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so suddenly appeared in the evangelistic world,
was in their midst and lie seized fast hold on hiin.
Mr. Moody, ever ready to help, agreed to take the
service, and I have heard him tell how cold that
first service was. His eomirig had not been noised
abroad and he had the regular Sunday morning
congregation. At the close of his sermon not a
single evidence did he see of a man desiring to
come to Christ. This nearly broke his heart, for
the passion of his life was to win lost souls for
Jesus.
A CHANGED ATMOSPHERE.
He went back to his hotel and said to Sankey,
“I cannot tell what is the matter with that service
this morning. Let us pray about it.” They took
the matter to God in prayer. That night when they
went back to the church there was a change. The
house was crowded. Every seat was packed. When
Mr. Moody went in he turned to Mr. Sankey and
said, “Sankey, God is here tonight.” At the close
of his sermon he gave the invitation and people
flocked to the front by droves.
The next day Mr. Moody a*nd Mr. Sankey were
going to Dublin. On the way they got a telegram
from the pastor of that church, saying, ‘‘ Come back.
A revival has broken out. The whole community
is stirred.” They took the returning train and
went back to London, and that was the beginning
of the . greatest evangelistic wave that ever struck
that country since the day when that church was
founded, and that was the beginning, not only of
that great campaign in England, but it was the
beginning of the great evangelistic movement con
tinued on and on, which is today at work throughout
the world through the men and the movement that
were set into operation through that mighty man of
God.
I have heard Mr. Moody tell how afterward he
found out the secret of that change from the morn
ing to the evening service. There was a woman
present at the morning service who had an invalid
sister, who had not been off her bed in seven years.
She had read in an American paper about the won
derful work being done in this country by Mr.
Moody, that man whom God had raised up and so
marvelously endowed. And she began to pray that
the Lord would bring to their church in England
that man of God, that he might stir up the fires in
their own hearts. She and her sister prayed for
years.
On that Sunday morning when Mr. Moody preach
ed, this sister went home and rushing into the
invalid’s room she said, “Sister, you cannot im
agine who preached in our church this morning.
We had a great treat. I wish you could have been
there.”
Before she finished speaking, her sister said,
“Oh, I know! It must have been that American
evangelist. ’ ’
“Yes,” she said, “It was Mr. Moody, and he had
Mr. Sankey with him, who sang. ’ ’
Those two sisters then planned to pray all the
afternoon that God would make him a great blessing
to that church at the evening service. They did
this, and that was the secret of the changed atmos
phere at the evening service. And I verily believe
that God took Mr. Moody to that church in answer
to the prayers that had gone up from that sick
room. There from that room had gone up for several
• years the volume of prayer that had unlocked the
storehouse of God and poured out upon that com
munity such a blessing. Oh, that in our midst there
might be hearts that would spend hours in prayer
for the revival which we so long for in this country!
We discuss plans and ways and means, but that
will avail nothing unless they come by inspiration
from God as the result of earnest prayer to Him.
That Pocket Testament League inaugurated by
the wife of the singing evangelist, Chas. M. Alex
ander, when she was a school girl, is a capital idea:
Have a Testament with you all the time. Read at
least one chapter every day and try to bring some
body to Christ. Now is your time to begin. Start
it by getting a Testament yourself, and going to
work to get others to league with you in doing the
same thing. That is the Pocket Testament League.
The Golden Age for April 23, 1908.
'Rebibal Terbor Slveeps ‘Philadelphia
Hundreds Confess Christ Daily in Chapman-Alexander Meetings—
Fbangelists Visit Poor Families in the Slums
By GEORGE T. B. DAVIS •; [
HE Chapman-Alexander Revival cam
paign is arousing and stirring Phila
delphia in a remarkable manner. Prob
ably never before in the city’s history
have so many people been converted
night after night as is uoav the case.
It is estimated that 25,000 to 40,000
attend the meetings daily, and hundreds
daily confess Christ in the churches, in
I SSs
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theaters, factories, workshops and in the streets.
In addition to the interior meetings, numerous open
air services are being conducted by Rev. William
Wilkinson in the City Hall Plaza, before Indepen
dence Hall, or in some public thoroughfare in the
heart of the city. This afternoon his meeting is
held on the steps of the United States Mint.
Besides the public meetings, the city is being
honey-combed with personal workers, who are
pleading with people on the street cars, in the
homes, and everywhere, to accept Christ ; and no one
can estimate how many are won daily by this per
sonal hand tn hand method. In a week, two street
car conductors on one line, told one worker that
they would accept Christ and two waiters in a hotel
were led clearly into the Light by the same worker.
Such cases are simply an indication of the universal
concern in the minds of the people for their eternal
salvation.
The whole city seems to be filled with the revival
fervor. Even in districts of the city where meet
ings have not been held, Christians have caught the
revival fire and the harvest is being reaped. I was
recently given a striking example of this fact. In
a part of the city where no Chapman-Alexander
meetings had been held, they recently held a com
munion service. The people Avere present in such
great numbers there was not sufficient of the sacra
ments to give to all, and the pastor and deacons
had to go without. The church is 150 years old, and
it is the first time in its history that such a thing
has occurred.
That the movement is proving to be a genuine
revival is shown by the fact that public confession
of wrong doing and restitution of stolen money is
being made by the converts. Yesterday Dr. Chap
man received a letter from a banker, in which he
told how a year ago they found their accounts
$250 short. The theft was so cleverly covered up
that they could not in any manner discover the
guilty person. Yesterday the $250 was returned with
a letter from the man who had taken it, confessing
his wrong doing, and saying that he had been con
verted in the revival meetings. One of the largest
firms in the city recently received the following
letter from a young man who had once been in their
employ:
“About three or four years ago I was employed
in your establishment and while there I used four
or five small pieces of leather to make- a card case;
I also took a small machine which had been dis
carded. I do not think this machine was of any
value to you, as I worked there for nearly a year
afterward but it Avas never missed. At that time
I Avas fifteen years of age and Avas greatly in
terested in motors and wanted something to run.
I have since become a Christian, and these things
come up before me, and I want to make them right.
I enclose a money order for a dollar-fifty, Avhich will
more than pay for the articles. If you desire further
particulars, Avrite me and I will call.”
Many touching scenes are being Avitnessed at
the great meetings conducted by Dr. Chapman and
Mr. Alexander at the Baptist Temple, the largest
church in the city, Avhich accommodates over 3,000
people. Last Sunday night in the after-meeting
at the close of the service, a beautiful scene Avas
presented Avhen two men and their Avives stood with
those at the front Avho were accepting and confessing
Christ as their Savior. At the same service, Dr.
Chapman called upon a tall, fine looking, well
dressed man to give his testimony. Before he spoke,
the evangelist told lioav his Avife and two children
had been converted in their recent Providence
meetings. The father Avas in Philadelphia on busi
ness, and had attended the theater meeting for men
only that afternoon. Dr. Chapman’s attention Avas
drawn to him when he saAV him in the audience
Aveeping. The neAvly saved man told lioav his heart
had been stirred by a meeting the night previous,
and lioav at the theater he had definitely surrendered
to God. After his conversion, he went out and
sent the following telegram to his wife and children
in Providence:
“Re-united in Christ. Saved this afternoon.”
The case is the more remarkable, as the man was
formerly air evangelistic singer, and had been
superintendent of a Sunday school.
The following night Dr. Chapman preached a
powerful sermon on the Unpardonable Sin. In the
course of it, he portrayed in a deeply impressive
manner the sufferings and death of Christ on the
cross. At the conclusion of the meeting among
those Avho Avent to the front was a blind boy, who
had been living under Unitarian influences, but
had been brought to the meetings in the hope that
he might find salvation. Dr. Chapman called upon
him to give a brief testimony, and the sightless
young man said: “I never saAV Jesus until tonight.
Noav my eyes have been opened and I am going to
tell everybody.” Many eyes Avere Avet with tears
as they heard the testimony of the blind young man,
and saAV his enthusiasm for his new-found Savior.
Dr. Chapman and Mr. Alexander are sparing no
pains to have the revival permeate the entire city.
On one occasion at a noon-day theater meeting for
business people, SIOO was collected to be distributed
among the poorest and neediest families in the
slums. The evangelists did not delegate the task of
distribution to someone else; the next afternoon they
set forth to do the Avork themselves. In the party
were Dr. Chapman and his daughter, Miss Bertha
Chapman; Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Alexander; Col.
Damon and an Adjutant of the Salvation Army.; a
famous Editor and some neAvspaper men. They
were accompanied in their trip through the slums
by two Avagons, one carrying 24 baskets heaped with
proA r isions, and the other carrying 24 baskets of coal.
During the afternoon they A T isited fully 1G of the
most destitute families in the city, and each ope a
deserving case, as they had been fully investigated
by the Salvation Army. Everywhere they went
they left a trail of joy and gladness. In some cases
not only provisions, but substantial financial aid
was given. One JeAvish family had been ordered
out into the streets because they could not pay their
rent, and the visit of the evangelists came just in
time to save them from this pitiable fate.
The most touching scene of the ofternoon occurred
in connection with an old Avoe-begone man, living
in a garret in almost unspeakable squalor. The
room Avas filled with scraps of Avood and iron and
pieces of old garments of all sorts. A bundle of
rags on a broken bedstead showed Avhere the ppor
man slept. Dr. Chapman asked whether he were a
Christian, and he stated that he was not, .When
questioned further, he stated his mother had been
a good Christian Avoman and Avas in heaven. - Fin
ally in response to the evangelist’s pleading he
declared he Avould then and there accept Christ.
We all knelt Avhile Dr. Chapman prayed for him.
As we arose from our knees, Mr. Alexander started
up “Memories of Mother,” and followed that Avith
“Tell Mother I’ll Be There,” and the room was
flooded with joy as another soul avos born into the
Kingdom.
A worldly man in Ncav York City, after once
having heard Ingersoll lecture against Christianity,
said: “It’s a spicy thing to laugh at.for an hour,
but not a very cheering doctrine when there is a
funeral in the house,”
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