It will encourage the hearts of the Lord's people to hear of the blessed work He has been carrying on here during the past two weeks, in answer to continued prayer.
For the past twelve months, the prayer meetings of the Baptist Chapel have been well attended, and a goodly number of young people in our Sunday school have given their hearts to the Lord. A very earnest desire for the conversion of sinners, and especially of unconverted relatives, has been manifest among the young converts, They have been accustomed to hold frequent prayer meetings amongst themselves, male and female, for this purpose. The good news of the Lord's work in Scotland, and elsewhere, has compelled me also to long and pray for a like manifestation of his love and power in Chard.
I wrote to Mr Vicary, urging him to visit us, and as we were at that time holding special united prayer meetings, his contemplated visit was made the subject of special prayer. The Lord's people at Bristol and Bath interested in Mr Vicary's evangelistic labours were led to entreat the Lord for Card. We began a noon-day prayer meeting the week before he came, which was pretty well attended. On Lord's day, October 11, Brother Gittens came down from Preston to preach, and the first fruit was given that afternoon in a young man, a son of Christian parents in Yorkshire, who was led to give his heart to the Lord. At night in the after-meeting, about fifteen souls found peace through believing in Jesus.
Mr Vicary came on Monday, and at night the Baptist Chapel was well-filled, and a very solemn feeling seemed to pervade the assembly. At the after-meeting a large number attended, and about twenty souls confessed Jesus to be their sole dependence and Saviour. The next meeting on Tuesday was held in the Independent Chapel when a still larger congregation was present and about thirty found peace.
Night after night souls have been saved and increased interest awakened. Before the end of the week 170 had received cleansing, who were now prepared to confess Christ. The meetings this week were, if possible, more richly blessed than the former ones. God's people have been so stirred up and filled with love to Jesus, that no labour or time seems too much for them to give.
The last meeting was to be held in the Independent Chapel, as it is the largest in the town when a series of meetings will terminate that have God's people in this place a help heavenward such as they have never enjoyed before and have brought many precious souls out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's dear Son. To the Lord be all the praise!
T. HIND.