SABBATH IN MONTROSE.
On Saturday evening Mr Moody and Mr Sankey bade farewell to the Granite City, and after an hour's run found themselves in Montrose, The snow was falling thickly, but on this coastline there has been no blocking of roads and railways such as the evangelists would experience, if they were still in the far north. Ross-shire, Sutherland, and Caithness are now having such a wintry visitation that one feels deeply thankful for the favourable weather that prevailed when Mr Moody and his helpers were in these parts of the country.
Looking at the day as a whole, the engagements of Sabbath last in Montrose were marked by exceptional promise and potency as to their outcome. The simple enumeration of the meetings held will show what a busy day it was for the two evangelists. At 9.30 in the morning they were driven a mile and a half to the fishing quarter at Ferryden, where the first meeting was held. Mr Moody preached on the compassion of Christ, one of the most heart-moving and effective in his large repertoire of sermons. He had to hurry off to preach at St. George's Free
Church at eleven, and left Mr W. Robertson, of Edinburgh (who has rejoined the party), to follow up with a second meeting. Mr Sankey sang his now famous solo "Throw out the Life Line,” and the seafaring audience very speedily picked up the swinging chorus. Mr Moody's third address was given in the afternoon at St. John's Free Church, which was crammed. He spoke on "Assurance." At an after-meeting in the Evangelical Union Chapel the net was cast, and some at any rate were brought to land.
In the evening an immense concourse of about three thousand people were squeezed into the parish church and listened with rapt and awed attention to a discourse on "Sowing and Reaping." At the same hour an overflow was held in
St. George's Free Church. It was addressed by the pastor, Mr Forgan, Mr Robertson, and Mr Sankey, who had repaired thither after singing two solos in the parish church. The combined after-meeting held in the Congregational Church was very large, and, humanly speaking, most fruitful as large numbers responded to Mr Moody's heart-stirring appeals for the indication of spiritual concern, and the hour was late before the last of the inquirers left the lecture-hall behind, into which they were drafted from the chapel. The spirit of decision was blessedly apparent and highly encouraging as the outcome of one day's work.
REV JOHN MCNEILL,
according to the reports in the Aberdeen papers on Monday, also had a busy time there on the previous day. He preached three times to great crowds, the evening meeting in the Music Hall being crowded out long before the hour fixed for the service. The three subjects were: Doubting Thomas, the Choice of David as King, and Laccheus. As may be imagined, these old-world narratives found a powerful modern setting at the hands of the preacher, and were made to illustrate in a marvellously graphic way the Divine dealings in grace alike with saint and sinner.
From, "The Christian," January 14th, 1892.
The second and closing day at Montrose was not unworthy successor to the first. Having a few days to spare before beginning a mission in Glasgow, Mr J.M. Scroggie, of Haddington, joined the evangelists on Monday and lent a hand. Considering the severe weather, the company that gathered in the afternoon in the parish church was very large. Mr Moody was led to choose the subject that he has not preached on before during this campaign – the parable of the rich man who essayed to build bigger barns for the storage of his much good goods just when he was about to leave them all, and given an account of his stewardship to God. The discourse delivered in unusually subdued tones was a powerful exposure of the folly of straining every nerve to accumulate the perishing and vanishing possessions of this world, while the greater riches of the heavenly life are utterly neglected. By illustration and by example this truth was pressed home very closely and the hour was a very solemn one.
In the evening before beginning his farewell discourse to a gigantic congregation Mr Moody made a warm appeal to the rich citizens of Montrose to support the local YMCA and furnish it with a suitable building. He said he hoped the time would soon come when Scotland’s wealthy Christians would invest their money in such institutions that would live after them as streams of blessing to society, rather than accumulate great fortunes, perhaps to be squandered by and cause the ruin of those who inherit them.
The last after-meeting in the Congregational Church was a time of busy and joyous in gathering. The Montrose friends are taking some steps to perpetuate the interest. A week’s mission is being held in one of the churches during the present week by Mr Smith, an Aberdeen evangelist.
From, "The Christian," January 21st, 1892.