ON BOARD S.S. SOPHOCLES, JUNE 20TH, 1925
ON BOARD S.S. SOPHOCLES, JUNE 20TH, 1925
Mr. R. S. Sinclair.
My Dear Mr. Sinclair, — When I last wrote we had finished our visit to New Zealand; now we are on our way from Perth, to Cape Town, having spent over forty days in Australia.
We visited Sydney first, where special meetings were arranged covering nearly a week. It was a most cheering time. There are twelve meetings there and the interest is as keen and as well sustained as any I have experienced. The attendance [p. 211] ranges from 800 to 1,300. As excellent halls were available, the hearing was very satisfactory. I am sure the Lord helped in this as in all else. There were readings and addresses, including the gospel on Sunday evening. It was said there were over 1,300 at the Ashfield Town Hall for the gospel. It was indeed a most inspiring company. It would take many pages to convey an adequate account of this series of meetings.
From Sydney we went to Newcastle, where Mr. Guy Allbut lives. We had a happy time there, but we were saddened after the meetings by a serious illness which seized our dear brother W. J. House. He has been ill ever since and during the present voyage we received a wireless to say that he was to have been operated on eight days ago. We are anxiously awaiting further news: our brother is greatly valued.
We then proceeded to Brisbane, where we had a long week-end and an excellent season, staying with Mr. Robert Wright, who has been used in helping many by speaking privately (he is a dentist) to them about the Lord. A feature of the service there was ‘lunch-hour’ meetings on three successive days.
Many notices had been circulated and many ‘outsiders’ attended. There are three meetings in Brisbane and several comparatively near, so that the meetings ranged from three to five hundred. There are several good brothers and sisters there and some aggressiveness in testimony. They have a Tract Depot. There are Depots in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Wellington and, I believe, Christchurch.
From there we returned to Sydney, where we had another series of meetings — more interesting even than the first. Several young people got blessing, notably two of Mr. Joyce’s children and they were desirous of breaking bread. By arrangement I had a meeting with the Ashfield brothers who had been withdrawn from last year. In view of this meeting the dear brethren in fellowship at Ashfield came together for prayer at 6 a.m. to the end that the Lord would graciously come in for recovery. This was touching and I am sure pleasing to the Lord. The interview lasted two hours (I was accompanied by two of our brethren) and I felt the Lord was in it. There has not been opportunity to hear what further developments have taken place. One sister (a very influential one — rather too much so!) got delivered and she and her daughter have asked for fellowship at Ashfield.
About May 20th we arrived at Melbourne and had nearly a [p. 212] week there — about fifty coming from Sydney and district. There are eight meetings in Melbourne, but as there are more meetings in the district, the numbers attending were about the same as Sydney. Those from Tasmania also came over — some very dear saints. The hall engaged for the meetings was excellent and the hearing most satisfactory. We stayed with Mr. W. J. Young, who truly seems to be a pillar among the brethren. At Sydney we stayed with Dr. Van Someren and with Mr. J. J. Joyce on the second visit. Mr. and Mrs. Joyce came all the way across the continent with us.
We reached Adelaide in due course and had a long week-end there — an extremely happy time. We stayed with Mr. W. Wright, a very dear brother who enquired much for you. Indeed, a visit by you and Mrs. Sinclair would be greatly appreciated in the Commonwealth and New Zealand. Mr. W. and three daughters entertained Mr. Young, who came with us, Mr. and Mrs. Joyce and ourselves most ‘royally’. There are two meetings in the city. The numbers attending the special meetings ranged from two to four hundred.
At the appointed time, seven of us started across the desert (it is as truly such as that in Arabia) to Perth. It took us three days, but as the train accommodation was excellent, we were comfortable most of the way. We had a week-end of four days at Perth. There are two meetings there and one at Fremantle nearby. The numbers attending the special meetings corresponded nearly with Adelaide. The Lord graciously helped us at the other places and we were all cheered and abiding work was done, I believe. We said farewell to our beloved Australian brethren at Fremantle on the 9th inst., having embarked on this ship for Cape Town. We feel we have formed abiding links with them.
Looking back, it has been the most encouraging period of service and fellowship that one has experienced, and correspondingly as you can understand, one’s heart is bowed by the sense of the favour the Lord has graciously granted him the support afforded throughout. His work in these countries, extending over sixty years (including Mr. Darby’s and Mr. Wigram’s visits) has borne fruit and we are indeed favoured to have seen it, as I may say, in its entirety, for I believe we met 90 percent or more of all in fellowship in both countries.
I am landing at Durban to run up and see the saints at Johannesburg and Pretoria, and my wife with others on board [p. 213] are continuing to Cape Town by boat. We hope to have nearly a week at Cape Town and then go (D.V.) by the Nestor to Liverpool, arriving there on July 24th. We expect to be at Barnet on August 1st. Mr. Arthur Elliott, we hear, is travelling on the Nestor.
I trust Mrs. Sinclair and you keep well through God’s mercy. You will soon be thinking of holidays, I suppose. We have both kept very well, thank God.
Our united love to you both,
Affectionately in Christ,
James Taylor.