A marvellous work is going on in Dumfries. During all the days of the week prayer-meetings have been held in the various dissenting churches; and after the close of the regular services in the Free Church, protracted meetings for inquiry have occurred, and several hundreds of persons, old and young, of both sexes, and of all ranks, have remained to be prayed for or conversed with.
In the Free Church last night, after the public congregation had been dismissed, an inquiry-meeting for females exclusively ensued. Nearly 200 were seated in the body of the church, and both the vestries were occupied. Ongoing in at half-past ten o'clock we heard a most impassioned prayer, proceeding from the upper vestry—the unseen petitioner, a lady, lifting up her voice, and sobbing as if broken-hearted, as she supplicated forgiveness. She was surrounded by ladies weeping like herself; and, on returning about an hour afterwards, their tears seemed to have been turned into joy, as they were singing
"Happy day! happy day!
When Jesus washed my sins away;
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day.
Happy day! happy day!
When Jesus washed my sins away."
The occupants of the pews included several old women, evidently of a humble rank, several mill-girls, a few dressmakers and domestic servants, and a considerable proportion of educated ladies—so that nearly all classes of our female population were represented among the professedly anxious inquirers thus gathered together. About eleven o'clock one startling case occurred, which for a while absorbed the attention of all present. A young woman, aged about two-and twenty, after kneeling down in great anguish with her kind adviser, in a few minutes started suddenly to her feet, and cried aloud in tones of ecstasy, "I am saved! I am saved! I feel that I am forgiven. Oh, what will my dear mother say when she knows that her daughter has become a child of Christ, and an heir of glory:" It is too soon, we think, for anyone to affirm that even a tithe of those who profess to have been awakened are truly changed in heart; but it is high time that those who are throwing contempt or ridicule on the Revival movement amongst us were inquiring fully into its merits, instead of looking at it superficially, or taking offence on account of some of its excrescences.
Dear Sir,—Tine Revival has lately contained frequent and deeply-interesting notices of the religious awakening in Dumfries, Annan, and Lockerbie, and the facts which have been stated leave no doubt that the Spirit of God has graciously visited these places, and that they have indeed become the scenes of his wonderful and saving power.
From the 'Revival' Newspaper Vol iv