ITS COMMENCEMENT.
This Mission had its origin in a few services held in a tent in White-chapel. No plan had
been laid down for future operations. A week’s evangelistic work only was intended, and then the writer proposed to leave for a distant field of labour; but the blessing vouchsafed was so striking, and the harvest so promising, that the friends who gathered round urged him to make the East of London a permanent sphere of labour. The call seemed to come to us from God, and from the souls of hundreds of
thousands of dying men and women, sunk in poverty and misery. And after much
prayer, deliberation, and conference, we accepted it, and settled down in this
desolate and destitute part of the vineyard. All that follows in this report descriptive of
what the Master has wrought through the Mission has grown out of this small
beginning.
THE OBJECT OF THE MISSION.
Our purpose is to go out into the highways and hedges, and bring in the thousands
who at present seem to be outside the pale of all religious influence and operation;
who, if not positively and bitterly opposed to Christianity, are totally indifferent to it. In
the East of London there are multitudes in the grossest heathen darkness, being not
only without God, but also without any knowledge of Him, or of the way of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Turn which way you will, you may walk for miles, and everywhere you will find a dense population given up to all kinds of wickedness. Here are infidels, drunkards, thieves, harlots, gamblers, blasphemers, and pleasure-seekers without number. To use the words of a popular writer intimately acquainted with the habits of the poor, ” ‘We hear of streets in which every door would be thrown open for the shelter of a thief. We see, on little lots of waste land, groups of men and boys gambling. We hear terrible language even from young children. Of the teeming multitudes who crowd the squalid homes, if homes they can be called, which fill our Whitechapel courts and lanes, comparatively few, probably not one person out of ten ever enters a place of worship. The public-house rules supreme, with beer and gin for its inflexible hierophants. No wonder that drunkenness, licentiousness, and crime abound in all directions; no wonder that the reeking streets are filled with lost and miserable women, or that the narrow courts should form so many nests for thieves.” Here, indeed and of a truth, Satan seems to have his seat, and to reign comparatively undisturbed, keeping his goods in peace. The Sabbath is regarded as a day of pleasure, idleness, or business. The falsest notions of God, religion, and a future state prevail; consequently, misery abounds, sin is practised, and vice is rampant everywhere. In the very centre of this ocean of depravity and wretchedness, the Christian Mission has its head quarters, and to win these multitudes from the gin
palace, the theatre, the concert hall, and the infidel lecture-room, to Christ and
usefulness and heaven, is its special work.
But in other cities and towns of this highly favoured country there are districts as
destitute as those we have described, though of far more limited extent. To some of these the Lord has so plainly opened our way, and so urgently called us forth, that we
dare not resist. Nevertheless, we feel as deeply as ever that the East of London
demands our fast and strongest sympathies, and our most strenuous efforts.
OUR MEASURES.
The means adopted by the Mission are various. Indeed, we gladly employ whatever
plans are owned of God in the experience of other labourers in the vineyard, or which
appear likely to accomplish the object we have in view. Our purpose is to save some,
and to this end we lay hold of them any way we can, “pulling them out of the fire.”
While we firmly maintain that all the good that is done in the earth, it is the Lord that
doeth it, and that the salvation of a soul is of the Lord, and of Him only, nevertheless, it is evident from His word and providence that He works by means, and that He makes success in spiritual labour, as in all other, to depend on the employment of
appropriate measures, — that those who, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, work
lawfully and wisely, succeed. Consequently, from the beginning we have striven to
seek out from God’s word, and from the history of God’s people, and from the
teaching of the Holy Spirit, and from the very circumstances in which we have been
placed, methods and instructions for carrying forwards successfully the special work in which we have been engaged. From this it must not be concluded that our plans are new; looked at carefully they will
be found to be mostly as old as the Acts of the Apostles. Amongst them first and
foremost stands
THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.
To this we attach the greatest importance, and on it we place our chief reliance. While
we highly esteem und regularly employ all accessory agencies; nevertheless we place
this first in the van, believing, with Paul, that by the foolishness of preaching God has
chosen to save them that believe. But how are they to be benefited by preaching
when, as we stated at the outset, the great bulk of the people cannot be persuaded to
set foot inside church, chapel, or preaching place of any kind? They cannot be saved
by a gospel that they do not hear. Feeling this, we go to them. Consequently, one of
our principal spheres of labour is
THE OPEN AIR.
We believe that God has given us a mission to the throngs in the great thoroughfares
roaming about on the Sabbath day, and on all other days, thoroughly unconcerned
about death, judgment, and eternity. It was these which He first laid on our hearts. To
these we believe He has sent us with the glad tidings of great joy, and it is only in this
way that we can reach them. Our experience tells us that, although their aversion to churches and chapels is as strong as can well be conceived, they will, nevertheless, eagerly listen to any speaker who, with ordinary ability, in a loving and earnest manner, will set before them the truths of the Bible in the open air. At any hour of the day, or almost any hour of the day, a congregation can be obtained in the great thoroughfares of London. And this is true, not only of the long light summer nights, but of the darkest and most dreary evenings of the winter. Hence we continue our open-air work all the year round. Our instructions to our helpers are, that while the people will stand to listen, they are not only to be willing but thankful for the privilege of proclaiming the story of the cross. With a bitter east wind sweeping down the Whitechapel Road, drifting the snow lying thick around us we have ere now sought a sheltered corner, and found that a crowd would stand to listen for half an hour. Nay, in nothing short of a good down-pour of rain have we failed to gain a congregation. True, when the ground is ankle-deep in mud, it would be unwise to keep the people standing long. But even then, or with a drizzling rain, we sing a verse or two, gather a crowd, interest them with a few words, and then announce the meeting that is to follow indoors, where they can be warmly and comfortably seated to hear more about the same important subject, enticing them to follow us with a lively hymn, as we wove
along to the place of meeting. One of our workers in Bethnal Green thus describes
their method of
MISSIONING THE STREETS.
As we go singing down the street, you may see the doors fly open, and the windows
shoot up, and soon we have crowds of eyes and ears upon us from all sides. Every
now and then we make a pause, sing a verse or two, and then give a short address,
publishing the glorious gospel, and then we fall on our knees, and offer a few short,
earnest prayers; then up and on to another corner and there to a fresh crowd tell the
old, old story of the cross. By this method we preach Christ to hundreds who would
never go so many yards to church, chapel, or an open-air service. This seems to us to
be one way of taking the gospel to the people.
SINGING.
In these open-air operations, singing occupies a very prominent place, and is
employed very freely. This always ensures us a congregation. If the speaking fails to
draw a crowd, or, as is sometimes the case fails to keep it when gathered, one of our
hymns, full of gospel sentiment, sung to a lively stirring tune, fails not speedily to draw
another. By this course we have no doubt that gospel truths have been sung into the
hearts of tens of thousands who would never have heard them in any other way: and the record of the last day alone will reveal the number of those who have not only been thus attracted to hear the gospel, but have been by this means led to salvation through faith in the Saviour.
True, this kind of work brings with it the result of which the Master spoke. It insures
opposition and persecution; it rouses the hatred of men and devils. If you will stop
quietly in your church or chapel or, meeting-place, you may talk religion for ever, and
beyond a little passing ridicule, the ungodly will let you alone. But go out to them,
spread your gospel feast by the highway side, proclaim the truth at the gates of the city, or in the crowded market place, and they will gnash upon you with their teeth,
and hate you as they hated Him who went about all the cities and villages of Palestine, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
We cannot describe the kind of opposition we suffer better than by giving a few
extracts from the journals of some of our workers.
A PUBLICAN AND THE POLICE.
So soon as our brethren commenced the open-air service, a policeman came and
ordered them away, saying he would take them to the station if they did not desist.
Brother R said he should deem it an honour to be locked up for his Master, whereupon the policeman took them off. By this time a great crowd had gathered,
and as they went along they sang —
“I will sing for Jesus,
With His blood He bought me;”
and then
“Jesus, the name high over all,
In hell, or earth, or sky.”
At the station they gave tracts to each of the policemen, who were just going on their
beat. They then commenced reading the Bible, but being told to sit down, they knelt
down and prayed aloud. They were afterward dismissed with an intimation that they would be summoned, and on Saturday the 20th, they appeared before the
magistrate. A publican and others, with a lawyer at their head, appeared against
them. Robert Baxter, Esq., kindly came forwards for the defence. The policeman
complained that an obstruction of the thoroughfare, whereas, there were but some two dozen people when they were first interrupted. The publican complained that the preaching was a nuisance, that the singing, prayer, &c., disturbed the quiet of his customers, would not let his children sleep, nor him and his wife read. He ought to have said it troubled his conscience, for he once told us himself that he had been a
Sabbath-school teacher, and that he hated drunkenness as much as we did; but what
could he do when he had so much money invested in this business? However, the
magistrate took no notice of his complaint on this occasion, but simply said he was
sorry for the police to come in collision with the open-air preachers; that there had been an obstruction, that the young men had shown too much zeal, and they must be bound over in their own recognisances not to repeat the same offence in that
particular locality for six months.
The three following extracts are from the journal of a brother then labouring at
Shoreditch: —
GETTING A CONGREGATION.
Last week, having taken our stand close to the Eastern Counties Railway Station, a
young man came along and interrupted us. One of our brethren kindly remonstrated
with him, and told him that if he did not leave his evil ways he would surely be lost, at which he threatened to knock the brother down. I went to him and said, that if there
was to be any knocking down, it must be done in the ring where the people could see
him; but we would first pray about it, and then he could knock us down as much as he pleased; but before I could get upon my knees he sneaked off through the crowd.
He had scarcely left us, when a drunken man came, and with curses threatened to
break up our meeting. I took hold of him, and drawing him to the centre of the
people, said, “Let us pray,” and falling upon my knees, I called upon God to have
mercy on the poor drunkard; but his companions came and drugged him away. When I arose, instead of the small congregation with which we had commenced, there was a large concourse of people, to whom we unfurled the blood-stained banner of the
cross; and God was with us.
AN EAST END OPEN-AIR MEETING.
The Fountain, Commercial Street. Singing attracted a crowd of people. Knelt down
and prayed. Sang again. While singing, a very respectable man under the influence of drink, came up with his wife. As soon as she heard it was a hymn we were singing, she wanted to go away; but the husband was so interested that he would not go, and
began helping to sing. His wife tried to drag him off, but he would not move. I spoke
Jesus, and invited every sinner to come to him and be saved. The man wept and said,
“It is all true, sir; I know it is true. Brother H — next addressed the meeting, and the people were riveted. Then a man came up, riding upon a horse, and swearing he would ride over us; but as the people dud not move, he could not carry out his intention, and had to pull up, turn round, and ride away. The power of the Spirit was resting upon the people. Then a half-drunken Irishman came from the public-house close by, with the blood running down his face, having been fighting, or something of the kind. He came raving, and, pushing his way through the crowd, cried out, that he would speak; but the Spirit of God took hold of him, and he said to us, “That’s right enough, old fellow;” and listened until the meeting was over. Then we knelt down and prayed, and the Irishman falling on his knees also, and with the clotted blood on his face, said to me, “I am such an awful sinner; can God save me?” O, that it may be the means of the conversion of these two men. They both accompanied us to the meeting in the hall.
A NEW WAY OF STOPPING THE MOUTHS OF LIONS.
Another evening we were at the same spot, and soon after we commenced the
meeting two men came up swearing at us, and sneeringly said, that it was a very well
to spout; but that real religion was to help the poor, and give them something to eat.
One of them I saw was a regular loafer, so I told him, that when in the past he had
been able to help himself, he had helped the publican, and now he had to suffer for it, and that if I did give him anything he would take it to the public-house. The other one here put in and said, “All that’s true, sir; but I have a wife and family all starving at
home for bread, and if you could help me I should be so thankful.” I then turned
round and sent a brother for a quartern loaf, and when he brought it, I told him to
stand by me with it under his arm, while I went on with the meeting, telling how Jesus could save beggars and paupers, the tears meanwhile running down the poor man’s face. I then gave the poor fellow the loaf; but taking him by the hand, I said, “Let us all pray that God may bless the food to this poor man’s body and save his soul.” The people wept; a great congregation had gathered; and the man, very thankful, went
home with the loaf. He washed himself. And came to the Mission Hall, where he knelt and cried to God to have mercy on his soul; and I trust his conversion will be the
result. A brother thus writes of
OPPOSITION AT POPLAR.
Like men who have to remove mountains, we continue boring and blasting, and are
cheered by seeing continually, hearts of stone moved and broken. The word of God is our armoury, the sword of the Spirit our weapon, and “Poplar for Christ” our motto. By the wayside and in the theatre, we sow seed, and in the hall we gather fruit.
Opposition continues to do its worst. We have to listen to the vilest oaths, and, at
times, calmly bear a few blows. On Saturday evenings the arch fiend rages most ferociously. The fact that they hate and curse us is of small moment, in contrast to the painful truth that many of them have passed through Sabbath-schools, and intellectually know the way of salvation. Such are the most profane; and invariably possess a double portion of the spirit of Satan. When we find it impossible to continue the meeting out-doors, we join rank, and in a singing procession march to the hall.
A week ago we were beset by a gang of six or eight mechanics, emptied from a
public-house, but God restrained their violence. Several of them accompanied us to the temperance meeting, signed the pledge, and are now sober men. Amid all this opposition, God keeps us strangers to fear. And while rough hands are upon us, we experience our deepest yearnings for the conversion of men. God so often interposes for us, that we are always persuaded the victory will be on Israel’s side. Though often prevented by the cries and yells of wicked men making ourselves heard by the people, a calm endurance for truth’s sake creates conviction in many minds, and begets sympathy with the work.
Another brother tells of
POLICE OPPOSITION AT STRATFORD.
Evening open-air service. A lot of drunken Catholics going home from a funeral
caused a great disturbance. The police ordered our people away; but we told them to remove those who were making the noise, as no one complained but the Catholics, and they did not reside in the neighbourhood. At that, one of the police attacked Brother L— in so rough a manner, that he could not go to work the following day. On the Monday, I went with him to the station to report the policeman for exceeding his duty. I told the inspector that we did not pay the police to insult us when
endeavouring to do good; and that unless the policeman came to my house and
made an ample apology for exceeding his duty, I should report him at Scotland Yard.
Afterwards, he came, and in the presence of Brother L— said, that he was very sorry he had so far exceeded his duty, and that if we would forgive him, he would never
interfere again, but would protect us as far as possible. We gladly forgave him, and
may God forgive him too.
THE WHITECHAPEL ROUGHS.
At Whitechapel, the sons of Belial, who have roared and raved against us for many
months, have been in a measure silenced. They had grown so insolent and daring in
their opposition, that the other night, when Brother H— was speaking, the crowd
interfered, and drove them from the ground. One or two were severely handled.
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