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Personal Work the Revival Key-note
Thousands of Christians Stirred to Do Soul-Winning as Never Before Throughout Philadelphia
By GEORGE T. B. DAVIS
lERSONAL work in going after the lost
Pone by one has been the keynote of the
Philadelphia revival campaign during
the past week. Day after day both
Dr. Torrey and Mr. Alexander have
plead with the throngs that crowded
the Armory to make personal work
the passion of their lives. Thousands of hearts
have been fired with a love of souls such as they
never knew before, and the entire city is feeling
the effect of the great revival enthusiasm. Chris
tians are casting aside their pride, and are doing
personal w’ork on the streets, in street cars and in
their places of business. The pastor of one of the
largest churches in Philadelphia told Dr. Torrey
that his church members had never been so aroused
before to go out and win the lost.
For five successive days this week, Dr. Torrey
preached on Personal Work. One afternoon, in
telling the people where to do personal work, he
said:
Begin at Home.
“Begin first of all in your own home. Mothers
and fathers, if you have unsaved children, begin
with them. Wives, begin with your unsaved hus
bands. Brothers and sisters, begin with those w 7 ho
have not professed Christ in your own home. For
years you nave been calling on people socially, or
on business, or to get them to give a pin-cushion to
a church bazaar, or to sell them a ticket to a con
cert or school entertainment. Go and see them to
morrow with the one specific purpose of asking
them whether they have received Jesus Christ or not.
Take your calling list and go to see those whose
names are on it, to talk to them concerning their
souls.
“In Acts 17:17, we find another place to do per
sonal work is on the streets. You will often see
faces with signs of distress or dissipation depicted
upon them coming toward you, and you can lead
them to Christ. Some of the most thrilling con
versions I ever heard of were the result of the w’ork
of a woman missionary that I once employed to do
nothing but work on the streets.
“I was walking down the streets of Chicago one
day in a great crowd, when I passed a man, and an
irresistible impulse seized me to speak to him. I
stepped into a doorway, and I said, ‘Lord, show me
lx this is of Thee.’ I then turned and followed the
man, and as he was crossing the road I put my
hand on his shoulder: ‘Are you saved?’ I asked.
‘That is a strange question to ask a stranger in the
middle of a crowded street,’ he said. He went on
to tell me that his life had been wrecked by drink,
though he was a graduate of Amherst, and that his
cousin, a Chicago minister, had been speaking to
him but a few hours before on that very subject.
Several days later he accepted Christ.
Carry the Spirit Into Your Business.
“ Our Lord did personal work at the place of busi
ness, as Mark 2:14 shows. He called Levi, the son
of Alpheus, as he sat gathering taxes, and after
wards made him an apostle. Speak to your em
ployees, your fellow workmen and women. In a
Liverpool soap factory there is a prayer band which
goes out on soul-seeking tours as the result of a
drunken fiddler being converted in our mission in
that city. In the Sheffield warehouse one young
man who was converted early in our month’s mis
sion there brought thirty others to Christ before
we left Sheffield.
“Railroad trains afford one of the best oppor
tunities, Most people will take up two, and, if they
can, three seats on a train. I always move over to
the end of my seat and leave room for another, and
then I pray to the Lord to send me the person He
wants me to speak to. Friends, let us turn the
suburban trains into revival meetings. Let us do
the same thing on the street cars.”
The revival is awakening many backsliders and
The Golden Age for March 1, 1906.
giving them back their lost passion for souls. A
woman who had been led away by the love of art
and music wrote to Dr. Torrey saying:
“I heard you today for the first time, and oh!
how condemned I felt when you spoke of our home
life and what a power for good it may be if only
our life is consistent. Oh, pray for me that I may
become more humble, for my greatest obstacle is
pride. Only this afternoon a person whom I had
asked to come to the meetings, asked me to pray
for her. I said I would, but she don’t know how
much I need to be prayed for myself. A few years
ago God did use me as an instrument for bringing
souls into His kingdom, but the love of art and
music has caused me to become careless and indif
ferent to Him; but I do want to come back. Pray
that God may use me these months to be instant
in season and out of season.”
Last 'Sunday was the red-letter day of the revival
thus far. It is estimated that not less than 15,000
people endeavored to crowd into the afternoon and
evening meetings at the Armory, and during the day
more than 200 men and women rose from their
seats in all parts of the building and went to the
front to publicly confess Christ. The -whole city is
in the throes of the movement. It is the chief
topic of conversation in the street cars and stores
and wherever people congregate. Even political
issues are being lost sight of in the revival enthu
siasm.
A Worker from Across the Sea.
One night T was astonished to see a man in the
audience doing personal work who had been one of
the most active soul-winners in the revival cam
paign of Dr. Torrey and Mr. Alexander in London
and in Oxford, England. He told me has had come
to this country partly to see a friend, but that lie
had come at this time in order to have the joy of
winning more souls to Christ in the thick of the
revival movement.
Numerous ministers and evangelists, many of them
from a distance, occupy seats on the platform each
night. One evening recently, Mr. Alexander no
ticed among the visitors Dr. Cleland B. MacAfee.
the well known Brooklyn pastor, who succeeded Dr.
Theodore L. Cuyler. When called upon by the sing
er to speaker, Dr. MacAfee said that he brought
greetings from Ira D. Sankey to Mr. Alexander,
and that no one was more keenly interested in the
work of the evangelists or prayed more earnestly
for their success than Dr. Cuyler. He said that Dr.
Cuyler had expressed the wish only a few days
since that he (Dr. MacAfee) might go to Philadel
phia, see the work there, and bring him back a
report of it, that he might add to his prayers his
thanksgiving for the results achieved.
Songs and Sermons Over the Wires.
A modern invention has been introduced at the
Armory which is probably unique in the history of
revival meetings in America. A large megaphone
has been hung a little above the speakers’ stand,
through which the singing of the choir and audience,
the tones of Mr. Alexander in conducting, and the
sermons of Dr. Torrey are conveyed by telephone
throughout the city of Philadelhphia. It is not now
necessary for people to leave their homes in order
to listen to the revival services; they can do so by
simply taking the telephone receiver from the hook
and asking central to connect them with the Armory.
They can listen as long as they choose to the sing
ing of Mr. Alexander, or the preaching of Dr. Tor
rey. It is probable that before the revival ends
some may be converted through the revival flame
carried over the telephone wires to the enlarged
audience.
Although the megaphone has only been installed
a few days, it is already proving a great inspiration
to Christians who are unable to attend the meetings.
At a testimony meeting this afternoon a large,
black-moustached man, who is employed as a night
watchman in a big department store of John Wana
maker, stood up and said: “In Wanamaker’s store
last night, praise God, I had the blessed privilege
of listening to one of your sweet songs. I want
to congratulate the man who sang bass so sweetly.
While I had the phone in my hand, my arm fairly
trembled, and I faltered out in my lonely position,
‘Praise God for the power that’s springing up in
that meeting!”
News comes that the fire is spreading to the vil
lages round about Philadelphia. A correspondent
wrote Dr. Torrey, saying;
“A Christian young man, whose father owns a
large mill out of the city, will bring the employees
to the meeting tonight. For this purpose the mill
will be closed early in the afternoon that they may
make the train in time for the meeting. Will you
please pray for these men. They are all uncon
verted and some are addicted to the drink habit.
The wife of the watchman of the place was present
yesterday afternoon for the first time at the meet
ings, and was clearly and powerfully converted. Her
husband is now under conviction and wants to be
saved. The woman is stirring the whole neighbor
hood by telling of her conversion.”
TALK.
By Robert H . Harris.
You’re “the center of attraction”—
That’s talk!
You’re “the acme of perfection”—
All talk.
This is just the situation:—
All that fulsome adulation
Comes from those who seek to blind yon—
(They’re quite different behind you)
It’s talk—all talk!
Don’t believe a word they tell you—
It’s talk;
For a do’Hr thev would sell you.
They talk
Flattery, when they can use you,
But they’re ready to abuse you,
On the slightest provocation,
If some gain be the temptation.
They’re talk! All talk!
“Just behold me! How religious!”
That’s talk.
And my piety’s prodigious! -
More talk!
Though in different language spoken,
Just those words their acts betoken,
Seemingly devout “believers,”
They are often rank deceivers.
It’s talk—all talk.
Voluble, vehement, ranting-
All talk.
Whining, hypocritic canting—
Worse talk.
Watch them! ’Tis their aim to “beat you,”
Scheming evermore to cheat you;
They succeed in “gulling” many—-
Don’t let them gull you any—
They’re talk, talk, talk!
“I”_yes “I”—“I, I,” you hear them—
All talk!
(Sad misfortune to be near them)
Self talk.
Hero, heroine—“l am,” ever—
Other men or women, never;
Ev’ry good thing “I” have done it,
All the glory, “I” have won it!
Talk—bosh! talk, talk!
“I” will lead in ev’ry movement—
All talk.
“I’m” the “spirit of improvement!”—
Stuff!—talk.
But, you notice, it is ever
Something to be—almost never
Work accomplished—they are showing;
“I am goin’ to,” alw'ays blowing—
Gas, gab—all talk!
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