[revival] REVIVAL on a HILLSIDE Hugh Bourne, a shy carpenter from Stoke, was the unlikely leaderof a movement that brought a new spiritual awakening to the nation.The Methodists, under the dynamic leadership of men like Johnand Charles Wesley, had brought new life to the Church in theUnited Kingdom and greater moral fibre to the nation. The Wesleyshad taken the gospel to the people, preaching in fields and marketsquares, and planting churches. Yet, with time, the flames haddimmed a little. Mass open-air gatherings had stopped and outdoorpreaching had largely given way to more traditional meetings in chapels.This was not enough for Hugh Bourne, a quiet and shy carpenterfrom Stoke. He had found new life in Jesus and then joined theMethodists in 1799. From the very outset he was filled with aburning desire to see souls saved - not just in ones and twos, but hundreds.So he just spoke of Jesus to everyone he met. When one of hisconverts, (a local drunkard and blasphemer), joined Bourne inwitnessing to some coalminers, four of them came under suchconviction that they cried aloud to be saved.Together, they poured out their hearts to God and the miners were saved!This taught Bourne two important things: that Jesus savesprepared hearts without any 'Minister' involved; and that loudearnest prayer carries power with God.He began regular prayer and gospel meetings. People flocked tothem, and soon no building could house their numbers. So theybegan meeting on a hill called Mow Cop, near Stoke.One eye-witness of these meetings recalls: "Theiy were wonderfulsessions of spiritual wrestling, with faith and power. With greatheart and voice the people laid siege to heaven, and the noisecould be heard a mile away!"When meetings were happening, local residents felt the presenceof God in their cottages, and came to new life in Jesus. One violentlunatic, who had to live chained up in his brother's house, wasprayed for one day at the Mow Cop meeting over a mile away. Asthe people prayed, the man fell to the ground at the sound of theworship, and was delivered from demons and regained his sanity.Meetings were often so noisy and unconventional that attemptswere made by local leaders to restrain the people. They made itclear there should be no loud praying, no shouts, and no cries of"Send the fire!"Yet the Holy Spirit was not to be muzzled by man. The whole planbroke down at the first meeting when one man fell to his knees andcried out after an oppressive and lifeless time, "Lord, bind the devil!"he repeated it twenty times. Shouts of "Amen!" and "Glory!"thundered from all over them once more.Hugh Bourne was a reluctant speaker. He had to be begged topreach his first sermon, and did so with his hand over his facebecause of his shyness! His vision was mainly personal evangelismwhich spread the gospel far and wide, predominantly among theworking class.But it was the large meetings that carried the revival power of theHoly Spirit. They were soon common in many locations in northernEngland, and became known as "Camp Meetings", since manypeople camped overnight, ready for the next day's meetings.The works of power were very obvious. At Leicester, severalthousand people met on a hill. As the preacher spoke on God'sjudgment, it is recorded that many ran away, while others fell uponeach other in heaps'.At Mow Cop in 1807, Bourne arrived at 6am to find the meeting hadalready begun! By noon there were four preachers speakingsimultaneously to the vast crowd. Songs of joy, cries of distress,and shouts of victory mingled, and the awesome presence of Godwas everywhere. The meeting continued for over four days!It was all too much for the Methodist mother-church. In 1808 theyexpelled Bourne and his movement so they took the name 'PrimitiveMethodists" (meaning, as in the early days of Methodism) andcontinued what God had begun. Persecuted by mobs, bylandowners and by clergymen, they travelled the land for manyyears, spreading the power of the Holy Spirit far and wide andbringing thousands of souls to Christ.~[This article has been extracted from 'Revival Fires', availableonline from the Jesus People Shop. Source: "The Romance ofPrimitive Methodism" by Joseph Ritson (PubI. E. Dolton).WEB~ http://www.jesus.org.uk/ja/mag_revivalfires_primitive.shtml ]
