WORK AMONG THE CHURCHES.
IT SOON got spread abroad that the converted gipsies were preaching
Christ. I told them God had brought us out of darkness into His
wonderful light, and we now wanted to work for Him. The Primitives took
us by the hand first and put us on their plan, and we laboured for God
all over the circuit, in the Wesleyan and Baptist mission rooms, in
the ragged schools, and in the mission room with Mr. Sykes. Upwards
of a hundred souls professed to find Christ that winter. At Harston a
publican found Christ, and came out of his public-house. The cottage
services which we held on Wednesday seemed to stir me up so that I told
God that if He would give me conversions I would always witness for
Him whenever the opportunity presented itself. How I prayed about that
first meeting that God would bless it! I had to walk twelve or fourteen
miles, and as I went along I distributed tracts, and had a good chance
to speak to many about their souls’ welfare. Having reached a bylane,
I stood still and began to preach to a field of turnips—getting ready
for the meeting. It was a poor congregation; I could get no response;
they had neither eyes nor ears; but to my astonishment there were two
men the other side of the hedge that I had not seen, who had overheard
my discourse. Thank God it did not prove in vain, for they came forward
and thanked me for what they had heard. I went to the meeting with my
heart full of joy and the little place was packed. A young man who
would not go anywhere to hear the way of life came to hear the gipsy.
God’s Spirit took hold of him and he was converted that night, and
afterwards became a local preacher. So God sealed my labours and gave
me that one soul, and he is still working for Jesus with all his heart.
Having finished our meetings in Cambridge, the friends presented us
with the first Bibles that we ever had in our lives. Our final meetings
were held in the very ragged school where God had convinced me of sin
when but a child. Some of my children had occasionally gone to school
since my conversion, and had therefore learned to read the Bible to me.
Being uneducated and thirsting for the Word of Life this was marrow
and fatness to my soul, a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path.
My desire to read the Bible was at this time very great, so I went
alone into my van, knelt down before the Lord, and said, “O Lord, Thou
hast made me, and Thou canst teach me to read Thy Word,” and God did
help me, and I soon learned to spell out for myself, and so claim the
promises as my own.
From Cambridge we made our way to London, calling at the Forest, as was
our custom every year, and then on to Canning Town, to the place called
Chevvy Island. There was always a number of gipsies encamped on this
ground. On Sunday a singing band of men and women from a camp meeting
came into our encampment. They were all arranged on a large wagon.
We were delighted at having the people of God with us. True we were
strangers to them at first, but afterwards found out that they were the
Christian Mission, and were soon at home amongst them. It soon reached
the ears of Mr. W. Booth that there were three converted gipsy brothers
in their camp. He did not take long before he sought an interview with
us; and, taking us by the hand, gave us encouragement, and said the way
to keep bright and happy was to work for God. We took his advice and
cast our lot in with them, and were put upon their plan as the “Three
Converted Gipsies,” and were owned of God wherever we went, even to
the salvation of numbers of precious souls. The outcome of the effort
put forth during our short stay with the mission will only be known in
eternity.
About the month of November we returned again to Cambridge, and our
hearts were gladdened when we saw many still holding on their way that
had been brought to Christ the previous winter. Again we commenced work
for God, and gipsies, college gentlemen, and others, were seen marching
through the streets singing,
“There is a fountain filled with blood,” &c.,
the outcome of which was a genuine revival. The work was so great
that we had to give up working at our trades, and invitations became
so pressing that we felt the call was from God, so we left our
chair-caning and basket-mending and gave ourselves wholly and solely to
the work of saving souls.
Our first invitation was to Biggleswade, in Bedfordshire. Mr. Sounday
found us a meadow in which to put our vans. The engagement was for a
week, but the work of God broke out so vigorously that we had to stay
a month, and one hundred souls professed to have given themselves to
Christ.
From there we went to Potton and Gamblinggay, and everywhere signs and
wonders were wrought in the name of the Holy Child Jesus. Many are to
be found to-day in that neighbourhood who remember the visit of the
converted gipsies to the praise of God. In the midst of our work we
received a letter from the Rev. Wm. Booth, wishing us to go right into
the work of the Lord under the auspices of the Christian Mission. It
was a matter of consideration for me, for I keenly felt my unfitness
for this work; but God’s strength was made perfect in weakness. My
dear brothers were one in mind with me, and after waiting upon the
Lord for guidance we again started for London. On our way Mr. Booth
met us at Baldock, Hertfordshire, and we talked the matter over and
prayed together, and he said that after much prayer he wanted us to go
to Portsmouth, and I should have to have a fiddle again and use it for
God. I felt willing to do anything and go anywhere if it would glorify
God and bring souls to Christ. We met Mr. Booth in London at the end
of three weeks, at the People’s Hall, Whitechapel, and he told us that
the bills were out in Portsmouth announcing that the three converted
gipsies with their hallelujah fiddle were coming.
At Portsmouth the services were held in a large theatre, and God again
owned our labours. We afterwards went to Gosport, just at the time when
the soldiers were returning from the Ashantee War. Many meetings were
held there and God blessed the Word, and many of the soldiers were
brought to know the Lord as their Saviour. One of the soldiers said
in his experience, that whilst fighting out there in the bush, his
comrades falling down on either side of him, he was struck in the chest
with a slug from the enemy, and had it not been for his mother’s Bible
which he carried in his breast-pocket, he would assuredly have been
numbered with the slain. “My life was saved,” he said; “but, blessed be
God, now He has saved my soul.” We had some remarkable meetings there,
and on leaving Mr. Cook presented us each with a Bible as a grateful
memento of our visit.
Proceeding to Southampton with Brother Corbridge, crowded meetings were
held in a large wooden circus, which would accommodate three thousand
persons. At first the work was hard, and no results were seen, but we
felt the Spirit of God was working. Thirteen came forward during the
week, but we were so heavily burdened because so comparatively few
yielded, that we went home and wept before the Lord because of their
impenitence. But Mr. Corbridge cheered us and said, “We shall have
them. They are feeling the smart of sin, and they are in pickle.” Thank
God He came to our relief, and one hundred souls came out for Christ.
And so we were kept as the specials for the Christian Mission, being
sent here and there. Having been sent to Chatham, one night it looked
like a mighty battle. There were soldiers and sailors, black men and
white men, rich men and poor men, all on their knees, crying before
God, who is “no respecter of persons.” He that feareth God, and worketh
righteousness, whatever his nationality or colour, is accepted by Him.
(Acts x.) One man was a greengrocer. The devil told him he would lose
his customers if he shut his shop on Sunday. We told him that the
Lord would make it up to him in other ways. He obtained a board, and
had painted on it the words, “This shop will be closed on Sundays.” I
nailed it up tight for him, and we shouted, “Hallelujah! Christ has got
the victory!”
About this time the invitations were so pressing that we were led to
launch out independently, depending upon God entirely. Having related
our conviction to Mr. Booth he saw the reasonableness of our case, and
kneeling down commended us to the keeping of our Master. I then said,
“Here is the fiddle that you gave me to play. You purchased it, and you
have a right to it.” He replied, “I shall not take it from you. Seeing
that you are married to it, I make you a present of it to use in the
Lord’s work.” We then bade each other good-bye, and from that day until
now God has opened the door of usefulness to us, and we have depended
upon Him, walking by faith and not by sight. “The harvest truly is
great, but the labourers are few.”
On one occasion the Lord impressed me very much about going to Bedford,
although we had received no invitation. I told my two brothers how I
felt about going. They said, “It is of the Lord, we will go at once.”
So we put our horses in our vans, and away we went for the town of
Bedford. We had to take a place where we could stand our vans, after we
had arrived in the town. We were charged nine shillings a week for the
stand and nine shillings more for a field to put the horses in, making
eighteen shillings, and we were not sure of a penny piece coming in;
but believing as we did, that we were sent by God, we knew it would be
all right. We went to see John Bunyan’s statue; and as we gazed at it
we asked God to use us in that town, even as He had used his servant
John Bunyan in years gone by. From there we went to Bunyan’s Chapel;
and as we stood looking, the chapel-keeper asked us if we would like
to see inside. We accepted his offer, and sat down in the very chair
which this man of God had sat in, and asked God to give us power to
do something for Him in Bedford. A brother in Christ who was standing
there said, “You appear to be strangers to this part.” We told him we
were, but that we were not strangers to the Lord Jesus. I told him we
were known as the three converted gipsies. He shed tears of joy, and
said the Primitive Methodist minister wanted to see us, but he did not
know in what part of the country we were in. We went to his house, and
after talking the matter over he asked us if we would commence a week’s
special mission at once. We told him that was why we had arrived; and
we began in the open air and sang to the chapel, which was soon crowded
to the door, and the power of God fell upon us, and very many souls
were brought to the Lord. Every night throughout the week God richly
manifested His power in our midst, to the joy and salvation of very
many precious souls. Oh, how mysterious is the hand of God! He led us
and guided our steps, and blessed us there; and from that visit to
Bedford sprang up invitation after invitation to visit the scenes of
former labours. We afterwards went there for Mr. Usher, at the bank,
and conducted services in the Bedford Hall, and God owned His Word and
blessed our testimony to the salvation of not a few.
After our first visit to Bedford we left for Cambridge, to stay there
for the winter, taking that as our centre. We received calls on
every hand. We had an invitation to Baldock, Herts. Having put our
horses in our vans we were soon on the road, making tracks for our
destination. The roads were very bad and heavy. Night overtaking us we
made a halt, and our horses were permitted to graze by the roadside.
Before conversion we were not so particular. We found accommodation
for them in someone else’s field. But now we were made new creatures
in Christ Jesus, and old things had passed away. About four o’clock
in the morning I was surprised at some one knocking at my front door,
and saying, “Hallo, there!” I replied from within, “Who are you?” He
said, “I am the policeman, and have come to take you into custody.”
I said, “Why?” He replied, “There is a law made that if any gipsies
are found stopping by the roadside for twelve miles round they are to
be taken up without a summons or a warrant.” I told him he must be
careful in this case, as we were exceptions to the rule, being a King’s
children, and that the Bible said if they touched one of God’s little
ones they touched the apple of His eye. He said, “I’ll wait until you
get up.” When I had dressed myself and gone out, I found there were
four policemen awaiting us. We were handcuffed like felons and taken
to the lockup. I told them there was no necessity to put the bracelets
on us, as we should not run away; but they would not heed. The journey
was rather lengthy, being one mile and a half to the lockups. All the
way we preached to the policemen and told them that God would bring
them to judgment if they neglected the Lord Jesus Christ, and that
we should be witnesses against them at the great day, and would then
declare that in the _name_ of Jesus we had faithfully warned them to
flee from the wrath to come. They never responded once, but trudged on
in peculiar silence. They undoubtedly had not had such prisoners in
their possession before, nor such a lengthy discourse, for that night
I had preached to them a sermon “a mile and a half long.” Arriving at
the lockup, we were placed in the cell. We were soon on our knees in
prayer, pleading with God to touch their hearts and save them as he did
the gaoler of old. The Lord heard us, and the policemen wept. Then we
began to sing—
“He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free.”
The keeper said we must not make such a noise. We asked him if ever he
had read of Paul and Silas having been put into prison, and he said
“Yes.” Then I asked “What did they do?” He answered, “They sang praises
to God;” and I replied, “And so will we,” and we struck up singing
again—
“His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood avails for me.”
They found they had a queer lot of prisoners there at that early
hour. The keeper gave us some rugs to keep us warm; and his wife came
down weeping and said, “Who have you got here? I have been very much
troubled ever since they came”. The husband told her to make us some
coffee hot, and to give us some bread and butter. Having done so, she
brought it to us and I began to talk to her about her soul and about
Jesus, and I gave her a little tract entitled “The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanses from all sin.” I told her the story of His death for
sinners. She drank in every word, and there and then trusted Christ as
her Saviour, and we again praised God together.
We were brought before the magistrates in the morning. We had no money
on us; but we were fined twenty-five shillings each, or in default
imprisonment for fourteen days. Our fines, however, were paid, and we
went on our way to Baldock. We can see here that the devil wanted to
hinder us in our work and mission at Baldock, but God richly blessed
our visit to that place, and many were brought in who have since been
working for Jesus. We told the people that we had all been locked up
at Melbourne, and the news spread on every hand; but we afterwards
received an invitation there, which we accepted. Our meetings were
held in a meadow, and our friend the policeman was there, and several
others. They were sent to keep order, as the crowds were very great,
the attraction being the gipsies that had been locked up in that very
town.
“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform.”
The amount of good that came out of this singular occurrence will only
be known in eternity, for the Holy Spirit of God was mightily manifest.
I have previously said that Cambridge was to be our centre. On one
occasion I was very busy working in the van. It was Christmas Eve.
Being much impressed by the Spirit of God to work for Him, I went on my
knees in prayer. I was thanking God for His goodness to me in all my
former career, and so greatly did He bless me that I began to sing—
“In some way or other the Lord will provide.”
Just then there was a knock at the van door. It was Mr. Sykes, the
missionary, who came in, and shaking me by the hand said, “How good
God is, isn’t He?” “He is good,” I replied. “Yes,” he said. “I have
come to tell you that there are three legs of mutton for you and your
two brothers.” I could not answer him for a moment, being taken by
surprise. He told me the Lord had sent them, but we would have to fetch
them from the grocer’s shop at six o’clock. We were there in time, and
as we entered the door I saw three bags of flour standing there also.
I said to my brothers, “They are ours, I feel sure.” They smiled and
said, “Hold your tongue,” but it turned out so to be. We were well
supplied with provisions for the Christmas, and we never knew who payed
for them from that day to this. But the Word of God is verified that
“no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
It will be interesting to the reader to follow me closely at this
point of my story of a few details as to our missionary effort in
several parts of the country, and the wonderful way that God opened
the doors of usefulness for us, without any advertisement on our
part. On one occasion a gentleman from Norwich came to Cambridge for
a missionary meeting (Mr. Scott). Where he dined there were some who
had recently given their hearts to Christ, and during the conversation
over the table they told how they had been brought in through the
instrumentality of the converted gipsies; and also as to the interest
that still pervaded the town because of the meetings that were still
being held. He desired an interview with the gipsies, and eventually
they brought him to our vans, and the outcome of the interview was an
invitation to Norwich.
Arriving on this battle-ground we commenced operations in the Dutch
Church adjoining St. Andrew’s Hall. We were there for eight days. The
crowds were very great, and the Mayor of Norwich said we should have
taken the St. Andrew’s Hall to accommodate the people. Thank God, many
were brought into personal contact with Christ through that mission. We
returned in the year 1886, nearly eleven years after the first visit,
and found many who held sweet remembrances of that time, who were still
rejoicing in the hope that is set before them in the Gospel. We have
repeatedly visited Norwich since, and we have no greater joy than to
know that our children walk in the truth.
I remember too, with grateful remembrance, a visit that we paid to
Wymondham, in Norfolk, during the ministry of Mr. Meddows (Primitive
Methodist). The whole town seemed in one fervour of religious feeling.
So mightily was the Holy Spirit’s power manifested that we had not much
time to eat our food. Great was the cry of convicted souls, and we
believe the dear Lord healed them all. More than one hundred precious
souls were brought to the Lord during that mission. Here the chapel was
again too small, and we had to seek enlargement. Many of the young men
who sought the Lord at that time are now preachers of the Gospel—so I
have learnt from Mr. Lane, a good man of God. To the glory of His name,
He can keep as well as save.
We also visited Hadingham, Cambridgeshire, labouring with Mr. James
Smith, the Baptist minister. God owned our labours during that week to
the salvation of many.
About this time we received an invitation to Leeds, to the York
Street Chapel. Here some notable characters were savingly converted,
one in particular, a soldier in Her Majesty’s army. In relating his
experience, he said that during a recent campaign he had been in
attendance on two large guns, when the men all around him were falling
in death. At that time he had never had a thought as to what would
become of his soul if numbered with the slain. God was far from his
thoughts then, but now he was happy and a new creature in Christ. He
was then living in a street which was known as “Little Hell.” He said,
“If I had died in my sin there is no doubt but that I should have been
in a big hell.” His wife also said, “God has indeed given me a new
husband. My home since his change is like a little heaven below.” A
brother was also weeping at that meeting, and I asked him why he wept.
He replied, “For joy,” for all his class had been brought to Christ. We
have been to Leeds four years in succession.
It is needless to take the reader any further in my travels up and down
the land—suffice it to say that God has blessed the testimony, simple
as it may have been, from the lips of three gipsies. God has backed His
word with power, and letters on every hand have reached us expressive
of gratitude to God that ever we came that way.