SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Revivals And Church History : The Early Years of the Tongues Movement

Print Thread (PDF)

PosterThread
murrcolr
Member



Joined: 2007/4/25
Posts: 1839
Scotland, UK

 The Early Years of the Tongues Movement

Just read this book online, I can say that I was surprised and shocked...

http://www.banner.org.uk/tb/lang.html


_________________
Colin Murray

 2013/7/17 18:56Profile
murrcolr
Member



Joined: 2007/4/25
Posts: 1839
Scotland, UK

 Re: The Early Years of the Tongues Movement

Copied from the book

The Early Years of the Tongues Movement

http://www.banner.org.uk/tb/lang.html


Arthur Clibborn married the eldest daughter of William Booth of the Salvation Army, and took the name Booth-Clibborn. They had ten children, of whom William was the fifth. He believed that his grandfather's mantle fell on him. His father was the means of his conversion, which blessed circumstance ought to be far more frequent than it is. He was then twelve years of age, and for a time was a vigorous witness for his Saviour. Presently this zeal cooled, as is often the case with youthful converts. William has told his story in The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Edition 1929; ed. 3, 1944). Stripped of its rhetoric and rhapsody the salient features are as follows.

At the close of November 1908, and therefore early in the Movement, the father took his son one Saturday evening from Westcliff-on-Sea, where they lived, to London. In the train he dealt solemnly with the lad about his "backsliding," the waning of his testimony as a Christian. The words took effect, and the boy reached the hall to which they were going much occupied with his own state. During a hymn a lady in front of him sat down weeping. A moment later she was speaking in a strange language. As his father knew eight languages and himself five, he thought they might understand her, but it was not so. Shortly she sank to her knees seemingly overwhelmed with grief, groaning and praying in that strange language. It occurred to William that this woman might possibly be praying for him, that God had placcd his condition upon her heart, and she was bearing his burden in the Spirit (22.23). This was of course a purely subjective idea of his own, for she did not know him, nor did they know what she was saying.

Then a man behind, who had been rejoicing and laughing in the Spirit, suddenly began to talk loudly in an unknown tongue. Interpretation followed, every word of which searched this boy's heart and left him filled with dismay and shame. He says of the address that every word pierced his heart, and conviction tormented him (26). He arose and pushed his way to the aisle. Of his own accord he found a chair near the platform, knelt there oblivious of his surroundings, and wept and wept and still wept. He must have wept by that chair from ten o'clock p.m. to one in the morning. His father had his hand on his shoulder and was praying with him. Finally the father definitely asked God to give the lad the comfort of Divine forgiveness, and quoted I John 1: 9:"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (27, 30). The consciousness of pardon was granted.

Deep conviction is good, but was it necessary that a mere boy should be tormented so long? Might not the blessed Spirit have gladly spoken peace sooner had those words of peace been spoken earlier? The account adds that it must have been past one o'clock in the morning before he rose from his knees, and he says, "In the hollow of that chair I can still see the big pool of my tears" (30).

Here evidently was one of those keenly emotional natures peculiarly susceptible to the powerful excitements incident to such a Movement. This is seen in an earlier picture of that night of distress. His father sat down beside him and endeavoured to appease his cries for forgiveness. He had completely forgotten his whereabouts, complained aloud of his condition and lamented his backslidings. He would not be comforted: "I put my arms around him and wept in his bosom. I said, 'Let me weep'" (28)

After this midnight of nervous tension he could hardly speak. Of the hotel breakfast he scarcely partook, yet was feasting, as he says. They went early to a private house near London. It was Sunday. There was a morning service, the Lord's Supper, a long talk with another lad who had received his "baptism," and an evening service followed: a pretty full day after a tiring night. The moment prayer was called he dropped to his knees and forgot himself and his whereabouts (36). Again a lady was prostrated upon her face before God, weeping and groaning, and again he could feel that her struggling intercession was for him. Presently he clapped his hands; from his inner being there poured forth a growing, rushing torrent of prayer-praise like a swollen mountain stream; there were fresh tears of bitter-sweet regret, followed by a flood of joy and he began to laugh and laugh and laugh until he cried for very joy (40, 41). He tells us that the noise he had been making predominated in the meeting (43).

The leader of the gathering was an accredited missionary of the Movement and was on his way to Egypt to spread the fire. He laid his hands on the boy's head and throat and prayed, and shortly he was singing in a beautiful language entirely foreign to him. His shouts and praises mingled with the most intoxicating laughter, and his tongue raced like "the pen of a ready writer" (Psa. 45 :1). Heavenly angelic choirs gave the roar of a glorious diapason. He listened enthralled by those rhapsodies, whilst new rivers of burning tears flooded down his cheeks. Again and again he burst in renewed vigour to take up the angelic theme. His body tossed back and forth, sympathetically swinging to the peals of melodious thunder that coursed in rending, tearing crashes through him. He sung till it seemed his physical heart would stop. His uplifted arms kept beating time to the majestic tempo of that celestial song (47, 48).

Be it remembered that this is the ecstatic, exciting experience of a schoolboy of fifteen years, and this is his own description of it. In addition to the severe emotional tension of the preceding night and day, this occasion had lasted four and a half hours. Let the reader consider whether there is in the New Testament anything remotely resembling this as accompanying the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Movement has ever used Pentecost, Samaria and Ephesus (Acts 2; 8 10; 19) as the Scripture basis for their "baptism;" but those scriptures show an immediate bestowal of tongues with no previous prolonged and strenuous exercises of the above character, and no such extravagancies as shouting, weeping, singing, and uncontrollable, intoxicating laughter. It seems clear from his book that, neither at the time nor later, did the writer give thought to the fact of there being no New Testament parallel.

It is now well after midnight, nearly two in the morning, and someone told William that before retiring refreshments would be served in the next room. The dear friends solicitously helped him to his feet, still speaking in tongues. He says that he was drenched, wet from head to foot with perspiration and endless weeping, dishevelled, and reeling like one intoxicated, and thus he staggered to his place at table. Finally every one rose to retire, but he was so drunk with the Spirit that when he tried to ascend the stairs he could not succeed until he was assisted up. And he just lay in bed laughing irrepressibly.

It is this poor bedraggled, dishevelled, exhausted boy who presents himself as a brilliant example of being baptized in the third Person of the ever-blessed Trinity! And his reeling, staggering, laughing, crying, singing, and shouting are declared to be results of the presence of Him who develops in us the high virtue of self-control (Gal. 5 : 22). And so profound and indelible was the impression that thirty-six years later it still dominated him and he issued the third edition of his book commending his early experience.

The next morning father and son went into the City (London). Picture the scene as the son gives it. The boy could not refrain from singing in the unknown tongue. His father begged him to tone down; but it was impossible: it seemed positively wrong to quench the Spirit! So his father told him to shut his eyes. like a blind man, and he would lead him and tell him when the pavement dropped or rose, so that he should not stumble. So he shut himself in with God (!). singing and talking in the new tongue to his heart's content. He tells us that many stood staring, wondering what on earth was affecting him, or possibly, he thinks, sad to see another victim of the liquor evil. But when two "bobbies" began to move towards them the father acted promptly. He hailed a taxi, dumped the boy in, and to the driver's inquiry, "Where?" he shouted : "Anywhere! never mind! go on! " The driver drove furiously, and they praised the Lord all the way to the next meeting, to which presently the father directed the driver.

Would the inspired prophet add the comment, "This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts? " (1sa. 28: 29).

Presently they went home, and the youth set himself to lead into the same experience every member of the household, brothers, sisters, governess, and others. In this he shortly succeeded. Meetings were held in the house nightly, with the heavenly singing, deliriums of tears, tongues, and prophesyings, which declared the approaching end of the age and described phases of the coming of our Lord in glory. Presently Mrs Booth Clibborn came home was captured by the meetings kneeled in front of her own boy begged him to pray for her also lifted his hand on to her head and said "Lord give me this blessing too." Whether she was "baptized" the narrative does not say but it seems singular that Mr Booth Clibborn did not share the baptism at that time nor for at least three years after, for it is stated in "Confidence" for June, 1911 that he declared that he would not be satisfied till he had done so.

The meetings in the house would go on till the small hours of the morning, and the noise caused such consternation among the neighbours that a petition, signed by many, asked that the clamour should cease or be controlled. Even this did not raise in their minds the inquiry whether disturbing the neighbours by night could be pleasing to God, but quiltsand blankets were fastened over the windows and doors and the "heavenly music" went on unabated.

The literature of the Movement mentions that the first person in England to receive the "baptism" was a Mrs. Price. This lady visited the family and confirmed that the work was of the Holy Spirit, and later she wrote a cornmendatory foreword to the hook in question. But this only raises doubts as to her own spiritual discernment and wisdom

Later father and son toured in Europe and saw such scenes repeated on a large scale. In view of the adverse judgment one has been obliged to form as to William Booth-Clibborn's own experience, as given by himself, one cannot but extend the same estimate to the similar experience into which he led others. Moreover, inasmuch as this is a fair sample of much that marked those early years, the same doubts must arise as to the Movement as a whole. Arthur Booth-Clibborn was an acknowledged figure in the Movement: "Confidence" contained numerous articles by him and Bartleman quoted him. At the Sunderland conferences he sometimes interpreted speakers from the Continent. It seems singular that among people who claimed to be in succession from Pentecost there should be need of uninspired interpretation, or that their missionaries should need to learn languages, as was the case.

By the vivid narrative here employed the reader has been enabled to attend a public meeting of the Movement and a midnight house party, as described by a principal figure in both. He has seen a mere youth weep and lament by the hour, until the chair was a pool of tears. He has watched him lying on the drawing room floor sweating, weeping, singing, shouting, laughing till the noise dominated the gathering. He has seen a lad of fifteen so enfeebled as to be unable to struggle to his feet or to walk to the table, or to get up the stairs without aid; and so overwrought as to be unable to sleep all night: and so out of control that he could not restrain himself in the public street. All this is part of the picture of the early days of the Movement.

It may be that my reader will grieve with me that a company of respectable and Christian men and women could be so deluded as to regard such doings as wrought by the Spirit who gives rest and self-restraint and who directs that gatherings of saints should be marked by decency and order. My reader may wonder that such a mature public worker as Arthur Booth-Clibborn should find satisfaction in his own son passing through such a degrading experience, reducing him to helplessness of body and nerves. Yet, when the matter of imminent school examinations came up the next morning after the night described, he declared that the lad had been too hopelessly blessed to be any good as a student, and that this was not a time for school, for "once we have tasted of this wine we are as incurable as drunkards! We always want more" (53, 54).


_________________
Colin Murray

 2013/7/17 19:22Profile





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy