% _ PENTECOST; 
 
 * * 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 A.l). 1858. 
 
 PREPARED BY 
 
 flic Qottitg glen's Christian gssociation. 
 
 WITH A SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 '•Ami there was great joy in that city." — Acts viii. 8. 
 "Tell them to stand up for Jesus." — Dying Words of Rev. Dudley A. Tyn , 
 
 
 *k 
 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 P A R R Y & M c M I L L A X. 
 
 1*59. 
 
 j 
 
 1 
 
 
 
THE 
 
 (*> 
 
 rOMfi MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, 
 
 OF PHILADELPHIA, ^ 
 
 Was established in the year 1854, with the view of uniting; 
 and directing the efforts of Christian young men, as an auxi- 
 liary to the church of Christ. 
 
 Its Fundamental Rules are: 
 
 I. That the object of the Association be the improvement 
 of the spiritual, mental, and social condition of young men. 
 
 II. That the means employed for the attainment of this 
 object be Devotional Meetings, Lectures, Lyceum, a Library 
 for reference and circulation, Reading-Rooms, Committees to 
 seek out young men taking up their residences in Phila- 
 delphia and procure for them suitable boarding-houses and 
 employment, and, by introducing them to members of the 
 Association, throw around them Christian influences, and se- 
 cure their attendance at places of worship on the Sabbath. 
 
 The Rooms of the Association are in the second story of 
 1009 and 1011 Chestnut Street, and are open daily (Sabbaths 
 excepted) from 8 a. m. to 10 p. m. The}- are handsomely 
 fitted up, and regularly supplied with one hundred of the 
 most important Newspapers, Magazines, and Reviews (both 
 religious and secular) published in this country and Europe. 
 
 All young men (especially strangers) are cordially invited 
 to visit the Rooms. 
 
 An Annual Report, with a list of Devotional Meetings, 
 (about thirty in number,) and particulars of the operations of 
 the Association, may be had on application to the Correspond- 
 ing Secretary. 
 
 Donations of funds for the Association, or books for the 
 Library, will be received with much gratitude, by the Presi- 
 dent, George II. Stuart, 13 Bank St., or by the Correspond- 
 ing Secretary, John Wanamaker, 1009 and 1011 Chestnut St. 
 
 J 
 
PENTECOST 
 
 OE, 
 
 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA, 
 
 A.D. 1858. 
 
 PREPARED BY 
 
 %\t foung glen's Cljnstian §lssratiflit. 
 
 WITH A SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 " And there was great joy in that city." — Acts viii. 8. 
 "Tell thein to stand Up for Jesus."— Dving words of Rev. Dudley A. Ttng. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PARRY & M C JIILLAN. 
 
 1859. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by 
 JOHN WANAMAKER, Cor. Sec, 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern 
 
 District of Pennsylvania. 
 
 STEREOTYPED BY L. JOHNSON & CO. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 COLLINS, PBINTEB. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 " The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that 
 have pleasure therein." (Ps. cxi. 2.) We are commanded to 
 "consider" them, to "talk" of them, to "declare" them to others, 
 as well as to "rejoice" in them ourselves. When Paul and Bar- 
 nabas returned to Antioch, we are told that "they gathered 
 the Church together, and rehearsed all that God had done with 
 them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." 
 The words of the " beloved Physician" are very suggestive. When 
 doors are opened that before were closed, it is surely a matter of 
 great rejoicing. 
 
 The object of these pages is twofold, — viz., to recognise the 
 present work of God in our city, and to extend the knowledge 
 of it here and elsewhere. 
 
 The Committee of Fifteen (one from each evangelical denomi- 
 nation represented in the Young Men's Christian Association) 
 have felt alike the difficulty, the delicacy, and the responsibility 
 of their trust. To enter on their work with "a single eye," to 
 collect authentic facts, to let these facts speak for themselves alike 
 to the intelligent Christian and the candid man of the world, — 
 this, and this only, has been their aim. If they have failed, they 
 have, at least, "done what they could." If their labours have 
 been crowned with success, to God alone be all the glory ! 
 
 At a meeting of the Young Men's Christian Association, De- 
 cember 27, 1858, it was further ordered that the preface should 
 contain the resolutions passed and the names of the committee 
 appointed September 6, 1858, — viz. : 
 
 "Whereas, very great interest is manifested all through the 
 State for definite and authentic information as to the present 
 work of God in Philadelphia, and 
 
 3 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 • 
 
 "Whereas, this Association, possessing as it does such peculiar 
 facilities for collecting and verifying the various incidents and 
 statistics, is naturally looked to as the source from which it might 
 most appropriately emanate: therefore 
 
 "Resolved, That, in the absence of any thing else of this kind, 
 it is exceedingly desirable that a tract of four-and-twenty [after- 
 wards enlarged] pages should be issued at as early a period as 
 possible, containing such an account of this work of the Holy 
 Spirit as' may be best calculated to promote its extension here 
 and elsewhere." 
 
 COMMITTEE. 
 
 Rev. George Dpjffield, Jr Presbyterian, (N. S.) 
 
 James S. Martin Reformed Presbyterian. 
 
 George S. Fox Protestant Episcopal. 
 
 John C. Bliss Independent. 
 
 John Wiest German Reformed. 
 
 William Getty United Presbyterian. 
 
 George 0. Evans Baptist. 
 
 T. Esmonde Harper Presbyterian, (0. S.) 
 
 John M. Dutton Metbodist Episcopal. 
 
 John F. Graff Reformed Dutcb. 
 
 Ellwood B. Davis Society of Friends. 
 
 William Rovzee Disciples of Christ. 
 
 F. B. Atmore Methodist Protestant. 
 
 Henry B. Ashmead Lutheran. 
 
 D. M. Warner Moravian. 
 
 Signed by order of the Association, 
 
 GEORGE H. STUART, President. 
 John Wanamaker, Cor. Secretary. 
 
 Philadelphia, Dec. 28, 1858. 
 
THE 
 
 WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 11 It icill generally be found, that when God is about to be- 
 stow any remarkable favour on a person or people, He pre- 
 viously pours out upon them a spirit of earnest supplication 
 for it" So said a pastor in Philadelphia, nearly a 
 hundred years ago. The principle is undoubtedly a 
 correct one. God leads his people to pray for that 
 which he designs to give. Thus it was previous to the 
 great day of Pentecost, when the disciples " continued 
 with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the 
 women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his 
 brethren." Thus it was at the commencement of the 
 Reformation, in the sixteenth century, and of the " Great 
 Awakening," in the last. So is it still, when a risen 
 Saviour is once more standing in the midst of his disci- 
 ples, breathing upon them, and saying, "Receive ye the 
 Holy Ghost." (John xx. 22.) 
 
 This mighty work began in Prayer, " under the fig- 
 tree," (John i. 48 ;) and prayer is the key by means of 
 which to unlock its entire history. The same voice of 
 the Lord that had spoken to his people in his Providence, 
 had already been speaking in them by the " still small 
 voice" of the Holy Spirit. It is in evidence, the most 
 authentic and definite, before those intrusted with the 
 compilation of these pages, that as early as January, 
 1856, there were not a few who were led to pray, u O 
 Lord, revive thy work," and to engage in united prayer 
 for this purpose. " Scores of richly-laden vessels/' said 
 they, " are now lying in the river a few miles below our 
 
 1* 5 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 city, anxiously waiting to reach our wharves. "Why this 
 delay ? Because the channel is closed by the ice. Thus it 
 is with the exceeding great and precious promises of 
 God. Not only is He willing, but He is waiting to bestow 
 them upon us. Why does He not bestow them ? Alas ! 
 prayer is indeed the appointed channel through which 
 the blessing flows ; but the channel is not open by which for 
 God to communicate, or for us to receive it. It is because 
 we restrain prayer, that the things that remain are 
 ready to die." 
 
 The spirit of prayer thus so graciously revived in the 
 hearts of some of God's people for themselves, in the 
 month of October, a.d. 1857, took a more extended 
 range; "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it," 
 (Ps. lxxxi. 10,) was the message that came to many a 
 closet. " Pray for this city, this great and wicked 
 city," was the suggestion constantly pressing upon 
 those who loved to pray; they must pray for it specifi- 
 cally, if they prayed at all. 
 
 Soon the stream of prayer, overflowing the hearts of 
 individual suppliants in the closet, found its way into 
 the various churches. Christians began to love the place 
 where prayer was wont to be made, and to assemble 
 there in unusual numbers. This increase of interest in 
 the church prayer-meeting naturally suggested union 
 prayer-meetings for the entire denomination ; each 
 church, in regular succession, being visited by those 
 who loved to pray from the others, and all the churches 
 for the time-being making but one church for this pur- 
 pose. These " union" meetings were held at different 
 seasons ; some early in the winter, some later, and some 
 in the following spring; and at different times, some in 
 the afternoon, others in the evening ; some once a week, 
 others more frequently. The testimony from all the 
 different denominations as to the delightful influence 
 of thus coming together, as " with one accord," for 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN miLADELPIHA. 7 
 
 prayer and supplication, was one and the same. Once 
 more the dew was on the fleece, tho " little cloud" above 
 the horizon, and it was manifest to the feeblest faith 
 that again the Lord had "spoken good concerning 
 Israel." 
 
 But a higher and still more perfect and glorious de- 
 velopment of the spirit of prayer was yet in reserve. 
 Simultaneously with tho outpouring of the " spirit of 
 grace and supplication" on the different churches, by 
 the great Head of the church, it also pleased Him to 
 pour out upon them, in a most remarkable degree, like 
 the precious ointment on the head of Aaron, the spirit 
 of Christian Union. The impassioned appeals of 
 Rev. Dr. Duff; an anniversary at the Musical Fund 
 Hall, w T here addresses were made on this subject by 
 various ministers, and one in particular by the Rev. 
 Dudley A. Tyng ; the " union" prayer-meetings on 
 Thanksgiving-day ; the invitations freely extended to 
 ministers of different ecclesiastical bodies, to occupy the 
 pulpits of other denominations ; and occasionally a series 
 of Sabbath evening discourses, delivered in the same 
 church by representatives of all the different denomina- 
 tions in the city; these and many similar circumstances 
 announced as plainly what was coming, as ever the 
 bright purple clouds in the east announced the rising 
 of the sun ! Almost as by a simultaneous consent, it 
 became evident to all that it was not the things in 
 which the followers of Jesus differed that made them 
 Christians, but those in which they were agreed ; that 
 they were not distant connections, but blood relations 
 through Him who shed his blood in common for them 
 all ; that, whatever might be their particular state, they 
 were all of the same nation ; whatever their particular 
 tribe, they all belonged to God's one Israel. " That 
 they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in me, and I 
 in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world 
 
8 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 may believe that Thou hast sent me," — this was the spirit 
 of their daily and most importunate supplication; and, 
 even while they were yet speaking, graciously was it 
 heard and answered. The "golden age" in the civil 
 history of our Commonwealth was again renewed in 
 her spiritual history, and on every hand was heard the 
 exclamation, " Behold how these brethren love one 
 another I" 
 
 The Spirit of God having thus so wonderfully pre- 
 pared the hearts of his people for this work, it remained 
 for the providence of God to supply some appropriate 
 instrumentality. Accordingly, on the 23d of Septem- 
 ber, 1857, in the Fulton Street Prayer-Fleeting, Xew 
 York, He gathered together, almost unknown to those 
 who first composed the meeting, the simple elements of 
 moral power which in their combination were to be so 
 wonderfully effective. Business Men, men of every 
 denomination, at the hour of noon, were to meet daily 
 for the great purpose of intercessory prayer ; to these 
 meetings those "out of Christ" were to be invited; ex- 
 hortations given to them, prayers offered specifically for 
 them, if they so desired it themselves, or if it was desired 
 by their friends ; with what result, is now known to the 
 world ! 
 
 Among those who attended the first " Business-Lien's 
 Prayer-Meeting" in Xew York, was a young man not 
 yet twenty-one years of age. As good had resulted from 
 these meetings in one city, why might not equal good 
 be done by them in another ? Surely it was worth the 
 effort. Some of his fellow-members of the Youno- Men's 
 Christian Association, with whom he conversed, being 
 of the same opinion, and promising their co-operation in 
 the matter, he applied to the Trustees of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Union Church, Fourth Street below Arch, for 
 the use of their lecture-room. The request was promptly 
 complied with, and the first noon prayer-meeting in the 
 
THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 9 
 
 city of Philadelphia was held in the Union Church, Nov. 
 23, a.d. 1857. Was it a mere coincidence that this pre- 
 cious germ was planted on the spot consecrated by tho 
 prayers and labours of tho immortal Whitefield ? 
 
 For a time, however, tho response on the part of the 
 business-men was far from encouraging; thirty-six being 
 the highest number present, and the average attendance 
 not exceeding twelve. At length it was deemed expe- 
 dient to remove the meeting to a more central position ; 
 and the ante-room of the spacious Hall of Dr. Jayne 
 having been generousiy granted by him for this pur- 
 pose, the first meeting was held there Feb. 3, 1858. 
 Even then the increase in numbers was very gradual, 
 indeed : first twenty, then thirty, forty, fifty, sixty per- 
 sons, — so little did " tho kingdom of God," in the first 
 instance, " come with observation." 
 
 But now, almost as in an instant, the whole aspect of 
 affairs underwent a most surprising change. " By Mon- 
 day, March 8," says one, "the attendance in the smaller 
 apartment of the Hall had reached three hundred ; and 
 by the next day, it was evident that many were going 
 away for want of room. The brethren present, with 
 much fear for the result, yet apparently led by Provi- 
 dence, on Tuesday, March 9, voted to hold the meeting 
 tho next day, at twelve o'clock, in the large Hall. It. 
 was our privilege to be present at that time, — Wednes- 
 day, noon. The centre of the Hall has seats for twenty- 
 five hundred people, and it was filled. The entire Hall 
 seats more than four thousand. The next day it was 
 filled again, with the galleries, and still it was obvious 
 there was not room for the people. The curtain was 
 therefore drawn away from before the stage, and the 
 large platform thrown open to the audience. The next 
 day, (Friday,) the partition between the smaller and 
 larger rooms was taken down, and the Hall from street 
 to street thrown open. 
 
10 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 "The sight is now grand and solemn. The Hall is 
 immensely high. In the rear, several tiers of elegantly- 
 ornamented boxes extended from the ceiling, in a semi- 
 circular form, around the stage, or platform ; and on the 
 stage, and filling the seats, aisles, and galleries, three 
 thousand souls — at once, on one weekday after another, 
 at its busiest hour — bow before God in prayer for the 
 revival of his work. Ministers and people, men and 
 women, of all denominations or of none, all gather, and 
 all are welcome. 
 
 " There is no noise; no confusicm. A layman conducts 
 the meeting. Any suitable person may pray or speak to 
 the audience for three minutes only. If he do not bring 
 his prayer or remarks to a close in that time, a bell is 
 touched, and he gives way. One or two verses of the 
 most spiritual hymns go up like the ' sound of many 
 waters/ requests for prayer for individuals are then 
 read ; one layman or minister succeeds another in per- 
 fect order and quiet, and, after a space which seems a 
 few minutes, so strange, so absorbing, so interesting is 
 the scene, the leader announces that it is one o'clock, 
 and, punctual to the moment, a minister pronounces the 
 benediction, and the immense audience, slowly, quietly, 
 and in perfect order, pass from the Hall; some ministers 
 remaining to converse, in a small room off the platform, 
 with any who may desire spiritual instruction. 
 
 " lso man there — no man, perhaps, living or dead — 
 has ever seen any thing like it. On the day of Pente- 
 cost Peter preached : Luther preached, and Livingston, 
 and "Whitefield, and Wesley! Great spiritual movements 
 have been usually identified with some eloquent voice ; 
 but no name, except the name that is above every name, 
 is identified with this meeting." 
 
 "Yes," said a clergyman on the following Sabbath, 
 " think of the prayer-meetings this last week in Jayne's 
 Hall, literally and truly unprecedented and unparalleled 
 
THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 11 
 
 in the history of any city or any age ; wave after wave 
 pouring in from the closet, from the family, from the 
 church, from the 'Union Prayer-Meetings/ until the 
 great tidal or tenth wave rolled its might} 1 " surge upon 
 us, swallowing up for the time-being all separate sects, 
 creeds, denominations, in the one great, glorious, and 
 only Church of the Holy Ghost ! God is with us, of a 
 truth !" 
 
 But even these descriptions fall short of the real extent 
 of religious feeling in the city at large. Jayne's Hall, 
 immense as it was, was not the only place where Chris- 
 tians of every name met for the purpose of united 
 prayer. Towards the close of that same Pentecostal 
 week, a Union Prayer-Meeting was called in a church 
 conveniently situated in the northern part of the city. 
 At the hour appointed, some twenty persons might have 
 been seen slowly making their way through the un- 
 broken snow-drifts, to keep their faith with God and 
 with each other. But from the very moment that they 
 crossed the threshold, it was manifest that God was with 
 them of a truth, and that the blessing was "coming" to 
 them also. On Friday afternoon it came in all its ful- 
 ness. The large lecture-room (capable of holding some 
 five hundred persons) was crowded to overflowing. The 
 number of requests on the table for prayer was so great 
 that the leader only looked at them with wonder, and 
 did not pretend to read them. " Doubtless," said he, 
 "we all feel just in the same way for our unconverted 
 friends and relatives. For my own part, I must ask 
 you to pray for my children/ 7 " For my two sons and 
 a daughter/' said a second. "For my father," said a 
 third. " For my husband," said a lady, with a tender- 
 ness and energy that thrilled through every soul j and 
 thus, in less than three minutes, a hundred similar 
 requests were presented throughout the whole room. 
 Then, as with one accord, the entire congregation lifted 
 
12 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 up their voices and wept together. The place was in- 
 deed a Bochimj and of all the scenes that have been 
 witnessed during the revival, perhaps there was none 
 more perfectly characteristic and overwhelming. A few- 
 days after, at this same meeting, the people of God, as 
 by a common impulse, rose to their feet, and there, 
 standing before the Lord, solemnly consecrated them- 
 selves afresh to his service. The history in detail of 
 that single meeting would constitute a volume of itself. 
 Out of many incidents, we select but one. 
 
 At the close of a meeting, a lady approached a little 
 group of ministers and others, and called one of them 
 aside to speak with him. " I could not find it in my 
 heart/' said she, " to leave this room, until I told what 
 God had done for my soul. I came here this afternoon 
 in darkness, heavily burdened with my sin, and wellnigh 
 in despair; but, during the third prayer, I felt as if I 
 could believe on Christ: peace came to my soul, and 
 now I must go home and tell mother!" The tone of voice, 
 the expression of countenance, the tears rolling down 
 her cheeks, and joy meanwhile beaming from her eyes, 
 it is utterly impossible for us to describe. Conversion 
 was to her a change as real as for one asleep to awake ; 
 for a captive in darkness and in a dungeon to come out 
 into light and liberty; for one who before was blind to 
 be made to see ; for one who was dead to be made alive. 
 
 The lecture-room having become too strait for the 
 multitude of worshippers, similar Union prayer-meetings 
 were established farther west and north, in the after- 
 noon ; and also in the Handel and Haydn Hall at noon, 
 — the attendance at the latter place amounting at times 
 to a thousand or twelve hundred persons. Taking all 
 the Union prayer-meetings together, independent of the 
 regular church-meetings in the evening, the number of 
 those w T ho daily met for prayer about this time was at 
 least five thousand. 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 13 
 
 In connection with the Union prayer-meetings, as if 
 by common consent, "union preaching" was also esta- 
 blished. That all might feel equally free to attend, the 
 favourite place for such preaching was the great public 
 halls, such as Jayne's, Handel and Haydn, and the 
 American Mechanics'; and, what is very significant, all 
 of them were freely tendered by the proprietors for the 
 use of the people, without expense. The time appointed 
 for these services was usually on the afternoon of a 
 weekday, or at such an hour on the Sabbath as would 
 not interfere with public worship in the churches. Two 
 sermons in this course, by the Eev. Dudley A. Tyng, — 
 one on the words, "Come ; for all things are now ready," 
 and the other on, "Ye that are men, serve the Lord," — 
 will never be forgotten, — especially the latter, when the 
 congregation at Jayne's Hall numbered at least five 
 thousand. The way of God in the sanctuary was won- 
 derful indeed. The gospel came not in word, only, but 
 in power. 
 
 At these meetings, also, multitudes of tracts and 
 books, some of them original, and some whose value had 
 been tested by their circulation for more than half a 
 century, were freely distributed at the doors to those 
 who were retiring from the meetings. It seemed as if 
 every Christian brother or sister, who had been benefited 
 by any particular tract, could not rest until they had 
 provided a copy for others. The favourite tract was the 
 one entitled "Come to Jesus. " Come, was the great 
 watchword of the day. And if there was one text heard 
 more frequently than another, and one in the spirit of 
 which Christians were most earnestly endeavouring to 
 act, it was Eev. xxii. 17, " The Spirit and the bride say, 
 Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let 
 him that is athirst, Come. And whosoever will, let 
 him take the water of life, freely !" 
 
 Meanwhile, the increase of attendance on public wor- 
 
 2 
 
14 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 ship on the Sabbath, and the number of churches opened 
 for services during the week ; -was beyond all precedent. 
 During the latter part of the winter, rarely indeed would 
 you pass in the evening the lecture-room of an evangeli- 
 cal church that was not lighted up for prayer or preach- 
 ing. Sometimes even the main body of the church itself 
 was not able to accommodate the multitude of worship- 
 pers. In some, these services had commenced months or 
 weeks before, and were only continued ; in others, they 
 were now held for the first time ; in all, there were the 
 manifest indications of the presence and power of the 
 Holy Spirit. The action of the Union meetings upon 
 the churches, and of the churches upon the Union meet- 
 ings, was reciprocally delightful and profitable. No 
 rivalry — no collision. The revival spirit was alike one 
 and the same everywhere; the same "spiritual songs •" 
 the same fervent intercession for sinners; the same 
 earnest invitation to come to Jesus and receive his 
 rest; rest for the mind in his truth — for the heart in 
 his love. 
 
 As with individuals, there were diversities of opera- 
 tion by the same spirit, many gladly receiving the word, 
 and receiving it at once, others lingering in the usual 
 ■way, — so was it with the churches. At one time the. 
 "promise of the Father" came as the dew; at another, 
 as the copious shower; at still another, as "the rushing 
 of a mighty wind," all-powerful and unexpected. " On < 
 Sabbath, the 7th of March," says one of our pastors, " I 
 entered my pulpit, weak from recent illness, and won- 
 dering whether the thickly-springing ' thorns' would 
 continue to ' choke the word/ as usual. The day was 
 damp and cold without ; the temperature almost equally 
 chilly and uncomfortable within. I did not know that 
 there was one awakened soul in the entire congregation. 
 Yet, before the day was over, there were thirty cases 
 of awakening brought to light, and six of hopeful con- 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 15 
 
 version. In tho afternoon, especially, at a joint meeting 
 of parents and Sabbath-school teachers to pray for tho 
 children, the Holy Spirit was poured out in such a surpris- 
 ing mannor and to such a wonderful extent as I had never 
 seen it before. The Spirit of prayer, which a few days 
 before had begun to manifest itself in two or three of 
 tho very youngest members of tho church, now became 
 almost universal. If we saw not tho < tongue of fire/ 
 at least we heard it. For a series of w T eeks, meetings 
 were held every evening, sustaining themselves simply 
 by voluntary exhortations and prayers, without the 
 necessity of a single sermon, except upon the Sabbath. 
 Cases of conviction, and many of conversion, during 
 prayer, left no doubt of its efficacy. The rapidity of 
 conversion was beyond all parallel, and for the young 
 converts to begin at once to pray and labour for the sal- 
 vation of others, was recognised by them simply as a 
 matter of course." Eight months' later testimony from 
 the same witness is equally favourable as to their con- 
 tinued zeal and spirituality, thus giving, by their 
 "fruits," evidence the most conclusive and satisfactory 
 that they were " born of God." 
 
 While such wonders as these were transpiring all 
 through the city, public attention and interest were 
 awakened in them in no ordinary degree. In vain was 
 an occasional cry raised here and there of " priestcraft," 
 "enthusiasm," "fanaticism." No definition of these 
 terms seemed at all applicable to the case in hand. In 
 vain did the boldest of the transgressors endeavour to 
 rally an organized opposition ; the disposition " to 
 cease from the instruction that causeth to err," left the 
 synagogues of Satan deserted and desolate. In vain 
 was every subtle expedient resorted to, to involve the 
 followers of Christ in angry and unprofitable contro- 
 versy. "Speaking the truth in love," and believing 
 that the best way to refute error was by teaching the 
 
 , 
 
16 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 truth as it was in Jesus, they humbly relied on the Holy 
 Spirit to make the truth manifest in every man's con- 
 science. The worse the man, the more did Christians 
 pity him ; the greater the enemy, the more did they 
 pray for him. On one occasion, at the noon prayer- 
 meeting, Nena Sahib himself was proposed as a subject 
 of prayer, and by whom, of all other persons in the 
 world, but by a Christian mother whose own son was 
 one of the missionaries so foully murdered by him on 
 the Ganges ! 
 
 As to the impression made upon the minds of Chris- 
 tians generally by this new and wonderful state of things, 
 perhaps as fair an illustration as any may be found in 
 the remarks of a good old coloured sister, one morning 
 when returning from a sunrise prayer-meeting in the 
 " Canvas Church :" — 
 
 " The day this great revival first broke out," said she, 
 "that is, when I first heard of it, — that very morning I 
 was reading my New Testament, in the seventh chapter 
 of Eevelation. A revival among the Methodists ! and 
 the Baptists ! and the Episcopalians ! and the Presby- 
 terians ! and all the churches ! Bless the Lord, the 
 chapter has come ! Sure enough, the four angels are 
 standing on the four corners of the earth, and holding 
 back the four winds; and the great angel having the 
 seal of the living God has gone out a-sealing his ser- 
 vants in their foreheads; twelve thousand in this tribe ! 
 and twelve thousand in that ! No 'partiality with Him ! 
 And soon the hundred and forty and four thousand, of 
 all kindred and people and tongues, shall stand before 
 the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white 
 robes, and palms in their hands, and singing salvation 
 to our God ! Bless the Lord ! I hope poor old Mary will 
 be among them too." 
 
 Truly may it be said of the work that it has been 
 "without partiality," and that God has been no respecter 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 17 
 
 of persons. Like the rain and the sunshine, it has fallen 
 on all the different fields of his heritage, with no invi- 
 dious distinction or discrimination. " Parthians, and 
 Modes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, 
 and in Judea, and Cappadocia, and Pontus, and Asia, 
 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, and in the parts of Libya about 
 Cyrene, and strangers of Eome, Jews and proselytes, 
 Cretes and Arabians," no matter what the ecclesiastical 
 name of those who "hold the Head," (Col. ii. 19,) and 
 believe that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God !" 
 "Sons and daughters," "young men" and "old men," 
 " servants" and " handmaidens," no matter what their 
 relative position in the church or in the community ! 
 Greek or Jew, " circumcision or uncircumcision," bar- 
 barian, Scythian, bond or free, no matter what their 
 social position, — all, without exception, have been made 
 to acknowledge the reality of this gracious influence of 
 the Holy Spirit ; all of them, according to the number 
 of their labourers, have gathered into their several barns 
 their due proportion of the abounding harvest. . Like 
 the manna that lay all round about the camp, of which 
 the children of Israel, all who were hungry, did gather, 
 "some more, some less;" like the rock smitten at Ho- 
 reb, just as much for the benefit of one tribe as another, 
 to whose flowing waters came all who were thirstv, — 
 so has it recently been with this new and most grateful 
 supply of the bread and water of life eternal. Literally, 
 and without a figure, the promise of the Father has once 
 more been fulfilled in the midst of us; and, through his 
 only-begotten Son, in whom all fulness dwells, he has 
 poured out of his Spirit on all flesh ! He has blessed the 
 house of Israel ! He has blessed the house of Aaron ! 
 Blessed be his name ! Of the ten thousand who, we hope, 
 have been converted within the borders of our city 
 during this Year of Jubilee, it would be utterly im- 
 possible to make a more equitable and satisfactory divi- 
 B 2* 
 
18 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 sion among the various denominations than God by his 
 providence and Spirit has made already ! One denomi- 
 nation received 3010 ; a second, 1800 j a third, 1735 j a 
 fourth, 1150; a fifth, 500; a sixth, 363; a seventh, 200; 
 an eighth, 90 ; a ninth, 28, &c. He hath beautified the 
 gates of Zion, alike on the East, on the North, on the 
 South, and on the West, and the names of the twelve 
 tribes of Israel are alike legible on them all. He who 
 will measure with the " golden reed" of Christian charity 
 and truth, will find that " the city lieth four square, and 
 the length is as large as the breadth. The length and 
 the breadth and the height of it are equal." 
 
 But to resume our narrative. It became apparent 
 about the middle of April that the flood-tide of salvation 
 which had thus rolled in so wonderfully upon our favoured 
 city, was beginning to turn. The season of holy joy on 
 the part of some of the people of God, gave place to 
 most intense anxiety. " Has this mighty work gone 
 deep enough into our hearts ?" " In this general bap- 
 tism of the Holy Spirit, are we careful to realize the 
 necessity for an individual, personal baptism?" "Do 
 we not need a fuller consecration to the work of Christ, 
 one more entire and unreserved, than we have ever 
 made before V Such were the searching questions 
 which God himself was soon to answer in his most 
 solemn Providence. 
 
 Among those whose heart was with the Jayne's Hall 
 meeting from its very commencement, and who long 
 before had caught the blessed spirit of Christian union, 
 like some lofty mountain the earliest rays of sunrise, 
 was "The Child of Prayer." Daily was he seen upon 
 the platform, none happier than he in the belief that 
 again the windows of heaven had been opened above 
 us, and God was pouring out his blessing. Often did 
 his voice of earnest exhortation, alike to saint and sin- 
 ner, sound in our ears with all the clearness and sweet- 
 
THE WORK ()F <i()J) JN PHILADELPHIA. 19 
 
 ness of a silver trumpet. Once and again did be lead 
 us in the great congregation, as we repeated with him, 
 and learned again as it were, the meaning of that holy 
 prayer which Jesus himself taught to his disciples, — 
 " Our Father, who art in heaven : hallowed be thy 
 name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done." But ah, 
 how soon was the sincerity of this last petition to bo 
 put to a most fearful trial ! 
 
 Reminding us as he did in so many respects by his 
 fervent and intelligent piety of that burning and shining 
 light, John the Baptist, the great Harbinger of the Mes-. 
 siah, like him, also, he was cut off suddenly, unexpect- 
 edly, and in the prime of life, just at the very moment 
 when, of all others, he was the most precious to the 
 church of God and could the least be spared. And all 
 that remained for us in our sore bereavement was to 
 imitate the disciples of John, and go "and tell Jesus.'' 
 That scene on the 22d of April in Concert Hall; the en- 
 tire evangelical clergy of the city on the platform ; the 
 Young Men's Christian Association, of which he was an 
 original member, in the gallery; the members of his 
 own beloved church occupying the centre of the Hall; 
 that funeral procession along the aisle; the burst of an- 
 guish that broke forth universally throughout that im- 
 mense congregation when the coffin was set down; that 
 deeply-afflicted father; that solemn charge of Bishop 
 Mcllvaine to his brethren in the ministry, to know no- 
 thing but " Jesus Christ, and him crucified/' — will they 
 ever be forgotten ? Granted that they may be when 
 those who were then present shall have passed away, 
 yet that dying message, " Tell them to Stand up for 
 Jesus," will be forgotten never! never ! Never in Phila- 
 delphia ! never in America ! never in the world ! 
 
 "And they embalmed him." (Gen. 1. 26.) Such was 
 the text of the brother who delivered the funeral dis- 
 
20 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 course; nor could he possibly have chosen one more 
 truly or more tenderly appropriate. 
 
 It is not too much to say that with the death of the 
 lamented Tyng came a new epoch in the history of the 
 revival. Not in vain did the Young Men's Association 
 adopt his message as their motto. Not in vain were the 
 strong hands of Christian and ministerial union pledged 
 in cordial grasp over that coffin ! The mantle of his ac- 
 tive and fraternal spirit fell upon them all. One in Christ ! 
 one with Christ ! one for Christ ! why should it be other- 
 wise? 
 
 Perhaps never in the entire history of the Church 
 since the days of the Reformation were the winds and 
 waves that too often disturb her bosom more thoroughly 
 subdued and hushed to rest than in our city during the 
 few days that intervened from the death of this beloved 
 brother until his remains were committed to the tomb. 
 Once more Christianity seemed to reach her true sum- 
 mit-level. The kind fraternal and co-operative spirit 
 that had thus been developed must, of necessity, find 
 some appropriate sphere in which to manifest itself. It 
 looks for a field on which to enter, and lo ! white unto 
 the harvest, it finds it in that of Union Missions. 
 
 It was asserted that, if on any given day all the evan- 
 gelical churches should be filled, nearly one half of the 
 population would be excluded for want of room. Hence 
 the necessity, as in former- times of revival, for "field- 
 preaching" of some kind; and, after careful deliberation 
 as to the best manner in which it could be secured, it 
 was unanimously resolved in favour of the Union Taber- 
 nacle. The " big tent/' as it is commonly called, was 
 fitted up at the expense of some two thousand dollars, 
 with suitable accommodation for three thousand persons, 
 many of the contributions towards it being thank-offer- 
 ings from those who had recently been converted. On 
 Saturday, the 1st of May, it was dedicated by appro- 
 
THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 21 
 
 priate religious services. There was present a large 
 concourse of people, morning, afternoon, and evening, 
 and at least fifty clergymen, of various evangelical deno- 
 minations. In the different services, representatives of 
 no less than fifteen of these denominations took some 
 part, and thereby gave their countenance and public 
 approbation to the movement. 
 
 During the first two months there were fifty-three 
 sermons preached by ministers in connection with eleven 
 different branches of the church of Christ; and the 
 aggregate number of those present was fifty-one thou- 
 sand. During the four and a half months that the tent 
 was in the city, there were held in it three hundred and 
 thirty-three meetings, — viz. : twelve inquiry-meetings, 
 thirty-seven children's meetings, one hundred and seven- 
 teen prayer-meetings, and one hundred and seventy-nine 
 services at which there was preaching. The number 
 present during these various services has been estimated 
 in the aggregate at one hundred and fifty thousand, — to 
 whom the gospel has been proclaimed by ministers in 
 connection with nineteen different branches of the 
 church of Christ. 
 
 The whole number of those who have professed con- 
 version in connection with the services of the tent in 
 the city is about two hundred. Of the multitudes of 
 those who were convicted there, and professed their 
 faith in various churches, we can form no estimate. 
 
 Conversion op an Old Man. — One day, after a ser- 
 mon on the text, "Choose ye this day whom ye will 
 serve," an aged man made his way to the pulpit with 
 tearful eyes, saying he now felt it was high time to make 
 a decision; that the world had deceived and ruined him; 
 and that, having a disease of the heart, he expected any 
 moment to be called into an eternity for which he had 
 made no preparation. "My sins," said he, "have been 
 so many and great that I despair of any hope ; and I 
 
22 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 can see myself already in the outer circle of the whirl- 
 pool of eternal death. If I had had strength, I should 
 have stood up before the congregation, and, stretching 
 out my skeleton hand, have bade the young look at me 
 and take warning." Next day he came to the tent for 
 consultation, when he remarked that " he knew histori- 
 cally so much of Christ, that he supposed if all the sins 
 of all men, from the time of Adam down, could be 
 heaped on the head of one sinner and personified in his 
 experience, that even such a wretch Christ would be 
 both willing and able to save, if he would but come to 
 him; and yet, somehow," said he, "I cannot believe that 
 there is mercy for me." He was made the subject of 
 special and earnest prayer. The day following, he sent 
 word from his dying bed that his doubts and fear had 
 vanished, and all within was peace. Was not this a 
 brand plucked from the fire. 
 
 Conversion of a Skeptic. — At the closing meeting of 
 the tent at Fourth and George Streets, a man, some thirty 
 years of age, and of no ordinary intelligence, made the 
 following statement, which, at the request of a number 
 who heard him, was afterwards committed to writing: — 
 
 "Passing the tent one evening, curiosity prompted 
 me to enter. I stayed until the exercises were over, 
 and left rather interested, determined to spend an even- 
 ing or two afterwards in listening to the various views 
 of ministers belonging to different denominations on the 
 subject of religion. I must confess, however, that all 
 I heard there was one great principle of the Bible, — 
 namely, Christ's atonement for the sins of the world; and 
 I began to think that there must be more in religion 
 than I had ever given it credit for, to make men spend 
 their time and money in trying to convince others of 
 the error of their ways. So I still continued to attend 
 the meetings. 
 
 "The first time I really took any interest in that 
 
THE WORK OF. GOD IN PHILADELPHIA 23 
 
 which concerned my soul was "while hearing a sermon 
 preached from Proverbs ix. 12. It sent an arrow of 
 conviction to my soul ; and I went home persuaded that 
 there was a God, able and willing to save, but whose stern 
 sense of justice would compel him to punish all those 
 who, knowing his will, defied his power. I was at that 
 time fully aware of the fact that, for many, many years, 
 I had walked in the highroad to destruction, heeding 
 not the voice of conscience, keeping away from the house 
 of God, listening to those who denied his existence, and 
 following the pleasures of the world through all their 
 stages, even to the verge of the drunkard's grave. Well 
 may I love that tent ! If a man never forgets the place 
 of his earthly birth, how much more must he remember 
 the place where he is born of God, and become^ a joint 
 heir with Jesus Christ! I consider the thought heaven- 
 born that caused a tent to be erected for worship in the 
 summer season. The poor sinner will be drawn into it 
 when you could not persuade him to enter a church. 
 In my own case, for instance, I had heard of the 
 great revival going on in Jayne's Hall, in the engine 
 and hose companies, and almost in every part of 
 the city, and yet never visited any of these places, with 
 the exception of once going into Jayne's Hall and 
 staying about five minutes. But, loitering about one 
 evening, thinking of any thing but religion, I entered 
 the tent; a*id I, who had scarcely been in a church for 
 the last fifteen years, became aware that there was some- 
 thing else than earthly pleasures, — that there was a God 
 to fear, a Saviour to love, and an inheritance in heaven 
 for all who believe in him and follow in his footsteps." 
 
 Conversion of a Gambler. — Among others who 
 found their way to the tent one evening was a man 
 who had long been addicted to intoxication : so com- 
 pletely, also, was he infatuated with the excitement of 
 gambling, that whole days and nights were spent by 
 
'24 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 him in this miserable employment. On one occasion 
 he had gone so far as to play a game of cards on the 
 " cooling-board" on which was lying the corpse of his 
 own sister. But even this man was not beyond the 
 reach of the arm that is mighty to save ! He whose 
 name is " Jesus/' because he saves his people from their 
 sins, has saved him from gambling, and he is now an 
 industrious man, — saved him from intemperance, and 
 now he is a sober man, a good citizen, and a consistent 
 Christian. 
 
 Conversion op a Tavern-Keeper — Striking into a 
 New Path. — A man who had been brought up in a 
 country tavern from the time he was three years of 
 age, — who had always been in the habit of using liquor, 
 often td excess, — stepped into the tent one afternoon, 
 out of mere curiosity. Finding that they were holding 
 a temperance-meeting for boys, he thought he would 
 hear what they had to say. " For the first time in my 
 life," said he, " I felt that I was a sinner, and fast hasten- 
 ing to a drunkard's grave. At the close of the services, 
 hearing them offer to every boy who signed the pledge 
 a New Testament, I determined then and there to strike 
 into a new path. I rose from my seat, went forward to 
 the desk, asked them to let me sign the pledge, and 
 give me a Testament. After this, feeling that I had 
 taken one right step, I resolved to go forward ; and, re- 
 turning home, I prayed to God for pardon ujitil I found 
 it in Jesus Christ. My father and almost our whole 
 family are now converted. We have given up tavern- 
 keeping, and gone to farming, happier and more pros- 
 perous in every way than when engaged in selling rum." 
 
 Conversion of a German. — "God has many times 
 called me to repentance, so that I have even been led 
 to pray for a new heart and the forgiveness of my sins. 
 But then Satan would follow me up closely, and try to 
 make me believe that I was good enough to go to hea- 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 25 
 
 ven, — that I was not as bad as others, — that to go to 
 church once a Sunday, and be honest and charitable, &c. 
 was all that was necessary. This did not satisfy me, 
 however. I felt something more was necessary than 
 mere formality. So I tried to servo God and mammon 
 together, — to please God in some way or other, but at 
 the same time not give up the world. Thus both my- 
 self and my wife grew colder and colder, until suddenly 
 God took away our only child. Feeling this to be an- 
 other call to leave the world, we determined to seek 
 Christ, that we might go to that happy place where our 
 dear child had gone to ; but we did not realize our deter- 
 mination. After this I entered into business, with great 
 prospects of success; but again we saw the finger of 
 God, and we lost almost every thing we had. Thank 
 God that we did not prosper, or we might have been 
 lost forever. Again, therefore, we sought the Lord 
 more earnestly than before, but, oh, we gave way again. 
 So God took away another child, just as dear to us as 
 the first; but another call and another determination 
 resulted no better than the others. It was necessary 
 that we should be afflicted still more. A third child 
 died, — then a beloved mother, — then I was brought to 
 the verge of the grave myself. But, thank God, he 
 saved my life that he might save my soul. After going 
 on in this miserable way year after year, at length the 
 Tent came. Never did I feel the call of God so much, 
 so strong, so earnestly, as there. Never before did 1 
 hear the plan of salvation laid down so simply, so dis- 
 tinctly, and with so much warmth and earnestness, as 
 by the different servants of God who preached there. 
 Each invitation seemed to be the last that we should 
 ever receive, and we felt that it was now or never. . . . 
 Thus has this blessed union tent been the means of 
 bringing me, my dear wife and dear brother, to our 
 blessed Eedeemer ! ,; 
 
 3 
 
26 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Conversion of a Teamster. — Having heard that the 
 tent was to be removed to a new locality, he went to the 
 superintendent and asked the privilege of hauling it, 
 free of charge, both now and whenever in future it was 
 to be moved. As he " had there been born again/' he 
 wished thus to show his gratitude. 
 
 The closing services of the tent in each of the locali- 
 ties where it has been pitched have been solemn and 
 affecting in the extreme. No better description can we 
 give than this : that it was as if the good and great 
 Physician himself had been visibly present before the 
 multitude, and was about to take his final departure, 
 leaving many still unhealed. The grief that is some- 
 times witnessed on a funeral occasion is the only com- 
 parison that will at all do justice to the overwhelming 
 sorrow and distress of those to whom the "tent" had 
 been their only gospel-home, and who felt as if the call 
 was, " Come now to Christ, or you will never come, and 
 be lost forever!" 
 
 Thus it w r as on the removal of the tent from Broad 
 Street. Up to this time, its location had only been 
 changed from one portion of the city to another, and 
 was still accessible ; but now that the candlestick was 
 to be removed out of its place, men " heard as for their 
 lives." Those who had hitherto been negligent of the 
 invitations of the gospel were now made to feel the 
 power of its Sanctions. Especially during the closing 
 address, it seemed to us as if we were in the midst of 
 falling thunderbolts. Nearly a hundred rose for prayer; 
 many remained in the tent, and could scarcely be per- 
 suaded to leave it at eleven o'clock; and the inquiry- 
 meeting the next day at a private house, so far as the 
 distress of sinners was concerned, was Pentecost over 
 again. For a time, praying, singing, or speaking were 
 equally out of the question; and if ever the servants of 
 Christ needed the tongue of the learned to speak a word 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 27 
 
 in season to those that were weary, it was at that house 
 in Fifteenth Street. 
 
 Still more remarkable was the history of the last day 
 of the tent in Quakertown. Strictly speaking, the "Can- 
 vas Church" was not a new idea, but one that had been 
 gradually developing itself through a series of years. 
 The real germ of it is to be found in a "portable pulpit" 
 used in his missionary-tour by the same brother who 
 afterwards projected the "Union Tabernacle," and who 
 has thus far so successfully superintended its operations. 
 Originally the tent was designed for the country, to be 
 used for preaching, just as the "big tent" had been em- 
 ployed in this State in 1855 for Temperance. Some of 
 the heaviest contributors towards it resided in the coun- 
 try; and the understanding was that, after it had ac- 
 complished its mission for the time in the city, it might 
 be removed into various counties in the State where the 
 providence of God would indicate, — particularly among 
 the Germans. 
 
 The first place where it was pitched after leaving the 
 city was Quakertown, a village of some five hundred 
 inhabitants, — thrifty, industrious, intelligent, but where, 
 with the exception of a Friends' (Hicksite) meeting- 
 house on the outskirts, there was no church, and where, 
 until recently, such a thing as a public prayer-meeting 
 has never been known. A field more unpromising into 
 which to introduce evangelical truth it is very difficult 
 to imagine. The opposition was characteristic. "The 
 tent is a trap to make money," they said; and several 
 days elapsed before the people could be persuaded other- 
 wise. Even those who stood around the doors ventured 
 in only after the strongest assurances and the most 
 urgent and repeated invitations. But this, as it after- 
 wards appeared, was only for the trial of our faith. The 
 earnest, heartfelt petitions of the noon prayer-meeting 
 in Jayne's Hall, offered daily for the success of the Union 
 
28 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Tabernacle in its new field of operations, entered into 
 the ear of the God of Sabaoth. Israel prevails against 
 Amalek. The walls of Jericho fall down before the ark 
 of the Covenant. The same gospel that, at the begin- 
 ning, went forth "conquering and to conquer" — that 
 triumphed over Judaism in Jerusalem, philosophy in 
 Athens, sensuality in Corinth, barbarism in Melita, 
 idolatry at Eome, and worldliness in Philadelphia — was 
 also destined to gain no insignificant triumph in this little 
 village of Quakertown. 
 
 After nine days of preaching, during which "the word 
 of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed," it was deter- 
 mined, according to previous arrangement, to strike the 
 tent on the 6th of October. At 2 p.m. of that day, while 
 engaged in public worship, the congregation were sud- 
 denly interrupted by a burst of youthful voices, singing 
 the hymn, — 
 
 " How pleasant thus to dwell below, 
 In fellowship of love ! 
 And, though we part, 'tis bliss to know 
 The good shall meet above," &c. 
 
 and ending each verse with the chorus, — 
 
 " Oh, that will be joyful ! 
 To meet, to part no more, 
 On Canaan's happy shore ; 
 And sing the everlasting song 
 With those who've gone before." 
 
 Thus singing, round and round the tent the children 
 marched, bearing in front of them a beautiful banner, 
 garlanded with fresh and fragrant flowers, with the 
 motto, ""VYe love him, because he first loved us." 
 As may be imagined, both tne speaker and the audience 
 were much affected by this unlooked-for testimony of 
 the new Sunday-school children to the good that had 
 been wrought in the tent during the time that it was 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 29 
 
 pitched in their village; and, as the words "part no 
 more," "part no more," were echoed and re-echoed 
 through the tent, no doubt they thought of the time 
 when Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, 
 and the children echoed through the temple, "Hosanna, 
 hosanna to the Son of David!" At the close of the 
 services, the little singers presented as a token of their 
 gratitude four magnificent wreaths, — " a perishable me- 
 morial of good imperishable." What added still further 
 to the value of these wreaths was the fact that they 
 were woven by the young men and young women who 
 had been converted in the tent, and who, all the while 
 that they were weaving them, were singing and praying 
 for the future success of the tent in its mission of truth 
 and love. 
 
 But it was at the close of the evening service that 
 "the fountains of the great deep were broken up." 
 "You saw," says an eye-witness, "the closing services 
 of the tent in Philadelphia, and know their character; 
 but there is no comparison between the scene in Phila- 
 delphia and at Quakertown. The latter beggars all 
 description. Would that I could paint such a picture as 
 was given that night by the recording-angel before the 
 throne of God ! To my own mind, it appeared more 
 like the evening after a day of battle than any thing 
 else I could think of. There were those who were re- 
 joicing in the victory that had been achieved in the 
 name of the Lord. There, those who, with tears of 
 gratitude in their eyes, pressed forward to thank the 
 Captain of Salvation for their deliverance from the cap- 
 tivity of Satan. There, too, in little groups, were gath- 
 ered the wounded in spirit and the sorrowing in heart, 
 with the ministers and Christians belonging to various 
 branches of the church of our Lord standing in the 
 midst of them and pointing to the great Physician of 
 souls, i by whose stripes we arc healed/ 
 
 3* 
 
30 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 "It was eleven o'clock p.m. before the people left the 
 tent, and then only to assemble in two different houses 
 — the English in one and the Germans in the other — for 
 personal conversation and prayer. There were seen, 
 kneeling side by side in the same row, a mother, a son, 
 and a daughter; a young married lady, her husband, 
 her mother, two brothers, and two sisters ! And, in the 
 other house, a father, mother, four adult sons, and a 
 daughter, — constituting, with the exception of a little 
 child, the entire family. 
 
 " The scene at the German meeting was such a one as 
 has been very seldom witnessed. Filling the front-room, 
 the back-room, the entry, the staircase, the porch, and 
 some of them standing out of doors, were more than a 
 hundred persons, putting the earnest inquiry, ' What 
 must I do to be saved V 
 
 "We continued talking and praying with them until 
 midnight; and then, oh, how hard it was to say fare- 
 well ! ' Don't leave us until we find Jesus !' exclaimed 
 one, in the agony of her heart; and such seemed to be 
 the feeling among them all. It was not until two o'clock 
 in the morning that the last inquirer had left the house, 
 and we found an opportunity to pour out our gratitude 
 to God for the wonders he had this dav wrought." 
 
 That all this was not mere temporary excitement is 
 evident from the fact that, immediately on the tent 
 being taken down, eleven of the prominent men of the 
 village, representing six different denominations, organ- 
 ized themselves into a committee, and, on the very 
 same lot of ground on which the tent had been pitched, 
 erected a Winter Tabernacle, eighty-five by sixty feet, 
 which was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God, 
 with appropriate services, November 7, 1858. They 
 present the singular spectacle of a little community 
 who, by the simple preaching of the gospel, are only 
 Christians, and nothing more; and who, while they love 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 31 
 
 i 
 
 those of every name who preach Jesus Christ and him 
 crucified, and give them a cordial welcome, have no dis- 
 tinctive name of their own. The interest awakened 
 on their behalf is intense ; and we do most earnestly 
 entreat of every Christian brother and sister into whose 
 hands these pages may fall that they would remember 
 in their prayers the little community of disciples at 
 Quakertown. As yet the seamless robe has not been 
 rent. God grant by his Spirit and his Providence that 
 it may continue whole ! 
 
 Interesting, however, as is the history of the work of 
 God in connection with the " Tent/' there is another 
 chapter in "Union Missions" which, in some respects, at 
 least, is still more remarkable. About the same time 
 that services were commenced in the Tabernacle, a very 
 deep and unusual interest began to be manifested by 
 many Christians on behalf of the Firemen of Phila- 
 delphia. Numbering nearly a hundred companies, and 
 enrolling on their lists thousands of members, active 
 and contributing, owning for the most part their own 
 engine and hose houses, and composed principally of 
 young men in the very prime of life, it was easy to see 
 why they too should be made the subjects of earnest 
 prayer. The ties of grace, like those of nature, are not- 
 to be restricted within temporary and artificial limits. 
 A son is a son, a brother a brother, a husband a hus- 
 band, no matter what the association with which he may 
 be identified. Hence, at a very early period in the his- 
 tory of the revival, sermons were delivered in churches 
 and halls to the firemen ; and in the various " Union 
 Meetings" special prayer was made for their conversion. 
 At length the subject was taken up by the Young Men's 
 Christian Association; and it was resolved, after due de- 
 liberation, to commence a series of "Firemen's Prayer- 
 Meetings." "Firemen's prayer-meetings!" said one: 
 11 who ever dreamed of such a thing?" And yet, wild 
 
32 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 and Quixotic as it seemed in the first instance, the 
 movement has abundantly manifested itself as of the 
 Lord. 
 
 Scarcely had the resolution been adopted, when a 
 hose-company came forward and offered the use of their 
 hall for a prayer-meeting, even before any application 
 had been made to them for this purpose. The offer was 
 promptly accepted, and the meeting commenced : at 
 first with only a few in attendance, but afterwards, as 
 the result of personal effort with the members of the 
 company, with many more. 
 
 "At the first firemen's prayer-meeting," said a brother, 
 "I saw a young man whom I was accustomed to meet 
 daily elsewhere. It appeared my duty to speak to him 
 about his soul. I did so next day, and found him an at- 
 tentive hearer. I followed up the conversation by a let- 
 ter, setting before him the finished work of Christ for 
 him, and the claims of Christ upon him, in just such a 
 simple form as I hoped might be blessed of the Holy 
 Spirit. A few days after, I went to see him ; but, with- 
 out any apparent desire to avoid the claims of Christ 
 upon him for his love and obedience, he seemed to think 
 that his ' coming to Christ' must be a progressive work. 
 I preached to him a present Jesus, able to save, willing 
 to save, and to save him now! At the close of the con- 
 versation, in answer to a proposal to meet me at the 
 throne of grace that night at ten o'clock, he at his 
 house and I at mine, he replied, ' I never prayed in my 
 life : I know not how to pray/ Showing him from the 
 parable of the Pharisee and Publican what prayer was, 
 he promised, with a full heart, to comply with my re- 
 quest. At noon, I went to one of our smaller union 
 meetings and presented his case these. In the evening, 
 I did the same thing at our own church prayer-meeting, 
 and suggested to all who would feel it a privilege so to 
 do to unite at the hour of ten o'clock in one supplication 
 
THE WORK OF OOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 33 
 
 for thai young man. The hour, I have reason to behove, 
 wae well observed. The next morning, about ten o'clock, 
 I saw him approaching me in the street Grasping me 
 cordially by the hand, the tears pouring down his cheeks, 
 and his voice almost choked by emotion, he exclaimed, 
 1 God blessed my soul last night, while I waited before 
 him !' . . . Several months have now elapsed, and he is 
 still an humble and consistent follower of Jesus Christ." 
 
 Encouraged by the success of the first prayer-meet- 
 ing, a second was soon opened in another company; and 
 here, too, the blessing of God was almost immediately 
 apparent, — so much so that, on the 24th of March, one 
 of its members presented himself in Jayne's Hall, and 
 bore the following testimony to what God had done for 
 his soul : — 
 
 '♦I am a poor fireman. I never spoke before on any oc- 
 casion; and I want you to pray for me now, that I may 
 do what I promised God I would do almost the very 
 moment I found peace to my soul. I attended the first 
 prayer-meeting held in our hose-house, and there my 
 feelings were deeply aroused. I felt I was a sinner. I 
 knew I had no interest in my Saviour. But I felt that 
 I wanted an interest in him; and before I left that room 
 I resolved, with the help of God, from that night that I 
 would forsake all my evil ways and try to serve God all 
 the remainder of my life. Just before I made this re- 
 solve, many things came into my mind. I had one par- 
 ticular associate, — one in whose company I always felt 
 happy. AVe always went together, and I loved him. 
 Thoughts of this kind came up : Could I quit his com- 
 pany ? I knew I would have to as an associate. I knew 
 I would have to give up all my old companions as asso- 
 ciates, and I thank God that I felt that I could not 
 leave that room that night without making the resolve 
 to do so. 
 
 "As I sat and heard the different brothers exhort 
 C 
 
3-1 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 and offer prayer, I felt that I would like to become a 
 Christian too. I thought that they must be really 
 happy, and from that night I commenced to pray God 
 to make me a Christian. I was out of employment at 
 that time, and through the day I would go up in my 
 room and shut myself in. I would then take the Bible 
 and read two or three chapters, and afterwards kneel 
 down and pray. I went on so for about two weeks, at 
 least seven or eight times a day, but still I could not 
 find the Saviour. I commenced getting discouraged. I 
 had heard that the Holy Spirit would not always strive 
 with man, and I began to feel alarmed. I would sit in 
 my room and try to make solemn thoughts. I thought 
 if I could get solemn then I could get on my knees and 
 pray to God. I would try to think on God and then on 
 hell; but I could not get the feeling I wanted. I felt as 
 if I wanted some instruction. I could not pray aright. 
 I determined therefore at one of the meetings in our 
 hose-house to ask one of our brothers what I must do 
 to become a Christian. After the meeting was over, I 
 followed a brother to the corner : I then stopped him 
 and told him I would like to become a Christian. I told 
 him I had endeavoured to pray, but I could not pray 
 feelingly. He invited me to come to the church where 
 he attended. I did so, and was there introduced to one 
 of the members, who asked me to call and see him the 
 next day. I was very glad of the opportunity, but I 
 could not get off from my business, as we were then much 
 hurried. During the week I felt very uneasy, so much 
 so that I could not wait any longer: so I quit my work, 
 and went to see the brother who had invited me. When 
 I went to see him, I was very anxious, but when I left 
 his place, I must confess that it was with joy. The way to 
 be saved appeared so clear and simple that I could not 
 restrain my rapture. He clearly showed me that I 
 could not come to God with any merits of my own ; that 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 35 
 
 none of my works wore of any avail ; that I was not to try 
 to make myself righteous, but that I should go to Christ 
 'just as I am/ with all my sins, with all my unfeeling- 
 ness, looking away from myself, and asking God to have 
 mercy upon me only for the sake of Jesus Christ! That 
 night I went home with joy, and when I went to my 
 prayers I did go different from any time in my life. I 
 prayed without waiting to get feeling. After I had done 
 praying, and got up off my knees, I did not feel that 
 God had blessed me. But some ten or fifteen minutes 
 after I had got in bed, there was one of the happiest 
 feelings I ever had in my life. I was so really happy 
 that I was going to wake my bed-fellow, to tell him how 
 happy I was. But I thought he would not know what I 
 meant. I must have gone to sleep in this happiness, for 
 in the morning my heart was full, and I could not rest 
 until I told all my people and all my associates what 
 God had done for my soul. Oh, pray for me and for all 
 the firemen, for greatly do we need your prayers." 
 
 We are happy to add that this testimony was not 
 given in vain, but that his " bed-fellow/' and more than 
 one of his associates, were soon found walking with him 
 in the ways of righteousness, as once they had walked 
 in the ways of sin. 
 
 Here is the testimony of one of them given one Satur- 
 day evening at a young men's prayer-meeting: — 
 
 " I feel as though I wanted to say something to this 
 meeting, and yet I don't know hardly what to say. My 
 heart is full. 
 
 "I was thinking to-night, on coming to this meeting, 
 on passing a house where I used to pass my Saturday 
 nights, why I didn't care to spend them there any more. 
 I know I don't, and that I feel a great deal better to be 
 here. 
 
 " A little thing happened to me the other night down 
 at the hose-house. I was thinking whether I could be 
 
36 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 as good a fireman since my conversion as before, and I 
 find I can be a better one. I bunk at the hose-house, and 
 of late I have been sleeping in the meeting-room ; for 
 [and here his voice faltered] I feel that in that room I 
 was born again, and I love that room. "Well, we are having 
 some repairs done to our house, and the other night the 
 company had to turn into the meeting-room to sleep too, 
 as the bunk-room was upside down. When my bedtime 
 came, there were quite a number of the company in the 
 room. Now, I am in the habit of reading a chapter in 
 my Testament, and of offering up a prayer to God, before 
 I go to bed. I felt that I couldn't go to sleep until I had 
 done that; but somehow I felt a little backward there, 
 for I was afraid that they would laugh and jeer at me. 
 Still, I thought that it had got to be done. So I went up 
 to the desk, turned the gas on a little brighter, opened 
 my Testament, and began to read. It was in Matthew, 
 a very interesting chapter, all about Judas Iscariot 
 betraying his Master, and how sorry he was for it after- 
 wards. This made me determine not to betray him. 
 But, while I was reading, every man of the company 
 kept as quiet and orderly as could be. 
 
 " After I had got through reading, I went to my set- 
 tee, and surely, I thought, they would have something to 
 say when they saw me on my knees in prayer. But I 
 got down first on one knee and then on another, and — 
 would you believe it ? — there wasn't a noise or a remark 
 made. Whilst I was so engaged, you might have heard 
 a pin drop all through the room, and when I was 
 through, I lay down and went to sleep, with a smile on 
 my lips; and it w T as the happiest night in all my life. 
 
 "Now, I want to say to any young man in this room, 
 to-night, if there is any one here who is afraid to come 
 out and Stand up for Jesus, for fear of your companions 
 laughing at you or making fun of you, it is a foolish 
 feeling. I tell you, if there is any laughing, or jeering, 
 
THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 37 
 
 or scoffing going on, you will not find it among firemen; 
 and I tell you, too, that they respect mo to-day more 
 than they ever did when I was not a Christian." 
 
 On the 25th of April, one of the oldest and most influ- 
 ential companies in the city threw open their hall for a 
 daily prayer-meeting. The hall, being unusually large, 
 well furnished, and in a central location, became at once 
 a rallying-point not only for firemen, but for their 
 mothers and sisters, for strangers, and for Christians 
 generally. Perhaps, next to Jayne's Hall and the " Union 
 Tabernacle," the history of the "Diligent" meeting con- 
 stitutes one of the most remarkable features in the whole 
 revival. To see a few praying young men enter the 
 hall of a company in which, up to that time, of its active 
 members there was not a single member of the church 
 of Christ; to see these young men conciliated, interested, 
 and prevailed upon to attend the meetings ; to see one 
 after another, under the striving of the Holy Spirit, rise 
 in their places, and thus express their desires that the 
 people of God should remember them in prayer; to see 
 day after day those of them who had resolved "to cease 
 to do evil" and " learn to do well" coming out on the 
 Lord's side, and professing their determination to "Stand 
 up for Jesus;" eventually to see this very prayer-meeting 
 conducted by the members of the company and sustained 
 by their prayers and exhortations, — was a sight which, 
 considering all the circumstances of the case, the age of 
 these young men, their previous history, and their pecu- 
 liar temptations, has never known a parallel in our city. 
 
 Instead of general description, however, we submit a 
 few extracts from the reports of the committee having 
 the meeting in charge: — 
 
 "August 28. — The meetings during the past week 
 have been characterized by a manifest presence of the 
 Holy Spirit. Never have we witnessed such deep 
 solemnity. The hall has been filled every afternoon, 
 
38 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 and on some occasions several were standing in the 
 passage. On last Sabbath evening at an early hour the 
 room was full to overflowing. Many went away unable 
 to get seats. So large was the attendance, it was thought 
 best to start another meeting in one of the upper stories. 
 This second meeting numbered over a hundred, and the 
 voice of praise and prayer and exhortation ascended 
 and mingled together in these two rooms. 
 
 " Bequests of a most touching nature are daily offered 
 and made the subject of united prayer. One of these 
 deserves notice. A young man who acknowledged him- 
 self in the request as being present, stated therein that 
 he had no hope in Jesus, but he desired the prayers of 
 the meeting in behalf of a dear sister, who was also with- 
 out hope in the Saviour, and fast sinking into the grave 
 with consumption. His desire was that the sister might 
 go to heaven to meet Christian parents there. A most 
 singular instance of the striving of the Holy Spirit in 
 the hearts of poor sinners 5 but, we may add, by no 
 means a solitary instance. The confidence of the impeni- 
 tent in the power of prayer has not unfrequently been 
 such as to shame Christians themselves. 
 
 " September 4. — The present week has been one of 
 remarkable blessing. On Sabbath evening, long before 
 the hour arrived, the principal hall in the second story 
 was filled. The room in the third story was also filled. 
 The room above, in the fourth story, had every seat 
 occupied, the passage and stairway were crowded with 
 anxious listeners, and many went away not being able 
 to obtain seats. In the second story there was present 
 a delegation of about twenty-five members from one 
 company, and of twenty members from another. Un- 
 usual solemnity and earnestness characterized all the 
 meetings, and it was a night long to be remembered. 
 
 "Some weeks ago. so great was the interest, it was 
 thought advisable to request members of the company 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 39 
 
 to remain after the dismissal of the meeting, to spend a 
 short season in prayer. This little meeting, held at the 
 close of the regular meeting, has been wonderfully 
 blessed. We do not know what namo to give it. There 
 is no formality in it. A brother starts a hymn; another 
 follows in prayer, and another, and still another. It 
 seems like the gathering of the disciples after the death 
 and ascension of our blessed Master. His Spirit is 
 evidently with us, and our earnest prayer is that he may 
 breathe upon us more and more every day. Truly, God 
 is doing great things for his people !" 
 
 One of these supplemental meetings was a very 
 remarkable one; but we do not feel at liberty on this 
 account, merely because it teas remarkable, to withhold 
 the testimony of brethren in relation to it. Not aiming 
 to work out any theory by what we state, we desire to 
 be as far from suppression on the one hand as from 
 exaggeration on the other. 
 
 " When we came out of the meeting in the second 
 story," says a good brother, " finding that they were 
 still singing in the fourth story, I, with several others, 
 went up there, to join them in their worship. After 
 prayer, and singing, the power of the blessed Spirit's 
 influence was so felt in that room, and there was such a 
 heavenly atmosphere pervading it, that every heart was 
 filled with joy unspeakable. The 'baptism' came down 
 indeed. Such a season of 'refreshing from the presence 
 of the Lord' I scarcely ever felt before. It was worth 
 a lifetime of trial to be permitted to enjoy it." 
 
 The tender, devotional spirit of these meetings has 
 reminded almost all who entered them, of the " upper 
 room" at Jerusalem. Earely indeed has any meeting 
 passed without the manifested presence of the Holy 
 Spirit, — that sweet melting of heart which Christians so 
 well know, but which they find it so impossible to 
 describe. Perhaps no better representation of the spirit 
 
40 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 of these meetings was ever given than in the remark of 
 a lady, that "it seemed to her just like family worship V 
 Certainly the facts in the case warrant a full develop- 
 ment of the idea. The people of God accustomed to 
 assemble there have felt just like one large family, and 
 the very last question asked in reference to any of them 
 is, To what denomination does he belong ? It is the 
 family name, the surname, that has been the dearest to 
 them, and not the name that goes before it. Most 
 emphatically have they all been one in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Some of the scenes that have been there witnessed 
 have been thrilling in the extreme. About the first 
 week in June, when the presence of the Holy Spirit in 
 the minds and hearts of the impenitent was a fact that 
 admitted and received no contradiction, a prominent 
 member of the company rose to thank God that he had 
 found peace in believing, and was then able to " Stand 
 up for Jesus" and confess him before men. Then, turn- 
 ing immediately from the chairman to the audience, his 
 eye searching every part of the room as if to find some 
 one in particular, he exclaimed, with an earnestness and 
 tenderness of manner that melted every heart, "And I 
 have a very dear friend in this room, a member of this 
 company; I don't see him here, but I am sure he is 
 here: he needs Christ as much as I do; I want him, I 
 invite him, to come to Christ and find pardon. for his 
 sins also ! Oh that all would come I" If the invitation 
 was not accepted, it certainly was not the fault of him 
 by whom it was extended. 
 
 Among the various collateral incidents connected with 
 this circumstance, perhaps one that occurred at another 
 engine-house, the Tuesday evening following, may be 
 deemed worthy of special notice. The room was large, 
 the meeting crowded, and the firemen in attendance 
 principally down by the door and standing in the entry. 
 One of the speakers, who declared that the firemen for 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 41 
 
 tho last few days had been the first thought in the morn- 
 ing and the last thought at night, and who believed that 
 this was emphatically the firemen's accepted time and 
 the day of their salvation, told the company that, by the 
 grace of God, be meant to speak to them as plainly and 
 affectionately as the converted fireman who had the 
 last week appealed to his impenitent companion. " I 
 wish," said he, " to walk down this aisle to-night, as 
 Paul did through the streets of Corinth, proclaiming on 
 the right hand and on the left, that 'Christ died for our 
 sins/ Could I cause all your sins to pass before you in 
 long array, or place you in the midst of tho falling 
 thunderbolts of Sinai, or suspend you by a single thread 
 over the lake of fire, this would not suffice to bring you 
 to repentance; you must find it at the foot of the cross; 
 you must look on Him who died thereon; you dare not, 
 cannot, look long at the crucified One and remain un- 
 moved. You cannot candidly contemplate the thought 
 that you have never thanked Jesus Christ for what he 
 has done to save your soul, and deliberately remain his 
 enemy by further impenitence and unbelief." 
 
 The bow was drawn at a venture, but the arrow sped 
 home to the heart for which God intended it. At the 
 close of the meeting, a young man, with his face buried 
 in his hands, and sobbing audibly, presented himself as a 
 subject of prayer. So deeply did the thought of his 
 ingratitude pierce through and through his heart, that 
 for some time after the meeting was over, he had 
 scarcely physical strength to rise from his seat and 
 leave the room. That night he found his way as an in- 
 quirer to the house of his pastor; and the next day at 
 the noon prayer-meeting, all fear of man thrown aside, 
 too full of joy to restrain its manifestation, his grateful 
 exclamation was, "Come, all ye that fear God, and I will 
 declare what he hath done for my soul V 
 
 This confession again, in its turn, was the means of 
 
42 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 bringing out another. His heart was too full more than 
 simply to arise in his place and thank God "that he had 
 heard his prayers." We asked and subsequently ob- 
 tained from him the following communication : — 
 
 " On sitting down to write out my religious experi- 
 ence, I feel a prayerful anxiety that I ma}' relate only 
 such things as may be for edification, and that I may 
 be kept from glorying in aught save the cross of Christ. 
 When, however, I think that possibly one reader of 
 these lines may be encouraged to pray without ceasing, 
 and place all their hope upon that Saviour who has 
 rescued me from the horrible pit, all distaste at the idea 
 of making public the sacred communings of the Holy 
 Spirit with my own soul vanishes. 
 
 "In my boyhood, and as a young man, I was gra- 
 ciously restrained from open immorality, but I was con- 
 scious in my own heart of being utterly vile in the sight 
 of God, and often sought his face with earnest prayer. 
 About two years ago I took part in a Sunday-school; 
 and here let me bear my testimony to the blessed effect 
 of this kind of work on those engaging in it, and en- 
 courage every young person to enter such a field of labour 
 in a prayerful spirit. 
 
 "One Saturday night, after preparing my Sunday les- 
 son, I knelt in prayer, and, ah ! how well I remember 
 that sweet opportunity ! my whole soul seemed poured 
 out before Jesus, that he would wash away my sins and 
 plead my cause with God. It seemed to me I never had 
 prayed so earnestly before, nor ever felt so anxious to 
 be saved. I drew near unto God, and he seemed to draw 
 near unto me. I felt a sweet peace come over my soul 
 while praying, and then a joy unspeakable and full of 
 glory was shed abroad in my heart, and I knew that 
 my Redeemer had borne the penalty of my sins on the 
 accursed tree. I rose from my knees and awakened my 
 dear wife, for I could not but want to have her rejoice 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 43 
 
 with mc that this soul that was dead in trespasses and 
 sins had come to life." 
 
 Affecting Appeal. — At a prayer-meeting in an engine- 
 company, a brother rose and made the following state- 
 ment. "At the fire which recently occurred in Market 
 Street, a person was entirely buried beneath the ruins, 
 with the exception of his right arm. Attracted by his 
 cries for relief, a fireman descended from the adjoining 
 building and extricated him. Borne off upon a settee 
 insensible, he did not learn the name of his deliverer. 
 On subsequently inquiring, he heard that the friendly 
 fireman belonged to this very company where the meet- 
 ing is to-night. The man who was then saved now 
 stands before you. / am that man, and I stand here to 
 thank my deliverer; and, as the best way of which I can 
 think to show my gratitude to him, I now invite him to 
 Jesus, the great deliverer of the soul." The subsequent 
 interview between the two men was deeply affecting. 
 The invitation was received in good part by him to 
 whom it was extended, and he promised that his soul 
 should no longer remain uncared for. 
 
 Singular Conversion. — On one of the hottest even- 
 ings in July we attended a little prayer-meeting in a 
 hose-company, which was of great interest to us. At 
 least one-half of those who were present and who prayed 
 and exhorted were converted firemen. The experience 
 of the leader on taking the chair, briefly and unpretend- 
 ingly as it was told, made upon us a very deep impres- 
 sion. " No man," said he, " can be more surprised than 
 I to find myself in such a position. You all know me 
 very well, who I am, and what I have been. [His busi- 
 ness was to supply the company with cigars and Sunday 
 newspapers.] One Sunday, I was sitting in my shop 
 reading a story in a Sunday newspaper. It was called 
 1 Truth and Honesty/ and was about a little boy. After 
 reading it, I felt that there ivas such a thing as truth, and 
 
 
\ 
 44 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 that it was better to do right than to do wrong. These were 
 the feelings that first brought me to the prayer-meet- 
 ings ; and now I hope I know what it is to believe the 
 truth that saves the soul." We called with him after- 
 wards at his house to see that paper. We found that he 
 had at once abandoned his business; and now, as we 
 write, the very paper lies before us, with the same mark 
 it had upon it when he drew it from the desk. Many 
 times since have we seen that strong and earnest face in 
 prayer-meeting, but never without thinking how much 
 more God is able and willing to do for the conversion 
 of sinners than his people are to ask him to do it. If 
 one man can be reached at a time so unexpected and 
 by an instrumentality so apparently insignificant and 
 insufficient, why not thousands and tens of thousands 
 more? 
 
 Plain Questions and Honest Answers. — Disap- 
 pointed one evening in not finding any members of the 
 company present in their hall, one of our number, leav- 
 ing the prayer-meeting, went down into the room be- 
 low, where most of the members were assembled, smok- 
 ing and talking as usual. " I am very curious," said he, 
 " to know just what you firemen think on the subject 
 of religion. You have just as much right to your opi- 
 nion as I have to mine, — in this respect, at least, that 
 each one of us must give an account for himself unto 
 God." Perceiving that they were not unwilling he 
 should proceed, but rather invited further inquiry, 
 "What, for example," said he, "do you think of the 
 Bible?" "Well," said one, "I believe it. G., don't 
 you?" G. assenting, the same seemed to be the case 
 with all, until at length one remarked, " I guess, sir, we 
 all believe the Bible, and that them that don't believe 
 the Bible don't come this way!" "Another question, 
 then: how many of you read the Bible?" "Ah! that is 
 another question," said the first spokesman. " Pardon 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 45 
 
 me, however, if I put it: when did you read the Bible 
 hist?" " Not since I was home." "And you?" "Not 
 since I was at Sunday-school." "And you?" No an- 
 swer. "Never read it at home or at Sunday-school?" 
 " I never went to Sunday-school." And thus the con- 
 versation continued, until many similar questions had 
 been asked and answered. Oh, to what multitudes of 
 men in this city — firemen as well as others — is the holy 
 book of God like a letter still unopened, the seal still 
 unbroken, — a letter still unread, though it comes to us 
 bearing the image and the superscription of the King of 
 kings himself! How large a portion of the ungodliness 
 which we set down to the account of infidelity may with 
 much greater propriety be attributed to thoughtlessness! 
 
 Swearing. — "Surely there is hope for anybody if 
 such a one as I can be received. Why, sir, for fifteen 
 years I have been a fireman ; and I used to be awfully 
 profane, — so much so that I would scarcely utter five 
 words without an oath. And at the factory where I 
 work I used to use such awfully blasphemous language 
 that the men before now have actually left me and 
 gone away to get out of the sound of my voice. If 
 such a swearer as I has been saved, there is hope for 
 any!" 
 
 How to stop Swearing. — Said another fireman, "God 
 hears prayer. I know he does. I can prove it by my 
 own experience. I was a dreadful swearer; and, though 
 ashamed of it, and oftentimes resolved to give it up, no 
 sooner was my resolution made than I would go away 
 and swear worse than ever. But one day, after I began 
 to feel how wicked it was to take the name of God in 
 vain, I looked to Jesus Christ to help me. And he has 
 helped me. From that day on I have not sworn an 
 oath, nor do I feel any desire to swear; but it is not my- 
 self, it is all of Christ, that I have been able to achieve 
 the victory!" 
 
46 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 " No Swearing, Boys I" — One of the fire-companies, 
 shortly after the revival commenced, made very earnest 
 efforts to stem the tide of profanity which had formerly 
 been but too prevalent among them. On one occasion, 
 when there was an alarm of fire, the director, taking 
 the lead as usual, suddenly wheeled round at a sound 
 he heard, and roared through the trumpet, with a voice 
 of thunder, "ISTo swearing in this company, boys \" 
 Strangely did those words sound through the darkness 
 of the night, and there are some who will never forget 
 them. We trust the same words will yet sound through 
 many trumpets more. 
 
 A Sad Purpose Prevented. — "Well may I thank 
 God for that firemen's prayer-meeting, and acknowledge 
 it, too, to his glory and my own shame ! For many 
 years I had been an orphan. I had just lost my wife. 
 Having nothing to live for, the sooner I got out of the 
 world, it appeared to me, the better. I had even gone 
 so far as to meditate the time and place of self-destruc- 
 tion. But, passing by an engine-house, I heard singing. 
 I went up, and found a prayer-meeting. A friend took 
 me by the hand and invited me to Christ. Hope sprang 
 up in my heart. I thought I would try whether there 
 was any thing in this religion; and now I am not 
 ashamed to say to my brother firemen that there is. It 
 can give peace where nothing else can give it, and make 
 you happy as you could never have believed it possible 
 to be. 'Oh, taste, and see that the Lord is good !' " 
 
 Conversion by a Single Word. — " That night I felt 
 as if I must go to the Firemen's Prayer-Meeting, and as 
 if there would be a message for me. Weeks and months 
 together had passed away, and each week and month 
 had only added to the darkness. I began to feel as if 
 the gate of life would never be opened to me. But, at 
 the close of an earnest exhortation, the brother in- 
 quired, 'Will you come to Jesus now?' And my heart 
 
THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 47 
 
 said, < Yes !' From that moment my bonds were loosed, 
 and I have been permitted to rejoice in that liberty 
 wherewith Jesus makes his people free/' 
 
 The Fireman's Daughter. — At an alarm of fire re- 
 cently in one of our common schools, a little girl was 
 ween sitting very quietly, while others were rushing 
 down-stairs, greatly to their injury. " How came you 
 not to do as the others?" asked her teacher. "Why," 
 said the little girl, "you see my father is a fireman; and 
 he told me if ever there was an alarm of fire in the 
 school-house to sit perfectly still, and I would certainly 
 be saved. I believed father, that I would be saved by 
 doing just what he said." Had every fireman the same 
 faith in what God says about Christ that that fireman's 
 daughter had in the word of her father, how soon would 
 our prayers be turned to praises ! 
 
 A Better Wish. — In the hall of one of the companies 
 stands an ancient speaking-trumpet under a glass case. 
 "Would," said a speaker on one occasion, "that, in- 
 stead of my feeble voice, I could take down this trum- 
 pet and proclaim the gospel to you, so that you might 
 be made to hear ! But no ! I recall that wish. It would 
 be of no avail thus to speak to you. Only 'the still, small 
 voice' of the Holy Spirit can so speak to you as to make 
 you hear." Only this, indeed, only the Holy Spirit, can 
 speak the gospel to the heart. 
 
 Firemen's Consciences not the Hardest. — Two in- 
 fluential members of a certain company opened a tavern 
 not long since in the neighbourhood of the hose-house. 
 Before the month was out, however, one of them gave 
 it up. " Twenty-nine days," said he, " in the liquor- 
 business is too much for my conscience !" What sort 
 of consciences roust they have who continue in it for 
 years ? 
 
 Answer to Prayer. — An old sailor thus spoke one 
 day in Jayne's Hall. " I think I know how to prize the 
 
48 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 religion of Jesus. Once on a wreck for two weeks, and 
 the only one there who had a hope in Christ, who can 
 tell how precious that hope was to me ? Under God, I 
 owe my religion to my mother. Fifty-three years ago, 
 when I was only eight years old, that dear mother, but 
 a short time before her death, clasped me in her arms, 
 and, having prayed that we might meet in heaven, she 
 slept in Jesus. To all human appearance, it seemed for 
 a long time as if those prayers would not be answered. 
 For forty-three years I was a drunkard and a blasphe- 
 mer. But I rise in this meeting to-day to testify to the 
 efficacy of prayer, and that I have found a Saviour." 
 
 Silent Prayer. — At one of the first prayer-meetings 
 in Jayne's Hall, a merchant from the South, noted for 
 his profanity and infidel sentiments, finding that the 
 young salesman was going there to the meeting, deter- 
 mined to accompany him. Turning to the other cus- 
 tomers, he said that he wished it to be distinctly under- 
 stood that he went merely out of curiosity, to report 
 what he saw when he returned home. For a while the 
 scene seemed to make little or no impression upon him; 
 but, towards the close of the services, Eev. Dudley A. 
 Tyng proposed to engage for five minutes in silent 
 prayer. For a time the great congregation was as still 
 as the chamber of death, and afterwards the merchant 
 was observed to be weeping. " Let us go," said he to 
 the young man. "No," he replied: "the services will 
 soon be over." When they left the hall, both walked 
 some distance in perfect silence, which was at length 
 broken by the merchant. " I never before felt," said 
 he, "as I did to-day in that prayer-meeting. I do not 
 know what came over me at the moment of silent 
 prayer. I was, against my will, convinced that these 
 people were worshipping God sincerely, and that their 
 religion was true. I have been a scoffer at religion, a 
 member of an infidel club, have bought and sold infidel 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 49 
 
 books. But henceforth, by the help of that God whom 
 I have hitherto rejected and defied, I am resolved to 
 sock that religion with all my heart." Subsequent in- 
 formation lias been received as to his union with the 
 church, and also of the conversion of a brother in con- 
 sequence of his own. 
 
 The Minister's Son. — The prayers of the Jayne's 
 Hall meeting were on one occasion requested by a 
 minister for his son. The request was complied with, 
 and very earnest and importunate supplication made on 
 his behalf. A few days after, the father wrote that, on 
 his return home, he found his son very deeply convicted 
 and earnestly inquiring what he must do to be saved. 
 These convictions terminating in his hopeful conversion, 
 the father and son came down together to the city; and 
 there, in the hall to which they were attached by such 
 sacred associations, a number of brethren, who well 
 remembered the circumstances, had the pleasure of re- 
 joicing with them in their joy. 
 
 The Widow's Son. — Coming out from the hall one 
 day, a lady said to us, "You know C? Some weeks 
 ago, his brother, away off in a distant part of the coun- 
 try, wrote me, proposing that, as this was a time when 
 God was so marvellously hearing prayer, we two should 
 agree to pray for C. The proposal was at once accepted 
 and the letter mailed; but long ere it could have reached 
 its destination, the prayer received its answer." 
 
 " Go, and sin no more." — Meeting a poor woman one 
 morning, we asked her to attend the meeting. At first 
 she excused herself by saying she had work to do, but 
 afterwards she came in and heard a prayer. That prayer 
 touched her heart, and she found no peace until she 
 found it at the foot of the cross. Her life, she said, 
 had been profane ; nor had she read the Bible since her 
 childhood. She is now an humble follower of the Sa- 
 D 5 
 
50 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 viour so long neglected by her, connected with the church 
 of Christ, and labouring to do good to others. 
 
 Prayer, Power with God and Man. — A missionary, 
 illustrating one afternoon at the " Diligent" meeting the 
 nature and power of intercessory prayer, told the follow- 
 ing incident, which may also stand for not a few similar 
 ones recently witnessed in Philadelphia. "During a 
 period of religious interest among the Choctaw Indians, 
 to the surprise of many, a giant Indian came into one 
 of their meetings and took his seat on a log, apparently 
 out of mere curiosity to see what was going on. From 
 the platform where the missionary was sitting, he saw 
 that the entrance of the giant had been noticed by a 
 young convert. First the convert would look at the 
 Indian until his eyes were filled with tears, and then 
 he would clasp his hands together and look up to hea- 
 ven, as if in a perfect agony of prayer. Towards the 
 close of the services the giant was smitten by the truth, 
 like Goliath by the pebble. On the invitation given by 
 the missionary for inquirers to meet him near the plat- 
 form, he came forward trembling and literally tottering 
 with anxiety and distress, asking whether there was 
 any hope for him. Christ was freely offered to him and 
 promptly accepted by him; and thus once more did God 
 declare himself the Hearer of Prayer." 
 
 An Importunate Suppliant. — " Forty years," said a 
 mother in Israel, " was I praying for my husband, thirty 
 years for my daughter; and God heard me for them. 
 And ever since the people of God, at my request, prayed 
 for my son, I feel as if God would also hear me for him." 
 Is not this one of the secrets of the Lord that few con- 
 sider and understand as they ought ? 
 
 Sad Cases. — We read in the Gospels of a poor woman 
 who " had suffered many things of many physicians, and 
 spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but 
 rather grew worse;" fit emblem and but too faithful a 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 51 
 
 representative, this suffering body, of many a still more 
 deeply afflicted and suffering soul! The number of per- 
 sons of this description who have been brought to light 
 and who have known the healing touch of Christ's gar- 
 ment during this present revival has been quite large. 
 It is not the least of the recent wonders of God among 
 us that prayers should be awakened and heard for them 
 also. Take a single example. A lady who had been 
 for many years a member of the church, but who had 
 long been convinced that she had never experienced a 
 change of heart, was led by the Holy Spirit to feel how 
 vain a thing it was to have the "form of godliness" 
 without the "power." She had read, "Whoso covereth 
 his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and for- 
 saketh them shall have mercy." Accordingly, she acted 
 on this advice, and at length opened up her mind fully 
 to a Christian friend. It pleased God at once to enlist 
 his Christian sympathy on her behalf. He prayed with 
 her, he prayed for her; he promised, on one single 
 condition, that he would stand by her in her spiritual 
 trouble, no matter whether it was months or years, 
 until he saw her through it. The condition was this : 
 that she should not deprive him of the power to help 
 her by leaning upon his prayers. The solemn agreement 
 was made; but darker and darker did the shadows 
 gather around her soul, until the eclipse became total. 
 What was to be done? "Ask still more prayer," said 
 her friend. That very night an opportunity was af- 
 forded at the close of a prayer-meeting; and, heavy as 
 the cross was, she resolutely took it up, and " rose for 
 prayer." That prayer, we trust, was not in vain ; and, 
 ere the week was over, such a peculiar combination of 
 the word and the providence and the Spirit of God oc- 
 curred that the hard heart was broken and the stubborn 
 will subdued. We scarcely know whether the encourage- 
 ment to prayer appeared the greatest to the lady her- 
 
52 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 self, to her friend, or to the members of the prayer- 
 meeting where the special petition had been offered on 
 her behalf. 
 
 The sympathy of Christians in endeavouring to bring 
 sinners to Christ has been tender and affectionate in no 
 ordinary degree. On one occasion, at Jayne's Hall, 
 when those who desired the prayers of God's people 
 were requested to signify it by rising or by holding up 
 their right hand, an incident occurred, the spirit of 
 which for the moment reminded us of the time when 
 Jesus of Nazareth passed by in the days of his flesh, 
 and when, " seeing their faith/' (i.e. the faith of the 
 friends of the sufferer,) he spake the word, and the cure 
 was instant and complete ! Twice, but in vain, a lady 
 had endeavoured to lift up her hand. The third time, 
 the friend beside her assisted her to raise it up, both of 
 them being completely overpowered by their emotion. 
 Perhaps there were not more than two or three who 
 witnessed the occurrence ; but by one, at least, who did 
 see it it was a sight never to be forgotten. 
 
 conversions from error. 
 
 Of a Universalist. — " Such I was," said one, " by 
 belief; that is, I tried to make myself believe in the 
 doctrine of universal salvation, and thought I did be- 
 lieve it. But, after all, I did not candidly believe it in 
 my heart. When I thought of the death of friends it 
 would make me shudder. One Sunday, I said to my 
 wife, who belonged to the Society of Friends, ' Suppose 
 we go to church to-day V 
 
 " ' Well/ said she, ' if your conscience so dictates, let 
 us do it/ First we went to a church in B. Street; and, 
 after we had entered, I happened to remember that it 
 had no steeple ! More out of ridicule than any thing 
 else, I said to my wife, ' Let us go to a church with a 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 53 
 
 steeple on it.' Notwithstanding her reproof, I would 
 and did go to the steeple-church. Never was I so af- 
 fected by a sermon in my life. I went home uneasy 
 and troubled, and continued so for days, but without 
 letting any one know it. The first time the minister 
 called, I told him 'it was all humbug/ Some days 
 after he called again, and, among other remarks, made 
 the following: — 'Had you not a mother, and did she not 
 teach you a prayer?' The appeal was more than I 
 could stand, and that single remark had more force in 
 it than if he had talked to me all day. ' Now/ said he, 
 'try and think what that prayer was that your mother 
 taught you.' And, with these words, he bade me 'good- 
 morning.' Weeks and months passed on, but I could 
 find no peace nor rest until I found it in believing in 
 Jesus." 
 
 Conversion of a Unitarian. — "Among the many 
 cases of conversion," writes a friend, " in this special 
 outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is one of unusual inte- 
 rest, not only from the important social position held, 
 but in the radical change wrought in the whole life and 
 character. A lady of cultivated intellect, a bold thinker, 
 impressing her opinions on all with whom she came in 
 contact, became involved with the ensnaring fallacy of 
 Unitarianism. In settling down in this belief she was 
 aided by one of her own sex, equally educated and ac- 
 complished, who confirmed her in this fatal error. By 
 mutual conference each strengthened the other, until at 
 length the resolution was taken to join the Unitarian 
 Church. 
 
 " In this state of mind the claims of the gospel were 
 presented to her, but only to be most strenuously re- 
 sisted. Salvation by a crucified Redeemer was indeed 
 to her 'a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.' To 
 a friend of hers who was privileged to labour with her, 
 she replied, with an emphasis characteristic of the ear- 
 s' 
 
54 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 nal mind, which is 'enmity against God/ 'If I accept 
 Jesus Christ on the terms which you propose, you make 
 me a debtor to him " Amid much discouragement, yet 
 with a constant presentation of the 'truth as it is in 
 Jesus,' the Holy Spirit, after many months of unbeliev- 
 ing rejection, was pleased to discover ' Christ crucified,' 
 as the only way to God. Then came the struggle to 
 submit to the 'righteousness which is by faith in Christ/ 
 "Weeks passed by in the vain hope of satisfying God by 
 a righteousness of her own. But the text-book used 
 during this season of trial was the word of God. ' Thus 
 saith the Lord/ was the answer to all the cavils of un- 
 belief and all the reasonings of philosophy falsely so 
 called. At length, when human reason failed to unravel 
 the great truths of revelation, it was suggested by her 
 friend, as the conclusion of the whole matter, 'Shall not 
 the Judge of all the earth do right V and there he rested 
 the subject. It pleased God to make that declaration of 
 his own word the means of settling her perplexed and 
 bewildered mind. She rested on it, an4 found peace in 
 believing on Jesus. Shortly after, she wrote to her Uni- 
 tarian friend; and an extract from that letter will give 
 you, perhaps, a better idea of the work of the Holy Spirit 
 on her heart than mere general description : — 
 
 " ' For several days I have had a letter on hand to 
 send vou, and have written and re-written it from the 
 difficulty I found in saying just what I wanted. Xow, 
 however, I feel that the simplest way is the best, and 
 that I ought no longer to delay in confessing my Saviour 
 before men. Indeed, I long to confess him, though it be 
 in weakness and with much trembling. Let me confess 
 him to you, my dear friend, and let me ask you to listen 
 patiently to what are now the dearest and deepest 
 thoughts of my life. And yet, what can I say? Jesus 
 died for me ! One thins; onlv I know: — "Whereas once 
 I was blind, now I see." I see him, my Redeemer, my 
 
THE WORK. OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 55 
 
 t 
 
 Sanctifier, m} r ever-present Lord and Master! Above 
 all, I see him an all-sufficient atonement for my sins; 
 and at the sight the weary burden has fallen from me, 
 and left me free in that liberty wherewith Christ has 
 made me free. Oh, if I could but find words to express 
 to you the deep inward peace and joy which has been 
 
 mine at intervals for the last few weeks, dear , I 
 
 think it would touch your heart ! I have honestly, I 
 think, been praying and seeking to be enlightened with 
 the true light from above; and gradually, almost in- 
 sensibly, I have been drawn nearer and nearer unto 
 Jesus of Nazareth, until at last, weary, sin-sick, and un- 
 worthy, as I know I am, I have fallen at the foot of the 
 cross, and have sought and found mercy. It is unspeak- 
 ably precious to me to have been thus brought; and oh, 
 I would not exchange this all-sufficient Saviour, and the 
 salvation which is his free gift, (and oh, how free !) for 
 all the righteousness which years or centuries of perfect 
 obedience to the law might win for me ! I glory in the 
 cross of Christ ! 
 
 " ' Yet I write these words in fear and trembling, lest 
 through my unfaithfulness I may bring reproach on the 
 cause I long to serve. May the power of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ keep me faithful to himself ! And now, my dear- 
 est friend, how my heart yearns for you ! How I long 
 to see you come to this Saviour and be at peace ! What 
 can I say? I feel that words are useless. I can only 
 pray for you ; and this, God granting me the ability, I 
 will do until you are brought into this sheltered fold, of 
 which Christ is the compassionate Shepherd. I do not 
 feel as if I could argue the subject with you; for, though 
 "I know that my Eedeemer liveth," I know also that it 
 is not by argument, but from conviction, that you will em- 
 brace the truth; and this no words can adequately ex- 
 press. My heart is too full to write more at present; 
 yet this one thing I may say, — that no motive for work 
 
 
56 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 was ever half so powerful as the thought that I am now 
 working for my dear Saviour. It seems to me that, 
 through Christ strengthening me, I can do all things.' 
 
 " To another friend she says, i On the 13th of March, 
 I went to the prayer-meeting at Jayne's Hall out of 
 mere curiosity. I took my seat in the crowded room 
 with a feeling of infinite superiority to the benighted 
 souls around me who could find any comfort in such 
 scenes of fanatical excitement. But, irresistibly, a dif- 
 ferent feeling stole over me. I realized that the Spirit 
 of God was present there in a way never witnessed by 
 me before. My own poor, philosophical religion seemed 
 vain and dead in view of the whole-souled earnestness 
 which I saw and felt around me. Here was something 
 above and beyond my experience; and, though I had 
 gone in to criticize and scoff, I sat there in tears, with a 
 bitter sense of the insufficiency of all my philosophy. 
 For the first time, my faith in my preconceived opinion 
 was shaken. These worshippers knew whom they be- 
 lieved : I did not, and I could not be at peace/ " 
 
 Personal Epfort. — To a careful observer of the work 
 of God in this city during the last year, there are two 
 things in reference to which there will be little or no 
 dispute. The first is the union of Christians in their 
 spirit. " AVe are all one man's sons," — the sons of Israel. 
 The second is the individuality of Christians in all the 
 various fields of Christian exertion. " Lord, what wilt 
 thou have me to do?" The question of service is asked 
 directly of the Lord, the commission received from him, 
 and not at second-hand from some one else. My pre- 
 sence is wanted: am I there? My prayers are called 
 for: are they forthcoming? There are souls to be saved, 
 and I must do my part towards saving them : who are 
 they, and where are they to be found? 
 
 Personal Obligation to bring Sinners to Eepent- 
 ance, we think it safe to say, has recently been felt in . 
 
THE WORK OF (JOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 57 
 
 this city to an oxtent Unit has never been known in it 
 before. Doing good merely by donation, or deputy, or 
 proxy, has failed to satisfy the conscience. Each man 
 has his own burden and his own cross, or he is not at 
 work as he should 'be. 
 
 The extent to which some of our young men particu- 
 larly have been blessed in their labours has been re- 
 markable indeed. Six, eight, ten, and even more of 
 their companions won to Christ through their imme- 
 diate instrumentality, — such is the history of not a few 
 who thus sincerely and earnestly devoted themselves to 
 the work of the Lord. By conversing with a friend, by 
 inviting him to church or prayer-meeting, by introduc- 
 ing him to a Christian minister, by giving him a book 
 or tract, — above all, by making him the special subject 
 of prayer in secret, — simple as these means appear, they 
 have been all-powerful, through the blessing of God, to 
 produce the desired result. 
 
 Holy Joy. — M Never was I so happy in all my life," 
 said a young convert, after taking up the cross for 
 Christ at a prayer-meeting. "I always knew what Je- 
 sus had done for me, but this was the first time I ever 
 really felt that I had done any thing for Jesus. My joy at 
 conversion was as nothing compared with that which I 
 now feel on entering into service !" 
 
 A Mission Prayer-Meeting. — In a short but thickly- 
 populated street in the upper part of the city, two 
 young men were -seen one afternoon endeavouring to 
 find some room in which to hold a prayer-meeting. 
 Having passed from one end of the street to the other 
 without finding any house for this purpose, the wife of 
 a good-natured skeptic suggested a wish to have such 
 a meeting in their house. Laughingly assenting to the 
 proposition, the meeting was accordingly appointed. 
 For four or five weeks it was continued without any 
 apparent fruit; but, though the blessing "tarried/' it 
 
it 
 
 58 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 came in the end. First the wife was converted ; then 
 a number of others, — the twenty -seventh being the hus- 
 band. Afterwards, it became necessary to have two 
 meetings instead of one, and some forty conversions, it 
 is hoped, may be traced to that little meeting. What 
 is to prevent the establishment of hundreds of similar 
 meetings all over the city? And why not expect from 
 them similar results ? 
 
 The Kunner's Bible-Class. — During the latter part 
 of the winter, a series of meetings, which lasted some 
 seven weeks without intermission, were held for the 
 especial benefit of that class of boys known as the 
 " runners" with the engines. During the progress of 
 the meeting, several professed to have experienced a 
 change of heart; and their subsequent conduct has 
 given good evidence of the truth of their profession. 
 On the termination of the prayer-meetings, a Bible-class 
 was organized — to be held once a week — for the instruc- 
 tion of the young converts and of any others who might 
 wish to attend. The movement unexpectedly proved to 
 be a very popular one. That a class of young men, 
 whose ages range from eighteen to twenty, the regular 
 habitues of the corner, those who were supposed to be 
 almost beyond hope, should meet regularly on a week- 
 day evening for the purpose of receiving instruction 
 from the word of God, and of engaging afterwards in 
 prayer with and for one another, a year ago would have 
 seemed almost impossible. But our readers may rest 
 assured that the fact is even as we declare it. 
 
 A similar movement has been in progress among the 
 " newsboys," showing that they, too, are accessible, — 
 as also among various other classes of neglected youth. 
 The additions to the Sabbath-schools during the last 
 year have been very large. Seventy-four schools (being 
 less than one-third of the whole number) have reported 
 fifteen hundred and forty-six conversions during the year. 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 59 
 
 Various other movements are now in progress among 
 the youth, — even more interesting, some of them, than 
 any we have stated; but they are so recent in their 
 origin that, for the present, it is better to refer to them 
 merely in the general. When, however, the proper time 
 does come to mention them, it will be to many equally 
 the occasion of surprise and joy. 
 
 The Meeting where God was. — At the commence- 
 ment of this revival, some fifteen j'oung men, members 
 of respectable and well-known families in Philadelphia, 
 were banded together as a sort of club. Like hundreds, 
 and, perhaps, thousands of similar circles in the city, 
 they w r ere in the habit of meeting every afternoon and 
 evening in various drinking-saloons, and sometimes in 
 their own homes, to play cards, to drink wine, and 
 spend their nights in revelry. Thus were they all in 
 the broad road to ruin, when it pleased God to arrest 
 one of their number by his Spirit and lead him to a 
 place of worship. Little did he think, on returning 
 home at two o'clock the night before, that the next 
 afternoon he w r ould be in the house of God. But the 
 same mighty leaven was beginning to work in his heart 
 that had already found its way into the hearts of so 
 many others. Lingering at the close of the service and 
 attracting the notice of the minister by his ill-concealed 
 agitation, a conversation ensued between them as to the 
 worth of the soul and how far he himself was interested 
 in this matter personally. All his impressions thus 
 greatly deepened, he determined to abandon the club 
 and throw himself in the way of other and better in- 
 fluences. The following week, he met with one of his 
 old companions with whom he had been the most inti- 
 mate, who rallied him on the change that had come 
 over him and proposed a visit to the circus. Admitting 
 the reality of the change, he endeavoured to persuade 
 his companion that his new life was a better one for him 
 
60 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 than his old one, and induce him to adopt a similar one 
 for himself. Once and again they passed the door of 
 the circus during their walk; but, their conversation be- 
 coming more and more absorbing, the friend, now also 
 awakened, returned with him to his house. It was not 
 long before both friends were rejoicing in Him who loves 
 to be called the " Friend of sinners." 
 
 The conversion of these two young men was not with- 
 out its effect on the rest of their companions; and, for a 
 time, the operations of the club were completely sus- 
 pended. Hearing, after some weeks, that it was about 
 to be revived, it was agreed between the two to antici- 
 pate the movement by a prayer-meeting. Such a meet- 
 ing was accordingly appointed at the house of one of the 
 converts, to which he invited not only all his old asso- 
 ciates of the club, but some of his new-found friends in 
 the Christian Association. The scene was certainly a 
 most extraordinary one. Those who, in that same 
 house, had gathered around the card-table, to drink the 
 intoxicating cup, to sing the bacchanalian song, and in- 
 dulge freely in the language of profanity, now met to 
 worship God in praise and prayer ! From this time for- 
 ward nothing more was heard of reviving the club. The 
 prayer-meeting took its place : the Bible was substituted 
 for the decanter, and the hymn-book for the pack of 
 cards. Each successive meeting seemed to increase in 
 interest; until, at length, in the early part of the sum- 
 mer, one meeting in particular was held, which will be 
 long remembered by those who were present as " the 
 meeting where God was." The room was closely filled 
 with about fifty young men ; and it was evident, from 
 the very commencement of the meeting, that God was 
 in the midst of them. As soon as the meeting was 
 thrown open, one young man arose and asked them to 
 pray for him, as he had just determined, by the help of 
 God, to be a Christian. First one prayer was offered 
 
THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. Gl 
 
 for him, and then another, all remaining on their knees, 
 and pleading fervently with God, not only for this friend 
 but for every other there that was seeking Jesus. At 
 the close of this prayer, a third commenced praying. 
 He prayed that God would lead the Christians then pre- 
 sent to pray for him. He prayed in the broken accents 
 of a foreigner, — as one "who had no friend;" who had 
 "left a dear mother far over the waves;" who was a 
 stranger in a strange land ; and who wanted " to have 
 Jesus to be his friend," who was the " friend and Saviour 
 of his mother in Europe." Tears were seen streaming 
 from every eye ; and a fourth brother took up the bur- 
 den and prayed, while they were still kneeling, for him 
 who had last prayed, as " no longer a stranger, but a 
 brother !" The company then all arose from their knees 
 weeping, and for some time not a man could summon 
 the courage, or collect himself sufficiently, to say a 
 single word. The leader, in a subdued and almost in- 
 audible voice, gave out the hymn, — 
 
 "Alas ! and did my Saviour bleed?" 
 
 and sweetly did the melting hearts of the singers flow 
 out in the channel of its harmonies ! The hymn over, 
 fervent and affectionate were the appeals that came 
 from the lips of those who tried to address the meeting; 
 and soon another rose, saying, " Pray for me, brothers. 
 I, too, will be for Christ." Another arose with a similar 
 request. At the close of the meeting, three more an- 
 nounced their resolution to come out on the Lord's side. 
 The next afternoon, at the " Diligent" prayer-meeting, 
 another young man rose and said that at the meeting 
 in Spruce Street last evening he too had found the Sa- 
 viour. The blessedness of that evening will never be 
 effaced from the memories of those who enjoyed the 
 precious privilege of being there, — "where God was." 
 
 6 
 
62 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Eight young men coming out from the world comprised 
 nearly every unconverted man in the room ; and the 
 conversation with the rejoicing penitents after the meet- 
 ing was over was, if any thing, even more delightful 
 than the meeting itself. 
 
 r- From that night the meeting was made a permanent 
 one. From week to week the hymn-books, camp-stools, 
 etc. are carried round to the parlours of different private 
 residences. Up to December 1st, twenty-three meetings 
 had been held, always largely attended, some of them 
 numbering over a hundred young men; and, fronji a 
 careful estimate, there is every reason to believe that 
 through their instrumentality at least twenty souls have 
 been "born again," and led to rejoice in God their 
 Saviour ! Why should not every town and village see 
 a similar prayer-meeting? And why should not many 
 more such clubs in our city experience a similar trans- 
 formation? Who doubts that it would be better for the 
 young men themselves, for their parents, for their wives 
 and children, and for the real welfare of the entire 
 community? 
 
 One witness more, and we close the record. As if to 
 leave no possible doubt on any candid mind as to the 
 fact that this was the work of God, and not of man, it 
 has pleased God to send his Holy Spirit into the solitary 
 cells of the prison. The letter of the "Moral Instructor" 
 needs no comment. The theory of "sympathy," to what- 
 ever extent it may apply elsewhere, has certainly no- 
 thing to recommend it here. 
 
 "Philadelphia, Oct. 30, 1858. 
 
 "Dear Sir: — Agreeably to your request, I send to you the 
 following brief statement of the religious influence which has 
 for some months past pervaded the Eastern Penitentiary. 
 
 "I may premise that during the past three years there has 
 been very little, if any, genuine feeling regarding the interests 
 of the soul and eternity. I have endeavoured to present the 
 truths of the gospel to the minds of the prisoners, but with a 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 63 
 
 desponding spirit, having little hope that any would be led to 
 seek deliverance from the wrath to come. During the early 
 part of the remarkable movement which lias awakened public 
 attention in our own and other cities, and over all our land, I 
 was led from prudential considerations to withhold from the 
 inmates, in my Sabbath ministrations, any statement of what 
 was transpiring without, lest the mere influence of human 
 sympathies should awaken a corresponding excitement within 
 the prison, which might pass away like the early cloud or the 
 morning dew. 
 
 "Some time towards the latter end of March last, the prisoner 
 who aided me in the distribution of the books which are issued 
 weekly from the library, called my attention to a fact which 
 had arrested his attention ; that there was an unusual demand 
 for religious books, a kind rarely called for previously. This 
 was not immediately attended to, owing to the exhausting and 
 hurried labours of that day. But subsequently he directed my 
 attention to this matter more impressively, adding, ' Had you 
 not better attend to it V I replied, ' Yes : let me know who 
 they are who take such books/ I was somewhat aroused by 
 the interest with which he regarded this apparent concern on 
 the part of other prisoners, suspecting that he too was not 
 wholly indifferent to the momentous question, ' What must I 
 do to be saved V I conversed with him seriously in relation 
 to it, and urged him to a careful examination of the fifty-third 
 chapter of the Prophecy of Isaiah. Soon after this, a deep 
 anxiety was manifested by him,* which I trust has resulted in 
 his conversion. I have never known an instance of professed 
 conversion more satisfactory. 
 
 "On one occasion, attending a prayer-meeting at Jayne's 
 Hall, prayer was requested in behalf of a young man recently 
 consigned to the Eastern Penitentiary, of whom it was 
 announced soon after that prayer had been answered, and 
 that he was converted. These events, occurring without any 
 direct efforts of an exciting kind within the prison, induced 
 the adoption of means to ascertain to what extent this influ- 
 ence prevailed. On the following Sabbath, after the sermon, 
 I expressed a hope that the Spirit of God was operating on the 
 hearts of some of the inmates, and requested that as many as 
 wished to have personal conversation on the subject of religion 
 would signify it by quietly dropping a piece of paper, contain- 
 ing their designating number, outside of the doors of their 
 cells. 
 
 "This was responded to by twelve or thirteen in the corridor 
 where I then preached. The same plan was adopted by visit- 
 ing brethren who preached on successive Sabbaths in other 
 
 * It may be proper to state that the individual here referred to was a very 
 intelligent Jew, whose term of service had nearly expired. 
 
64 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 parts of the house, until the number who were desirous of 
 religious converse and prayer exceeded fifty persons. In a 
 short time some ten or twelve professed to have found peace 
 in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Others continue to 
 exhibit evidences of sincere desire for salvation, while some 
 have apparently relapsed into a state of indifference. Some 
 five or six who gave evidence of a saving change, having served 
 out their time in prison, have been discharged, — all of them, I 
 believe, having continued to act consistently with their profes- 
 sions up to that period. One young man died not long since, 
 expressing a steadfast hope of salvation through the atoning 
 merits of Jesus. The present aspect of the prison is less 
 interesting: few, if any, new instances of conviction have been 
 noticed. Owing to the pressure of multiplied duties, my 
 opportunities of becoming acquainted with such cases are 
 quite limited. 
 
 "In visiting and inquiring among those who were the sub- 
 jects of this awakening, I was struck with the singular coin- 
 cidence of their attention being called to the subject of reli- 
 gion at about the same time ; two or three in the month of 
 January, and nearly all the rest in and through the month of 
 February, at which time there was repeated and earnest 
 prayer offered for prisoners at the meeting in Jayne's Hall. 
 
 "That this Divine influence visiting this prison at that 
 period was in answer to those prayers, I cannot doubt ; and I 
 would greatly rejoice if, in the noonday and other prayer- 
 meetings, the prisoners could share in the fervent, effectual 
 offerings presented at the throne of grace. Will you please 
 make this request on our behalf, and oblige 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 " T. L., Moral Instructor." 
 
 In view of these, and a multitude of similar facts, of 
 which these stand only as the imperfect representatives, 
 we feel bound in all honour and conscience, both as men 
 and as Christians, to express to our city, our common- 
 wealth, our country, and the world at large, our most 
 solemn and undoubting belief that this last year in the 
 religious history of Philadelphia has been "a year of the 
 right hand of the Most High," and that many of its days 
 have been days of Pentecost indeed. The great ques- 
 tion is, "What hath God wrought?" and not, "What 
 has been done by man?" Almost as by a voice from the 
 Excellent Glory, we seem to hear the emphatic declara- 
 
THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 65 
 
 lion, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, 
 saith the Lord of hosts." "They shall come, and shall 
 declare his righteousness unto a people that shall bo 
 born, that He hath done this/' The human instru- 
 ment a I it y in this matter is as nothing compared with the 
 1)1. cine agency. 
 
 Individual Christians, lay or clerical ; individual 
 churches, w T hether belonging to this denomination or 
 the other; denominations themselves, whether larger or 
 smaller, all as with one accord, with no anxiety to 
 challenge relative superiority, no jealousy to adjust 
 rival or peculiar claims, humble, grateful, and rejoicing, 
 meet here as in the great congregation, in the one 
 glorious - ascription of praise : — " Not unto us, O Lord, 
 not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy 
 and for thy truth's sake." As it was "the pouring forth 
 anew of that J if e which Christ brought into the world" that 
 will alone account for the Kcformation, so a new instal- 
 ment of the Divine life is the only theory on which we 
 can satisfactorily account for this " Great Awakening." 
 We assume that it is of God until there are those who 
 are bold enough, and subtle enough, to prove it other- 
 wise. Occasional indiscretions on the part of any who 
 have been the subjects of His work, or the humble 
 agents in carrying it forward, have as little to do with 
 the real character of the work as the bubble on the 
 surface has to do in determining the character of the 
 stream. In the wise and carefully-chosen language of 
 another, " Let us carefully distinguish between what we 
 are to set down to the dishonour of man, and what we 
 are to be thankful for to the praise of God. As, in a 
 single instance of the power of his converting grace, we 
 are not the less persuaded of the genuineness of the 
 work because the old nature, though subdued, still 
 appears, so let us judge of a more general work !" Thus 
 far, as compared with the purest revivals of the past, the 
 E G* 
 
66 THE WORK OP GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 absence of extravagance of any kind is extraordinary to 
 a perfect marvel. Never in their social devotions were 
 the people of God in the enjoyment of wider or more 
 unrestricted liberty, and never was this liberty less 
 perverted. " During the last week/' (the last week in 
 June,) said a brother, "I have attended no less than 
 iive-and-twenty different prayer-meetings. Going there 
 calmly and deliberately, for the express purpose of care- 
 fully observing their spiritual character and of studying 
 out as far as possible the philosophy of such unwonted 
 gatherings of the people of God, looking at them in 
 every possible light of which I am capable, the candid 
 and unavoidable conclusion to which I have come is 
 this : — They are of God V The testimony of the great 
 Anniversary Meeting at Jayne's Hall, Nov. 23, 1858, 
 was cordially and unanimously the same: — "This is the 
 Lord's doing : it is marvellous in our eyes !" 
 
 The many and various lessons from these facts, as to 
 the nature of prayer; the duty of intercession ; the Noon 
 Prayer-Meeting, the expediency not only of a Sabbath 
 day in every week, but of a Sabbath hour in every day; 
 the value of Christian Union ; the importance of per- 
 sonal, individual effort for the conversion of souls; the 
 newly-opened field of " Union Missions," in which it 
 has not only been demonstrated that Christians can 
 pray and work together, but that it is for their own mutual 
 benefit and the advantage of the common cause thus to do; 
 the true principles of reformation and of city evangeli- 
 zation; the development of latent power in the church; 
 the guilt of those who have opposed this work, or who 
 have been indifferent to it, or who have been mere 
 absorbents of it by a luxurious spiritual sympathy, giv- 
 ing neither of their means nor energies to carry it for- 
 ward — these are fruitful and suggestive topics, that we 
 leave to each of our readers to carry out at their leisure. 
 God hath indeed " done great things for us, whereof we 
 
THE WORK OF OOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 67 
 
 are glad;" but whether, after having thus been brought 
 within sight of the promised land, and been made to 
 taste of the rich clusters of Eshcol, we shall go up at 
 once and possess the land, or whether we shall turn 
 back again into the wilderness, leaving it to another 
 and better generation to complete the conquest which 
 has been so auspiciously commenced, "the day will 
 declare it." 
 
 Prayerless, Christless soul, whether in the church or 
 out of it, — you who have thus far lived through this 
 revival like an " island of ice in a sea of fire," — who 
 have been like " the heath in the desert, that knoweth 
 not when good cometh," — especially are these pages 
 designed for you. "We cannot but speak the things 
 which we have seen and heard;" and as though our 
 souls were in your souls' stead are we anxious that 
 you should receive our testimony. "To-day, the Holy 
 Ghost saith, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your 
 hearts." Not to hear that voice is to harden your 
 hearts. As in the time of Whitefield, in many places 
 where he preached, those who remained unconverted 
 until the close of that great revival remained so until 
 their death, so may it be with you. Since the com- 
 mencement of this wojk, warnings have multiplied 
 around us on every hand. Are you an unbeliever in the 
 gospel ? We could tell you of three friends, who, around 
 their cups, agreed that the first of them to die should 
 give the others the benefit of his experience. Very soon 
 the opportunity was afforded. The testimony was given, 
 and as the affrighted friend carried the news to his com- 
 panion, his first exclamation was, "We had better believe 
 it all ! Neither you nor I would want to die as he is 
 dying !" Are you a Sabbath-breaker ? We can tell of 
 one who broke away with curses from his father and 
 mother on the morning of a Sabbath day to go sailing, 
 and by the time the sun was down was brought home a 
 
68 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 corpse. Are you postponing the claims of the gospel to 
 a more convenient season ? So was one who was hur- 
 ried off by a violent and unexpected disease: no time on 
 that death-bed for any preparation. Have you even 
 fixed the period when you will come to the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and believe in him to the saving of your soul ? 
 So did another young man. "My next birthday will 
 soon come round, and then I Trill give my heart to 
 Christ." These were his words on a Sabbath morning 
 as he was leaving the church after a very solemn sermon. 
 On Tuesday, while exhibiting his strength in lifting a 
 heavy box, he burst a blood-vessel, proving almost im- 
 mediately fatal. His birthday came, but where was he? 
 Are you resisting the Holy Spirit, refusing to yield at 
 once to those convictions of guilt and danger that would 
 bring you to the foot of the Cross for pardon and eternal 
 life ? It may be with you as with another, who hesi- 
 tated too long before resolving; to be on the Lord's side. 
 About to enter Jayne's Hall, and meeting an ungodly 
 companion, he allowed himself to be drawn another way. 
 An infidel book was placed in his hand : he read it, and 
 all at once it became as dark within as the smoke of the 
 pit could make it ! In a single moment he was given 
 over to blindness of mind and hardness of heart. Belief 
 in God's word, conviction of sin, every purpose of good, 
 all vanished ; he was made to know by a fearful expe- 
 rience that to quench the Holy Spirit was to leave the 
 soul in utter and, for aught that appears to the contrary 
 thus far, in eternal darkness. Wait not for deeper con- 
 victions. The question is, "Are you really convinced?" 
 not, "How deeply are you convinced of sin?" 
 
 "'The door was shut:' that was the text," said a 
 young convert, " that went to my heart, and awakened 
 me as to my danger." "Isaiah xii./' said another: 
 "that was the chapter that brought me consolation." 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 69 
 
 "My verso," said another, "was John vi. 37 : — 'Him that 
 cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.'" 
 
 May God, in infinite mercy, grant to every reader of 
 this tract that he too may learn the groat lesson that 
 man is a sinner, that Christ is a Saviour, and act 
 
 ACCORDINGLY ! 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 The Contrast. — To look back to the state of religion 
 
 B llJil 
 
 in Philadelphia two years ago is to be reminded of Is- 
 rael in the land of Egypt or of Babylon, in the days of 
 Nehemiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Jeremiah. We al- 
 most shudder to think how far, how very far, the flock 
 had wandered from the fold, and to what a sad extent 
 "the rivers of water were dried up, and the fire had 
 consumed the pastures of the wilderness." 
 
 But, " blessed be the name of the Lord our God, who 
 hath dealt wondrously with us," "the years that the 
 locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, 
 and the palmer-worm, he hath restored." From the 
 beginning to the end of this ever-memorable year of the 
 Lord, to those who have been fully engaged in the work 
 it has been but one continued "feast of harvest." Each 
 season has witnessed to the power of God, each month 
 to his faithfulness, each week to his mercy, and each 
 day to his love. All its days have been as " the days of 
 heaven upon earth." AVe have seen no reason what- 
 ever, even for a single moment, to doubt the truth of 
 our position, — that this is indeed "the finger of God." 
 Like the streams from the mountains of California, that 
 leave behind their rich deposits of gold, or like the over- 
 flowing of the Nile, that leaves its fertilizing sediment 
 
 * 
 
70 SUPPLEMENT 
 
 on every inch of soil over which it passes, so has it 
 been with these "streams from Lebanon/' — this "river 
 of God/' which is "so full of water." With one accord, 
 we believe it will be universally admitted that such 
 a year as the past this city has never seen before. 
 "The ploughman overtakes the reaper," the "threshing 
 reaches unto the vintage," and "the treading of grapes to 
 the time of sowing." Once more has the precious promise 
 been fulfilled, " He shall cause them that come of Jacob 
 to take root ; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the 
 face of the world with fruit." (Isa. xxvii. 6.) Because 
 of its marvellous abundance, we complete the circle of 
 the year with thanksgiving and with holy joy. 
 
 Perhaps there is nothing that will better show the 
 vitality of the Union Prayer-Meetings, and the steady 
 interest manifested in them, than the manner in which 
 their anniversaries have been observed. 
 
 The Daily Morning Prayer-Meeting, (Buttonwood 
 Street, above Fifth. Service at 8 a.m.) 
 
 The anniversary of this meeting was held on Wednes- 
 day, the 16th of March. From the very beginning, there 
 has been an earnest, tender spirit about this meeting that 
 makes it the true successor of the "Bochim" elsewhere 
 described in these pages. If anywhere inquiring souls 
 are sure of sympathy, it is here; and from week to 
 week, almost constantly, have there been those who 
 have availed themselves of it. 
 
 The Bethel Meeting, (Front Street, below Chestnut. 
 Service at noon.) 
 
 This Union Prayer-Meeting observed its anniversary 
 Tuesday, the 22d of March j and a very sweet and precious 
 season it was. As the name indicates, there is special 
 interest taken by this meeting in sailors. During the 
 year, many of them have been present to stir up the 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 71 
 
 zeal of their brethren by such exhortations as none but 
 sailors can givo. " When I was far off upon the sea," 
 "in my bunk," or "aloft," "on the look-out," or "at the 
 wheel," "the Lord met me, and convinced me of my sin; 
 and I am here to-day to say, Pray on, brethren; pray 
 on. Your prayers are being answered !" How often 
 have we heard such declarations as these, and always 
 with new and peculiar interest ! 
 
 The remarkable feature in this meeting, however, is 
 the fervour and freedom of its Christian fellowship. 
 "Why," said a brother, " I can compare them to nothing 
 else than a little band of disciples who are in love with 
 Christ, and have fallen in love with each other for his 
 sake." From this point as a centre the holy leaven of 
 brotherly love has quietly and almost imperceptibly dif- 
 fused itself into many other meetings. Whoever went 
 into that heavenly atmosphere was sure to take some 
 of it away with him. Ask any who attend this meeting 
 how it came to receive such a character, and all the 
 explanation they can give is this: — "All that is peculiar 
 in our meeting we trace to the fact that, from the very 
 commencement of it, we determined to put honour on the 
 word of God, — not to use it merely as a motto and read 
 a few verses as a matter of form, but to read a good, 
 honest chapter, and, asking the Holy Spirit, the only 
 Teacher of the word, to ' engraft' it in our hearts, make 
 that the staple of our prayers and exhortations." Thus 
 it is that they know what it is to have fellowship with 
 the Father in love, with the Son in grace, with the Holy 
 Spirit in consolation, and, consequently, understand the 
 fellowship of the saints to an extent we have very 
 seldom seen elsewhere. It is indeed a " Bethel ;" and 
 why should there not be a similar meeting in every vil- 
 lage throughout the land ? 
 
72 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Noon Prayer-Meeting, (formerly at Jayne's Hall; 
 now usually held in Sansom Street Church.) 
 
 To-day, March 26, the attendance was as large, the 
 "requests" as numerous, the prayers as earnest, the 
 exhortations as pungent, and every link in the golden 
 chain of Christian union as bright and perfect, as ever. 
 Only where the Comforter is absent is there coldness and 
 division; and, thanks unspeakable to Him who is our 
 Advocate above, the Holy Dove is with us still. Even 
 within a few days past, some of the most marked and 
 wonderful answers to prayer have been witnessed by us 
 of any we have yet seen. 
 
 " Lovest thou me ?" — A few weeks ago, the twenty- 
 first chapter of John was read and briefly commented 
 upon by the pastor who led the meeting. It pleased 
 God to make the question of Christ strike home to the 
 heart of many a Peter with unwonted power. The 
 chapter was read at the other union meetings, and made 
 the theme of exhortations, lectures, and even of ser- 
 mons; and incident after incident might be given to 
 show with what power it became to many " the present 
 truth," the " word in season." The following Thursday, 
 a lady was seen at the close of the services with her 
 head bowed, and so totally absorbed in thought as to 
 bo entirely unconscious that the receding tide of wor- 
 shippers had left her alone in the very midst of the 
 church. " Is it for yourself or some one else that your 
 heart is so burdened ?" inquired a friend. " It is for 
 myself. I feel as if I must be able to answer that ques- 
 tion, < Lovest thou me V or I shall die !" The tearless 
 agony with which these words were uttered we do not 
 pretend to describe. Many were the prayers that were 
 offered on her behalf, and it was not long before she 
 also could say, " Lord, thou knowest all things : thou 
 knowest that I love thee !" Thus has God often ho- 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 73 
 
 noured his word; and occasionally a singlo text has filled 
 a whole meeting. 
 
 Experience of Young Converts. — Take that of one 
 or two of them, just as it has fallen into our hands. 
 
 " The first thing I felt after standing up for prayer 
 was that I must now l Stand up for Jesus' and labour 
 for the souls of others. At once I found myself talking 
 in a manner totally different from any thing I had ever 
 uttered before, and I began to listen to myself in per- 
 fect astonishment. It was as though some other person 
 was using my lips and speaking through them. It 
 seemed to mo now so perfectly natural to love God that 
 I could, not help it ; and I felt that I loved every man, 
 woman, and child in the world. When I prayed, the 
 expression my Father and my God fell spontaneously 
 from my lips with a depth of meaning that was full of 
 comfort to me. The following Sabbath, the services of 
 the house of God were unspeakably precious to me. My 
 great and burning desire then was to bring others to 
 the Saviour, whose love so filled my own heart. 1 felt as 
 though I could convert half the world could I but get an 
 opportunity to talk to them. Next to the happiness of 
 the knowledge of pardoned sin would be that of a soul 
 converted to God in answer to my prayers. This also 
 was granted to me. ... I have lived a lifetime in this 
 glorious year which is now drawing to a close. Religion 
 becomes simpler to me every day, and I find it all 
 summed up in this single sentence: — ( Looking < unto 
 Jesus !' " 
 
 Testimony of one of our Oldest Pastors. — "One 
 hundred and two converts have been added to us this 
 last year ; and I can truly say that, in all the revivals 
 through which I have passed, I have never known one 
 in which the converts have pleased me so well as those 
 
 7 
 
74 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 in this present gracious visitation. Two associations — 
 one male and the other female, most of them these con- 
 verts — now sustain between them as many as thirty 
 prayer-meetings, — many of them at private houses, — 
 from which they bring to me many inquiring souls." 
 
 Diligent Prayer-Meeting. — This has now become 
 the regular evening daily prayer-meeting, and all that 
 we have said of the noon meeting is equally true of it. 
 The number of conversions has recently been greater 
 here than in any other meeting. Fifteen minutes before 
 the close of the services, the opportunity is invariably 
 given to any persons who desire the prayers of the 
 meeting to rise ; and scores of instances could be given 
 in which, when asking and receiving the prayers of 
 others on their behalf, God has heard their own. 
 
 On the 25th of March, one of the firemen of this com- 
 pany rose and said, " I feel it a duty pressing upon me 
 to acknowledge that this is my birthday, — my first spi- 
 ritual anniversary. This day, one year ago, I gave my 
 heart to God ! The year, how short ! and yet long 
 enough for me to find the reality and happiness in the 
 religion of Jesus Christ. Suddenly, without a moment's 
 warning, I have found myself in the midst of danger 
 and my life in peril ; but God has watched over and pro- 
 tected me. I have not lived up to my privileges as I 
 should have done; but my experience is this, — that the 
 nearer I live to God the nearer I want to live; the more 
 I labour for him, the more I want to labour ! Happy 
 thought ! each year I now live I am one year nearer my 
 home ! One word to those who are still out of Christ. 
 Each time you have mercy offered to you and you reject 
 it, the harder your heart becomes, until no impression 
 is made upon it whatever. Bear in mind the solemn 
 words of God, 'My Spirit shall not always strive,' and 
 accept pardon while you have time and opportunity." . 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 75 
 
 Quakertown. — Wo have very recent and gratifying 
 intelligence from our dear brethren in this place. " Per- 
 suasion Hut," as their edifice is sometimes called by 
 its opposers, is still doing its good work, and " The 
 Tabernacles," as its worshippers are termed by way of 
 reproach, give good evidence that they are indeed " the 
 temples of the Holy Ghost." The work is extending 
 into the regions beyond. 
 
 TnE Friends' Prayer-Meeting. — Two pious ladies, 
 with their relatives, long intimate associates of Joseph 
 John Gurney and Elizabeth Fry, living in a rural dis- 
 trict near the city, which was destitute of all the ordi- 
 nary means of grace, and feeling in their own hearts the 
 influence of the mighty wave of spiritual awakening 
 sweeping over the land, united with some young men 
 of the Christian Association in sustaining in a school- 
 house in the neighbourhood a union prayer-meeting. As 
 the meetings continued, the interest deepened; and in the 
 stormiest weather, when the roads and lanes leading to 
 the place of meeting seemed almqst impassable, the room 
 would be crowded to excess. At length the cloud, big 
 with mercy, broke upon and baptized the waiting as- 
 sembly. After an unusually long and interesting meet- 
 ing, while the brethren were singing some of the songs 
 of Zion, as if still unwilling to separate, the attention 
 of a brother was directed to a young man bowing his 
 head upon a form, who seemed to invite the attention 
 of some one who cared for his soul. Scarcely had the 
 brother reached him and laid his hand upon his shoul- 
 der, and said, "My brother," when the young man 
 leaned his head upon the brother's breast and burst into 
 such a convulsive flood of tears as wellnigh unmanned 
 all present. While thus refusing to be comforted, a 
 young lady came up, and, putting her arms around his 
 neck, joined her tears with his, and together they wept 
 
76 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 to such a degree that the brethren could not refrain 
 from weeping with them. At length they began to tell 
 of Jesus, who himself wept for dying men. Till nearly 
 midnight the cries for mercy went up from this group, 
 echoed back by others in another part of the room, also 
 broken-hearted on account of their sin, and the brethren 
 gladly continued to hold up the cross and point to 
 Him who taketh away the sins of the world. It subse- 
 quently appeared that the lady was a bride, and the gen- 
 tleman her husband, to whom she had been united but 
 four days before. By the next meeting both of them 
 were rejoicing in Christ; and the week following, another 
 husband and wife, with several others, were soon follow- 
 ing in their footsteps. The meeting is still continued 
 with unabated interest. 
 
 The Meeting where God was — still continues as a 
 meeting where God is. A pastor at whose house it was 
 recently held, among other things, writes as follows : — 
 "Very memorable was it because of the exalted Christian 
 fellowship that was enjoyed at it. It was a season of 
 rejoicing, — of happy exultation. Every one felt that 
 Jesus was there talking with his chosen on the way, 
 and, oh, how their hearts burned within them ! The 
 prevailing spirit of the meeting was that of thankful 
 rejoicing in the fulness of the great salvation. ' Jesus 
 and Jesus only was the essence of every song, the end 
 of every exhortation, and the burden of every prayer. 
 Heart flowed into heart in the gushing sympathy of love 
 to Christ and joy in him; while all felt that they were 
 upon the Mount, and that God was giving them precious 
 glimpses of his glory as he revealed the infinite fulness 
 of his grace in Jesus. That little company had many 
 cares to trouble them and many sins to make them 
 weary, but oh, what a blessed retreat they found on 
 that memorable night, as they shut out the world and 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 77 
 
 gathered, as the friends of the Crucified, mound the 
 mercy-seat, and hid themselves in the cleft of the rock 
 while the glory of the Lord passed by. The joy of the 
 Lord was tilling their souls, and as hand was clasped in 
 hand as they sung their parting song, and every face 
 beamed with the radiance of the pure joy which the 
 Master had given, how rich and full was the experience 
 of those who once walked in the ways of sinful pleasure, 
 that the greatest happiness which can be found on earth 
 is that which springs up in the hearts of those who are 
 thus made by the grace of God Ho sit together in 
 heavenly places in Christ Jesus'! Many were they who 
 tasted of the grapes of Eshcol on that precious evening." 
 
 The Tract "Pentecost" an Answer to Prayer. 
 — Shortly after his conversion, a young convert com- 
 menced a "Religious Album," in which to record inci- 
 dents illustrating the mighty power of the prayer of 
 faith, and the simple means employed by God to pro- 
 duce the most stupendous results. The first sentence in 
 this book read as follows: — "I dedicate this book to 
 Almighty God by prayer, and with the fervent wish, 
 hope, and belief that he may bless what is herein con- 
 tained to many of God's saints, in strengthening their 
 faith, and be the means, under God, of leading some soul 
 into a saving knowledge of the truth." The dedication 
 concludes with this remarkable expression : — "Now, little 
 volume, go forth on thy mission of love and mercy ; and 
 may eternity reveal the results of thy mission here on 
 earth !" 
 
 It was this album that first suggested the idea of 
 "Pentecost" and supplied some of its most valuable 
 pages. The tract and the album are identical. The " little 
 volume" has indeed "gone forth." Ten thousand copies 
 already in circulation, — republished beyond the ocean, 
 with an introduction of twenty pages by Professor 
 
 7* 
 
78 THE WORK OF GOD IN PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Gibson, of Belfast, — and now the second edition, with the 
 Supplement, stereotyped : if such is the beginning of its 
 history, what will be the end ? If, as we have now the 
 evidence before us, some who have read it in private, or 
 heard it read in various prayer-meetings have been con- 
 verted through its instrumentality, is it too much to 
 ask the prayer of the Christian reader, who now lays it 
 down, that it may be blessed to the conversion of many 
 more ? Dear reader still out of Chris^ will you not pray 
 that its perusal may lead you also to say, 
 
 " I the chief of sinners am : 
 But Jesus died for me" ? 
 
 Philadelphia, March 26, 1859. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 STEREOTYPED BY L. JOHXSOS & CO- 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
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 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Sent by mail, prepaid, on receipt of price in money or postage-stamps. 
 
 The Gospels: with Moral Reflections on each 
 Verse. ■ 
 
 By Pasquier Quesnel. With an Introductory Essay, by the Rev. 
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 cutta.] Carefully revised by the Rev. Henry A. Boardman, D.D. 
 Printed with bold type, on beautifully-tinted and sized paper, 
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 lessen not the value of our various admirable comments on the New Testament : they 
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 can supply that thorough insight into the world, the evil of sin, the life of faith and 
 prayer, which he possesses." — Bishop tVilson. 
 
 "A repository of original, striking, spiritual Meditations, the absence of which could 
 be supplied by no other work in our language." — Dr. Boardman. 
 
 Mornings with Jesus. 
 
 A Series of Devotional Readings for the Closet and the Family for 
 every day in the year, carefully prepared from notes of sermons 
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 Com. Adv. 
 
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Parry and McMillan's Publications. 
 
 The Book and its Story. 
 
 A charming History of the Bible, for the Young. Handsomely illus- 
 trated with numerous cuts and a steel engraving. 1 vol. 12mo. 
 Cloth $1.00 
 
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 getting-up of the work." — Pres. Banner. 
 
 " A deeply-interesting volume. We shall rejoice to know that a copy of this choice 
 volume is finding its way to every family in the land." — Christian Visitor. 
 
 The Six Days of Creation, 
 
 By W. G. Rhind. A Series of affectionate Letters from a Father to 
 his Children, developing the progressive advances of Creation 
 during the Six Days : in which the Natural History of Animals, 
 Plants, Minerals, Celestial Objects, etc., and their uses and rela- 
 tions to man, are treated with particular reference to the illustra- 
 tion of scriptural truth. A highly-interesting work. From the 
 last London edition. With numerous illustrations. 1 vol. crown 
 8vo. Cloth $1.00 
 
 "An elegant manual for the young; far superior to the large majority that we have 
 Been. We have read it with unalloyed satisfaction. * * * We earnestly recommend 
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 make to their children." — Methodist Quarterly Review. 
 
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 the better. * * * The work abounds with graphic pictorial illustrations, and can 
 scarcely fail to interest, and instruct, and sharpen the appetite for scriptural truth." — 
 Christian Intelligencer. 
 
 The Ocean. 
 
 By P. H. Gosse, author of " An Introduction to Geology," " The Cana- 
 dian Naturalist," etc. With fifty-two illustrations. From the last 
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 "This book is full of instructive and entertaining information. * * * One might go 
 to sea for years and not learn as much about the Ocean as he can gather from a few 
 hours' study of this volume. Its moral and religious instruction also forms one of its 
 chief features." — JSf. T. Observer. 
 
 The Five Gateways of Knowledge. 
 
 By George Wilson, M.D., F.R.S.E., Regius Professor of Technology 
 in the University of Edinburgh ; President of the Ptoyal Scottish 
 Society of Arts, &c. &c. 1 vol. 16mo. Cloth $0.50 
 
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 " This book is perfect after its kind. * * * For delicate beauty of composition it is 
 almost unrivalled ; yet nothing could be more simple in design." — London Quarterly 
 Review. 
 
 Russell's (Lady Rachel) Letters. 
 
 The Letters of Rachel, Lady Russell. New edition. Containing many 
 
 Letters never before published. Complete in one handsome 
 
 volume, 12mo $1.25 
 
 " Lady Rachel Russell was the wife of the noble and unfortunate Lord William Rus- 
 eell, the compatriot of Algernon Sidney, and other illustrious asserters of English 
 liberty in the seventeenth century. Her letters have passed through numerous editions 
 in England, and have been long considered models of epistolary style. They are full 
 of tender sentiment, and relate to matters of the most touching interest."— Commercial 
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Parry a\i> McMillan's Publications. 
 
 The Divine Life : 
 
 A Book of Facts and Histories, showing the Manifold Workings of the 
 Holy Spirit By the Rev. John Kennedy, M.A., F.R.G.S., of 
 London. In 1 vol. 12mo. Cloth $1.00 
 
 "In this work the reader is enabled to see tin- pi euliar providences under which 
 various per- tns were led to seek an interest in Christ; the means which were Messed 
 to their spiritual enlightenment; their conflicts and discouragements, and their ex- 
 periences when they found peace in believing. Such a work cannot hut prove edifying 
 
 to the Christian, whilst it is well adapted to instruct anxious inquirers, and may ho 
 
 of great hem lit to ministers in their dealings with troubled souls." — Presbyterian. 
 
 •■ We can cordially recommend it.'' — I'm,. Quarterly. 
 
 •• It is well adapted to do good." — Omgfegationalxst. 
 
 "Its narratives are deeply interesting; Its instruction is highly important." — N. Y. 
 Observer. 
 
 Evenings with the Prophets. 
 
 A Series of Memoirs and Meditations. By Rev. A. Morton Brown, 
 LL.D., Cheltenham. 1 vol. crown 8vo $1.00 
 
 '•This is a volume of high merit, both as an elucidation and a defence of the Scrip- 
 tures."' — London Evangelical Magazine. 
 
 •• Full of pious and excellent thought, well fitted to he read in connection with the 
 devotions of either the family or the closet." — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 Lectures on the History of Ancient Philosophy. 
 
 By William Archer Butler, M.A., late Professor of Moral Phi- 
 losophy in the University of Dublin. Edited from the author's 
 MSS., with Notes, by Wm. IIepwortii Thompson, M.A., Fellow 
 of Trinity College, and Bcgius Professor of Greek in the Uni- 
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 — New Englander. 
 
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 Bacon's Complete Works. 
 
 The Complete Works of Francis Bacon, Lord-Chancellor of England. A 
 
 new edition, with a Life of the Author. By Basil Montagu, Esq. 
 
 In 3 vols, royal 8vo. Cloth $7.50 
 
 Sheep 8.50 
 
 Half morocco, or calf 12.00 
 
 The American edition of the Works of Lord Bacon now offered to the public is re- 
 printed from the most approved English edition, that of Rasil Montagu. Esq., which 
 has recently issued from the celebrated press of Pickering (the modern Aldus in seven- 
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 tliose of Latin being translated into English. In order to render the publication cheap, 
 and therefore attainable by all our public and social libraries, as well as by those general 
 readers who study economy, the seventeen octavo volumes have been Ci mprised in threo 
 volumes, imperial octavo. Being printed from the most accurate as well as complete 
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 tages for the critical scholar as well as the general reader. In typography, paper, and 
 binding, it will be recognised as a brilliant specimen of the products of the America* 
 book-trade. 
 
Parrv and McMillan's Publications. 
 
 failed historical ptoj. 
 
 Containing the five popular works described below, bound in uniform 
 style. 9 vols. Cloth, extra $9.00 
 
 Memoir of the Empress Josephine. 
 
 Historical and Secret Memoirs of the Empress Josephine, first wife 
 of Napoleon Bonaparte. By Mad'llc M. A. Le Normand. Trans- 
 lated from the French by Jacob M. Howard, Esq. With Por- 
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 Memoirs of Marie Antoinette. 
 
 Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. By 
 Madame Campan, First Lady to the Bedchamber of the Queen. 
 From the third London edition. With a Biographical Introduc- 
 tion from the "Heroic Women of the French Revolution," by M. 
 De Lamartine, Member of the Executive Government of France. 
 New edition, with three additional Chapters. With Portraits. 
 Two volumes. Cloth, extra. v $2.00 
 
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 — Bultimore Sun. 
 
 Memoirs of Anne Boleyn. 
 
 Memoirs of the Life of Anne Boleyn, Queen of Henry the Eighth. 
 By Miss Bengiu;, author of "Memoirs of Mrs. Elizabeth Hamil- 
 ton." Second American from the third London edition. With 
 a Memoir of the Author, by Miss Aikin. With Portrait. 1 vol. 
 Cloth $1.25 
 
 "No more valuable or instructive work can be added to a general library." — Newark 
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 Memoirs of Mary, Queen of Scots. 
 
 Memoirs of the Life of Mary* Queen of Scots; with Anecdotes of the 
 Court of Henry II., during her residence in France. By Miss 
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 for no reader of history can fail to take a deep interest in the unfortunate Mary ; and 
 our friends who are preparing volumes for winter-«vening perusal will find these every- 
 way worthy their attention/' — Boston Evening Gazette. 
 
 Memoirs of the Queens of France 
 
 Memoirs of the Queens of France. By Mrs. Forbes Bush. From the 
 last London edition. With Portraits. 2 vols. 12mo. Cloth, $2.00 
 
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 Continent