96 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELISt. [March 1, 1SG9.

t o adults. Very pleasing instan ces wer e given, which proved that the Divine blessing hac! a ccompanied their toil in the conversion of sinner s, while letters were read from the mistresses of girls , spanking Wgbly of their b ehaviour and Christian principle . It was gratifying to h ear good tidings of t hose who had thus been r escu ed from a 1ife of poverty, hardship, and probably of sh ame, and placed fairly 011 the highway t o comfort, Christ , and

h eaven. The friends ask for brge premises, and not before they are n eeded. It is proposed t o t ake the noxt house an d add it t o the present H all. This would give sitting room for 800 people. The place is situated in the midst of " densely-populated n eigh bourhood, swar ming with a people as dark and wicked as can bo imagined. May God prosper th is effort to carry them t h at gospel which is the power of God unto salvation t o every on e that believeth.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EAST LONDON CHRISTIAN MISSION . FROM J ANUARY 15TH, 1869, TO FEBRUARY 15TH, 1869.

We wish to convey our most cordial thanks to those of our readers who have responded to the appeal made in our last for funds to meet pressing liabilities. May God abundantly bless them I We are thrown still on the good providence of our loving Lord for the support of the mission from week to week. Our need is grell.t but our Father knows it, and He will supply it according to His glorious riches in Christ J esus our Lord.

GENERAL WORK. .£ s. d. .£ s . d . Miss Peach e 1 1 0

E. P. . 50 0 0 E . E . B . 0 5 0 F. A. Bevan, E sq. • 20 0 0 Miss P. • . 5 0 0 J. R. Mills, E sq. . • 10 10 0 J ames Barlow, E sq 5 0 0 R. C. L. Bevan, E sq . • 25 0 0 Major South . 1 1 0 E. Agat e, Esq. . SO 0 0 Alfred Bell, E sq. 5 5 0 Dr. J. Kidd . . 20 0 0 Alfred Sutton, E sq. S 0 0 J ohn Sands, E sq. . 10 10 0 Exeter . , 0 2 6 H y. H ogg, E sq. 0 10 0 Debtor to mercy 2 0 0 Mr. J ones 0 2 0 Mr s. Cappet· 5 0 0 Miss E. Wells 0 S 0 Mrs. F lower 2 0 0 Mrs. Gripper 1 1 0 Miss Bell . 0 5 0 Messr s. Robertson, Mr s. Brown . • . 5 0 0

Cook, & Co. 2 0 0 Friends :tt Barnst aple. 2 0 0 Miss Wright. 1 0 0 F . Sout h, E sq. . . 2 0 0 Mr . J ay 1 1 0 A Churchman • 0 2 6 J .B. H . 0 S 0 J. C. Woocl ,Esq. 6 0 0 Miss Draper 0 5 6 W. E llis, E sq . , . 5 0 0 1\Iiss Falconer 0 3 4 Friends per Chr istian Mr. Chivers 1 0 0 Times . . . 0 10 0 Mrs. Rouse . 0 2 0 Friend per Morgan and Ch ase, llfrs. Moore . 0 5 0 10,000 Gospel L eaves. Mr. Geo. Davies • 0 10 0 P ackage of ivory ornaments for Miss Skey . 1 10 0 t he poor , Mrs. Keer. Mrs. Km-rison 1 0 0 Watch and chain, Mr. Moore. Mrs. Stan es 0 10 0 Bundle of Tract s, Mr. Fredk. Clergym an . • 0 10 0 Brodie. Mr. J . H . D avison 0 8 0 OFl"ERI NGS ON THE Jno. Getty, E sq. . . 2 0 0 MI S ION.

~ir~R~nt~~~~uet, E sq. ~ ~ g Whitechapel . 17 n 10 Mr. Burkett • 0 2 8 Limehouse 5 15 l Ot H elp 1 1 0 Shoreditch 4 6 8

~n~: g~:r=~~on ~ g 0 ~~f~tf~rd . ~ 1~ ~~ w. s . 0 2 ~ ~1~ter

1s treet 1 9 4

A Cheerful Giver 0 1 00

Thr~~·~olt Lan~ g 1~ ~\ C. T. 69 • • 2 2 Jos. Tucker, E sq. S 0 0 NEW HALL. Miss Williams • 1 0 0 Mrs. Maynard 1 0 0 Anon 2 0 0 F riend. . • . 0 1 0 Friend • • • • 0 10 0 Gawin Kirkham, E sq. 5 0 0 J. W. Croombe, E sq. • 1 0 0 Mr. Young . 0 1 6

.£ S. do Mrs. King . 0 2 6 Mrs. Dawson . 10 0 0 Mr. J . Brown 1 11 0 Friend 0 6 0 Mrs. Holme 1 10 0 Mr. Beckett . 1 0 0 Mrs. Thompson, 5 0 0 Mrs. Cash . 2 2 0 Mrs. Chivers 0 10 0 Mrs. Clemens 0 1 0 Friend . 0 2 6 Miss Grant. 1 0 0 Hy. Pike, box 0 2 7 Anon. do. . . 0 1 4t An E well friend. 0 3 6 T . H. C. . . . 1 0 0 Friends at Bnrnstaple 1 0 0

}Jer Christi an Tim es G 0 0

, per Revival:-Mrs. Keer 0 6 0 ~'!rs . h arp 0 2 6 Annie . 100 M.A. C. 0 5 0 A. B. 0 5 0 M. s. 0 10 0

DESTI TUTE SAINTS. Fri en d . Frien d . . Sale of plat e . . Friends at Barnstaplo

F OR POOR.

0 12 0 0 5 0 2 0 0 1 0 0

Lord Radstock . . 15 0 0 Mr . Geo. Welham 0 8 0 G. & M. K. . • • 6 0 0 Mr s. and the Misses

H arward . Mrs. Barnett Friend . Miss Brown Miss Bell • F . L outh, E sq.

1 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0

POSTPONEMENT OF THE SALE. IN con·sequence of the change in our purpose, as described on the seventy­ninth page of our February number, in giving up the People's Market for a new building, it has been thought best to postpone the sale from March to June. This will give more time for the preparation and gathering of goods,

and enable us, before it takes place, to have satisfactory plans as to the site aud building t :> lay before our friends, calculated to stimulate all to labour for a greater success.

Parcels for the sale may be sent to Belgrave Villa, Gore Road, Victoria Park Road, London, N.E.

T HE

EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. MAROH, 1869.

,PoMPEL THEM TO poME IN.

BY M RS. B OOTH.

o. rtain abbatl1, some t en years ago, I was passing clown a narrow, Lh i ·I ly-populat •d street on my way to hear a much-honoured minister of

hrist, anticipating an evening's enjoyment for myself, and hoping to see s m anxious ones brought into the kingdom, when I chanced to look up at tit • thick rows of small windows above me, where numbers of women were sitting, peering through at the passers by, or li stlessly gossiping with each other. It was suggested to my mind with great power, "Would yott not be doing God more service, and acting more like your Redeemer, by turning into some of these houses, speaking to these careless sin­n rs, and inviting them to the service, than by going to enjoy it your­s If?" I was st:1rtlecl : it was a new thought; and while I was reasoning n.bo 11 t it, t h l:mm inaudibl e in terrogator demanded , "What effort do

'hri HLitmij 1n1t forth nnsw rable to th command, 'Compel them to come i11, thnt my ! Hi ll S 1111\Y lJ Jill •d? '" This wa accompanied with. a light au1d Llll •ti 11 wlti ·h 11 n w l b divin . 1 felt greatly agitated . I felt ve rily lo( Ui lty. 1 kn w that /h ad 11 •v •r thu lauoured to bring lot sinners 1o 'hrist, and tr mbling with a s nse of my uLtcr weakn ess , I stood st ill fo r 11momcnt, 1 oked up to h avcn, and ·aid, "Lord, if thou wilt help m , I will try;" and without stopping longer to confer with flesh and blood, turned back and commenced my work.

I spoke first to a g roup of women sitting on a door-step ; and oh ! what that effort cost me words cannot describe ; but the Spirit helped my iufirmities , and secured for me a patient and respectful hearing, with a promise from some of them to attend the house of God. This much en­couraged me : I began to taste the joy which lies hidden under the cross, and to realise, in some faint degree, that it is more blessr.cl to give than to receive. With this t imely, loving cordial from my ble sed Master, I went on to the next group tanding at the entrance of a low, dirty court. H ere, again, I was received l\indly, and promises were given-no rude r pulse, no biting ridicule were ali wed to sbake my new-found confidence, or chill my feeble zeal. I began to r alise that my Master's feet were behind me ; nay, before me, mo th ing my path and preparing my way.

This blessed assurance o incr asecl my courage and enkindled my hope, that I ventured to kno lc at t he door of the next house, and, when it was opened, to go in and , peak to its inmates of J esus, death, judgment, and eternity. 'l'h 1111111 , who appeared to be one of the better class of mechanics, seemed t be much interest ed and affected by my words, and promised with l1i s wife to attend the revi1•nl services which were being held at the chap •I fartl1er on. With a heart full of gratitude, and eyes full of tear , I was thi11k i11g where I should go 11ext, when I observed a woman standing on au adjoining door-step, with a jng in her hand. My Divine Teacher Sltid, " f:ipeak to that woman." f:iatan sug-

MARCH, 1869. G

82 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. [March 1, l SGV.

gested, " Perhaps she is intoxicated; " but after a momentary struggle, I introduced myself to her by saying, "Are the people out who live on this floor ? " observing that the lower part of the house was closed. " Yes," she said, "they are gone to chapel ; " and I thought I perceived a weary sadness in her voice and manner. I said, " 0, I am so glad to hear that: how is it that you are not gone to a place of worship? " " Me ! " she said, looking down upon her forlorn appearance ; " I can't go to chapel; I am kept at home by a drunken husband. I have to stop with him to keep him from the public-house, and I have just been fetching him some drink." I expressed my sorrow for her, and asked if I might come in and see her husband. "No," she said, "he is drunk; you could do nothing with him now." I replied, "I do not mind about his being drunk, if you will let me come in; I am not afraid; he will not hurt me." "Well," said the woman, "you can come if you like ; but he will only abuse you." I said, "Never mind that ," and followed her up the stairs.

I felt strong now in the Lord, and in the power of His might, and as safe as a babe in the arms of its mother. I felt th at I was in the path of obedience, and I feared no evil. 0, how mnch the .Lord's people lose through disobedience to the leadings of the Holy Spirit ! If they would only keep His words, he would dwell with them, and then they need fear neither men nor devils. The woman led me to a small room on the first floor, where I found a fine, intelligent man, about forty, sitting almost double in a chair, with a jug by his side, out of which he had been drink­ing that which had reduced him beneath the level of the beasts that perish . I leaned on my heavenly Guide for strength and wisdom, love and power, and He gave me all I needed. H e silenced the demon, strong drink, and quickened the man's perceptions to receive my words. As I began to talk to him, with my heart full of sympathy, he gradua1ly raised himself in his chair and listened with a surprised and half-vacant stare. I spoke to him of his present deplorable condition, of the folly and wickedness of his course, of the interests of his wife and children, until he was thoroughly waked up and aroused from the stupor in which I found him.

During this conversation, his wife wept bitterly, and by fragments t old me a little of their previous history. I found that she had once known the Lord, but had allowed herself to he dragged down by trouble, had cast away her confidence, and fallen into sin. She told me that her husband had a brother in the W esleyan ministry, who had done all that a brother could do to save him; that they had buried a daughter two years before, who died triumphantly in the Lord, and besought her father, with her dying breath , to leave off drinking , and prepare to meet her in heaven; that she had a son, then about eighteen, who she feared, was going into a consumption-that her husband was a clever workman, and could earn three or four pounds per week as a journeyman, but he drank it nearly all, so that they were compelled to live in two rooms, and often went without necessary food. I read to him the parable of the prodigal son, while the tears ran down his face like rain. I then prayed with him as the Spirit gave me utterance, and left, promising to call the next day with a. t emperance pledge book, which he promised to sign. I now felt that my work was done for that time. Exhausted in body, but happy in soul, I wended my way to the sanctuary, just in time for the conclusion of the servi~:e , and to lend a helping hand in the prayer meeting.

March 1, 1869.] THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. 83

On the following clay, I visited this man again. H e si"'ned the pledge and list~n~d attentively to all I said. Full of. hope, I left

0

him, to find out oth~rs s1m1larly lost and fallen. F rom that t1me I commenced a syste­matiC course of house to house visitation, devoting two evenings per week t o the work. The Lord so blessed my efforts, that in a few weeks I succeeded in getting ten drunkards to abandon their soul-destroyin O' habits, and to meet me once a week for reading and expounding th~ scriptures , and prayer. We held three or four blessed little meetings, and I doubt not our numbers would have increased more and more, but, in the inscrutable workings of divine Providence, my health gave way, and I was most reluctantly compelled to abandon my happy and promising sphere of labour. I was shortly after removed from the town, and my way opened to a new and still more fruitful work in the vineyard.

You will not be surprised, dear reader, after this little sketch, to henr me say that I esteem this work of house to house visitation ne::~; t in imp01·­tance to the preaching of the gospel itself. Who can tell the amount of influ~nce ~nd power which might be brought to bear on the careless , god­less mhab1tants of our large towns and cities, nay, on our whole nation, if all real Christians would only do a little of this kind of work ! The masses of the people look upon Christians as a separate and secluded class, with whom they have no concern, and possess nothing in common. They watch th em go past their houses to their various places of worship with utter in ­differ nee or bitter contempt; and, alas ! has there not been too much in our past conduct calcul ated to beget this kind of feeling, much of phari­saic pri de and selfish unconcern ? If the zeal of the Lord' s house had eaten us up,-if we had realised more fellowship with Chri~t in his suffer­ings,--if we had understood the meaning of his words, " Compel them to come in,"-if we had been baptized with P aul's spirit, when he could almost have wished himself accursed from Christ for his brethren's sakes,-should we not have gone out amongst the people as our Master did, by the road side and into their houses, to have spoken to them the " words ?f this li fe,"-to have persuaded, implored, and compelled them to come m? Alas, we are verily g uilty; nor has it been in man y instances for want of light, or for want of the leadings of the Holy Spirit ; but it has been for want of OB EDIENCE, and because of our pride, or sh am e, or fear.

0 that, with all who read this, the time past might suffice to have walked ~fter the flesh-in this matter! 0 that from this hour you, my dear reader (1f you are a child of God), would set yourself individually to this work ! You CAN Do IT. However weak, timid, or " slow of speech," He says, "I will be with thy mouth, and teach th ee what thou shalt;say ;" and " It shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak ." All that is nee?fnl is for you to give yourself up to the leadings of the Spiri t. Lean on h1m for all you want. H e will inspire you with the constrainino· love, the melting sympathy, the holy zeal, and the migh ty faith alon~ necessary for the task .

This is the work that most needs doing of any work in the vineyard. There ar.e t~eming thousands who never cross the threshold, of churcl1 , chapel, or rrnss1on hall, to whom all connected with religion is us an olJ song, a by­wor?, a~1d a reproach. They need to be brought into contact with a living Chnst m the characters and persons of H is people. They want to see and handle the word of life in a living form. Christianity must come to them embodied in men and women, who are not ashamed to ",eat with publicans ·

a2

84 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST . [March 1,1869.

and sinners ;" they must see it looking through their eyes, and speaking in loving accents through their tongnes, sympathising with their sorrows, bearing their burdens, reproving their sins, instructing their ignorance, inspiring their hope, and wooing them to the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. Dear reader, here is a sphere for you I You have long wished to do something for your " blessed, blessed Master ." Here is work, boundless in extent , and momentous beyond an angel's power to con­ceive. F or it, yon need no human ordination, no long and tedious process of preparation, no high-flown language, no towering eloquence ; all you want is the full baptism of the Spirit on your heart, the Bible in your hand, and humility and simplicity in your manner. Thus equipped, you will be mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. You will find your way to many a heart long since abandoned by hope, and g iven up to despair; and in the great day of account you shall have many a sheaf as the result of your labour, and the reward of your self-denial.

. I think I hear some timid one saying," Ah I I wish I could : the Lord kno ws how I long to be doing some real work for him; but I am so weak, and so lit tle adapted to this kind of labour, I fear I should not succeed."

My dear brotber,- sister ,- we are of little use in any department of the vineyard unt il we have been made to realise our own weakness. The weaker we feel ourselves to be, the bet ter . It is not a question of our STRENGTH, but of our FAITH. "Why look ye so earnestly on us (said P eter to those who marvelled at the miracle wrought on the lame man), as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk ?

F aith in the name of Jesus has made this man strong, whom ye see and know." God does not call us to any work in our own strength; He bids us go and do it in Hrs . "Give ye them to eat," said he to the dis­ciples, but he knew who must supply the bread ; so now be requires us to break the bread of life to the multitude, t rusting in Him for the supply. H e hath chosen t he weak things of the world to confound the mighty. Why ? That the excellency of the power may be seen to be of God, and not of man.

No matter how simple the words, or how tremq.lous the voice, if he blesses, then it shall be blessed. The " Does you love God ?" of a little child, accompanied by the ''demonstration of the Spirit and of power," will do more for Christ and souls than the most talented and eloquent sermon without it; for "it is not by might or by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." Dear reader, are you willing t o be one of God's chosen weak ones? or will you anger Him by saying, " Send by whom thou wil t , but not by me?" Are you willing to t rample on self, and , taking hold of the streng th of omnipotence, to go in the power of His might, and do what yo~l can? If so, His word to you is, " F ear not ; b strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest ;" and "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

EXAM PLES OF HO LI NESS.

1. THE MARQUI S DE RENTY. ( Concluded.)

Hrs experience of t he power and mercy of God, and faith in Christ's infinite

merits, were t he t wo pillar s on which he bent h is hope, and resting on these he " hoped all things." He u sed to say that when he looked at himself, there was nothing so little wherein he appre­hended not difficulty ; but when he

March 1, 1869.1 THE E_AST LONDON EVANGELIST. 85

looked upon God, he could t h ink no­thing difficult, much less impossible.

" My soul being armed with confi­dence and love, fears neither t h e devil, nor hell, nor all the stratagems of m an. Neither think I at all on heaven or earth , but only to fulfil the will of God in everything.

" Perfect self-denial is the w::ty of love ! and our love of God is shown not so much in receiving gifts and graces from Him, as in forgetting our­selves, in r enouncing all things, and suffering constantly and coumgeously for Him. I h ave :1 fire in my hear t which bmns ::tnd consumes without ceasing." This divine fire was so ardent, that it often burst forth into his exterior, and he has said, that wh en­ever he pronounced the name of God, he tasted such a sweetness as could not be expressed. One of his f r iends tes. tified h aving oft eeen him so inflamed with love, t hat he appeared like one beside himself, t hat he has often told him when these transports were upon him, he was ready to cast himself into the fire, to testify his love to God. One of h is letters thus ends, " I must now hold my peace, yet when I cease to speak the fire within that consumes me will not let me rest. Let us burn then, and burn wholly and in every part for God ; since we h ave n o being but by H im, why do we not live to Him ? I speak it aloud, and it would be my crown of glory to seal it with my blood. Anything else is superfluous to him that is truly penetrated with 'My God and my all.' "

On the death of a dear friend, he says, " P resent ly I fixed myself t o the will of God, whereupon I found no more al teration in my soul t han if he had been alive. I have :1 heart willing and ready t o receive any a:f!!ictions that can befall me. I desire whatever is decreed from above, and beg it with all my heart." On r eceiving news of his child's death , he spoke not a word, n or showed the least sign of disturbance : his paren t al affection yielding to his ent ir e conformity to the will of God. He not only willed whatever God willed ; but also willed it as God doth, with pleasure and satisfaction. He could say, " I comprehend not that t hing which you call mortification . H e that finds no r esistance in his spirit to anything, is not capable of i t . Who­soever wills whatsoever God wills, is pleased wh atsoever happen s.

" I discover a great mistake ordinary i!l the world1 that outward greatness

and pomp is the way to keep up men 's credit, and m::tke them more capable of doing good to others. No. It is grace that h as power upon souls, and a hum­ble and holy life t hat gaineth hearts."

He looked upon men not according t o t heir n atural qualit ies, their beauty, nobility, riches, or worldly distinctions, but according to their more noble re· l ations and t hose common to all-viz., as creatures divine, the lively images of God, formed to praise and love Him for ever ; as purpled in the blood of J esus, brothers and co-heirs with Him, h is " inheritance" bought with the price of his life and his sorrows, and who must t herefore be infinitely dear unto Him, and most tenderly beloved of H im. Under this aspect it was, that h e beheld men and applied for their necessit ies, and hereby as he was highly useful to his neighbour, so he did not prejudice but greatly advantaged him­self. He looked upon God and Christ in every man. He considered it was they who demanded succour of h im, but that ·it was God and Christ to whom he rendered that assista)lce. Indeed he took upon him all shapes, transformed himself into all figures, condescended to all things for his neighbour's good; all his thoughts, words, and actions, being cast into th e mould of charity. This led him once to say, " Methinks my soul is all charity, and I am not able t{) express with what ardour and str ange expansion my h ear t is renewed in the divine life of my Saviour, burn­ing in love to all mankind." This testimony was borne by some respect­ing him:-" We may truly say, his d::tys were filled with the fulness of God. Nor do we believe h e lost one minute of t ime in which h e did not eith er speak or act something for his ser vice."

" I enjoy such a sensible impression of God, yet excelling all sense, t hat if I h ad been whirled like a · bowl , I could n ever h ave lost sight of my God. Our Lord t urns this bowl in a st range man­ner , even as it pleases Him ; and these several turnings are all for th e soul's advantage, whereby she is fashioned for every occasion, that she may do nothing for or by h erself, but all for and accord­ing t o God. F ollowing God in low affair~, we are n ot the less acceptable. Will nothing pleaae you but to convert a world ? You should be content to can y stones, and sometimes to sit still and do nothing. You are th en to offer the sacrifice of patience. A thousand t imes ra1·er to find a soul thus faithful in patience and content to do !10 moie

86 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. [M1noh 1, 1869.

than God would have him, than faith­ful in actions t hat appear abroad."

On his deathbed he said, "0 sist er, how does the Jove of God wipe away all pain ! My spirit is now applied to that joy which a creature ought to have t o see h imself on the point of being r e-united to his first principle and h is l ast end. " Immediately before den.th and with incredible effor t , he said, " The per fection of a Christian life is to be united to God by faith . Let us not entangle ourselves in novelties. Let us adore his conrluct over us, and continue faithful to Him uuto tltfl end. Let u s adhere to that one God crucified for our salvn.tion. Let us unite all our actions and all that is in us, to h is merits, h oping that if we continue faithful to Him by his grace, we shall be partakers of the glory of h is Father." With these apo. tolic sentiments breathing from his li ps, and these celestial affec­tions burning in his soul, the ~brquis de Pen ty fell asleep in J"esus, April 24, 1G4D, in the thirty-seventh yeqf of his age.

[Two of our readers hnve objecteL1 to the in­troduction into the H Evangelist'' of the cxperi· cnce of the Mnr«1uis de n enty, on the ground of his being a Romnu Cntholic , fearing lest we hould thereby give countenrmce to the deadly errors of tlntt system. To these fri ends we reply, that it seemed to us thut De Renty was a Roman Catholic in name only; and we s}wuld not have mPnHonerl hi s conn ection with t hat ch urch, but that we thought some of our h umble renders who had not met "ith his ex­perience before might be led to reason , " If this man, cradled nnd educated amidst the igno­rance and superstitions of the Romish Church, attniued. such mighty faith, such a B}lirit of s.elf-sncnfice for Uod, such communion with Him, such a moastue of His Spirit; what mn.y not I attnin , with the Bible in my band, it!:l precious tertCbiugs in my ears, and its holy exaf!lplcs before my eyes ?" The spirit in which De Renty lived, un ci in virtue of which he was enabled to walk in such high and bUssful com­munion with God, wn.s the result of tt pure awl simple faith in the Son of God nnd wns dinmc­tricnlly ~ppo-.:cd to tlle pecuii ar dogmas mul mummerie!i of tbc Church of Rome. Our pm·­posc wns to prc!::lcnt our readers with th e most illustrious flxamples of holiness avnihLb1e to us frmn all chumh cK, and we selected this to begin with !lS an exhibition of its atttJ.inmcnt un dt.•r the gl'catcstflhmdvtwtuges, and in the midst of surrouudiug darkuc::;s nud con·uption.-En.]

UNCLE JOHNSON. UNCLE J OHNSON was a coloured man, born in Virginin., in the year 1745, and died in Canadn., in 1864, consequent ly he lived to the unusual age of l 2U years: H e was r emarkable not only for his extraordinary longevity, but for t he fervour and thoroughness of his reli­gion . H e was au earnest, simple, and whole-hearted Christin.n. We give a

brief sketch of him, chiefly in his own words. He was awakened under t he preaching of the Rev. William Tennent, and he thus described

HIS CONVERSION.

" After I heard h im how I did feel ! Wen I was walking on de gronnd it would keep sayin' ' Umvm-thy I ?m­?VO?'thy I' Wen I t ook a bit ob hrend, or a cup ob water, dey keep sayin' ' Umvm·thy I nmvorthy I' Wen I goes into de field, all de trees keep sayin' ' Umvorthy I 7/n?vorthy I' Wen I goes into de yn.rd, I sees dn.t all de cattle kneel down afore dey lies down, an' I neber clone dat. 0 massa, I thought I should die, I feels so bad." (Then he would go on in various terms to tell of his utter despair). " But bymbye clere com'd along a coloured man, who t elled me des no use in my libin' dat way. He t elled me ob de pas. n.ge dat says : ' Behold de Lamb ob God dat takes away de sins ob de world ; ' and den I goes into de woods, an' all night I cries, ' 0 Lamb ob God, hab mercy on dis poor man ; ' an' I cries aucl prays dis ober an' ober ; an' 0 m assa ! just as de light was coming ober de mountains ob ole Virginia, de light ob J esus shined into dis poor soul, and from dat day on, n ow about a hundred years, I've been t ry in' to t ell t o saints and sinners round what a dea,r Saviour I have found."

COMMUNION WITH JE SUS.

He was a h appy man, accu tomecl to meet witl1 God in his own cabin, and to hold most rapturous fellowship with Him there. Calling with a fr ien d one day, as soon as he saw us, he cried ou t, with tcn.rs flowing clown his face : " 0 ma sa, Jesus has been here, an' I t ought I was in glory : but I will be clere bymbye."

" You mean to be bithful to the cud, Uncle Johnson?" I said.

·' 0 massa, I'se bound for de king­dom. I'se not been holding on all dis way to fail jus at de gate."

One clay, while he was at work in his garden, singing and shouting, I s ~ti l , "You seem happy to-day."

''Yes, massa, I'se jus t inking ." " What are you thinking of ? " "Oh, I 'se jus t inking; " and then his

emotions preven ted u t terance. " l'sc jus t inkiug, dn.t ef de crumbs dl~t fall from de Master's t n.ble, ·i'n dis world , am o good, what will de GREAT LOAF in glory be ! I tell ye, massa, dere will be nuff and to spare clere."

MRl'ch 1, 1869.] THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. 87

HEAVENLY MANSIONS. At another time, when h e seemed

very h appy, and I h ad h eard him shout " Lord J esus, will der e be one for me ? " I said," You are having a good time to-day, Uncle." He answered-

" 0, massa, I was meditatin' about J esus being de Ca1p enter , an' so H e can make mansions for His people in glory." And then with uplifted face and with t ears, he cried out," 0, J esus, will dere be one for me ? "

PRAISB YE THE LORD! o ·nce I said to him," Uncle J ohnson,

why don't you go to church once in a while? " H e answered, "Massa, I wants to be dere, but I ' can't 'have."

" You can't beh ave ? " "Well, massa, you knows, late years

de flesh be wm1k, an ' wen dey 'gins to talk and sing 'bout Jesus, I gins to fill up, and pret ty soon I has to h oller, an' den dey say, ' Carry dat man to de door, h e stm·b de meetin ! ' "

"But you should hold in until you get home."

"0 massa, I can't hold in-I b-ust if I don't holler."

ANSWERS TO PRAYER. He spoke often of the goodness of God

in answering his prayer s. He said, " Wen I want anything, I asks de Lord, an' He's sure to send it - sometimes afore I done asking , and sometimes He waits, jus to see if I trust s Him."

Once, when a little scepticism was indicated upon this subject, he said­

" Massa, don't you know dat de Lord send de ravens to feed de prophet ? Him is just as good now as den,"

HEAVEN BEGUN BELOW. His anticipations of the heavenly in­

h eritance were such, that at times he thought himself in full possession. Said he : " Sometimes wen I'se walking up and down in dis cabin, praising de Lord, I t inks I am in heaven ; I tinks dis is one ob de m ansions dat J esus gives his peopl e. Den dis world is under my feet. I jus sees i t a gren.t way off, an' I jus cries, 0 my God ! am I in glory?"

" But how do you feel when you find that you are n ot there ? "

"I h as a long crying, and den I says, I will wait my appointed time."

" H ow long would you be willing to wait ? "

"I will wait anuder hundred years, if de L01·d pleases."

Uncle J ohnson fasted and prayed as very few in these days have done.

His fasting as well as praying were thorough and earnest. For more than seven ty years he abstained from food one day in each week. He said : " Dem am de days when I says to de body, ' stan' back dere, I'se going to feed de soul to-day.'" When I asked : "Do!J-'t you sometimes feel very weak and famt before n ight ? " he said : " Yes, massa, but den I must h ave de body keep he place." In speaking of these days_ of fasting and prayer, he once sa1d : " Dese are de days when I spreads de big tings afore de Lord, and begs."

EARLY RISING. He un iformly rose early, but espe­

cially;,early on the Sn.b~ath. When _we asked him why h e d1d so, he sa1d : " De Lord get up early dat day. De women dat went to de sepulchre got dere early, n.nd den de Lord was n ot dere. De earlier I gets up, de more I sees ob J esus ."

BEHEAVEMENT. A great sonow over took him in the

death of his wife, about two years before his own release. She rapidly but very trustfully went into the valley of the shadow of death. As we entered, we found that the spirit had just taken i ts departure ; and then we saw and h eard what we can never adequately describe. What a figure of grief and triumph in the presence of the stillness and solemnity of death !

This ao-ed one, standing by the bed­side of the lifeless form of his wife, with uplifted face and h ands, was crying : " Farewell, Ellen-farewell, my dear Ellen ; must you leave me ! must you leave me I 0, J eRus ! my dear Ellen is coming ! Gib her one ob de mansions till I come. Lord J esus, how can I wn.it ? Send de chariot again."

LONGING FOR HEAVEN. We said to him one day-" Uncle Johnson, don' t you feel

lonely since Ellen left you ? " " 0 yes, m assa, I feel berry lonely ;

but den de Lord comes round ebery day, and gibs me a tal!te o~ de kingdom, jus as de nuss would w1d de spoon ; but oh ! how I 1vants to get !told ob de disk I" (suiting the action to the words) .

Ever after Ellen's death h e seemed only waiting, as he said, " for dat ch ariot t o come again." Once, after he h n.d been ill for a few days, as he began to get out again, I said: "I thought that your n.ppointed time h ad about come." He re:plied: "0, yes, I tought dat day

88 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. [March 1, 1869.

datI could see de dust ob de chariot com­ing ober de mountains, an' den some­thin' said: 'Roll on, Johnson, a little l onger; I'll crme round directly.' Yes , m assa, an' I will hold on, if de Lord please, anuder hundred years ! for I'se bound for Canaan." Then h e broke out singing :

" But this I do find, we two nm so jin'd, He'll not live in glory and leave me behind."

During those days he would often b id his friends farewell-" till we meets in glory."

One dsy the Rev. Dr. H-- called on him with me. .After a conversation, which surely my friend will never for­get, he said : " I must now go ; good­bye, Uncle J ohnson ; I shall probably h ear soon t hat you have gone over J ordan, but we will follow on."

" Oh, yes, massa ; great many years ago young men like you tell me dat, an' den, after a bit, I'd hear dat dey b ad gone home, an ' I am a pilgrim yet, but I always m an ages to send word."

"Well, if I should die first." said Dr. H - -, "wh at word would you send ?"

" 0 , massa, if you get home afore I do, ' ' (weeping,) "tell 'em t o l:eep de t able stand·in' , for Johnson is holding on his way. l'se bonnd to be dere."

HfS '£RANSLATION. Of his death we know but little.

His illness was brief. l n such an hour as he thought not the Son of :Man came. But t hat he was ready when " th e cha­r iot " came, and that " its wheels rolled in fire ," as when Elijah was borne to heaven, we may n ot doubt .

[Condensecl from the edition publisheU by Messrs. S. W. Partriuge & Co. Price One Pen ny.]

I NFIDEL UNCERTAINTY. .AN infidel lecturer was on one occasion h aranguing a large crowd in the Court H ouse of a town in t he United States, on t he subject of religion. He had much t o say, and laboured h ard to prove that t here was no hell ; that it was a mere hugbear i o frigh ten the weak and credulous. One of his audience, a weal thy planter, on a visit from the far south, seemed t o be in ecstasies at the preaching. Good news from a far count ry, or cold water t o a thirsty soul, could n ot h ave been more refreshing to the southerner than the glad tidings of t his discourse. .At length the RpeR.ker closed, and came down from the judge's bench, where h e bad been standing. The crowd gathered round

him, but none were so eager to grasp his hand as the planter. " God bless your dear soul," said he, " I thank you a thousand times for that sermon . It's all true, every word of it, and commends itself t o the reason of man." But, as be was turning to go away, a new thought seemed to strike him, and he said, " Your sermon is true-true, no doubt of it in the least, sir ; but, I'll give you a hogshead of tobacco if you will insure i t ." There is the difficulty. Infidelsfear that religion is true.

foETRY.

REST OF THE CHRISTIAN.

REST, weary soul; The penalty is borne, t he r ansom paid, For all thy sins full satisfaction made. Strive not t hyself to do what Christ has

done ; Claim the free gift, and m ake the joy

thy own. No more by pangs of guilt and fear

distrest, · Rest, sweetly r est !

R est , weary heart, From all t hy silent griefs and secret

pain, Thy profitless regrets and longings vain; Wi~dom and love have ordered all the

past; .All shall be blessedness and light at . last . Cast off t he cares t h at have so long

opprest, Rest, sweetly r est.

Re t , weary head. Lie down to slumber in the peaceful

t omb ; Light from above has broken through

its gloom. H ere in the place where once the Sa­

viour lay, When H e sh all wake thee on a future

day, Like a tired child upon i ts mother 's

breast, Rest, sweetly rest.

Rest, spirit free, In the green pas tures of the heavenly · shore, Where sin and sorrow can approach no

more, With all the flock by th e good Shepherd

fed, Besitle the streams of life eternal led. F or ever with thy God and Saviour blest,

Rest, sweetly rest.

Maroh 1, 1869.J THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST, 89

EAST LONDON CHRISTIAN MISSION.

WHITECHAPEL. THE work of God is growing h ere. The meetings are crowded ; Christians are rejoicing ; drunkards reclaimed, and sinners flocking to the cross. In the open air there has been much per­secution, but indoors the meet ings have been as heaven begun below.

Though still unable to announce that a site has been obtained for the new h all, we are able to state that nego­tiations are in progress, which, we trust, will enable us to m ake such a welcome announcement ere very long.

The young men t ook tea together on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd. .About seventy assembled, and a profitable evening was spent. There are about 100 young men in this branch 'Of the Mission. Banded together, and strengthened and t aught of God, what might they not do for Jesus! We are happy t o know that some of them are already fully employed for the Master, and we are arranging other plans of labour. Will our readers pray for _these young soldiers of the cross ?

.AN .AFTERNOON WITH WM. BOOTH, P rom the" Revival."

ON the afternoon of Sunday, January 31, I was able to see some of the results of William Booth's work in the East of London by attending his experience meeting, held in the New East London Theatre. About two o'clock some of his helpers and converts went out from the Mission H all, in the Whiteohapel­road, where they had been praying together, and held an open-air meeting in front of a large brewery opposite the hall. The ground was damp and the wind high, but they secured an au­dience, and then sang hymns along the road, till they came to the theatre, t aking in any who chose to follow them. Probably about 500 were pre­sent, though many came in late. The meeting commenced at three, and l asted one hour and a half. During this period forty-three persons gave their experience, parts of eight hymns were sung, and prayer was offered by four persons. .After singing Philip Phillips' beautiful hymn, "I will sing for Jesus," p rayer by Mr. Booth and two others,

A young mo.n rose, and told of his conversion n your ago l us t Tuesday, thauldug God that he hall bcou kept through t he year.

A negro of t ho n nmu of Bmton interest ed t he meeting much lJy tcU ing of his fi rst open-n.ir BOI'Vico, which lto luul held duTing the 11nst wool< iu UnLcli lf Highwuy, one of tho worst

plnoes In London. He said, when the people saw him kneel in the gutter, engaged in prayer for them , they thought he was mad.

Hyt n. " Christ, He Ritson Zion's Hill." A young mnn under the right-hand gallery

h n,•ing brie fl y spoken, one of Mr. Booth's help · ers, a genuine Yorkshiremnn, named Dima.line, with a strong voice and a h earty manner, told of the open-nir meetings , the opposition they encountered, and his determination to go on, in spite of all opposition from men and devils .

A middle-aged man on the right, a sailor, t old how h e was brought to Christ during his pa~snge homo from Columbo. One of the Dublin tracts , entitled "John's Difficulty," was the m e llll B of his conversion.

A young man to tho right having told how, as a. lmcks1icler, h e had recently been restored, a cabman snid h e had a deal to t alk about. The Lord h ad parcl oned all his sins. He used t o b e in th ~ public-houses const antly, but he thanked God he ever heard William Booth, for it l ed to his conversion.

Three young men on the right then spoke. The first, who comes five miles to these meet­ings, told how he was lost through the drink, and restored by t ho gospel; the second said he was unstlenlu~bly happy; and the third said he would go to the st nke for Christ.

A midclie-nged man in the centre spoke of his m any trinls. His sight was failing him; thnt of one eye h!Win!l gone entirely, but the light of Chr ist shone bri!U antly in his soul.

Hymn , 11 Let us walk in the light," etc. A young man described his feelings as ho

h nd r ecently passed the place where h e wns born ; and a sister followed with some re­fl ections on the same subject, nncl th en spoke of her husban d's conversion, and how they woro both now rejoicing in God.

After a young man on the left had told how his soul h nd recently been revived, another young man on tho right t estified to the Lord h aving pardoned his sins in the theatre on the previous Sundny.

rrwo sailors followed e ach other. Tho first spoke of his conversion through rending a tract whil e on his way to the Imlies four mon ths ago. The other said he was going to sea. next week , and was going to take some Bibles, hymns, nnd tracts with him, to see what could be done for Christ on board. He thought the conversion of sailors was fulfilling the pnssnge, " The nbundance of the sea shall be convertecl unto Thee."

H ymn-

" I believe I shall be there, And walk with Him in white."

A young mnn ofthe name of John, sometimes called " Young Halleluj ah ," told of his trials while selling fi sh in the streets, but h e com­fm·ted him self by saying, '''Tis better on be­fore.'' He had been drawn out in prayer at miclnight on the previous night, and bad dreamed all night thnt h e was in a prayer­meeting. H e was followed by n.notber, a con­verted thief1 who told how h e wns " picked up,'' as be t ermell his conversion, and of his per­secutions daily while working in a. shop with t wenty unconverted men.

A mnn in th e cen tre, who ho.d been a great drunknrd, suid, "What a miserable wretch I was till th e Lord m et with m o I used to think I conld not do withont my pint a day, hut the Lonl pulled me right bang outofapublic-honso into n. plnce of worship."

He was followed by n young mnn who was con verted nt one of th e brenkfast-meetings l ast year, nncl who said he was exceedingly h appy. Another young man on the left said h owhnppy h e was, and his desire was to spank more and work more for J csus,

90 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. [March 1, 1869.

Two sisters then spoke. The first uttered a brief inaudible sentence, and the second told of being so happy every day, and wanting to be more faithful, ending by a short, touching prayer.

Hymn-" Shall we meet beyond the river,

Where the surge~:; cease to roll? " A young woman in the centre said, "I well

r emember the night I fi rst heard Mr. Booth preach here. I bad a heavy load of sin on my shoulders. But I was invited to come on the st1~ge. I did so, and was pointed to Jesus, and obtained peace.''

Another sailor told of his conversion by n. tract, four years ago, on his passage out to Sydney. "To my sorrow," he said, 11 Ibecnmo a backslider. But I thank God he ever brought me here. That blessed man, lllr. Booth, preached, and I gave my heart t o. God nfresh. I now take tracts to sea r egularly. I have only eighteen shillings a wccl<, but I save my tobacco and boer-money to buy tracts." ·

Hymn," I never shall forget the day." A sister said, "I gave my heart to God at my

mother's death-bed when I was nine ycn.rs of age. Yesterday I visited a sick woman , who said, ' The tract you gave me . u The blood, tho blood," l ed me to cust my soul on Jesus'"­another instance of the usefulness of tracts.

A stout man, a navvy, who said he had been one of tho biggest drunkards in London, having briellv spoken, was followed by one known as" Jeinmy the butcher,'' who keeps o. stall in the Whitecl.mpel -road. Some one had cruelly r obbed him, but h e found consolation

· by attending the Mission·hall prayer· meeting at one o'clock.

Two young lads, r ecently converted, having briefly given their experience, a dock lnbourer, converted seventeen months ago, asked the prayers of the meeting for his wife, yet un~ converted. Some of his comrades, during the past week, said, 11 What o. ditl'erence there is in you now to what there used to be."

Three young women followed each other. The first spoke but a sentence or two, and her voice was inaudible. The desir e of the second was to live more to Christ. The third had a singularly clear voice, and distinct utterance , and gave her experience very intelligently. It was a year an<! a half since she gave her heart to the Saviour, but her husband does not yet see with her. Her de sh e 1Yas to possess holiness of heart, aud to know more of the language of Canaan.

The experience of nn old man, who next spoke, was striking . Mr. Booth had an~ nounced his intention some time back of preucLing a sermon on "The Derby,'' at the tinte of those races. This man was attracted by curiosity, and when listening compared himself to a broken-down horse. This sermon wns the means of his conversion. rl'he greatest wonder to his old companions is thnt he won't drink. He loses n. shilling every time be at~ t ends the week-night meetings.

Hymn-" Can you tell me what ship is going t o sail ?"

Two sisters then spoke. The first had been very much cast down for seven or eight weeks, but she comforted herself by saying, " 'Tis better on before," though at present her cross was great. The second said it was two years since she found peace, and she was very hnppy.

A young man t o the left told how his sins were taken away. He worked in the City, and some one took him to bear the Rev. E. P. Ham· mond, in John·street Chapel. He did not find pence then, but_afterwo.rds, as a young man was talking to him in tho street, ncar the Post Office,

he was able to see the way of salvation, and rejoice in it. He used to fall asleep generally under t he preaching, "But here," be said, "under Mr. Booth, I can't sleep."

A little boy, one of Mr. Booth's sons, f!R.VO a simple and good testimony. He wns followed by a young man to the right, and then an in­t eresting blind girl, whom I h ad noticed singing h eartily in tho street , told of her convors1on last August .

A girl under the gallery told how sh o found peace seventeen months ago ; and then Mr. Booth offered a few concludin g observations, and prayed. 'l'ho meeting closed by singing-

" I will not be discouraged, For Jesus is my friend," etc.

Such is a brief outline of this most interesting meeting, held Sunday after Sunday. But it is impossible to desm·ibe it so as to convey any adequate im­pression to the reader's mind. Mr. Booth led the singing by commencing the hymns without even giving them out . But the moment h e began, the bulk of the people joined heartily in them. Only one or two verses of each hymn were sung as a rule. Most of them are found in his own admirably compiled hymn-book.

I could n ot but wonder at the change which had come over the people. The majority of those present, probably nearly 500, owed their conversion to the preaching of Mr. Booth and his helpers. How would they have been spending this Sunday afternoon, if this blessed agency had not been set on foot?

In the evening I preached in the Oriental Music Hall, High ·street , Pop­lar, where 500 or 600 persons were assembled. This is one of the more recent branches of Mr. Booth's work, and [~ppea.rs t o be in a very prosperous condition. 1 found t wo groups of the helpers singing and pren.ching in the streets, who were only driven in by the rain just before the meeting commenc~d inside. This iH how the people are la1d hold of.

Shall this good work be hindered for the want of a few hundred pounds ? This is the question for Christians to pray over, think about, and answer. From what Mr. Booth t old me, some of the branches of the work must be given up, unless cheerful, and liberal help be sent, and sent immediately.

. GAWIN KIRKH.A.M.

RATCLIFFE HIGHWAY. FROM Wbitechapel, for the last three Sundays, a band of brethren has gone out to labour in Ratcliffe-Highway. This neighbourhood is beyond com­parison the foulest sink of moral cor-

ll!aroh 1, 1869.] THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST, 91

ruption in the metropolis. No tongue or P.en can convey any adequate con­cept10n of the abominations practised h ere. Mourning over the thousands going down to perdition in these parts, a dear brother first went thither alone, and has since been joined by other brethren. Much opposit ion has been en­countered ; at first, the persecutors con­t ent ed themselves with ridiculino- ::md mutilating the tracts that were : iven tearing them into shreds and thr~wing them over the speaker. The n ext Sun­day, they threw the brother down three separate times ; the Sunday following, potatoes, cabbages, and other refuse, were freely thrown at them. Still, as on every occa~ion a crowd freely lis­tened, and tears were shed, the brethren were det ermined to persevere. On Sun­day the 21st, .a meet.ing was again L.eld, and almost 1mmedmtely, a crowd of men, women, and children, chiefly Irish , fell to howling and yelling in the most frightful manner. While Brother Ro e was speaking, about 100 Irish fell upon them ; one young man, verv well dressed seized him by the throat, ';mother tried t o trip him up, :mother struck him a h eavy blow on the cheek, and the whole party were being much knocked about, when four policemen came and compelled the preachers to desist dra"'­ging them away, and threatenlng to lock them up, unless they went at once. In obedience to the police, the brethren departed, rejoicing greatly, that they were counted worthy to suffer for the sake of J esus.

OPENING OF A NEW HALL IN THE OLD BETHNAL GREEN

ROAD. F or a long t ime past the open -air and indoor meetings at our Mission Hall, Three Colt Lane, have been strongly opposed by the landlords of one or t wo adjacent public-houses, and repeatedly h ave we been threatened with ejection. Only on Sunday week two of our brethren were t aken off t o the police­station, charged by a publican with creating a nuisance by preaching n ear his house. At length the owner of the hall h as been persuaded, much against his will, as he says, to turn us out. And a short time back we received notice to quit. This led us to look about, and after some little search we found premises, which, after consider­able alteration, have been admirably adapted for mission work. We h ave a larg room that will seat 300 people, a smaller room that will h old 200, a

soup kitchen and other rooms. These premises we opened on Lord's day, Feb. 14th, when Mrs. Coates preached morning and evening, with the earnest of blessed success.

As the h our approached for the morning service, there were only a very few people present; but the friends went out into the street, and sung, and in vi ted the people into the hall, while a brother and sister went from door to door, t elling of the meeting, and urging the people to attend. Everywhere they were received most kindly, and many promised to come. As the result, the place was three parts full in the morning, while at night it was crowded right out into the street. But best of all the Lord was there, and so powerfully did He work on the hearts of the people, that the place was filled with weeping, and some were constrained to cry for mercy while the dear sister was preach­ing. Thank God, many not only sought but found the Lord.

Among other conversions was that of a navvy, who for many years had not entered a place of worship, living a hardened, hopeless, godless life,-he was and is still filled with joy and peace through believing on the Son of God.

About a month ago, a young man with his wife were converted at the East London 1'heatre. At the close of the service, when he found peace. he said to Mr. Booth, " Last week I thought I saw you in the street, and oh ! how I wanted to t ell you that you had almost per­suaded me to be a Christian; but now I want t o tell you that you h ave not almost but altogether persuaded me to be the Lord's." And he and his wife wept together for joy. On this evening they brought a sister with them; she h ad just come up from the cou ntry to take a sit uation in London, and, anxious for her soul's welfare, they had brought her to the Hall. She was deeply con­victed, and broken-hearted knelt at the mercy-seat, and there, with her brother on one side, and her sister on the other , entered into the rest of believing on the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. A sister found her afterwards weeping in a corner of the room, and she said to her, "You must excuse me, but I am having a few t ears of joy quietly all alone." Glory to J esus, who thus binds up the broken -hearted,proclaimsliberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; who thus "appoints to them that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the

92 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. [March 1, 1869.

oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of h eaviness ; that t hey might be called t rees of righteousness ; the plant ing of the Lord, that he might be glorified."

Special religious services ar e being h eld every night , and •vell attended. On Tuesday two more souls sought mercy, and the friends are expecting a blessed God-honouring work in t he place. ·

It is situat ed in the midst of an aw­fully degraded neighbourhood with thousands living in utter and fearful n eglect of God at it s very doors. We are already visit ing the people from h ouse t o house, and we shall at once open schools for the children, classes for the ignorant adults, Bible and believers' classes, and set to work all the evan­gelistic agencies the Lord has so much blessed elsewhere. Will our r eaders pray that God, even our own God, may condescend greatly to bless th e effort s of His servants at this new station, which with grateful hearts we conse­crat to His glory.

MILLWA L L. DEAR MR. BooTH,-I sh all with

pleasure accede to yonr request , and give a sketch of the Milwall work. "You are about t o commit one of th e greatest possible mistakes," said a friend of considerable business experience to me, when he became aware t hat I con­templat ed holding religious services in connection with our factory hands. The experiment was, however, made in spite of adverse prognostication. Strength and wisdom were sought for wherea lone they are to be found. A cot­t age meeting was given up for a bolder attempt in our own office. An increased attendance was the immediat e result , and a few of our men and their wives swelled the number . Soon after , some seventy or eighty adults fi lled the room to overflowing. F inding th at our quarters were too strait for us, a more commodious room was found, and we h ad the gratificat ion to see there gathered, on Sunday and week day evening services, a congregation of 200 to 300 persons.

A mid-day Bible and prayer meeting was likewise established for young people, and proved to be a service of unusual interest . It was well attended, the lads giving up half their dinner hour in order to be present. The change wrought upon the lads was most ~triking. An unruly crew of scape-

graces was transformed in to a band of orderly and well-conducted youths. Several of th em were brought to the fold of th e good Shepherd, and are now manifesting a consistent and holy walk, after a test of some t wo years.

I cannot sufficiently express my grat itude to th e East London Christian Mission for the kindly interest mani­fested towards this work in supplying us with helpers. The labours of your Bible woman, Mrs. Collingridge, were abundantly blessed and owned of God.

I must not forget to speak of the dis­t rict visitors, who rendered such noble assistance during t he distress which existed in the East of London . Their voluntary labours were indeed abun­dant, working frequent ly t ill eleven o'clock at night with me. They were each of them brought to a saving knowledge of J esus in our mission .

I would conclude these remarks by observing that our gatherings were largely attended by our own people, who generally manifested th e greatest in terest in the movement ; and I never saw an approach to a reason for regret­t ing that I, as an employer, had thus manifested an interest in their spiritual well being. I cherish many evidences of their manly regard and independent and heartfelt affect ion, which were genuin e­ly reciprocated by myself.

That union bas been severed. I am no longer an employer of labour , but a labourer for J esus, h aving given my­self heart and soul to work for the n eglected, the depraved, and outcasts in t he East of London, in connect ion with the East London Christ ian Mission .

I will now record a few inst an ces of conversion ; they will, I feel sure, interest your readers.

A WORLDLY .AND GODLESS LAD attende£1 one of our early meetings. Tho truth, as i t is in J esus, went home to his heart with power. He came again, n.nd pro­fessed a change of heart. He at once forsook his "swearing and Sabbath -bren.lUng com­panions," and entered with lively jnterost into our services. He then became no xious nbout

HI S MOTHER, and begged me to pray for h er. H e lost no opportunity t o speak to h er about her soul . His mother t reated the matter with cold in­difference, and told him that "the aff:1ir was all excitement, and that the fever woul d leave him in a few days / ' He urged her to " come and judge for herself," and at length succeeded. She came, nnd the Lord met her; nnd He who is the " resurrection and the life " breathed i nto her tb e breath of life, and she lives in Him ; and the mother and son are now walk­ing consistently and humbly with their God, But my narrat ive ends not here.

March 1, 1869.] '£ll l0 EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. 93

'J'HJD li'A'L' IfEU., the hen<l of that I mlly, was n sore persecutor of god ly peOJ)Io, tllll l <lotornJincd th at his wife sh ould not ntlontl tlw meetings. H er ch ange of h eart nnd lifo v•·e•cnlc<l too strong n con­trflst to h 111 own. J I o lh1·catened violence if sh dnrctl to bw~r that madman, as he was ]>loneml. to fJ tyl mo, nncl, upon her expressing her l'O IOl vo t.o 11 sorve God rather than man,'' b uraoil both h is wife and the preacher, and cxprcssod tho hope that God would strike her dou<lll she persisted in at tending th e services. lio further promised that " if his prayers were not answe1·ed, he would for ever close the door against her." The day of service arrived, nml he nslw d whether sh e intended to hear me. She r eplied with promptness that " she did ; and would rather die in our mi dst than at any other place." The reader of this story of grace can imagine the astonishment of the wife when told that ber opposing husband propose<\ to accompany her. She \Yas speechless. She tried to break the silence, but her heart was t oo full. "We may be happy, yet," thought she. As the time for the service approach ed, sh e became uneasy lest she should be late. I ought to have said that we had been in earnest prayer for some time for this poor and unhappy man. He came, b e lis tened to th e " old, old story," was interested ; he whispered to his wife, "the speaker is not mad, he is perfectly sane." He was moved to tears on hearin g that thet·e was pardon for his sin ; again he whispered, " I nm the madman, not the spen.lter." That man professed the " new birth " on the following meeting, and although he fell away into sin, he wns restored, and is n ow one of the hajlpiest men on Mill Wnll.

A BACKSLIDING UNCLE. To another member of that snme family, a hardened bnckslider, and once a local preacher, the Lord h as been pleased t o use me. When l ast I saw him , be expres~::ed himself as " hap­pier than he had over been in his life.''

The cause still advances, but the services are much more t hinly attended , their being no one resident on Mill Wall to carry on the work, and many of the members h ave lef t t he neighbour­hood in expectation of finding work elsewhere.

We h ave lately concluded a fortnight of special services, and it h as been a time of refreshment. to the Lord's people. God h as been pleased to own our labours with some precious cases of thorough conversion. My n avvy friends and brothers in the Lord, who came down t o assist in the services, spoke out like true servant s of God. They preached J esus, and J esus only, aud that with a simplicity, and power, and love, which alone is bestowed on those who love J esus, and carry J esus in t heir hearts. To God be all the glory I

I affectionately wish you God speed and prosperity in your own soul and in your glorious work. I feel more th an ever the deep necessity of this particu­lar branch of labour into which I believe the Lord has called you. The coldneRs of the Church generally demands self­sacrifice and thoroughness in every

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effort for the extension of the kingdom of Christ . The worldliness of a large por­tion of the so-called Church becomes a fresh incent ive to deep person al holiness. The " uncertain sound " which ema­n ates from so many pulpits in our land, necessitates the preaching of a simple and pure gospel-J esus, the beginning, the middle, and the end. And as " we see the day approaching," we should be aroused to go forth into the "high­ways and h edges to compel men to come in,'' and we should be absorbed in winning souls to our blessed J esus.­y ours, in the gospel,

CHARLES OWEN. 110, Burdet t Road, Bow.

P .S.-I have referred to a few only of the many and precious proofs of the presence and favour of God as mani­fested in the conversion of eouls. I could fill many columns of the " Evan­gelist " with det ails of the deepest interest .

T H REE C O LT LAN E. LORD'S DAY, Feb. 7th, was our last Sabbath here. So soon as Brothers Rose and Fisher had commenced the open­air service, a policeman came up and ordered them away, they told him they had only just begun ; h e said he would take them to the station if they did not desist . Brother Rose said he sh ould deem it an honour to be locked up for his Master, whereupon the policeman took them off. By this time a great crowd h ad gathered, and as they went along they sang-

! will sing for J esns, With h is blood he bough t me ;

and then J esus, the name high over all,

In h ell, or earth, or sky.

At th e st at ion they gave tracts to each of the policemen, who were just going on t heir beat . They then com­menced reading the Bible, but being told to sit down , they knelt down and prayed aloud. They were after wards dismissed with an intimation that they would be summoned. On Sa­turday the 20th, they appeared in an­swer to a summons. A publican and other~, with a lawyer at their head, ap­peared against them. Robert Baxter, Esq., kindly came forwards for the defence. The policeman complained of an obstruction of the thoroughfare, whereas, there were but some t wo dozen people when they were inter­rupt ed. The publican complained that the preaching was a nuisance, that the

94 THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. [March 1, 1869.

singing, prayers, &c., disturbed the quiet of his customers, would not let his children sleep, nor him and his wife r ead. He ought also to have said it troubled his conscience, for h e once told us himself that he had been a Sabbath school tea~her, and that he hated drun­kenness as much as we did; but it was very unplea,~ant to have hard things said against his trade right opposite ~is doors wlum he !tad so m.uclt 11wney ~n­vcsted in it. However, the magistrate took no notice of his compl:1int on this occMion, but simply said h e was sorry for the police to come in collision with the open-air preachers ; that on the inspector's statement there had evidently been an obstruction, that the young men had shown too much zeal, and they must be bound over in their own recognisances not to repeat the same offence in that particular locality for six months.

We very much regret this .collision ourselves. We think our brethren on this occasion should immediately have yielded to the request of t he inspector to desist , and gone elsewhere. It is better to suffer than contend. If we have not had much protection from the police ; and 'with a few exceptional cases, they h ave rendered u s no assis­tance whatever ; still, they h ave not hindered us, as no doubt they h ave often been strongly tempted to do, and as our report of Ratcliffe shows they did last Sabbath morning. We are on the side of law and order, and wish to work harmoniously with those who are the paid guardians of the same ; and we hope our brethren will obey them so far as they can with a good con­science.

TROPH I ES OF GRACE. 7.- A BLASPHEMER AND AN I Nf'IDEL. GLORY to J esus I H e sought me wh en n. stran­ger, for I have been a stranger t o God since I was twelve years of age. I had a good, loving mother, but nn ungodly, drunken father. When at that age, I have often told my father It was a shame I had to go to Sunday-school. He allowed me to st R.y away, and then I went into the streets, and in a very short time becam~ a great er blackguard than any of my associates. The deeper we went into wicked· n ess the better I liked it.

At the age of eighteen, through illness, I was compelled t o he steadier. My mother told me that I had better prepare to see my God, for there was no h ope for me iu this world. I t old h er that th ere was no goQ(l Qod in heaven, or H e vwuldn't l et me suffer so. My mother used to talk t o me, and !thought that! became sten.dier, but I wns still without God, and with· out h ope in the world.

My fath er would t ake me t o bell-ringing on Sunday nights, and I became a r egular nlten-

dant 11t the Hall of Science. Reckl ess of every­thing, I did n ot believe in h ell, or any hereafter.

I now got married, and r emn.ined steady about three years, but still hcccl! css of the word of God. I got u sed to b·equenting t ho public·h ouse, associating with the worst of companions , and among others were three ticket-of-l eave m en, and I longed t o be !iko them, netUna ·rnu livino emi ly. About the only good quality in me was, I had been honest all my life; !never neglected my worl{, and ulwnys bore a character wherever I was employed, until the 6th D ecember, 1866, when , prompted by the example of those men, I stole an articl o worth t wo n.nd s ixpence, but not with a felonious intent. I was arrested nnd chn.rgcd with felony; but, i t being my first offence, tho magistrate t ried me on the charge of illognl possession, fined me a sovereign, and dismissed me with n sever e reprimand, my employer h avh1g given me nin e years' good character. That night, in tho station-house, before my trial , I had th e horrors so bad that I could nnt sleep a moment: I h ear <! tho clocl< s trike nil the hours and chime the quaders. When I thought of my wife and sist er crying so llittcrly for mo, I t hought that I shouldhnvo gono mad ; and I r esolved that ever after I would , with Gael 's help, be steady, nnd never ngnin seek bad company. I triecl to pray, but nil I coul<l sn.y wns, "Lord, h elp me, and keep me stentl y.' ' This resolution I have kept. I left off frcrtuent­ing th e public-house, nnd gave up my evil associates; but I r emrdned as great n blns· phem er ns ever, and woultl boas t of my un­belief in the existence of hell.

One Sunday evening, n sister-in·lnw, who was living with us, asked me to como t o tho Effingham Thentre. I laugh ed anrl l'idiculcd, and with an oath a ked her if anythin g good would be given away; but the next minute I said I would ~o, and did so. Mr. Booth }Jrencbcd from the sixteenth chapter of Lulte, and I was convin ced of the exis tence of n h ell, autl tlmt it would be my Cternnl h ome if I clitl not alter. I felt deeply 'that! was in the wrong way, but would not show it until they sang-" Just ns I nm-nncl waiting not T o rid my soul of one dark spot-To Th ee. whose b lood can cleanse each blot,

Oh! Lamb of Go<l, I como. It was then I saw that my heart was nil blncl<. A broth er came n.nd naked mo bow was my soul. I lied to him, sn.yin~ thn.titwn.s n.l lright i but I was so convicted that, after I got h ome, I prayed that God wOuld ma1te me n. t rue and sincere Christian. That night I ~avo my heart t o God, obtained the pru:don of all my sins, and h ave, t.hrough the l ove of Chri t , ever since continued in prnycr, and walked in the path which leads to glory.

REVIVAL WORK FAR AND NEAR. DUNEDIN HALL, EDINBURGH.

WE commenced a letter to our clear Edinburgh friends, but have not been able to finish it.. We want to tell them how greatly we rejoice in their success, and to urge them to press after still greater things : "The kingdom of hea­ven suffereth violence, and the violent t ake it by force." If spared, t h ey m ay expect to bear from us in our coming number; in the meanwhile, we com­mend to their prayerful perusal, the 33rc1 chapter of Ezekiel, and the 235th hymn in our book, commencing-

:March 1, 1869.) THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST. 91)

Give me the faith which c~>n r emove And sink the mountain to a plain ;

Give me the child-like, praying love, Which longs t o build Thy house again:

Thy love, let it my heart o'el"j)ower, And all my simple soul devour.

DEAR BROTHER BoOTH,-The river of time fl ows swiftly on, bearing on its bosom thousands of immortal souls, soon to stand before the great I AM; and with the motley multitude our little b:tnd moves forward. Lil{e other }Jil­~rrims, we have our trials by the w1~y (but our Father ]mows). Yes, glory to Hts eternal n nmc, a few more rising and setting suns , and we shall have passed from the fleeting sOtTows of earth , t o the enduring joys of heaven . Praise t.he L ord for tho sweet hope of glory.

'Ve hnve mu ch to cheer nncl encou rage us, as we journey along ; t he shout of a Kin_g is h cnTd in our cnmp; we h nve Pent ecostal. times in the wilderness ; glory to God I Sinners blncl.: nnd vile are being wnshed in tl~ e. nll­clea.nsing blood, and r enewed by the Sp1nt, ns gems for the crown of Christ. In tho streng~h of divine grn.cc, we go forward. Our motto I S,

" Souls for J esus I " The first Sabbath of the year, we m ot , at six

o'clock, in the High Street, and mn.de the . streets of this modern At hens ring with songs of praise to J esus. Fom· or five brothers prayed. B. Ross, a converted blacksmith, ad· dressed the crowd ; after which we marched down tho High Street into th e Canongnt e, singing, 11 Shall we gather at ~be 1·iver ?:' An immense crowd fo11 owed. Inv1tecl them tnto n m eeting in New Str eet. They thronged in, nn<l we moved on t o the Theatre RoyaL Singing, prayer, and short nd<lresses. A delightful meeting. From this wo went to ReJ:pster Street ; sung, "Hither than I ;''throe broth~rs vrayed; sung ngain; a sister prayed, and mv1tcd tho people to J esus. We felt here the 11rcscnce of Gocl also. Thus we spent the first Sabbath of t his year, firin~ at the foun dations of the clevil's kingdom, and lift ing up J esus. . .

Sabbath, l Oth J anuary.-Good meetmgs m tho street; largo crowds. Brother<; Stuart and Ross spoke outs ide; Brother Daw­son and a sister in~ide . We could see tho Spirit wns at work in many hearts, mel ting even scoffers into t ears. Praise the L ord ! On e young man, n bitter scoffer, said, " .I h ave n praying mother, nnd t!1at is ha,rrowtno ~y conscien ce." When lc!l.vmg the Hall, h e sa1d, "I see it n ow; I h ave founcl it now.ll Two women, bucltsliders, were much subdued. One said, "I h a.ve left the L ord, but He bas n ever left me; H o h a. ~ never let me alone.'' Fourteen left, snying they had found tho Saviour.

Snbbnth, 17th.-Tho workers divided into two bands. Ono h alf went up the street; the other down : nnd r eturned singin!=!, with crowds following both. The Hall was fill ed to excess. JJrotbcr Wood from Newburgh, Fife, and a Rister, spoke. ' Good second meeting. Above t wonl.y r emained inquirin{{ the way, nnd ten lloclclocl for J esus. Praise th E! L ord I numbers nt·o IJoing ndcled to tho ranks of our conquer~ng Juuul, rmtl some trophies of grace nrc ~emg

fJOiiHitccl for H is crown. The day followmg, I 101t rtl ohcorin~ tidings of the work. A young

mnn who hnd been n.t one of our )Yeek·day 111 oot'lngR, won t h omo, and was so tmonsy, his moU1or n oticed it, n.ncl snid, " Wh n.t do you wnnt, going through the h ouse that way.?" H o Hnid , "I wnnt tu prny." Sh e ~n1s a praymg m oth r. They both went to thmr knees, and l1o touml th e Saviour. Also of nnotber m n.n, who wont t ram our meeting, last night, nnd llotitlod for J esus at homo; mul of two others under cleo1> impression , but who b~vo found

peace. Glory to God lor His manifest power . Pm ise the L ord I Halleluj~h I

Sabbath, 24th January. - L arge st~eet m~et­ings, and crowded Hall. T welve a.nxtousl nl!le gave evidence of having found J esus. l-'r1use tho L ord 1 One day after this m eeting, Mr. Stual't was lenving the .r nilwn.y station, when n. city porter came running up, and shoo~ hnnds, t elling him ho had not slept for two m ghts, ho was so hn.ppy since he h ad found Jesus.

Snbbnth nigh t, Sl st.-Good street work; Hall crowded. Brother Philip, a brand plucked from th o burning nine months ago, nt an open· air meeting, and Brother Millinr, a con,•ertcd mason who three years ngo, would have been seen, o'n a s 'nbbath morning, coming up out of some den in tbe Cnnongate with three bull· clogs for his companions, addressed the meet· ing. Great sin n ers, saved by n. gre::tter Saviour. We felt much opposing influence; but th~ Lo~d was with us, for seven souls 11rofessed fruth 1n J esus.

Our meetings on Sabbath afternoons have been seasons of blessing. It is soul-refreshing t o h ear the young converts t elling what the L on! h as done for them.

The prayer meetings on the Saturday nights are glorious times. The spirit of prayer pre­vails . \Vhnt strong cries for souls I what pleadings of the promises sealed with tho all· prevailing blood I what wr estlin gs for the ~:tl­vntion of sinners 1 wh nt assurance of f~u th, mixed with shouts of Amen I Glory I Hallelu­jah I and Praise t h e Lord I

We feel determined to go ani nnd,lilteNon.h, if we cannot save a perishing world, wo will, by faith, condemn it.

Brethren, prny for us.

COMMERCIAL S'rREET, E AST, WJ:~ hud tho privilege of being present n.t tho opening of Miss Macpherson 'A Refuge, Com­mercial Street , on Friday evening l ast. 'fho building, formerly a. warehouse, is large, nnd, in mnuy r espects, ·well nclnpte tl for the mn.ny useful pm·poses to which it is intended to de· vote it. To i t the lit tle match-box maker s will come to be fed and trmgh t, while th eir parents will nlso be invited to Bible Classes, to h oar tho gospel ; t o mothers' meetings ; nnd to other u seful gatherings. It is also intended to multo a temporary Home of it for frnnilies with n special view to emigration. There is room in it for an endless amount of useful worlt. Wo pray sincerely that our denr sister , whom tho L ord has alrrndy so graciously own ed in these special works of u sefuln ess, mny be strength­ened and bnptized, nnd spared for man y ycl\rs of holy, God-honouring, soul-winning labours.

An explanatory address us to the obj ects contemplat ed in the opening of the place was given by Miss Mn.cpherson. The meeting was also addressed by Messrs . D obbin, ])forgan , Tyler, McCall, Lewis, and Booth . Many fervent prayers were offer ed for the Master's blessing on the undertaldn g. M ny it pl'OilJer I

SHORE DITCH. ON Wednesday, th e lOth inst ant, the anniver­sary of the opening of the Mission Hall, Old Castle Street, Shoreditch , was beld. Our Bro­ther J arvis, wh o t akes the oversight of the -,vork, gave hi s first report, which wris full of interest. It t old of great disappointment, much tri n..l of fnith and patience, and nlso of ennourngi?g suc_cess. The Mission was com· menced \nth a VICW to gospel work among tho adults ; but tho fr iends had been specially led to seek tho children. They hnd large Sunday un ll day scbools,-indeed, ctnite as many ns the 11l nce would contain; and now they bad opened a small chapel in the n eighbourhood, to preach

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