Great Re v i v a l s and E v a n g e l i s t s By JOHN H. HUNTER III. THE ULSTER REVIVAL OF 1859 Copyright, 1915, by John H. Hunter
tions asiwe see what God wrought in Ulster in ’59. A GENUINE REVIVAL It might be well for us before going further to define what we mean by' a “re vival.” I know no better definition of a genuine revival thgn that of the Rev. John MacPherson J lately gone home) in his very helpful book entitled, “Revival and Revival- Work.” It is as follows: 1. An uncommon eagerness to hear the Word of God, and an unwonted read iness to speak and be spoken to about the interests of the soul. 2. An unusual sense of sin and personal unworthiness, together with a readi ness to unite in prayer for pardon and holiness. 3. A singularly cordial appreciation of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and a joy ful acceptance of the personal Saviour. 4. Personal consecration and covenanting with God in the Spirit of grace, ac companied by reformation of life and manners. 5. Great delight in secret and social prayer, and in all the ordinances of God. 6. An uncommon sense of the nearness of God, with joy in the Holy Ghost, and abounding thanksgiving and praise. 7. Increased fervor of love and deepened sense of unity among Christians. 8. An extraordinary concern for the sal vation of others, and boldness in tes-_ tifying to the grace of God in His Son. This well-balanced, fully-expressed state ment is remarkable in what it omits as well as in what it includes. It describes a God- sent, not a man-made revival; a revival not worked up but sent down. Thank God that He chooses men, and equips them with evangelistic gifts, and uses them to win men to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for the big tabernacles and the revolutions they have brought to many cities; for the
jHUS far in these articles we have been dealing with evan gelists whom God lias been pleased to raise up and to use in an extraordinary way
in the winning of men to the Lord Jesus Christ. When God thus honors a man we need not hesitate to do so. We are now going to review one of the most remarkable revival movements that the Church has ever experienced; and not the least remarkable thing about it was the ab sence of any great evangelist or leader; at least until the work had reached such proportions that men prominent in evangel istic circles came to see for themselves, but they could never be cited as the authors of the blessing, or even the channels through which it came. After what has been said in preceding articles no one can justly accuse us of be littling men or human agencies in revivals; but it does seem as though our great God meant to teach His Church through the Ul ster revival that He was not dependent upon men. There were many good men and great men in Ireland and Great Britain about that time; men whom God was using in evan gelistic work—like Brownlow North, and Grattan Guinness, and Reginald Radcliff, and scores of talented and consecrated or dained ministers—but without calling any of these to labor in an extraordinary wayy God began His unique work. Is there any les son that we might learn from this? Is the Church in danger of thinking that only throujgh some man or set of men she can secure a revival ? Are we inclined -to get discouraged over present-day conditions ?_ We shall find an answer to all these ques
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