STORM-STRUCK AT COATBRIDGE.
There have been many outstanding incidents in this Scottish campaign that will come up at the call of memory in future years. But probably no meeting in the whole series held between Campbeltown in the south-west) and Castleton (in the extreme north-east) will be better or more frequently remembered by Mr Moody and Mr Sankey than their first service at Coatbridge last Sabbath morning. In the matter of weather, and considering the season of the year, they have, on the whole, been singularly fortunate… Saturday evening Coatbridge was clear and starry, and the fullest effect was given to the big, belching tongues of flame at the iron works, that light up, after nightfall, the lower end of the town. During the night the wind rose and the temperature fell, and morning dawned on a perfect hurricane of driving snow. A stranger looking out on the main street about 9 a.m. would have been struck with surprise to see a seemingly endless stream of people, mostly of the poorer orders, judging by their dress, with a large proportion of young boys and girls, wending their way along, bravely battling with the fury of the elements. A little inquiry would have revealed the fact that these were Roman Catholics, bound for early " It appears that out of the thirty thousand people in Coatbridge some eight thousand are Roman-ists, and they are so well indoctrinated into the tenets of their faith that no rain that ever fell, or wind that ever blew, will keep them from "mass." It was something of a revelation to witness such a sight in an age supposed to be specially one of religious indifference.
The question that arose in one's mind was this: Would the Protestants struggle through the awful storm in as great numbers for the meeting with Mr Moody and Mr Sankey in the Coats Parish Church, fixed for 9.30 a.m.? In order to answer his own question the writer sallied out and made for the church; to get there, he passed about the worst quarter of an hour he has ever experienced in the line of snow storms. The church stands high on the crest of a steep hill, and the battle with the snow-laden gale up from the main street of the town was one that will certainly never fade from memory this side the river of death. One reached the church, to find scarcely a vacant seat; and the building is seated for a thousand.
Nobody seemed more surprised than Mr Moody. After Mr Sankey had grandly sung
two solos, and two brethren had offered prayer, his brother evangelist stood up in the pulpit and made a little preliminary speech, such as seldom falls from his lips. "Mr Sankey and myself," he said, "never had a greater compliment paid to us all the twenty-two years we have been working together than we have had this morning. We thought that if there were a hundred people present it would be a great deal, but we never expected to find such an audience as this on such a morning, that had come here through
A YOUNG AMERICAN BLIZZARD.
I have been led to understand that this was rather a dead town, but there must be a good deal of life in it somewhere. When I saw the storm I said to myself that we were going to have a great blessing. There will be only a few people here who have come together to get quickened, and God will bless us."
A TALK ABOUT AFTER-MEETINGS.
Then Mr Moody plunged into what he called a social talk about after-meetings, and how to reach those who are not Christians. He said he believed that if there were in all the churches one live Gospel address every week, followed up by an after-meeting, the disciples of Jesus Christ would be largely multiplied in Scotland inside of twelve months. To be a whole year with hardly any accessions to the church on profession of faith is not the normal state in which the church ought to be. The annual report was lately issued of one of the leading churches in an American city. The minister is one of the ablest men in the American pulpit today. The building is in one of the most expensive parts of the city, and probably the yearly expenses of the church, with the cost of the choir and interest on the money for the building, will be not less than £5,000. It is reported that during the past year, eighteen had been added to the membership on profession of faith - one and a half every month. Yet they state that they have had a successful year! In the great American cities the churches are losing hold of the people, and the reason is that there are very few evangelistic addresses where the Gospel is put plainly before the people.
Moody proceeded to urge that while Sabbath morning in the churches should be devoted to the feeding of the flock of God, the afternoon or evening address ought to be of a strictly Gospel character, and should be followed up right on the spot by an after-meeting. He told of a young minister in a wealthy American church who said to his people, after he had been with them about six months, that he thought he ought to resign. They asked the reason; he said that very few attended the evening service; he wanted an entire change in the methods of conducting that service, and he was afraid they would think his plans
TOO REVOLUTIONARY.
On being pressed to specify, he said he wanted the elders (some of whom were millionaires) to act as ushers at that service; the young men to go out into the streets and distribute invitations to the passers-by, and all the pews to be free. The congregation liked their minister and did not care to lose him, and so his plan was agreed to. Inside of three months the building could not hold the people that came on Sabbath evenings. There was half an hour of a praise service, then a Gospel address and an after-meeting, and there had been conversions right along ever since. Other churches took up the idea, and nearly every church in that city is now crowded on the Sabbath evening.
Mr Moody proceeded to urge that Sabbath evening is the only time when the churches can get hold of working men, who, as a rule, get up late on Sabbath morning. A minister once preached against after-meetings, saying that the seed, when sown, should not be disturbed. But (replied Mr Moody), if it is not harrowed and rolled in by personal effort, most likely the enemy will carry it off. Many a man convicted of sin has all his impressions dissipated as soon as he gets outside, for want of someone to converse with him, and bring matters to the point of decision.
It is folly for a minister to tell the anxious on a Sunday evening to come on the following Friday evening and meet the session in the vestry. That is enough to scare any anxious soul. As to
THE METHOD OF CONDUCTING
after-meetings, Mr Moody pointed out that all who desired to become Christians should be urged to remain, except those who were obliged to go. After a few short prayers, let the Christians be asked to speak to those near them. If those in our churches were only. trained to do this work, they would soon discover its importance and would know the luxury of it. The evangelist went on to show from the methods of John the Baptist, of Christ Himself, and of the early apostles, how Scriptural is this method of personal inquiry and personal dealing after the Gospel message has been declared. After Christ spoke to his followers he asked them whether they had "understood these things."
From, "The Christian," February 25th, 1892.
THE FOLLOWING-UP
continues to be actively maintained. Mr J. M. Scroggie remained at Coatbridge for two nights, while Messrs Moody and Sankey were at the adjacent town of Airdrie. Mr Sankey bore an added burden of labour by driving over to Mr Scroggie's meetings each night after he had sung and spoken at the central service and the overflow in Airdrie.
The Coatbridge meetings were encouraging in attendance and in result. It is manifestly a difficult task to follow up, in any place, the work of our American brethren, and those who essay to do it are much to be commended for their disinterested courage. This week Mr Scroggie succeeds Mr McNeill at Greenock. Mr Morton Smith, after a brief respite from activity, is busy this week at Wishaw. The close of his recent labours in Kirkcaldy showed a very considerable muster-roll of professed conversions. Mr Smith is a well-equipped and vigorous worker, and God everywhere is owning his testimony and his teaching.
Rev Sholto Douglas. who kindly entertained Mr Moody and Mr Sankey at his country Mansion during the Coatbridge and Airdrie missions, did good service in the conduct of overflows, and also in personal dealing with the inquirers. On the last evening of the Airdrie visit the large overflow meeting in Flowerhill parish church was taken in hand by Rev J. J. Mackay, of Glasgow. He preached powerfully to believer, backslider, and the unsaved, from the familiar text: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," His appeals and forceful illustrations produced a deep impression, and there was a very good after-meeting. At the same hour Mr Moody was delivering his final message to the people of Airdrie in the public hall, and a very memorable occasion it was.
From, "The Christian," March 3rd, 1892.
THE FOLLOWING UP
it’s being vigorously sustained at different points. You have no space for detailed notes, but it may be said generally that in the meetings held by Messrs Smith and Bell at Wishaw, by Mr Richard Hill at Lesmahago, by Mr W J Taylor at Larkhall and by Mr J M Scroggie at Greenock, the word spoken has been with power and it is confidently believed that many have been led to the point of true spiritual decision. A large and interesting meeting of converts and workers was held on Wednesday evening last week at Kirkcaldy, despite the fact that that district was in the throes of a hot and many-cornered parliamentary election contest. Some interesting facts are to hand also respecting the work at Coatbridge. Mr Hutchinson of Coats Established Church reports that he has met with a dozen men in his own parish, who trace their conversion to the Sabbath evening meeting in the theatre. Gospel meetings are to be arranged for now in the theatre each Sabbath evening.
From, "The Christian," March 10th, 1892.
There is no mention of any Holy Spirit working here, so I would not normally include it, However, it appears that the writer got carried away with the weather. I am including it as i have included nearly all Moody's meetings on this trip that were more than just a single talk. Also, I assume that with such hunger of the people, something must have broken out - like the penultimate sentence of the last post.