Miss Haddon and myself have just returned from holding meetings at Wissendine and Oakham, Rutland, attended by much blessing. In the latter quiet country town no special meetings have been known to thrive, nor has any revival wave disturbed its deadness and orthodoxy. God however honoured our faith and many were saved through the preaching of the simple Gospel of Christ.
"The common people heard gladly," as of yore, crowds of them gathering night after night and many a homely soul was gathered in, lads, young men, women - and a few more educated. Vans, traps came into town long before meeting time, bringing a full freight of passengers to attend what God the Holy Ghost made to be to them the means of grace.
Christians (a few at least) awakened to consecration and undreamed - of privilege in the Gospel, and were much refreshed. The back streets of the town were visited simultaneously with the meetings and in their homes more were brought to Jesus. From many adjacent villages came the able-bodied walkers, some from almost all of them finding Christ and then taking back the fire to their distant homes. To God be all the praise.
I might add that we feel ourselves called to special work and that we prefer to visit prepared localities, also to hold consecutive services continuing for a considerable period, finding that a far greater amount of real success is thus obtained. Our work is entirely uncertain, thus we might be invited to labour amongst any section of the Church of Christ. During the summer we hope to visit seaside places, or country localities destitute of Gospel preaching, to tell, in the open air; to those unlikely to frequent the stated sanctuaries, of the love and work of Jesus.
MATILDA BASS.
"The Christian," April 5th, 1877.
Location unknown.