The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-23
A RELIGIOUS REVIVAL IN IHt.
LONG AGO.
the i~uternstiona Sunday GchOol Les
son for February 2S Is the
Victorious leader Sam. 1911.
(By william T. Ellis

tBy William i. EIilSt.
Informed folk are amused when
they hear persons talking or the
Billy Sunday meetings in I'hltadel-
phia AS il they were quite 4 new
thing. In truth. r%cvivais are as Old
as the history Of religion. They Tar
antedate christianity. The present
sunday school lesson deals with q
noteble one experienced d thousand
years before Christ. While the ma
ZION often slumped afterwards, it
was nevertheless more thoroughly a
nation, because fused in these hot
fires Of spiritual emotion.
Revolutions never go backward"
History advances by a series of con
WILSON'S. Where the flames Of ardor
burned yesterdaT, the creed OF con
~ventionality represses today. Fire is
followed by Journalism This Is br"k-
en- up by the inevitable revival which
creates a fresh Standardization, n a
new and personal apprehension OF
God.
Samuel led the nation in q spirit
ual revival at Mizpah, and consecrated
Israel to Jehovah's service. n
makes timely reading in 3 day when
the newspapers Of America are Civ
ing more space &c religion than ever
before in the history Of the world.
Frying THAI Was Punished.
From the cities Of the PhilistiDe:
the Ark was carried to Beth-shemisf
in Israel, where the people sufferce
for their irreverent treatment of Ii
The careful reader is struck by tn
high importance which both the OLE
and the New Testaments attach t.
reverence, sins Of irrever .nce, small
and trivial in themselves, were re
peatedly smitten with punishment
apparently out OF all proportion I
the offence. The eason for this ap
pears upon deliberation. Reverence i
fundamental. The first Of all com
mandments is Thou shalt have n
other gods before Me-" In the sum
mary Of the law given by Christ tn
prominence of God is made basic.
Our day needs to a peculiar de
gree this lesson of reverence. Their
are subjects and objects too sacre
to touch with light and careless hant
Even preachers prone to i~rrevcrenc
and sacrilege. The common speec
of some persons who count themselVe
cultivated is lightly sprinkIed with I'll
name Of the Diety. Religion
treated fiippantly, and m&Ge a sui
49, ~ JCtt' &''C o@AAAO
~ papers. deem a touch of irrevel
"nce sufficient point TO make q jok
To all such the episode at Betl
shemish remains a reminder. lilo
ard r~everenced in His name"
Ralying To The Standard.
That troublesome Ark of Il
COMMUNICATIONS as truth
troublcsome-waS at length emo
10 the house of Ahinidab in kiriatl
.jearim. Apparently there was a T.
vite there, Il assuring the safe
and prosperity Of the family the N
was cared for revently for wei
years.
That was a dry spell spiritual
in the life of Israel. It seems
have been a sort of between season
Samuel was in S~eclusion, ministerir
Of course, but ripening for his great
work. He had to achieve maturity
life before he could be ready for t
tasks that awaited him. Our bustli-
day is impatient of these quiet tim
Of preparation which come to IN
and to nations. Apparently the pr,
porous recent years OF our nation
life have been a making ready +
the great crisis which we seem to
facing.
When the hour struck, Samuel ca
ed the assembly Of all n people
Mizpah. 1t was a summons to ia
to the standard of Jehovah. He eve
ed their national consciousness
we'll as their dormant religious sen
ments. The occasion revealed the !
triotism of religion and the religi
of patriotism: each virtue sud-
ments the other. The c~onvocation
Mizpah was a national assembly
we'll as a religious revival. The f
and the Bible always go togeth
Every battle front in the present Y
reports a religious Q~uichening. I
two great thoughts of God and 90,
try are Siamese twins.
When the Preacher RebukeS Hcart
Some folk seem unable to Ell
the Billy Sunday revival in PhilaG
phia because it makes them unco
Portable. They are not permitted
rise into idle transports and ecstas
Just at the point when they are &
ting ready to shout, the preacher S
some perfectly rude things about
church members who are the conf
crates Of corrupt politicians and