Chapter 2
GOD'S INSTRUMENTS
This was a time of
spiritual declension. Yet in the mending lofts, on the boats and along the
quays there were those who had a hunger for God. Days and nights were spent in
prayer before the Throne of Grace. God had moved upon the hearts of these
people who had little education and whose material means were limited, but who
were "farben" with Him. They knew the way
into God's presence and took time to wait upon the Lord. In a few years time it
was proved that, 'They that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings as
eagles'. (Isaiah 40 v 31) These men 'whose hearts the Lord had touched', had
received a vision and were wining to wait upon God until the vision became a
reality. Tremendous things had already
taken place a few years previous when ‘times of refreshing from the presence of
the Lord’ were experienced in
A Douglas Brown
(Picture: Owner not traced)
Men were being
prepared for the coming days. One of these was the Rev. A. Douglas Brown, a
Baptist minister from
As he ministered
to his congregation week after week, this shy man,
although he had an experience of salvation, remained aloof from his
people. One day he received a new touch
from God. He left his pulpit, came down and walked among his congregation.
Everyone received a handshake and when he confessed his lack of concern, tears
of repentance and rejoicing followed. What a day it was when amidst all the
ritual, God broke a man at His feet.
It was in February
1921 that Douglas Brown came into that great experience and fully surrendered
his life to God. On the last Sunday of February 1921, ninety six people came
forward for Christ in the evening service at his church. Within four days he
found himself in
Douglas Brown was
to be one of the key instruments in the hand of God when He moved later that
year among the fisher-folks. How wonderful to realise that God's methods are
men.
Away at the other
end of
He took David to
defeat the enemies of Israel in the valley of Elah. Elijah the Tishbite was called to stand on Mount Carmel against the prophets
of Baal. A humble fisherman called Peter was to be His instrument on the day of Pentecost. When God chose Jock Troup for
His work, He was following the pattern He had established in Scripture.
"God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty." (1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 7).
Jock Troup, whose
name was to become famous in many places in the days to come, was born in
Morayshire in 1896. He came with his parents to
When Jock left
school he went to train as a "cooper" with the firm of Fleet in their
curing yard on the Pulteney side of Wick. This type
of work was very hard and required long hours.
Whenever the young apprentice was free he began to pursue pleasure. At
work he became a very skilled cooper.
War clouds were
gathering over
When ashore, Jock
attended Gospel meetings on a Sunday night in Dublin Y.M.C.A. where a Mr. &
Mrs. West were in charge who were keen soul winners for Jesus. One Sunday night
after Mr. West preached Jock said, "I think I'll get converted." Although this was spoken in a light manner, the prayers 'of some
friends in Wick were being answered.
The old fashioned conviction
of sin was heavy upon Jock. He stopped swearing, smoking and tried to turn over
a new leaf. During the long days on patrol he was restless, his darkened soul
could find no peace, so he made up his mind to go and see Mrs. West when he got
ashore. By this time the conviction of sin was so heavy that he was afraid to
sleep lest he wake up in hell. True to his resolve, when his patrol was
finished, he went to see Mrs. West, .who dealt with him from the Word of God.
This seeking soul could not grasp the truth of free salvation. While he made
his way back to the ship the Devil told him that he was one of the damned.
Instead of going to the cabin, Jock went into the wheelhouse and prayed to God
for salvation. Immediately the transaction took place and he found "A
Saviour, Christ the Lord". God had got His man who was to be "a sharp
instrument having teeth" in the days to come.
Jock took his
stand for Christ right away. After the incident in the wheelhouse he went to
the cabin where the crew were playing cards and boldly testified to salvation.
Some of the crew mocked, but the One Who had saved him, stood by him. That
night he went across to another ship called the "Sparkling Star"
which was on the same patrol. A stalwart for Christ named Andy Duthie was her skipper and he was asleep. The new convert
woke him and told what had happened. This wise Christian replied, "Son,
you've made the greatest and finest decision anyone can make. You have a
friend in me always."
Wherever he went
the transformed man testified and sweetly sang the "Songs of Zion".
In 1919 Jock
returned to his trade in Wick. As he made barrels for the herring industry, the
locals realised that a great change had come into his life. He lived in the
reality of 2 Corinthians
chapter 5, verse 11, "If any man be in Christ, be is a new creature:
old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new". Jock attached himself to the Salvation Army
and bore a bright testimony for God in Wick.
Jock Troup at the time of the Revival (1921)
(Picture: A. Cordiner, Peterhead.)
While in
"Thy Holy
Spirit, Lord alone,
Can deeper love inspire,
His power alone
within my soul,
Has
lit the sacred fire".
From Thurso on the
A Welshman called Pastor
Fred Clarke came to conduct a series of evangelistic meetings in the winter
months of 1919. These services were held in the Cairnbulg
Gospel Hall, known locally as the "Bulgar
Hall", for a fortnight. God blessed His word and about a dozen souls
professed salvation. Converted at that time was a young fisher lassie whom God
was to use during the "times of refreshing" in 1921. Later she would
join the Faith Mission and sit under the ministry of John George Govan, its
founder. She was an old woman when I met her and she told me of how the young
converts, when encouraged to pray by Pastor Clarke, prayed for days and nights.
This continued for months, even when Pastor Clarke had left. These requests
were not to go unheard, for God was going to answer the cries of His people,
who sought Him continually.
Pastor Clarke,
along with Mr. George Bell, who was a Scotsman, returned in the autumn of 1921
to the same "Bulgar Hall". 'On this visit
to Cairnbulg, these servants of Christ laboured with
no visible results. The evangelists decided it was time to move on to fresh
pastures. On the Sunday night in October 1921 when the meetings were supposed
to finish, Jimmy "Denley" Ritchie came to
Pastor Clarke and said, "Pastor, God has told me that blessing is going to
break out here. You cannot leave." The villages around Fraserburgh
were to feel the impact of God's Spirit from that night on. Mr. Clarke and Mr.
Bell stayed among these villages for four months. Conversions were most evident
amongst the 16 to 18 years age group. Young folk who attended the dance hall
which was next to the Gospel hall came to disturb the meeting. One night Pastor
Clarke stated. "The Devil's agents are in our midst tonight, but we are
claiming them for Jesus." So many young' folk were saved the dance hatl had to close. Many men and women had left Cairnbulg for the East Anglian
fishing season when God started to move.
Telegrams were sent to
Peterhead also had
its characters who were firebrands for Christ. One of these was "Petrie Shonie" Strachan. Saved
during the year of the Welsh Revival in 1904, Petrie became a great witness
and soul winner. Constantly called at any hour of the day or night to lead the
sick and dying to Christ, this godly soul was a man who never believed in idle
talk. During the 1914-18 war when in the Navy at
Petrie got up and
sang the hymn, "Take the Name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of
woe". Then he preached and at the end of the service fifteen men professed salvation. He
became a soldier in the Salvation Army. On one occasion the officer in charge
took ill and Petrie took the service and preached on baptism by immersion even
although he was not baptized himself.
Later he went to the Salvation Army officer and explained how he became
convicted about baptism. Soon after this
he was baptized in obedience to the command of Christ. In the Army meetings on
Sunday afternoons his testimony would be a real inspiration. Some of those
present recounted how he would stand in the passage with his hands raised to
heaven and sing, "Come hame, come hame, you're welcome noo, your
faults will ne'er be seen".
His wife was
baptized at the mouth of the River Ugie near
Peterhead in the month of December when the snow was thick on the ground.
Petrie was a soldier for Christ right to the end. Many bore testimony to the
influence of Christ in their lives through that humble servant.
Another warrior
was "Black Bill's Robbie". Converted in the "bush rope"
hole of a fishing boat, he had a marvellous testimony for Christ. This rugged character once jumped off
Peterhead breakwater in a raging storm in an attempt to rescue a man who had
been washed into the water. He was fearless in his attempts to win the lost
souls of men and women for Christ.
Before he was converted he could neither read nor write and Petrie Shonie's wife taught him to do just that. He got a notebook
and began to write all his experiences in it. As he gave his testimony he would
hold up his notebook and
say, "This book contains the story of my life since I got
saved." His favourite song when giving his testimony in the Salvation Army
meetings on Sunday afternoon was,
"Lay by your
old compass,
T'will do
you no good,
It will never
direct you the right wasy to God,
Mind your helm
brother sailor,
And don't fall
asleep,
Watch and pray
night and day lest you sink in the deep".
Andy Duthie was another stalwart for the Cross. He bore a bright
testimony for Christ. As an old fashioned Methodist he was a great student of
the teachings of John Wesley. His favourite hymn was "And can it be that
I should gain, an interest in the Saviour's
blood". The lines which echoed his experience on conversion were,
"My chains fell off,
My heart was free,
I rose, went forth
And followed Thee".
When he quoted
these words a ring of sincerity flowed from his lips. It was to this brother that Jock Troup came
in order to tell him that he had got saved. Andy proved true to his word and
remained a friend of the cooper-evangelist until he went home to his
reward.
It was thrilling
to hear him tell about the incident aboard the Sparkling Star that night in
These men and
others would meet for "Knee Drill" at
In the autumn of
1921 a missionary from
A young fisherman
who later became a prominent businessman was one of the three saved that
night. He went into local council work where he took a stand for Christian
principles. The third was a man who suffered a serious injury during the war.
As Mr. Marshall could only stay in Peterhead for a fortnight, Mr. David Walker
of
In the extreme
north of Scotland Wick became a haven for many fishermen during the herring season.
Like so many other ports, Wick shared in the spiritual dearth that abounded
after the 1914-18 war, yet when the herring fleets gathered, and Christians
joined in fellowship, Wick was well able to put to the forefront some godly
men.
One of these
soldiers of Christ was Billie Stewart who was saved before the 1914-18
war. He knew the protection of God while
on a naval patrol off Shetland during the war years. His ship the 'Adequate'
was sunk but the entire crew was rescued. As a Salvationist he proudly stood
for the "Blood and Fire", and was a great asset during the revival.
The