Scotland 1820-1832 Speaking in Tongues, Prophesying
(Persecution by the Church)
Many people have been told that people began, again, to be speaking in tongues (not prophesying or interpreting), in Topeka Kansas in 1900, at Charles Parham's Bethel Bible School. The Azusa Street Revival, with William Seymour, is another place where people began to speak in tongues in 1906 but few people are aware that seventy years prior, beginning in 1820. the believers of Scotland were praying for the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. In 1930, Mary Campbell of Scotland, who was dying, acted upon the promise in the Word of Yahweh, which stated that we were all to be speaking in tongues and prophesying (1 Cor. 14); others followed suit, especially in the Church of Edward Irving. In 1820, Mr. J H Stewart, of Scotland, encouraged Churches to begin praying for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which they did. He wrote a book titled, 'Thoughts on the Importance of Special Prayer for the General Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.' Edward Irving, a minister from Scotland, wrote of people speaking in tongues and prophesying in Scotland and his Church. Persecution arose, from the Protestant Church, against Edward Irving, demanding that these manifestions of the spirit should be stopped in his Church or he would lose his Church. His courage and fidelity in serving Yahweh and Christ, rather than men, has been recorded.
Today the vast majority of Christian Churches, including Pentecostals, do not allow prophesy, as commanded by Yahweh in 1 Corinthians 14, to occur in their Church services but rather they quench (extinguish) the spirit and despise prophesy, in direct disobedience to 1 Thessioans 5:19-20, in-order that they may please men, avoiding their persecution. Could this be the manifestation of a spiritual enemy (satan), who hates Yahweh, orchestrating Church leaders to implement his will, in-order that the Body of the Christ is not built up? Below is this saga played out in history, occurring in Scotland, between 1820 to 1832 and every day throughout the world.
Excerpts from two Articles
Concerning the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
1820's
Mr. J H Stewart praying for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit:
On the 11th November, 1820, after preaching eight discourses on the Offices of the Holy Ghost, and circulating a Prayer for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he wrote again:" I would, previous to the Sabbath, earnestly pray . . . . for direction how to proceed with the plan for Prayer for the Holy Spirit." And on November 27th, after a private meeting with some clerical brethren, to consider the best means for making general the supplication for the Spirit's influence, he brought forward the subject at the Eclectic Society.
" It appeared," he recorded in his Diary, November 29th, " to excite general interest. Nothing, however, was done except agreeing that the President should make it the subject of his prayers at each Meeting, and that the Church Missionary Society should enlarge their meeting for prayer. I was requested to publish what I had written upon the subject."
Meanwhile he had repeatedly endeavoured, in private intercourse with others, to awaken their sympathy for the promotion of the great object on which he had set his heart…
J. H. Stewart sent the below article to the Christian Observer, which was published in 1821:
Christian Observer, No. 230, Feburary, 1821
RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS.
To the Editor of the Christian Observer.
In the present day—a day which may indeed be called "a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of blasphemy," and yet a day which, from the progress of true religion, shines with many a ray of bright hope and earnest expectation--one great question ought to occupy the mind; how to overcome the evil, and to extend the good: how to confound the works of Satan, and to enlarge and establish the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many are the attempts which are now being made for this purpose. Societies are in active operation to suppress vice, to reform our prisons, to afford a refuge for the destitute, to provide an asylum for the penitent, to educate the young, to circulate the holy Scriptures, to evangelize the heathen, and to promote Christianity among the Jews. Each of these institutions has its peculiar excellence, but they are all limited in their object and in their effort. No one great and extensive plan has yet been adopted, which may, at the same time, effectually benefit ourselves, our families, our country, and the world at large.
The aim of this paper is humbly to suggest such a plan, not with a view to disparage other benevolent attempts, but to give life, and vigour, and energy to them all. The plan is this:TO UNITE THE HEARTS OF ALL SINCERE CHRISTIANS IN EARNEST PRAYER FOR THE GENERAL EFFUSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This will meet the full extent both of our wants and of our desires.
The limits of this paper require brevity; but if the Scriptures are examined, the following truths will be clearly seen—namely, That no human effort is of itself sufficient to change the heart of man, or to build the spiritual temple of the Lord. God employs men as instruments, but He is himself the great agent. "Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God only giveth the increase." " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts:" 'That the Holy Spirit, as the Lord Jehovah, the third Person of the ever-blessed Trinity, is infinite in power; that with Him nothing is impossible, for all hearts are open to Him, and all creatures subject to His will:—That, exclusively of His almighty power as God, in the economy of our,salvation He has undertaken offices which are fully sufficient to secure the most extensive blessings. He convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgmeat. He takes away the stony heart, and gives an heart of flesh. He assists in prayer; He acts as our teacher and remembrancer; He guides into all truth; He glorifies the Lord Jesus, and sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts. He has also a boundless treasury of every requisite to accomplish his purposes: for He takes of the things that are Christ's, and shows them to his people; and in the Lord Jesus we know are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. " In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." The Holy Spirit, therefore, has only to pour out from this inexhaustible treasury, and what man by all his unassisted efforts can never attain will be immediately accomplished. The same power which, on the day of Pentecost, effected the conversion of three thousand unbelieving Jews under one discourse, can convince the most prejudiced, and change the hearts of the most obdurate of the present day. When He "makes bare his arm," "the mountains will flow down at his presence," " a nation shall be born in a day," and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ.
Whilst the sacred Scriptures thus acquaint us with the power of the Holy Spirit to effect these great objects, they afford us every reason to expect this Divine aid whenever general prayer is made for its attainment. The prophecies clearly show that days of great blessedness are before us, and that those days will be preceded or accompanied by a very large effusion of the Holy Spirit. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel, plainly predict this effusion, whilst Ezekiel confirms those predictions by the most striking emblems. Who can read the remarkable vision of the valley full of dry bones, and the interpretation given of that vision, without being convinced that the Holy spirit will yet exercise this office in a very remarkable manner; so powerfully, that those who are now as a multitude of dry bones shall stand up as a great army of true believers? The Divine Oracles at the same time assure us, that it is in answer to prayer that this blessing will be bestowed. It was not till the prophet had said, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live," that the lifegiving Spirit came. In another prophecy also, after promises of great mercies, it is added, "I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them." Such is the appointed connexion between this Divine gift and prayer for its bestowment.—So much is this the order in which God is pleased to grant his mercies, that he has promised not only to pour out a spirit of prayer and supplication upon his people, but to lead them to excite one another to implore this blessing, for thus it is written, "The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts; I will go also." And when prayer is offered, God declares, "Before thy call I will answer, and whilst they are yet speaking I will hear."
Without, therefore, entering into the question as to the exact period of those glorious times, we have every reason to believe, that whenever prayer is generally made for the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, a wide and copious effusion of his sacred influences will be afforded. The earnest supplications, therefore, of every sincere Christian for that promised blessing; and his unwearied efforts, in humble dependence upon God, to excite a similar earnestness in others, are objects greatly to be desired. For the readier attainment of these objects, the following hints are respectfully offered.
That all the ministers of Christ should seek a deeper, and more abiding conviction of their own personal need of the Divine iufluences of the Holy Spirit—both for their own growth in grace, and for success in all parts of their ministerial labours—in order that, under this conviction, they may he led to more earnest secret prayer I, for this blessing:
That, like Daniel and his comn panions, they should unite with their brethren, as opportunity may offer, in prayer for a more general effusion of the Holy Spirit:
That they should preach upon the various offices of the Holy Spirit; in order that their congregations may be more practically acquainted with his important office in the work of salvation:—and that, in their general discourses, they should more habitually honour the Holy Spirit, by entreating his Divine aid, and ascribing their success to his gracious influences:
That all Christians should be invited to devote individually a set portion of time (say, from seven till eight o'clock on the morning of the Lord's day,) for private prayer and meditation on this subject. Their prayer for this blessing may include themselves, their family, their friends, their ministers, their neighbours and fellow-worshippers, their country, the heathen, the Jews—all the ministers of Jesus Christ, and all societies formed for doing good.
That all heads of families should on a fixed occasion, (say, Monday evening,) entreat the same blessing in their family devotions:
That all Christians should read the Scriptures with a view to a more intimate acquaintance with this subject; and that they should mention it to their religious correspondents at home and abroad; each Christian using his utmost ability to make this union for prayer as extensive as possible:
That whilst Christians offer their prayers in simple reliance on the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, they should accompany them with deep humiliation for their own sins, for the sins of their country, and for the sins of the whole church;and aim, in their conduct, to walk in love with all their fellow-Christians, to be watchful against grieving the Holy Spirit, and in all things to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour.
I am happy to state, that several ministers, and many private Christians, have already begun to act conformably to these hints; and it is hoped that, by the Divine blessing, such a devout union of heart in prayer, will eventually, and I trust will ere long, become very general. Such an union cannot be contemplated without feelings of exalted pleasure and bright expectation. It is an minion in which no party-spirit is raised, no principles are sacrificed, no private feeling is hurt, no doubtful question agitated, no funds are required. It is an union of piety and love! We are not called upon to violate the dictates of of our conscience, or to infringe upon the discipline of the religious society to which we belong. Each Christian may associate in prayer with those of his own more immediate communion; yet at the same time may unite in heart with all who are seeking the same object. The poor may assist as well as the rich; the invalid, unfitted for active exertion, may, in this way, aid in building the spiritual temple; whilst those who are at the most remote distance may meet together at the Throne of Mercy, and where practicable at the same hour of prayer.
It was among the last petitions of our blessed Lord, that all who believe in him MIGHT BE ONE. Let it be our desire to be thus united! Let us trust in God simply, pray to him fervently, expect largely, watch soberly, and wait patiently.
"SURELY I COME QUICKLY: EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS."
1830-1831
Ten years later, this next article addresses the quest of Mr. J. H. Stewart from the Morning Watch Magazine:
THE OUT-POURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
IT is a remarkable phenomenon in the human mind, to pray fervently, and for a long course of time, for certain things which when granted are either despised or hated. The fables of Aesop have rendered this characteristic familiar to us from our earliest years, and show the same general law to belong to our species as much under one mode of moral culture as under another. The pamphlet of Mr. J. H. Stewart must be well known to most of our readers, in which he urges the Christian church to pray in especial meetings for the out-pouring of the Holy Ghost, founding his exhortation upon the promise in Joel. Mr. Way replied to this pamphlet, and pointed out from the context that that passage referred to the Jewish people, although an earnest of it in a measure had been given to the Gentiles at Pentecost. In this we think that Mr. Way was more correct: but Mr. Stewart would have taken up an invulnerable position if he had founded his argument upon the fact of the Christian dispensation being at all times one and the same ; and that, consequently, the church had a right, nay, it was her duty, to use those gifts with which God had endowed her at one period, as well as at another: and if she ever found herself without them, she ought to have continued instant in prayer until they were restored. Mr. Stewart was so strongly impressed with the importance of his view, that he circulated many papers upon the same subject; dropping, however, the reference to Joel, and urging the duty on general principles. A very considerable number of churches and individuals followed his counsel; several Dissenting magazines took up the subject also, although on different grounds, and with different objects so that it is not to be doubted that the voices and hearts of many thousands ascended to the Throne of Grace, that the presence of the Holy Ghost might be made more manifest in the church of Christ at present in these lands. Although this measure was considered culpable and visionary by many—so much so that Mr. Stewart found great difficulty in obtaining license for a renewal of his chapel—there is no ground for denying that the promises and gifts which were given to the first Christians are our inheritance also; and, believing that this subject is ill understood amongst Christians at the present day, we deem it serviceable to the church to bring the question under its consideration...
Edward Irving wrote on November 22nd, 1831.
"MY DEAR FRIENDS, I [Edward Irving] think it to be my duty to inform you exactly concerning the order which I have established in the public worship of the church for taking in the ordinance of prophesying, which it hath pleased the Lord, in answer to our prayers, to bestow upon us. The Apostle Paul, in the 14th chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, hath ordered, in the name and by the commandment (verse 37) of the Lord Jesus, that the prophets shall speak when the whole Church is gathered together into one place, 'two or three' (verse 23), and hath permitted that all the prophets may prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted (verses 29-31); and he hath given instructions concerning the comely manner in which women shall prophesy in chapter eleven of the same Epistle. Walking by this rule, I have appointed, for the present, that, immediately after the reading and exposition of the Scriptures by the minister, there shall be a pause for the witness of the Holy Ghost by the mouth of those to whom He hath been given (Acts v. 32), and the same have I appointed to be done after the sermon. And this I intend shall have place at all the public congregations of the church, because I believe it to be according to the commandment of the blessed Lord by the mouth of the Apostle, and according to the practice of the Church, so long as she had prophets speaking by the Holy Ghost in the midst of her.
"The Church of Scotland, at the time of the Reformation, turned her attention reverently to this standing order of the Church of Christ, and appointed a weekly exercise for prophesying or interpreting of the Scriptures (First Book of Discipline, chapter xii.), expressly founded on and ordered by the 14th chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, 'to the end that the Kirk may judge whether they be able to serve to God's glory and to the profit of the Kirk in the vocation of the ministry or not.' At that time they had adopted the prevalent but erroneous notion that the office of the apostle, of the evangelist, and of the prophet, are not perpetual; and now have ceased in the Kirk of God, except when it pleased God extraordinarily for a time to stir some of them up again,' (Second Book of Discipline, chapter ii.). God hath now proved that He both can and will raise up these offices again, having anointed many, both amongst us and elsewhere, with the gift of prophesying after the manner foretold in Isaiah xxviii. 11, fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, and particularly ordered in 1 Cor. xi. and xiv. These persons having been fully proved at our daily morning exercise, and found to speak by the Spirit of God, I have, in obedience to the Apostle, and in the spirit of the Church of Scotland, permitted to exercise their gift in the congregation, according to the order laid down above.
"Now, my dear brethren, it is well known to you that by the Word of God, and by the rules of all well-ordered churches, and by the trust-deed of our church in particular, it lies with the angel or minister of the church to order in all things connected with the public worship and service of God. For this duty I am responsible to the Great Head of the Church, and have felt the burden of it upon my conscience for many weeks past; but consulting for the feelings of others, I have held back from doing that which I felt to be my duty, and most profitable for the great edification of the Church of Christ, over which the Lord hath set me. I desire to humble myself in His sight for having too long lingered to walk in the way of His express commandment ; and having at last obeyed Him to whom we must all answer at the great day, I beseech you, dearly beloved, to strengthen my hands and uphold them, as in times past ye have always been forward to do ; but if ye cannot see your way clearly to do this, I entreat you not to let or withstand, lest haply ye be found fighting against God. And the more, as it is expressly written in the only place, where the method of prophesying in another tongue is mentioned, that it should be for a rest and refreshment to some, for a snare and stumbling unto many (Isaiah xxviii. 12, 13). For the rest, dear brethren, I need only add that, if you should see it your duty to take any step toward the prohibition of this (as I have heard that some are minded to do, which may God, for their own sake, prevent, and for the sake of all concerned), I pray that nothing may be done till after a friendly conference between the trustees on the one hand, and myself, your minister, with some friends to assist me, on the other; for as we have hitherto had good Christian fellowship together, we will do our part by all means to preserve it to the end, without compromising our truth and duty. I have done myself the satisfaction of sending to each one of you, dear brethren, a copy of the first part of a treatise on the subject of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost for your further information on this subject, which I beg you will accept as a small token of the esteem and gratitude of your faithful and affectionate friend and minister,
" EDWD. IRVING."
"Finally, may the Lord guide you in upright judgment, and preserve you blameless unto the day of His appearing, and then receive you into His glory ! Amen, and Amen !"
(For the full article, with foot-notes, read the attached PDF file.The books and magazines where this information has been gathered are attached to the Edward Irving Display.)
