Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-06

/ 30 to prayer meetings instead OF lods
meetlng-that is normal condition
Somebody said II is followed by reaction
/ repeat that that ls a lie for the secon'
time, and don't admit that Il Ia true, bu
VI IL were true, then, even then, IL woul'
he worth while-every drop of sweat from
my body, every sieepless night spend o.
you spend, every Inconvenience you suf
fer; II IL we're true, IL would be wortl
while, every dollar you spend because
by and through this revival tens and teni
Of thousands OF men and women and chill
dren will be brought nearer to God.
III you had a baby and Il was sick
and the doctor by his skill saved tn,
life OF that baby. though It lived bu
for n year, yet it would be worth every
dollar you paid that doctor II 1 car
send man home sober for one yeai
longer to his wife, to kiss her, to buy
good things to eat for year, and IL al
the end he drops Off the water wagon
yet isn't 1t worth every dollar to give
her that happy timer
THE history of the church is the his.
tory of revivals. can't see for the
sake OF my life how a man has the au-
| dacity to call himself q minister of the
gospel, and oppose revivals. He is n dis
grace to religion. You ask the fellow
that sits by you when he was converted
|
| your infinite small pusillanimous person
ality up against the omnipotent,
| omnlscent God
Some say, 'revlvals are undue excite
ment.' 1 repeat for the third time, II is
| a lie.'
| VARIOUS REVEALS RECORDED
Listen to me. In the economy of ma
ture God provides for an occasional
and you will find that seven out OF every
ten were converted in time OF revival.
coplous downpour of rain. You would
be fool to growl because It didn't rain
all the time. God has arranged his spir-
itual kingdom so that he has a copious
| downpour OF spiritual blessings. God is
rolling in spiritual wealth as we'll as
material 1t is not thought unwise to
have a revival in business, oh, no-every
town has it's commercial club II is not
thought unwise to have n revival in
politics-oh, no.
Some people are scared to death that
somebody might be saved from hell by
out-of-the-ordinary methods.
Political leaders will hire leaders,
newspaper editors, publishers and will
spend money for voters-in order TO get
those who are Indifferent to the political
situation interested-that is nothing under
heaven but a political revival and you
don't hear anybody growl about It.
I'm the business word, listen. In the
business world men must make the mar
ket as well as the goods for the market.
He must make the goods, then he goes
into the market He's got to do both.
You've got all these institutions to create
n demand for the product-these are
business revivals-you have auto shows,
they are auto revivals-you have county
fairs which are nothing but revIvals
,,vtA f1ntF a1tn fNIa oI,t
bread, butter, horses and all the products
of the farm. Then what the revival Is to
business, what the election is to politics.
the revival is to religion; what health
is to the individual the revival Is to re-
ligion. Martin Luther saved Europe
from spiritual death-a spiritual revival
under Martin Luther was the cause of
the Reformation, nothing but a revival,
and why any Lutheran will snap, snarl.
growl about q revival when his church
was born of a revival don't know
Wesley and Whitefield saved England
from the French Revolution. Edwards,
Finney and Moody lifted America from
degradation by revivals of their day. The
prophets were all evangellsts; John the
Baptist. the greatest man ever born OF
woman, was an evangelist The church of
Pentecost was born in religion in a time
of revival. You turn up your noses at
revival when the very religion which
/ wonder God don't knock you over. Paul,
was an evangelist and whenever Paul
was to preach or wherever he went they
had to call out the police to protect him;
he had a revival or riot everywhere he
went You cut the day Of Pentecost OF
of history; you cut Peter. James and Paul
out of history and what you have left
would not make a decent rummage sale.
ANY boy can throw a stone and break
a stained glass window, but 1t takes an
artist to make one; any fool can build
fire and burn building. but 1t takes
skilled mechanic to reconstruct IT; a
mob crucifed Christ, but 1t took God to
raise Him from the dead; any fool can
sneer at revival; any fool can do that,
and you are fool IL you do.
But you say by and through revival
we acknowledge we have backslidden.
Well, you don't put the community in
possession of any information they have
not already got. You say 1t is temporary;
so was the war, but the slaves are free
today. You say it is temporary: so is
rain, yet nature feels its refreshing power
for weeks afterward. Exalt the evangel-
list; 1t does nothing of the kind. The
evangelist has his place In Gods economy
as much as the preacher God has special
men to do special work in special times.
preacher would be the worst failure you
ever looked at as an evangelist. The
preacher has his place in Gods economy
and / have got mine, believe God AL
mighty calls me to do what am doing
as much as Doctor Hays or any other
preacher. l could not be pastor. have
received several invitations and have had
some fiatterlng offers of salary, but II
accepted pastorate, would buy a round
trip ticket A revival is a conviction OF
sin. conviction OF sin on the part OF
the church.
'If they wish TO begin anew with their
responsibilities and obligations to God,
they must begin at the door of the
church OF God, at the house of Cod not
the saloons and not by the breweries
and groggeTies and red-light and stinking
dance halls.
"You men are ashamed OF yourselves I
even now to think that you have not |
done more for Jesus Christ than you did. |
You just beat a path to the store or Of |
fice and home, went to church on Sunday, |
and back to the store, and that is all you |
did. and you call that serving the Lord.