Sabbath last was an evening, of very great power. The meeting was, as usual, in the Music Hall, which was crowded in every part. Principal Lumsden offered the opening prayer.
The numbers who remained to the anxious meeting, desiring to be conversed with, far exceeded the staff of workers and many went away without being spoken to. During the week, services have been conducted every evening in the High Church
and St. Clements Free Church and many have professed, while believers have been brought to greater light and liberty.
I may mention two cases which illustrate how the work has spread.
A girl in one of our manufactories, noted as being among the most giddy and thoughtless at the work was observed by one of the overseers to have become very quiet and staid; and thinking she was not well, he asked what was the matter, when
she replied, "I have been at the meetings, and got converted;" and then at once becoming the questioner, said, "Are you converted?"
The words went home as a nail fixed in a sure place. Though a church member and well-reputed man, he became deeply concerned, went to his minister, told his case, and found Christ.
On Sunday night a mother brought into the anxious meeting two daughters and a son under conviction, the daughters in
great distress. After one of the workers had spoken to the son and one of the daughters, he went up to the mother to speak to her about them and found that she was not satisfied as to her own state. She said she was trusting in Christ, but did not feel at rest. He asked, have you believed God's record of his Son?" and she could give no answer. Such passages as, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins;" and "This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son," were pointed out, and carefully read over. "What more could you have?" asked the worker. "Nothing," was the reply. "Will you, then, believe the record? Is God worthy to be trusted? You say you have accepted Christ, then with Christ God has given to you eternal life and remission of sins, and there is God's assurance that it is so," said the worker. "I see it, I see light," slowly replied the mother, "I never saw it so." "Can you now go home and tell your praying husband that God has freely pardoned all your sins?" "Yes," was the quiet, happy answer; and we saw her and her two saved daughters at the meeting the night before last, praising the Lord with bright faces, and holding on by faith to those exceeding great and precious promises by which we are enabled to become partakers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. She had been known by her minister for a long time as a Christian woman; but how many are there like her, who are practically making God a liar, because they have not believed the record He has given of his Son, living joyless and undemonstrative lives, inoperative and unaggressive on the world around, lifting up no testimony, and therefore unhonoured in saving a single soul.
"The Christian", April 9th, 1874.
My dear Sir,-As you have been kind enough to enter in THE CHRISTIAN my former letters, I send you this one at the close of the work of the Scottish Evangelistic Association's Agent. It is evident that we have gathered but the first fruits and that the tide of blessing is not at the flood in this city, still these first fruits are very precious. The converts' meeting which was held on Friday evening last was indeed a goodly sight, at least four hundred were there of those who had either got the blessing and found Christ at this time, or being believers before had been brought into liberty. They were chiefly young people from twelve and fourteen to eighteen and twenty-two years of age and were but a portion of those over the town who have come under the power of divine truth at this time. It is estimated that the numbers cannot fall short of six hundred, including those at Footdee and Torry. On all sides, you hear mention of blessing.
In one household alone, I know of all the servants, five in number, who have professed to have received Christ and undergone a saving change; and in the same family several of the Children. And so in a greater or less degree in all quarters of the town.
Henry Varley comes here for Sabbath to give an address in the Music Hall, and hold meetings during the next week;
we pray that he may reap many souls.
As we asked the Lord's people to pray for Aberdeen, we now would ask them to give thanks and praise for the answer
to these prayers that has been granted.-Yours most truly in the hope of the gospel,
JOHN ROSS.
'The Christian" April 23rd, 1874.
Though we have just now no special agents here, the work of the Lord progresses. Special services are being held in some of the churches every evening, and the Music Hall is open every Sabbath evening. Last Sabbath the principal address was given by the Rev. H. W. Bell and a short one by Mr James Garden. The numbers present were considerably less, but the interest and eagerness to hear quite as great, and the number of inquirers as large as on former evenings. There was much power with the word.
Next to Drumblade, the greatest work I have seen has been at Cornhill, in Banffshire, where one night at least two hundred remained for conversation in the Free Church. Some of them had come about eight miles to the meeting, and this after a good day's work. There must be deep concern before men would come that distance. We had to speak with the anxious in parties of twelve and fifteen, and even then could not overtake all.
Besides places already mentioned in former letters, there has been blessing at Culsamond, One, Leslie, Forgue, New
Deer, Peterhead, and doubtless elsewhere in the county; while at Logie Pert, in Kincardineshire, there has been a great and
blessed work.
We had a time of much quickening to believers with the visits of Henry Varley, who came most opportunely after the work of awakening and conversion at the time of the visit of Messrs Daniels, Stewart, and others.
There is a deep and warm feeling of expectancy for the visit of Messrs Moody and Sankey, that is, we trust, a sign of
much blessing coming with them.
JOHN ROSS
"The Christian," May 28th, 1874.
There never has been such a day in Aberdeen as to spiritual blessings and awakening leading to inquiry as we had on Sabbath. There was a crowded meeting at the Music Hall at nine a,m., then the regular service in the Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, at eleven, to begin the day. Mr Moody and Mr Sankey were both at the former, Mr Moody lecturing on Daniel.
The Cathedral, which is the parish church of Old Machar, is a very fine old building, with outside galleries, and capable of holding over 1,500. There must have been nearly 2,000 present, for every part where standing room could be obtained was fully occupied. Mr Stephens, one of the ministers of the church, opened the service, and Mr Moody after a most powerful and deeply moving sermon on, "The ark and Noah sheltered in it", concluded the service shortly before one. Numbers were greatly moved, some quite broken down.
The next service was at six, on the Links. The weather was all that could be desired and the audience, of whom the greater part was men, listened with rapt attention. Mr Moody, though he was suffering from cold, was well heard by some eight or ten thousand.
There was then a meeting for females in the Church at half-past seven, and one for males in the South Church, at nine; in both cases for those only who professed to have been converted at this time, or wished to be saved; while simultaneously a meeting was held by Messrs Sankey and Daniels in the Music Hall and one at nine, for men only, in Free Trinity Church,
The results of these meetings alone I have space to give. From these various meetings the numbers of those that went into inquiry rooms that evening were not less than 300. Among the men there were numerous most interesting and pronounced cases.
Though the last it certainly was the best day. One force of workers was far outnumbered by those requiring aid, at least at some of the meetings. This, however, may have arisen to some extent from unequal distribution.
With such results from two weeks' work, it were impossible to calculate what would have been, had our esteemed brethren remained another week, which was strongly urged on them. This I know, that many had only just got over their objections to and prejudices against these evangelists, and were prepared to come and hear them when they left us.
"The Christian," July 16th, 1874
From the lips of many we now hear of the "wave of blessing" that is passing over our favoured land. Hearing, we admire and wonder at the marvellous works of the Lord. We own His great name; we say, "He doeth all things well." But are we to be content to stand at a distance, while many are seeing " face to face' the beauty of the King'? Are we willing only to hear the echoes of the cry of captives freed by hundreds, nay, by thousands, from the long, sad bondage of a crippled life, and admitted into a "glorious liberty," - the liberty of the children of God? To hear is not always to receive. The WAVE is rolling over our land; shall we not leave our weary feet in its refreshing waters? shall we not watch its mighty course, and stand in the midst of the showers of blessing?
In the last few weeks there has been a quiet but mighty stream flowing through the North of Scotland. Aberdeen has been wonderfully visited. On Monday last, notice was given that Mr Moody would hold farewell meetings. The weather was unfavourable, but the heavy continuous rain did not prevent the assembling of crowds at the appointed hours. At 12 A.M. and at 3 P.M. prayer meetings were held, to request special blessings on this great day; and at 7 P.M. a large number of converts were present at Mr Sloan's church, where Mr Moody was expected to give his farewell address. As seats had to be engaged sometime before the given hour, many were seated in quiet expectation of the looked-for blessing as early as six o'clock, the intervening moments being spent in singing some of the sweet hymns now so well known. The address given was on the subject of Confession. Mr Moody spoke very strongly of the importance of a bold and clear testimony, quoting many passages of Scripture as grounds for his exhortation to those now beginning the new life, and ending with a graphic description of the blind man's story, so touchingly given in John ix., tracing throughout the chapter the increase of testimony, from his first trembling words, "I am he," to the end of the 27th verse, "Will ye also be His disciples?" "Now," said the speaker, "he has begun to preach and with that testimony has come the cross - "they cast him out;" but cast him where? Into the Saviour's arms! "Jesus found him, and said unto him..." Mr Moody mingled his remarks with earnest appeals to those present not to relax their principles, nor allow the world's deceitfulness to induce them for a single moment to quit their sacred position of witnesses for Christ, saying he had known many young converts who had suffered much from doubts and fears, while, on inquiry into the separate cases, he had invariably discovered as the cause a lack of testimony. The meeting was closed with prayer and singing.
Meeting in Music Hall.
A rush now ensued through the heavy rain that was falling for the Music Hall, where a meeting was to be held at eight o'clock. About 3,000 persons were already seated when Mr Moody stood on the platform and gave out the hymns. "I hear thy welcome voice." Prayer was offered and Mr Moody at once proceeded to address the audience on the necessity of a new birth.
"Times of Blessing," Aug 20th, 1874.