How does it come that such results are produced? One knows nothing. Often the attack occurs in the midst of a meeting, but also frequently, in all the districts, in other places. It is not even necessary that the persons seized should have been previously occupied with religion. The indifferent, the unbelieving, are themselves unexpectedly seized. It is a characteristic trait that one can assign no explanation. It is proper, however, to observe, that the large meetings are generally, if not the means, at least the occasion, where the "striking down" takes place.

Among the meetings which I saw, there is one that ought, in this aspect, to be described.

On Friday evening, the first July, at eight o'clock, a meeting was assembled in the church of the Rev. Mr. Toy. The crowd was so great, that it became necessary to hold it in the street. There a preacher mounted upon a table, and spoke with animation. He was a simple artisan, awakened less than five weeks before. The crowd grew larger and larger, until it became so large that a second speaker could plant himself at the other extremity without disturbing the first. The street was very broad; there were about 4,000 or 5,000 hearers, all attentive, all closely gathered together. After the workman-preacher, an aged pastor spoke with great animation. After him another pastor, more calmly-and still patience and attention were sustained. After this pastor, or rather beside him, from a small fir table, a girl spoke, who appeared to be about ten or twelve years of age. She spoke, exhorted, preached to the crowd of 4,000 auditors; she said how joyful she was, how joyful! that she did not wish any more for a new dress, nor hat, nor flowers; that she wished one only flowerJesus. "I do not desire virgin nor saint (she had been a Roman Catholic), but Jesus alone. Oh, come to Jesus, if you would know my joy!" And all this she said with life, with joy, with perfect naturalness. This young girl, who spoke without fear before 4,000 hearers, was listened to with marked and serious attention.

They wished a companion, who had been enlightened in the same manner, to speak after her. She was, however, too feeble. The first spoke again for her. "I will tell you what she wished to say." She then recounted with the same animation the history of her friend.

During these services of such varied character, the people not only listened, but wept; they cried "Amen! amen!" And from time to time, one after another fell, "stricken down" by the conviction of their sins. They were carried to the church, which thus became an hospital for receiving the stricken ones, who were successively borne into it.

I went to the church, and there saw the strangest spectacle I had ever witnessed. Eight or ten of those "stricken down" were here and there on a bench, surrounded by friends, who prayed for them, sung suitable hymns, or exhorted them. Those "stricken down" are some on their knees; others stretched out; all cry, weep, pray, despairing or rejoicing; it is a spiritual confusion, impossible to describe. At the same time, the assembled people chant a hymn, and afterwards the pastor, who is not in the pulpit, nor has even turned towards the flock, prays in a high, high voice, as if he would besiege heaven with his words. All this took place with a seriousness, and even with a certain degree of order, in so far, at least, that no accident occurred.

This is not all. I pass to the garden, and there, under every tuft of verdure, I find again little groups praying and singing around one of the "stricken down." Those in the church, in the garden, and at the door of the pastor, amount in all to about twenty, stricken at the same time. I

do not reckon those who were immediately carried elsewhere. It is ten in the evening. All continues as before, and I retire.

On the following day, I speak of these twenty before a young man at a prayer meeting of the Rev. Mr. Knox, and this young man informs me that, without any excitement, without any noise, twenty persons have been "stricken down" that morning in the place where I now was. In fact, I see yet there a young girl, who, for three hours past, has been without movement, except that she speaks in a suppressed voice of her sins.

Here, then, are two instances, in each of which twenty cases have occurred; in the one, in the midst of much excitement; in the other, in the midst of calmness.

On the following Sabbath, there were in Mr. Toy's church fifty cases of awakening at the morning and evening services.

As I desired to know whether many cases were produced without the physical attack, I devoted my attention to searching into such cases, and I now relate what was told me, or what I saw.

The Rev. Dr. Morgan, who, without venturing to speak against the physical crisis, desires to avoid it, and who has not always succeeded in this, assured me that, for some time past, three different persons of his flock had come to him daily to speak of their religious feelings-all new, as they proved. Now, observe that his congregation is chiefly composed of merchants, bankers, &c. Dr. Morgan, also, while regretting the physical aspects, recognises them as possibly a means of attracting the attention of the world, and of serving for a short trial to those who are afflicted by them. The views of Dr. Cook are similar, and he adds, that these attacks are inexplicable to medical science. He also believes that excitement is hurtful to the cause.

I have seen men and children who have been converted without the crisis, and equally suddenly. One of these men, for example, was constantly swearing at the workmen under his direction, violent in his family, almost insolent to his superiors. After a month's frequenting of the prayer meetings, he was no longer the same man, and finally the last day, or rather the last night, he encountered a severe struggle. It terminated by victory in Jesus Christ. In the same manufactory I saw two boys of thirteen and fourteen years of age, who, the manager told me, had been formerly the greatest blackguards, insolent and impertinent, and I found them seated on the ground, the Bible in their hand, reading it to four other younger children. These boys spoke with so much humility and wisdom, that I was astounded when their master told me what they had been a short time before.

The following fact tends to show that the line of demarcation between the "stricken down" and the others does not arise solely from excitement produced by external causes. I saw a woman who withheld herself from every prayer meeting, who even prayed to God that the physical crisis might not visit her, because she said she had not time, and that she must attend to her children. This woman was afterwards stricken down without being present at any meeting, without any desire on her part, and I saw her lying weeping for her sins.

After passing many days at Belfast, I went to Ballymena, where I visited many persons. The following are some of the leading characteristics which struck me :

1. The change of habit is so great, that many spirit-sellers have given up, or are about to give up, their business from want of customers, or on grounds of principle.

2. I saw here the case of a vision-seer, but this person acknowledged that her visions were without importance.

8. According to the experience of a pastor, if the physical attack itself cannot be avoided, the outward expressions of joy which sometimes afterwards seize the converts may at least be overcome. Thus, when the pastor witnesses a commencement of this in his church, he partly ridicules it, and the convert becomes tranquil.

4. A Christian physician, who closely observed the revival at Ballymena, told me that, according to his observation, the "striking down" did not resemble any malady. He gave a very simple explanation of it. "We Irish," he said, "are very excitable." The people in general, when visited with a stroke of affliction, are accustomed to wring their hands, raise their arms, extend their limbs, &c. Now, in the case of conviction of sin, the outward signs are exactly the same. The only difference is, that they are more violent and longer sustained; a difference which is easily explained on the ground of the effect being in proportion to the cause.

I abridge my narrative, in order to give my conclusion. After much reflection, and after having got rid of the feeling of surprise which I felt during my visit, I have wished to attain to a calm judgment.

I begin by saying that I put myself very strongly upon the defensive. I so kept the feelings of my heart in abeyance to the questionings of my intellect, that in the midst of all these meetings, all the excitement, all the striking cases, I was not myself moved, Great astonishment overcame me, but any emotion when I met with converts who thoroughly satisfied me, as in the case of the child of thirteen, whose conversation I have described, only gradually strengthened into conviction, which grew but slowly day by day.

Now, I have considered all the natural explanations without finding any that thoroughly satisfies me.

Have the clergy got up the movement for their profit? No; for often the laity have been originators, and often there has been no agent.

Is it the work of a particular church? No; for the conversions have not profited any church in particular, or any secondary ideas. The revival has not made Episcopalians, nor Presbyterians, nor Baptists, but only Christians. Is it illusive? Is it hypocrisy? It may be so in some cases, but how are the hundreds and thousands to be accounted for?

There remains only one other natural hypothesis. Is it a physical or mental malady? But then how does this malady produce always the same results exactly; results, note well, which do not bear any trace of previous opinions, nor of opinions foreign to Christianity; but in every case the elementary, fundamental opinions of the doctrines received by all-the sin of man, pardon through Jesus Christ, and sanctification of the Holy Ghost? It would be a wonderful and a blessed malady which could always produce humility, love, holiness, especially when one thinks that there are among the converts those who were formerly noted sinners, as well as the haughty and the basely selfish. No! the conclusion is forced on the mind, it must be admitted, or the eyes and ears be closed -this is a great work of God.

This conclusion satisfies me. I give thanks to the Lord for having placed before me a new evidence, which I may call a miracle-a second Pentecost; and I believe that this favour granted me of God makes new duties devolve upon me, or rather makes me feel anew the old duty of working perseveringly for the advancement of His kingdom in the world, and specially in my own heart.

RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN IRELAND.

"THE abiding results, rather than the individual and outward signs indicating the commencement or progress of the work of grace and mercy," says the Banner of Ulster, "are what now chiefly engage the earnest attention of those ministers and Christian laymen who are, in every direction around us, labouring to spread and deepen it. From all quarters, we are gratified to state, the reports which reach us are of the most gratifying and hopeful character, in this respect. There is no falling-off among any of those known to have been really converted; and the cases of collateral conversion-that is, of relatives and neighbours being brought to a knowledge of the truth, under the power of the Spirit operating through the means of such examplesare numerous almost beyond belief. At the same time, the instances of sudden conversion, unattended by any strong emotional symptoms, are quite as frequent as heretofore; while the great and happy change in the habits, manners, and demeanour of large masses of the community is observable to all who know what the moral and religious condition of our industrial population was before the revival season-the most remarkable era, in a large sense, of the Church's history in Ireland. We believe we are correct in saying, that there is not one Presbytery in Ulster in which conversions, directly traceable to this spiritual awakening, cannot be numbered-in many of them by hundreds."

The meetings in Belfast, on Sabbath last, were attended by very large congregations, and great solemnity appeared to pervade all of them. The churches and chapels were crowded to excess, and ministers from other parts of the three kingdoms officiated in many of the pulpits. In the York Street Church, the Rev. Dr. Weir, of London, preached sermons appropriate to the present movement. The Rev. A. A. Bonar, besides preaching in the Second Presbyterian Church, Holywood, in the morning, also occupied the pulpit in Fisherwick Place Church in the afternoon. On each of these latter occasions he delivered discourses applicable to the revival movement. The Rev. Dr. Cooke also preached in reference to the recent awakenings, specially adapting his discourse to the young converts. At the meetings in the Methodist Chapels the congregations were very large. The Rev. T. G. Robey, Methodist New Connexion minister, Chester, preached in the morning in Salem Chapel, and in the evening in the open air, at six o'clock, to a large congregation. The Rev. S. Jones, Methodist New Connexion minister, Burslem, took part in the evening meeting in Salem; and the Rev. E. Johnson, Baptist minister, Hanley, joined in the "love feast" service held in the same place of worshipboth after the morning and evening services. The Rev. Mr. Johnson and the Rev. Mr. Turnock conducted an open-air service in Little George's Street, at three o'clock. In the Baptist Chapel, Academy Street, the Rev. Mr. Johnson preached in the evening, at seven o'clock, when the house was well filled.

The

open-air services were exceedingly numerous. The Rev. Mr. Craig, successor to the Rev. John White, preached at the Custom-house

The

steps to an audience of some thousands.
Rev. G. Cron preached in the fields near
Trinity Street.

BERRY STREET CHURCH.

The services in this church, on Friday evening last, were very largely attended. The sermon, preparatory to communion, was preached by the Rev. J. S. Denham, Holywood, and was listened to with great apparent profit and satisfaction by the audience. On Sabbath, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was celebrated, and a more solemn day has been seldom witnessed. It was most touching to witness the manner in which this impressive ordinance was celebrated by the recent converts, of whom there was a large number. Mr. Hanna was assisted by the Rev. Mr. Bullock, Crew, England; Rev. Mr. Anderson, Morpeth; and Rev. Mr. Thompson. In the evening, the Rev. Andrew A. Bonar preached to communicants, offering many very valuable counsels, and making many powerful appeals to the conscience of the sinner. The day will long be remembered by many as a day of rich blessing and pure enjoyment. There were several cases of conviction. The Rev. H. Hanna, as is his custom, preached to a large and attentive audience at two o'clock on Saturday, at Sandy Row Bridge.

GREAT GEORGE'S STREET PRESBY-
TERIAN CHURCH.

This church is still the scene of a great and
gracious work. Not a night passes but there
is abundant evidence of the power of the
Spirit in awakening and converting sinners.
In contrasting the work now with what we
formerly reported, we would say that it is
much on the increase. An interesting circum-
stance occurred on Friday night. A young
man from Scotland, intending to go in the
steamer sailing that evening, failed in getting
a ticket in consequence of the great press of
people, and went to the prayer meeting for that
evening, and he there found peace with God,
and stood up and told the whole circumstance
to the people. Sabbath last was the time of
communion, and such a season was never ex-
perienced there, the number of communicants
being almost treble the largest number ever
assembled in the church on such an occasion.
So powerfully was the feeling experienced,
that the sobbing and weeping could not be
restrained. In the evening, after the usual
sermon, the Rev. Mr. Thomson, of Wick,
Scotland, opened the prayer meeting.
16th verse of the 66th Psalm was then sung;
after which, the converts and others stood up
and told what God had done for their souls.
There were some very interesting cases, which
space will not permit us to record. We may
mention, however, that one young man stated
that the origin of his conversion was hearing
the Rev. Mr. Toy repeating the text-" Pre-
pare to meet thy God," as he was passing
down the aisle. A Roman Catholic woman
rose up and thanked the Lord that she had
nothing more to do with penance; and
another declared that she had no more busi-
ness with the Virgin Mary, but that she would

The