The Authoritative Life of General William Booth, Founder of the Salvation ArmyRailton, George S. (George Scott)
History
The Authoritative Life of General William Booth, Founder of the Salvation Army
Railton, George S. (George Scott)
Booth, William, 1829-1912; Salvation Army
"Two sisters then spoke. The first had been very much cast down for
seven or eight weeks; but she comforted herself by saying, ''Tis
better on before.' The second said it was two years since she found
peace, and she was very happy.
"A young man told how his sins were taken away. He worked in the
city, and some one took him to hear the Rev. E. P. Hammond. He did
not find peace then, but afterwards, as a young man was talking to
him in the street, he was able to see the way of Salvation, and
rejoice in it. He used to fall asleep generally under the
preaching. 'But here,' he said, 'under Mr. Booth, I can't sleep.'
"A little boy, one of Mr. Booth's sons (the present General), gave
a simple and good testimony. He was followed by a young man, and
then an interesting blind girl, whom I had noticed singing heartily
in the street, told of her conversion.
"A girl told how she found peace seventeen months ago; and then Mr.
Booth offered a few concluding observations and prayed. The Meeting
closed by singing:--
I will not be discouraged,
For Jesus is my Friend.
"Such is a brief outline of this most interesting Meeting, held
Sunday after Sunday. Mr. Booth led the singing by commencing the
hymns without even giving them out. But the moment he began, the
bulk of the people joined heartily in them. Only one or two verses
of each hymn were sung as a rule. Most of them are found in his own
admirably compiled Song-Book.
"I could not but wonder at the change which had come over the
people. The majority of those present, probably nearly five
hundred, owed their conversion to the preaching of Mr. Booth and
his helpers. How would they have been spending Sunday afternoon, if
this blessed agency had not been set on foot?
"In the evening I preached in the Oriental Music Hall, High Street,
Poplar, where five or six hundred persons were assembled. This is
one of the more recent branches of Mr. Booth's work, and appears to
be in a very prosperous condition. I found two groups of the
helpers singing and preaching in the streets, who were only driven
in by the rain just before the Meeting commenced inside. This is
how the people are laid hold of.
"Shall this good work be hindered for the want of a few hundred
pounds?"
The supply of "pounds," alas! though called for in such religious
periodicals as at that time were willing to report the work, did not
come, and The General says: "After six years' hard work, we had nothing
better for our Sunday Night Meetings than a small covered alley attached
to a drinking-saloon, together with some old discarded chapels, and a
tumble-down penny theatre for week-nights."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account