“The invitation is never given at a revival but there are those who will respond to it and for a time will live as Christians should. Then, when the revival is over and the routine of everyday life begins, they slip gradually back into their former ways. They are like the groundhog. When spring comes the groundhog awakes from his winter’s sleep and emerges into the sunlight and lives an active life until the storms of winter come again. Then he crawls into his hole of hibernation and falls into a sleep of months. Oh, it is easy to think of things divine when the revival is on and there is inspiration on every side and the bands are playing and the crowds are marching. These groundhog people have family prayer then, and they attend to their religious duties faithfully, but when the revival is over they begin to relapse into their old ways.”
About This Book
A compact collection of sermons, anecdotes, prayers, and terse sayings built around a dramatic conversion account and practical moral instruction. The pieces address family and motherhood, courtship and marriage, social amusements such as dancing, gambling, and theatre, and critiques of hypocrisy, spiritualism, and nominal religion. Interwoven are vivid recollections, Bible exposition, exhortations to repentance and steadfast faith, and homiletic advice for personal conduct and public testimony. The material favors direct, anecdotal argumentation intended to move listeners toward moral reform and committed Christian practice.