ever
heard, or ever expect to hear. Souls were awakened by scores whenever he
preached, and sometimes the meetings continued far into the night, and
occasionally even to the daylight of the next morning.

To the cool, dispassionate outside observers and the newspaper
reporters, all this vehement stir was very extravagant and
incomprehensible, and no doubt they thought it was done for excitement;
certainly they gave us credit for that, and a great deal more. They did
not esteem us better than themselves and consequently we had the full
benefit of their sarcasm and invective.

Cornish revivals were things by themselves. I have read of such stirring
movements occurring occasionally in different places elsewhere, but in
Cornwall they were frequent. Every year, in one part or another, a
revival would spring up, during which believers were refreshed and
sinners awakened. It is sometimes suggested that there is a great deal
of the flesh in these things--more of this than of the Spirit. I am sure
this is a mistake, for I am quite satisfied that neither Cornish nor any
other people could produce revivals without the power of the Spirit, for
they would never be without them if they could raise them at pleasure.
But, as a fact, it is well known that revivals begin and continue for a
time, and that they cease as mysteriously as they began.

Sometimes I have known the children of the school commence crying for no
ostensible reason; when a few words about the love of God in giving His
Son, or the love of Christ in laying down His life, would prove enough
to kindle a flame, and they would begin to cry aloud for mercy
forthwith. I have seen a whole school of more than a hundred children
like this at the same time. An awakening of such a character was
generally a token of the beginning of a work of God, which would last in
power for four or five weeks, if not more; then the quiet, ordinary work
would go on as before. Sometimes, for no accountable reason, we saw the
church thronged with a multitude of people from various parts, having no
connection with one another, all equally surprised to see each other;
and the regular congregation more surprised still to see the unexpected
rush of strangers. After a time or two we began to know the cause, and
understood that the coming together of the people was by the Spirit of
the Lord, and so we prepared accordingly, expecting a revival to follow.

On these occasions it was very easy to preach