1859 Revival in Scotland
Maurice Roberts has a good article in this month's " Banner of Truth" magazine about the 1859 Revival in Scotland:
" It was the most stupendous movement that the country had seen since the days of the Covenanters....Many ...confess that they owe all they are, have been, or ever hope to be to that Revival." ( TT Matthews)
He reports the fact that the " United Presbyterian Church also, the third largest denomination in Scotland, reported that within their congregations 129 new prayer meetings had been started in the previous year and over the past two years attendances at prayer meetings had doubled."
Family worship was established in households, and " the rural police mentioned to me..that during the whole year they had only two cases of petty theft. The whole morals of the district seemed to have undergone a complete change..."
Laymen took part in the work of the Church. I like the story of Richard Weaver who was a converted as a prize fighter. He had lived a rough life largely with drinking and fighting. Roberts says, " He had been kept from cutting his own throat with an open razor by the merciful intervention of a ' voice' which seemed to say ' Remember that old woman in Shropshire that cried in her prayer, " Lord, save my lad.' "
In other words the revival was not in just the increase of response to the services of the Church, but lives were changed for good!
" It was the most stupendous movement that the country had seen since the days of the Covenanters....Many ...confess that they owe all they are, have been, or ever hope to be to that Revival." ( TT Matthews)
He reports the fact that the " United Presbyterian Church also, the third largest denomination in Scotland, reported that within their congregations 129 new prayer meetings had been started in the previous year and over the past two years attendances at prayer meetings had doubled."
Family worship was established in households, and " the rural police mentioned to me..that during the whole year they had only two cases of petty theft. The whole morals of the district seemed to have undergone a complete change..."
Laymen took part in the work of the Church. I like the story of Richard Weaver who was a converted as a prize fighter. He had lived a rough life largely with drinking and fighting. Roberts says, " He had been kept from cutting his own throat with an open razor by the merciful intervention of a ' voice' which seemed to say ' Remember that old woman in Shropshire that cried in her prayer, " Lord, save my lad.' "
In other words the revival was not in just the increase of response to the services of the Church, but lives were changed for good!
Here is a sermon message about the 1859 Revival in Scotland I thought you might like to hear.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bible-sermons.org.uk/audio/1997.mp3