Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1879 — Communication. [ARTICLE]

Communication.

Rensselaer, Ind., I Ai'uuht PJih, 1819. J Mr. Editor— Sir: —We attended the cams-meet-ing at Remington on Sunday afternoon, and on Saturday and Sunday there was a large turnout of people, but little seeming interest in the exercises about the stand. There was no great disorder, uriless talking in tlie seats might be called disorderly. We never heard so much of that during meeting. Outside of the benches all were talking, walking and laughing. It really seemed as though the mass of the great crowd had gone "to see and be seen.” The preaching was good, and yet very few seemed interested enough to listen to it. A few old “wheel-horse” Methodists and grave old Presbyterians listened to the preaching, but half of theiSPdid noi seem to believe it. The subject was “Complete Sancor “Holiness,” and well proved up; but it was no go. The people, even the churches have not been educated up to that point. No doubt this is the teaching of the gospel. But the Methodist church seem now to be dividing on this subject of sinless perfection. One minister will say another rices this as a “hobby.” Better preach faith and repentance They have been preaching that or these for many years, and bringing men and women into church by scores and thousands that have never tasted of the good woi‘d or life and the powers of the world to come. They must repent and believe, of course; but to lire,as becomes Christians, they must be holly,as the LordGod is holy. If Chris thins can’t come up to this standard, they had better have “their first works done over again. This idea of repenting and sinning and sinning and repenting through u whole life, and then hoping that lopt-ntanee will have the “inside track” ‘on the home stretch,’” is not safe gospel teaching. We understood, Sunday- evening, there had been no conversions yet during the meeting. We suppose if there should be any they would come from the Methodist church. There is no doubt i here are too many unconverted persons in all the churches. We thiuk,

very likely, some of these sanctified ones be deluded, and are, themselves, ‘in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniqnity.” But ire say again, if religion is worth having, it is worth having whole; and those half-hearted Christians had better “wake from sleep and arise from the dead." It would seem as though the time for camp- meetings has past. Fifty years ago they might have been fit, but now tbeland Is full of churches capable of bolding twice the number who attend them, ordinalily. Another reason: These meetings are generally held in “roasting ear and watermelon time, and in “dog-days*” when sickness frequently aoounds all over the country. Yours, in haste, * ♦ * Could a person “grow in grace” who is perfectly holy? Holiness is superlative. You might get an increase of holiness by enlarging the vessels containing it; but you can never fill a vessel more than full. So we can’t see clearly what good meetings would do the completely sanctified , unless it might be to save or keep up the leaking grace. Jimmy Dunn’s temperance may hav' carried off all the camp-meeting revival grace from Jasper county.