City Temple Sermons (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from City Temple Sermons

There is some speculation as to the form which such revival may take when it comes. Some people sav it will be mainly ethical, and less emotional than most previous religious movements have been. Others be lieve it will take the form of a quickened interest in social justice, a great awakening on the part of the Churches in favour of the poor, the unprivileged, and the Oppressed. No doubt there is truth in all these suppositions, but, if we refer to history once more, we learn the lesson that all Christian revivals have begun in the r-eawakening of devotion to Christ, the Saviour and Lord. We may call this emotion, if we please, but it has taken precedence of all ethical enthusiasms and social readjustments in fact, made them possible. Such was the revival of Francis, of Luther, of Wesley, of Moody.

It may be questioned whether ethical endeavour, apart from faith, has ever succeeded at all. The char acter it has formed, and is forming in our midst to day, tends to be self-conscious and introspective whereas morality at its highest loses sight of itself as its own object, and becomes devotion to a Divine ideal. A quickened spiritual life in the Churches, a recov ered enthusiasm, a new sense of the presence of Christ as Deliverer and Lord, would set free grand social enthusiasms, and supply an ethical dynamic compared with which all others are feeble indeed.

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