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THE KING’S BUSINESS
eyes and I was enabled to speak with some dègree of tenderness, both in expounding the truth and in afterwards applying it to men’s hearts. I could not but thank the Lord for restraining me from too much terror, and giving me on this occasion a message of love perhaps to some of the gainsayers. The crowd was most dense and many hundreds standing without were obliged to go away.. A blessed Sab bath.” On another occasion he speaks about going with three or four other min isters to a service which he thus describes: “With these dear brethren we had much prayer, but I was too little in secret, partly from want of time, and partly from feeling the need of mental relaxation after the all- engrossing and incessant duties of the previous days. I went in consequence to the pulpit under a load of self-dependence, and with much unbelief, which combined to intercept or prevent the rich communi cations of the power of thè Spirit. I was in consequence in a considerable measure left to myself, and though in the first prayer, after struggling long to get through the clouds which shut out my soul from the light of God’s countenance, I did get some sweet and melting glimpses of Immanuel at the Father’s right hand, yet in preaching, which I did from Isaiah 54 :S, I was confined almost entirely to exposi tion of doctrine and. was not allowed to open and search and alarm the consciences of the secure by any hortatory application of the subject.” Some of his prayers at this time were remarkable : “O Lord Jehovah, grant to me a heart for Jesus’ sake to praise Thee with becoming love for all the most mar velous displays of Thy love and . mercy which I, the chief of sinners, am permit ted to behold from day to day. Breathe on me, O Holy Ghost! for the love of the glory of Immanuel, and fill my soul with seraphic love, and my tongue with holy and unceasing praise, and O ! draw by Thy omnipotent grdce all-these dear inquiring souls to the blood and the bosom qf that adorable Immanuèl whom' they seek after
On another occasion the congregation which gathered was far too large for St. Peter’s, and so they adjourned to the parish church of St. David’s, the largest building in the parish, the minister of which was in heartiest sympathy with Mr. Burns and the work. The climax in the work of St. Peter’s was reached on the day of the communion service in October. The meetings had then been running for nearly two months. On jthat Sabbath evening three great con gregations were gathered, one in the church itself, the other two in the adjoin ing school rooms. These were addressed by Mr. Burns and by others who had come to assist in the service. The presence of the Lord Jesus was experienced in a remarkable degree. A great, solemnity per vaded the entire audience.,. Mr. Burns’ preaching at this period is thus described by his brother: “It was characterized by - great fullness, .freedom and rich copiousriess of Scriptural exposi tion and appeal, by melting and persuasive unction, and even by a clearness and force of thought and diction which, considering the incessant drafts made upon his resources, was very remarkable. At the same time he spoke, as he eyer sought to speak, not from the mere remembered impression of past convictions, but from the immediate and present sense of eter nal things, and felt constrained either to utter only that which he felt livingly in his soul, or be silent altogether. His preaching was subject now, as ever afterwards, to great variations alike in fulness and power.” An illustration of this is seen in the fol lowing from Mr. Burns’ own diary: “In the evening I preached in Hiltown church from Job 33 :23, 24. At first, and especially when I should have spoken of the Lord’s terrors from the words ‘going down from the pit,’ I was much deserted and was forced to be both bare and brief; but,when I came to speak of the Lord’s love and mercy, I got such an insight into the sub ject that its glorious grace almost over came me; the tears were flowing from my
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