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
"At another station, after speaking for the twenty minutes allowed
for breakfast, a lady put through the window a really superb
English breakfast, as good as ever I had in my life, with
everything necessary for eating it, and as we went off she added,
'Mind, I am a Roman Catholic.'
"The reception at Sydney was enormous, they say never surpassed,
and only equalled once at the burial of some celebrated oarsman who
died on the way from England. They had arranged a great reception
for him, and they gave it to his corpse. The enthusiasm of the
Meetings is Melbourne over again."
The General's almost invariable escape from illness during so many years
of travelling, in so many varying climates and seasons, can only be
attributed to God's special guidance and care. In Melbourne, influenza
raged in the home where he was billetted, and seized upon one of the
Officers travelling with him. And yet he escaped, and could resume his
journey undelayed. In South Africa, when he was seventy-nine, another of
his companions in travel was separated from him for days by severe
illness; but The General, in spite of a milder attack of the same sort,
was able to fulfil every appointment made for him.
Best of all, however, was the peculiarly blessed inward experience which
he enjoyed amidst all the outward rush of the Australian tour. It has
been so often suggested by truly excellent men that the soul cannot
enjoy all the fulness of fellowship with God without a great deal of
retirement from men, that we should like to have The General's inner
life fairly exhibited, if it were only in order for ever to bury this
monstrous and, we might also say blasphemous, superstition, which has so
often been supported by one or two quotations from the Gospel, though in
defiance of the whole story of Christ, and of every promise He ever
made.
Of what value could a Saviour be who drew back from helping His own
messengers upon the ridiculous pretence that they were too busy doing
His bidding, and did not spend enough time "seeking Him for themselves"?
"Just a P.S. to say that God is wonderfully with me. I don't think
that I ever in the midst of a great Revival had a more powerful
time than last night. It was nothing short of a miracle. I had no
definite line ready, and had no time to get one. I preached an old
sermon at Melbourne, just because I must have something straight
before me that I could shout out to that immense crowd, and I had a
wonderful time; but last night God helped me in every way. The
power upon the people was really wonderful at times."
Little did most of his own Soldiers guess the extreme strain of inward
weight and struggle under which The General was often labouring just
when in some great assembly he appeared to every one to be overflowing
with youthful gaiety and self-confidence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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