R0330-6 The Revival Season

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THE REVIVAL SEASON

“The spiritual barrenness in our local churches has been the cause of great anxiety to the official and leading men in them, and has led to some prayer and efforts for the betterment of this condition of things. The net addition to the Presbyterian churches of the North during the last ecclesiastical year was a fraction of one convert to each church. In some parts of the country the Congregationalists have not had a dozen additions to their churches in the same number of years. Baptists and Methodists do a little better but not much. The net addition of Baptists to the 874 churches of their faith, in this State for the last ecclesiastical year, for instance, is only 286, which is about one-third of a member for each church. More than one-half of the churches had not a single convert. The proportion of Methodists is between two and three new members to each church of their order. In view of these facts and figures the Presbytery of New York, the Baptists’ Association and the Ministers’ Conference of both Baptists and Methodists have endeavored to increase the number and improve the quality of their church members and converts, by special efforts begun with the new year and continued with much regularity and interest since. Days of special prayer have been held and evangelists, male and female, have been brought hither from other cities and states.”—New Yew Herald.

It might be added that nearly all of the additions above mentioned, few though they be, are from the Sunday schools; and many of them, so young as to be incapable of intelligent action. Few, very few, are converts in the true sense of the word.

Yes, the church is losing the worldly respect which for some years has been the great attraction for the worldly element. They, as well as the most pious of God’s true children are getting ashamed of the hollowness of Churchianity. Nominal Zion, is beginning to lament her inability to bring forth children—”Woe unto them that are with child in those days.”

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— March, 1882 —