3. Revival Is Possible
James Buchanan
Take away the grace of the Holy Spirit, remove those passages from the Bible which contain the promise of His enlightening, renewing and converting grace, and you leave us with only natural means to accomplish a supernatural work – you leave us to convert enmity into love, to quicken the dead to life, to raise a fallen world to heaven, by nothing but persuasion and importunity. Then our hopes are indeed enthusiastic, our expectations visionary, our aims abortive.
But leave with us the promise which God has given; accept that the gospel is an instrument in His hands and that the Holy Spirit is the ever-living and ever-active Teacher and Sanctifier of souls. Then, in the strength of this truth, we can face all difficulties, rise above all discouragement, stand unmoved amidst the mockery of the world: and preach the gospel with confidence of ultimate success, both to Greek and barbarian, to the savage and the civilised. We can do so, for the gospel is adapted to every human heart, and the Spirit of God has power to make it effective, and the promise stands on record for ever: “He will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him”.
When it is admitted that the real, active agency of the Spirit of God for the conversion of souls may reasonably be expected in the Christian Church, the only question which remains to be considered is: Will that divine Agent always use one uniform method, quietly and gradually extending the kingdom of Christ by the successive conversion of individual sinners, as for the most part He usually does; or may He not, for wise reasons and in the exercise of the sovereignty which is His, act occasionally in a more extraordinary and remarkable way, turning multitudes at once and perhaps suddenly, from darkness to light, bringing about a general revival of the power of religion in particular places and congregations? In other words, may we reasonably believe and expect that the Spirit of God will occasionally produce a remarkable religious revival?
That we may proceed to the calm and impartial consideration of this question, it may be useful, first of all, to remove some prejudices which might either prevent us from entertaining it at all, or unfit us for deciding it properly. It is of great importance to form a clear and definite idea of what is meant by a revival of religion. Strictly it consists in these two things: a general imparting of new life, vigour and power to those who are already God’s people, and a remarkable awakening and conversion of souls who have hitherto been careless and unbelieving. In other words, it consists in imparting new spiritual life to the dead, and in imparting new spiritual health to the living.
A revival properly consists in one or both of these two things: a revived state of religion among the members of the Church, and the increase of their number by the addition of souls converted to God. Can any professing Christian doubt either that such a revival is possible, or that it is desirable? What is the end of the gospel ministry? What is the great purpose of our Sabbaths and our churches? What is the meaning of the gospel promises that refer to the kingdom of grace? Is it not that such souls as have heretofore been “dead in trespasses and sins” may be quickened into spiritual life, and that such souls as have already been quickened into life may grow in spiritual health and vigour and be revived and restored when they have fallen into declension and decay? Do we not all pray for these things? And is it not our privilege to expect our prayers for these things to be answered?
The simultaneous conversion of many souls, and the increasing power of true religion in the hearts of God’s people, are the constituent elements of a religious revival. These two effects of the Spirit’s grace, while they may be wrought separately, nevertheless exert a powerful reciprocal influence on each other when they occur together. Sometimes, under a gospel ministry, the faith, love and zeal of a Christian Church are revived and strengthened without being immediately accompanied with any remarkable awakening of careless sinners. At other times, many successive conversions are wrought one after another, while the general tone of Christian piety is not observably raised or strengthened.
But when, at one and the same time, believers are invigorated with new strength and many careless sinners are converted, a powerful reciprocal influence is exerted on each by the experience of the other. Decaying and backsliding Christians are aroused and reclaimed when they see God’s power exerted in the conversion of sinners; they feel that there is a reality and a vital energy in God’s truth, that Christ lives and reigns, and that the Spirit is still present with the Church. They are excited to greater earnestness in prayer, to greater devotedness of heart, to greater holiness of life; while their reawakened zeal and their fervent prayers fit them to exert a holier influence over others and may be the means of adding many to the Church. Thus it was on the Day of Pentecost; on that remarkable occasion it is recorded, “Fear came upon every soul”. The result was that “the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved”.
It is of great practical importance to note that the work of the Spirit on the soul of every individual convert is substantially the same as what takes place – only on a more extended scale – in a general revival of religion. When many are suddenly arrested and convinced, when conversions take place in large numbers, attended with remarkable circumstances, the work of the Spirit attracts more public attention and produces a larger measure of excitement. But it is substantially the same work as has often been carried on in silence in the secret chamber, in the deep recesses of the heart, when one poor sinner in a congregation has been singled out from a multitude of the careless and made the subject of a saving change.
It does not matter whether a man passes from death unto life in solitude or in company; whether he ventures alone to the mercy seat or is accompanied by a multitude of earnest suppliants; whether the light of heaven shines into his soul, leaving others in darkness, or shines at the same time into the hearts of thousands more. The same change which was wrought on the 3000 converts of Pentecost took place also on the spirit of Lydia when she worshipped with a few other women by the river side, and on the spirit of the Philippian jailer when he stood alone with Paul and Silas.
One may be converted at a time, or many; but the work of conversion is the same in all. Every soul in a general revival must be enlightened by divine truth, awakened to concern about its salvation, melted into godly sorrow for sin, stirred up to lay hold on Christ and His free salvation, and imbued with new views, new affections, new desires, new tastes, new hopes and new habits. In a word, every soul that passes from death unto life in a season of general awakening must pass through the same general experience which, on other occasions, the solitary inquirer experiences when, in secret, he thinks, repents, believes, prays and enters into peace with God.
Therefore no one who has experienced that great change in his soul – who has known what it is to be awakened to concern about his salvation, has wept and prayed in secret, earnestly read his Bible and drunk in the precious truths of the gospel – ought to feel any jealousy about a general revival of true religion. On the contrary, he should regard it with such feelings as suit the occasion: of expectation that some great good will be accomplished, of gratitude and joy that new manifestations and proofs of the Saviour’s power have been granted, and of solemn awe arising from the thought that God is interposing, so that immortal souls are being born again. These souls are now undergoing all that solemn conviction, and feeling all those anxious fears, and impressed with all those awe-inspiring views of God, judgement and eternity which he himself experienced when he first repented, wept, prayed and wrestled for his own salvation.