Welcome to From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons.
Each week we bring you a different message
from some of history's greatest speakers of the
Christian faith and powerful sermons from modern preachers
too.
This week we have Duncan Campbell with his
message, When God Stepped Down from Heaven.
Now before I begin the story I would
like to say one thing and that is
that I did not bring Revival to Louis.
It has grieved my heart again and again
to read articles about the man that brought
Revival to Louis.
Notices on church boards, come and hear the
man that brought Revival to Louis.
My dear people, it's not true.
I don't carry Revival about with me in
my pocket.
Revival broke out in Louis sometime before I
went to the island.
I thank God for the privilege of being
in its midst for over three years.
I went at the invitation of one parish
minister for 10 days but God kept me
there for three years.
Now I'm thankful to God for the privilege
of perhaps in some small way leading that
movement and teaching the young converts in the
deep things of God.
Now having said that I want to read
you a few lines from this little book,
The Louis Awakening.
It will give you an idea of the
desperate state of this island prior to this
gracious movement.
The presbytery of Louis met to consider the
terrible drift away from the ordinances of the
church.
Especially the drift away from the church by
the young people of the island.
Now here are words from a declaration that
was read in all the congregations.
The presbytery affectionately plead with their people especially
with the youth of the church to take
these matters to heart and to make serious
inquiry as to what must be the end
should there be no repentance.
My dear people take that to heart.
Should there be no repentance and they call
upon every individual as before God to examine
his or her life in the light of
that responsibility which pertains to us all.
That happily in the divine mercy we may
be visited with the spirit of repentance and
may turn again unto the Lord whom we
have so grieved with our iniquities and waverness.
Especially would they warn their young people of
the devil's man traps the cinema and the
public house.
That was a declaration by the presbytery read
in on all the congregations and published in
the local press.
Now you might ask me what do you
mean by revival?
There are a great many views held by
people today as to what revival is.
So you hear men say are you going
out to the revival meetings?
We're having a revival crusade and so on.
There is a world of difference between a
crusade or a special effort in the field
of evangelism.
My dear people that is not revival.
As I already said from this platform I
thank God for every soul brought to Christ
through our special efforts.
This season of blessing at our conferences and
at our conventions we praise God for such
movements.
But is it not true that such movements
do not as a general rule touch the
community?
The community remains more or less the same
and the masses go past us to hell.
In revival the community suddenly becomes conscious of
the movings of God beginning among his own
people.
So that in a matter of hours not
days in a matter of hours churches become
crowded.
No intimation of any special meeting but something
happening that moves men and women to the
house of God.
And you'll find within hours scores of men
and women crying to God for mercy before
them at near a church.
You've read the history of revivals.
The Jonathan Edward revival in America that was
what happened.
The Welsh revival that is what happened.
And the more recent Lewis revival that is
what happened.
When God stepped down men and women all
over the parish were gripped by the fear
of God.
This to me is an interesting story and
I want to tell it in full.
Eighty-four years of age and blind.
Ask me to explain this vision because I
cannot.
But strange things happen when God begins to
move.
And this dear old lady in the vision
saw the church of our fathers crowded with
young people young people and she saw a
strange minister in the pulpit.
Impressed by this revelation because a revelation it
was she sent for the minister.
The parish minister was a God-fearing man.
A man not long to see God working.
Oh he had tried ever so many things
to get the youth of the parish interested
but not one single teenager attended the church.
It was a situation.
Well what of this dear old lady to
say for Mr.
Mackay that you're longing to see God working.
His bearers together and suggest to them that
you spend two nights a week waiting upon
God in prayer.
You've tried missions.
You've tried special evangelists.
Mr. Mackay have you tried God?
Wonderful old woman.
Oh he meet to your aid and said
yes I'll call the session together and I
will suggest that we meet on Tuesday night
and Friday night and we'll spend the whole
night in prayer.
I told you dear people here were men
that meant business.
The dear old lady said well if you
do that my sister and I will get
on our knees at 10 o'clock on
Tuesday 10 o'clock on Friday and we'll
wait on our knees till four o'clock
in the morning.
I tell you this puts us to shame.
So they went to prayer and I want
to mention that they had but one promise
from God and that promise they pledged.
I will pour water on him that his
thirsty floods upon the dry ground.
That's God's promise and in their prayers according
to the minister they would say again and
again God you're a covenant keeping God and
you must be true to your covenant engagements.
The praying and the meetings continued for several
months until one night a very remarkable thing
happened.
They're kneeling among straw in the barn the
barn of a farmhouse when suddenly one young
man rose and read part of psalm 24.
Then the hill of God who shall stand
in his holy place he that hath clean
hands and a pure heart to have not
lifted up his soul to vanity nor sworn
deceitfully he shall receive the blessing of the
Lord and he studied his Bible and then
looking down at the minister and at the
other men who were kneeling there he said
these rather crude words not so crude in
Gaelic but this is what he said.
Brethren it seems to me just so much
humbug to be praying as we are praying
to be waiting as we are waiting if
we ourselves are not rightly related to God.
Oh my dear brethren let's take that to
heart.
He began to pray God are my hand
and that dear man no father.
He fell and then on his face among
the straw in a matter of minutes three
of the elders fell into a trance.
Now please don't come to me at the
end of this meeting and ask me what
did I really mean by men falling into
a trance.
I cannot answer that question.
I know is this that when that happened
in the barn now it happened in the
Jonathan Edward revival remember that not peculiar by
any means to Lewis it happened in America
it happened in the 59 revival in Wales
not the 1900 revival but the 59 revival
but this I can see the moment that
that happened in the barn a power was
let loose in Barbers that shook the whole
of Lewis I say shook Lewis.
The spirit began to move among the people
and the minister writing about what happened in
the following morning said this you met God
on Meadow and Moorland.
You met him in the homes of the
people.
God seemed to be everywhere.
What was that revival revival not an evangelist
not a special effort not anything at all
organized on the basis of human endeavor but
an awareness of God that gripped the whole
community so much so that work strong what
was happening that people were meeting in groups
young men would gather in a field and
begin to talk about this strange consciousness of
God that had gripped the community.
In a matter of days I received a
letter inviting me to the island.
I was at that time in the midst
of a very gracious moment on the island
of Skye.
It wasn't revival but men and women were
coming to Christ and God was glorified in
the number of prominent men who found the
Savior at that time but it wasn't revival.
I imagine that in Canada or in America
they would refer to it as a big
revival but it was definitely a move of
God.
So I received this invitation to come to
Lewis for 10 days and I wrote back
to say that it wasn't possible for me
to do that because I was involved in
a holiday convention on this island and the
speakers were arranged and accommodation in the different
hotels for the people that were coming from
all over Britain.
I cannot take time to tell you how
that convention had to be canceled largely because
the tourist board took the hotels over my
head for a special Skye week that they
were going to have so I had to
cancel everything.
However the minister received the letter and he
went to the old lady with him and
read the letter to her and this is
what she said, Mr. Mackay that is what
man is saying but God has said something
else and he'll be here within a fortnight
and I told you the convention wasn't canceled
then but she knew.
Oh my dear people listen the secret of
the Lord is with them that fear him
and she knew God's secret.
When I was on the island within 10
days I just spent 10 days among the
people.
I was met at the pier by the
minister and two of his of his bearers.
Just as I stepped off the boat an
old elder came over to me and faced
me with this question, Mr. Campbell may I
ask you this question, are you walking with
God?
Oh here were men who meant business.
Men were afraid that a strange hand would
touch the ark.
Are you walking with God?
Well I was glad to be able to
say well I think I can say this
that I fear God.
The dear man looked at me and said
well if you fear God that will do
and then the minister turned and said we're
sure Mr. Campbell that you're tired and you
must be longing for your supper and supper
will be ready for you in the manse
but I wonder if you would address a
meeting in the parish church just on the
way to the manse to to show yourself
to the people.
There'll be a fair congregation I'm not seeing
a great number but oh anything between two
and three hundred I expect.
You see there's a movement among us well
it will interest you dear people to know
that I never got that supper because I
didn't arrive at the manse until 20 minutes
past five in the morning.
I went to the church now this is
the interesting bit because it deals with the
outbreak of God in supernatural power the God
of miracle revealing himself in revival.
I preached in the church to a congregation
of about 300 and I would say a
good meeting a wonderful sense of God something
that I hadn't known since the 1921 movement
in Middergyle but nothing really happened and I
pronounced the benediction and I'm walking down the
aisle when this young man came to me
and said nothing has broken out tonight but
God is hovering over us he's hovering over
us and he'll break through any moment well
I must be perfectly honest I didn't feel
anything but you see he was a man
much nearer to God than I was oh
he knew the secrets we're moving down the
aisle and the congregation is moving out they're
all out now except this man and myself
he lifted his two hands and started to
pray God you made a promise to pour
water on the thrusty and lands upon the
dry ground and you're not doing it and
he prayed prayed and prayed again until he
fell again onto the floor in a trance
he's lying there I'm standing beside him for
about five minutes and then the door of
the church opened and the session clerk came
in Mr. Campbell something wonderful has happened revival
has broken out will you come to the
door and see the crowd that's here 11
o'clock Matthew 11 o'clock and I
went to the door and there must have
been a congregation of between six and seven
hundred people gathered around the church this dear
man stood at the door and suggested that
we might sing a psalm we give out
psalm 102 when Sion's bondage God turned back
us men that dreamed were we then filled
with laughter was our mouth our tongue with
melody and they sang and they sang and
they sang and in the midst of it
I could hear the cry of the penitent
I could hear men cry into God for
mercy and I turned to the elder and
said I think we had better open the
doors again and let them in and within
a matter of minutes the church was crowded
at a quarter to 12.
Now where did the people come from how
did they know that a meeting was in
progress in the church well I cannot tell
you but I know this that from village
and hamlet the people came were you to
ask some of them today what was it
that moved you they couldn't tell you only
that they were known by a power that
they could not explain and the power was
such as to give them to understand and
see that they were healthy serving sinners and
of course the only place they could think
of where they might find help was at
the church and here they were between six
and seven hundred there was a dance in
progress that night in the parish and while
this young man was praying in the aisle
the power of God moved into back dance
and the young people over a hundred of
them fled from the dance as though fleeing
from a plague and they made for the
church and I endeavored to get up into
the pulpit I found the way blocked with
young people who had been at the dance
when I went into the pulpit I found
a young woman a graduate of Aberdeen university
who was at the dance and she's lying
on the floor of the pulpit crying is
there mercy for me is there mercy for
me is there mercy for me God was
at work and Peggy's vision now actual and
real a church crowded with young people as
well as old well that meeting continued until
four o'clock in the morning as I
was leading the church a young man came
to me oh he's not a christian but
he's a God-fearing young man and told
me this story Mr. Campbell there must be
anything between two and three hundred people at
the police station they're gathered there and some
are on their knees now I can't understand
this now he wasn't in the church you
see but here a crowd of men and
women from a neighboring village five and six
miles away were so moved by God that
they found themselves moving to the police station
because the constable there was a God-fearing
and well-saved man and just next to
the door Peggy's caught it they were there
and this young man begged of me to
go along to the police station and I
went along and I shall never never forget
what my ears heard and my eyes saw
that morning young men were kneeling by the
roadside I think just now with a group
of half a dozen one of them under
the entrance of drink and his old mother
kneeling beside him and saying oh Willie Willie
are you coming at last Willie Willie are
you coming at last and Willie today is
the parish minister of Oogie from the group
of young men who sought the Lord that
night there are nine in the ministry today
God moved my dear people that's revival that's
God at work and I'm excited to see
him passing that is the crying need of
the Christian church in Canada today but not
this effort and not effort on the basis
of human endeavor but a manifestation of God
that moves sinners to cry for mercy before
they go near a place of worship my
dear people that was how it began then
that was how it began and then it
left over the bounds of the parish at
the neighboring parishes we are now addressing meetings
through the day we're addressing meetings right through
the night I can remember once within 24
hours addressing eight meetings crowded churches five times
twice out in a field once down at
the shore where men had come across a
lot there old men and they were so
moved that night so many of them found
a savior that we followed them to the
shore and there we sang the songs of
Zion at two o'clock in the morning
before they left for their homes oh my
dear people that's God at work that's God
at work that's revival I remember one night
a man coming to me and saying would
it be possible for you to visit our
parish well I said it all depends on
when I could visit the parish I think
it would be possible for me to go
if you could have me between one at
two o'clock in the morning so it
was decided that I should go at one
o'clock half past one I arrived there
to find a large church one of the
large churches in Lewis crowded to capacity with
us many outside and I spoke there for
an hour and then left the church with
hundreds crying to God I say hundreds crying
to God for mercy I left the church
and another young man came to me and
said Mr. Campbell there must be between three
and five hundred people on a field down
here and they're wondering the elders there are
wondering if you could come down and address
them and I went down and I found
this crowd oh it was easy to address
them because the Spirit of God was hovering
over us the Spirit of God moving and
I see a man lying on the ground
oh he's in distress of soul in terrible
distress then four young girls I would say
about 16 years of age they came over
and they knelt beside him and I hear
one of them saying listen the Jesus that
saved us last night can save you now
and that man was saved as the four
young lassies prayed around him my dear people
that's revival but I think I ought to
tell you a rather amusing incident we weren't
uh in favor with all there was a
certain section of the Christian church that bitterly
opposed me oh I was a mad Armenian
and I was teaching strange doctrine when I
was proclaiming that the baptism of the Holy
Ghost was a definite subsequent experience to conversion
now my dear people I believe that may
cross your path but there it is I
want to say this in passing that I
believe it was because the people of Lewis
grasped that truth that we can say today
we know practically nothing of backsliding from that
gracious movement of years ago it is because
they entered into the fullness because of that
a stream of men and women going out
into full-time service well we're singing at
this meeting when I saw the door of
a cottage opening and I saw an old
woman coming out with a black shawl on
her and she walked over and she got
a hold of one of the elders a
tall man a strong man a heavy man
and she said to him I wish you
people would go home and let people sleep
I can still see that dear man going
over to her and taking her by the
shoulders and shaking her and saying woman get
away home you've been asleep loud enough but
from that meeting I went back back to
Barber and when we arrived at the manse
the minister was with me we found an
elder waiting us to say that a farmer
was in great distress of soul now this
man hadn't been near a church for 12
years he just lived for his cattle and
horses he lived for the earth but he
had a godly wife and a godly daughter
and they were concerned about him he invited
me prior to this incident to the farm
and I spoke to the old man and
he said oh well I may turn up
at the church sometime a day or two
after that he was seen walking down the
road to the church and one of the
elders said that he thought the suit he
had on was the suit that he married
it wasn't certainly a mother-in-law he
went to the church at any and the
church was so crowded that he had to
sit on the pulpit steps just quite near
to me and God spoke to him oh
he was in a fearful state crying and
repeating God hell is too good for me
hell is too good for me oh but
we could see conviction there is one thing
that I've been crying for after this conference
that conviction of sin that'll get men and
women prostrate in the presence of God oh
give it to us give it to us
but that night after being at this field
meeting I along with the elder and the
minister went to the farm we found every
room in the farmhouse was people praying oh
they were praying for the farmer they were
afraid that he would go mental so I
said to the wife where is Donald oh
he's down in the room there he's in
a terrible state oh that God may have
mercy on the mighty sinner oh she was
speaking truth may God have mercy on the
mighty sinner so we went down the passage
and she gently opened the door and there's
a farmer on his knees and again he
kept repeating God can you have mercy on
me can you have mercy on me I
seem to feel that hell is too good
for me and there he is we're standing
at the door he's quite unconscious of us
being there and then the wife spoke now
you needn't laugh at this I'm just stating
a fact the wife spoke and this is
what she said there's the mightiest sinner and
may he take his tummy full of it
oh that wasn't the word she used may
he take his tummy full of it what
does she mean oh she was crying to
God that God would so shake him out
and thin that his experience of God would
be real let him stew in his conviction
in the words of Mary Morris let them
stew in their conviction leave them there oh
how often I heard her say that during
the U.S. revival leave them there that
God deal with them know that I sometimes
feel dear people that we take things out
of the hand of God by your counsel
oh that we might get to the place
where with implicit confidence in God we leave
the work to him the following night he
asked for a meeting in the house in
the morning God met with him in a
glorious deliverance and he asked for a prayer
meeting do you know that out of that
prayer meeting there are four ministers in the
church today Donald McLeod's prayer meeting well now
I could go on talking to you about
incidents and how it began but I think
I ought to mention one of one or
two of the supreme features of the movement
first of all of course it was the
awareness of God that to me was the
outstanding thing this sense of God the fear
of God in the parish and in the
neighboring parishes you could speak to any person
and you would find them thinking about God
and crying for mercy now that is a
fact that cannot be disputed God was everywhere
and because of this awareness of God the
churches were crowded crowded through the day right
on through the night to five and six
o'clock in the morning in revival time
does not exist you see the presence of
God puts to flight progress and how often
I've cried to God to so move in
our midst that the program will go on
the present take the place well that was
not happen but perhaps one of the main
and outstanding features was this deep deep conviction
of saving now I can't explain this you
would have to be there to see but
here are two incidents that dear old lady
came to me one day and she said
I feel led to ask you to go
to this particular part of this parish there
are mighty sinners there that need salvation well
I said to her you know I have
no leadings to go there there are men
there that are bitterly opposing me and I
don't suppose I could get any place to
hold a meeting and she looked at me
and said this Mr. Campbell if you were
living as near to God as you ought
to be he would reveal his secrets to
you also and I took that as a
rebuke and I went back to the manse
and I said to the minister I think
we ought to spend the morning with old
Peggy and wait upon God with her in
the room so she agreed and she and
her sister knelt with her in their little
room and that dear woman began to pray
and I can give you her prayer Lord
you remember the conversation we had this morning
at two o'clock and you told me
you were going to visit this part of
the parish with revival and I've just spoken
to Mr. Campbell about it but he's not
prepared to think of it you better give
him wisdom because the man badly needs it
well that was what the dear woman said
and when we rose from our knees I
said to her well Peggy now where do
you wish me to go and where is
the meeting to be held oh you go
and God will provide the congregation and the
meeting place well Peggy I'll go oh you
better you better and I went on the
following evening and there must have been a
congregation of anything between three and four hundred
gathered around this bungalow a seven room bungalow
and the bungalow was so packed and so
many young people anxious to be in that
the man of the house who wasn't a
Christian but a God-fearing man suggested that
they should get into the bench in rows
of threes take off their shoes and pack
themselves like Harry now that was what they
did rows of threes on their knees in
the different beds not one of them could
tell you but moved by a sovereign God
they were there I spoke for about 10
minutes when one of the elders came to
me and said Mr. Campbell will you come
round to the end of the house some
of the leading men in the village are
crying to God for mercy and if you
go there we'll go to the peat sack
over here when you see those women crying
to God underneath I went round to the
end of the house and there they were
the men that old Peggy saw that would
become pillars in the church of our fathers
and today those men are pillars in the
church my dear people that's the revival that
I believe in but in the midst of
those crying to God for mercy there were
two pipers I think most of you know
that I was a piper and playing the
bagpipes at a concert and dance when God
met with me and spoke to me and
saved me miracle working God well two of
them are there now those two pipers were
advertised to play at a concert and dance
in a neighboring parish and the minister of
that parish was there he was a man
who spoke to me and said go to
the end of the house and he and
his wife were looking at the two pipers
oh they're there crying to God for mercy
he turned to his wife and he said
look here we'll go back to the parish
and we'll go to the dance and we'll
tell them where what is happening in Barber
so off we went 50 miles arrived when
the dance was in progress went to the
door and was met by the son of
a schoolmaster what are you wanting here Mr.
McLennan oh I've just come to the dance
oh but we know you haven't come to
the dance to to dance but as parish
minister he claimed the right and went in
they're dancing then there was a lull he
stepped onto the floor young men young women
I've an interesting story to tell you the
smith pipers aren't with you they're not with
you they're crying to God for mercy in
Barber a stillness oh the stillness
of eternity and quoting the words of the
minister came over the dance and then he
said young folk listen I would like you
to sing a psalm with me and I
think we ought to sing psalm 50 where
God is depicted as a flame of fire
they began to sing he's leading it himself
when they came to the second verse suddenly
there was a cry the young man fell
on the floor and began to cry to
God for mercy in five minutes the hall
was empty and they're now in three buses
coaches that brought young people from other parishes
and they're in the coaches on their knees
crying to God for mercy and listen the
young man who fell on his knees that
night was inducted to a parish church just
before I came across to Canada that's God
at work the spirit of God so moved
the conviction was so terrible that we could
only leave them there I suppose you've read
about the most remarkable movement the acts of
the apostles repeated again it's in the village
of Arna a young girl who was with
you here for several years and came to
us last year she was up there just
now and she was over at the house
that shook when the elder prayed now that
was what happened about midnight situation was difficult
again bitter opposition bitter opposition he's teaching error
so it went on but at midday midnight
this man got up to pray and I
still recall his words God do you know
that your honor is at stake do you
know that they made a promise that they're
not fulfilling now there are five ministers here
along with Mr. Campbell I don't know where
any of them stand not even Mr. Campbell
but if I know anything at all about
my own poor heart I think I can
say that I'm thirsty I'm thirsting for a
manifestation of your power and then about a
quarter to two in the morning he stood
up and said this God on the basis
of your promise to pour water on the
thirsty I now take it upon myself to
challenge you to fulfill your covenant engagement and
when that man said that the foremost supplically
an elder or rather a minister said to
me I said yes but I in my
own thoughts and when John Smith stopped praying
I pronounced the benediction and went out of
the church to find the whole community alive
the whole community alive opposition had fled and
the gracious movement broke out but he's spoken
of in Scotland today at the Arno revival
one of the mighty movements in the midst
of this gracious visitation you know that the
drinking house was closed that night and it's
never been open since never been open since
the men who used to drink there and
spend the evening fair are now praying in
our prayer meetings and one of them is
a minister in southern Arabia Donald McPhail well
I could go on but that was how
the movement began conviction distress of soul 14
young men standing at a hall discussing the
amount of beer that was to be brought
to the parish for a dance on Friday
suddenly one of them turns to the others
and says boys let us increase the amount
I believe that this is the last time
that beer is going to come to this
party another young man said Angus are you
suggesting that the revival is going to come
to this godless parish I cannot say what
is going to happen of what is going
to come but something is happening to me
that was all that he said but listen
dear people 14 young men fell on their
knees in front of the public hall and
were there for over an hour and all
of them saved and 11 of them are
office bearers in that church today and that
is one community after that gracious movement when
you couldn't find a single unsaved soul in
the parish or in that party my dear
people did your good folk understand what revival
means have you a conception of what it
means to see god working the god of
miracle sovereign supernatural moving in the midst of
men and hundreds swept into the kingdom oh
that we might see it that we might
see it now my time is gone but
you ask now what are the fruits of
it you've already said that you know nothing
about backsliding now that is true I could
counter my five fingers all who dropped off
from the prayer meeting you see in louis
and in the highlands generally they would no
more believe that you were a christian than
they would believe that the devil was a
christian if you don't attend the prayer and
i agree with me i certainly agree with
me when a soul is born again suddenly
there is created a hunger to be among
the praying people of god and the prayer
meetings become crowded you couldn't find a parish
in louis today that hasn't five prayer meetings
local press stated in the midst of the
movement there are more people attending the prayer
meetings now than attended public worship on a
communion sunday now that's true well that is
one of the outstanding features relative to the
fruit that remains and from those prayer meetings
now get a hold of this from those
prayer meetings a movement has began now that
is sweeping through louis where is it among
whom among the teenagers among young men and
young women that some time ago would be
making their way to town to the picture
or to the dance or to the drinking
houses in the town but today in their
scores now i'm not seeing its revival not
in the sense that we witnessed it some
years ago but in parishes tonight you will
find perhaps half a dozen prayer meetings in
progress they were in the church and from
the church they go for a bite of
supper and then to houses here and there
to wait upon god till two o'clock
in the morning and in those prayer meetings
young people young men and women teenagers and
others are coming savingly to christ your miss
bengal was among them recently and she has
a story to tell perhaps when she comes
back to prairie she'll tell you all about
it not easy if we let her go
uh i think i said to mr maxwell
if you can give us half a dozen
other miss bangles we'll welcome them with open
arms in the work of the mission in
pagan england but in paris well it may
drop a seat somewhere but that is true
the movement continues and perhaps another feature relative
to the fruits is a number of men
and women that have gone forth into full
-time service in the ministry and in the
foreign fields you've been listening to from the
pulpit classic sermon series this week you heard
duncan campbell with his message when god stepped
down from heaven tune in next week to
hear jay glenoa talk about it is the
last hour i'm from the pulpit classic sermons