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FAMOUS EDITOR OF PENTECOSTAL HERALD CONDUCTS NOTABLE REVIVAL IN ATLANTA—TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE
HEARD HIS LAST SERMON—TWO HUNDRED CONVERSIONS.
gr
T has been years since two weeks’ of
preaching by any one man has made a
more profound impresison on Atlanta
than the meetings which have just
closed at St. Paul’s Methodist church.
Day and night great crowds have flocked
to hear Dr. Henry Clay Morrison, the Ken
tucky evangelist. A master of logic, wit and
dramatic eloquence, he does not allow these re
markable gifts to make him forget to keep
his heart on its knees.
Dr. B. F. Frazer, the popular pastor of St.
Paul’s, with two thousand members, declares
the meetings have brought great blessing in
over 200 conversions and greater consecration
to the thousands who have heard Dr. Morrison.
We give here an outline of Dr. Morrison’s last
Sunday night’s sermon. Every young preacher
in America should have heard it:
I shall read you three texts: First, Heb.
11:8. By faith Abraham, when he was called
to go out into a place which he should after
receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went
out, not knowing whither he went.
Our second text is in Romans 5:20-21. He
staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God; and being fully persuaded that, what
he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Our third text is Heb. 11:17. By faith Abra
ham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and
he that had received the promises offered up
his only begotten Son.
The Scriptures offer for our study an art
gallery of ten pictures drawn true to life by
inspired hands. As we come into the gallery
we see Abraham with his faith; Job with his
patience; Moses with his meekness; Joshua
with his courage; Joseph with his purity; Da
vid with his bravery, his sling and stone; Sam
son with the gate posts of his enemies upon his
shoulders; Peter with his zeal; Paul'with his
“none of these things move me,” and John
with his head on the Saviour’s breast.
In these great Bible characters God incar
nates the great truths that go into the building
of Christian character that fits us for service
here and eternal blessedness yonder.
When it comes to the forgiveness of sins,
God forgives sin instantly. The cleansing of
the heart is the work of the Lord received by
faith, quick as the lightning flash. But the
building of character is a different proposi
tion. It takes a while, and God must put one
through the processes in order to build char
acter. It is the purpose of God in putting
us through the process of character building
to fix us so we will stay fixed throughout
eternity. We want this evening to learn a
lesson from Abraham, and God’s dealings with
hi min the development of the character that
was to shine out as a splendid example to
men through all the ages of human history.
Three Building Tests.
You will notice our three texts mark three
great epochs in the history of Abraham, and
you will notice that in each one of these
epochs God is developing an important qual
ity in the make-up of solid Christian charac
ter. First, he teaches him obedience by call
ing him out into an unknown country. Sec
ond, he teaches him faith by making him a
promise of that which seems impossible. Third,
he teaches him consecration by asking of him
the chiefest love and joy of all his heart; and
this, my friends, is what God is undertaking
MORRISON’S WONDERFUL MEETINGS
The Golden Age for April 3, 1913
to do for us all —to develop in us a spirit of
obedience which never hesitates, but comes
running with delight every time he calls; a
spirit of faith -which never doubts, but al
ways believes the promise of the Lord; a spirit
of consecration which never withholds, but
gives with gladness at every request of the
infinite Master.
When God has brought us into glad obedi
ence, unhesitating faith, and cheerful consecra
tion which gives to him without hesitation that
thing which we prize most highly he has fit
ted us to live in this world or in any other
world in his universe, in harmony with his
divine will and purpose. That is victory; that
is triumph, to get back to God, to fit unto his
will, to rise into harmonious and blessed com
panionship with the infinite.
We must be saved from the notion that God’s
commandments are unreasonable or tyranical.
We must learn that obedience is safety and
blessedness. Every commandment obeyed
finds a blessing. There may seem difficulties,
but when we rise and go forward in obedi
ence, going out not knowing whither we go,
God will bring us into a goodly land. Abra
ham gathered his little possessions at the call
of his God, took his wife with him, left rela
tives and friends behind him, and went out not
knowing whither he went, but God brought
him into Canaan land.
Learn to trust God. Don’t be afraid to risk
the will and wisdom of your Heavenly Father.
Don’t undertake to figure him out, or to fear
that he will bring you into some place that
will be hard and destructive to your happi
ness and peace, but learn that obedience al
ways means triumphant victory and blessed
ness.
Nursing Your Doubts.
You are troubled with doubt. You nurse
your doubts as tenderly as a little babe. You
get the notion that it is a means of grace to
you to doubt. You cultivate and develop your
doubts, and then fight and quarrel at your
doubts after you have made your home their
welcome dwelling p’ace. Stop fighting with
your doubts, talking about your doubts, and
run to the front door of a better purpose and a
higher life, and a new era of Christian expe
rience, and call FAITH, and bring him into
your house. Take no denial. Grip his hand,
give him the best chair, make him at home.
FAITH will scarcely be seated until PEACE
will come in, and say, “FAITH, are you stop
ping here? Well, I shall stay here whfe you
remain.’ ’ And JOY will come in, and say,
“FAITH, do you and PEACE live here? Well,
this shall be my place of abode,” and PRAISE
will come in and say, “What a gathering is
this? I delight in this company,” and will be
a part of tihs group, and Hallulajah will come
in and say, “This company suits me exactly,
and there’ll be joy in that place. You’ll hear
something crash in the back of the house, and
you will run out on the back porch to see old
DOUBT running through the orchard with a
window sash on his neck. DOUBT can’t live
with FAITH and PEACE and JOY and
PRAISE. Glory to God for a full salvation.
The supremest test came to Abraham when
God asked for Isaac. These are trying mo
ments in one’s history, when God seems to have
forgotten former promises, and looks as if he
was at cross-purposes with himself. Keep heap
ing coal into your furnace and keep your throt-
tle valve wide open at fifty miles an hour, while
the angels seem to be tearing up the big bridge
just ahead of you, is a test to the soul. Isaac
the Son of Promise, had grown into a stal
wart young man and God said to Abraham:
“Take thy son to Mount Moriah and offer him
as a burnt sacrifice. ’ ’ But Abraham had learn
ed his lessons well and without hesitation he
sharpened the sacrificial knife, took the torch,
called Isaac to gather the fuel and bring the
servants. Three days they traveled, and three
quiet nights they lay under the silent stars.
No hesitation or drawing back on the part of
Abraham. Finally, they came to Mount Mo
riah, and Abraham leaves his servants at the
foot of the mountain. There is going to be
a tragedy on the mountain top too sacred and
awful for the eyes to look upon.
The angels gathered on the front porch of
the house of many mansions and watched the
splendid scene. An old man with night in one
hand, torch in the other, head bowed in hu
mility, and face set with solemn awful purpose,
followed by his only beloved son, carrying the
fuel upon his shoulder, which shall build his
funeral pyre, is climbing the mountain side.
They came to the spot designated. The altar
is built, and Isaac said, “Father here is your
altar; here is your fire, but where is your sac
rifice? Abraham turned to Isaac and said:
“You are the sacrifice, my son; I intend to
offer you upon this altar to the Lord.” “Of
fer me, father,” said Isaac, “why is this? I
thought you said I was to be the father of a
great nation. Now I am to be slain.” Abra
ham said, “Son, this is a profound mystery,
but God has given the command. In my young
manhood he called me to leave my country
and people, and I went out not knowing whith
er I went. Later, he promised what seemed to
be the impossible, and I staggered not with
unbelief, and you was given as a reward of
my faith, but now, in my old age, God comes
to me with the severest test of all my history.
I could have given my servants, my camels, my
cattle, my gold and my silver, and all my pos
sessions, easier than I could give you, but God
honors me and my devotion to him by asking
for that which I love the best, and I will not
break my covenant with him.”
God Found His Man.
Isaac submitted willingly. Abraham bound
him, laid him upon the altar and lifted the
sacrificial knife to strike the death blow, but
an angel’s hand caught him by the wrist and
bands of music played in glory, and God said:
“I have found a man who will come when I
call him, believe what I promise him and give
what I ask.” There Abraham has stood in
history through the passing centuries. As we
tramp the dusty road of life, let us look away
to this mighty man of God, behold the trimph
that God wrought in him, and in humility and
gladness submit to the tests which come to us
until he shall bring us into the fullness of an
unhesitating obedience, a faith that knows no
doubt and a consecration that places our all
upon the altar.
Jt
Remember—reading The Golden Age is the
only way to keep up with Dr. Broughton every
week— Send $1.50 to pay for a full year’s vis
its. Golden Age Pub. Co., 13 Moore Bldg.,
Atlanta, Ga.
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