The mission in this cheerful district of South London has been continued throughout the past week and inspite of the great heat a considerable number gathered together daily at 11:00am. The addresses have been chiefly to believers, but by pointing those who by God's grace were already saved to the path of holiness and the life of power and spiritual guiding and strength which God designed them to walk in and enjoy. Those who are still strangers to the saving love of God were not forgotten, and each morning the preacher's solemn appeal seemed to go home to many hearts and some lingered at his invitation to seek help and to be led into the way of peace.
The evening congregations have been large and each service has been followed by an after-meeting for inquirers only, when the workers have had the joy of helping anxious hearts to lay hold of Christ and find in Him peace. On Wednesday evening, Mr Aitken made a solemn appeal to those who, while impressed and convicted in their own consciousness, were allowing pride and the fear of man to hinder them from decision, and in conclusion, called on those who were determined to give themselves to God to prove the reality of their will by joining him in one of the galleries. The Lord's power was indeed present to heal that night and some 50 or 60 anxious ones came forward, and on no former occasion throughout the mission did the workers find the heart so well prepared to receive the glad tidings of a finished salvation.
On Thursday night Mr Aitken's subject was “assurance”, and as he dwelt on the trustworthiness of Christ to keep that which was committed to him, many forgot all about their fears and their feelings and cast themselves in simple trust into the arms of Jesus, and the work of the after meeting seemed almost superfluous, so many had, as they themselves said, “found peace during the sermon.”
Having so fully and perseveringly set forth the fullness and freeness of the gospel, Mr Aitken addressed himself on Friday night to the point of human responsibility, preaching very strongly on the necessity for a personal surrender to God and called upon each person present to take up the words of the text and say, “I am the Lord's,” and once more in the gallery many sought and found as we believe that new life in Christ which shall never end. The Sunday morning service was full and the impression seemed deep.
The mission closed on Tuesday evening with a Thanksgiving service, followed by the Holy Communion. Several services for domestic servants have been held by Mr Stokes and many among them also have been led to the Saviour, and testify by their bright faces and their new-found joy. This mission closes Mr Aitken's work in London at present; he is about to take a much-needed holiday and we are sure that Christian friends will ask for rest and strength for him.
“The Christian,” July 4th, 1878.
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