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REVIVAL MEETINGS- THEIR DIVINE AUTHORITY
Letter No. 1.
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Y a revival meeting we are to un
derstand a meeting or series of
meetings for the purpose of pro
moting a revival of religion.
By a revival of religion we are
to understand —such a manifesta
tion of the Divine Spirit’s, power
as results in increased spirituali
zation of Christians, and the con-
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viction and conversion of sinners.
Holding ourselves to this definition every
effort at revival meetings must be judged by
this standard, as to its motives, its methods,
end success. Not by the noise it makes nor
the excitement it produces, but by the number
of souls actually saved and gathered into the
Church, and started in the consecrated service
of the Christ life must the results of every ef
fort to promote a revival be measured.
Have we divine authority for such meetings ?
Without pausing to answer any of the argu
ments or objections of those good brethren
who do not so believe —and there are many
at whose feet I would gladly sit and learn, in
some things—l will answer, yes; for such meet
ings we have the fullest Bible authority.
Normal Condition.
Whatever may be said or admitted as to “a
state of revival being the normal condition of
the Church,” the history of religion in all
ages, proves that there have been times when
God, in answer to the earnest prayers of His
people, has come signally near to bless and re
vive His work. When, because of coldness
and neglect of duty on the part of Zion, God
withheld His blessing, until the longing soul
cried out for the divine favor, and then God
came near to hear and answer prayer. Thus
An Avalanche of Reforms For the New Year
~ 1 HEN the infant New Year entered
V 1% ie Nation’s capital with a twelve
months’ store of things good and
Vstf bad, much of the good fell to the
the forces of Christian citi
zenship. If we now manifest the
00 energy and courage which is the
z only basis of intelligent optimism,
— J we can “wake the dead” in Wash-
ington.
One of the most important reform measures
now before Congress is the Kenyon Red Light
Injunction Bill, for which the International Re
form Bureau is waging valiant battle with fine
prospects of victory. There are two mighty
justifications for a desperate assault upon the
citadel of vice at this point. One is the sick
ening need of legislation which will “clean up
Washington for inauguration,” wiping out the
vile dens which infest the most beautiful
and frequented parts of the city, purging
the streets of prowling prostitutes, and discour
aging the hordes of undesirable people who are
preparing to flock to the capital for March 4th.
The second reason is the entire efficacy of the
bill proposed, which has been proven by its re
markable record in lowa.
Conditions Almost Unbelievable.
The conditions in Washington are at present
almost unbelievable. Places of prostitution
and illegal loquor-selling swarm about the
official building. At the time of a recent
investigation, some of these were found within
one block of the White House grounds. Quite
a number were discovered within a stone’s
throw of the new office building of the House
of Representatives, and still more were located
By E. DECTS PICKETT, New Field Secretary International Reform Bureau, Washington, D. C.
The Golden Age for January 16,1913.
cried David in the 85th Psalm, “Wilt thou be
angry with us forever? Wilt thou draw out
thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not
revive us again, that thy people may rejoice
in thee?” Thus cried Habakkuk, in his third
chapter, “0, Lord, revive thy work in the midst
of the years, in the midst of years make known;
in wrath remember mercy.” It is such pray
ers as these that bring the blessing and when
you hear them being poured out from the ever
flowing soul of God’s consecrated Church, you
may know that the time has come when “God
will arise and have mercy upon Zion, for the
time to favor her, yea the set time has come,
for her servants take pleasure, in her stones
and favor the dust thereof. See Psalm 102:
13.
The Gospel Dispensation.
The Gospel dispensation opened with a glo
rious revival. John, tfye first Gospel preacher,
appeared on the banks of the Jordan, and at
once commenced a revival meeting. Day aft
er day the meeting went on, the same gospel
story each day—the same theme “repentance”
filling each sermon—with the result that “All
Jerusalem and Judea, and all the regions round
about Jordan, were baptized of hi min Jordan,
confessing their sins.”
Almost the entire work of the apostles was
holding revival meetings. The first great out
pouring of the Divine Spirit was in a revival
meeting. How that revival was brought about
I will show later on in these letters. Suffice
it to say here, that revival meetings at Jerusa
lem must ever stand in its preparatory work, its
methods and its agencies—less the miraculous
work of the Holy Spirit—as a model for all
Scriptural revivals in all ages. Let it be re
membered that the 3,000 referred to in the sec
ond chapter of Acts as having been baptized,
within one block of the general Postoffice. The
evil is blatant and brazen, unrestrained and un
confined.
The bill intended to remedy this state of af
fairs and remove the cause for the now general
protest against anything but inaugural cere
monies of Jeffersonian simplicity, operates by
perpetually enjoining the owners and occupants
of houses found to be used for immoral pur
poses, levying a tax upon them and their con
tents and putting the owners of the property
in contempt of court if it is again found wrong
fully employed. This is much more effective
as a permanent cure than the old way of punish
ing the occupant, who forthwith returned to
her evil employment when released.
Washington Shaken to the Center.
The proposed measure has shaken Washing
ton from center to circumference, not only be
ing the main topic of conversation among the
friends of reform movements, but also in the
clubs and places of business resort. Since the
crusade begun by the International Reform Bu
reau, many disorderly places have been vacated,
and glaring “For Rent” signs show how plain
ly the shadow of coming events has conveyed
its warning.
In addition to this bill, the Jones-Works Ex
cise Bill for the improvement of the regulation
■of the liquor traffic in the District, and the
Johnston Sabbath Observance Bill, are being
actively forwarded.
All Eyes on That Liquor Shipment Bill.
National interest, however, is now centering
around the Sheppard-Kenyon-Webb Interstate
Jjiquor Bill, which, now that the feature plac
-23g interstate liquor shipments under the police
By H. P. FITCH.
and the 5,000 in the fourth chapter, were not
the results of several different meetings, but
of one continued revival. The connecting link
uniting these two statements, is found in the
47th verse of the second chapter, “And the
Lord added to the Church daily such as should
be saved.”
Revival at Samaria.
Scarcely had the revival meeting at Jerusa
lem been closed by the “great persecution,”
and the disciples been “scattered abroad,”
when we hear of another revival, down in the
city of Samaria. This meeting was started by
Philip, aided by Peter and John. Here the
same methods were adopted and the same re
sults followed. On the profession of their
faith in Christ as a personal Saviour, “they
were baptized, both men and women.”
The next revival was at Caesarea. This was
the result of the prayers of only one man; and
proves how only one earnest, faithful Christian
can bring about a revival. "While the case
of Cornelius stands on record, let no Christian
feel discouraged because of the fewness of the
numbers, or the unfavorableness of the circum
stances. “One shall chase a thousand and
two put ten thousand to flight.”
But I have no space further, to particularize.
Enough to say, almost the entire history of the
Acts of the Apostles is a record of revivals.
At least 90 per cent, of the converts baptized
by the apostles, including those baptized by
Paul, and his co-adjutors, were the results of
such efforts, as we now call revival meetings.
For such meetings, conducted according to the
original plan—and following the Gospel meth
ods, there is the amplest Bible authority.
In my next letter I will write of the Divine
Purpose and Agency.
powers of the various States before delivery to
consignee, has been added, bids fair to prove a
giant stride. The measure comes before the
Senate for debate on December 16th, for the
first time, never having before run the gauntlet
of the Senate committee. Expert judgment
predicts its passage by the Senate. The re
form forces of the nation should now deluge
that body with petitions to make the probabil
ity a certainty, and should, above all else, cen
ter a fire of petitions upon the House of Repre
sentatives to insure its ratification by both
branches. Victory is in sight for this meas
ure, and defeat would be a disgraceful memo
rial of the Church’s apathy at the time of a
national crisis.
Other reform measures before this Congress
are:
The Sims-Lea bill to protect States which
have prohibited race gambling from the inter
state circulation of odds and bets.
The Cullom bills for the checking of the
growing use of opium and the Mann bill, of
similar intent.
The Gronna bill, to give prohibition to Ha
waii, where the liquor interests of America
have a strangle hold upon an unwilling people.
The Mann bill, for the improvement of vice
conditions in the Panama Zone.
Another point of hot fighting will be the as
sault of the divorce lawyers of the District of
Columbia, upon the Reform Bureau’s law which
has now been in force for some years.
The pastors and moral leaders of America
will fall far short of their duty unless they ex,
ert their utmost influence upon the people to
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