James Caughey Hull meetings - George Yard (1843)



The people of God were exhorted and entreated to beseech the Lord of hosts to fill the hearts of his ministers with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; they were told again and again that the weightiest truth could accomplish nothing without the direct agency of the Spirit; that without this influence, the words of the preacher would fall like feathers or flakes of snow upon the congregation, and with a similar effect. The Lord applied such truths as the above to the hearts of many. The spirit of prayer descended upon the people, many of whom were now in an agony for the conversion of sinners. Hundreds of prayers ascended to heaven every day, and during every sermon, for “the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” The superintendent, the Rev. Robert Thompson, managed the prayer meetings admirably; and his colleagues, the Rev. William Illingworth, and the Rev. John Vine came up to the help of the Lord, in a noble and energetic manner. The people of God, observing how cordially and confidently their ministers co-operated in the work, were cheered and encouraged to give all the aid within their power; their numbers increased in the meetings daily, and good men from every part of the town rallied around our standard, and prayer became general. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” says St. James; and says a good old minister, “If one trumpet sounds so loud in the ears of God, how much more a concert of all the silver trumpets of Zion sounding together. If one sigh of a praying man wafts the bark to the desired haven, or stirreth Zion’s ship, how much more a gale of sighs breathed by a thousand real Christians. Where so many hands are lifted up, how many blessings may they not pull down from heaven!” The valley of dry bones was stirred, (Ezek. xxxvii.) “There was a noise, and behold a shaking.” The Spirit of God now moved in power and breathed upon the slain, and they lived, and “stood upon their feet,” a little army of three hundred and fifty souls, who had passed from death unto life. More than one half of this number were already members of the Wesleyan church; some of whom had backslidden from God, and others had never been converted; the remainder were from the world. We found also about two hundred persons, who had within a few weeks experienced the blessing of entire sanctification. Thess. v. 23, 24. All glory be to God! From George Yard, chapel, (Methodist places of worship are all called chapels in this country; some members of the Establishment call them “meeting-houses,” others “preaching-houses,” to degrade them as far as possible from their churches; this, of course, you would not bear in America,) we adjourned to the Kingston chapel; a new, large, and elegant edifice.

Taken from 'Methodism in Earnest' at www.revival-library.org

Additional Information

Chapel lies between High Street and Lowgate, nearly opposite the Town Hall. Originally built in 1786. It is a spacious brick edifice, with stone dressings, lying lengthwise towards the street, and having a line of seven windows in the upper story. The first Hull theatre stood on the site of this chapel. The congregation, once large and wealthy, is now considerably reduced, owing to very many of its members having gone to reside in the newer suburbs.

In 1851 it seated 1,060. It was closed in 1905 and demolished soon after.

Goerge Yard was not where it is today, it was off Lowgate, Clarence Street did not exist.


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