The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-23

, huIwarks of bad big business, and
straight way all the pleasure goes
| from the revival for those who want
their religion to be a sort OF spiritual
luxury, not connected with the real
tiles of every day. II you've got re-
ligion, reasons the evangelist, get ou1
and work for God. If o haven't,
| hit the trail. But before you so un
the aisle you must be prepared TO give
| up all that would be Inconsistent with
the Christian life.
One OF the distinct contributions OF
Billy Sunday to the religious life OF
our day is his excavations OF upright
eousness. He is notably hard on the
inffective church member, in the pull
pit and in the pews. The limit of his
rather extensive and effective vocabu-
larry is used in penetrating the self
c~Omplacency of the profesSed Chris
tan who is living in sin. Yet Billy
Sunday could point TO old Samuel on
this occasion at Mizpah as q prece-
dent.
The Prophet demanded that Israel
give up the worship of Baalim and
Ashcroft, and turn with whOleheart-
: edneSs to Jehovah. The bed rock OF
the message was that one could not
live in sin and be acceptable to Je-
hOvah. The holy God demands right
eOSneSS.
The big Meeting"
Cheap and common criticism is
flung at cOnVentiOn-gOing; yet if the
convention is made a means, and not
an end, it Is a wise investment. Most
Christians today need to achieve a
new horizon. They lack a knowledge
Of the bigness of the enterprise of
which they are a part, and of the JOY
of the larger fellowship. The men,
cries Of such a gathering are a rich
spiritual inheritance that are as food
through hungry years.
The religious assembly or revival at
Mizpah was epochal in the life of Is
/ hearts of the people and made then,
} ready for the great task lying Just
! ahead.
= AS coal kindles coal, so this great
gathering at MiZpah was set afire with
q common sense of spiritual need. The
= truly religious convention is an enemy
s of self-righteousness. The delegates
= at Mizpah confessed their sin in gen.
O eral and in particular. They broke VI
= their idols and turned in penitence
Q n Id humble seeking to Jehovah. ]
WIS Il real revival.
Enter the enemy.
= We may be very sure that when.
!: ever religion shows exceptional vital
ity, then evil will militantly appear
When the people of God get together
then the Phjsistines are certain t
come up, as they did at Nizpah. Th,
forces OF unrighteOusness are never $,
vigorous as at the time of a revival
The criticism and Islander and back
: biting that accompany a revival ar
, enough to make one believe i'll ever
Billy Sundays devil.
=, AT Mizpah the battle was inevitable
conditions assured it then or later
The Philistine c~onquerors Of II Jews
disturbed by this assembly, were ap
Is preaching in full array. Now, how
is ever. they frOnted people Of differer
"a spirit, who had taken thought before
l. hand for the fundamentals Of religio
g. and patriotism.
ty 1T Il have been with feeling
* very different from those OF their las
" encounter, When the Ark Of God We
carried into the battle, that the hos
IL of Israel now faced the Philistine al
ny near MiZpah. Then they had OH
IS. the symbol Of Gods gracious presenc,
&, now they had II reality. Then the:
er SPIRITUAL guides were The wicke
of Hophni and Phineas; now the
guide was holy Samuel. Then the
ne had rushed into the fight in though
es less about their sins; no
Ell they had confessed them, and throue
the blood Of shrinking they had oil
al tanned a sense of forgiveness. The
or they were puTed Up by q vain pr,
su1nption; now they were animate
by d calm but confident hope. The
IL their advance was hallOwed by I
to prayer; now the cry Of needy chiIdr,
lIy had gone up from Gods faithful Sc
k want. In fact. the battle with ii
as Philistines had already been fougl
til by Samuel on his knees"
"a "Eest We Forget
on A first class war corresponde
le- wrote this brief narrative of tho h.
It tie:
as And as Samuel was Offering up Il
ag burnt-oIfering, the Philistines dr.
er. near to battle against Israel; bu J
ar hovah hundred with q great thund
on that day upon the Philistines, al
IN discOmforted them: and thew we
%snlitten dow before Israel. And t
.rs. men Of Israel went out of Mizpah, a
JOY pursued the Philistines. and SIno
ell them, until they came under Bet