About the middle of February, I had the privilege of being for a week with Mr Macadam of Chryston and seeing the marvellous work of grace in his congregation. My work there was in the evening, and thus I was able to get into Glasgow and be present at the mid-day meetings and the Bible readings under Messrs Moody and Sankey. My heart was stirred and gladdened. On coming home I gathered a few who have the gift of song, and they soon got up some of those hymns which have been so richly blessed. Soon after I gave an account to a crowded audience of what I had seen at Chryston and in Glasgow and had some hymns sung. Impressions were made that night on a few. All through the month of March we had, generally twice a week, meetings for prayer and hearing accounts of the Lord's doings in the land. These were largely attended and were productive of an ever-growing and deepening earnestness and concern. Hitherto we had had no after-meeting. We judged, however, that matters were just ripening for an open manifestation of the anxiety we knew to exist. So on the last day of March, we got Mr Macphail of Elgin to give an address. At its close about a dozen remained for conversation, some of whom professed to decide for the Lord. We were unable to have any more meetings that week, but a special service was held on the evening of Sabbath, the 5th April conducted by Mr Macphail, I taking his service in Elgin. On getting home, about half-past eight, I found him busy among twenty new cases. From that night we had meetings every evening for three weeks. On Monday, the 6th, upwards of fifty remained, and we had none to help us. We had reason to believe that several of these had closed with Jesus. So, as we were in a school with a classroom attached to it, we asked all those who thought they had given themselves to the Lord to retire into the classroom. After momentary hesitation about twenty rose and went into the room, and the door was shut, and we dealt with those who remained. We followed the same course at all the subsequent meetings and so suddenly had the shower of blessing descended, and with such power was God's Spirit working, that often the first notice we had of persons being awakened was the seeing them rise and follow those who professed faith in Christ. During the three weeks over which the meetings extended we had fruit, either in new cases of awakening or in some being brought to take Jesus at His word. On the last night, I requested all those who professed to have been saved during this movement to meet me next evening in the school. Upwards of sixty came, and many we knew of who could not be present; and since then we are hearing of new cases. I cannot specify the number who have been conversed with as anxious, but it is very great. Of those who profess to be resting on Jesus (and their number is considerable) I have the best hopes, founded on my experience of a similar gracious work in our midst twelve years ago. Our half-yearly communion followed so close upon the late time of blessing that we did not look for a large increase in our new communicants, yet we had twenty-two-most of them the fruit of the work in our midst. All through there was the absence of excitement, while there was deep earnestness. The bulk of those we met were young people from fifteen to twenty-five years of age. There has been, along with conversion work, a great quickening, and in many cases a great humbling of the Lord's people. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad."
JAMES MORRISON
"Times of Blessing," June 4th, 1874.
I do not know if he was pastor of the Church of Scotland or the Free Church.