Copthorne (1862)



When we arrived towards mid-day we obtained the Town-hall for a meeting there, and during the remainder of the day went from house to house dis­tributing tracts, and speaking with the people. In the evening we preached in the open air, and sung through the town, and had a very good meeting in the Town-hall, here there were about 500 people who appeared to be all deeply moved and stirred up in a remarkable way. As it was already late we retired to the hotel, asking the landlady to come with the servants to join in worship, but certain engagements hindered. We, however, left the door of our room open, and sang two hymns from Richard Weaver's Hymn Book (see Acts xvi. 25, "At midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them,") and afterwards spoke to the servants about their precious, immortal souls. God's word was not void in this hotel. On the following morning we had a believers' meeting at the Town-hall, where some who heard the word the night before were present. We were astonished at the results of the Lord's blessing on his own work at the pre­vious meeting; many were stirred up to devote themselves to labour diligently for the Lord in Welshpool, and the Lord's presence was among us in a very delightful way. Dr. Cranage had arranged to preach in the Quarry-walk, Shrewsbury, on the Sunday afternoon, and the Market-square in the evening. However, the Welshpool people were so earnest in their request that the word of the Lord might be preached to them again on the morrow that Mr Odom, who had been quickened wonderfully under Richard Weaver's preaching in Wellington, decided on remaining. I reminded him, when I saw his sorrow at our parting from him, of the constant presence of Jesus, and told him that I believed the Lord had souls for him in the hotel, and so it proved, for two servants were brought to the Lord in the house, and in a third the arrow of the Lord stuck so fast that until He who wounded makes whole there will pro­bably be no rest.

……Mr. Odom, who had remained at Welshpool, then told us that he had preached all day long on Sunday„ and that the Lord's arm was made bare so wondrously that the whole town seemed to leave been moved, and the results here seem to be quite as remarkable as at Copthorne. Many found the Lord, and the earnestness for the Word of Life was such that the people of Welshpool besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath (Acts xiii. 42). So we purpose to go there on that day and expect another blessing from our God. W. G.

From the 'Revival Newspaper', Volume VII, page 48.

During the afternoon preaching it was announced that Dr Cranage would preach the following morning at Copthorne House, at ten o'clock, in Mr Brocus' private chapel. To our joy it was quite full, the number present being about 120. Before we had sung the first hymn we noticed that the Lord's presence was there in a very unmistakable way, and after prayer, when Dr Cranage told an anecdote, I saw the tears standing in most eyes. I began to think that the Lord would give us at least 20 souls at that meeting, but He had other thoughts. Truly his ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts. A few words, pointing the sinners to Christ as God's provision for the guilty, in a clear unvarnished way, again proved the force of the unerring word, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me." On asking the people who belonged to Jesus to hold up their hands, nearly half did so; on asking those who were willing to have Christ, most of the remainder held up their hands. Dr Cranage, then explained the words of the Lord in Matt. viii., "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. Jesus said, I will be thou clean," and after speaking a few minutes, and asking again those who had not held up their hands to do so, the majority did so. I then spoke with difficulty, for the joy of the Lord had so filled us all that tears and joy unspeakable were our eloquence. I said the remaining sinners might think it a difficult matter for the Lord to save them, but that his mighty Spirit can melt the hardest hearts. We prayed again very earnestly, a woman prayed, such a prayer as I never heard in my life, and finally after the meeting, when Dr Cranage, at the door, spoke one by one to those going out, not one soul present but professed to have found the Lord the Saviour. "Glory be to God in the highest." There were two very drunken women among the number, and singular to relate, Wilding and his wife, at whose cottage we had called, were both present without our and amid tears of joy told us of the Saviour's triumphs in both their hearts. All praise to the Lamb!

From the 'Revival Newspaper', Volume VII, page 48.

Additional Information

Copthorne House and Park were destroyed to make way for the hospital. The house was very close to where marked.


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