Philadelphia, there was a little book published, Pentecost
in Philadelphia, describing the impact of the Great
Awakening of 1858 in that city.
The moderator of the Irish Presbyterian Church and
another minister crossed the Atlantic to bring fraternal
greetings to the American Presbyterians, and they were
deeply impressed with what they saw of the
Great Awakening in Pennsylvania.
They republished the little booklet in Ireland, and
people began praying for revival in Ireland.
Now, of course, Ireland is a Roman Catholic
country, but there's a strong minority of Protestants
in the north, and these people began praying
for revival.
Many sermons were preached on the subject, many
prayer meetings were started.
The first of the prayer meetings seemed to
be one begun in Kells near Ballymena by
a young man called James McQuilken.
He'd been reading the testimony of George Muller,
the great saint of faith, who ran the
orphanage at Bristol, and then he heard of
revival in America, so he said to himself,
well, if God answers prayer, why shouldn't we
expect such a work of God in Ireland
also?
He asked God to give him some other
young men to join with him in prayer,
and soon they met four of them in
a barn outside Kells near Ballymena.
Their names, if I remember right, were McQuilken,
Manili, Carlisle, and Wallace.
Now, this little prayer meeting of four young
men increased.
They were invited on the 14th of March,
1859, to speak in the First Presbyterian Church
in the town of Ahochill.
I don't expect everyone to be able to
pronounce that name, A-H-O-G-H
-I-L-L, Ahochill.
There was such a large crowd attending that
it was deemed prudent to dismiss the meeting
lest there be a fatal accident from the
falling in of the galleries, whereupon the layman
stood in the church portico and preached to
three thousand people in the streets.
Many began falling to their knees.
It was sleet at that time, rain and
snow, but people were moved by the powerful
preaching of the layman, fell to their knees
in the muddy street.
This was the first outbreak of mass conviction
in the United Kingdom at that time.
Now, just three miles away was the town
of Ballymena, and it had a population of
about six thousand, largely Presbyterian.
The Ballymena newspaper noticed the revival on the
26th of March and began chronicling the events.
A number of prepared young laymen devoted almost
all of their time to helping in the
revival, because most of the ministers were away
south in Dublin at annual meetings.
But in the month of May, 1859, the
Awakening made its first appearance in Belfast, a
busy city of 120,000.
One third of them were Roman Catholic.
But before the end of May, the Belfast
newspapers were giving half a column or a
column of news to the great revival that
began in that city.
The attendances went up to 25,000, 40
,000.
With something like unanimity, the ministers of Belfast
started a united prayer meeting in the music
hall with the mayor in the chair.
A week later, the bishop of Down Connor
and Drummoor took the chair, assisted by 146
ministers of all denominations, including the moderator of
the General Assembly and president of the Wesleyan
Methodist Conference, and so on.
Now the revival was underway in the north
of Ireland.
Out of a population of less than a
million, 100,000 people were converted.
One of the strange features of this revival,
as distinct from the American revival of 1858,
was many people were violently prostrated.
They collapsed.
At that time it was called being slain
in the spirit.
It was a little bit different than what
is talked about nowadays, because these were not
seekers, but often sinners that were prostrated.
The revival spread throughout the whole of Ireland.
Before the middle of summer, they were having
20,000 at prayer meetings in the botanic
gardens.
The October meetings of the May's race course
attracted only 500 people instead of 10,000.
A large distillery capable of turning out a
million gallons of whiskey annually was put up
for auction.
These were the reports that were confirmed by
the Evangelical Alliance meeting in Belfast at that
time.
This was supported by all denominations.
The great movement spread across to Scotland.
The population of Scotland at that time was
about 3 million.
Out of the 3 million, 300,000 were
converted.
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
noticed in its meetings in Edinburgh in May
1860, General Assembly taking into consideration the gratifying
evidence manifested in many countries and in various
districts of our own land of an increased
anxiety about salvation and deepening interest in religious
ordinances, followed in so many cases by the
fruits of holy living, desires to record its
gratitude to Almighty God.
The General Assembly of the Free Church of
Scotland passed a similar resolution, described it as
a mighty rushing wind throughout the country.
The same thing happened with the United Presbyterians.
These three branches of the dominant Presbyterians of
Scotland, who accounted for about 70% of
the population, all supported this great revival spreading
throughout Scotland in 1859.
The explanation?
Prayer, I would say.
Here's a sort of report.
The United Presbyterian Church reported that one in
every four of its 162,000 communicants were
attending private prayer meetings.
An average of 40,000 at prayer in
1,205 regular meetings, with 129 new prayer
meetings and 16,362 new attenders in 1859.
So one has to agree that the revival
began with prayer.
The revival came to Glasgow, the great Scottish
city, with the suddenness of a thunderstorm in
summer.
A column was devoted to a public meeting
held in the City Hall to describe what
was happening in Ireland not too far away.
And then suddenly, August the 19th, a public
meeting was held in Glasgow Green with 20
,000 people attending.
This revival spread through every part of Scotland.
Here's the sort of report we get of
the times of refreshing in Glasgow.
Every Sabbath evening service since the Bridegate Church
was opened, the crowds around the stone pulpit
have been increasing.
I should stop to explain that they built
a pulpit outside the church because people couldn't
get into the church.
And until last Sabbath evening, there could not
have been fewer than 7,000 hearers.
The voice of the preacher appeared to be
perfectly audible at the extremity.
At the close of the open-air service,
an invitation was given from the pope to
all who wish to come to decision in
the matter of religion to attend a prayer
meeting.
Within 10 minutes, the church was packed.
Upwards of 1,100 thus crowded in.
In other words, they did the preaching in
the open air outside the church and used
the church as an inquiry room.
This was happening in every part of Scotland,
spread up through the highlands and the islands.
The reverend W.T. Kerr of Deskworth said,
It's the most wondrous work of the Lord,
passing along this coast like a mighty wave,
having assumed a character identical with the work
in Ireland.
Now the revival continued year after year.
It was summed up many years afterwards, about
six years afterwards.
The wave of divine blessing came to us
apparently from Ireland four or five years ago.
It struck first the west coast of Scotland,
then spread over a great part of the
country.
It was a very blessed season, perhaps the
most extensive operation we've ever known among us.
Now this same revival broke out in Wales,
independent of the Irish revival.
At that time, Wales was largely Welsh-speaking.
I came across some reports of a man
called Humphrey Jones, who led revival in New
York state among the Welsh settlers.
He came back to spread the good news
to Wales.
He started to preach in a town called
Isbithy Iswith.
There the Presbyterian minister went to hear him,
but wasn't much impressed with anything that was
derived from America or from the Methodists.
But when he preached on, because thou art
lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will
spit you out of my mouth, David Morgan,
the Presbyterian, was deeply convicted and became the
great evangelist of Welsh revival.
Again about a hundred thousand people were converted
in Wales.
The revival affected every county in Wales.
It began among the Welsh-speaking people, but
it spread to the English-speaking and greatly
stirred Cardiff, which was the capital of Wales.
The revival continued in Wales year after year,
and people have summed it up for us
in their reports.
Now the same revival began in northern England,
broke out in Newcastle and Tyne.
The Reverend Robert Young, who was president of
the Methodist Conference, said the revival with which
this town is favoured is advancing with increased
power and glory.
In Brunswick Place Chapel we hold a united
prayer meeting from twelve to one, another meeting
for exhortation of prayer from three to five,
and a similar service from seven until ten.
Many seem filled with the Holy Ghost and
pray as the Spirit gives them utterance.
The revival spread throughout the whole of the
north.
Just south of Newcastle and Tyne is Gateshead,
and there a young Methodist minister caught fire
and became a fiery evangelist.
In fact, his church was called a converting
shop.
People were so scared to go there, they
didn't go unless they wanted to be converted.
They were sure of being converted that they
went.
The name of the young minister was William
Booth, and he and his wife Catherine became
evangelists in the next ten years until they
founded the Salvation Army.
Now the revival spread throughout the Midlands and
throughout the south.
There was a lady in Somersetshire who heard
of the revival in Ireland and wrote, Lord,
I hear of showers of blessing, thou art
scattering full and free, showers the thirsty land
refreshing, let some drop now fall on me,
let some drops now fall on me.
They had a great meeting in North London
in the Islington Hall.
The second week of January is devoted to
prayer throughout the whole country, and then revival
began spreading throughout London.
All the churches were filled.
At that time, they had great evening services
in St. Paul's Cathedral, led by the Bishop
of London, and great services in Westminster Abbey,
led by the Dean of Westminster.
But where did the poor people go?
The churches couldn't hold them.
They went to the theatres, all the famous
theatres, the Britannia, the Garrick, the Sadler's Wells,
and the Covent Garden theatres were filled each
evening, each Sunday evening, with crowds of people.
The aggregate attendance nightly was 20,000, and
I suppose one could say that an aggregate
of 865,000 attended one theatre alone, the
Victoria Theatre in Waterloo.
The revival spread throughout London.
Spurgeon built his tabernacle in London at that
time.
The Baptists added 20 percent to their sittings
in London.
The revival spread to other parts of southern
England and became, of course, the event of
the century at that particular time.
The difference was that in Britain there was
some opposition to the revival as compared to
the United States.
The Church of England had five distinct parties.
First of all, the old-fashioned high church
people.
Second, the Tractarians, representing an Anglo-Catholic revival.
Third, the broad church people, who weren't too
particular about doctrine.
And then the Semionite low church people, and
then the very strong Evangelicals.
The strong Evangelicals of the Church of England
supported the revival from the beginning.
The low church people generally supported it, but
not all of them.
The broad church people were not interested.
The high church people were opposed to it.
But the Baptists and the Methodists and other
denominations throughout England were in strong support of
that revival.
I've estimated the number of conversions in seven
years to exceed one million.
It's rather difficult to get statistics from a
state church which doesn't keep statistics of conversions,
but I estimate from all the figures that
the total number of people who were converted
in the revival in Britain passed one million
out of a population of about 27 million.
When I say that not all the Evangelicals
were in favor, I'm thinking of one case
in Bradford in Yorkshire.
The Anglicans and free churches got together and
decided to have united meetings on Sunday night
to try and win people to Christ.
But the Anglicans had to have permission from
their bishop so to do.
The bishop of Ripon by name Bickerstaff was
a low churchman, but he refused to give
permission to have mixed meetings.
He said he did not deny that the
free church ministers such as Baptists and Methodists
and Congregationalists were servants of Jesus Christ according
to their light.
But they were not priests of the true
church.
He forbade any mixing.
So the Anglicans and free church people got
together again wondering what they should do.
Then someone came up with an idea.
Why not have the first Sunday of the
month under Anglican auspices?
The Anglicans don't need permission to have an
Anglican service.
Then have the second service of the month
free church.
The free churches don't need the bishop's permission
to have a meeting.
And then the third Sunday would be Anglican
and the fourth Sunday would be free church
turnabout.
The result was on certain Sundays they had
the blessing of God and the benediction of
the bishop, but on other Sundays only the
blessing of God.
They managed all right.
Now this revival spread throughout Britain and continued
on in its effect in Europe.
I've read a book written by a German
scholar to say that the effect of that
revival when it spread to Germany was 30
years of revival.
The Scandinavian countries were affected also.
Then on the mission fields the revival was
very effective in India.
It stirred up the English-speaking people and
also some of the Christian people in the
south of India.
A great revival began in 1860 in the
southern extremity of India and spread throughout the
diocese of Tenoveli.
Old and young men, women and children were
suddenly seen crushed by the agony of a
deep conviction of sin.
And then just as suddenly seemed to believe
in the forgiveness of sins.
That was written by an Anglican chaplain to
his bishop.
I mentioned that in the revival in the
United States there were no signs and wonders
such as tongues and healing.
Neither could I find any in the 1859
movement in Great Britain.
But when the movement reached India there were
dreams and visions and trances and healings and
tongues and interpretations.
The whole thing.
It's just enough to keep anyone from forming
any kind of theory to explain the matter.
The revivals felt in other mission fields of
the world.
But perhaps I should explain that in certain
other parts of the world there's a great
impact of revival.
For example there was great movement in Australia.
Most Australians ask me the question why has
dear old Australia never seen a great revival?
Well they don't know the facts of their
own history.
When the news of the American revival came
to Australia some of the newspapers ridiculed it
and some warned against it.
But Christian people began prayer.
A conference of ministers meeting in mid 1857
resolved to pray for general revival and revival
for themselves.
Seeking a richer baptism of the Holy Spirit
and promising to pray for each other and
promote Saturday evening meetings for prayer.
Now the population of Australia at that time
is just about 1 million and the concentrations
of population were in Sydney and Melbourne.
Towns were very small and churches were very
small indeed.
But the revival began through prayer meetings.
Sydney editors reported a call for prayer.
They said it would be a happy day
for Sydney and New South Wales when a
similar influence visits us here.
The extraordinary revival began in Melbourne.
It began in the town of Brighton and
before long it spread to Melbourne itself.
Great meetings in the city theatres following the
London pattern.
The Theatre Royal in Melbourne was crowded out
Sunday by Sunday with 50,000 attending a
dozen services.
The congregations were very large and attentive and
yet regular worship service were not hurt in
any way.
The revival spread to South Australia.
The Reverend J.D. Whittaker, pastor in a
town called Coringa, announced 500 conversions in three
months in a most glorious revival of religion.
Never such one seen in this colony before.
Great revivals in the Victorian gold fields.
Revival services full of Holy Zealand fire.
Revival in Bendigo and Ballarat.
Revival in Geelong.
Revival spread to other parts, to Tasmania, especially
in the Tasmanian capital Hobart following a week
of prayer conducted by Spencer Williams.
There was a 50 percent increase in membership
among among the Tasmanian Methodists in a single
year.
Then a most remarkable thing happened.
William Taylor, who was known as California Taylor,
who had come out with the settlers at
the time of the gold rush, was busy
in the eastern states in the United States
during the 1858 revival.
And after some ministry in the states he
made his way to Australia and got there
in 1863.
He became the great harvester of the revival,
winning tens of thousands of people to Christ,
most of whom joined the Methodists but some
other denominations.
Those seven fruitful years in Australia showed an
increase among the Anglicans of 22 percent, Presbyterians
25 percent, Methodists 72 percent, Congregationalists 20 percent,
Baptists 40 percent, and Lutherans 55 percent, although
that was partly due to German immigration after
the Crimean war.
The revival spread to other parts of the
South Seas, but the same revival had a
great effect in South Africa.
Now the South Africans heard of the revival
from American missionaries coming back from Boston and
other parts to their field in South Africa,
but they were not too much impressed with
news from America.
They said to themselves, anything can happen over
there.
But when missionaries began to arrive from Scotland,
telling of the Church of Scotland being in
revival, they were deeply impressed.
And they started prayer meetings for revival in
South Africa.
At Easter time 1860 in a town called
Worcester, about 100 miles upcountry from Cape Town,
there was a meeting of ministers, 137 gathered
from all over the country, chiefly Dutch-speaking,
but also some English-speaking.
They heard the reports of the missionaries from
United States and United Kingdom, and they redoubled
their prayer for revival in South Africa.
Seven weeks and one day later, at Kwitsontijd,
on Kwitsunday, the celebration of Pentecost, the young
Dutch Reformed people were having their youth meeting
in the prayer hall near the Dutch Reformed
Church at Worcester.
A black girl, she was a Fingo, speaking
the Xhosa language, got up to her feet
and asked if she might give her testimony.
The young man in charge, by name Jan
Christian de Vries, gave her permission.
She gave such a sweet testimony, there was
a hush of the sense of the presence
of God.
Then de Vries heard what he thought was
an approaching tornado, and the whole prayer hall
shook, he thought.
And then all the young people were on
their feet praying simultaneously, audibly.
Now Dutch Reformed people are not used to
this.
They are very sober people.
You could describe Dutch Reformed people as Presbyterians
with a little extra starch.
They were completely overwhelmed by this.
An elder was walking by, his name was
Jan Rabi, heard the commotion, went in to
see what was happening and didn't like what
he saw, rushed up to tell the minister.
The minister came down right away and came
in and said to de Vries, what is
happening?
He said something about the presence of God.
The minister said, I hold you responsible.
He spoke up and he said, Mensa, blaze
still, everybody be quiet.
Nobody took any notice.
He said, I am your minister sent by
God, will you be quiet?
They didn't even see him.
He went back to de Vries, he said,
start a hymn.
The two men started to sing in Dutch,
but nobody joined them, and the minister stomped
out.
He said, God's a God of order, this
is nothing but confusion.
By the way, that was Andrew Murray.
I didn't know Andrew Murray personally, but I
knew his grandsons.
I knew his biographer, and Opa Douglas told
me that when Andrew Murray was a mellow
old saint, three times moderator of the Dutch
Reformed Church, famous in the United States and
United Kingdom, famous as author of many books,
his friends used to tease him by saying,
tell us, Dr. Murray, how you tried to
stop the revival.
On Saturday night, he called a meeting in
the schoolroom.
More than a thousand people packed the place
out.
There were hundreds standing outside.
He read the scripture, gave a short commentary,
then he said, the meeting is now open
for prayer.
Again he heard the sound of an approaching
tornado, and then all thousand people on their
feet praying simultaneously, audibly.
A stranger outside forced his way in and
touched Andrew Murray on the shoulder.
He said, in English, are you the minister
of this congregation?
He replied that he was.
He said, be careful what you do, this
is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
And that was the beginning of the greatest
revival South Africa ever knew.
Fifty young men out of that one parish
entered the ministry, went to study at Stellenbosch,
and the revival continued throughout the years.
Here's what van der Lingen, who was a
scholar, pastor at Parle, said about enjoying the
glory of the church in the first century.
After five years, the attendance has never been
so good as in the year that has
just passed.
On many occasions, not only were all the
seats and benches fully occupied, but people sat
in the aisles and on the steps.
Often many people were turned away because they
could not get a place.
William Taylor, from Australia, came on to South
Africa and began preaching to English-speaking people,
saw a most remarkable revival among the English
-speaking whites.
But the greatest work he did was among
the black people of South Africa, the Xhosa
speaking and the Zulu speaking.
He was a great preacher.
He had a very wonderful interpreter, a Xhosa
chief called Charles Pamela.
He began preaching with this chief interpreting, and
they began having extraordinary meetings, sometimes as many
as 800 converted in a single meeting.
How did they sum it up?
The Methodists in London said, after the lapse
of more than half a century since Wesleyan
missions were commenced in South Africa, a great
and favorable change has taken place in the
native work.
There has been a glorious revival of religion
in South Africa in the European and native
populations.
It's impossible in the space allotted to tell
what happened throughout the world in that revival,
but one could sum it up by saying,
wherever there was an evangelical cause, there was
revival.
And wherever missionaries were preaching the gospel, the
old-time gospel, there were phenomenal results.
This was the 1859 revival throughout the Eastern
Hemisphere, just as the 1858 revival spread throughout
the West.