SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 49, 19 August 1911, Page 7

SUNDAY READING.

A REVIVAL-ITS NEED. Extract of Sermon preached by Rev. R. J. Liclilell in the Queen St. Primitive Methodist Church. "(), Lord, revive thy work. —Habakkuk iii., 2. It is generally supposed, and seems highly probable, that the prophet Habakkuk was employed as a teacher of righteousness in the days of the wicked Manassor, when torrents of iniquity everywhere deluged the land, when treachery ravaged under the mask of friendship and when the righteous were persecuted with relentless cruelty. But amidst this abounding depravity it is evident that llabakkuk both lived and preached as a faithful prophet of the Lord should. It was revealed to him that God intended to correct the Jewish people by sending them into captivity to the Chaldeans, that they would remain in this stale of captivity for a number of years and suffer most bitterly. These intimations of God's purposes touched the prophet's heart; his sympathies went out towards his blinded people. He feels much for his afflicted country. But his chief concern was that the interests of piety might not suffer amidst these national calamities. He longs that his people might not altogether forget the God of their fathers. This therefore impels him to address God in the language of our text. As the prophet looked upon the people he saw love had grown cold, he observed things that had a tendency to impair, weaken and destroy supreme love; he saw carnal impulses, impure associations, social influences that were detrimental to spiritual power. He saw things that were acting like a blighting atmosphere to vegetation, causing decay and death; so he prays God to revive His supreme love, to quicken and energise it, to give it more force and influence in the soul, and thus in an agony he cried, "0, Lord, revive Thy work." Is there

NEED FOR THIS PRAYER to-day? We answer, Yes. Can any of us be content with the moral and spiritual state of our land? Its condition is such as to give us all anxiety. The presence of God is also shown by purity of morals and the prosperity 'of philanthropic agencies. Is our condition satisfory in these respects? Do not intemperance, gambling and uncleanness and Sabbath desecration stalk through the land with gigantic strides? It is a dangerous form of optimism which declares under such circumstances, "All's right with the world." When we see this widespread prevalence of evil we must conclude that our great need is a revival—a fuller, deeper, mightier life of the Spirit infused into the heart of the Church, accompanied with a visitation of grace to the world.

The thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekial is fine reading for those whose religious lot is cast in a dry place. They dwell in a place where, religiously speaking, the place is full of bones and very dry. Dry prayers, dry songs, dry meetings, dry everything and everybody. If such is the case, seek God and ask Him to intervene until the dead hear the voice of God and begin to truly live. Now what indications have we that we need a revival?

THE WORLDLY CHURCH. The Church's conformity to the world is an indication that we need a revival. There is no gainsaying the fact that the Church is perilously near the world. The line of demarkation is not clearly enough defined. During the whole history of God's ancient Israel and of the Church the most subtle of all snares has been a plausible law of accommodation, adopting worldly maxims, catering to worldly tastesj corrupted by worldly leven; there has been a gradual letting down of the high standard of New Testament piety. The pulpit has by this law of accommodation been lowered at times into a platform for lectures more becoming to the Lyceum. The service of song has dropped into a display of mere artistic talents. One of our churches some time ago promoted a concert, had the affair run by people of very questionable morals, and the whole entertainment was a disgrace to our Church. These worldly expedients have proved very successful in secularising the Church, but have sadly failed in evangelising the world. If the Church would woo and win souls she must be offering them attractions and satisfaction which the world does not and cannot offer—that which is bread to satisfy spiritual hunger instead of husks, which fill but do not feed, and the well of water springing up into everlasting life instead of broken cisterns which hold no water. To draw souls and promote a revival the Church needs to be not more worldly but more unworldly, and the attempt to bring the Church more "up to the time" is often only conformity to worldly practices.

APATHY OF CHRISTIANS. The manifest spirit of apathy on the part of Christian people is another sign that we need a revival. It is only when this indifference is removed that we can experience the blessing of a great religious awakening. It is difficult to find enthusiasm to-day. The great bulk of professing Christians have but little zeal. Look out on the ordinary everyday affairs and you will see genius, talent, zeal expended for the development of physical resources and business and politics, but comparatively little for the development of the Church's life. Coldness, indifference and inactivity nave no affiliation with the true genius of the Gospel, for Christianity is essentially active. We are called not only to be saved, but to save; therefore the motto of the Christian is service. The methods of service are so various that it is impossible to define or describe them. They embrace the whole range of opportunity, the whole scope of possibility. Till the field at your feet, and help to send others to till the fields you cannot reach. Only thus will the world bo sown with the seeds of the Kingdom and wave with the harvests of God.

THE NEGLECTED SANCTUARY. Irregularity in attendance at the Sanctuary is another indication that we need a revival. It is distressing to find Christian people offering the most paltry and flimsy excuses for non-attendance at the Means of Grace. "The clouds always look darker and more threatening on Sunday than on week-days; the head never aches so much on week-days as on Sunday, and the hody is never so tired on Monday as on (iod's day." So many talk and the house of prayer is neglected. Then when they go to church many seem anxious to leave it as soon as possible. The preacher must only preach for twenty minutes, with a leaning toward-; the side of mercy. Yet the same people would sit and listen to an entertainment, for two hours and never complain. Look at the Sunday evening prayer meetings: what reluctance there is on the part of many professing Christians to remain for half an hour's prayer at the close of service. The excuse is anxiety to get home. But why are they not so anxious to get home nt S o'clock on week evenings? Tt is only then they think of going out. Oh. is there any wonder there is no revival? It is only when we alter this state of all'airs, when, like the psalmist, we say. "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord.'' that there can be any revival,

FAULTY I'ULPJTS. The cautious way many pulpits deal with existing evils indicates that we need to pray, "0, Lord, revive Thy work." There is a lack of boldness today in many pulpits because of the fear of men. Many preachers are cautious because they know plain-speaking would mean alienating some of the "pillars" of their church. Now, every revival I know of has been the result of straightpreaching. Look at the Bible revivals — Ezekial's revival, .]o!m the Baptist's revival, the revival at Pentecost. They were the result of outspoken preaching. The revivals under Wesley and Whitfield; under Hugh Bourne and William Clowes; the great revival of recent years in Wales under Evan Roberts, were all the outcome of straight dealing with men. So we need a holy boldness in the pulpit to-day to thunder at God's Word against the existing evils of our times. There must be no supineness in the preacher who would save men. It was Betterton, the actor, who told the Bishop of London that "the difference between the actor and the preacher is that the actor speaks of things imaginary as though they were real, while the preacher speaks' of things real as though they were imaginary." Now, our anxiety for a revival will prompt three things that will produce it. First, we II.USt

PRAY FOR IT. A great baptism of intercession is necessary. We must weigh the worth of immortal souls in the scales of God and measure the power of the Gospel by Him Who gave jt. Prayer can unlock prison doors, make the iron gate swing open of its own accord. It will enable "one to chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight." God challenges us to pray, saying, "Prove Me now herewith if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive.' A marble cutter with chisel and hammer was working a block of stone into a beautiful statue. A preacher who was looking on said, "I wish I could on hearts of stone deal such transforming blows." "Perhaps you might," was the sculptor's quiet answer, "if, like me, you worked on your knees." It is work on the knees that tells in promoting a revival. Next,

BELIEVE FOR IT. Have faith in God. One of the hindrances to a revival is in looking to men and trusting in men instead of God. Revivals are good things if God is in them; otherwise they are not. Finally,

LIVE FOR IT. If there is to be a revival in the Church it must begin in you, and as Rev. C. H. Yatman point out, a revival in yourself embraces—more prayer; more* Biblereading; erection of a family altar; paying your debts; your presence at the prayer meeting; forgiving and asking forgiveness; loyalty to your church; more hatred for sin and love for holiness; some definite Christian work; reading less harmful literature and more good books; learning the twelfth ckapter of Romans by heart and living it.