CONCISE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH,
Part 2.
Not only in Scotland the Lord had answered the prayers for a renewed pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps after ages of silence the voice of the Holy Spirit was heard stly in a Roman Catholic group in Karlshuld, a village in Bavaria; also in Koslin in Pommerania, however, here the work of God was immediately suppressed by the authorities.
These revelations were already received in 1828, therefore, still before the mentioned story in Port-Glasgow, which dates from spring 1830. Also in London groups were formed where people prayed the Lord for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, for example, in the house of a highly esteemed lawyer John Cardale, and of the already mentioned Perceval.
When people in London heard what had happened in Scotland, a lot was discussed in these groups. The assistant preacher of Edward Irving, A.Scott, was completely convinced, that it was the work of God.
However, he was unable to convince Irving, because Irving at that time did not feel for himself such a great need for the gifts of the Spirit. And therefore, he had also never stimulated his parish to pray for a new pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
We already see here what is true of the assertion that Irving would be the procreator of these spiritual phenomenons. Indeed he had said in a sermon in 1828 that he saw two activities in the fulfilment of the Whitsuntide promise, mentioned in Acts 2, one of the powers which the Church had lost through her sins and the other, which through all periods of time had remained for fulfilment of the work of salvation.
He had added to this, not to understand why the Lord would not be able to restore the gifts of the powers gone lost. Further than that he never had come in this matter.
Among the participants of that former Albury-conferences there were other who became convinced supporters of the new granting of grace. They wrote many leaflets and periodical articles about these matters in which they argued that what happened COULD not only be out of God, but HAD to be out of God.
One of the most eminent co-operators of the "Morning Watch", wrote a,o: "We want to accept that the prayers for the Holy Spirit to which Stewart has stimulated, have found a much greater answer than on which he himself and his followers, yes, let us honestly confess, than we ourselves were prepared for".
And this article ends with the warning not to deal with this matter with mockery and indignity.
That many people were a believer in what through prophecy was revealed in Port-Glasgow, does not need to surprise us.
Much of the predicted was namely already fulfilled shortly after the prediction: the July-revolution of 183O in France, the revolt of Belgium against the Netherlands, agitations in Germany and England for suffrage, the cholera.
Through the literal fulfilment of the prophecies many became convinced of her Godlike origin. They acknowledged the most important fact that the almighty God wanted again to speak through the mouth of human beings to the heart of His children.
There was not hardly any journal which did not write about these matters, and also was spoken about this all from many pulpits, and the most divergent opinions were heard.
Besides the already mentioned Nikolaas Armstrong many clergymen defended the case of the Lord, for instance Owen, MacNeil, Dalton, etc. Also laymen took a lively interest in what had happened, and not only simple, little people, from whom it could be said that they let themselves deceive, but many educated and eminent people: judges, lawyers, doctors, large landowners, officers, etc.
During the entire summer of the year of 1830 pro and contra were heard in England. In London itself none of the interested people was still come into contact personally with the gifted people in Scotland. What was heard of the new phenomenon's, was learned from letters or from Scottish eyewitnesses.
We do not have to forget that there were no trains in 183O, and that a journey from London to Scotland was quite a venture.
What, however, reinforced the confidence in the London circles was the circumstance that the contents of the "voices"' were entirely in conformity with the results of the conversations of the Albury-conferences which involved so much laborious examination.
Cardale considered it advisable now to examine the case personally, and for this he travelled to Scotland with four friends, among whom were, as can be understood, two doctors.
This committee associated daily with the families of MacDonald and Campbell and many other endowed persons and came to the confident conviction, that all these people were honest and religious people, and that everything what was told in London, was in accordance with the facts.
They returned to London, convinced that one had to deal with a work of God, where all fanaticism and develish influence were far remote. Coming home that travellers communicated their experiences, and a lot of meetings were held, visited by many people, where Cardale and his friends testified with enthusiasm of everything what they had heard and seen.
Drummond, Perceval and Armstrong became warm advocates. Irving was at that time not in London, because he stayed outside of town in order to recover from a serious illness. When he returned again in the autumn of 183O in London, he learned in a meeting arranged by Cardale, and where he met many former acquaintances of the Albury-conferences, about his experiences, and by this he became convinced that the Scottish case had to be from God anyhow.
Although he preached now in the winter of 183O - 1831 about the Spiritual baptism, and also wrote about it in the "Morning Watch", he was possessed still more by another case. Namely in Scotland some clergymen were accused that they preached a false Christ.
The Synod of the Scottish Presbyterian Church which is very Calvinistic, would meet in Edinburgh and examine the accusation.
As Campbell and Hugh Maclean taught the same about the Christ as Irving, he had stepped into the breach for both his friends. Each morning he hold now in London in his own church prayer-meetings that God would lead the Synod and would give His wisdom, to give a fair verdict. In May both mentioned clergymen with still some others were condemned.
We do not want to write here about this trial as it has no direct connection with our subject. We only wish to remark that this trial has been a real shame, an example of stupidity, ecclesiastical decay and partiality.
In these days there happened in London important matters. Firstly the miraculous healing of Elisabeth Fancourt in November 1830, and secondly the first prophecy in London on April 5, 1831 by the wife of Mr. John Cardale.
We want to say here something about the healing of Elisabeth Fancourt. She was the daughter of the clergyman of the episcopal Jewschapel in London, As from her first youth she was suffering from a defect on the digestive organs, Thereby she had an incurable curvature of the spine, Little by little she became a helpless creature. She always laid on a couch which had been intentionally prepared for her, Thus, now and then when the weather permitted it she was borne on her couch to the church where she could attend laying the service, Since years the doctors had not been consulted anymore for her, because none of them was able to help. Her father did not belong to those who prayed for the spring rain.
Once the already mentioned MacNeil, the clergyman of Albury, was his guest and he preached in the Jewschapel about the spiritual gifts, that these were indispensable, and should have remained always in the Church. Fancourt was very displeased by this sermon.
We understand that his daughter heard little about the new spiritual movement, and that nobody stimulated her, to pray for this matter. A certain Mr. Graves, a friend of her father, was convinced of the necessity of the Gifts, and often visited the meetings where the Lord was prayed for the spring rain, He was absolutely convinced that the Lord also then was able to do miracles. As he was a very poor talker, he never ventilated about this conviction at Fancourt's house. When he saw the indigent Elisabeth, he always was thrilling and he was always internally urged on praying for her. And he know that the Lord would answer him.
At a certain evening he was united with some guests at Fancourt's house, When the others had said good-bye to Elisabeth and had been shown out by the master, Mr. Graves still stayed some moments with the sick girl.
She thought that he wanted to say good-bye but no, he addressed himself to her with the question whether she believed that the Lord was able to still do miracles as in the period of time, when He walked on earth. She was a little astonished about this question and answered that she was convinced of this. Welt then in the Name of Jesus I say to you: "Get up and go to your relatives". Immediately she felt a stream of vital strenghts going through her entire body, she got up and walked with firm steps, without any difficulty. When she saw herself in her great joy, she saw that her skin which had always covered her protruding bones stack and wrinkled, now covered the well-shaped limbs shining and elastically.
When her father saw her so entirely cured he always called without holding up: "Oh, my Lord and my God".
We can understand that he felt himself driven to honour God by making an openly testimony of which he had experienced, and for that he wrote an article titled: "A letter of a colleague".
This publication was taken up in a magazine, but the editor of this had abridged it and provided with a hostile subscription. This publication had been discussed in nearly all the theological magazines, but most of the reviewers were of the opinion that such a thing was impossible. "We do not live anymore in a period of miracles". "There do not happen anymore miracles, and therefore these cannot happen anymore". "Miracles may not happen anymore".And such were most pronouncements.
Also medical doctors pronounced their opinion about this case, who had still never seen the girl, not know, how miserable she had been, and all testified: "Such a great and sudden conversion of such a deformed body cannot exist". This may be the case. The main thing was that the Lord had healed the girl!!.
The other event was the first time the Holy Spirit had spoken in London at the house of Mr. John Cardale, whose wife, a very religious and calm lady, who had never been in touch with the people in Port-Glasgow, spoke on April 5, 1831, driven by the Spirit, these words: "The Lord wishes to speak to His people. The Lord hastens His future, He comes".
Soon thereafter the Holy Spirit still spoke through the mouth of a female relative of Mr. Cardale. Like in Port-Glasgow the Lord spoke thus firstly through the mouth of females.
The unbelieving world would say of that: "That is rather logical because women come by their entirely other state of mind much easier to all such ecstasies than men".
Perhaps we may apply here what we read in 1 Cor. 1:27: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong".
Let us also not forget that after the Resurrection the Lord revealed Himself firstly to a woman. Various persons, among whose also men, became gifted now with the gift of prophecy.
Spencer Perceval opened his house for meetings where the Lord was asked to reveal still more His gifts, and also there the Lord answered.
Strenghtened by this in his faith, he spoke in the House of Commons solemnly about this matter, but also about the verdicts which would come when one did not want to follow the Lord in this testimony.
In these days Irving received visit of Mary Campbell and her husband, the Scottish clergyman Caird. The two stayed for a long time as Irving's guests and they heard now nearly daily the voice of the Holy Spirit from the mouth of this very talented lady. However, never in meetings only in his house.
Also some members of his parish had obtained in domestic assemblies the gift of prophecy. They asked Irving to carry this matter further. Just the struggle in Scotland with the clergymen Campbell and Maclean, Scott and others had come to an end, so that the prayer-meetings, held up to now for the Synod in Edinburgh would stop.
Irving decided now at the request of many of his parishioners, to continue these hours of prayer, but now with the purpose to beg God, to pour out richly the Spring rain.
Thus Irving was now the first clergy man, who prayed the Lord in open, official divine services, to give His Church again the Spirit of the promise. However, he did not permit that already in these services was spoken in prophecy. The elders of the parish had to watch carefully the gifted persons, whether they were in their daily life devout and virtuous people, and he himself warned his followers, to be very careful, so that there would not arise self-deceit and work of demons.
Why did he not allow the speaking of the Spirit in the public divine services?
Because he was of the opinion that the parish as a whole was not able to bear such a thing. Yet, this attitude caused him inward struggle, the more so as the Spirit in domestic meetings testified that the servants in the Churches were a hindrance.
Forced by this , he announced that he did not want to forbid any longer the speaking in prophecy in the prayer meetings. Now had been fulfilled what we read in John 15:26,27: "When the Counsellor comes, whom I send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me, And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning". And from now on he stimulated the parish each Sunday, to visit these prayer meetings, so that everybody could examine this matter. And many responded to his stimulation.
Each morning of the autumn in the year of 1831 already at 6.30 hours more than thousand persons came in the large and beautiful church on Regentsquare which was exclusively built for Irving, and for which people from various directions had granted large amounts to give the famous clergyman a for him decent church-building which moreover would be big enough to contain the numerous listeners.
About these morning meetings Irving writes in a letter: "Our morning divine services are always visited by more than thousand people and good order leaves nothinq to be desired. I ask the blessing of the Lord, we sing a hymn, then I read a chapter from the Bible. The Spirit confirms this explanation and add still something to it or warns us not by undermining the office, but to reinforcement. Then one of our clergymen prays, or an elder or a brother. I give brief speeches, interrupted by small intervals in which the Spirit speaks through one, two or three persons. I note down the words of the Spirit, and explain these as good as is it is given to me, for building up the parish".
Many of the most influential members of the parish were bearing enmity and did not want to follow Irving on this path. Other on the contrary, who could not find anymore rest in their own churches, turned to him. Thus came the Sunday, October 16, 1831. When Irving preached in the morning service, a young sister, Miss Hall, was driven by the Spirit, and as it was not allowed to speak in the church, she hastily left the church and ran to the vestry and spoke there with a powerful voice which penetrated the thick watts, and could even be heard in the church very well.
Irving stopped preaching, and more than 2.50O listeners rose from their seats. A terrible uproar came into being. Finally the voice of the Spirit silenced, Irving now communicated what that speaking means and that the Lord Himself had proven that His Spirit must speak in the parish.
Now he started to preach about 1 Cor.14. After the service he asked Miss Hall to come to him, and examined her in the presence of the members of the church council.
Suddenly she started again to speak: Do not you remember that Jesus did not hide His face for contumely and spitting? Are then His servants not willing to follow Him outside the camp, and bear His obloque?"
Irving loudly moaned; because the prophecy detected here that all his care in fact had been shame for people.
In the evening service he requested that, when the Spirit would reveal Himself again, everybody would remain seated quietly, and he confessed his sin for God that he had helding the Spirit so long.
He warned his parish not to mock with this matter, and he called up everybody, to exercise love as the best and perfect way to obtain the spiritual gifts.
He had hardly finalised his speech, whether a certain Mr. Taplin spoke, driven by the spirit, with a mighty voice, as if the vaults of the church would burst; firstly in foreign language, and then in English: "Why do you want to flee from the voice of the Lord? The Lord is in your midst. Do you then to flee from His voice which you cannot flee from on the day of the Lord.?"
Again a great commotion and confusion came into being. Also Irving was deeply impressed by this powerful voice and he explained that this word still was the voice of love of God, which wanted to save people.
What had happened in Irving's church became known in whole London the next day. Sunday, October 23 the church was already hours before the beginning of the service completely filled. There were present between three and four thousand listeners, and the streets in the neighbourhood were full of people who were not able to obtain access.
Among the crowd in the church were also many wicked people, pickpockets, etc,. When the voice of the prophecy was heard, a terrible scene arose: hiss, roar, weep. Some people tried to restore order, and wanted to remove the instigators. Women fainted. Cry for help resounded, and a squash originated. Only Irving kept himself quiet. With his powerful voice he called: "Let us pray." And he prayed several times the same words: "Lord, silence the roaring of the sea, and the raging of the people".
And really, rest returned again. Irving informed that he would not permit anymore the prophecy in the church, because he wanted to save the parish for such terrifying scenes. Without accidents the large building was now evacuated.
The police which was asked for help for the following Sunday, did not want to interfere when Irving permitted that other persons than he himself would speak. He did not want to make such a promise and because the police did not want to help now, he said that he wanted to rely on the help of God, but in that case the Spirit of the Lord was allowed to speak unhindered through the word of prophecy.
As from Sunday, November 20,1831 the voice of the Spirit was regularly heard now, only with the restriction that the prophesying persons would speak on those moments which were appropriate for that, for instance after the reading of a chapter, after a hymn, a prayer, etc.
And God Himself took care that the order was not disturbed anymore, and thus He showed that Irving had not counted in vain on His aid. The enmity of the world revealed itself by the superficiality with which unbelievers turned everything down, and by narrow mindedness and partyspirit of many believers who did not examine the Holy Scriptures, but objected what they did not know, and called those new, which was in fact already ages old.!
Has then the promise that the Holy Spirit would be sent, only been for the commencing time of the Church?
And if the Churches of to-day then pretend that they possess the Holy Spirit, from where then, that the gifts and miracles of the Holy Spirit cannot be shown?.
Has the Lord then possibly said: "The Holy Spirit will comfort you for a certain period of time, and proclaim future matters?".
What was the difference between the revelations of the Spirit which we find in the New Testament and those which revealed themselves after 183O?
Such coming to the fore questions were, however, not put forward: "It cannot be". "That was in the past the case". As such were the answers.
How ill-disposed people were, showed the most prominent journal, the Times which did not want to publish an article from Irving's hand.
However asked the very prominent magazine "Frasers Magasin" him to be prepared to write an article which we meet in the issue of February 1832. In this publication he explains in what way the speaking in different kinds of tongues have to be understood at an evidence that it is not the human spirit which speaks, but the Spirit of God. And when the "tongues" changed into speaking in English words, yet the impression, by the sublimity of the words and by the same way of speaking, it was entirely the same who generated the speaking in tongues, then it could be understood that also the English words were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and that This one used the human organs to communicate divine thoughts.
Irving used for this purpose a symbol: "Also one does not despise the fresh clear water of a brook, because the origin in the dark earth cannot be found, thus we do not reject the clear English words, because we are unable to understand the language of tongues".
In the same publication Irving writes further: "One of the gifted persons said to me: "When I pray in my native language, then I am, although my soul has been directed to God and to Him, still always aware of other thought which precisely often comes up through the words in my mind. It goes me in the spirit as a man who travels to his birthplace which he nearly sees before himself and which is always again distracted from the beloved outlook by the known images on his right- and left hand.
However, as soon as my spirit is taken hold of by the Spirit of God, and is elevated with "Tongues" in God's presence, then it is like a lid has been fallen upon all the surrounding things and I now still only see the purpose of my desires and the way which carries me to it. I am then aware, in an incomparable way, the presence of God. He and He alone fills my soul. I am filled with one or another form of His disposition: joy or sadness, desire, love, compassion, mercy, dislike, anger and I am driven, to express these words which command my entire spirit really, but which have no access to my mind so that my attention cannot be disturbed by all kind of penetrating thoughts and images which will crop up in my spirit. I feel myself surrounded by God, out of harm's way in His tabernacle against all the seduction of the world, of the flesh and of the devil".
Irving then continues himself: "Without a break and apparently in good coherence, often with only so much interval as a deep breath asks, the words in English flow with same melodiousness of the voices and sublimity of sound, And that part is the main thing for us. However, for God and for the speaker the first part. As God wishes to speak in the Church for building up the parish, this-- (English)--part always lasts longer, ask four, even ten times more time than the unintelligible part, The unintelligible part is for us only the signal, given before that the intelligible words are a message from God a prophecy from God a speaking driven by the Holy Spirit and not the expression of an enlightened, devout human sense; that it is Jesus Himself, the Head of the Church, Who uses the tongues of His servants in order to say what He wishes that will be said and heard. The human being is for this not used so much as a trumpet, through which one blows, but he is an independent, conscious, sanctified and obedient creature, moved in his inner being, and such up to the measure of his belief, through the Lord, the living on Head of the Parish. We pray and beg to obtain the Holy Spirit. Each morning we come to consider confess our sins, examine the Word of God, and place all the affairs of the Church before His sacred face.
Can we now presume that we have received as reward for this a false delusion and deceit?
Oh yes, had we come for His sacred face without the warrant of His Word, had we desired a matter without that the Church had received a promise for that then the possibility might have been that we would be misled. It is true that God let eat an apostate people the fruit of their own crimes. The enemies, however, give us testimony that we are a union of faultless conduct. Therefore, praying for the Holy Spirit to a sacred use and standing in the general love for the Church of God we may not assume that He has cheated us".
In this way Irving writes about his faith with regard to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But this explanation which was still very much more extensive than we communicate here, could not convince the enemies of the holiness of this matter. Irving would experience this soon enough.