About Tents and Tent Meetings.
By Joseph Clarke
To me Tent meetings are a new feature; but it is apparent to all that they are a great convenience, and even a necessity in the present crisis. Painted churches, mahogany pews, cushioned seats, carpeted aisles, velvet covered pulpits, with gay and elegantly dressed clergymen, and richly clad audiences, called together by the deep-toned bells; these are consecrated to the God of Sunday, of infant baptism, and other theological errors too palpably gross, one would think for the support of intelligent (not to say honest) men. These and other fatal errors, the outgrowth of Protestant-popery, a sort of hybrid christianity, too frightful to look at, are woven into the theology of the pulpit and the religious press. They are the shibboleths, the passwords of the numerous divisions of the Babylonish army; and those who are so honest as to come out of these organizations and take their stand upon the firm rock of truth, are struck from the roll, and excluded from these houses of worship which their toil and money has helped to decorate. Lovers of God, lovers of truth, worshipers of Jehovah, defenders of the law of God, men and women whose hearts God has touched with holy fire, ye saints who are to shout victory over the beast and over his image, you who are to stand upon mount Zion, upon the sea of glass, assure yourselves, these costly houses are not for you. Perhaps you may get a school-house or some inferior place for a time, or you may meet in a private house; but if you wish to meet in large numbers, you must meet in the town-house, or court-house, or convey a Tent from place to place. Such being the state of the case, what is to be done? Shall we sit down in despondency as did Jeremiah and lament? No, indeed. Jeremiah viewed a captivity of seventy years, in the future, a captivity of his kindred and relations, a state of vassalage to a heathen power, while we look forward to victory, certain and sure. Such being our prospect, though dangers and trials and toils intervene, we have every encouragement to press forward to conquest and ultimate victory. Brethren, the truth is ours, the waymarks of prophecy are ours, God's law and the faith of Jesus are ours and the promise of victory is ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's. With such prospects before us, what shall be done? The Tent season is at hand; souls are perishing; truth is downtrodden; light is put for darkness, and darkness for light; sweet for bitter, and bitter for sweet. From week to week error is preached, smooth things are dispensed to unthinking crowds, while honest souls are plodding along in the dark, puzzled to know what it is that sinks their burdened hearts. Oh God, they cry, what causes this aching heart, this burdened mind? Now in view of the cries of the innocent, in view of the efforts of the advocates of blind error, in view of truth, in view of that Christ who gave his life for ungrateful man, who agonized in mind and body for us, what effort shall be made the coming season? How great an effort? Shall it be an economical effort? Shall we stint our Tent committees? Shall our Tents go a begging? Shall the messengers who labor in the cause be harassed with cares, for the support of their families? No, no, we will bring all tithes into the storehouse, and a great blessing will follow. Let us be in time. There is such a thing as being too late with our prayers, and efforts, and offerings.