Mere speculations as to the probable extent and course of the present work of the Lord in gathering souls to Christ would be fruitless and vain; but inquiries from the Word of God, as to whether there are Scriptural grounds to guide our expectations in this respect, must be naturally awakened in every thoughtful mind.
That the present dispensation will end in judgment and not in universal, or millennial blessing, is assumed to be incontrovertibly settled by the Word of God. Still there is room for the inquiry whether there is anything in Scripture to bar the expectation of a general revival -a brief, rapid, wide-extended and final gathering of souls to Christ by the testimony of His grace before the Church is taken out of this scene, and judgments on the world set in.
One thing must be borne in mind, that, until the point is reached in which the words " take hold," " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still," it is " the accepted time," it is " the day of salvation." As long as ever it can be called " to-day," we are to hear His voice. Moreover, when the Church's affections are represented as turned with the greatest earnestness toward Christ and she is answering most truly to her relationship to Him, and " the Spirit and the bride," in anticipation of His return, are saying, " Come," the invitation of the gospel, in its widest sense, is expressed in the words, " Let him that is athirst, come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
And in the application of the parable of the ten virgins in Matt. 25, there seems to be a positive declaration that at last there will be a universal awakening: "then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps."
So that there does not seem to be in the word any bar to the expectation of a work of God, in connection with the triumphant testimony of His grace, to any extent the Lord may please; or to any display, at the close of the dispensation, of the energy of the Holy Ghost in drawing souls to Christ that shall answer in character and degree to that which was witnessed at the beginning: and thus a practical exemplification be given, in God's ways, of the principle, "the last shall be first and the first last."
To Christians who are looking for a spiritual reign, or a millennium brought in by the energy of the Spirit, and not by previous judgments, of course such reasoning as this can only be viewed as supererogatory; for the question has already been pre-judged on the basis of Old-Testament prediction. To others it may not be without its profit in directing their thoughts; though, if we think of what He has already accomplished in Sweden, and in America, and Ireland, and various parts of the continent, besides our own country, it must be confessed that God has, in His grace, already almost taken it out of the region
of expectation and made it matter of fact.
God is sovereign in His actings; but then He is acting in the present age in the supremacy of His grace. How much therefore may we not count upon in farther mercy even where His grace has wrought so much; and in places that have not been visited thus at all how much may we not expect from the love of His heart Not that it is expected there will be a permanent state of things issuing from this work; or even a long-continued work. Outward events, to those who have studied the prophetic word, are such as to indicate a speedy close, and now the moral signs are in correspondence. As to the day of labor, it may be said, " The night cometh when no man can work;" but as to the position of the believer, it may with emphasis, be added, " the night is far spent and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."
I may not be able to connect myself with all that has accompanied this work of the Lord, which has been so markedly begun, and which our souls should be stirred up most earnestly to pray may be carried on; but in the work itself every soul that is attached to the Lord Jesus must sincerely rejoice. The means, it is true, that are used by some to produce an immediate effect in connection with the preaching of the word-perhaps used in faith by those whom the Lord has owned in this work-I might not be able to adopt, though earnestly praying to the Lord for the result. Want of faith might possibly hinder me, if the dread of imitation and excitement did not; while from the efforts of others I might be obliged to stand aloof altogether, from the manifest indications of the flesh and of a mind not subject to God. But even here, in the result we ought to be able to rejoice as Paul rejoiced that Christ was preached, though some preached Him of " envy and contention."
That God is doing a wonderful work in this day in the rapid conversion of souls to Himself, none who have at all witnessed His power in this respect will be disposed to doubt. And it seems to be of immense importance that the hearts of all His people should be awakened to it-that by prayer and hearty desire it may be helped forward. It is not asked nor sought that the truth received from the study of the word should be given up, or that the conclusions which have been come to from the quiet study of the Scriptures should be weakened.
But if God is doing a work, who are those that ought to be interested in it, and actively associated with it? " Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Surely the Lord God will do nothing; but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:6, 76Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? 7Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:6‑7).)
It is but little matter to any who have been brought into contact with this work how it is received by others, i.e., whether the report of it be received with credence or unbelief. It- so brings its own credentials with it, that as soon might there be a question about the sun's light when it is shining all around, as a question raised in the hearts of such, whether the Lord is doing a wonderful work on souls or not.
Christians, especially, who have the coming of the Lord as their hope, of all others, should be prepared to expect and to welcome this work; because the Lord to them (if I might so speak) assigns the reason of His delay and of the prolongation of their hope. They are to " account that the long-suffering of the Lord is salvation."
So that, while this sudden and unlooked-for work (blessed in itself) is going on and gathering souls for Christ's appearing, it declares emphatically that His coming is at hand; because the very cause of the delay is being removed by Him who has taught us that " the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness."
Moreover, there is a special need of prayer, that the enemy may not profit by imitations of this work, and so cast discredit upon it; and that souls may have an adequate care, through the Lord's grace, that are thus suddenly brought " out of darkness into his marvelous light." God's counsels of grace will surely be accomplished; but then He loves to associate the desires of His people with His own work; as He says of Israel, " Yet for all these things will I be inquired of by the house of Israel to do them for them." And as in the passage before us, " Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field."
While doing all honor to those whose preaching has been owned of the Lord in the gathering of souls to Christ, it would be folly to suppose that nothing more than this is needed. It would, in truth, be like ignoring the use of the epistles of the New Testament-which it will be remembered were all written for the use of persons already brought by the gospel home to Christ. There is, and will be, the immensely-increased need of teaching and exhorting and pastoral care. For however lightly we may think of mere official pastorship, nothing can be more important than, for Christ's sake, to care for the sheep of Christ. In this view, how earnestly should each one pray that, in all humility of mind, he may be used as an instrument to warn, or teach, or comfort, or guard, those souls whom God is gathering for Himself out of the midst of this evil world I Not that there is the least thought of building up a permanent state of things; or that there will be time for the development of the ordinary phases of revival, of decline, and of ultimate indifference; but rather the bright and blessed expectation of a people being prepared to meet the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming.
" While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut'"