This is an example of a report of the work at the early Salvation Army Shoreditch station.
Our Brother Dowdle has now the oversight of this station, and he reports as follows:
God is blessing this mission. The meetings are crowded almost every night, sometimes to the very door, and souls are being saved continually. During the last five weeks, over seventy persons have sought the forgiveness of sins; many, if not all, of whom have professed to obtain mercy. Every name is registered, and they are afterwards visited at their homes.
At the weekly temperance meeting many sign the pledge. The out-door meetings are also well attended and are frequently seasons of great power. Though interrupted again and again, God confounds our enemies and gives us the Victory often in the sight of all the people.
THE POWER OF THE WORD.
This was. apparent at a meeting held the other evening ln Commercial Street. After singing I knelt down to pray when the power of God fell upon me as I have seldom felt it and I was enabled to plead, kneeling on the stones, for the perishing multitudes around. There is not a worse neighbourhood perhaps not one so bad as this, in all London and my heart was moved in sympathy with it. I prayed specifically for drunkards, thieves, harlots, blasphemers, and adulterers.
As I rose from my knees a man pushed his way through the crowd of people that had gathered, and in an excited, angry voice asked what I knew about adultery. I replied I knew it was a sin and that God had sent me to warn him to repent and come to Christ. He said "What has it to do with you about people's adultery?'.' I said, "God says, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.'" "What do you know about what. God says?" he asked more angry still. I replied," Iknow He says, 'Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.''' Looking him straight in the face, I repeated these solemn words, and his countenance fell, his tongue clove to his mouth, and self-condemned before all the people he walked away leaving us to have a blessed meeting without further interruption.
From, 'The East London Evangelist.' June 1869, page 139.
On Sunday, Oct. 23rd, one of the happiest days of my life I spent at Shoreditch. We commenced as usual at 11 o'clock, by singing and as we sung the first verse the power of God came down and one poor woman wept much throughout the service. At the close of the service, about twelve o'clock, she came to the penitent form and told us she had been impressed by the Spirit to come to God's house, and that she was a backslider. In about twenty minutes the Lord graciously restored to her the joy of his salvation.
We then went from the hall to the corner of Scalter-street and held an open-air service. For about an hour and a half one and another of us spoke to the streaming thousands, as they continued to pour through that crowded place. We saw the tears rolling down the cheeks of the bystanders, numbers of whom appeared reluctant to leave so that Brother Moore had to commence speaking to them again. After dinner, we went to visit a poor woman at the point of death. After winding up two or three flights of stairs, we at length found our way into a dirty garret, where lay the dying woman, struggling with consumption, but very happy. I asked her when and where she found peace; she said, " In this room, three months ago, And I am very happy in Jesus." It would be in vain to try to describe the miserable state she was in temporally. The poor woman was wrapped in a few rags, had scarcely anything to eat, and rain was coming through the ceiling in three or four places. From this distressing scene, we went to our Experience Meeting, where we found many who had once sought happiness in music halls and theatres, dice, dominoes, cards, cricket, the dance and the song, and some who had once been infidels and Roman Catholics and women once the vilest of the vile, given to drink and the lowest vice; and it was delightful to see them stand up and testify that the gospel as preached by us had indeed been the power of God to their salvation. In the prayer meeting at the close, another person obtained salvation.
Alter ten we proceeded to our open-air stand in Sclater-street, and Brother Longmore, myself and others, spoke for about an hour to the people; and, though we had a little opposition from the world, we had a good meeting. We afterwards went to the hall, leaving Brother Moore to speak to the people in the open-air, as we had not room in the hall to accommodate the whole of the congregation. When we reached the hall, it was soon filled to overflowing. Brother Butcher and Longmore and myself spoke about a quarter of an hour each; it was one of the best meetings we had had in that place. When the prayer meeting began, the people would not leave and being so packed we could not make room for penitents; we invited them upstairs to the classrooms. A number followed us ad several found peace. And thus ended one of the happiest days of my life.
From, 'The Christian Mission Magazine', December 1870, page 184.
We have realised the power of God's presence during the past month. God has used us to point 70 poor perishing souls to a Crucified Redeemer -Hallelujah to His name! Our hall fills night after night, and oftentimes we have a praying band at the top and another at the bottom, sinners and saints all weeping together, while Jesus is set forth as a present Saviour for hell and sin. We have plenty of opposition. The devil has tried hard to stop us, but it is no good; his schemes have failed. He has to fly, while young converts cry,
From, 'The Christian Mission Magazine', May 1876, page 110.
From hints I have read, I think this was where the meetings took place. The building is long gone.