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THE KING’S BUSINESS Great Revivals and Great Evangelists Harry Moorehouse—Continued - 7 — By JOHN H. HUNTER W ITH J o h n H am b le to n an d E d w a rd U sher, H a rry M oo re house d e c id ed to a tte n d th e
local p e a sa n try a n d som e o f these w ere b ro u g h t to Christ. W h o can tell how far-reach ing m ay h a v e b e en th e m essages on th e b o a rd s which w ere re a d b y th o u san d s o f th e p le a s u re seekers, since “G o d h a th chosen th e foolish th ing s o f th e w o rld to c o n fo u n d th e w ise; a n d . . . th e w e ak th ing s . . . to c o n fo u n d th e th ing s th a t a re m ig h ty ” ? H a rry M oo rehou se a n d Jo h n H am b le to n a tte n d e d th e fam ous E p som races w ith th e ir w ell-filled w a l lets a n d th e ir te x t b o a rd s. O n th is occasion th e c a rriag e con ta in ing th e P rin ce o f W ales, a fte rw a rd s K ing E dw a rd V II, w as b lo ck ed fo r som e tim e o p p o site th e hum b le e v an g e lists, a n d th e p rince o f th e royal fam ily o f G re a t B ritain h e a rd a G o spel m essage from th e fire-touched lips o f one o f th e sons o f th e K ing of K ings an d L o rd o f L o rd s. It w as h e re th a t a little ecclesiastically g a rb e d c lergym an on his w ay to th e races ch a rg ed th e evangelists w ith b ring ing rep ro a ch up o n th e n am e of o u r Saviour. T h e y re p lie d : “ If Jesu s is y o u r Saviour, tell us w h a t H e h as sav ed you from ? H e has sav ed us from th e com p an y o f evil- doers, a n d from th e race course to which you a re going, which is one m ass o f iniquity. H e has red e em ed H is p e o p le from all sin, a n d from th e things o f th e w o rld which th ey once loved . T h is is w h a t our S av iou r h as d o n e fo r us; w h a t has your S av iou r d o n e fo r you? You h av e a fo rm o f god liness; you w e a r a w hite neckclo th as a b a d g e o f y o u r calling and , fo r a u g h t w e know , you tell p e o p le on S u n d ay to serve th e L o rd , b u t on M o n d ay you you rse lf
g re a t te r-c en ten a ry o f S h ak e sp e a re a t S tra tfo rd -o n -A v o n , in th e h o p e of w itnessing fo r C h rist a n d saving som e fo r H im . T h e y h a d larg e tex ts o r strik ing m o tto e s p a in te d on b o a rd s to b e s tra p p e d on th e ir shou l d e rs an d b o rn e in th e re a r o f th e procession o f floats rep re sen ting v a rious scenes from th e g re a t p o e t’s plays. T h e y c a rried also a supp ly o f Bibles, New T e stam en ts a n d tra c ts to b e given aw ay o r so ld a s occasion m igh t require. O n e o f th e m o tto e s re a d : C h rist fo r M e; P ra ise th e L o rd , M ercy’s F re e .” T h e stran g e sight a ttra c te d m uch a tte n tio n an d elicited m uch comm en t— go o d na- tu re d an d otherw ise. A rchbishops, bishop s a n d o th e r g re a t m en m igh t m a rch w ith m ed a ls o f S h ak e sp e a re hang ing o v e r th e ir hearts, a n d it seem ed all righ t to th e th o u san d s of sp e c ta to rs g a th e re d from all ov e r th e w o rld ; fou r h u n d re d p ro fe s sional singers an d players, m an y of th em— p ro b a b ly m o st o f th em __ godless, m igh t fidd le a n d sing: H e w as w o u n d ed fo r o u r transgres- s*°ns>” an d th e aud ien c e in th e g re a t pav ilion w ou ld a p p la u d th e p e rfo rm ance. But w hen th re e red e em ed m en ste p p e d ou t to b e a r th e ir simple testim ony to th e tru th o f th e p ro p h e t’s message, th e y w ere h o o ted , jo s t led, ev en th re a te n e d w ith arrest, though th ey w ere n o t in te rfe ring in an y unlaw ful w ay w ith th e d a y ’s proceed ing s. T h e ir tra c ts w ere to rn a n d seem ingly n o t m uch w as d o n e fo r th e ir L o rd , b u t in th e even ing th ey p re a ch ed to h u n d re d s o f th e
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