William Boardman - Queen Street Hall (1875)
EDINBURGH Most of the meetings were held in the Waverley Hall. Prejudice now gave place to confidence, and fruits began to appear. Among the first fruits, and the last also, were conversions, although the main point was to have Christians learn how to abide in Christ, and be filled with the Spirit. The meetings grew daily, and great grace was upon them all.
Queen Street Hall, seating 2,500, was secured for the Sabbath, and filled to the full; and when the time came for the final meeting on Tuesday evening, the hall was filled an hour in advance, and the meeting commenced before the appointed time. This was a service for giving glory to God for what He had wrought during the week. Some hundreds rose to bear testimony, and many who had not before ventured wholly upon Christ, did so in these closing moments. The ladies' meetings, held in the afternoon, were also crowned with blessing. The Lord broke down prejudice in a very simple way—in pushing me by His Spirit at the commencement of the first meeting, to repeat Curiosity had brought many together, so that the hall was packed. Some had said that we were setters forth of strange doctrine, such as professing sinless perfection, etc. But alt this opposition was overruled. Why I felt impelled to repeat this prayer, I did not understand, for I had never opened a meeting in this way ; but it afterwards appeared that, among other charges brought against us, was that of never saying the Lord's Prayer, and the reason assigned was that we could not use that sentence, "Forgive us our trespasses." People said we thought ourselves free from sin, and could never ask to be forgiven anything. It was delightful, however, after the meeting, to see the loving-kindness with which these honest-minded Christians greeted me. Six, one after the other, asked who had been telling me that it was reported about us, that we could not say the Lord's Prayer. And when they heard that not a word had been said about it to either Mr Boardman or me, they felt it was surely the Lord Himself who had put it into my heart to begin the meeting in this way, and thus to remove prejudice, before commencing to tell out the story of Jesus, our glorious Deliverer. In this simple way were these dear people of God disarmed of their prejudice, and they were prepared to receive the truth and to listen to the simple experience of what it is to come into resurrection life in Christ Jesus.
From 'Life and Labours of William Boardman' by his wife.