Vol 2, pages 1-100 - My Primitive Methodist Ancestors

44 PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH.
chapel was built at Hollinwood, and since 1880 it has stood at the head of
Oldham Third Circuit. We gather that the revival which resulted in adding
two hundred members to the circuit membership during these two years was marked
by certain " peculiar features," not clearly specified by John Garner's biographer.
"Writing with an almost "
provoking reticence, he says
: Certain peculiar features of
the work excited, in his observing mind, a degree of apprehension. He narrowly
watched the movements of the parties who acted prominent parts in the public
religious services. And as he believed them to be persons of real worth, and influenced
by sincere motives, he honoured them with his confidence, and was thankful for their
hearty co-operation." In these words, the biographer rather timidly glances at some of
those physical manifestations of highly-wrought religious feeling that not unfrequently
showed themselves in early Methodism, and were not altogether unknown in the
beginning of our own Connexional history. Sometimes these manifestations took
the form of fallings ;
at other times their subject would go into trance conditions,
or, yet again, would leap or dance. The "peculiar features "of the Oldham revival
took the form last named, as Jonathan Ireland tells us. They in Manchester heard
rumours of what was going on in Oldham, and determined to see for themselves
whether rumour spoke truly. Probably they timed their visit so as to be present at
the quarterly love-feast held December 13th, 1829, at which, says John Garner in
his Journal, " many from Manchester and other places attended ;
the chapel [Grosvenor
Street] was crowded, and sixteen persons professed to have been made happy in the
Lord during the day." Ireland speaks without reserve of the manifestations reported
of at Manchester. "We had not been long in the chapel when the jumping began.
It soon spread, and became general all over the chapel. But Mr. John Garner said :
'If you don't like this sort of work, you can take "
your hats and leave us.' It
should
be noted as a fact of much importance that Ireland distinctly states this saltatory
habit was " confined to the best and most devoted members of the society." No
doubt Mr. Garner would rather have had the gracious influences without these
accompaniments ; but he was a shrewd man, and, though he had kept careful watch,
he could detect neither imposture nor characterless fanaticism in these phenomena.
Hence he was chary of rebuke, lest haply he should root up
the wheat with the tares.
On February 14th, 1836, the streets of
Oldham saw a busy and
every way primitive sight, interesting to us as showing that the
traits so characteristic of Hugh Bourne were as strongly marked
as ever, though he was now in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
In the morning he * , had, led a class, shaken hands with all the
Sunday school scholars, and then preached to them in Boardman
Street Chapel and
; now, in the afternoon, he was heading a procession
after his own heart.
There were seven stoppages for prayer,
MR. LUKE NIKLD. and H. B. preached seven one-minute-and-a-half sermons, plain,
mt>
pointed, and, for the sake of the children, containing references
to the power of divine grace as able to 'take the naughty out of their hearts, and
to save them from Satan and his blue flames.'
All this he describes with evident zest,