THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1891, 10 November 1874, Page 3

THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND.

(From the Edinburgh Correspondent of the Olago Daily Times.) Although the Daily Times does not as a rule open its columns to the relation or discussion of matters of a religious nature, leaving tbese to be dealt with by journals whose raison d'etre is to dvreil on such theme, I venture for special reasons to solicit a departure from your usual practice in tho present cas<\ fo much attention has has been and still is being given to the revival movement in Scotland, alike by the people a'nd the Press (both religious and secular), that for me to say nothing about it would be to leave your readers uninformed on a topic of great general interest and importance in this country, and would be a marked neglect of duty on my part. Iu the first place let me give a very brief sketch of the history of this revival. The instruments by which it has been brought about, are Messrs D. L. Moody, and I'. D. San key, two Americans. Mr Moody is a citizen of Chicago, and has for many years laboured as an livangelist in America. He is not an ordained minister. Mr Sankey was a grocer, whose splendid voice attracted Mr Moody's attention at one of his meetings. Mr Moody had been wishing much to have, as a coadjutor, a Christian, possessed of the gift of song, and in Mr Sankey he found just the man he desired. '1 henceforward the too worked together. The two Kvangelists came over to Newca>tle-on-Tyne about a year ago, at the invitation of a number of Christian people there. A work of revival speedily began, and soon attracted notice in other parts of the country, and notably in Edinburgh. _ Arrangements were entered into by which Messrs Moody and Sankey were led to come to this city, and hold meetings hero similar to those they had held in Newcastle They had conBid rable difficulties and a vast amount of prejudice to over come, as may be imagined, but they did ovcrcouu these steadily and surely. At length the meetings became so crowded that uo building in Edinburgh could hold the multitudes who flocked to them, waiting often for hours before the. doors wereopeued, and content to get even standing room inside. A3 au instance I may mention that on one occasion the Corn Exchange',was filled tooverflowing, though to save room, uo seats were provided, aud males only were admitted, t the concluding meeting hold in the Queen's Park, it was estimated that no less than 15,000 persons were present. The number of cases of conversion were very large. After the Com Exchange meeting above 600 persons declared that they had found salvation there, and at every meeting some, often a' good many, were brought in. The awakening extended to all classes of the communi y, from the peer to tho pnuper, from the Judge on the Benoh to I tho outcast in tho streets. let it was

marked by freedom from excitement. There were none of those frenzied scenes that occurred in. 1859; no screaming or prostrations, albeit there was much heartstirring emotion, and numbers of persons, even the strongest and most hardened among thorn, were awakened by Mr Moody's soul-moving eloquence,or melted by Mr singing of his touchiugly beautiful hymns. From Edinburgh the Evangelists went to Dundee and Glasgow, where their efforts were no less blessed than they had been in the capital. The same falls to be said of their visits to Perth, Aberdeen, Banff, Elgin, Wick, Thurso, Dornoch, &e., kc, but I must not dwell on these. Suffice it to say, that from end to end of Scotland the people have been aroused, and that great numbers of souls have been saved. The influence of these circunistimces has also been felt in many other places— not only throughout tho United Kingdom, but on the Continent of Europe, and even in .■imcrica, India, and the Colonies as well, ns someofyourreaderf are probablyaware. As I shall have occasion to speak'more fully about Mr Moody farther on, I may here say a few words about Mr Sankey. lie is a man in the prime, of life, withal very prepossessing face and' a winning .smile, lie possesses a beautiful tenor 'voice, in which sweetness and power are happily combined, and which has reached many hearts off whose hard surface even ; ; Mr Moody's words had rebounded.. He., sings hymns collected by himself in America, and chiefly, I'suppose of Ame- 1 '" rican origin. They are very simple, and the tunes to which they art. sung.'are equally simple and effective. They have '" taken " wonderfully, aud one hears them, now wherever one goes. Even the rugged" 1 children in the streets sing them, 'ihey are known aud loved from Sussex to Shetland. .•:•■: ; Mr Moody has during the last two months beeu labouring in the Northern' Counties, and though latterly he has been deprived of the assistance of Mr Sankey, : who was obliged to rest, he has achieved most remsrkable results. At Wick, one night.lately, Mr Moody at the close of [ his address asked those who were anxious for the salvation of their souls to leave the meeting and proceed to auotlier j rooia where-he would come and ' specially' address them. Thereupon 200 men, some ; of them among the leading inhabitants of. Wick, rose and Mid as ho had invited ; them, bruving the eyes ,• of the 2,000people there assembled. This is only one 1 , out of many instances I could mention of a similar character. ' .■ Asuddtn movement on tho platform, '. which is crowded with ministers and the ladies composing the choir, is followed by •' the appearance of a man who steps briskly, up to the chair'set for him in the front of - the platform, and takes bis seat. At the same time an audible whisper runs through . the church — "There's Mr Moody!" And what is the great. Evangelist like P Well, like Paul, his bodily appearance is contemptible, or would be so, but for, those quick, piercing.eye.3 of his which seem to take in everything at a glance, and penetrate into the .farthest corners of the densely packed building. Mr Moody is a little man, probably-some five feet four inches in height, thick set, and highshouldered. His head u rather small;; his hair a dark shade, approaching black, but already (though he is at the age when most nun are most vigorous) beginning to grizzle. His foreiiead ,is low, but wide; he is short, aud rather broad; his cheeks a litth>inclined to puffiness. One can hardly tell what his mouth and chin are ; like, for the long moustache aud thick short beard j but his face is missive, and bespeaks an iron will. Aftor a quick, comprehensive look round, he rises to his feet, aud after giving out the 100 th Psalm proceeds to direct the people to sit closer and take up the nearest seats first, leaving the few empty ones to be occupied by late comers. • A minute of silent prayer by all present, and then a prayer by the Key. Mr Sloan, of Aberdeen, follow the singing of the Psalm, and then Mr Moody makes a few remarks explanatory of Mr Sankey's absence. His voice is not. a pleasant one. It is harsh and raspiug, his utterance is rapid, and his American accent pronounced. His grammar, too, is far from faultless. But with all these defects and drawbacks this man has exerted a wonderful, power oyer the people of Scotland for nine months past. What is the secret of that power P I,t is not far to seek. You detect it in the first words he says, and you acknowledge it more and more the longer you listen to him. His is the power that is born of implicit, f aih in the truth of his statements — statements made with unswerving courage and directness, and with a clearness and lucidity that cannot allow even the dullest to be for a moment in ignorance of his meaning. You see he .is 1 a whole s'ouled man.. There is no shoddy or Brummigem religion about him. And at the same time you see he is no lunatic. His remarks are full of Yankee shrewdness, and you are compelled to admit that, as some of bu countrymen would phrase it, he " has cut his eye-teeth." He can be earnest and impassioned, too, but he is never frothy, or declamatory. His home- ■ liness may make you smile, but it tells none the less for that. He says no more than is absolutely necessary, and in all his remarks puts into . praofcico Dr. Guthrie's homileiical maxim, to say something that will "strike and stick." What he has to say, too, he sivs boldly and fearlessly. For instance, he says-< '' you drink too much whisky here. The infernal stuff's the curse of Scotland." And then he goes on to charge the Scottish ministers with not setting their faces decidedly against drinking customs. "I have travelled through the States from Sevi Orleans to Detroit and from Maine to Minnesota, and I never yet saw so much as a glass of wino on a minister's table there." Again, .addressing the young converts, he said, " Just give the clean cut to the world. Lot lost his testimony because he didn't do so." And when urgiug Christians not to remain in society where scoffing remurks were made, : he said, " If I were at a diuner party and the people present began to scoff at my wife, do you think it would lake me long to get my hat P And what, I should like to know, has my wife done for me in comparison with what Christ has done forme?" ' '- - Messrs Moody and Sankey have now left for Jrelaud, after visiting the chief places in which, they will return to England and speak in the principal towns there, including London. Their labours, aud especially Mr Moody's, during tho last few mouths have been almost superhuman, yet. they indomitably continue at their work. It is impossible to calculate the good that has been done aud may yet, : be done through their instrumentality, and all who can say the second petition of the Lord's Prayer with their hearts will, therefore wish these two faithful servants ; of 'od "goodluck in the name of the Lord."