Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-03
A GREAT MOVEMENT NEEDING A PROPHET TO LEAD IT
.gRY RIsHoP w. a. CANpY ER.

hearts of a small group of men, taking
| fire with heaven kindled zeal for Gods
glory and the redemption of men. One
man thus aflame, as in the case of John
/ the Baptist, is quite sufficient to arouse
slumbering nation, and to do so in an
| incredibly short time. But when he
| comes he appears as very unworldly
1 sort of man, and his voice sounds in the
ears of the thousands who flock to hear
him as if it were a voice from heaven.
He is little addicted to banquets and
social functions; his mission - too serl-
ous,-yea, too awful-for such things.
When, therefore, we read in the press
dispatches that this Men and Religion
| Forward Movement was inaugurated in
New York with a dinner at one of the
! leading hotels, the image of the Leaders
who rose to the mind was that OF
company of financiers or politicians |
| launching a huge worldly scheme rather
than that of company of preachers ana
prophets about to go forth to call way
ward thousands back to God. Cne
would not be hypercritical of ny move
ment proposing such high endsi- but II
this movement succeeds in accomplish
/ ing the purposes avowed' for It, It's
leaders will have to be endued with pow
err from on high, and be found often In
agonizing prayer than about banque'
boards Our kings of finance can organ
ize earthly schemes of social, economic
commercial, or political character ou.
4 they must understand that they can ho'
so manage the interests of the klneuoIn
of heaven. The masses of men VINO nave
/ drifted away from God and the churcA
can not be drawn back by any system
of earth-devised mechanics. They mus.
he called to repentance as sinners IN an
lagos have been recovered from their eNH
! ways.
An imposing movement, subs1dlzlns
the press, employing many agents. al"
devising novel methods, may oVercoIlio
a certain number of men by It's Ins'si i,,
tude and magnificence; but they VIII
not he captives who have been conquer
cd bv tivine grace; they Will De 40
more than such victims as have been en-.
! tangled in. the meshes OF a Well-hhi'
seine.
n Is 10 be feared that many good
men are alarmed only by the damage
done to a mere mundane moralty py .ne
absence of men from Gods mouse ma
is the least part of the eVll. Inc ie
FIJI fact is that multiplied thousands OF
mem in our land are undertaking to I'VE
utterly without God. They have taken
their lives into their own hands. ana 10
| oil intents and purposes in so Tar 40
they are concerned God is dead Mes
| senpers of heaven, clothed with uheaI III
= power, are required TO can them Jun
from their waywardness. Tney can no
he rescued by any merely carnal anu
earthly force, however wen inlehueu
sEillfully applied.
we have had an era Of sensational
evangelism, which has now about run
its course, leaving thousands OF men
more Indifferent to religion than they
/ were when the era of sensationalism De-
gan. The professional evangehsts nave
gone as far as they can, ana their sen
sational methods have grown staie auu
ineffective so that they can not use
them successfully any longer Lues
have reached the inevitable end OF All
sensations and freaks, having reachea
the point at which nobody is surprised
or excited by any thing they DO OF say
and so the multitude has turned away
from them in a reaction of pronounceu
indifferentism.
| And the multitude, thus gone away
from God, can not be recovered oy any
| mere change of method from excltlns
| evangelism to S'coId, business-like PLAN
ming" for a national revival. mot py
1 might. nor by power, but by my spirit
saith the Lord sof hosts" is such an I'M
earthly work wrought
THE Men and Religion ForWaru
! Movement, will fsil soon, and come TO
i nought or. it viii lay hoid Oh supei-
| human spiritual forces, through fasting
| md layer, for the redemption of ina
| unchurched men of the land. Let us
| hone that the men who have set II IN
motion will turn quickly away from
| all hope in any carmel schemes OF mere
! earthly campaigning and turn TO the
! only source of power adequate Tor
achieving a genuine spiritual result. IL
| win he a calamity to them, If not TO me
! country. if they fail to do any thing
| more than draw passing attention Tor
| brief space to a short-lived movement
of imposing proportions and insignirl-
! cant outcome. ~
| At last, what our spiritually impov-
! erished nation needs is real propnet
| to speak to it out of the eterniles the
| things of God and His salvation. Pulpit
! essa visits we. have in abundance, pulpit
philosophers and scientists 10 a surIeAr
and nulpit purveyors of Sunday enter
tainments like the sand on the seashore
| for numbers; but where IS there among
| MS a prophet of the Most High. When
he speaks men will hear He will not
neel many committees nor much ma
| chinery of any kind. to do his work ano
| fulfill his mission. Mighty men VIII
! fall at his feet, like the Pharisees and
Sadducees who hurled TO the ministry
! of the Baptist in the wilderness in spite
| of all their false notions and vain doc
| trines. He will not care to be "financ-
| ed": but great financiers, ut his author
| itative word, will come sobbing home TO
! Christ. crying as they come, Nothing In
my hand l bring; simply to thy cross
! I cling" And the common people Will
hear him gladly and be saved. o that
! God would send from His council
chamber soon some such heavenly mes
senger! a