Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-03-05

to arrange, overwhelming manifesto
tions of a semi-sensuous sort by which
when they undertake to deal with
to constrain men to accept Christ.
Fleshly minds ever run to such folly
Christs spiritual kingdom. The sign
seeking spirit challenged Jesus, and it
also confronted St. Paul. In the Epistle
to the Corinthians we read: Although
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek
after wisdom-yet we preach Christ
crucified, to Jews stumbling-bloek,
and to Gentiles foolishness; but unto
them that are called, both Jews and
Greeks. Christ the power of God ana
the wisdom of God" Il Corinthians
1928 and 24.) The same evil spirit
has sprung up again in our day.
We have had among us for some years
men who make business of manipu-
lating sign-methods as opposed to the
spiritual method of relying upon the
risen Lord to work His wonders Of grace
in the hearts of men by the power of
the Holy Spirit. These men seek to use
Jesus as a mere thaumaturge. and they
employ methods of a thauma turgical sort
to work religious ends. The inevitable
outcome of it all is that, having lost
faith in heavens own spiritual fire, they
burn strange fire on Gods altar in order
to win credit with the sign-seeking rab-
ble-and to win shekels also, in some
cases.
No genuine and enduring spiritual re-
suits are going to be achieved until this
sign-seeking spirit has been renounceds
and these carnal methods have been
abandoned. The world in our day must
be brought face to face with the spirit
ual Savior. Nothing else has ever been
effective for spiritual redemption in any
previous generation, and nothing else is
going to be effective in our times.
One of the evil results of the sign
seeking spirit is that multitudes are
waiting for more convincing signs to
force them to repent before God and ac-
cept Christ. They are casting the blame
on the Lord for their sinful procrastina-
ton by assuming that they have INSULT
cient evidence for action. This was the
false notion upon which Dives in hell
based his appeal that one who had been
raised from the dead should be sent to
his impenitent brethren, saying, IF one
went to them from the dead they would
repent" But he was told, IF they hear
not Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be persuaded, though one rose from
the dead."-(Luke xvi:31.)
That solemn truth needs to be pressed
on the dazed and dilatory multitudes of
our day, which gospel of sensationalism
has set in the market-places of the pres
ent time waiting for some overwhelming
sensation to make them into Christians
without any effort on their own part.
They are crying, "Show us a sign in
some big meeting, or some imposing
movement, or some coercive scheme; and
then we will repent easily, because we
will be unable to resist it; but until
you do give us some such sign, there is
nothing we can do except to wait" Mean
while the sign of the risen Lord and the
worthless in the absence of some semi
and ear and imagination.
True religion does not come by signs
through the senses. Eye hath not seen
nor ear heard neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him.
But God hath revealed them unto us
by the Spirit"-Q Corinthians, ii:9.)
The long-desired revival of religion in
our country is not going to come upon
us through the manipulations Of the
sign-mongers. 1t will not be the outcome
of elaborate scheming by religious Eek
perts' so called 1t viii begin in some
unexpected quarter, where the experts
will not be present, and it will be like
all the great revivals of the past, the re-
suit of preaching the gospel with the
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Il
Peter, i:12). The faith which will spring
from It will not rest on any sensuous
convictions whatsoever, but it will stand
Sin the power of God" as all faith that
is worth the name must always stand
Il Corinthians, ii:5)