“I did not think there was so much happiness for me; but I do thank God for what He has done for me.  He has changed my heart, He has filled me full of the love of Christ; and my greatest desire is to tell sinners what a dear Saviour I have found.”

Best of all was the demonstration that, out of such material, God was able and ready to raise up a fighting force.

One great difficulty of those days was the obtaining of suitable buildings.  For a time a theatre was hired for Sunday Meetings (the law in England then not allowing theatres to give performances on Sundays).

The great buildings to which the people have been accustomed to go for amusement have always proved admirably suited for the gathering of congregations of that sort.  A gentleman who had had long experience in mission work thus describes what he saw when he went to spend a “Sunday afternoon with William Booth":—­

“On the afternoon of Sunday, January 31st, I was able to see some of the results of William Booth’s work in the East of London, by attending his Experience Meeting, held in the East London Theatre.  About 2 o’clock some of his helpers and Converts went out from the Mission Hall, where they had been praying together, and held an Open-Air Meeting in front of a large brewery opposite the Hall.  The ground was damp and the wind high, but they secured an audience, and then sang hymns along the road, till they came to the theatre, taking in any who chose to follow them.  Probably about five hundred were present, though many came in late.

“The Meeting commenced at three, and lasted one hour and a half.  During this period fifty-three persons gave their experience, parts of eight hymns were sung, and prayer was offered by four persons.  After singing Philip Philips’ beautiful hymn, ’I will sing for Jesus,’ prayer was offered up by Mr. Booth and two others.

     “A young man rose and told of his conversion a year ago, thanking
     God that he had been kept through the year.

“A negro, of the name of Burton, interested the Meeting much by telling of his first Open-Air Service, which he had held during the past week in Ratcliff Highway, one of the worst places in London.  He said, when the people saw him kneel in the gutter, engaged in prayer for them, they thought he was mad.  The verse—­

        Christ now sits on Zion’s hill,
        He receives poor sinners still,

     Was then sung.