Spitalfields - Adam Clarke (1796)



In the London Circuit, at large, Mr Clarke and his excellent colleagues had the great encouragement of witnessing the tokens of divine mercy in those signs and wonders of salvation by which much people were turned to the Lord. In writing to a friend at Liverpool, he describes this work as an outpouring of the Spirit of God such as he had never seen before. "Every part of the city seemed to partake of it. The preachings were well attended, and a gracious influence rested on the people. After the regular service we have a prayer-meeting, in which much good is done.

The first movement took place in our Sunday schools; and in Spitalfields, New Chapel, West-street, and Snow s-fields, simultaneously. Several sheets of paper would not suffice to give you even a general idea of what is going on. Last night we had our love-feast. For about half an hour the people spoke; when all was ended in that way, we exhorted and prayed with many who were in great mental distress. We remained four hours in these exercises. You might have seen small parties praying in separate parts of the chapel at the same time. The mourning was like that of Hadad-rimmon; every family seemed to mourn apart. We who prayed circulated through the whole chapel, above and below, adapting our prayers and exhortations to the circumstances of the mourners. Many were pardoned; to others strong hope was vouchsafed, and then was the advice given by each to his neighbour to believe in Jesus: He has pardoned me! O, do not doubt, seeing he has had mercy upon me, the vilest of sinners! One scene particularly affected me. A young man, recently married to an unconverted young woman, persuaded her to kneel down with two others who were in deep distress. Presently she was cut to the heart; I visited them backward and forward, at least a score times. After they had been about three hours in this state, the young woman found peace, and in a short time until the other two entered into liberty. When the young fellow found his wife praising God for his mercy, he was almost transported with joy; he sung, prayed, and praised; and great indeed was their mutual glorying, and so was ours on their behalf. Well, thus we continued, until at a late hour I prevailed on the people, with some difficulty, to go home. We are trying to get these meetings shortened. If friends Russell, Robinson, etc., were here, they would be in their element."

From, ‘The life of the Rev Adam Clarke’, by J W Etheridge, 1859, p205-6.

http://www.archive.org/details/abiographicalske00shenuoft

Additional Information

I do not know where the chapel was. The Huguenots had a chapel which was taken over by the Methodists in 1819.