THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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when it pleased the sovereign God o f grace to make bare His holy arm in the midst o f us, and to perform a work in many souls resembling that o f which I had been speak ing, in majesty and glory! In referring to this wonderful work o f the Spirit, I rfientioned the fact that when Mr. Living stone was on the point o f closing his dis course a few drops o f rain began to fall, and that when the people began to put on their coverings, he asked them if they* had any shelter from the drops o f Divine wrath, and was thus led to enlarge for nearly another hour in exhorting them to flee to Christ, with so much o f the power o f God, that about five hundred persons were con verted. And just when I was speaking o f the occasion and the nature o f this wonder ful address, I felt my own soul moved in a manner so remarkable that I was led, like Mr. Livingstone, to plead with the uncon verted before me instantly to close with God’s offers o f mercy, and continued to do so until the power o f the Lord’s Spirit became so mighty upon their souls as to carry all before it, like the rushing mighty wind o f Pentecost! During the whole o f the time that I was speaking, the people listened with the most riveted and solemn attention and with many silent tears and inward groanings o f the spirit; but at the last their feelings became too strong for all ordinary restraints, and broke forth simul taneously in weeping and wailing tears and groans, intermingled with shouts o f joy and praise from some o f the people o f God. “ The appearance o f a great part o f the people from the pulpit gave me an awfully vivid picture o f the state o f the ungodly in the day o f Christ’s coming to judgment. Some were screaming out in agony; others, and among these strong men, fell to the ground as if they had been dead; and such was the general commotion, that after repeating for some time the most free and urgent invitations o f the Lord to sinners (as Isaiah 55; Revelation' 22:17), I was obliged to give out a psalm which was soon joined in by a considerable number, our voices being mingled with the mourn
ing groans o f many prisoners sighing for deliverance. After Dr. Burns and my father had spoken for a little' and prayed, fhe meeting was closed at three o’clock, intimation having been given that we would meet again at six. “ To my own astonishment during the progress o f this wonderful scene, when almost all present were overpowered, it pleased the Lord to keep my soul perfectly calm. Along with the awful and affect ing realization which I obtained o f the state o f the unconverted, I had such a view o f the glory redounding to God, and the blessings conferred on poor sinner^, by the work that was advancing, as to fill my soul with tranquil joy and praise. 'Indeed, I was so composed, that when, with the view o f recruiting my strength for the labours still in view, I stretched myself on my bed on going home, I enjoyed an hour o f the most'refreshing sleep, and rose as vigorous in mind and body as before.” Such was the way in which God chose to pour out His Spirit upon Kilsyth at that memorable time. Mr. Burns’ manner while preaching is thus described by his brother: DELIBERATE SPEAKER “His manner indeed at first, and through nearly one-half o f the discourse, was, as usual, calm, deliberate, measured; nor did he, I think, greatly diverge either in words or in sequence o f thought, from the line o f the written discourse; but there was about him throughout an awful solemnity, as if his soul was overshadowed with the very presence o f Him in whose name he spoke; and as he went on, that presence seemed more and more to pass within him, and to possess him, and to bear him along in a current o f strong emotion, which was alike to himself and to his hearers irre sistible. Appeal followed appeal in ever- increasing fervor and terrible energy, till at last, as he reached the climax o f his argument, and vehemently urged his hearers to fight the battle that they might win the eternal prize, the words ‘no cross, no crown,’ pealed from his lips, not so much like a sentence o f ordinary
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