GOD’S PRESENCE by Newman Hall

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 30, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 38.

GOD’S PRESENCE.

By Newman Hall

SOME years ago a famous lay preacher, a God-sent evangelist, was announced to preach. Great numbers had assembled, and, the hour having struck, were getting impatient. The preacher was in his bedroom, at the house of the farmer on whose grounds the service was to be held. The latter sent to summon him, but the servant returned saying he had got someone with him in his room and was begging him to come with him, and was saying, “If you do not go with me, I will not go up hence,” or something to that effect. The godly farmer said, “Oh, it’s all right! we shall have God’s presence to-day.”

And so it was. A remarkable power attended that day’s ministry. Many were pricked to the heart and cried aloud for mercy. It was the beginning of a long-continued period of spiritual revival, during which not only a multitude of sinners were converted, but the whole tone of the spiritual life of believers was raised, in personal devotion, attendance at services, actual zeal, and righteousness of life.

It cannot be wrong to avail ourselves of methods to promote revivals which are scriptural and have been proved efficacious, but we must be on guard against thinking more of methods than of objects, of creating a revival ourselves rather than of seeking it from heaven, of looking to some human agency more than to the Divine Head of the church, to freshness, eloquence, music, excitement, rather than to the Holy Spirit, to kindle and fan the sacred flame. Very often real and lasting revivals have begun within a church, among two or three members, rather than from foreign aid and fire kindled from without.—Newman Hall, D.D.