under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God ' s special blessing is poured out ; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest . Multitudes will exult that God is working marvellously for them , when the work is that of another spirit . Under a religious guise , Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world .
In many of the revivals which have occurred during the last half century , the same influences have been at work , to a greater or less degree , that will be manifest in the more extensive movements of the future . There is an emotional excitement , a mingling of the true with the false , that is well adapted to mislead . Yet none need be deceived . In the light of God ' s word it is not difficult to determine the nature of these movements . Wherever men neglect the testimony of the Bible , turning away from those plain , soul-testing truths which require self-denial and renunciation of the world , there we may be sure that God ' s blessing is not bestowed .
And by the rule which Christ Himself has given , " Ye shall know them by their fruits " ( Matthew 7:16 ), it is evident that these movements are not the work of the Spirit of God . In the truths of His word , God has given to men a revelation of Himself ; and to all who accept them they are a shield against the deceptions of Satan . It is a neglect of these truths that has opened the door to the evils which are now becoming so widespread in the religious world . The nature and the importance of the law of God have been , to a great extent , lost sight of . A wrong conception of the character , the perpetuity , and the obligation of the divine law has led to errors in relation to conversion and sanctification , and has resulted in lowering the standard of piety in the church . Here is to be found the secret of the lack of the Spirit and power of God in the revivals of our time .
There are , in the various denominations , men eminent for their piety , by whom this fact is acknowledged and deplored . Professor Edwards A . Park , in setting forth the current religious perils , ably says : " One source of danger is the neglect of the pulpit to enforce the divine law . In former days the pulpit was an echo of the voice of conscience . . . . Our most illustrious preachers gave a wonderful majesty to their discourses by following the example of the Master , and giving prominence to the law , its precepts , and its threatenings . They repeated the two great maxims , that the law is a transcript of the divine perfections , and that a man who does not love the law does not love the gospel ; for the law , as well as the gospel , is a mirror reflecting the true character of God . This peril leads to another , that of underrating the evil of sin , the extent of it , the demerit of it . In proportion to the rightfulness of the commandment is the wrongfulness of disobeying it . . . .
" Affiliated to the dangers already named is the danger of underestimating the justice of God . The tendency of the modern pulpit is to strain out the divine justice from the divine benevolence , to sink benevolence into a sentiment rather than exalt it into a principle . The new theological prism puts asunder what God has joined together . Is the divine law a good or an evil ? It is a good . Then justice is good ; for it is a disposition to execute the law . From the habit of underrating the divine
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