ago at campaigning
| in Gilbert County a little boy called
| Jimmie Andrew was converted, and
! no other person claimed to have been so
| blessed in the meeting. Jimmie Andrew
! turned out to be the great Bishop James
| Osgood Andrew whose career so deeply
/ affected the history of American Meth
odism and the history of the American
| Republic. The little meeting of the
| Moravians in Aldersgate Street. London,
L., ,F,l, T,a,, FoI4 III
/ strangely warmed raised the moral tenn
| perature of the English-speaking world.
Let us properly value the miracle of
] conversion. 1t is the only event on earth
/ that stirs joy in heaven. so far as we
| know May it's heavenly joy be often
| known among US while we tarry on the
earth!