pouring out its faith and hope to God in the hymn that had in all probability led many of those present to Christ, and had quickened the faith and hope of all. I hope the Paraphrases will not be given up, and I am sure they will not; but they will be improved, some of them, and sung all the better for the baptism that they are being baptized with how are they straitened until it be accomplished. I witnessed the same effect in Dr. Wallace's great congregation in Glasgow, the same in Dr. Bonar's church, the same in the great noonday meetings in Assembly Hall, and in other places that I visited. Indeed, Scotland is ringing with songs and gladness to-day. Riding once from Ayr to Glasgow on a thirdclass train crowded with the "common people," who had been. off on some excursion, my ears were filled all the way with the melody of those revival hymns, which rose ever and anon above the noise of the rushing train, and rang out clear and beautiful when we stopped for a few moments at the stations along the line. It seemed as though we were on board the very car of salvation, being speeded

along by bands of singing angels come to convoy us.

Again, one Sunday evening I left my hotel in Glasgow to go to Dr. Andrew Bonar's church, some two miles distant. On my way I was treated to a novel spectacle, and one which was repeated every few hundred yards until I reached the church. I will describe it: I had gone but a little way from the hotel when my my ears were greeted with the familiar strains:

"Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o'ershaded,
Sweetly my soul shall rest.”

Looking ahead of me I saw a crowd, from
whence came the singing. Pressing up I
joined the multitude of men,
of men, women and
children gathered about a little band of
brothers and sisters in the Lord, who were
holding a service of song on the street cor-
ner. This little company could not preach,
in the technical sense of that word, but they
could sing the glad gospel out on the even-
ing air, and thus say to all, “come!" I

was very deeply impressed with their simple
service, for they were evidently engaging in
it as
a matter that was to be done unto
the Lord. As they passed from the singing
of one hymn to another, sometimes slipping
in a brief prayer between, I noted the effect
upon the crowd. Though made up mostly
of the street rabble, such as is seen only in
the large cities of Great Britain, it was
hushed into quiet, and even eager attention
to the singing. My attention was called to
some faces grown serious and thoughtful as
they hearkened to words of love and hope,
and more than once I saw the tears stealing
down the grim cheek of some sinner unused
to weep.
Thus was God at work in those
neglected hearts, and doubtless His dear love
crept into many a soul through those songs.
As I have already said, these singing bands
with their attendant crowds were stationed

all the way down the long street to the
church, at intervals of a few hundred yards,
and doubtless other of the principal streets
of the city were similarly occupied.
In no
other way, it seems to me, could the gospel

1

have been so effectually preached to that class of people.

At Dr. Bonar's church, which I reached at last, I found the same programme, only a little extended. There was no preacher it was vacation time-but a few earnest brethren were occupying the platform, who in turn would speak a few words, perhaps relate some incident connected with the great revival, or rehearse the story of some remarkable conversion, and then a hymn would be announced -for instance:

"I hear the Saviour say,

Thy strength indeed is small,”

and then the whole congregation worshiping God would fill the church with the sound of their song.

These incidents, as those of the other classes given above, might be multiplied, but perhaps enough has been said.

In concluding this letter, will it be out of place to express the hope and venture the prediction that this revival of sacred song is the forerunner or first fruits of a general

revival of religion in the church of God? I believe it, and hail it as one who, watching for the morning, hails the gray dawn and roseate light in the East. "Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly."

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