[Transcriber's Note: You can play this music (MIDI file) by clicking [here].]
All people that on earth do dwell
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell:
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
It was a lovely May morning, and a kind little sunbeam had left the green fields and the chirping birdlets to peep into Sandgate. I think it must have heard the singing, and wanted to shine its gladness, that God's praises were at last being sung to those poor people.
It was quite early, about seven o'clock in the morning, and some of the men and women were still in bed; but little sunbeam went first to one and then to another and kissed them awake, and when they had rubbed their eyes and opened their ears, they heard a strange sound. What could it be? They had never heard anything like it before.
"If you come to yon hill at five o'clock to-night, I'll tell you what I mean."—[Page 95].
They sat up in bed and listened, then they got dressed, and then they went out. The music acted like a magic spell, and drew them to it. One man, two men, three men, four men, five men; oh, dear! there are too many to count. Such a number of women too, why, there must be five hundred people all together, and still they keep coming. One of the gentlemen is now talking. Listen what he is saying! He is preaching a sermon, and this is his text: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." He is telling those poor men and women that it was Jesus, the Son of God, who suffered this for them, because He loved them.
The people, who numbered about twelve hundred, stood gaping and staring, they had never heard anything like this before.
"Who are you?" shouted one man.