Great Re v i va l s and Evang e l i s t s By JOHN H. HUNTER III. ULSTER REVIVAL OF 1859, (Continued) Copyright, 1915, by John H. Hunter
soon entered the school with a beaming face, and, going up to the master, said in his simple way, ‘O Mr. Blank, I am so happy! I have' the Lord Jesus in my heart!’ Strange words,» in cold times! Natural words, when upon the simple and the young the Spirit is poured out, and they feel what is meant by ‘Christ in you the hope of glory,’ and utter it in the first terms that come! The attention of the whole school was attracted. Boy after boy silently slipped out of the room. After awhile, the master stood upon something which enabled him to look over the wall of the playground. There he saw a number of his boys ranged round the wall on their knees in earnest prayer, every one apart. The scene over came him. Presently he turned to the pupil who had already been a comforter to one schoolfellow, and said, ‘Do you think you can go and pray with these boys?’ He went out, and, kneeling down among them, began to implore the Lord to forgive their sins, for the sake of Him who had borne them all upon the cross. Their silent grief soon broke into a bitter cry. As it reached the ears of the boys in the room, it seemed to pierce their hearts, as by one consent they cast themselves upon their knees and began to cry for mercy. The girls’ school was above, and the cry no sooner pene trated to, their room than, apparently well knowing what mourning it was, and hearing in it a call to themselves, they, too, fell upon their knees and wept. Strange dis order for’schoolmaster and mistress to have to control! The united cry reached the adjoining streets, Every ear, prepared by the prevailing Spirit, at once interpreted it as the voice’of those who look upon Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for. Him. One and another of the neigh-
® N THE preceding articles I ” ^.;&ave. endeavored' to give the reader some account of the beginnings of the Ulster Re- vival of ’59, and a general
statement of its progress. This article re lates some incidents that occurred in the city of Coleraine, a flourishing business center in the north of County Antrim, as related by Dr. Gibson. There is one incident so striking, in the commencement of the movement in Cole raine, that it cannot be omitted in any but the most cursory statement on the subject. It is impossible to present it in a better form than has been done by Mr. Arthur, in one of his Tracts on the Revival. After narrating an impressive scene witnessed by one of his brethren, a Methodist minister in the town, he says: “Not far from the spot where this took place stands a large school, belonging to the corporation of London, or that body con nected with it, known as the Irish Society, who are landlords of Coleraine, and of much property around. In it a boy was observed under deep impressions. The master, seeing that the little fellow was not fit to work, called him to him, and advised him to go home, and call upon the Lord in private. With him he sent an older boy, who had found peace the day before. On their way they saw an empty house, and went in there to pray together. The two schoolfellows continued in prayer in the empty house till he who was weary and heavy-laden felt his soul blessed with sacred peace. Rejoicing in this new and strange blessedness, the lit tle fellow said, ‘I must go back and tell Mr. Blank.’ The boy, who a little while ago had been too sorrowful to; do; his work,
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