Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/454

 422 FIJI a:kd the fijians. " During the three years of our residence at Viwa we have frequently had the earnest of a revival. Sometimes it has appeared just at hand ; but the promised shower never actually descended till this year. I had often thought that some special means would be attended with a special blessing, and at length proposed a penitent-meeting to be held in the chapel every Saturday evening. To this the brethren agreed. We accordingly met on the following Saturday. The meeting was well attended, and a special influence was felt among us from the com- mencement of the meeting, which increased as the meeting proceeded, until it was overwhelming. Nothing was heard but weeping and praying. Many cried aloud for mercy, and not in vain. The merciful God heard their cries, and blessed them with pardon and peace. This was the commencement of a series of meetings which were held every day, and sometimes many times a day, not only in the chapel, but in almost every house in the town. A penitent-meeting was held by almost every family night and morning ; in some instances nearly the whole family were crying for mercy with one heart and with one voice. Busi- ness, sleep, and food were almost entirely laid aside. We were at length obliged almost to force some of the new converts to take something for the sustenance of the body. I think about seventy persons were con- verted durmg the first five days of the revival. Some of the cases were the most remarkable I have ever seen, heard of, or read of; yet only such as one might expect the conversion of such dreadful murderers and cannibals would be. If such men manifest nothing more than ordinary feeling when they repent, one would suspect that they are not yet fully convinced of sin. Certainly the feelings of the Viwa people were not ordinary. They literally roared for hours together for the diquietude of their souls. This frequently terminated in fiiinting from exhaustion, which was the only respite some of them had till they found peace. They no sooner recovered their consciousness, than they prayed themselves first into an agony, and then again into a state of entire insensibility. Of course there was a great deal of confusion ; but it was such as every enlightened person could see was the result of excitement produced by the Divine Spirit, who is not the author of mere confusion. The result has been most happy. The preaching of the word has been attended with more power than before the revival. Many who were careless and useless have become sincere and devoted to God, The experience of most has been much improved, and many nave become, by adoption and regeneration, the sons of God. Others have been much established, and all feel that the revival has constituted a new era in their religious history. It has spread through the Grcuit.