I write, according to my promise, to tell you something of what the Lord has been doing here lately, and I should've done so before but that the fear of coming to a too hasty a conclusion or even unwittingly overstating things has deterred me.
About three months back the Lord put it into the hearts of some of his people here to make a special effort for bringing the gospel to those who seldom heard it and the way was plainly opened, by the manager of a large theatre in a poor and densely populated neighbourhood, kindly offering us the use of it free of charge.
Services were accordingly commenced in the city, and have been continued every Sunday since, the audience numbering usually over 2000 and sometimes nearly 3000. The quietness and the eager attention as such as I have scarcely ever witnessed, even in the London theatres.
I hesitate to speak too certainly as to results, but I am convinced that the great day will manifest that the Lord has been graciously working here. Many instances come to our knowledge continually and not a few have fallen under my own personal observation, of precious souls being washed in the all cleansing blood. It was only last night that a poor mother came to tell me that her only daughter had been brought to the Lord through the services and a few weeks after met a sudden death at the fearful explosion which occurred here not long since. I could mention many deeply interesting cases of conversion if space allowed.
The services in the theatre have not been the only means which the Lord has used in winning souls to Christ; open air and other smaller meetings have not been without a blessing; moreover, I am deeply and thankfully conscious that the Lord's work is far from being confined to what we see openly; no, I am sure, this is but a small part of it and I know that many of his hidden ones are faithfully and patiently, here as elsewhere, obeying his command to "occupy till he shall come." Will your readers seek to remember Birmingham, and it's thousands before the Lord? There are multitude yet wholly unreached.
From, 'The Revival', Volume vii, 14th August 1862.
I do not know which theatre.