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 ■^ Harkey, Simeon W. 1811-1889. 
 J The church's best state, or, 
 
THE 
 
 CHURCH'S BEST STATE; 
 
 OR 
 
 CONSTANT REVIVALS OF RELIGION. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. SIMEON W. HARKEY, 
 
 Frederick, Md. 
 
 "O Lord, revive thy work in the qaidst of the years, in the midst of 
 the years make known ; in wrath remember mercy.*' — Hab. iii. 2. 
 
 BALTIMORE: 
 
 PRINTBO AND PUBLISHED AT PUBLICATION ROOMS, 1 S. LIBERTY ST.; 
 ALSO BY TAPPAN & DENNET, AND CROCKER & BREWSTER, BOS- 
 TON ; D. APPLETON & CO., AND SAXTON & DAYTON, NEW 
 YORK ; E. LUCAS, CINCINNATI ; C H. KAY 
 & CO., PITTSBURG. 
 
 1842. 
 
Entered according to the act of Congress of the United States, in 
 the year 1842, by Simeom W. Harkey, in the Clerk's office of 
 the District Court of Maryland. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The grand design of the Christian Church is the rfegeneration and 
 sanctification of souls. 7—15 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 What is true religion ? An important question. The Savior tells 
 us. Mat. xxii. 37 — 40. Evidences of love to God. (Quotation 
 from Rev. Wm. Jay. Quotation from Rev. Dr. S. S. Schmucker. 
 
 7—37 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 What is a genuine Revival of Religion, considered negatively ? 
 Not the work of man, but of God's Holy Spirit. Two important 
 inferences from this, viz. men cannot produce revivals, and oppo- 
 sition to them is opposition to the work of God. A genuine re- 
 vival not a scene of wild confusion and disorder of mere animal 
 excitement. What kind and degree of excitement is allowable. 
 
 39—69 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 What is a genuine revival considered affirmatively ? Term is de- 
 rived from two Latin words, which literally signify to re-live, or 
 to restore to new life. Revival characterized by three prominent 
 features, viz. quickening of christians, undeceiving and bringing 
 in of hypocrites, and conversion of sinners. 71 — 78 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Are genuine revivals the Church's Best State. A discussion be- 
 tween Mr. A. and Mr. B- 79—90 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Constant revivals possible — proven from the nature of a revival, 
 from the fact that we may always enjoy the influences of the 
 Holy Spirit, and from the fact that such a state has been enjoyed 
 
IV CONTENTS. 
 
 by the Church and by individual congregations for many years, 
 together. 91 — 104 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 " New Measures" — "Old Measures." Means to be employed for the 
 promotion of revivals. 1. Faithful preaching of the gospel. 
 2. Protracted meetings. 3. Catechetical instructions. 4. Sun- 
 day schools. 5. The circulation of tracts and books on Practical 
 Piety. 6. Social prayer meetings and individual effort. 105 — 138 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 How to conduct revivals. When to appoint a protracted meeting, 
 how oflen to be held and how long continued. Directions during 
 the commencement and progress of a revival. Conducting meet- 
 ings. Treatment of the awakened. 139 — 155 
 
 CHAPTER VIU. 
 Conclusion and apphcation of the whole subject, with an earnest 
 and affectionate appeal in behalf of revivals. 157 — 172 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The idea of a constant revival, and the design of the 
 following work, were suggested to the author's mind a 
 few years ago, by reading a letter from the pen of Rev. 
 Dr. Alexander, published in a work entitled " Sprague's 
 Lectures on Revivals." He was subsequently appointed 
 to preach a sermon before the Ecclesiastical Body of 
 which he is a member, on revivals, which led him to a 
 thorough examination of the whole subject, and produced 
 the firm conviction in his mind, that constant revivals of 
 religion are possible, and that it is the sacred duty of all 
 true Christians to labor and pray that they may be enjoy- 
 ed ; and that this would unquestionably be The Church's 
 Best State. A constant revival state in a congregation 
 is certainly vastly preferable to temporary excitements, 
 however deep and beneficial in their results ; and if its 
 attainment is possible, ought not every congregation to 
 enjoy it ? It is to awaken attention on this subject, and 
 contribute a feeble mite to the attainment of so desirable 
 an end, that this little work is now presented to the pub- 
 lic. The author's object is to do good, and if his labors 
 aid, even in a small degree, to promote genuine revivals 
 and the salvation of souls, he will feel himself abundantly 
 compensated. He has not hesitated to use any suitable 
 materials that he met with ; yet the principal part of the 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 work is the result of his own experience. He hopes 
 that no one will be able to call him either a sectarian or 
 a bigot from any thing found within these pages, and that 
 these teachings are in perfect accordance with the Scrip- 
 tures of Divine Truth. May our Divine Redeemer own 
 and bless this humble but sincere effort to promote his 
 kingdom upon earth ! To Him, and to all true friends 
 of genuine revivals, the work is devoutly and affection- 
 ately dedicated by 
 
 The Author. 
 Frederick, Md., March 2StJh 1842. 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 The grand and glorious design of the Christian Chufcli 
 Upon earth, is the salvation of a lost world, by theregen-* 
 eration and sanctification of immortal souls. This funda- 
 mental truth is so obvious, and so generally admitted in 
 theory, that it might seem unnecessary to state, much 
 less to defend it, did not the practice of so many profes- 
 sed christians contradict their profession in this particular* 
 But while we see those into whose hands the Lord has 
 committed, instrumentally, the work of the world's con- 
 version, contending more for forms and ceremonies, than 
 striving to promote the life and power of true godliness ; 
 more zealous in defending their creeds and confessions 
 of faith, than in preaching " Christ and him crucified;" 
 more anxious to make proselytes, than to gather souls 
 into the fold of the Redeemer ; more concerned about 
 the magnificence and splendor of their churches, and the 
 pomp and display of their worship, than the state of vital 
 piety among the members of their congregations ; — while 
 we see these things, it becomes our duty to go back to 
 *' the first principles of Christianity," and endeavor to 
 recall the attention of men to the original design of our 
 holy religion. Nay more ; while we see so many ac- 
 knowledged and ruling members in the churches, who 
 are entirely destitute and ignorant of experimental reli- 
 gion ; who have " a name to live, but are dead;" " have 
 a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof;" who 
 instead of being *' the light of the world, and the salt of 
 the earth," are a dead weight) an incubus upon the vital 
 
8 INtRODtJCTlON* 
 
 energies of the church, the faithful watchman upon 
 Zidn's walls dare not hold his peace. The grand design 
 of the church is forgotten, souls are in danger, and the 
 World is pei*ishing: he must therefore sound the alarms 
 and obey God, who bids him, " Cry aloud, spare not ; 
 lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people 
 their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." 
 — Is. Iviii. 1. 
 
 But what is the grand design of the church ? What 
 great object had the Lord in view in her establishment 
 Upon earth ? Have we stated it correctly When we said 
 that it is the salvation of a lost world by the regenera'^ 
 Hon and sanctification of souls? That this is her most 
 sublime and glorious design, and should be constantly, 
 isingly,'and most ardently pursued by her, is evident, in 
 the first placC) from the nature of the case. 
 
 The world has apostatized from God, and must be re- 
 claimed or perish* All men are by nature fallen, pollu* 
 ted, guilty sinners, and must be regenerated and sancti-^ 
 fied, or be eternally lost. But the church possesses the 
 only means by which this can be accomplished. Hers 
 is the only plan of salvation which the God of infinite 
 love and wisdom has devised ; hence it follows incontro- 
 vertibly, that her great business is the regeneration and 
 sanctification of souls, and -that just so far as she fails of 
 this object, she falls short of her duty, and thwarts the 
 benevolent and merciful design of her Founder. The 
 christian church is "the light of the world;" but let her 
 light be obscured and her glory tarnished by the substi- 
 tution of shadows for substance, and ceremonies and 
 forms for the life and power of vital piety, and her object 
 is not accomplished, the sun is at once blotted from the 
 moral firmament of the world, and " darkness again 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 covers the earth, and gross darkness the people ;" the 
 world is left in its ruins. The church is "the salt of the 
 earth," but if this " salt have lost its savor, wherewith 
 shall it be salted?" — mankind will then be left to rot in 
 their own corruption. The church is the world's only- 
 star of hope, but if this star be quenched or its gloiy 
 concealed, the dark curtain of despair will at once en- 
 shroud our wretched guilty race. How important then 
 that christians should ever keep the real design of the 
 church prominently and vividly before their minds, and 
 labor unceasingly for its accomplishment. But that the 
 conversion and sanctification of souls is the grand de- 
 sign of the church is further evident from the fact, that 
 this is indispensable to the salvation of men. No souls 
 can be saved, unless they are regenerated and sanctified. 
 Of this the Savior and his apostles do most positively 
 and solemnly assure us. "Verily, verily, I say unto 
 thee," said Jesus to Nicodemus, "except a man be born 
 again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. 
 "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Heb. xii. 
 14. "Be ye holy for I am holy saith the Lord." 1 Pet. 
 i. 16. If therefore, the church as the instrument in the 
 hands of God, does not labor for and effect the regenera- 
 tion and sanctification of souls, what good does she ac- 
 complish for the spiritual interests of men ? None at all. 
 She might as well have had no existence. The Savior 
 has said, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain 
 the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall 
 a man give in exchange for his soul ?" Mat. xvi. 26. And 
 so we may ask most emphatically, what advantage will 
 it be to us in a future world to have been members of the 
 church here, if our souls are not saved ? It will only 
 add to our misery then to have to say, " Lord, Lord, 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name 
 have done many wonderful works ?" if after all we must 
 hear the dreadful sentence, " I never knew you : depart 
 from me, ye that work iniquity." Mat. vii. 22 — 23. It 
 will be of no avail to us then, to have been professors of 
 religion ; to have worn the badge of discipleship ; to 
 have had fine churches, eloquent preachers, flourishing 
 congregations, and every thing belonging to the exterior, 
 beautiful and good ; if our souls are not saved, because 
 not regenerated and sanctified. Is it not then, ought it 
 not to be the object and aim of the church, instrumental- 
 ly, to convert, purify, and fit precious souls for heaven ? 
 The same important truth becomes still more evident, 
 when we remember, that the gospel scheme is adapted, 
 with infinite wisdom to produce this great end. All the 
 institutions and ordinances of the church, not only de- 
 clare her design, but are also means of grace used by the 
 Holy Spirit for its accomplishment. 
 
 What, for example, is the design and legitimate ten- 
 dency of the ministry of reconciliation? Let the apos- 
 tle Paul answer: *' Now then we are ambassadors for 
 Christ ; as though God did beseech you by us, we pray 
 you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 
 v. 20. To bring sinners to the Savior is, therefore, the 
 great business of the ministry. For the conversion and 
 sanctification of souls the faithful pastor labors and prays, 
 preaches and toils, by night and day, in season and out 
 of season. This is his great work to wliich all his 
 efforts must tend. So the Master has taught by precept 
 and example. When he sent John the Baptist, as his 
 forerunner to prepare the way for his coming, he gave 
 him this text to preach from, "i?e/?en/ ye, for the kingdom 
 of heaven is at hand;" and John preached *' the baptism 
 
INTRODUCTION. 1 1 
 
 of repentance,'''' calling upon his Jewish brethren "to 
 flee from the wrath to come," to "bring forth fruits meet 
 for repentance : And think not to say within yourselves, 
 we have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, God 
 is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abra- 
 ham." Mat. iii. 2, 8, 9. As though he had said, no Jewish 
 extraction or privileges, or piety of ancestors will justify 
 you in the sight of God, or save your souls ; nothing 
 will accomplish this but repentance towards God and 
 faith in the coming Messiah ; nothing but a total change 
 of heart and mind. 
 
 When Christ himself commenced his public ministry, 
 he took the same text, and called upon all that heard him 
 saying, ^^ Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at 
 hand," and positively assured ail, "Except ye repent ye 
 shall all likewise perish." Mat. iv. 17, Luke xiii. 3. 
 
 When the apostles were sent forth, they were com- 
 manded to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel 
 to every creature;" assured that " He that believeth and 
 is baptised, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall 
 be damned!" They consequently went abxoad and 
 preached every where, " That men should repent, ''^ 
 Hence we hear a Peter on the day of Pentecost, full of 
 the Holy Ghost and heavenly fire, addressing the thou- 
 sands, who enquired, "Men and brethren what shall we 
 do?" and saying to them, '^Repent and be baptised every 
 one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remis- 
 sion of sins : and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
 Ghost." Acts ii. 37, 38. And what was the result? 
 The conversion of three thousand in one day ! Does 
 this not prove the design of the church to be the regene- 
 ration and sanctification of souls ? Hence also we hear 
 a Paul standing up before the philosophers and wise men 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of Athens, exclaim, " The times of this ignorance God 
 winked at, but now commandeth all men every where to 
 REPENT." Acts xvii. 30. The apostles evidently under- 
 stood that the grand design of their preaching and labors, 
 and of the church which they were to establish, was the 
 conversion of sinners and the sanctification of souls. 
 
 But again; what is the design and tendency of the sa- 
 craments of the t.iurch ? Do they not also prove the 
 object of the church to be as stated? What does bap- 
 tism teach ? Evidently, and in the most forcible manner 
 too, that men are sinners, vile, polluted, and guilty, and 
 therefore need to be regenerated, washed, sanctified, be- 
 fore they can be acceptable members of Christ's church 
 upon earth, or fit to dwell with him in heaven. Does it 
 not show that as water cleanses the body from all natural 
 pollution, so the religion of the Savior, with its blood of 
 atonement, and Spirit of all grace, is perfectly adapted to 
 cleanse and purify our souls ? — And what is the design 
 and tendency of the Lord's Supper, that other sacrament 
 of the New Testament church, which is to be so fre- 
 quently and solemnly celebrated by christians ? Does it 
 not constantly, prominently, and vividly present the great 
 cardinal feature of the christian scheme, the atonement 
 hy the blood of Christ, and the indispensable necessity 
 of being sanctified by that blood? Does it not always 
 present a Savior crucified, and tell us in a manner much 
 more powerful and afi'ecting than it is possible for lan- 
 guage to express it, *' He was wounded for our trans- 
 gressions ; he was bruised for our iniqiities ; the chas- 
 tisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his 
 stripes we are healed." Is. liii. 5. Tho whole atone- 
 ment is based upon the fact, that man is a sinner, and 
 that he therefore must be regenerated and sanctified. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 13 
 
 Thus tlie institutions and sacraments of the church both 
 teach her design and are means for its accomplishment. 
 Who; after all this, can doubt that the grand design of 
 the church is, the salvation of a lost world by the regen- 
 eration and sanctification of souls ? To this irresistable 
 conclusion, might be added a number of express declara- 
 tions of the sacred scriptures. When the Savior's con- 
 ception and birth were made known to Joseph, the es- 
 poused husband of Mary, he was instructed "to call his 
 name Jesus ; because he should save his people from 
 their sins." Mat. i. 21. Hence the great work which 
 our Lord came to do, was to "save his people from their 
 sins." For this he came, lived, taught, labored, prayed, 
 suffered and died. For this he arose from the dead, as- 
 cended to heaven, and intercedes at the right hand of 
 God the Father. And for this he established his church, 
 and instituted all the ordinances of religion and the means 
 of grace. But lie cannot save men from their sins with- 
 out regenerating and sanctifying their souls ; hence this 
 is the grand design of his mediatorial kingdom. Hence 
 he himself declares, " The Son of man is come to seek 
 and to save that which was lost." Luke xix. 10. Many 
 other passages might be quoted, but it is unnecessary ; 
 the argument is complete and unanswerable. The de- 
 sign of the church is correctly stated in the first sentence 
 of this introduction. 
 
 We have dwelt somewhat upon this point in our In- 
 troduction, because we are about to deduce several very 
 important inferences from it, and also because it forms 
 the grand foundation of our little work. Upon it we 
 build our whole superstructure ; and hence we wished to 
 define and settle our position clearly, and lay a solid and 
 immoveable basis. 
 1* 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The inferences which we deduce from the preceding" 
 argument are the following : — 
 
 First. If the regeneration and sanctification of souls is 
 the grand design of the church, then it follows, that just 
 so far as she fails to accomplish this design, she falls 
 short of her duty, disappoints the expectations of her 
 Founder, and is guilty of the blood of souls in the sight 
 of God. Consequently all those men, ministers and 
 members of the church, who do not employ all the efforts 
 and use every means which God has given them for the 
 conversion of sinners, do, to the same extent, overlook 
 and really defeat the great object for which the Savior es- 
 tablished his church upon earth. They are standing in the 
 way of the kingdom of God ; neither entering in them- 
 selves nor permitting others to do so, who would. What 
 a fearful account of their stewardship will all such have 
 to render at the great day of the Lord ! Again ; if the con- 
 version and sanctification of souls is the grand design of 
 the church, then thcct is clearly her best state in which 
 the greatest number of souls is regenerated. It is not 
 therefore when she enjoys most peace, posesses most 
 wealth, has the greatest number of learned and popular 
 preachers, the most splendid and costly church edifices, 
 or is externally in the most flourishing condition, that she 
 is necessarily in her best state. No. She may then be 
 in her very worst condition. She may possess all this 
 and not be instrumental in the conversion of souls, and 
 the filling up of heaven with blessed inhabitants. 
 
 Finally. If the grand business of the church is the 
 regeneration and sanctification of souls, then it follows 
 that those measures, agreeing with the spirit and pre- 
 cepts of the gospel, w^iich God approves and blesses to 
 the conversion and sanctification of the greatest number 
 
INTRODUCTION. 1 5 
 
 of precious souls, are the best. The most important 
 measures to be employed, God has prescribed ; and these 
 dare not be neglected or crowded out by others of human 
 invention. Such are the preaching of the word, the 
 proper administration of the sacraments, and prayer. 
 But in many things relating to external modes and meas- 
 ures God has given us no specific directions, and conse- 
 quently left us to be guided by the spirit of the gospel, 
 in connection with sound reason and experience. In 
 such cases those means or measures are the best which 
 do the most good ; which God blesses to the conversion 
 and sanctification of the greatest number of souls. The 
 dispute about old and 7iew measures among christians 
 and brethren is therefore great folly. In all essential 
 matters God has decided the measures to be used by pre- 
 scribing them ; and in non-essentials we should have 
 charity for each other, and all employ those means which 
 God blesses most ; and which accomplish the most good 
 among the people for whom we labor, and in the circum- 
 stances in which we are placed. 
 
THE CHURCH'S BEST STATE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WHAT IS TRUE RELIGION? 
 
 No question can be of greater practical importance 
 than this, what is true godliness^ and do we really pos- 
 sess it? At the same time it seems necessary that we 
 should answer it before we proceed to the more gen- 
 eral one, what is a genuine revival of religion^ and is 
 this the churcK's best state? Because if we have a 
 correct idea of true religion or piety, we shall have 
 no difficulty in understanding and appreciating what 
 is meant by a revival of it. Our blessed Savior has 
 given us the best definition of true religion, doubtless, 
 that can be given. He said to a certain lawyer, "Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
 with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the 
 first and great commandment. And the second is like 
 unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On 
 these two commandments hang all the law and the 
 prophets."^ This is true religion ; its very essence 
 and life ; and may be summed up in one word, love : 
 supreme love to God, and subordinate love to our fel- 
 
 'Mat. xxii. 37—40. 
 
18 THE ESSENCE .OF RELIGION 
 
 low-men. This is the religion, not only of all truly 
 pious men in this world, but of all holy and intelligent 
 beings throughout the entire universe. The very es- 
 sence of that piety, which glows so intensely in the 
 bosoms of seraphs, is love to their Maker and to 
 each other. Love constitutes heaven ; its absence is 
 hell. Without it there can be no happiness in any 
 part of God's universe ; with it in all its fullness and 
 perfection, there can be no misery. No wonder 
 therefore that the Master has said, " On these two 
 commandments hang all the law and the prophets !" 
 That is, this is the sum and substance of the religion of 
 the Bible. It follows then, that all true christians and 
 the angels of heaven have the same religion ; except 
 that in the case of the former it is modified to suit 
 their fallen condition. And yet some men affect to 
 deny the truth and divinity of the christian religion ! 
 They might as well deny the existence of the sun 
 shining in his noon-day splendor ! The religion of 
 the Bible, which is love to God and man, must be 
 true, even if no rational account of its origin and pro- 
 mulgation in the world could be given. If that bles- 
 sed book, which declares that the sum and substance 
 of the system which it teaches, is supreme love to our 
 Maker, and love to our fellows as to ourselves, had 
 been discovered in some cave, or dug out of some 
 mound of the earth, or no person could tell whence it 
 came, it must still be true. It cannot be false, because 
 it is founded upon the character of God and the very 
 nature of things. Deity must undergo an entire change, 
 and the order of his moral universe be subverted, be- 
 
It LOVE TO GOD AND MAN. 19 
 
 fore it could prove false. So true is it, that " we have 
 not believed cunningly devised fables." Securely es- 
 tablished upon this eternal and immoveable rock, let 
 the infuriate waves of infidehty roll and dash until their 
 violence is spent, we cannot be harmed. But let chris- 
 tians be careful never to belie their religion, or forget 
 what it is. Let them remember that "God," and their 
 religion " is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwell- 
 eth in God, and God in him."^ "He that loveth not 
 knoweth not God, for God is love.''^ "If any man 
 love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema 
 maranatha."3 O let them remember these solemn 
 and interesting statements, and they will no longer be 
 content with ceremonies, while their hearts know no- 
 thing: of love to G od and each other ; they will no 
 longer grasp the shadow and miss the substance, or 
 rest in the form, but deny the power of true god- 
 liness. 
 
 Should any one here inquire, how we may know 
 that we love God, or what are the evidences of true 
 piety, we reply by asking another question, viz. how 
 do you know that you love any person or object in 
 this world ? Your answer to my inquiry, will also be 
 an answer to your^s: because love in its principle 
 or essence is the same in all cases. It is a feeling, an 
 affection of the heart, and its existence must be known 
 to us, and will be manifest to others, always in the 
 same manner. Now take the case of an absent friend 
 whom you ardently and tenderly love. How do you 
 know that you love him ? You will perhaps say, 
 
 •iJohn iv. 16. ^Ibid. V. 8. ^i Cor. xvi. 22. 
 
20 EVIDENCES OF LOVE TO THE REfEEMER. 
 
 I feel it ; my soul is dravt^n out in affection towards 
 him ! Well, just so, if you love your God and Sa- 
 vior ; you must feel it too, if you possess this love ; 
 and your soul will be sweetly drawn out in warm af- 
 fection towards Him. If you love your absent friend 
 you will often think of him. He will be in all your 
 thoughts, especially in moments of retirement and 
 meditation. You will often speak of him to others, 
 especially those with whom you are intimate, and who 
 are also friends of the beloved absent one ; " for out 
 of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."^ 
 You will be pained to hear him or his friends slan- 
 dered, blasphemed, or abused ; or his cause and in- 
 terests opposed or neglected ; and you will be always 
 ready to defend him. You will be anxious to hear 
 from him, and to commune with him by letter or oth- 
 erwise, so that you can make known to him the 
 thoughts and feelings of your heart. You will be anx- 
 ious to be loith him, to enjoy his company, and to see 
 him as he is. Thus you know, and thus you give 
 evidence to others, that you love your absent friend. 
 Now Jesus is your absent friend; apply the same 
 tests, and you will at once ascertain whether you tru- 
 ly love him or not. Do you often think of him and 
 all that he has done, and is doing for you, with plea- 
 sure and delight ? Do you often speak of him and his 
 love to others, especially his friends, and thus show 
 that your heart is full of the subject } Especially do 
 you delight to commune with him by prayer, and in 
 the ordinances of his house .^ O does your heartburn 
 
 ' Mat. xii. 34. 
 
EVIDENCES CF LOVE TO THE REDEEMER. 21 
 
 to meet him in your closet, at the social prayer-meet- 
 ing, in his house, at the sacramental board, and where- 
 ever he has appointed to dwell with his people ? If 
 not, you have no reason to believe that you love him, 
 or possess true religion. 
 
 But the Bible has not left us in the dark on this 
 subject. " If ye love me, keep my commandments,"^ 
 saith the blessed Savior ; and his beloved apostle 
 John tells us, "This is the love of God, that we keep 
 his commandments : and his commandments are not 
 grievous."^ Every true christian, therefore, will 
 strive to keep God's commandments ; not from dread 
 or slavish fear, or as a burdensome duty ; but out of 
 love to Him. It will be his chief delight. He can- 
 not be a wilful rebel. Like the child, who loves his 
 parent, it will be his greatest pleasure to do his will, 
 and he will be greatly pained and grieved when he 
 falls into sin, or is betrayed into disobedience. 
 
 Again; he that truly loves God, will also love his 
 brethren, particularly all true christians. For "if any 
 man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a 
 liar : for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath 
 seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen."^ 
 And "by this," saith Jesus, "shall all men know that 
 ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."'' 
 
 He that loves God, must also feel deeply concern- 
 ed for the salvation of souls and the extension of the 
 Redeemer's kingdom. He cannot be an idle disinter- 
 ested spectator, but will be an active, zealous laborer 
 in the vineyard of the Lord. The cause of God will 
 
 Uohn xiv. 15. ^l John v. 3. n jdm iv. 20. ^John xiu. 35. 
 
22 CHANGE OF HEART NECESSARY. 
 
 lie near his heart, and he will not only pray, " Thy 
 kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in 
 heaven ;" but he will also exert his influence and give 
 of his substance that this prayer may be answered. 
 In whatever sphere of life he may be called to act, 
 he will always shoio by his conduct, that he loves 
 God. 
 
 Such are some of the principal evidences of love to 
 God and vital piety. Kind reader ! do you possess 
 any, or all of them, at least in some humble measure ? 
 If not, it is idle for you to talk about religion ; you 
 possess it not, whatever your professions and false 
 hopes may be. You are yet in your sins, " without 
 God, and without hope in the world." O if death 
 overtake you in this sad and awful condition, you are 
 undone forever. "Wherefore he saith, awake thou 
 that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
 give thee light."^ It is very clear, from what has 
 now been said, that in his natural unconverted state, 
 no man possibly can truly love God or possess vital 
 piety: ''Because the carnal mind is enmity against 
 God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither 
 indeed can be.'^^ Now all men's minds are by nature 
 carnal ; all are rebels ; and therefore at enmity against 
 God and his righteous government; but such minds 
 cannot love God supremely while this enmity re- 
 mains ; hence they cannot be truly pious. The pic- 
 ture which the Scriptures give us of the condition of 
 the natural heart is most appalling and humiliating. 
 Of the inhabitants of the old world it is said, " And 
 
 'Eph. V. 14. . 2Rom. viii. 7. 
 
CHANGE OF Hl^ART NECESSARY. 23 
 
 God saw that the wickedness of man w^as great in 
 the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts 
 of his heart was only evil continually !"^ Evil^ evil 
 onlyj and evil continually ! Can such a heart love 
 God, or be the seat of true piety ? Impossible ! Still 
 more, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and 
 desperately wicked; who can know it."^ '■^Deceit- 
 ful above all things !" Now there are many deceit- 
 ful things in this very deceitful world ; but nothing so 
 much so as the human heart ! And the melancholy 
 history of our race abundantly confirms the truth of 
 this description. And to crown the whole, hear the 
 Savior himself: " But those things which proceed 
 out of the mouth come forth from the heart ; and they 
 defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil 
 thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, 
 false-witnesses, blasphemies ! These are the things 
 which defile a man.'"^ Can such hearts, we ask 
 again, love God, or be fit temples for the indwelling 
 of the Holy Ghost, without being regenerated ^ It 
 cannot be. And yet thousands hope to be saved with- 
 out a change of heart; vainly imagining that their 
 externally good conduct, their professions of religion, 
 and their ceremonial attendance upon the worship of 
 God's house will take them to heaven ! And many 
 ministers of the gospel too, who are afraid of, and 
 hate the very word revival, are content to freeze their 
 people to death with frigid orthodoxy from year to 
 year, but never inquire, nor seem to care, whether a 
 single soul is converted or not ! O that men would 
 
 'Gen. vi. 5. ^jej.. xvii. 9. ^jyi^t. xv. 18—20. 
 
24 WHAT IS A CHANGE OF HEART. 
 
 awake to the eternal importance of the fact, so clear- 
 ly and fully stated in the word of God, that without 
 a change of heart, no man can possess true religion, 
 or be saved ! All must be renewed in the spirit of 
 their minds ; old things must pass away and all things 
 must become new, or all pretences to religion are ut- 
 terly vain. 
 
 Since a change of heart is so important and indis- 
 pensable, it may be proper, before concluding this 
 chapter, to inquire briefly, what we are to understand 
 by the Scriptural doctriiie of conversion or regenera- 
 tion ? 
 
 The sacred scriptures employ a number of differ- 
 ent words and phrases to designate this change ; some 
 of which are always used to signify the entire work 
 and others are occasionally employed in a limited 
 sense to denote a part of it. It is termed "creating a 
 clean heart and renewing a right spirit" — repentance 
 — conversion — being " born again" — being " renewed 
 in the spirit of our minds" — " a new creature" — " old 
 things passing away, and all things becoming new" — 
 and the like. Thus David prays, ^'Create in me a 
 clean hearty O God ; and renew a right spirit within 
 me."i Thus the Savior teaches, "Except ye repent, 
 ye shall all likewise perish."^ "Verily I say unto 
 you, except ye be converted, and become as little 
 children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heav- 
 en."3 " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man 
 be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."^ 
 Thus also the apostle teaches, "That ye put off, con- 
 
 ,^ >Ps. li. 10. 2Luke xiii. 3. ^^at. xviii. 3. "John iii. 3. 
 
REV. WM. JAY ON THE NEW CREATURE. 25 
 
 cerning the former conversation, the old man^ w^hich 
 is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts : and be re- 
 newed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye 'put on 
 the new man^ which after God is created in righteous- 
 ness and true holiness."^ "For in Christ Jesus neith- 
 er circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, 
 but a new creature?'''^ "Therefore if any man be in 
 ChlSst, he is a neiD creature; old things are passed 
 awa.y; behold all things are hecom new^^ 
 
 No candid inquirer after truth, can read such pas- 
 sages as these, without being convinced that the 
 change which they describe is a most thorough, im- 
 portant, and indispensable work. We prefer giving 
 our own views of the nature of this change in the lan- 
 guage of several eminent christian writers of the pre- 
 sent day. Says the Rev. William Jay,"^ on the sub- 
 ject of the new creature^ "Four explanatory questions 
 may be asked upon this subject, First. In what sense 
 is a christian a new creature ? Is it a physical or a 
 moral one ? It is only a moral one. New facul- 
 ties are not given him; but his faculties have new 
 qualities and applications. Hence the original com- 
 plexion, or constitutional peculiarity, remains; and 
 the man is seen even in the christian. His very re- 
 ligion takes a kind of hue from his natural character, 
 whether it be sanguine or phlegmatical, tending to 
 severity or mildness. And this is no inconsiderable 
 proof of sincerity : for it is custom, it is formality, it 
 is hypocrisy that produces sameness ; that constrains 
 
 JEph. iv. 23—24. ^Gal. vi. 15. ^2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
 "* Jay's Discourses and Prayers, page 29. 
 
26 NEW CREATURE. 
 
 the lively to revolt from cheerfulness ; the talkative to 
 keep silence ; and the young to look demurely, and 
 speak and move with the gravity of old age. Had I 
 known the individual turn and temper of Martha and 
 Mary before our Lord entered their house, I should 
 have viewed them as hypocrites had Mary acted as 
 Martha did, or Martha acted as Mary did : but when 
 I see the one " sitting at his feet," and the other "§um- 
 bered about much serving," I see a difference ; but it 
 is principle, operating according to character. To 
 proceed. The man, therefore, continues the same as 
 before, and ye't is a new creature. His soul, and all 
 its powers are the same ; he has not another under- 
 standing, another memory, another imagination, anoth- 
 er genius ; but these are changed in their use, and 
 sanctified. His body is the same and all its senses: 
 grace does not give him another tongue or other eyes, 
 and ears ; but they are now sacred to new purposes. 
 His condition is the same ; he is not another husband, 
 another father, another master ; but he is a different 
 one : he is godly in each of these relations. He car* 
 ries on the same business (if it is a righteous one:) but 
 now he abides with God in his calling. He eats and 
 drinks as before : but now whether he eats or drinks, 
 or whatever he does, he does all to the glory of God. 
 If the covetous become liberal, the proud humble and 
 the prayerless devout ; they are new creatures as to 
 religious purposes — and this is the subject in question. 
 Compare Paul after his conversion with Paul before 
 his conversion : his body and soul, his learning and 
 abilities, and the ardor of his disposition, continued 
 
NEW CREATURE. 27 
 
 the same ; and yet, was there ever a being so differ- 
 ent? 
 
 > Secondly. How far does this change extend ? The 
 reason of this question is obvious ; it is to keep per- 
 sons from resting in things, which, though good in 
 themselves, come short of it. A man may be bap- 
 tised and not regenerated. A new creed, or a new 
 denomination, does not make a man a new creature.. 
 It is pleasing to see a man reformed externally ; but 
 he may abandon a course of profligacy, and live so- 
 berly and righteously, and yet not live godly in the 
 present world. The nev/ creation is not a change 
 from vicious to virtuous only ; but from natural to 
 spiritual, from earthly to heavenly, from walking by 
 sight to walking by faith. To go still farther : a man 
 may be convinced and not converted ; he may be 
 alarmed and not have the fear of God in his heart ; 
 he may receive the word with joy and be a stranger 
 to the comforts of the Holy Ghost. Let us hear 
 Paul. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new crea- 
 ture : old things are passed away ; behold, all things 
 are become new."* 
 
 His conceptions are new. His views of himself 
 are changed. He discovers that he is a guilty crea- 
 ture, and deserves to perish ; that he is a depraved 
 creature, and that his heart is infinitely worse than 
 his life ; wherefore he abhors himself, and repents in 
 dust and ashes ;'' nor does he ever again recover those 
 lofty thoughts of himself he once had. His views of 
 the Savior are changed. He once neglected or- de- 
 spised him : but now he cries. How great is his good- 
 
*28 NEW CREATURE. 
 
 ness, and how great is his beauty ! and deems only 
 those happy, who enjoy and serve him. His desires 
 are new. He no longer asks, " Who will show us 
 any good ?" but he hungers and thirsts after righteous- 
 ness." "Yea, doubtless," says he, " and I count all 
 things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge 
 of Christ Jesus my Lord. That I may win Christ 
 and be found in him, not having mine own righteous- 
 ness, which is of the law, but that which is through 
 the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of 
 God by faith : that I may know him and the power of 
 his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, 
 being made conformable unto his death." These are 
 the desires of the new creature. 
 
 His pleasures are new. The pleasures of sin he 
 abhors. The dissipations of the world he despises ; 
 but it is his meat to do the will of his heavenly Fath- 
 er. He calls the Sabbath a delight. He is glad, 
 when they say unto him. Let us go unto the house of 
 the Lord. He finds his word and eats it, and it is 
 unto him the joy and rejoicing of his heart. 
 
 His pains are new. He once felt the sorrow of 
 the world that worketh death ; but he now under- 
 stands that godly sorrow, which worketh repentance 
 unto life. He is not insensible under the afflictions of 
 life ; but says he. What is every other loss, to the 
 loss of the soul.? O this evil heart of unbelief! 
 O this ingratitude towards the God of my mercy ! 
 O this unprofitableness under the means of grace ! 
 O this insensibility under the corrections of his Pro- 
 vidence ! "O wretched man that I am, who shall de- 
 
NEW CREATURE. 29 
 
 iiver me from the body of this death !" These are 
 the groans of the new creature. 
 
 His life is new. In simplicity and godly sincerity 
 not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he 
 now has his conversation in the world. How shall he 
 that is dead to sin, live any longer therein.'' If he 
 was not vicious before, he now abhors, from disposi- 
 tion, what he once only shunned from selfish motives : 
 if moral before, his morality is now evangelized ; and 
 whatsoever he does " in word or deed, he does all in 
 the name of the Lord Jesus.*' — After all this is only 
 a specimen : the proposition is universal in its refer- 
 ence : ''old things are passed away ; behold, all things 
 are become new !" " 
 
 Thus for Mr. Jay. The other two questions asked 
 and answered by him on this subject are not material 
 to the point now before us, — the nature of a change 
 oj heart — and hence we have not included them in 
 our quotation. 
 
 We cannot forbear, however, to introduce another 
 extract here, from an eminent living theological wri- 
 ter,^ whose logical and lucid exhibition of this very 
 interesting and important subject pleases us better, 
 than any thing we have yet seen. He explains reo-en- 
 eration or a change of heart as consisting of the fol- 
 lowing ^ye parts, or progressive steps: viz. the Call 
 or vocation^ Illumination^ Conviction^ Penitence^ and 
 Faith; to which he adds a sixth^ sanctijication^ not as 
 a part of conversion, but as a work subsequent upon 
 
 ' See Dr. S. S. Schinucker''s Popular Theology, pages 166, 
 167 etc. 
 
 2 
 
30 CALL OR VOCATION. 
 
 it — the progressive growth in grace and increase m 
 holiness of the faithful believer to the end of his life, 
 
 "1. The call or vocation^^^ says he, " is that invita- 
 tion given to man by God, either mediately or imme- 
 diately, to forsake his evil ways and accept the offers 
 of mercy. The immediate call, is that which is given 
 miraculously, of which the case of Paul is an exam- 
 ple. The mediate, or ordinary call, is that invitation 
 to reformation which God gives us through his word^ 
 the external circumstances of our situation, and the 
 incidents of his Providence. This is the only call 
 which men can now expect, it is given with equal 
 sincerity to all who live in a gospel land, and brings 
 salvation within the reach of all, by tendering to them 
 those means of grace which they have the ability to 
 use with sincerity, and the sincere use of w4iich, the 
 Holy Spirit will sooner or later make effectual to the 
 conversion of the soul. 
 
 This view of the call manifestly pre-supposes the 
 acknowledged doctrines of the church, that man 
 if left to himself, neither w^ould nor could turn to God; 
 and that the means of grace, though wisely adapted 
 to the end for which they were designed, are not able 
 to convert the soul, without the additional influence af 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 
 2. Illumination is that mediate act of God, by 
 which, through the instrumentality of the means of 
 grace, he imparts to the inquiring sinner correct and 
 spiritual views of divine things. No one, who per- 
 severingly and entirely disregards the call of God, 
 ever becomes the subject of illumination. Because 
 
CONVICTION. 81 
 
 this disregard includes in it the refusal to use the means 
 of grace prescribed in scripture, through which alone 
 the Holy Spirit illuminates the mind. On the other 
 hand if the sinner give heed to the call of God, to attend 
 to the things pertaining to his peace; that is, if he sin- 
 cerely search the scriptures, inquinng, " Lord w^hat 
 wilt thou have me to do," and earnestly striving to 
 conform to the will of God; he will find his views of 
 divine things remarkably changed. His ideas of the 
 moral excellence, especially the holiness and be- 
 nevolence of God, of the extent, spirituality and jus- 
 tice of the divine law, of the evil of sin in general, 
 and of his own sinfulness in particular, will become 
 vastly more clear, correct, and practical. This state 
 of the sinner's mind is also sometimes termed a state 
 of illumination. 
 
 3. But this change of views, which is the first effect 
 of divine illumination, will be accompanied by anoth- 
 er and equally striking alteration in the state of his 
 feelings. Viewed in this clearer and more spiritual 
 liffht, the moral excellence of the divine character ex^ 
 cites in the illuminated sinner, feelings of love and 
 adoration ; the law in all its extent and spirituality ap- 
 pears just, salutary and lovely ; whilst the depth of 
 his own depravity, the multitude and aggravation of 
 his own sins, and his liability to the just displea- 
 sure of God, excite in him new feelings of remorse, 
 sorrow and fear. These two effects of divine illumi- 
 nation are produced in a more or less gradual manner, 
 and usually keep pace with each other. Sometimes 
 both these effects are designated by the term convic- 
 
32 IJEMTENCE OR REPENTANCE. 
 
 tion^ whilst at others, tliis name is applied only to the 
 changed views of the sinner, whilst his new feelings 
 are denominated penitence^ or repentance in its limited 
 sense. 
 
 Conviction^ in the popular sense of the term, may 
 therefore be defined to be the new and spiritual views 
 of the awakened sinner, concerning his own sinful- 
 ness and exposure to the wrath of God, together with 
 feelings of deep concern for his salvation. 
 
 4. Penitence^ or repentance in its more limited sense, 
 signifies those feelings of sorrow and remorse, ex- 
 cited in the mind of an (awakened) illuminated sinner 
 by a consideration of his sinfulness and danger. 
 
 These feelings are different in degree according to 
 the natural temperament of the individual, or his de- 
 gree of religious knowledge, or the degree of his ac- 
 tual guilt. When this sorrow arises merely from a 
 consideration of our danger, our liability to the divine 
 wrath, it is termed, 
 
 a.) Legal repentance, and has nothing truly noble or 
 hopeful in it. It is the same feeling which the impen- 
 itent robber often has when he anticipates the speedy 
 execution of the penalty of the law upon him. 
 
 But when these feelings of remorse originate from 
 a conviction of our sinfulness, of the turpitude of our 
 conduct in sinning against so good a God, against our 
 nearest and best friend, our constant benefactor, they 
 are termed, 
 
 b.) Evangelical repentance, and belong to the no- 
 blest and most hopeful exercises of the awakened 
 mind. They imply a perception of the intrinsic 
 
FAITH. SAVING FAITH. 33 
 
 odiousness of our sins, of the beauty of holiness, of 
 the justice of our condemnation, of the spirituality 
 and excellence of the divine law, and a preparation of 
 heart to understand and appreciate the plan of salva- 
 tion generally. 
 
 5. Faith. Justifying faith is that voluntary act of 
 the illuminated and evangelically penitent sinner, by 
 w^hich he confides in the mercy of God through Christ 
 for salvation, on the terms offered in the gospel. 
 
 a.) It is a voluntary adj and therefore we find it 
 commanded as a duty. 
 
 b.) It can be properly performed only by the illu- 
 minated and truly penitent \ because the blind and 
 unrepenting sinner neither sees his necessity of a 
 Savior, nor feels a willingness to conform his heart 
 and life to the requisitions of the gospel. His 
 faith, if he have any, is merely a historical belief 
 of conclusive evidence, such as may be possessed 
 by immoral men, and even by the devils them- 
 selves. The repentance requisite must, moreover, 
 be of the evangelical kind. His heart must be 
 deeply affected by the moral excellence of the divine 
 character and his own sinfulness, and thus it is that 
 " with the heart man believeth unto righteousness." 
 
 c.) Its exact nature is that of confidence^ trust or re- 
 liance on God, and is similar to the confidence of a 
 child in an affectionate parent, of one friend in the 
 known character of another. It includes 1) a know- 
 ledge or belief of the character of God, and especial- 
 ly of the Savior as deserving of our confidence; 
 2) feelings of approbation and delight in this charac- 
 
34 SANCTIFICATION. 
 
 ter, especially as developed in the gospel plan of sal- 
 vation, and 3) a volition to accept the offers of mercy 
 on the terms proposed, that is, to act in accordance 
 with this belief and feeling. 
 
 d.) Saving faith is accompanied by good works, by 
 a life of holiness. No man can be sincere in his pro- 
 fessed reliance on the Savior, who crucifies him 
 afresh by voluntary sins. 
 
 e.) " Faith is the gift of God ;" because it is he 
 who calls, enlightens", and convicts us, and enables us 
 to repent of our sins ; without any one of which pre- 
 vious steps, justifying faith is impossible ; because he 
 affords us that knowledge of his own character and 
 the plan of salvation, in view of which alone we can 
 confide in him : and because, at this, as well as every 
 other stage of our progressive moral improvement, he 
 never fails to superadd the blessing of his Spirit to 
 the faithful use of the means of grace. 
 
 6. Sanctijication is a progressive conformity to the 
 divine law and an increasing ability to fulfill its requi- 
 sitions, wrought in the faithful believer by the Spirit 
 of God, through the means of grace. 
 ■ a.) It is the work of God's Holy Spirit ; as we are 
 abundantly taught in the sacred volume : " Being sanc- 
 tified by the Holy Ghost.''^ That same divine influ- 
 ence, which was necessary at every previous stage of 
 this moral reformation, is no less indispensable here. 
 
 b.) It is effected through the means of grace. The 
 w^ord. the sacraments and all other means of grace, 
 together with the dispensations of his providence both 
 
 » Rom. XV. 16, 1 Thess. v. 23. 
 
SANCTIFICATION PROGRESSIVE. 35 
 
 prosperous and adverse, are the principal instruments, 
 by which the Parent of good advances the sanctifica- 
 tion of the returning sinnerJ Whilst the believer is 
 living in the conscientious use of these means, and in 
 thus pursuing the path of duty, the benign and trans- 
 forming influence of the God of holiness is poured 
 down upon him from on high. 
 
 c.) The faithful believer alone can be the subject 
 •of progessive change. Sanctification is the work of 
 the Holy Spirit wrought through the means of grace ; 
 but so soon as the believer becomes unfaithful to his 
 God, he both neglects those means and grieves away 
 that Spirit, and therefore inevitably interrupts this 
 glorious work. Sanctification, moreover, consists in 
 an increase of holy habits in the soul ; and the 
 strength of these habits is augmented or diminished 
 by every individual act. To maintain, therefore, that 
 sanctification is invariably progressive in the believer, 
 even when he relapses into sin, amounts to the repul- 
 sive position that acts of sin confirm our holy habits. 
 
 That the co-operation of the sinner, by the faithful 
 use of the means of grace, is essentially necessary to 
 the progress of this work, is also clearly taught in 
 Scripture; where sanctification itself is, in this sense, 
 even represented as the work of the believer himself. 
 ^' Dearly beloved," says Paul, to the Corinthians, 
 ^' let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the 
 flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the 
 Lord."2 
 
 * John xvii. 17, Rom. ii. 4, Heb. xii. 6, 10. 
 
 ^2 Cor. vii. 1, Rom. xii. 1, Heb. xii. 1, Ep. iv. 22, &c. 
 
38 SANCTIFICATION PROGRESSIVE^ 
 
 d.) This gracious change itself, as witnessed in the 
 believer, consists in increasing conformity to the law 
 of God and ability to fulfill its requisitions. The be- 
 liever's knou'ledge of God and divine things^ is ex- 
 pended by the habitual study of revealed truth; is 
 corrected by being- brought into contact with the 
 infallible word; is rendered more spiritual and 
 vivid by tbe vouchsafed influence of the Holy Spiiit. 
 Col. i. 9. His feelings on tbe grand subject of 
 salvation, on the character and interests of the 
 Redeemer's kingdom, become more ardent and in- 
 tense. No subject lies nearer to his heart than the 
 glory of his God, his own eternal welfare, and that 
 of his fellow-men. The Savior acquires increasing 
 preciousness to his soul, he perceives in him the chief 
 among ten thousands, one altogether lovely, and as 
 the hart pantetb after the water brook, so does his 
 soul long for God. Accordingly the tenor of all his 
 actions too, evinces an increasing conformity to the 
 divine law. His determination to live for eternity 
 and God, acquires increasing strength and regularity, 
 whilst he labors to lay aside every weiglit, and the 
 sin that doth most easily beset him, and run with 
 alacrity the race set before him. But as he advances 
 in this process, he also finds his strength increasing. 
 "Before his clearer vision of eternal and divine things, 
 the toys and baubles of this world dwindle into insig- 
 nificance, and comparatively lose their tempting 
 power. He finds himself strengthened with might in 
 the inner man, and from a new born babe is gradually 
 growing up to the measure of the stature of a perfect 
 nan in Christ." 
 
SANCTinCATION PROGRESSIVE. 37 
 
 Such, dear reader, is a change of heart, and such 
 is true religion; have you obtained, and do you now 
 possess it? O that the Lord may search and try your 
 heart ! that you may have no rest or satisfaction until 
 you know from blessed happy experience, what it is 
 to be " born again." 
 
 2* 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 WHAT IS GENUINE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, CONSIDER- 
 ED NEGATIVELY? 
 
 Having shown the nature of true religion^ we are 
 now prepared for the question, lohat is a genuine revi- 
 val? To this we might reply in general terms, a re- 
 vival is the increase arid more extensive diffusion of 
 vital piety. Wherever and whenever there is an in- 
 creased and more solemn attention to religion ; when 
 the love, faith, and zeal of professed christians is 
 aroused to greater strength, vigor, and activity ; 
 when the veil is torn away from the eyes of hypo- 
 crites and formalists, and they begin to tremble for 
 their souls; when backsliders are reclaimed, and 
 brought to do their " first works over again ;" when 
 careless sinners are awakened out of their fatal sleep 
 of sin and death, and begin to cry out, " Men and 
 brethren what shall we do?" — when we behold such 
 a state of things, we need not hesitate to call it a re- 
 vival of religion. But we must be more specific, and 
 therefore shall endeavor to answer the question first 
 negatively, or show what a genuine revival of religion 
 is not. 
 
 First. x\ genuine revival of religion is not the work 
 of man, hut of God'^s Holy Spirit. vSome open and 
 avowed enemies of revivals have endeavored to excuse 
 their conduct by declaring their conviction that all 
 such scenes are the work of men, and that the Holy 
 
40 REVIVALS THE WORK OF GOD's SPIRIT. 
 
 Spirit is not in any sense the producing cause of the 
 excitement. Now to this objection we reply, that if 
 it were true, it would prove too much, and therefore 
 proves nothing at all. It would prove that all experi- 
 mental religion is the work of man, for it is always 
 accompanied, even in individual cases, by the same 
 kind of excitement, which exists in a revival. The 
 experience of persons converted during a revival is 
 precisely the same in its main features as that of those 
 converted under any other circnmstances. The awa- 
 kening, the penitence, the sorrow for sin, the faith, 
 and the peace and pardon obtained are precisely the 
 same. Hence if it is the work of man in the one 
 case, it must be so in the other. But we suppose the 
 persons who make this objection would not contend 
 that the conversion or regeneration of the soul is 
 the work of man ; but if it be not his work in 
 an individual case, how can it be where numbers are 
 simultaneously renewed ? If it be beyond the power 
 of man to make a single person " a new creature ;" 
 to regenerate one soul, giving it new, holy, and spir- 
 itual views, feelings desires and habits ; is it possible 
 for him to aifect this in the case of scores and hun- 
 dreds of souls at the same time ? But that real con- 
 versions do take place at revivals is beyond dispute. 
 Thousands of the most pious, intelligent, active, and 
 exemplary christians that have ever adorned the 
 American churches were converted during seasons of 
 revival. Genuine revivals are therefore not the work 
 of men ; but of that Divine Spirit, who alone poses- 
 ses the power to change and renew the stubborn and 
 flinty heart. 
 
DR. ALEXANDER QUOTED. 4 1 
 
 This argument is not influenced in the least by the 
 admitted fact, that some cases of supposed conversion 
 at revivals are afterwards proved to be spurious, by 
 the conduct of the individuals. It only shows that 
 the persons themselves were either deceived or acted 
 the hypocrite. And the records of the churches, 
 which have been blessed with genuine and well-con- 
 ducted revivals, show, that there are comparatively 
 not more cases of falling away from among those who 
 professed conversion during those seasons, than are 
 found among those who make such professions under 
 other circumstances. 
 
 We are however by no means to be understood as 
 endorsing every thing which has passed under the name 
 of revivals. Far from it. We are not the advocate 
 nor friend of mere spurious excitements in religion. 
 We agree with Dr. Alexander^ of Princeton, " that 
 a revival or religious excitement may exist, and be 
 very powerful, and affect many minds, when the pro- 
 ducing cause is not the Spirit of God; and when the 
 truth of God is not tlie means of the awakening. 
 This we must believe," continues he, " unless we 
 adopt the opinion that the Holy Spirit accompanies 
 error by his operations as well as truth, which would 
 be blasphemous. Religious excitements have been 
 common among Pagans, Mahommedans, heretics and 
 Papists. And in our own time there have been great 
 religious excitements among those who reject the fun- 
 damental doctrines of the gospel, as for example, 
 among the Christ-ians^ ^vho are Unitarians, and the 
 
 ' Sprague on Revivals, page 229. 
 
42 GENUINE REVIVALS THE WORK OF GOD. 
 
 JYew-lights or Schismatics of the west, and the Camp- 
 bellites, who deny the proper divinity of our Lord, 
 and the scriptural doctrine of atonement. The whole 
 religion of the Shakers also, consists in enthusiastic 
 excitement. Hence it is evident, that revivals ought 
 to be distinguished into such as are genuine, and such 
 as are spurious. And the distinction should depend 
 on the doctrines inculcated, on the measures adopted, 
 and the fruits produced. " Beloved," says the Apos- 
 tle John, "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, 
 whether they be of God." 
 
 That such spurious excitements do sometimes exist 
 even among professed christians and are called revi- 
 vals we admit. Nay, that even in a genuine work of 
 grace, there is sometimes much mere animal excite- 
 ment, we also admit. Men may so interfere with the 
 work of God as to grieve away the Holy Spirit, and 
 cause it to degenerate into wild fanaticism. But this 
 does not prove genuine revivals to be the work of 
 man ; nor does it form a valid objection to them. 
 Tares will grow among the wheat ; shall we there- 
 fore refuse to sow wheat altogether, or condemn both 
 and bind them in the same bundles to be burned } 
 
 The Bible speaks of revivals of religion as em- 
 phatically the work of God. Hence David prays, 
 " Wilt THOU not revive us again, that thy people may 
 rejoice in thee." Ps. Ixxxv. 6. The prophet Habak- 
 kuk also believed God to be the author of revivals : 
 " O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, 
 in the midst of the years make known ; in wrath re- 
 member mercy," was his fervent prayer. Hab. iii. 2. 
 
MEN CANNOT PRODUCE REVIVALS AT PLEASURE. 43 
 
 No one will say that the great revival on the day of 
 Pentecost, when three thousand were converted, was 
 the work of man. Thousands of other revivals have 
 occurred in different aofes of the church which have 
 given proof equally decisive of their divine ori- 
 gin. Any person therefore, who in the present day 
 contends that genuine revivals are the work of men 
 merely, is either ignorant of their true nature and so 
 prejudiced that he cannot see the truth, or he must be 
 an infidel. In neither case is his opinion worth a se- 
 rious refutation. But if genuine revivals are the 
 work of God's Holy "Spirit, then there are two very 
 important deductions which Ave must be permitted to 
 make from this established fact. The first is, that if 
 they are not the work of man, but of the Holy Ghost, 
 it follows that no man nor set of men can produce re- 
 vivals. If it belongs to God to revive his church, 
 as it does to revive nature, then men no more can 
 bring about revivals of religion at pleasure than they 
 can of the seasons ; no more than they can produce 
 spring in autumn or harvest in the midst of winter. 
 Consequently it is presumptuous and sinful for men to 
 talk about " getting up a revival," just as though it 
 depended upon their sovereign pleasure ! Such lan- 
 guage, if used to signify, what it really means, is an 
 insult to God, and shows a state of mind utterly at 
 variance with that faith and humility, which looks up 
 to him and depends upon him for " every good and 
 perfect gift," as well the blessing of a revival as all 
 other blessings. 
 
 We are not, however to be understood as saying. 
 
44 OPPOSERS OF REVIVALS FIGHTING AGAINST GOD. 
 
 that in revivals G od works without means ; or that he 
 does not employ human instrumentality to produce 
 or promote them. On the contrary, it is by the faith- 
 ful preaching of the gospel, prayer, the ordinances of 
 the church, and all other scriptural and proper mea- 
 sures, that God converts sinners and revives his vt^ork. 
 And the man who would expect a revival without, 
 properly and faithfully using the means which God 
 has appointed and will bless, would be acting as 
 inconsistently and foolishly, as he who would expect a 
 plentiful harvest without ploughing his field or sewing 
 his seed. Still the work is God's, and men are only 
 instruments in his hands for its accomplishment. We 
 must preach, pray, and labor " in season and out of 
 season;" but God must make our exertions effica- 
 cious. We must plant and Avater ; but God alone can 
 give the increase. We must feel our dependence 
 upon God, and remember that he alone can perform 
 tlie work ; and yet must so labor and pray and use 
 the means as if the whole work were ours^ and we 
 alone could do it. 
 
 Our second inference from this subject is, that if a 
 genuine revival of religion be the work of the Holy 
 Spirit, it follows that all opposers of revivals are fight- 
 ing against God himself! This is an unavoidable but 
 most solemn conclusion, and one should suppose need- 
 ed only to be stated, to cause every opposer of the 
 work of God to tremble. And yet, (we blush to record 
 it !) some professed christians, and even christian min- 
 isters affect to sneer at the very name of revival!— Seem 
 to imagine that they are doing God a service by oppo- 
 
REVIVALS NOT SCENES OF DISORDER.. 45 
 
 sing liis own work ! — Do really stand in the gate-way 
 of heaven, refusing to enter in themselves, and hin- 
 dering those w^ho are striving to press into the king- 
 dom ! Will not the blood of souls be found in the 
 skirts of such men ? May the Lord save the reader 
 from the fearful account which Ihe opposers of revi- 
 vals will have to render at the last day ! God has 
 most gloriously vindicated revivals of religion, and 
 proven to the w^orld, that they are a grand and chosen 
 means which he employs to multiply the triumphs of 
 his grace, to build up and extend his church, and to 
 gather lost sinners into his fold ; and wo be to that 
 man who is wicked enough to oppose him in this 
 work ! 
 
 Secondly. Jl genuine revival of religion is not a 
 scene of ivild confusion and disorder of mere animal 
 exdtemeiit. This cannot be if, as has been show'n, it 
 be a genuine w^ork of the Holy Spirit •, for " God is not 
 the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all church- 
 es of the saints." 1 Cor. xiv. 33. 
 
 There are two classes of persons, the one enemies, 
 and the other professed friends, in whose minds reli- 
 gious revivals are always associated with scenes of 
 the most enthusiastic excitement, and the utmost con- 
 fusion and disorder. They imagine that such scenes 
 constitute revivals, or that they are at least insepara- 
 bly connected with them. 
 
 The first of these classes are opposed to revivals 
 on the ground of the disorder and confusion attending 
 them. They have probably never witnessed any 
 well-conducted revivals, nor given themselves time to 
 
46 WILL BE EXCITEMENT AT REVIVALS. 
 
 examine their nature and good fruits. They have not 
 therefore been able to distins-uish between a mere ex- 
 citement, and a genuine work of God's Spirit. They 
 are of course incompetent judges, and in their unqual- 
 ified condemnation of all revivals, act a very inconsis- 
 tent and sinful part. If we have any hope of gaining 
 the attention of such persons, we should like to rea- 
 son the case with them, and endeavor to convince 
 them of their error. We could tell them from our 
 own experience, and that of all the ablest and most 
 successful promoters and advocates of genuine revi- 
 vals, that they are not scenes of mere animal excite- 
 ment and wild confusion. But as most persons of this 
 class are ignorant of true revivals, and are acting un- 
 der the influence of strong prejudice, we have lit- 
 tle expectation of obtaining even a candid hearing 
 from them. We shall therefore proceed with our 
 subject, and remark that there is of course excite- 
 ment in a revival of religion ; the very name implies 
 it. Religion is itself a very exciting subject, and 
 there cannot be true piety in the soul, much less a re- 
 vival, without excitement. 
 
 Man, in his present state, is a compound being, con- 
 sisting of soul and body, of intellect and passions ; 
 and as such religion is addressed to him. It does not 
 change or destroy his natural character, his physical 
 constitution: but it takes him as he is and seeks to 
 govern both his head and his heart, his intellect and 
 his passions. To suppose therefore that in religion, 
 and especially a revival, men should manifest no 
 feeling, no excitement of mind is to make them, 
 
TRUE RELIGION NOT PURELY INTELLECTUAL. 47 
 
 what they are not, purely intellectual beings; is 
 to deprive them of half their nature. A purely in- 
 tellectual religion, for men in this world, is entirely 
 unsuited to their present condition and wants, and can 
 never exert any permanent influence upon the mass of 
 mankind. It must ever remain heartless, lifeless, com- 
 fortless, hopeless, and frigid as the atmosphere of 
 Greenland. It may suit the atheistic philosopher, or 
 the pantheistic neologist; but it is not the religion of 
 the Bible, which is to heal the woes, dry up the tears, 
 pluck the thorns out of the path and light up the star 
 of hope in the benighted souls of earth's afflicted 
 children. Men are in this world the creatures of 
 want, of sorrows, feelings and sympathies, and God 
 has given them a religion suited to their wants, adapt- 
 ed to their nature, and designed to go with them into 
 all the relations of life, and to smoothe their pilgrim- 
 asre to the ^kies. It is to work a most wonderful 
 change in their views, feelings, desires and actions, 
 and yet leave the natural temperament and constitu- 
 tion the same. It is to make the proud humble, the 
 revengeful forgiving, the vicious moral, the covetous 
 liberal, the profane prayerful, the careless devout, and 
 the wicked pious. It is to direct man in his business, 
 to comfort him in his sorrows, to support him in sick- 
 ness and death, and to qualify him for heaven and 
 brins: him thither at last. And shall all this be ac- 
 complished without feeling or excitement .? Is man 
 eminently the creature of feelings and excitement of 
 the passions, and yet must he manifest nothing of the 
 kind in his religion ! Do you find it impossible to in- 
 
48 men's feelings must be enlisted. 
 
 terest him deeply and permanently in any subject 
 without enlisting his feelings and moving his heart ; 
 and yet must this not be done in religion? Religion! 
 the subject above all others, in which all his dearest 
 interests for time and eternity are centered. Look at 
 the men of this world, the politician, the statesman, 
 the stage actor, how do they succeed in interesting 
 their fellow-men, and moving them to the most vigor- 
 ous action ? Is it not by interesting their feelings and 
 exciting their passions? Could they ever succeed 
 without this ? Has not our country frequently been 
 convulsed from one extremity to the other by some 
 political question of confessedly little importance, on- 
 ly because the feelings of men were greatly excited ? 
 The fact is, you cannot interest men effectually and 
 permanently in any subject, good or bad, or move 
 them to decided and vigorous action, unless their feel- 
 ings are strongly enlisted. On this depends your suc- 
 cess in the cause of internal improvement, education, 
 temperance, missions. Sabbath-schools, and Bible and 
 tract operations. Will any man now be so stupid as 
 to maintain that in religion and especially a revival of 
 it, there must be no feeling, no excitement at all? 
 Shall there be weeping and wailing, tears and lamen- 
 tations around the bed of sickness and death ; at a 
 funeral, around the grave of a departed friend or rel- 
 ative ; feeling and deep excitement upon all occasions 
 and on every subject in which man is specially inter- 
 ested ; and nothing of the kind in religion ? 
 
 " Religion ! — the chief concern 
 Of mortals here below." 
 
AWAKENED SINNERS WILL BE EXCITED, 49 
 
 Relig-ion ! the most important subject that can possi- 
 bly claim the attention of man this side of eternity ; 
 and upon which his everlastinj^ destiny depends ! 
 There is to be no feeling, no excitement on this sub- 
 ject. Shall there be deep, pungent, overwhelming con- 
 viction of sin ; an aching, melting, breaking of heart 
 — of hundreds of hearts at the same time — and no 
 excitement? Shall men be pressed to the earth under 
 the load of their guilt; writhe in agony beneath 
 the lashes of an awakened conscience; and amid 
 tears of the most deep, sincere, and humble penitence, 
 cry early for mercy, and what they must do to be 
 saved? — Shall scores and hundreds do this at the 
 same time, and must there be no feeling, no excite- 
 ment?? Surely such a doctrine is most unnatural and 
 absurd, and the man who maintains it has yet to learn 
 his first lesson both in human nature and true religion. 
 But whilst it is most evident from the nature of 
 man and of true religion that it is a heart-stirring sub- 
 ject, and that there must and will be deep and pow- 
 erful excitement in a revival, it is also true that it is 
 not a mere animal excitement — it is not a scene of 
 wild confusion and disorder. We have already sta- 
 ted that such scenes have sometimes passed for revi- 
 vals, where there was really no true religion at all ; 
 and that genuine revivals have sometimes been so mis- 
 managed as to degenerate into the most rank fanati- 
 cism. But these are abuses of a good thing; and 
 genuine revivals are no more responsible for these 
 abuses, or to be confounded with them than the pure 
 and legal coin is responsible for, or to be confounded 
 with a spurious counterfeit issue. 
 
50 MEN LOVE WARMTH AND ZEAL. 
 
 But why be so fastidious about excitement in con« 
 nexion with revivals ; why so much opposed to it, so 
 much afraid of it here, when you act so diiferently in 
 other matters ? Do not men love warmth, zeal, ex- 
 citement on any subject in which they may feel inter- 
 ested, and seek to produce them for the purpose of 
 promoting it ? are not frequently the very men, who 
 cry out most against excitement in religion, the first 
 and loudest to foment it during a political^ campaign 
 or an election ? We have known men to be dread- 
 fully shocked and offended at the excitement of a re- 
 vival, who could enter into that of a horse-race or a 
 ball-room with the utmost spirit! Men are sometimes 
 greatly displeased when their families become inter- 
 ested in the blessed scenes of a revival and attend the 
 evening meetings for prayer and inquiry, when at the 
 same time they can spend a good part or even the 
 whole night with tliem amid all the excitement and 
 demoralizing influence of a ball-room without any 
 qualms of conscience ! The fact is that the opposi- 
 tion to revivals is opposition to religion. It is the 
 natural enmity of the unconverted heart to God and 
 his cause. 
 
 But what says the Bible on this subject ? " To the 
 law and the testimony,"" for here this and every other 
 important question connected with religion must be 
 decided. If a single plain and unequivocal passage 
 can be produced, in which all rational and intelligent 
 excitement, such as is witnessed in well-conducted re- 
 vivals, is condemned ; then we will give up the argu- 
 ment, and say, " it is all wild fire,'' mere animal ex- 
 
ENCOURAGES THE UTMOST ARDOR. 51 
 
 cjtement. But no such passage can be found. On 
 the contrary, the word of God encourages and insists 
 upon the utmost warmth, zeal, energy, and excite- 
 ment, of the proper kind in religion. " The Bible," 
 says an intelligent writer,^ " never speaks of our go- 
 ing too far, or feeling too intensely, in religion ; but 
 it often speaks of our falling short, and urges us to 
 greater engagedness — provided always that our zeal 
 be according to knowledge. It does indeed guard us 
 against false fervors and erratic zeal ; it apprizes of 
 false prophets and of many of them ; it warns us of 
 Satan's devices, and speaks of a spirit of truth, and 
 a spirit of error, with their respective marks ; it 
 speaks of false philosophy, false doctrines, blind 
 guides, wells without water, clouds without water 
 carried about of w^inds, trees whose fruit withereth, 
 raging waves of the sea, wandering stars, wdth many 
 such things : and we cannot too much heed such ad- 
 monitions. But with these safeguards and precautions, 
 it inculcates the greatest intensity, both of feeling and 
 interest and every duty concerned in religion and 
 salvation. Oh ho^v it reproves our coldness, hov/ it 
 chides our sloth, how it abhors our apathy ! Its lan- 
 guage to the sinner is, strive, agonize, to enter in at 
 the straight gate. Its language to the believer is, for- 
 get the things which are behind, and reach forth unto 
 those which are before. Its language to all is, seek 
 first the kingdom of God and his righteousness ; and, 
 Do with thy might what thy hand findeth to do. 
 There is no degree of intelligent engagedness in the 
 
 ' " Letters to a Disbeliever in Revivals," pages 28 — 30. 
 
52 BIBLE ADDRESSES MEN's PASSIONS. 
 
 business of religion, no fervor of enlightened zeal, 
 no measure of compassion or concern for the impeni- 
 tent, no depth of humility and godly sorrow, no con- 
 fidence of faith, no liveliness of hope, or measure of 
 rejoicing, or elevation above the world, which the 
 Bible censures as excessive. On the contrary, it is 
 filled with the most stirring exhortations and incite- 
 ments to such affections and behavior." 
 
 It should also be observed that the Bible addresses 
 the feelings, the passions of men, and that many of 
 its narratives and doctrines are calculated to produce 
 the highest degree of intelligent excitement. How 
 its account of the fall of man, and of his sinfulness 
 and misery, is calculated to humble us } Its represen- 
 tation of our guilt and danger, and the thunders of 
 the broken law rolling over our heads, to alarm us ? 
 How its narratives of the fearful judgments which 
 God has sent upon the wicked are fitted to excite our 
 fears, and cause us to tremble in view of our own ex- 
 posure to that wrath ^ How its history of our re- 
 demption; of a Savior's humiliation, sufferings, and 
 death ; is adapted to meet and subdue our hearts ^ Its 
 descriptions of the damnation and sufferings of the 
 wicked are most awful: enough to alarm the most 
 stoical. A lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; 
 a fire that is not quenched ; weepings, wailings, and 
 gnashing of teeth ; sufferings unmitigated and unend- 
 ing, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not 
 quenched — where the unhappy wretch is tormented 
 day and night in those flames, and obtains not even 
 the relief of a drop of water to cool his tongue ! 
 
ITS TRUTHS OF AN EXCITING NATURE. 53 
 
 Are these not descriptions which the Bible gives us of 
 the lost, and are they not of the most exciting char- 
 acter, calculated to break and move a heart of stone ? 
 Of the same exciting nature also are its descriptions 
 of heaven and of the future bliss of the rio^hteous. A 
 rest which remaineth for the people of God — the 
 Father's house, in which there are many mansions— 
 the city which hath foundations, whose builder and 
 maker is God — the new Jerusalem with all its splendor 
 and glory— a being with Christ, seeing him as he is, 
 and sitting down upon his throne, as he has sat down 
 upon the Father's. A^e such representations not in 
 the highest degree soul stirring and exciting? Are 
 not the passions and feelings of man — his hopes and 
 fears — most powerfully addressed ? Would God have 
 done this, if he had intended that me)n should never 
 be excited on the subject of religion. It is not true 
 therefore that the excitement witnessed at genuine, 
 well-conducted revivals, however intense and over- 
 whelming, is mere animal feeling, the result of artifi- 
 cial stimulus. It is just what we would expect that 
 such truths as those stated above, and many others 
 contained in the Bible, applied to the heart by the 
 Holy Spirit would produce. 
 
 " Examine revivals then by the Bible," continues 
 the writer just quoted, " in reference to their quality 
 and nature. What is there that is not accordins: to 
 the Scriptures, in the fact of a people becoming gen- 
 erally and solemnly impressed with serious things, in 
 their becoming thoughtful, prayerful, disposed to attend 
 religious meetings, to read tbeir Bibles, and to con- 
 3 
 
54 REVIVALS TESTED BY THE BlBLfiT. 
 
 verse on religious subjects; in their being less occu- 
 pied with the business and pleasures of the world, 
 and more engaged about the salvation of the soul ? 
 What is there in their being exercised with convictions 
 of sin, and asking what they must do to be saved ; 
 in their being anxious, or dejected even, under a sense' 
 of their guilt and condemnation as sinners against 
 God ; or what if in some instances they literally smite 
 upon their breasts, and say, " God be merciful to me 
 a sinner," what is there in their shedding tears of 
 godly sorrow, in their having great peace in believing 
 in Jesus ; in their shedding l^ears of joy ; in their 
 having new apprehensions of divine things, and new 
 discoveries of themselves; in their lively hopes ; their 
 love and gratitude to God ; their new sense of hi& 
 goodness and mercy, and new devotion to his cause ; 
 in the tender endearment of Christians to each other ; 
 in their deep and practical concern for the impenitent ; 
 their many and earnest prayers ; their frequent assem- 
 blies ; their lively and their plaintive hymns ; their 
 earnest and affectionate exhortations ; their hallowed 
 sympathies with one another, and for anxious sinners — ■ 
 weeping with them that weep, and rejoicing with them 
 that do rejoice : — what is there, I say, in these things, 
 as to the nature of them, that is not according to the 
 Scriptures? What is there that is unlike religion — 
 unlike its workings and fruits — unlike the things which 
 attended the ministry of Jesus and his apostles P'** — 
 Have not such seasons of deep interest and excitement 
 in religion manifested themselves in every age of the 
 world under the faithful preaching and labors of God'e 
 
RE\aVALS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE. 55 
 
 chosen servants ?— have tliey not appeared under the 
 ministry of Ehjah, Ezra, Nehemiah, of John the 
 Baptist, Jesus Clirist himself, and his holy Apostles 
 and the primitive christians? Look at Elijah at 
 Mount Carmel in controversy with the false propiiets 
 of Baal ! Was there no excitement, no feeling among 
 the people when the cause of God triumphed, and the 
 impostors were confounded and put to death ? Look 
 at the scene that occurred under the ministry of Ezra, 
 when, after the return of the Jews from their Baby- 
 lonish captivity, the foundation of the second temple 
 was laid ! Was there no excitement when the people 
 "sung together by course, in praising and giving 
 thanks unto the Lord; because he is good and his 
 mercy endureth forever towards Israel?" When " all 
 the people shouted with a great shout when they 
 praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house 
 of the Lord was laid ?" Let any one read the third 
 chapter of the book of Ezra, and he will find that 
 some of the people shouted aloud, and others wept 
 aloud, whilst many sang aloud the praises of God. 
 We should say there must have been quite an excite- 
 ment here ! Look at John the Baptist standing upon 
 the banks of the Jordan, and preaching " the baptism 
 of repentance !" We are told that there " went out 
 unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region 
 about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan 
 confessing their sins." Matt. iii. 5, 6. What an ex- 
 citement there must have been here ! Look at the 
 Savior himself when preaching his sermon on the 
 Mount, or when the multitudes came out to him at the 
 
56 SAVIOR HAD REVIVALS. 
 
 well of Samaria — when he compared them to fields; 
 white unto the harvest, and they besought him to abide 
 with them, and he remained two days, and many be- 
 lieved on him. What a stir, a revival there was among 
 these people ! Indeed the Savior's whole ministerial 
 life was one of intense excitement among the people. 
 He held a " protracted meeting" of more than three 
 years continuance ! Held it on the Sabbath and during 
 the week, by day and often by night! Held it in the 
 temple, the synagogue, the fields, among the moun- 
 tains, in towns, and in the country. He did not con- 
 fine himself to time or place or any fixed measures — 
 seems to have employed " old and new measures" 
 just as they might suit best and accomplish most good. 
 He not only preached and prayed, but also conversed 
 with the people, instructing the ignorant, comforting 
 the mourner, and directmg the anxious inquirer. Look 
 also at some of the apostles of our Lord ! — at Peter^ 
 for instance, on the day of Pentecost, when the 
 greatest revival ever known occurred ; — that which 
 founded the Christian church, and whose influence is 
 felt to this day, and will continue to be felt throughout 
 all eternity! What are the facts here.? Why, that 
 thousands under the influence of the truth and Spirit 
 of God, are pierced to the heart at once, and cry out 
 '' men and brethren what shall we do !" O what a 
 tremendous excitement here! — what vast multitudes 
 came out as mourners, and were especially directed by 
 the apostle Peter ! No doubt if some of our modern 
 opposers had been there, they would have joined with 
 those upon the spot, not only in condemning all this as 
 
HOW MUCH EXCITEMENT IS ALLOWABLE i b i 
 
 animal excitement, but in crying out, " These men 
 are full of new wine !" Look also at the religious 
 history of Paul ! Was not almost his entire ministe- 
 rial life one uninterrupted scene of excitement and 
 religious revivals? Almost in every city and town 
 to which he came, there was a great excitement. 
 Some become converted, and some angry — some loved 
 him and clung to him, but others hated and most 
 cruelly persecuted him. He was certainly a great 
 revolutionizer, for he was instrumental in producing 
 excitements, which agitated nearly the whole known 
 world. 
 
 Scores of similar facts misrht be adduced to show 
 that there always has been excitement in connection 
 with the revival and extension of true piety, and that 
 none can exist without it. Will we still be told that 
 revivals of religion are mere animal excitements.'' 
 Then we should like to know whether those recorded 
 in the Scriptures, to which we have referred, were 
 also mere animal excitements ! But the falsehood and 
 absurdity of this objection to revivals is sufficiently 
 apparent, and we shall pursue the argument no further. 
 We shall no doubt be asked here whether there is not 
 some animal excitement in every revival, and how 
 much is allowable in a genuine work of grace .? To 
 this we have only to reply, that if men were angels 
 there would of course be no animal excitement in 
 their devotions ; but as long as they are men^ tliere 
 must ever be some ; and as long as there is not more 
 of the animal in our religious excitements, than there 
 was in those of the prophets, apostles, and the Savior 
 
58 TEMPERAMENT OF INDIVIDUALS. 
 
 himself, we may well consider ourselves upon safe 
 ground. The depth and character of the excitement 
 will depend, in a great measure, upon the intellectual 
 and moral character of the people among whom it 
 exists, and the circumstances of the case. Where the 
 community is highly intelligent and comparatively 
 moral, there will be much less apparent excitement, 
 than where there is and has been much wickedness 
 and ignorance, though the work be equally, or even 
 more extensive and powerful. The kind and amount 
 of religious instruction which the people have had, 
 will have a great influence. If they have enjoyed but 
 little and very imperfect instruction in the principles 
 of religion, have but a slight acquaintance with the 
 doctrines of the Bible, and have been accustomed to 
 noise, confusion, and disorder in the worship of God's 
 house, there will be much more animal excitement 
 among them in case of a revival, than among a people 
 of superior privileges, and better training ; and among 
 such people a work of grace will also be much more 
 difficult to manage properly. 
 
 The temperament of individuals also has much to do 
 with the depth and extent of their excitement upon 
 any subject. If the individual under conviction of sin, 
 for instance, be of a sanguine temperament, be easily 
 and deeply excitable upon any subject, he will mani- 
 fest a much greater degree of feeling, than he of the 
 opposite natural constitution, though his convictions 
 and sorrow are perhaps in reality no deeper. This 
 is accounted for upon the same principle, as that 
 around the death-bed and funeral of a relative, one 
 
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EXCITEMENT AND REVIVAL. 59 
 
 person will be apparently much more deeply affected, 
 and weep more than another, though both may have 
 been equally attached to the deceased, and may feel, 
 with equal intensity and bitterness, the wound inflicted 
 upon their breasts by the stroke of death. All such, 
 and any other circumstances that may be peculiar, 
 must be well considered in the management of a revi- 
 val, and those conducting it must act accordingly. 
 Ameng certain people, and under certain circumstan- 
 ces, it might be impossible, and highly injudicious to 
 attempt to suppress at once all, even what was mani- 
 festly unnecessary^ excitement. Men might be led to 
 regard it as opposition to the revival itself, and thus a 
 genuine work of divine grace, instead of being fostered 
 and extended, might be hindered and destroyed. But 
 among a different people, and under other circum- 
 stances, it might greatly promote the good work to 
 keep out of it all mere bodily exercise or excitement. 
 Those therefore who conduct revivals need much of 
 that wisdom which cometh from above, and which the 
 Lord has promised in answer to persevering and be- 
 lieving prayer. 
 
 There is however another class of persons, as 
 intimated upon a former page, besides opposers of 
 revivals, in whose minds they are identified with 
 scenes of wild confusion, disorder, and noise. We 
 must now briefly pay our respects to these. 
 
 The persons here referred to are professedly the 
 most zealous and thorough-going, but certainly very 
 injudicious, friends of revivals. They seem to think 
 either that all revivals consist in " the bodily exerci- 
 
60 GOD NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSIG^^ 
 
 ses" of shouting, groaning, clapping, and loud and 
 vociferous praying and singing, or that they are at 
 least inseparably connected with them ; and conse- 
 quently, according to their notions, the greater the 
 noise and bodily excitement of this kind, the more 
 extensive and powerful they suppose the work to be I 
 They could scarcely be made to believe that there 
 was a work of grace, where there was an absence of 
 such scenes of confusion and noise. Now we have 
 no reason to doubt that many such friends of revivals 
 are very sincere and honest in their attachment to the 
 cause of God and their efforts to promote it, but they 
 have certainly entirely misapprehended the spirit of 
 true piety, and the nature of a genuine work of grace. 
 We beg their candid attention, whilst in a calm and 
 dispassionate manner w^e endeavor to reason the case 
 w^ith them. 
 
 Brethren ! the subject is one of most serious and 
 solemn import, and we beseech you to give it a pray- 
 erful examination. You claim revivals to be the work 
 of God's Holy Spirit, do you not ? If they are not, 
 then they surely cannot be genuine, and ought to be 
 opposed by every Christian. Now does not God tell 
 us unequivocally, " that he is not the author of con- 
 fusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints ?" 
 1 Cor. xiv. 33. Docs he not bid us, " Let all things 
 be done decently and in order ?" But if our revivals 
 be scenes of confusion and disorder, can they be of 
 
 God ? Even if the work in the commencement was 
 
 • 
 
 genuine will not its beauty and glory be greatly marred, 
 if not entirely destroyed by the raging of this wild- 
 
CONFUSION ALWAYS WRONG. 61 
 
 fire ? Nay brethren, you are mistaken. The noise 
 and confusion are not only not the revival, but do not 
 even form a necessary part of it. " Bodily exercise 
 profiteth little ;" and such scenes may occur where 
 there is not only no revival, but no religion at all. 
 We have seen almost a whole congregation shouting, 
 clapping, and amidst the utmost confusion, making a 
 deafening noise, when to our certain knowledge there 
 was not a single case of real conviction or awaking, 
 and very little true piety among the chief actors in 
 the scene. Would you call this a revival } Surely 
 it is a burlesque upon the very name. It was a scene 
 of confusion and disorder, but not a revival ; the Spirit 
 and truth of God did not produce it; no persons were 
 converted there, and no good fruits of piety and holi- 
 ness appeared from it. Confusion and disorder in 
 the worship of God are always wrong and can never 
 be made right under any circumstances. True, in 
 the management of great and extensive revivals, it 
 may sometimes be impossible to prevent or suppress 
 all evils of this kind ; yet the people should be 
 properly instructed on tlie subject, and all proper and 
 lawful efforts made that all things may be done de-r 
 cently and in order. And our own experience has 
 perfectly satisfied us, that in the great majority of in- 
 stances, genuine revivals not only can be conducted 
 without confusion and noise, but that as a general rule 
 the work is real, deep, powerful, and lasting just in 
 proportion to the absence of these things. "In a re- 
 vival," says Dr. Alexander, " it makes the greatest 
 difference in the world whether the people have been 
 
02 A MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT. 
 
 carefully taught by catechising, and where they are 
 ignorant of the truths of the Bible. In some cases 
 revivals are so remakably pure, that nothing occurs 
 with which any pious man can find fault. There is 
 not only no wildness and extravagance, but very little 
 stronof commotion of the animal feelins-s. The word 
 of God distills upon the mind like the gentle rain, 
 and the Holy Spirit comes down like the dew, diffu- 
 sing a blessed influence all around. Such a revival 
 affords the most beautiful sight ever seen upon earth. 
 Its aspect gives us a lively idea of what will be the 
 general state of things in the latter day glory, 
 and some faint image of the heavenly state. The 
 impressions on the minds of the people in such a work 
 are the exact counterpart of the truth; just as the 
 impression on the w^ax corresponds to the seal. In 
 such revivals there is good solemnity and silence. 
 The convictions of sin are deep and humbling ; the 
 justice of God in the condemnation of the sinner is 
 felt and acknowledged ; every other refuge but Christ 
 is abandoned ; the heart at first is made to feel its own 
 impenetrable hardness; but when least *"xpected, it 
 dissolves undier a grateful sense of God's goodness, 
 and Christ's love ; light breaks in upon the soul either 
 by a gradual dawning, or by a sudden flash ; Christ is 
 revealed through the gospel, and a firm and often joy- 
 ful confidence of salvation through Him is produced ; 
 a benevolent, forgiving, meek, humble and contrite 
 spirit predominates — the love of God is shed abroad 
 — and with some, joy unspeakable and full of glory, 
 fills the soul. A spirit of devotion is enkindled. The 
 
OUR FEELINGS MUST BE 63 
 
 word of God becomes exceedingly precious. Prayer 
 is the exercise in which the soul seems to be in its 
 proper element, because by it, God is approached, 
 and his presence felt, and beauty seen : and the new- 
 born soul lives by breathing after the knowledge of 
 God, after communion with God, and after conformity 
 to his will. Now also springs up in the soul an inex- 
 tinguishable desire to promote the glory of God, and 
 to bring all men to the knowledge of the truth, and, 
 by that means, to the possession of eternal life. The 
 sincere language of the heart is, " Lord what would st 
 thou hav^e me to do ?^' That God may send upon his 
 church many such revivals, is my daily prayer ; and 
 many such have been experienced in our country, and 
 I trust are still going forward in our churches."* 
 
 No true Christian can have witnessed and mingled 
 in the scenes of such revivals as here described with- 
 out being convinced of their heavenly origin and most 
 blessed influence. He cannot fail to have been struck 
 with the great contrast between such a work and a 
 scene of wild extravagance and noise, and to have 
 devoutly wished and prayed, that all revivals might 
 be of this kind. We do not mean tliat in such a re- 
 vival there is no excitement, no depth of conviction, 
 no intensity of sorrow for sin, no agony of soul under 
 a load of conscious guilt, no breaking up of the very 
 fountains of the heart and profuse flowing of tears of 
 penitence; no; what we mean is, that the feelings are 
 under the control of the judgment, and that the excite- 
 
 'Sprag'ue'g Lectures on Revivals, page 232. 
 
64 CONTROLLED BY OUR JUDGMENT. 
 
 ment is properly managed. And surely this is as it 
 ought to be. Yet we say again, among some people 
 it may be exceedingly difficult, peihaps quite impossi- 
 ble so to conduct a revival ; still the utmost eflorts 
 should be made properly to control it, and so prevent 
 it from ultimately degenerating into a scene of noise 
 and confusion. 
 
 We regard the remarks of Dr. Adam Clarke, the 
 pious and learned Methodist Commentator, on this sub- 
 ject, as highly judicious and to the point. In his com- 
 ments on the 32d and 33d verses of the 14th chapter 
 of 1 Cor. he has the following : " Verse 32. And the 
 spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Let 
 no one interrupt another ; and let all be ready to prefer 
 others before themselves : and let each feel a spirit of 
 subjection to his brethren. God grants no ungovern- 
 able gifts. Verse 33. For God is not the author of 
 confusion. Let not the persons who act in the con- 
 gregation in this disorderly manner, say that they are 
 under the influence of God ; for he is not the author 
 of confusion : but two, three, or more praying or 
 teaching in the same place, at the same time, is con- 
 fusion ; and God is not the author of such work : and 
 let men beware how they attribute such disorder to 
 the God of order and peace. The apostle calls such 
 conduct =iKcLTa.<rTciTiM, tumults^ seditions ; and such they 
 are in the sight of God, and in the sight of all good 
 men. How often is the work of God marred and 
 discredited by the folly of men ! for nature will always, 
 and Satan too, mingle themselves, as far as they can, 
 in the genuine work of the Spirit, in order to discredit 
 
REV. JOHN \VESLFA''s OPIXIOX. 65 
 
 and destroy it. Nevertheless, in g-reat revivals of 
 religion, it is almost impossible to prevent wild-fire 
 from getting in among the true fire : but it is the 
 
 DUTY OF THE MINISTER.S OF GOD, TO WATCH 
 AGAINST, AND PRUDENTLY CHECK THIS *, BUT IF 
 THEMSELVES ENCOURAGE IT, THEN THERE WILL BE 
 CONFUSION AND EVERY EVIL WORK." 
 
 To this decisive testimony of Dr. Clarke, we will 
 add the no less unequivocal language of the Rev. 
 John Wesley, the venerahle/oi^jrfer of jNlethodism. 
 In his sermon on the text 2 Cor. v. 16, after warmly 
 remonstrating against the use of too familiar and 
 fondling expressions when applied to the hlessed 
 Redeemer, he has the following emphatic remarks : — 
 " Perhaps some may be afraid, lest the refraining from 
 these warm expressions, or even gently checking 
 them, should check the fervor of our devotion. It 
 is very possible it may check, or even prevent, some 
 kind of fervor which has passed for devotion. Pos- 
 sibly it may prevent loud shouting, horrid, unnatural 
 screaming, repeating the same words twenty or tliirty 
 times, jumping two or three feet high, and throwing 
 about the arms or legs, both of men and women, in a 
 manner shocking not only to religion, but to common 
 decency : — But it will never check, much less pre- 
 vent, true, scriptural devotion. It will rather enliven 
 the prayer that is properly addressed to Him, who, 
 though he was very man, yet was very God, who, 
 though he was born of a woman, to redeem man; 
 
63 LET CHRISTIANS KEEP SILENCE. 
 
 yet was God from everlasting, and world without 
 end.'-i 
 
 We regard these testimonies of these two great 
 Methodist writers, as the most important and decisive 
 that can be given on this subject ; because no one 
 will contend that they were influenced by a fastidious 
 and unfounded prejudice. And however some of their 
 followers and admirers may have deviated from these 
 plain and wholesome counsels, we are persuaded that 
 the great majority of the more pious and enlightened 
 ministers and members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church agree with them. It should also be observed, 
 that it appears from the sermon itself, from which we 
 have taken the above extract, that Mr. Wesley wrote 
 it near the close of his life, and therefore it is the weil- 
 matured opinion of many years' experience. 
 
 What we particularly object to in connection with 
 some revivals is, that Christians, the professedly con- 
 verted and pious part of the congregations, should 
 make this noise, and cause this confusion and disorder. 
 If at such times avmkened sinners, deeply penitent and 
 agonizing beneath the load of their guilt, should have 
 an audible groan, or cry aloud, " God be merciful to 
 me a sinner," or '' Jesus thou Son of David, have 
 mercy on me ;" we should be the last to say to them 
 at the time, '' Hold your peace !" Yet at such times 
 we do say to Christians most emphatically, keep 
 silence. And even the awakened should not be en- 
 couraged to give vent to their feelings in any loud and 
 vociferous manner. It not only does no good, but if 
 
 'Sermons on several occasions by Rev. John Wesley, vol. ii. p. 444. 
 
DISORDER IN REVIVALS UXSCRIPTURAL. 67 
 
 encouraged, will increase and invariahhj do harm, and 
 if not checked will soon entirely destroy the good 
 work, or cause it to degenerate into a scene of wild 
 fanaticism. The Spirit of God will be grieved, and 
 take his departure from such scenes, and nothing but 
 an artificial animal excitement will remain. 
 
 ¥/e are therefore opposed to noise, confusion, and 
 disorder in all religion, and especially revivals, for the 
 following reasons: — 
 
 1. It is unscriptural. Whilst, as shown upon a 
 former page, the Bible encourages the utmost warmth 
 and intensity of feeling and devotion in the service of 
 God, it no where sanctions clapping, groaning, jumping, 
 screamiitg, and the like; but emphatically tells us, 
 " Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 
 Cor. xiv. 40. Judgment and reason must always be 
 able to manage scriptural excitement, so that it does 
 not break out into wildness and extravagance. 
 
 2. It is unnecessary. Most persons who favor or do 
 not oppose such scenes in revivals, are under the 
 impression that they are necessary^ and that to attempt 
 to check them, would injure the revival and tend to 
 grieve away the Holy Spirit. Now this we regard as 
 a fatal mistake. Nay we knoio it to be an error from 
 our own experience. We have mingled in the scenes 
 of many revivals among all classes of people, and we 
 have uniformly found, that the less noise and confu- 
 sion, the deeper and more lasting was the work, and 
 the greater and more permanent w^as the good accom- 
 plished. Yet all attempts to check these things must 
 be very carefully and judiciously made. Let minis- 
 
68 UNNECESSARY AND INJURIOUS. 
 
 ters at the commencement of the work plainly and 
 candidly and in the spirit of love and meekness, tell 
 the people that noise and confusion are not the revival, 
 and that " all things should be done decently and in 
 order," and they will soon find, not only that proper 
 silence and order will be observed, but that every gen- 
 uine work of grace will be greatly promoted thereby. 
 If any doubt this, we have only to beg of thtm to try 
 it. We have tried it often, and our remark is the 
 result of our experience. 
 
 3. It does great iiijury It does injury to the work 
 itself It impairs its purity. »As God is not the author 
 of confusion, so the Holy Spirit is grieved away just 
 in proportion to the introduction of wild-fire and ex- 
 travagance into the genuine work. And as the Holy 
 Spirit is withdrawn, so the work degenerates — be- 
 comes less and less pure, until it is entirely destroyed. 
 Men have meddled with it, and left upon it " the 
 prints of their fingers, and thus created unsightly 
 spots in a blaze of glory." It does injury to the work 
 in another way. It offends intelligent and judicious 
 persons, and frequently leads them to oppose revivals 
 altogether. They are of course not justified in per- 
 mitting the abuses of a good work to set them against 
 the work itself, but the friends of revivals are never- 
 theless bound to use their best efforts so to manao-e 
 
 o 
 
 the work as not to give any just cause of offence. 
 Genuine revivals are the work of God, and all Chris- 
 tians should be united in promoting them. It does 
 injury, because it opens the mouths of gain-sayers and 
 revilers, and causes our good to be evil spoken of. 
 
NO WORK OF MAN PERFECT. G9 
 
 But for our extravagance probably some of these very 
 men might have become subjects of the work, and 
 thus be brought into the fold of the Redeemer ; but in 
 this way we disgust them, and drive them away from 
 all religion, and so hinder the gospel of God. We 
 ought as far as possible so to manage revivals, and 
 every other interest of religion, as to have a good 
 report of them tliat are without. It does injury to 
 the subjects of the work. It tends to deceive them. 
 The extravagance and confusion will draw away their 
 minds from the great and practical truths of the gos- 
 pel — repentance, faith, and reformation of life. They 
 will mistake their tears, sympathies, and animal emo- 
 tions for a change of heart and submission to God. 
 Our own experience leads us to believe that many of 
 those very individuals, professed Christians, who are 
 the most noisy and clamorous at revivals, are them- 
 selves deceived — have never been truly converted, 
 and are ignorant of the nature of vital piet^. They 
 depend entirely upon their feelings, instead of the 
 sober convictions of an enlightened judgment. For 
 these reasons we are utterly opposed to extravagance, 
 confusion, and noise in revivals of religion. Not that 
 we believe that any work with which man has any 
 thing to do is perfect ; but that we are to watch and 
 pray, and use all proper means, that those precious 
 revivals of religion with which God has so abundantly 
 blessed, and is now blessing the American churches, 
 may be untarnished in their beauty and glory, and 
 accomplish the good for which they are sent. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 CONSIDERED AFFIRMATIVELY. 
 
 Two circumstances will enable us to answer this 
 question intelligently and satisfactorily : first^ the 
 etymology of the word, and secondly, the general usage 
 of the Christian church. 
 
 The term revival is derived from two Latin w^ords, 
 re and vivo, which literally signify, to relieve, to live 
 again, or to restore to new life. It implies that the 
 object or being to nhich it refers had a previous 
 existence or life, but having died, declined, or fallen 
 into disuse and neglect, is again restored to new life 
 and vigor — revived. In this sense v/e have numerous 
 revivals in the intellectual, moral, political, and natural 
 world around us. We have intellectual revivals. 
 When old systems of philosophy, education, or lite- 
 rature, which have long been exploded and thrown 
 aside, are brought to life again ; find new advocates 
 and adherents, who restore them from their death, 
 disuse, or decline, we say of them properly, they are 
 revived. When, after a general neglect, the subject 
 of education receives a new impulse, and renewed 
 efforts are made to extend its benefits to all, and to 
 interest all in its general diffusion, it is revived. 
 
72 DIFFERENT KINDS OF REVIVALS. 
 
 We have revivals of manners and customs. When 
 antiquated fashions, modes, and customs again become 
 prevalent, and " the olden times" are acted over again, 
 we say they are revived. We have business revivals. 
 Say the merchant, mechanic, and trades-man, when, 
 after a general decline and deep depression, a distres- 
 sing dullness and stagnation in business, a change for 
 the better takes place, " the times have improved," 
 " business is more brisk," trade has revived. So also 
 we have revivals of politics, temperance, and almost 
 every thing else. We have revivals in nature. Be- 
 hold the earth after a long summer drouth ! How it 
 is parched by a burning sun ! — how the crops, the 
 flowers, and vegetation generally droop, wither, and 
 fade ! But now the Lord sends a gracious and 
 refreshing rain, and what a change it soon produces. 
 How natural and expressive for men now to say, 
 " every thing is revived., nature seems restored to new 
 life !" Look again upon the earth in the midst of 
 bleak, barren, icy winter ! How the frosts, snows, 
 and chilling blasts of this season have stript the forests 
 of their foliage, the meadows of their green, the fields 
 of their gay flowers, and the earth of all her summer 
 beauty ! How desolate is the face of fair nature ! 
 But now the gentle showers, the genial sun, and the 
 balmy breezes of lovely spring have returned, and 
 see, what a resurrection from the dead they have pro- 
 duced ! How the beauties of creation are restored, 
 and what a glorious revival has not taken place ! Thus 
 we have a great many different kinds of revivals in 
 nature, providence, business, politics, education, litera- 
 
REVIVAL PREi^UPPOSES A DECLINE. 73 
 
 ture and the like, and every person understands what 
 they are : shall we have none m religion ? Does not 
 the same God, who rules in the kingdom of nature 
 and providence, also preside over the interests of his 
 church, and rule in the kingdom of grace? Ought 
 we not therefore to expect and pray and labor for 
 revivals of religion ? 
 
 In the sense of a revival now given, it is to be ob- 
 served, that it can take place only among christians — • 
 only among those who once possessed true piety, but 
 who have backslidden from the Lord, and lost their 
 first love. — Persons, in whose hearts the flame of vital 
 godliness once existed and burned, who have per- 
 mitted that holy flame to be smothered and quenched, 
 by the cares of the Vv^orld, and the neglect, of their 
 christian duties. Such persons may, they ought to 
 be, they must be revived or perish, in the sense of 
 the word given above. And as all christians do back- 
 slide more or less, so all have need thus to be revived. 
 Reader! professed follower of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ! does vital piety flourish in thy soul as it 
 ought at this time.-* Hast thou not reason even to 
 humble thyself before God, and with deep penitence 
 and sorrow confess thy sins of negligence, backsli- 
 ding, and waywardness ? May the Lord revive thy 
 soul, and grant that thou mayest at all times have that 
 heavenly life, manly vigor, burning zeal, and devoted 
 ardor in the service of God, which thou oughtest to 
 have ! 
 
 But common usage has given to the word revival a 
 more extensive signification. It is used to express 
 
74 Revival DErmED^ 
 
 not only the quickening and reviving of chmtiam^ 
 but also the awakening, conviction, and conversion of 
 sinners, hypocrites, and formalists. It is generally 
 applied to those cases of religious excitement, in 
 which a number of individuals, or whole congrega- 
 tions, towns, or neighborhoods are simultaneously 
 aroused to their guilt and danger, and begin to inquire^ 
 *' Men and brethren what shall we do ?" — when num- 
 bers of precious souls are brought under the regene- 
 rating and saving influences of God's grace. We 
 may therefore define a genuine revival to be, a mer- 
 ciful VISITATION OF God's HoLY SpIRIT, IN WHICH 
 
 christians are auickened and excited to new 
 life, zeal, and devotedness in the service of 
 God, and hypocrites, formalists, and sinners 
 savingly converted. 
 
 " Wherever," says Dr. Sprague of Albany, " you 
 see religion rising up from a state of comparative de- 
 pression to a tone of increased vigor and strength; 
 wherever you see professing christians becoming 
 more faithful to their obligations, and behold the 
 strength of the church increased by fresh accessions 
 of piety from the world, there is a state of things 
 w hich you need not hesitate to denominate a revival 
 of religion."^ 
 
 Such is the nature of a genuine revival, and the 
 reader will not fail to have observed, that it is char- 
 acterized by three prominent features: a quickening 
 of christians, an undeceiving and converting of hypo* 
 
 ^Spraguc'6 Lectures on Revivals. 
 
CHRiSTIAxVS REVIVED. 1'5 
 
 crites and formalists, and an awakening and regenera- 
 tion of sinners. 
 
 1 . Professing christians are quickened and revived. 
 There is usually at a revival " great searching of 
 heart," deep hun:iility, solemn confession, and mourn- 
 ing over sins of past negligence and coldness among 
 the professed followers of the Redeemer. They 
 are now anxious to discover their real condition in 
 the sight of God, to have their hearts searched as 
 with a lighted candle, and even the possibility of their 
 being deceived, or having built upon a sandy founda- 
 tion makes them tremble for their souls. O they now 
 wish to make sure work for eternity ! They most 
 sincerely and penitently mourn over their former 
 backslidings, coldness and indifference, and now com- 
 mence of a new to " work out their own salvation 
 with fear and trembling," and to glorify God in their 
 bodies and souls which are his. O what love, fervor, 
 faith, and zeal they now manifest ! What attractions 
 the Sabbath, and the house and ordinances of God now 
 have! How the gates of Zion are now thronged, 
 and what blessed enjoyment they now find in com- 
 munion with their Lord •, for their *-' fellowship is now 
 with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ!" 
 They are now^ always seen in their places in the 
 church, at the communion table, and the prayer-meet- 
 ing. How devoutly and earnestly they now join in 
 all the exercises ! Prayer-meetings now spring up in 
 the congregations, and persons take part in them, 
 whose lips were never opened before. They now 
 pray in private, in their families, and for the church. 
 
76 FORMALISTS AND HVPOCRITES AWAKENED. 
 
 They converse with each other on the subject of re- 
 ligion, and are no longer ashamed to urge their friends 
 and neighbors to seek the Lord. They no longer 
 stand aloof from their pastor, or become offended at 
 him for his close practical preaching; but they now 
 uphold his hands and encourage his heart, and pray 
 for him most devoutly, that he may be the mouth of 
 God to the people, and that the word which he 
 preaches may be " quick and powerful, sharper than 
 a two-edged sword" in the hearts of men. They now 
 Avant spiritual preaching ; and can no longer be fed 
 upon the husks of a cold powerless orthodoxy, in 
 which there is neither life nor spirituality. They now 
 begin to inquire into, and read about the wants of the 
 church and the world, and their hearts and hands are 
 open and ready for ••' every good word and work." 
 The cause of Education and Missions, of Bible, Tract, 
 Sabbath School, and Temperance Societies now lays 
 hold upon their affections, and receives their cheerful 
 co-operation. Their hearts are now warmed up with 
 the holy fire of divine love, and it spreads all around 
 and ignites every thing with which it comes into con- 
 tact. In a word, Christians now begin to feel and to 
 do their duty. They are revived. 
 
 2. Hypocrites and formalists are undeceived and 
 brought to a saving acquaintance loith the Lord. Such 
 persons are often received into the church and remain 
 in it for vears without discoverino; their real condition. 
 For a long time they cry " peace, peace to their souls, 
 though God has not said peace." But in time of a 
 revival, if they attend the meetings at all, the scales 
 
SINNERS CONVERTED. 77 
 
 are very apt to fall off, and their sleepy leaden eyes 
 to open upon their true condition. Their sandy foun- 
 dations are now discovered, and their refuges of lies 
 swept away; and thus divested of every false hope, 
 they find themselves naked and exposed, in all their 
 guilt and pollution, to the piercing eye of that God 
 who cannot be mocked or deceived, and in agony 
 they begin to cry out, what must we do to be saved ? 
 They now discover that all their own righteousness 
 is as filthy rags, and that no external forms and cere- 
 monies, no outward morality will avail without true 
 piety. They now see that " neither circumcision 
 availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new 
 creature." Flence they can no longer rest, and have 
 no more peace, until they have experienced a saving 
 change of heart, and can triumphantly say, " I know 
 .that my Redeemer liveth." 
 
 3. A third characteristic of a genuine revival is an 
 exteiided and sometimes general awakening among sin- 
 ners^ and numerous cases of hopeful conversion take 
 place. The truth of God faithfully preached and en- 
 forced by the Holy Spirit burns like fire in the hearts 
 of the unregenerate ; tliey become alarmed arjd uneasy, 
 feel as they never did before, and frequently contrary 
 to the wishes of their carnal minds, become earnest 
 seekers of religion. Sometimes they endeavor to 
 stifle their convictions, shake off their unpleasant 
 feelings, and return to their carelessness ; but their 
 false peace is disturbed, and they find no rest. At 
 length they submit, as humble penitents, to the only 
 Savior of sinners, and embracing him by a living faith, 
 4 
 
78 D^^LfSHTFUL STATE. 
 
 find their load of sin removed. Thus scores and hun- 
 dreds are sometimes brought to the Lord, in the short 
 space of a few weeks or months, and the moral and 
 religious aspect of whole congregations and neighbor^ 
 hoods is entirely and radically changed. What a 
 most blessed state of things is not this ! What chris- 
 tian's heart does not spontaneously and most earnestly 
 cry to God, "O Lord revive thy work!" in great 
 mercy send as all, throughout the whole church, sucb 
 revivals ? 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ArtE GENUINE REVIVALS THE CHURCHES BEST STATE ? 
 
 We have now, at some length, examined the nature 
 of genuine revivals, and are therefore prepared for 
 the question, is this the churches best state ? This cer- 
 tainly is an inquiry of thrilling interest, and claims a 
 calm and thorou2:h investi2:ation. We have no doubt 
 that our readers will be divided on this subject. Many 
 who have just been blessed with interestmg and well- 
 conducted revivals, whose hearts are warm with the 
 holy fire, and who are now gathering the blessed fruits 
 of the gracious work, will exclaim unhesitatingly and 
 even with much warmth, revivals are the best and most 
 glorious state of the church this side of heaven itself! 
 Revivals ivill soon usher in the millenium ! Others, 
 perhaps equally pious and devoted to the Redeemer's 
 cause, will answer this question in the negative^ and 
 say, we love genuine revivals, properly and judiciously 
 conducted, they have done, and will do much good ; 
 but they are 7iot the church's best state ; we can con- 
 ceive of a state possible, which would be preferable. 
 A third class who are ignorant of vital godliness and 
 hostile to it, are of course opposed altogether to revi- 
 vals. With this class we have no controversy at 
 present ; they are the enemies of God and his work ; 
 
80 DISCUSSION BETWEEN A. AND B. 
 
 and all we have to tell them is, that they are on the 
 road to ruin, and " unless they repent they will all 
 likewise perish." They are in a most dangerous con- 
 dition, " without God and without hope in the world ;" 
 noio under sentence of condemnation, and every mo- 
 ment exposed to his wrath and displeasure ! 
 
 We once heard two zealous and devoted ministers 
 of the gospel discussing the question which forms the 
 caption of this chapter, and in giving as nearly as we 
 can, the substance of their remarks, and the conclusion 
 to wliich they came, we have no doubt we shall answer 
 the question to the satisfaction of our readers generally. 
 We will premise, that both these brethren were truly 
 pious, and labored zealously and successfully in the 
 vineyard of the Lord, and they were both in favor of 
 genuine revivals of religion^ but differed in their views 
 of the subject. The one contended that well conduc- 
 ted revivals constituted the best possible state of the 
 church upon earth ; but the other maintained that they 
 did not ; that he could conceive of a state, and that he 
 had known congregations to be in a condition, far pre- 
 ferable to that of revivals. Said Mr. A., " 1 do not 
 speculate upon this subject; a cold, lifeless calculating 
 human philosophy does not govern me in matters of 
 religion ; I submit fads^ stubborn facts, to prove that 
 revivals are the church's best state. By the fruit we 
 are to know the tree, and if we look for a moment at 
 the blessed and glorious results of revivals we must 
 be convinced. Is it not a fact, that a single revival of 
 religion has frequently, in the course of a few weeks, 
 changed the character and destiny of a whole congre- 
 
WHAT REVIVALS HAVE DONE. 81 
 
 gation, town or neighborhood? — that in this short 
 space of time, more souls were converted to God, 
 more backsliders reclaimed, more formalists unde- 
 ceived, the children of God more encouraged and 
 built up, the church more strengthened and improved, 
 and a greater amount of real good accomplished, than 
 for years before ? Have not revivals been the means 
 of "puUing down the strong holds of Satan," of 
 breaking up the haunts of vice and crime, and of ex- 
 tending and firmly establishing the Redeemer's king- 
 dom in places, where humanly speaking, all other 
 means had failed ? Are not those congregations Avhich 
 have been blessed w^ith revivals foremost in every 
 good work, and is it not there alone that we find reli- 
 gion really alive and flourishing? Go into one of 
 your old fashioned congregations, who know nothing 
 of revivals and are opposed to them, and what is the 
 state of things ? Is not your very soul frozen and 
 starved by the coldness, dearth, and moral death that 
 reign all around ? You find no prayer meetings, or if 
 any they are as lifeless as the dry bones in the valley 
 of death, no Temperance, Tract, Bible, Missionary, 
 and Education societies, or if there are any, they are 
 dragging out a miserable, languishing, unprofitable 
 existence. The Sunday-Schools are neglected, and 
 dying for want of support. The church is thinly 
 attended and there is no life in the worship ; the com- 
 munion table is surrounded by few ; there is no dis- 
 cipline exercised, and the most wicked men often rule ; 
 the members never pray in private nor in their fami- 
 lies ; and in a word, there is scarcely a shadov\^ of any 
 
82 OBJECTIONS TO REVIVALS. 
 
 thing like true piety to be found ; all is one grand 
 moral waste ! But now go into a revival congregation, . 
 and how changed the scene ! O what a contrast ! 
 All is life, love, faith, zeal, and devotion. You seem 
 to be at once in the very atmosphere of heaven and 
 to join in the w^orship of the skies ! I confess sir, 
 that my soul takes fire here, and I become enthusiastic 
 on the subject. Give me revivals forever, until I get 
 to heaven, and there I know I shall enjoy an eternal 
 uninterrupted one !" 
 
 To this Mr. B. replied, " You have given us a most 
 beautiful picture of revivals, and in general I believe 
 it is a true, though rather a one-sided one. I am not 
 opposed to, but highly in favor of true revivals ; I 
 believe they have done much good. May God send 
 genuine revivals into every congregation in our land ! 
 But Mr. A. you certainly have presented only the 
 bright side of the subject, and truth requires that I 
 should present the other also. I am not fond of 
 speaking of the evils connected with, and sometimes 
 resulting from, any thing that is good, (I would to 
 God there were none in connection with revivals !) 
 but we must look at things as they are. I shall not 
 speculate on the subject any more than you ; let facts 
 be submitted. Understand me distinctly, I am not 
 opposed to genuine revivals; they are the work of 
 God''s Holy Spirit^ and no Christian can or dare 
 oppose his work. But I contend that they are not the 
 church's best slate for the following reasons : — 
 
 1. They are always of short duration^ and are 
 almost invariably succeeded by a reaction^ a state of 
 
THEIE SKORT nURATION, EXCESSES AND 83 
 
 coldness and backsliding as much to be deplored, as 
 that which you described as existing in " tlie old 
 fashioned congregations." My heart has often been 
 cheered by the news of a revival in a congregation ; 
 but when, a few weeks or months afterwards, I was 
 permitted to visit that people, I found, alas! that the 
 revival was not there ! The storm had blown over, 
 and a dreadful calm had succeeded. Do you call this 
 the church's best state ? Must a congregation be all 
 iire and excitement for a few weeks, that it may be all 
 deadness for months and years afterwards? Do you 
 call this a good, a desirable state of things ? Does 
 not the Bible teach that " the path of the just is as 
 the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the 
 perfect day ;''-^ but revivals are like comets, which 
 blaze and sparkle brilliantly, for a few days, as they 
 pass along, but are soon gone, and all is dark and 
 dreary again. 
 
 2. But I argue secondly, that revivals can not be 
 the Church's best state, because of the excesses and 
 •disorders that are frequently, if not generally, con- 
 nected with them. Are they not often scenes of the 
 iutmost extravagance and the wildest confusion? Are 
 not the meetings often multiplied to excess and con- 
 tinued to a very late and unseasonable hour at night ; 
 ^o that the domestic affairs of families are often com- 
 pletely disarranged and neglected } Is there not in the 
 meetings frequently so much loud groaning, weeping, 
 praying, shouting, and the like, that the preacher, or 
 
 "Prov.iv. 18. 
 
84 BISORDERS, ERRONEOUS STANDARDS. 
 
 he who leads in prayer cannot he heard above the 
 tumult and confusion ? Do not professors, (and we will 
 charitably hope, possessors,) of religion, at such times, 
 often make more noise than the mourners ? I will not 
 mention any of the more gross and unbecoming dis- 
 orders, which I have occasionally heard, are connected 
 with revivals. I believe they are upon the whole of 
 rare occurrence, and always result from great mis- 
 management. But those, and others like them, which 
 I have now specified, I cannot sanction; nor can I 
 believe that is the best state of the church, which gives 
 rise to and approbates them. 
 
 3. But I say again, these excitements cannot be the 
 church's best state, because they tend greatly to un- 
 dervalue and even counteract the influence of the or- 
 dinary ministrations of the gospel, and set up errone- 
 ous standards in the church. 
 
 Revival christians are very apt to tliink, that no 
 good can be done, except during a revival ! Hence 
 the pastor may preach, pray, and labor most faithfully, 
 in season and out of season, on the Sabbath and during 
 the week ; it is all to no purpose — his people are 
 waiting for the next protracted meeting, or other 
 extraordinary occasion, when an excitement will be 
 " got up,"' and then they will all at once take fire ! 
 They seem to have expected no blessing upon the 
 ordinary labors of their pastor, did not pray for 
 it, and of course did not obtain it. The standard has 
 been set up that there can be no true religion, no con- 
 versions to God, no backsliders reclaimed, no belie- 
 vers revived and built up, except during an excite- 
 
REVIVALS NOT PERFECT. 85 
 
 ment; hence christians may be cold or hot, active 
 or asleep, dead or alive just as the revival goes 
 or dies away ! Now does the Bible warrant 
 this continued ebb and flow in the tide of true 
 piety? Is a man to grow in grace, advance in the di- 
 vine life, and manifest his religion to the world only 
 " by fits and starts !" Are not christians called '' the 
 light of the world," and should they not therefore, 
 like the glorious sun in the firmament, '^ let their light 
 shine" with a constant and even increasing effulgence, 
 " so that others might see their good works, and 
 glorify our Father who is in heaven ?" Should they 
 not be " constant and immovable, always abounding 
 in the work of the Lord ?" For these reasons I can- 
 not believe revivals, as they generally exist, to be the 
 church's best state. Yet I am not opposed to genuine 
 revivals, for I believe, notwithstanding the evils which 
 are mostly connected with them, that they have been 
 the means of accomplishing much good. I am also 
 convinced that most, perhaps all, of these evils might 
 be avoided by proper management. I have spoken of 
 things as they are, and not as I could ivish them to be." 
 Mr. A — " I admire your candor Mr. B — and rejoice 
 that you have spoken your mind so freely and fully 
 on this important subject. You have certainly pre- 
 sented the dark side of the revival picture, and I think 
 quite as highly colored as the truth will admit. You 
 of course do not expect that revivals should be per- 
 fectj and free from all objections. If you did, you 
 would have to object to religion itself, and every thing- 
 else that is good, with which poor imperfect man has 
 4* 
 
86 NOT NECESSARILY OF SHORT DURATION, 
 
 any thing- to do. Our religion came from heaven, 
 and is pure and holy as its author ; yet we see many 
 most cruel contortions, misrepresentations, and abuses 
 of it. So revivals are from heaven, the work of the 
 Holy Spirit, but they exist among, operate upon, and 
 are managed by men, whose imperfections and weak- 
 nesses often appear conspicuously in connection with 
 them. But we cannot, we dare not oppose them on 
 this ground. On the contrary we should endeavor to 
 correct the evils and promote the good. 
 
 But as you have given your objections in a little 
 sermon under three distinct heads, I must take the same 
 course in my reply. 
 
 1. You object to revivals, because they are o^ short 
 duration^ and are succeeded by a reaction^ as you call 
 it. Now suppose I grant, that all you say under this 
 head is true, is not this state better still, than one of 
 uninterrupted coldness, deadness, and formality.'* Is 
 it not better to wake up occasionally, and have a little 
 fire and excitement, even if it does not continue long, 
 than to be always asleep and inactive } Surely a small 
 shower of rain, though it be of short duration and be 
 succeeded by another drouth, is better than none at 
 all, and an everlasting, uninterrupted burning drouth ! 
 But your statement is not altogether true, and is calcu- 
 lated to mislead. All revivals are 7iot of such short 
 duration, nor succeeded by such reaction as you rep- 
 resent. On the contrary I have known many of a 
 very different character. I have known them to con- 
 tinue for many months, and even for years, without 
 being followed by any reaction at all. Not that the 
 
OR CHARACTERIZED BY EXCESSES. 87 
 
 ■same degree of excitement continued all the time, but 
 the same lively, deep-toned, warm, zealous, active 
 state of piety, I have known revival congregations 
 to enjoy such a delightful state of things uninter- 
 ruptedly for years ; and I believe it possible for all 
 revivals to be thus continued. These are the kind of 
 revivals that I love to see, and particularly advocate. 
 This I call the church's best state. There is nothing 
 connected with genuine revivals themselves that should 
 limit their duration to a i^w weeks, and cause them to 
 be followed by a reaction, such as you have described. 
 It always results from mismanagement af the good 
 work. 
 
 Besides, the fruits even of such mismanaged revi- 
 vals are not of such short duration. There are always 
 some cases of genuine conversion to God ; some indi- 
 viduals who are really brought into the kingdom of 
 Christ, and remain faithful until death. Hence I con- 
 ceive that your first objection not only loses all its 
 force, but really falls to the ground. 
 
 2. But you say great excesses and disorders are 
 sometimes connected with revivals. I grant and 
 deeply deplore that this has sometimes been the case. 
 Scenes have sometimes been connected with revivals, 
 and have even passed and been mistaken for them, 
 which were disgraceful to religion and to those con- 
 cerned in them. Such scenes have in all ages of the 
 church been connected more or less with the most 
 sacred and solemn institutions of religion, and yet you 
 do not oppose religion on that account, nor should you 
 object to revivals, because some fauatical persons have 
 
88 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 abused them. I am not the advocate of confusion and 
 disorder, I assure you ; but I do know from my own 
 experience that revivals may be conducted, that the 
 most extensive and powerful always are, without any 
 extravagance, confusion, or disorder. Hence it is 
 unjust for you to attempt to palm upon revivals an 
 objection which lies only against an abuse of them. 
 
 3. You affirm that revivals tend to undervalue and 
 even counteract the ordinary ministrations of the gos- 
 pel, and to set up erroneous standards in the church. 
 Now I deny that this is the legitimate tendency or 
 result of r^ivals. Ignorant and fanatical people may 
 here, as in the former case, abuse a good thing ; but 
 revivals are the very last means to induce intelligent 
 and reflecting men, warm hearted and devoted chris- 
 tians to undervalue the ministrations of the gospel. 
 True, they become dissatisfied with cold formality, 
 and lifeless, soul-chilling stupidity in the service of 
 God ; but it only makes them prize more highly the 
 true and spiritual ministrations of the sanctuary. So 
 far are revivals from undervaluing the ordinary labors 
 of the zealous pastor, that I have known many to 
 commence and to be carried on throughout under his 
 ordinary labors alone, and unspeakably to facilitate all 
 his future operations. No wrong standards are set up, 
 but many torn down, and right ones set up. Revivals 
 do not warrant nor encourage the ebb and flow in the 
 tide of true f^iety to which you refer. On the con- 
 trary, they urge christians continually to " walk with 
 God," and to " keep themselves in the love of God" 
 at all times and under all circumstances. Having now, 
 
CONTINUED LIVELY STATE OF PIETY. 89 
 
 as I conceive, given a satisfactory reply to your ob- 
 jections, you will permit me to ask you one question, 
 viz. If revivals are not the church's best state, lohat 
 do you'regard as such ?" 
 
 Mr. B — " I want a lively state of piety in a congre- 
 gation at all times. If revivals would continue^ if we 
 could always have them, and divest them of the un- 
 necessary animal excitement usually connected with 
 them I would agree with you, that they are the church's 
 best state ; and then I think the whole world w^ould 
 soon be converted to God. But I cannot like these 
 storms and calms, these ebbs and flows in true re- 
 ligion." 
 
 Mr A — " I heartily rejoice Mr. B — that after all 
 we really do agree substantially on this interesting 
 subject. I do not advocate the evils connected with 
 revivals, but only the good. O if we could have 
 constant revivals of the right sort, (and why may we 
 not,) would it not be heaven upon earth ! We both 
 agree Sir, for this certainly w^ould be the church's 
 best state. The evils you have mentioned are not 
 necessarily connected with revivals, they may be avoid- 
 ed. There need not, there should not be a calm and 
 a dreadful reaction after a revival, and in many cases 
 there is not. If the work is properly managed, we 
 may have a lively state of piety at all times in our 
 congregations, and thus have constant revivals." 
 
 Mr. B — " I am really pleased with your idea of 
 an ever continuing lively state of piety, but I would 
 not call it a revival^ for it would supersede the neces- 
 sity of revivals altogether. For if revivals are neces- 
 
90 NOT CONTENDING FOR NAMES. 
 
 sary at all, it is because there is first a dyings decli- 
 ning ^ backsliding in the service of God, but where 
 there is nothing of this there cannot be reviving?'' 
 
 Mr. A — " I am not contending about names^ but 
 things^ and hence you may call it cm ever-continuing 
 lively state of piety. It is after all, just what is gen- 
 erally meant by a revival. Now Sir, it is very evi- 
 dent that a constant revival is preferable to an occa- 
 sional one. O for constant., everlasting revivals of 
 religion !" " Amen, amen," said Mr. B — and so the 
 discussion ended. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 CONSTANT REVIVALS. 
 
 We have no doubt that the idea of a constant 
 revival of religion will be regarded by many as a 7iew 
 doctrine, if not a new measure. Some lean, barren, 
 cold-hearted formalists would look upon such a state 
 of things as a most dreadful calamity. What ! a con- 
 stant revival! Alarming thought! What will the 
 world yet come to.? They have suffered enough 
 from the occasional revivals of which they have heard 
 and read, and have mourned over this spirit of fanati- 
 cism and wild-fire which is " turning the world up- 
 side down;" what would become of them if we should 
 have them constantly ! That the church may be pre- 
 served from such a state of ruin they pray and labor 
 most earnestly ! Still the friends of vital piety need 
 not be alarmed at this, for it is only " the effectual 
 fervent prayer of the righteous man, that availeth 
 much" with God ; and the prayers of the Bible, and 
 of all Bible-christians are as-ainst these formalists. 
 
 o 
 
 But there are others, who love vital piety and gen- 
 uine revivals, and who have experienced the power of 
 true godliness in their own souls, who believe that a 
 constant revival is an impossibility — that it is only 
 theory with us, and has no existence, but in our own 
 
92 REVIVAL TIME BANEFUL INFLUENCE 
 
 imagination. We have reason to believe that this 
 notion prevails extensively, perhaps w^e ought to say 
 generally, even among revival christians, in our Ame- 
 rican churches: nevertheless we not only venture to 
 differ from this opinion, but to declare our conviction 
 that it is utterly erroneous, and that it is a great barrier 
 in the way of the work of God. Let christians gen- 
 erally in a congregation or neighborhood, or the 
 church at large, be under the impression that revivals 
 are necessarily always of short duration, and like 
 
 " Angel visits, few and far between ;" 
 
 that like hail-storms or comets, we are to expect them 
 only now and then, at long intervals, and only for a 
 little season, and what will be the result .'' The 
 answer is obvious. Such persons will not and cannot 
 expect, labor, nor pray sincerely for the out-pouring 
 of God's Holy Spirit, until the time fixed in their own 
 minds for the occurrence of the important event 
 arrives ! Their tears and lamentations over '' the dry 
 bones" in the valley of moral death must all be 
 restrained until the favored revival season comes ! the 
 pastor may preach, labor, and pray ever so faithfully ; 
 all the means of grace may be regularly and sincerely 
 used ; it is all in vain, the revival time has not come! 
 Now is it not evident that the effects of all this must 
 be most disastrous, eminently calculated to hinder the 
 cause of God, and prevent the revival of his work. 
 The means of grace are not followed up by proper 
 efforts among the people ; the seed of the word is not 
 watered by their prayers and tears ; the professed 
 people of God have no faith, and hence do not sin- 
 
OF THIS ERROR. 93 
 
 cerely expect God's blessing, and of course little or 
 no good can be accomplished. 
 
 Sometimes God most signally confounds this fatal 
 delusion by sending, in the order of his Providence, 
 powerful and almost miraculous revivals into congre- 
 gations when the members are all asleep, and neither 
 expected nor prayed for such an event ! Hence we 
 sometimes have such news as the following published 
 throusfh the lensfth and breadth of Zion : " We have 
 had a most powerful revival of religion ; and what is 
 remarkable, it commenced when we did not expect it^ and 
 wdien no special efforts were made to produce or pro- 
 mote such a work !" Now ought we not to say, shame 
 upon such faithless, sleepy, inactive christians, who 
 instead of being always alive, ever laboring and pray- 
 ing, " in season, out of season," that souls might be 
 converted, backsliders reclaimed, the work of God 
 revived and the Redeemer's kingdom built up and 
 extended, look upon it as almost an accident when 
 these things are done amongst them ! They pray, no 
 doubt, " Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on 
 earth as it is in heaven ;" and yet when that kingdom 
 does come, and that will is done, they are not ashamed 
 to confess to the v^'hole world, " the work commenced 
 when ice did not expect it, and when no special efforts 
 luere made to promote it /" Yea double shame upon 
 such christians for permitting the good work, after a 
 few weeks, to die away ; or perhaps, what is worse, 
 for positively quenching and grieving away the Holy 
 Spirit, and then saying, " we have had a revival !" 
 intimating that the work has stopped ; that they are 
 
94 NOTHING IN THEIR NATURE TO LIMIT THEM. 
 
 glad that it came, and are not sorry that it is all over ! ! 
 Now we should like to ask such persons, if con- 
 stant revivals are impossible, hoio often we may expect 
 them ? We have heard of Christians who supposed 
 that every fourteen years we might expect a revival ! 
 Others thought that once every seven years, or there- 
 abouts, we might look for one in a congregation ! 
 Now in the name of all that is sacred and honest, we 
 ask, if all this is mere theory or conjecture, whether 
 ours, or the seven or fourteen year theory is the better 
 or more plausible ? If genuine revivals are really the 
 work of God, and productive of the most blessed 
 results, is it not more desirable to enjoy them con- 
 stantly, than every seven or fourteen years, and then 
 only for a few short weeks at a time ? Is it not more 
 honorable to God, who has promised his blessing upon 
 all our sincere efforts and tliat at all times — who has 
 said, " Lo I am with you always, even to the end of 
 the world" — " and where two or three are gathered 
 together in my name, there will I be in the midst of 
 them ;" is it not more honorable to our God and Re- 
 deemer, and more in accordance with his own char- 
 acter and word, that we should have his presence 
 with us constantly in revivals, than that we should 
 have it only occasionally and at long distant intervals ? 
 But it is not mere theory or conjecture. Constant 
 revivals are possible and practicable. 
 
 1. There is nothing in the nature of genuine revi- 
 vals to lead us to believe that they are to be enjoyed 
 only at certain widely separated intervals, and but for 
 a i^w weeks at the time. What is a revival ? It has 
 
REVIVAL WORK EVERY DAY WORK. 95 
 
 been defined to consist of three prominent features : 
 the quickening and spiritual growth of christians ; the 
 undeceiving and regeneration of hypocrites, formalists, 
 and backsliders ; and the sound and thorough conver- 
 sion of impenitent sinners. Are these eternally im- 
 portant results of christian effort to be looked for only 
 occasionally ? — every seven or fourteen years ? How 
 absurd ! On the contrary, are not these the legitimate 
 fruits of the proper and faithful use of the means of 
 grace at all times ? Whenever an evangelical sermon 
 is pre,ached, a prayer meeting held, and the ordinan- 
 ces of God's house administered faithfully and sin- 
 cerely, are we not to expect God's blessing, and as 
 the immediate result, the building up of believers, 
 and the conversion of sinners.'^ But all these means 
 of grace we are to use constantly^ in season and out 
 of season ; and God's blessing we are always to ex- 
 pect, and why then may not the same results constantly 
 be expected ? Hence constant revivals are possible. 
 This conclusion is inevitable, unless the absurd and 
 sinful position be assumed, that the means of God's 
 own appointment may be properly, sincerely, and faith- 
 fully used, and yet be unaccompanied by his divine 
 blessing, and consequently fail to produce the results 
 for which they were designed ! If this were so, then 
 we might as well not use them at all. Then let us 
 close our churches, and preach, and pray, and labor 
 no more ; God will do his own work in his own time 
 without our poor instrumentality ! Such a doctrine is 
 absurd and wicked. Is not the work to be accom- 
 plished at revivals, every day work ? — just what we 
 
96 THE EXCITEMENT WILL VARY. 
 
 ought to aim at and expect in all our efforts to do good ? 
 Did not the apostles preach, pray, and labor as though 
 they expected immediate results ? Did they not address 
 sinners in the name of God as though they expected 
 them to yield immediately ^ and become converted right 
 on the spot ? Do you ever hear an apostle tell his 
 congregation of impenitent hearers, as is often done 
 at the present day, to '' go home and think about these 
 things ?" That is, in fact, telling them to continue in 
 sin and rebellion against God ! No wonder that men 
 who have this notion and preach in this style, do not 
 believe in the possibility of constant revivals ! We 
 say again revival work is every day work, and it ought 
 to be the object of our continued and unceasing efforts. 
 Hence constant revivals are possible. Let it be dis- 
 tinctly understood that we have not now said, and that 
 we do not maintain, that the same degree of excitement 
 in connection with revivals should continue constantly. 
 This is impossible. External excitement upon any 
 subject varies with circumstances. The excitement 
 however is not the revival, and is no correct criterion 
 to judge of its true character and extent. The most 
 powerful and extensive work of grace is sometimes 
 accompanied by the least external excitement ; whilst 
 great excitement is sometimes manifested where there 
 is little or no good accomplished. Nay, it is to be 
 feared, that one grand reason wliy many of our revi- 
 vals have been of such short duration is, that the mere 
 excitement has been encouraged and fostered to the 
 neglect and injury of the genuine work of the Spirit, 
 or the former has even been mistaken for the latter. 
 
OPERATIONS OF SPIRIT CONTINUED. 97 
 
 Consequently the Spirit was either grieved away, or 
 when the excitement measureably subsided, the im- 
 pression began to prevail, that the w^ork was at an 
 end ; that the operations of the Spirit were withdrawn ; 
 and that no further exertions need be made ! No 
 wonder that the work did stop soon after it had fairly 
 commenced, and probably at the very moment when 
 it was becoming most pure and genuine ! Probably 
 but. for this erroneous impression, this sinful mistake, 
 the revival might have continued for months or years ; 
 the work of edifying and building up believers ; of 
 reclaiming backsliders ; and of awakening and con- 
 verting hypocrites, formalists, and impenitent sinners 
 might have continued uninterruptedly until all in the 
 whole congregation, town, or neighborhood would 
 have been brought under the saving influences of 
 divine grace, and made what they ought to be. This 
 surely is possible; — is just what God desires and 
 intended should be accomplished by the faithful and 
 persevering use of the means of grace. The excite- 
 ment may abate — may even die away ; but still the 
 regenerating and sanctifying influences of the Spirit 
 will continue, and if the appointed means are properly 
 and faithfully used, the genuine work of revival will 
 continue, like leaven, to spread and increase until the 
 whole lump is leavened. 
 
 2. If then there is nothing in the nature of a gen- 
 uine revival to prevent it from continuing indefinitely^ 
 we should like to know, in the second place, whether 
 there is any thing in the word of God to warrant us 
 to conclude, that the Spirit of God, ivhich is the pro- 
 
98 SPIRIT MAY BE GRIEVED AWAY. 
 
 ducing cause of the revival^ will ever he withdrawn^ if 
 not ivillfully grieved away ? Does God any where tell 
 us, or intimate, in the scriptures, that under the New 
 Testament dispensation, he will not give his Holy 
 Spirit constantly, but that occasionally and at long 
 intervals he will pour out that Spirit for a little sea- 
 son to continue three or four weeks, and then it shall 
 be withdrawn for months and years ! If God does 
 give his Spirit only at certain seasons, then of course 
 it is his fault that our revivals are of seldom occur- 
 rence and short duration ! But we almost tremble to 
 make this statement, for such a doctrine is evidently 
 blasphemous. The Bible contains no such doctrine 
 or intimation. On the contrary has not the Savior 
 procured for us by his intercession, and promised to 
 us, the continued influence of the Holy Ghost .'' What 
 does he say ? " And I will pray the Father, and he 
 shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide 
 WITH YOU FOREVER." Jolin xiv. 16. This Comforter 
 has come, and he has abode with his true church and 
 people constantly ever since the day of Pentecost, and 
 will continue with them until the end of time. Let 
 us hear another scripture : " And it shall come to pass 
 in the last days," (that is, under the gospel dispensa- 
 tion), saith God, " I will pour out of my Spirit upon 
 all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall 
 prophecy, and your young men shall see visions, and 
 your old men shall dream dreams : And on my ser- 
 vants and on my hand-maidens I will pour out, in 
 those days, of my Spirit ; and they shall prophecy." 
 xicts ii. 17, 18. Here the Spirit is promised, already 
 
CHRISTIANS ARE GUILTY WHERE A REVIVAL CEASES. D9 
 
 in the prophecy of Joel, from which the apostle Peter 
 quotes the words, and applies them to the case before 
 him on the day of Pentecost : is there a single word 
 or intimation that this Spirit shall ever be withdrawn? 
 None. If then the influences of the blessed Spirit of 
 God are vouchsafed to his church at all times, and we 
 may always secure them, and it is by this means that 
 genuine revivals are produced, who will yet contend 
 that constant revivals are impossible ? We know 
 indeed that this Spirit may be grieved away, may be 
 quenched; — that men may carry their resistance to 
 his influences to such a lensfth, that God will sav to 
 them, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man;'" 
 Gen. vi. 3, " Ephraim is joined to his idgls: let him 
 alone." Hos. iv. 17. " If thou hadst known, even thou, 
 at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto 
 thy peace ! But now they are hid from thine eyes." 
 Luke xix. 42. But what we are now contending for 
 is, that God never withdraws the operations of his 
 Spirit; unless men by voluntary, long-continued, and 
 stubborn rebellion grieve him away. Hence they^ 
 and they alone, are the cause of his departure, and are 
 guilty in the sight of God. Hence said the martyr 
 Stephen, "Ye stifle-necked, and uncircumcised in 
 heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : 
 as your fathers did, so do ye." Acts vii. 51. The 
 point then is certainly very clear, that the Holy Ghost 
 is never withdrawn, unless he is willfully resisted, or 
 grieved away. Equally clear is it, that a revival will 
 continue as long as the influences of the Spirit are 
 
100 CHRISTIANS ARE GUILTY WHI RE REVIVAL CEASES. 
 
 continued ; that is, constantly, until the Holy Ghost 
 is resisted by the people. 
 
 We shall no doubt be told here, that in every revi- 
 val the Spirit is resisted, and in many entirely grieved 
 away, and that therefore, according to our own show- 
 ing, the work cannot continue. To this we reply that 
 it does not affect the point now under discussion, viz. 
 the possibility of constant revivals. The people need 
 not resist the Spirit ; they ought not to do it, and if 
 they do not, his operations will continue, and a con- 
 stant revival is possible. And this is the very truth 
 that we wish to fasten upon the conscience of the 
 reader. We Avish to lay a living coal of fire upon 
 the heart of every saint and sinner just here, and say 
 to him most emphatically and solemnly : Constant 
 revivals are possible ; God designs that they should 
 be so, and gives his Spirit and continues his operations 
 for this very purpose ; and where they are not, it is 
 your fault ! We desire to say to every christian con- 
 gregation, to saints and sinners, to pastor and people, 
 where a revival has commenced, and a genuine work 
 of grace is in progress, that revival may be continued, 
 not for a few weeks only, but for years, constantly ; 
 God w^ishes that it should be continued and will not 
 fail to do his part, and if it is not continued — if it 
 stop after a few weeks, and is succeeded by a dread- 
 ful decline, by a reaction^ as you call it, it will he your 
 fault ! At your door the guilt will lie. You willfully, 
 perseveringly, stubbornly resisted the Holy Ghost, 
 and hence the w^ork has ceased. 
 
 We shall probably be met here by another objec- 
 
SOME REVIVALS HAVE BEEN OF 101 
 
 to the doctrine of constant revivals ; viz. that facts 
 contradict it. The church, the objector will say, has 
 been blest with many revivals in different ages, and 
 none of them has been constant ; and this is conclu- 
 sive proof that they were never desig-ned to be so. 
 This objection, at first view, possesses a good degree 
 of plausibility ; but more mature reflection, and atten- 
 tion to the sense in which we use the phrase, constant 
 revival, will show that it is utterly fallacious. 
 
 3. Hence, we wish to remark, in the third place, 
 that there have been many most i^emarkable revivals hi 
 the church, which have, in one sense, almost literally 
 been constant and unending. 
 
 The great revival on the day of Pentecost contin- 
 ued, though not in the same manner, yet in different 
 forms and places, and under different modifications, 
 for some two or three hundred years after it first 
 commenced at Jerusalem. Sparks of the holy fire 
 which came down from heaven upon that day, were 
 scattered, as by that " rushing mighty wind," almost 
 over the known world, and by the labors of tlie apos- 
 tles were, a few years afterwards, kindled into flames 
 upon a thousand different altars. The gospel was 
 preached, the same Spirit poured out, sinners were 
 converted, and churches planted in almost every city 
 and town of the vast empire of the Romans. In fact 
 that same celestial flame is not extinguished yet, and 
 never will be until the consummation of all things. 
 
 The revival of true religion at the reformation of 
 the sixteenth century has also proved itself to be a 
 constant one ; and we bless God, that we have reason 
 
102 LON& DURATION^ 
 
 to believe that it is- destined to continue until the whole 
 world shall be brought to a knowledge of the truth.. 
 The successive revivals in Germany under the labors> 
 of Arndt, Spener, and Francke were also of long; 
 duration ; and although infidelity succeeded measur^ 
 ably in smothering the flame for a while, we rejoice 
 to be assured that it has never been entirely extin- 
 guished, but is latterly beginning to break out anew in 
 many parts of the country where it was first kindled. 
 The revivals commenced in England under the zealous 
 labors of Wesley, Whitefield, Rowland Hill, and 
 others, and which resulted in the spiritual reformation 
 of the English church, and the establishment and wide 
 extension of the Methodist Episcopal church, have 
 also, in one sense, truly been constant ; yea, and they 
 are still progressing gloriously, both in England and 
 America, and seem destined to extend their influence 
 over the world. 
 
 But, what is more immediately in point, we have 
 also known and read of individual congregations^ 
 which continued in a state, that might appropriately 
 be called a constant revival, for a number of years. 
 Such, for example, is said to have been the flourishing 
 condition of the congregations of Richard Baxter, of 
 John Brown of Haddington, and of Dr. Romaine of 
 London, for many years. Such too we have known 
 to be the case with congregations in this country 
 amono- different orthodox denominations of Christians. 
 It would, for obvious reasons, be improper to mention 
 names ; but we are personally acquainted with con- 
 gregations which have enjoyed a state of revival unin- 
 
CONSTANT REVIVAL STATE POSSIBLE. 103 
 
 terruptedly for a number of years. A lively state of 
 piety has continued ; christians have been active it# 
 every good work, feeling and doing their duty ; the 
 church was crowded sabbath after sabbath with atten- 
 tive and devout worshippers, who were not forgetful 
 hearers, but doers of the word ; almost every sermon 
 was the means of awakening and converting some 
 souls ; there -were always some anxious inquirers in 
 the congregation, and almost every prayer meeting 
 was an anxious meeting ; the members generally were 
 in earnest to work out their own salvation with fear 
 and tremblmg, and were zealously laboring to bring 
 all others over whom they could exert any influence 
 with them to the Savior and to heaven. Such con- 
 gregations truly are " tlie light of the world," " the 
 salt of the earth," and as " cities set on a hill." The 
 question tlierefore is put to rest. We may have a 
 constant state of revival in our congregations, and we 
 are surely guilty in the sight of God for not enjoying 
 such a state uninterruptedly. There is deep and 
 awful guilt where a congregation not only permits a 
 genuine revival to die away, but a state of decline, of 
 coldness and deadness to succeed. This is so far from 
 being a necessary consequence of the revival, that it 
 is an awful abuse of the work. It is just as necessary 
 and as much the duty of a whole congregation, to 
 continue in a state of lively active piety at all times, 
 as of an individual christian. And the one case is just 
 as possible as the other. Is it the duty of every 
 christian constantly to " grow in grace, and increase 
 in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus 
 
104 CONGREGATIONS MUST GROW IN GRACE. 
 
 Christ?" — " to keep himself in the love of God ?" — 
 ^" to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth 
 so easily beset him, and run with patience the 
 race set before him ?" — " to strive to enter in at the 
 strait gate ?" Is this the duty of the individual chris- 
 tian, and is it possible for him to perform it ? and is 
 not the same true of the whole congregation, since it 
 is composed of individual christians ? .We suppose 
 no one will contend that it is impossible for an indi- 
 vidual christian " to walk with God" as Enoch did ; 
 and why then should it be impossible for a number of 
 christians, or a whole congregation to do so ? But 
 the argum.ent is conclusive ; it is not necessary that 
 w^e should pursue it any farther. A state of constant 
 revival is both possible and practicable, and every 
 christian ought constantly to aim at it, and labor and 
 pray for it. Would that we could awaken the whole 
 church to the importance of this subject. May God 
 in great mercy send us constant, ever continuing, all 
 conquering revivals throughout the entire American 
 churches, and the world ! May the work commence 
 and never cease until millenial glory shall beam upon 
 us, and the triumphant anthem roll over the whole 
 earth : " The kingdoms of this world, have become 
 the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ V Amen. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " NEW measures" " OLD MEASURES." MEANS TO 
 
 BE EMPLOYED FOR THE PROMOTION OF REVIVALS. 
 
 There has, for some years, been much useless and 
 injurious controversy in some parts of the church, on 
 the subject of (so called) old and new measures. This 
 has been true particularly in connection with revivals 
 of religion, and hence claims a brief notice at our 
 hands. Friends and brethren even have in some 
 instances, been estranged, and arrayed themselves in 
 opposing parties under the name of new and old 
 measure men!^ By some, revivals of religion, and 
 every thing connected with them, have been classed 
 among new measures, and, without further examina- 
 tion, have been unceremoniously opposed and con- 
 demned on this ground alone ! No matter how many 
 souls are converted, and how great the amount of good 
 accomplished by them, they are new measures^ and 
 therefore must be opposed ! Now is not this a most 
 foolish and sinful course of conduct, deserving the 
 severest and most decided rebukes of all good men .? 
 The phrase " new measures" has been employed by 
 such men to signify useless and injurious innovations 
 upon venerable and well established customs and 
 usages : and in their view revivals, and all the means 
 
106 NO STICKLER FOR MEASURES. 
 
 employed to promote them, are such innovations and 
 foster a spirit of enthusiasm and wild-fire, and hence 
 they suppose they are doing G od a service by exerting 
 all their influence against them. We trust we have 
 already proved satisfactorily that this objection is 
 unfounded in truth, and that genuine revivals are the 
 work of God's Holy Spirit, and that opposition to 
 them, is really opposition to God himself; and here 
 we are willing to permit this part of the subject to 
 rest. 
 
 On the other hand, it cannot be denied, that some, 
 who styled themselves 7iew measure men, have gone 
 to the other extreme. They have as unceremoniously 
 condemned all, and endeavored to stigmatize them as 
 old measure men, who did not just agree, and go all 
 lengths with them in their wild notions. By old 
 measure men these persons mean all unconverted, 
 cold-hearted formalists in religion, who have grasped 
 the shadow and missed the • substance — who have a 
 name to live but are dead. Hence it has come to 
 pass that some of the most prudent, pious, and worthy 
 men in the church, who hesitated to adopt all that 
 passed for new measures have been called old measure 
 men, that is, unconverted, cold-hearted formalists, 
 who are opposed to the progress of true piety and 
 the spiritual interests of the Redeemer's kingdom ! 
 Now it is clear that both these classes of persons are 
 ultra in their views, and that the whole controversy 
 has now turned upon a mutual misunderstanding and 
 misapprehension of the phrase new measures, and 
 hence ought to be immediately abandoned. There 
 
KO STICKLER FOR MEASURES* 107 
 
 f/iave ii^deed s.l\vays been two sorts or classes of 
 (persons in tke church; viz. the converted and the 
 •?jnconvertecl, the true christian and the hypocrite, the 
 warm-hearted, actii/e, zealous believer, and the cold, 
 sleeping, dead formalist, the friends and eaemies of 
 ■experimental piety and genuifte revivals. But we 
 'deny that the distinction of old and new measure men 
 properly designates these two classes. Jill the so- 
 called old measure men are not unoonveiied and 
 opposed to experimental religion; nor are all who 
 favor what they call new measures the pious, sincere, 
 -and devoted disciples of the Master whom they pro- 
 fess to be. Just the contrary is in many eases the 
 truth. Some of the most intelligent, devoted, and active 
 ministers of Christ have been styled old measure men, 
 and others who would almost fight for what they call 
 new 'measures are undoubtedly hypocrites. We do 
 .therefore most positively and decidedly oppose this 
 attempt to divide the church into old and new measure 
 parties. It sets up unjust and unscriptural tests, and 
 causes bickerings, heart-burnings, and divisions which 
 are sinful and injurious. We go farther. We object 
 altogether to the use of the phrases old and new 
 measures, as watch-words in this controversy. They 
 are in the moiith of every person, and they mean — 
 what.^ An echo answers what. Perhaps no two in- 
 dividuals use them to mean precisely the same thing. 
 Away then with such unmeaning, ambiguous, and 
 NStrife-creating watch-words from the christian church. 
 We, for ourselves, shall never admit this distinction, 
 wor eonseot to be id^entified with either of these parties. 
 
108 THE OBJECT OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. 
 
 Should the question therefore be asked, " are you an 
 old, or a new measure man?" we reply unequivocally, 
 we are neither, and we do not admit the correctness. 
 or justice of the distinction. Are we asked again^ 
 " are you then in favor of old, or of new measures?" 
 we reply again, we are in favor of 60^/1, and indeed 
 of all other measures, in so far as they are scriptural 
 and good, and meet with the approbation and blessing 
 of God in the conversion and salvation of souls, hi 
 fact w'e are no stickler for measures at all. Any 
 measures which God approves and blesses suit us. 
 We have one great and glorious object in view, of 
 which w^e endeavor never to lose sight, and to the 
 accomplishment of this object we seek to make every 
 thing bend. This object is the regeneration and sanc- 
 tificalion of souls •, the bringing of men from darkness- 
 to light, and from the power of sin and Satan^'untO' 
 God. For this solely we wish to labor and pray^ 
 strive and toil, and exert every energy of body and 
 mind, and if this grand and glorious object be only 
 accomplished to the utmost possible extent, w^e care 
 but little by what means. We shall never quarrel 
 with any christian about external modes; for we do- 
 believe that in all non-essentials — in all forms and 
 ceremonies which are not distinctly defined in the word 
 of God, " the liberty wherew^ith Christ hath made us 
 ivcQ.,'^'' permits us to do as we please, and as circum- 
 stances may dictate. We think the language of every 
 christian ought to be, " I am determined by the grace 
 of God to go to heaven myself, and to take as many 
 otl.ers w'ith me, as I possibly can. I am willing to 
 
NEW DISCOVERIES ARE DAILY MADE. 109 
 
 adopt any wise and good measures to win souls to 
 Christ — willing^ in a certain sense to " become all 
 things to all men^ if by any means I might gain some." 
 If the controversy were about any thing essential 
 to the salvation of men — if any prominent doctrine of 
 the Scriptures were involved in the issue, or a new 
 gospel were about to be introduced, then it would 
 become our duty " to contend earnestly for the faith 
 once delivered to the saints:" but as Ions: as it is 
 about mere non-essential modes and forms, it is surely 
 both a sin and a shame for brethren to fall out by 
 the way, and turn those weapons against each other, 
 which should be employed only against the common 
 enemy. That new discoveries in science should tend 
 to modify our interpretation of parts of the scriptures, 
 and neio modes and ceremonies should be introduced 
 into the external management of religious institutions 
 and the affairs of the church, is surely neither strange 
 nor remarkable. The world, at the present day, and 
 especially our own country, is full of new inventions, 
 improvements, and innovations of every kind. Every 
 class of society — every department of labor — the 
 arts, sciences, and education are all blessed, or per- 
 haps sometimes cursed with them. The march of 
 knowledge and of the human mind is onward, and a 
 thousand new discoveries are made, experiments 
 tried, old systems exploded, and new ones established 
 upon their ruins. Rail-roads, steam-boats, patent in- 
 ventions, and labor-saving machmes, as well as im- 
 proved systems of philosophy, science, education, 
 and politics, are among the new things of the day. 
 5* 
 
110 It IS FOOLISH TO OPPOSE EVERY THING NEW. 
 
 Now it is plain that some of these new measures are 
 not better than the old ones; often not as good, and 
 after a short existence have to give way again to 
 them. Yet no man in his senses would oppose every 
 thing which is new, or try to arrest the spirit of in- 
 quiry and improvement of which it is indicative. It 
 is evident also that this spirit, so universally pervad- 
 ing the American people, will manifest itself in their 
 religion and religious institutions; nor can you, with- 
 out the most serious injury to the cause of God, with 
 a blind and superstitious zeal for old fashions and cus-^ 
 toms, even attempt an indiscriminate opposition. On 
 the contrary, you must take the world as it is ; fall in 
 with the spirit of the age; endeavor to discriminate 
 well between the good and the evil; and exert all 
 your influence that the good may prevail and the evil 
 be checked. You dare not attempt to oppose the 
 waves of popular commotion altogether, or they will 
 soon swallow you up ; but you must launch out upon 
 them, and taking advantage of every favorable breeze, 
 you must endeavor to direct men in the way they 
 should go. The man therefore who opposes every 
 thing that is new in religion simply because it is new, 
 deserves to be greatly pitied for his ignorance and 
 stupidity. 
 
 But many of those measures in the management of 
 religious affairs which are called neio^ at the present 
 day, are as old as the church itself Some call revi- 
 vals new measures. But we have already shown that 
 they have existed in all ages both of the Jewish and 
 Christian churches. There were scenes of religious 
 
NEW MEASURES, SABBATH SCHOOLS, HI 
 
 ■excitement in the days of Moses, Joshua, Samuel, 
 Elijah, Ezra, David, and John, Christ, Peter, Paul, 
 and of Luther, Spener, Wesley, Whitefield, and in 
 our own country, of Edwards, the Tennents, Payson, 
 and thousands of others, which all resembled each 
 other, and may appropriately he called revivals. Some 
 call Sabbath-Schools new measures. And we all 
 know that in their present form they are of compara- 
 tively recent origin. Are they any the less useful 
 and important on this account? What is their object? 
 It is the religious education of youth. And is this 
 a new measure? Do we not hear good old Moses 
 already giving- command in reference to the instruc- 
 tion of children in the doctrines of religion ? " All 
 these words which I command thee this day, shall be 
 in thine heart : And thou shalt teach them diligently 
 unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou 
 sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the 
 way, and Avhen thou liest down, and when thou risest 
 up." Deut. vi. 6 — 7. The Jews, in their better and 
 more prosperous days, were in fact remarkably dili- 
 gent and careful in the religious instruction of their 
 youth. And as to the mode, the above passage seems 
 to give great latitude ; and it is surely both absurd 
 and sinful to quarrel about the mode, be it by the use 
 of old or new measures, if the great object is only 
 successfully accomplished. We also hear the blessed 
 Savior giving the interesting and important command, 
 ^' Feed my lambs," to the apostle Peter, under the 
 most solemn circumstances, without defining the mode 
 by which he was to do it. Surely under these cir- 
 
112 BIBLE, TRACT, EDUCAT. AND MISs'y SOCIETIES. 
 
 cumstances the church is at liberty to adopt any wise 
 and good measures, old or new, if only the lambs of the 
 f.ock are fed. And what means are better calculated 
 to do this than Sabbath Schools ? Does not that man 
 manifest a most shameful degree of ignorance and 
 stupidity who opposes Sabbath-Schools because they 
 are among the new measures of the day ? 
 
 Some call Bible, Tract, Education and Missionary 
 Societies new measures, and oppose them on this 
 ground. But are they not still the very means which 
 God employs and blesses to the extension of his king- 
 dom over the w'orld, and the salvation of tens of 
 thousands of souls.'' Is it not by means of these so- 
 cieties that the churches are going into all the w^orld, 
 and preaching the gospel to every creature? These 
 societies in their present organization are new; but 
 they are accomplishing the very object for which 
 the kingdom of Christ was established upon earth. 
 Shall we oppose them and tear them to pieces be- 
 cause they are classed among new measures. Tem- 
 perance societies are new measures. And yet every 
 iriend of man must acknowledge that their object is 
 good; that they have been instrumental in saving 
 thousands and tens of thousands from the shame, 
 crimes, miseries, grave, and hell of the drunkard. 
 Then why oppose them ? O because they are new 
 measures ! But Paul in his day already declares, 
 '' It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, 
 nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is 
 offended, or is made weak." Rom. xiv. 21. But in 
 our day the drinking of wine, or any other intoxi- 
 
MEANS TO PROMOTE REVIVALS. 113 
 
 eating liquor, is the means by wliich thousands upon 
 thousands of our brethren are made to stumble^ to 
 become offended^ and weak; are we not then bound 
 by every tie of humanity and love for their bodies 
 and souls to abstain entirely from the use of that 
 which does them this great injury ? Otherwise are 
 we not instrumental by our example in leading them 
 to do that by which their bodies are killed, and their 
 souls damned ? O what multitudes stumble, become 
 offended, and are made weak by the example of pro- 
 fessed christians even ! How such persons "let their 
 lidit shine before men !" Alas ! their lis^ht is all dark* 
 ness ; but they are opposed to new measures, and 
 therefore must oppose the Temperance cause ! ! 
 
 But no doubt some of our readers will be impatient 
 to hear what means we recommeyid to he employed for 
 the promotion of revivals, and then they will know 
 whether to approve or condemn us. Well, we shall 
 be very candid ; and yet we are not certain that we 
 have any thing that is at all new to propose on the 
 subject. 
 
 1 . But the first means to be employed for the pro- 
 motion of genuine revivals of religion, is the constant 
 plain, practical and faithful preaching of the gospel. 
 This is emphatically the grand means which God him- 
 self has appointed for the conversion of the world. No 
 other institution or means, which is calculated to sup- 
 plant or supersede this, can prosper or be innocently 
 employed. Prominence must ever be given to this in- 
 stitution, and if faithfully employed, God will always 
 own and bless it to the salvation of men. But in 
 
114 FAITHFUL PREACIIIN©. 
 
 order to this tlie preaching must ever be of the right 
 kind. The preacher must himself be a truly con- 
 verted and a deeply pious man. God never called 
 an unconverted man into the ministry. Thousands of 
 such have rushed into it uncalled, but it was against 
 the will of God. He that would lead sinners to 
 Christ must have experienced the power of vital god- 
 liness in his own soul, and been made experimentally 
 acquainted with the way of salvation through a cru- 
 citied Redeemer. The sacred fire of divine love 
 must have been kindled in his own soul by the Holy 
 Ghost, and by much prayer and communion with 
 God, must be kept constantly and vigorously burning. 
 If this qualification be wanting, he must be a " blind 
 leader of the blind." All other attainments are com- 
 paratively useless without this. Still it is not the only 
 qualification — many others are indispensable to the 
 greatest success, and it is no part of our plan to dis- 
 cuss them here — but deep personal piety is the first, 
 the greatest, and the most important 
 
 Such is the revival preacher. How must he preach? 
 From the heart, "as a dying man to dying men," in 
 view of the great judgment day. He must "- preach 
 the word ; be instant in season, out of season; re- 
 prove, rebuke, exhort w^ith all long-suffering and doc- 
 trine." 2 Tim. iv. 2. He must preach "the word," 
 the whole word, and nothing but the word of God. 
 The gospel; not rhetoric, philosophy, and moral 
 essays — not incomprehensible metaphysics, or scho- 
 lastic subtleties — not " foolish questions," and angry 
 controversies — not human creeds and sectarian dog- 
 
FAITHFUL PREACHING. 115 
 
 mas— not cold, lifeless, heartless homilies; but the 
 gospelj warm, pure, and holy as it came from heaven 
 — Jesus Christ and him crucified as the centre and 
 substance of the law and the gospel ; as the sum of 
 the whole system of divine truth. All his subjects 
 must be radiant with the glory which beams from the 
 cross, and then he can scarcely fail to win souls — 
 then his "thoughts will glow, and his words will 
 burn," and sinners will be converted. He must preach 
 constantly; '* in season, out of season:" seize favorable 
 times and opportunities, if they present themselves ; 
 if not, take unfavorable ones. Preach you must, and 
 that constantly. Let not your eiforts be divided among 
 half a dozen or more congregations, but concentrate 
 them, if possible, upon one or two. Preach con- 
 stantly ; on the Sabbath and in the week ; in the pul- 
 pit and from house to house, by precept and example. 
 Preach plai7ily and simply, so that you are sure those 
 of least capacity understand you, and then you will 
 not fail to instruct and edify all. Preach practical 
 sermons ; not cold^ long? dry, soul-starving doctrinal 
 discussions on the one hand ; nor mere ranting decla- 
 mation, and foaming, furious, fiery exhortation, with- 
 out substance or sense, on the other: but the deep 
 and solid truths of the Bible, the marrow of the gos- 
 pel in a practical manner. Instruct and enlighten the 
 understanding and convince the intellect, and then 
 touch, electrify the passions, and thus irresistibly 
 move the heart.' Dip the arrows of your quiver in 
 the blood of the Lamb, and then take sure aim, and 
 beseeching God for the influence of the Spirit, you 
 
116 PROTRACTED MEETINGSi 
 
 will preach with demonstration and power. Preach 
 faithfully. Keep back no part of the truth from fear, 
 favor, or regard to men's opinions. Preach the law 
 and the gospel just as they are — add nothing, subtract 
 nothing. Cast no part into the shade through your 
 preference for another, or by presenting one side or 
 subject to the neglect of another of equal or greater 
 importance. Do not smooth down the bold and pro- 
 minent features of the word, or blunt the edge of " the 
 sword of the Spirit" by the oil of rhetoric, or the 
 tinsel and ornament of imagination ; and on the con- 
 trary, make no rough places where the gospel is 
 smooth. In a word, always remember that you stand 
 between Almighty God and never-dying souls, and 
 are his mouth to men, and- so preach each sermon, as 
 if it were your last before meeting your hearers at 
 the judgment bar. Thus preach, and souls will be 
 converted, sanctified, and saved. Such is revival 
 preaching, and it cannot fail, by the power of that 
 Spirit, which ever accompanies God's word faithfully 
 administered, to promote genuine revivals. 
 
 2. Protracted meetings have been eminently blessed 
 to the promotion of genuine revivals. The Pastor 
 and the officers of his congregation agree upon a time 
 when they will set apart a few days, or a whole week 
 or more, as a season of special prayer, preaching, 
 and effort for the conversion of sinners and the salva- 
 tion of souls. Several neighboring clergymen are 
 invited to assist. The time appointed arrives, and 
 the meeting is commenced, and several sermons a day 
 are preached, prayer-meetings and other exercises 
 
PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 117 
 
 held during its continuance. The seed sown is co- 
 piously watered by the prayers of believers. Chris- 
 tians are exhorted to dedicate themselves anew to the 
 Lord, to aim at higher attainments in the divine hfe, 
 to be more fervent and importunate in prayer, and to 
 make renewed and more zealous efforts for the imme- 
 diate conversion of souls. Backsliders are warned 
 of their danger, and earnestly entreated to return to 
 their forsaken God ; and impenitent sinners are sol- 
 emnly urged to flee from the wrath to come, and im- 
 mediately to accept the oflers of mercy made them 
 through Jesus Christ. Such meetings properly con- 
 ducted, never fail to be highly useful to the members 
 of the congregation in which they are held, and in 
 many instances are followed by glorious revivals of 
 religion. And why should it not be so ? Here are 
 used the very means which God himself has appointed 
 and promised to bless : prayer, preaching of the word, 
 and individual effort. The meetings are so frequently 
 held, that good impressions produced by one sermon 
 have not time to be effaced or to die away until they 
 are followed up and deepened by another. The sin- 
 ner who has succeeded in stifling his convictions, and 
 grieving away the Spirit of God for a long time, 
 when he heard a sermon only once a week, or once 
 in several weeks, has not time given him now to do 
 this work of death to his own soul. If he can be* 
 induced to attend the meetings and give attention to 
 the word, he almost involuntarily becomes an awa- 
 kened, seeking, anxious inquirer, and is led to the foot 
 of the cross to sue for pardon and salvation. 
 
118 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 
 
 We have however several more specific sugges- 
 tions to offer on the subject of protracted meetings to 
 which we invite attention. 
 
 In the first place the icay must he well prepared in 
 the congregation in which the meeting is to be held, 
 if success is to attend the effort. On this subject we 
 may adopt the language of John the Baptist, the fore- 
 runner of Christ, and say to the people who are about 
 to hold a protracted meeting, very emphatically, 
 " Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths 
 straight." Matt. iii. 3. The way had to be prepared 
 for the coming of the Lord then, and it must be pre- 
 pared for his coming in our hearts and congregations 
 now. Let no congregation suppose that God will 
 send them success in a protracted meeting, if they do 
 not prepare the way: they must wake up to their duty. 
 
 We shall no doubt be asked ichat kind of prepara- 
 tion is necessary, and hoiv it is to be made.'' We re- 
 ply, first, there is an external or worldly preparation 
 necessary. The members of the congregation must 
 so arrange their temporal affairs, their worldly busi- 
 ness, that they can attend the meetings, and give their 
 influence and assistance. They should also endeavor 
 to induce their families, relatives, friends and neigh- 
 bors to attend, so that the house of God may be filled 
 with attentive hearers of the word. " Faith cometh 
 by hearing, and hearing b}^ the word of God ;" but 
 how can men hear, if they are not present when the 
 gospel is preached .^ It is of no use to hold a pro- 
 tracted meeting in a congregation unless the members 
 themselves attend, and exert themselves to induce all 
 
PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 119 
 
 Others, over whom they have any influence, to attend 
 also. Still more, persons must not only attend the 
 meetings, but also, as much as possible, v\^ithdra\v 
 their attention from their worldly cares during the 
 continuance of the meeting. A man may suspend his 
 actual labors and employment, and still his mind may 
 be so harassed and perplexed by worldly cares, that 
 he can give but little attention to the subject of reli- 
 gion. The hours appointed for the meeting should 
 be considered consecrated^ holy time, which is scru- 
 pulously devoted to God and his service. 
 
 Again, there is a preparation of heart necessary 
 among the members of the congregation. They must 
 not only properly arrange their worldly affairs, and 
 lay aside their cares and anxieties, but they must also 
 carefully examine into their own spiritual condition. 
 Every member should ask himself such questions as 
 these: " Is it well with my soul.'' Am I growing in 
 grace, and advancing in the divine life, as*[ should.'* 
 Have I lived as near to my Lord and Savior, and en- 
 joyed as much happiness in communion with him, as 
 I might have done .'' Am 1 as much concerned for the 
 salvation of precious souls, and the extension of the 
 Redeemer's kingdom as I should be } Am I really 
 answering the end of my being, and accomplishing 
 the work for which God sent me into the -world ?" 
 A candid and serious self-examination of this kind, 
 with devout prayer for the illumination of the Holy 
 Ghost, will not fail to discover to each member his 
 true condition in the sight of God. It will point out 
 to him his remaining sins and short-comings, produce 
 
120 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 
 
 humility and contrition of soul, and lead him to con- 
 fess his sins to God and implore pardon, and to dedi- 
 cate himself anew to his service. He will see and 
 feel the necessity of a revival in his own soul, and his 
 earnest prayer will be, " O Lord revive thy work in 
 my soul, and in the hearts of thy people:" Such a 
 preparation of heart among the members of a con- 
 gregation generally is itself a revival, and will soon 
 extend also to sinners. 
 
 Further ; the real state of piety in the congregation 
 and neighborhood must also be inquired into by the 
 pastor and his peopje, so that the desirableness and 
 necessity of a revival may be seen and felt. Christians 
 should remember that they are " The salt of the 
 earth" — '' The light of the world" — " A city set upon 
 a hill, which cannot be hid !" Hence the light of 
 every congregation should so shine, that the world, 
 seeing their good works, may be led to glorify our 
 Father ^^,%o is in heaven. How can this be the case 
 when all is cold, form.al and dead in the church } — 
 When there scarcely seems to be a vestige of vital 
 godliness remaining ? Often is the religion of the 
 Savior discredited, Avickedness and infidelity increased, 
 and the cono^res^ation becomes a curse rather than a 
 blessing to the community by its long continuance in 
 such a sad state of decline. The members have not 
 exhibited the power, beauty, and fruits of true piety 
 in their lives, and hence have belied their religion 
 before the world. Now here the standard must be 
 raised, formal professors wakened up, and an effort 
 made to brin2: the church back to the state in which 
 
PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 121 
 
 it ought to be. But this cannot be done until its real 
 condition is understood and made known. Nor should 
 this examination be confined to the church. Christians 
 should look beyond it, and inquire into the spiritual 
 condition of their families, and their neighborhood. 
 They should remember the value of precious souls, and 
 that none can be saved without repentance and faith — 
 that the present is their only day of grace, and that if 
 it passes by unimproved, they must perish forever ! — 
 They should remember that an awful responsibility 
 rests upon them, and tliat God will require the blood 
 of souls at their hands, which perish through their 
 neglect. Such an inquiry into the state of piety in a 
 congregation and neighborhood will show the necessity 
 of a revival, and of renewed efforts for the salvation 
 of men. It will create a strong desire for a Avork of 
 grace, and lead to fervent prayer, and active zealous 
 labors that during the meeting the means may be 
 owned and blessed, and the Spirit of God copiously 
 poured out upon the people. — The way must also be 
 prepared by much fervent, importunate, believing 
 prayer. Prayer is the grand means appointed to 
 obtain the blessing of the Holy Spirit. When God 
 was about to revive Israel and restore them to a state 
 of prosperity and happiness, after their return from 
 captivity, he used this language ; " Then will I sprinkle 
 clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all 
 your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse 
 you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new 
 spirit will I put within you ; and I will take away the 
 stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you ant 
 
122 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 
 
 heart of flesh." God declares that he will do this, 
 that it is HIS work, and further adds, ••' Thus saith the 
 Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of b}^ th*e 
 house of Israel to do it for them." Ez. xxvi. 25, 26, 
 37. — As if he had said, the great work of restoring 
 you, and making you a better and more pious people 
 belongs to me — I alone can do it ; but you must de- 
 sire it and pray for it : "I will yet be iNauiRED of 
 by you to do it for you !" This ever has been, and 
 still is God's plan. Christians must remember this. 
 Revival work is God's work, but he will not do it, 
 without the proper and faithful use of the appointed 
 means, and especially prayer, by his people. Hence 
 also the Savior has said, " Ask, and it shall be given 
 you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be 
 opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiv- 
 eth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that 
 knocketh it shall be opened. * * If ye then being evil, 
 know how to give good gifts unto your children, how 
 much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy 
 Spirit to them that ask him." Luke xi. 9, 10, 13. O 
 what fervent believing prayer there should be among 
 the members of a congregation in which a protracted 
 meeting is about to be held! They need not expect 
 a revival without this. 
 
 Again ; the preaching at a protracted meeting must 
 be of the right kind if a genuine revival is to be the 
 result. It must be timely^ suited to the capacities and 
 wants of the people, and the occasion and circum- 
 stances of the case. Ministers upon such occasions 
 need, in a very especial manner, that wisdom which 
 
PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 123 
 
 cometh from above, that they may know wliat and 
 how to preach — that they may be wise to win souls. 
 They should be made acquainted with the character 
 and condition of the people, and select their subjects 
 and present the truth accordingly, llieir own hearts 
 must he prepared and he fully in the ivork. If such 
 preparations, as we have described, have been made 
 in the conj^reg-ation, and the holy fire has already been 
 kindled and commenced to burn among the people, 
 there must be a corresponding preparation in the hearts 
 of the preachers who attend and conduct the meetings. 
 At the commencement of the meetins^ the members of 
 the church, professed christians, should be particularly 
 addressed ; because the revival must commence among 
 them. It is absurd to suppose that the work should 
 begin among sinners, while christians are all asleep. 
 Hence the first object should be to arouse professors 
 to diligent self-examination, earnest prayer, renewed 
 dedication of themselves to God, and zealous efforts 
 for the conversion of souls. In short the first two or 
 three sermons should aim at producing the preparation 
 above described ; for notwithstanding its obvious im- 
 portance and necessity, there are always some in every 
 congregation, who will neglect it until the commence- 
 ment of the meeting. 
 
 After this the preaching must be directed also to 
 the unconverted, and must be of an awakening, con- 
 vincing character. It must be eminently revival 
 preaching; such as we have already described. The 
 minister ought to insist upon the eternal importance 
 of immediate repentance and submission to God; but 
 
124 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 
 
 not without showing men, as intelligent creatures, the 
 reasonableness and necessity of the duty. Every false 
 excuse and refuge of lies must be swept away from 
 the sinner, and his guilt and danger must be set before 
 liim. Ministers must give themselves wholly to the 
 work during the meeting. We have sometimes been 
 at protracted meetings, where the intervals between 
 the stated hours for worship were so much occupied 
 by light and trifling conversation among the clergymen 
 present as to leave them neither time nor inclination 
 for meditation or private prayer, and consequently to 
 unfit them entirely for the discharge of their duties. 
 This is certainly highly sinful in the sight of God, 
 and must have a most injurious effect upon the meeting. 
 Much more might be said as to the manner of con- 
 ducting protracted meetings, but we do not wish to 
 be tedious. The hints here thrown out will have 
 tlieir desired effect if carefully pondered, in leading 
 persons to refect upon the subject. 
 
 3. Catechetical Instructions are eminently calculated 
 to promote genuine revivals. — The object of these 
 instructions is not, as many very erroneously imagine, 
 merely to impart knowledge, teach the doctrines of 
 the catechism and the church, and thus in a sort of 
 mechanical way, to make church members ; but it is 
 to awaken and convert sinners and bring them to Jesus 
 Christ. That some unconverted ministers have abused 
 this blessed and venerable institution, making it a kind 
 of machine to add members as unconverted as them- 
 selves to their congregations, cannot be denied; but 
 this surely is no valid objection to the institution itself. 
 
% 
 
 CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTIONS. 125 
 
 It only proves that this, like almost every other good 
 thing, may be misapplied and abused. Some uncon- 
 verted men have preached the gospel and administered 
 all the ordinances of the church from improper mo- 
 tives — have misapplied the most sacred institutions of 
 religion to purposes of self-aggrandizement; but w^e 
 do not condemn religion and its ordinances for this 
 abuse. So catechetical instructions are good, and in 
 the hands of evangelical and pious ministers have 
 been the means of the conversion of thousands and 
 tens of thousands of souls. The writer is acquainted 
 with men, living and dead, who, during the course 
 of a long and laborious ministry, usually instructed 
 several classes of catechumens every year, and almost 
 always had a revival of more or less extent, (though 
 probably not called by this name,) when these persons 
 were added to the church. These men made the 
 catechetical lecture room, a room of prayer, inquir}^, 
 and a very bethel to the souls of those attending. 
 Their instructions were solid, thorough, and practical, 
 and delivered with a sincerity, point, and application 
 which could not fail to make lasting impressions. 
 Their immediate object was the thorough conversion 
 of those attending the lectures. These pastors do 
 not confine themselves to the questions of the cate- 
 chism, but enter into familiar conversations with the 
 catechumens upon the subject of a change of heart 
 and experimental piety in general, and thus make their 
 meetings a sort of inquiry or class meetings, which 
 can scarcely fail to produce the most happy results. 
 The writer feels it his duty to record faithfully his 
 
126 CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTIOS^. 
 
 own testimony in favor of catechetical lectures. His- 
 own experience is, that during the course of his min- 
 istry, more souls have been converted in connection 
 with these lectures and as the result of them, than m 
 any other department of his labors. He has enjoyed 
 a number of revivals, more or less extensive under his 
 ministry, and the majority of them have commenced 
 among his catechumens, and been the immediate result 
 of these lectures. And we know this to be the ex- 
 perience of many of the most efficient and successful 
 ministers of Christ who have pursued this plan. 
 
 We do not pretend to say that these instructions , 
 even when most faithful, will in every individual case 
 result in tire conversion of those who attend them. 
 No, there will always be some, as there are under the 
 most faithful preaching of the gospel, in the class- 
 meeting, and in every revival, who will pass through 
 the whole course unconverted. But even among such,, 
 experience has shown, that when the instructions have 
 been faithful, in a majority of cases the foundation is 
 laid for their future conversion. The seed has been 
 sown, has taken deep root, and though it may lie dor- 
 mant for years, it will at last spring up and bear fruit 
 to the glory of God. 
 
 There is another remark to be made in reference 
 to these instructions. It is this, that the cases of 
 conversion which result from them are always more 
 genuine and thorough. It cannot be mere animal 
 excitement with those who have been made well 
 acquainted with the doctrines of the Bible by cate- 
 chising. They are well grounded in the truth, and 
 
SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 127 
 
 therefore know what they are doing. When they 
 become awakened and anxious about their souls, it 
 is not from mere fright or sympathy, but it is from a 
 deep and rational conviction of their sinfulness and 
 danger, produced by the Spirit of God in the appli- 
 cation of the truth which they have learned. There 
 are much fewer cases of spurious excitement, and 
 consequently of falling away afterwards among such 
 persons, than among those who have had no such in- 
 structions. They more usually remain firm, and be- 
 come active, zealous, and enlightened christians, and 
 ornaments, often pillars, in the church of Christ. — 
 No pastor therefore who is anxious to promote gen- 
 uine revivals ought to neglect so important and blessed 
 a means. We exceedingly regret that, in these latter 
 days, some men, who wish to be regarded as amongst 
 the foremost in advocating and promoting revivals, 
 have manifested a disposition to set aside and neglect 
 catechetical instructions. We admire the zeal of many 
 such brethren, but cannot think that it is according to 
 knowledge. These lectures may be an old measure 
 in their opinion, but they are one of those measures, 
 which, in faithful hands, improves by age. It is the 
 glory of those churches in which it has been properly 
 employed. We hesitate not to say that the pastor 
 who is zealous and faithful in his catechetical instruc- 
 tions, may, under the ordinary blessing of God, expect 
 a genuine revival, whenever he prepares a class for 
 confirmation. 
 
 4. Sunday Schools are another means for promoting 
 genuine revivals closely allied to catechetical instruc- 
 
128 SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 
 
 tions. The utility and great importance of these 
 institutions are no.v^ so extensively felt and so gen- 
 erally appreciated, that it may seem superfluous to say 
 any thing in vindication of them. It is believed that 
 their influence upon the American churches, and 
 through them upon the world, is at this day more 
 powerful and extensive than that of any other instru- 
 mentality employed by them. 
 
 Yet while this seems to be generally seen and 
 acknowledged, we are under the impression that the 
 immediate and powerful agency of Sunday Schools in 
 promoting genuine revivals has not been so fully 
 appreciated. Christians have believed that the good 
 seed of gospel truth sown in the youthful mind in 
 the sabbath school would produce fruit at some future 
 time ; but in many, perhaps we ought to say, in a great 
 majority of instances, they seem to have failed to 
 expect, labor, and pray for immediate results in the 
 conversion of the children. And yet what is the 
 history of revwals in connection with sunday schools? 
 It is that many of the most extensive and powerful 
 commenced in sabbath-schools, and frequently a large 
 number of the subjects, sometimes nearly all of them, 
 were or had been sabbath scholars. We can add 
 our testimony here, that especially in one of the most 
 extensive and blessed revivals which God ever sent 
 us, nearly all the teachers, and a number of the larger 
 scholars in the Sunday school were subjects. 
 
 Indeed sabbath-school instructions, if properly and 
 faithfully given, are the very means to prepare the 
 way for a revival ? and we hesitate not to remark, 
 
BOOKS AND TRACTS. 129 
 
 without fear of successful contradiction, that a careful 
 examination would show, that the multitudes of revi- 
 vals, which have blessed the American churches for 
 a number of years past, might be traced, among other 
 means, to the influence of sabbath schools. Then 
 may we look for a constant state of revival in the 
 churches, when sabbath school instructions have 
 become so universal and faithful, that all shall know 
 the Lord from the least to the greatest — when these 
 instructions shall be given with the design, the earnest 
 expectation, the fervent prayer that they may result 
 in the conversion of those to whom they are given. 
 
 5. The circulation of Tracts and Books on practical 
 piety has alao been found a blessed means to promote 
 genuine revivals. A time of revival is always a time 
 of inquiry among the people. Almost all persons 
 become anxious to hear and read on religious subjects ; 
 and if the truth is not within their reach, they will lay 
 hold of error. Old and young, saint and sinner, the 
 devoted christian and the formalist, the backslider, 
 the hypocrite the awakened soul, and the young con- 
 vert, all want instruction, and will read then what 
 they would not at any other time. Consequently it 
 becomes our sacred duty not only to furnish proper 
 and faithful instructions from the pulpit, but also books 
 and tracts which can be read in the retirement of the 
 domestic circle and the closet. 
 
 Do we find it necessary and important, in times of 
 revival, to call in the aid of neighboring clergymen ^ — 
 by means of tracts and books we can obtain the assis- 
 tance of many of the ablest and best men that ever 
 
130 BOOKS AND TRACTS. 
 
 lived. For their best and most powerful efforts were 
 put forth in the production of those books which they 
 have left behind, and by which, " being dead, they 
 yet speak!" Here we can call upon the venerable 
 Arndt to come to our help in the German language, 
 and in his " True Christianity" he will tell every 
 sincere inquirer what true religion is, and how it is to 
 be obtained. We can ask Baxter, in his serious and 
 solemn manner, to " Call" upon the unconverted and 
 urge them to flee from the wrath to come, and Alleine 
 to sound his tremendous " Alarm" in their slumbering 
 ears. Doddridge can be called in to explain to us 
 the " Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul ;" 
 Bunyan to show us the " Pilgrims Progress" from the 
 city of destruction, through difficulties, dangers, and 
 trials, to heaven and eternal happiness ; and Baxter to 
 unfold to our astonished views, " The Saint's Ever- 
 lasting Rest." Pike can be invited to " Persuade to 
 Early Piety," and " Guide young Disciples ;" James 
 to direct the " Anxious Inquirer ;" and Abbot to lead 
 on the " Young Christian." O what a host of revival 
 preachers, some living and some dead, we can thus 
 summon to our aid ! And these preachers will remain 
 with us constantly, will visit our lanes and alleys, high 
 ways and hedges, our family circles and our closets. 
 They are always upon the spot, and in moments of 
 sober reflection, calm reason, and devout meditation 
 can most successfully preach the word. O what 
 errors they can correct, what doubts remove, what 
 consolation impart ? Who would not avail himself of 
 such valuable assistance in the promotion of genuine 
 
TE.A.YEII MEETINGS. 131 
 
 revivals? The above, and -many oUier invaluable 
 works, are published by that noble institution, tht- 
 ^^ American Tract Society," and systematic efforts are 
 now made to distribute them by thousands and tens ol' 
 .thousands throuorhout the entire United States. 
 
 6. Social Prayer-Meetings are indispensable to the 
 promotion and keeping up of g-enuine revivals. The 
 first great revival that God ever sent upon the Chris- 
 tian Church, and which resulted in the conversion of 
 three thousand souls in one day, and the firm estab- 
 lishment of that church, commenced in a prayer-meet- 
 dug. We need scarcely add that we refer to the out- 
 pouring of the Floly Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. 
 We are distinctly informed that the hundred and 
 twenty disciples continued in prayer and supplication 
 in their upper room at Jerusalem from day to day 
 until they received the promised blessing. Yea, they 
 were actually engaged, with one accord, in this so- 
 cial prayer meeting, when the Spirit was sent down 
 upon them. Indeed we believe, that there cannot be 
 a revival, without prayer-meetings. A genuine revi- 
 val will convert the assembled congregation into a 
 prayer-meeting. If professed christians will not pray 
 at such times, awakened sinners will, and will com- 
 mence prayer-meetings too. They are the very at- 
 mosphere of revivals- It is in these meetings, that 
 persons make known their wants to God, unburden 
 Iheir cares, confess their sins, and implore pardon. 
 It is here that they feel at h>^me, and approach into 
 the very audience chamber of the King of kings, and 
 Lord 0^ lords. 
 
132 PRAYER-MEETINGS. 
 
 Prayer-meetings are especially important in keep- 
 ing up a revival. They keep alive the flame of true 
 piety in the hearts of christians; strengthen the weak; 
 establish the doubting ; direct the inquiring ; comfort 
 the mourner; succor the tempted; and tend eminently 
 to keep all near to their Savior. The awakened sin- 
 ner will almost instinctively resort to the prayer- 
 meeting. There is no danger that a genuine work of 
 grace will ever cease in a congregation, as long as 
 the prayer-meetings are regularly, zealously, and 
 faithfully kept up several times a week. No sad de- 
 cline, or dreadful reaction will ever be seen or felt as 
 long as this is done. Very few cases of falling away 
 or backsliding will ever occur among those who regu- 
 larly attend the prayer-meetings. 
 
 There ought to be at least three prayer-meetings a 
 week in every christian congregation; — one male, one 
 female, and one general prayer-meeting. Let the 
 general meeting be held, say, on Wednesday evening, 
 and then let all attend and join devoutly in all the ex- 
 ercises; — let the Pastor conduct this meeting; first 
 delivering a short practical lecture, and then calling 
 upon a number of the brethren, to lead in prayer. 
 Let him vary his subjects from time to time, and al- 
 ways come so prepared in head and heart, that by 
 the grace of God, he may always be able to present 
 something to instruct, to interest, to profit and build 
 up his people. Dont let him come unprepared week 
 after week to make a few common place remarks, or 
 he will soon put an end to the most interesting revival, 
 rock his people all soundly and comfortably to sleep, 
 and thin out, or entirely break up his meetings. 
 
PRAYER-MEETINGS. 133 
 
 The male prayer-meeting can be held on some even- 
 ing in the week, or if that be inconvenient, on Sunday 
 morning before church. Let this meeting be held in 
 the Lecture room, or in some private house. Let the 
 members of the church council, and all the male 
 members, old and young, who possibly can, attend 
 this meeting. Dont expect or ask the Pastor to at- 
 tend it, unless he chooses to do so ; and when he is 
 present'dont put upon him the labor of conducting the 
 meeting, unless he wishes to do it. Let some five or 
 six of the most pious and experienced men in the 
 congregation be appointed to conduct these meetings 
 alternately. Let the exercises be singing, prayer, 
 reading a portion of Scripture, and if practicable one 
 or more very short exhortations. Let brotherly love 
 and Christian fellowship be the governing principle 
 in these meetings. Let all seek to "bear each other's 
 burdens," and build each other up in the christian 
 life. Let it be the earnest and prayerful effort of 
 each-member to contribute all in his power to make 
 the meetings interesting and profitable to all who 
 attend them. If any brother becomes cold, back- 
 slides, or is overtaken in a fault let the others do all 
 in their power to reclaim and restore him in the spirit 
 of kindness and love — converse with him, pray with 
 him, and beseech him for God's sake to return imme- 
 diately. Is any one sick, afflicted, or in distress; let 
 the rest visit him, and seek to administer to his wants. 
 Let all attending this meeting be eminently a band of 
 brethren, in whom there is no guile. Let each one 
 try to get all the male members of the congregation 
 
134 PRAYER-MEETINGS. 
 
 into this prayer meeting ; or if this would make the 
 meeting too large, let two or more of exactly the 
 same character be formed in the congr^-ation ; one 
 among the old, and another among the young men. 
 Whenever an individual is awakened under the 
 preaching of the pastor, or by any other means, let 
 him, if possible, and as soon as possible be added to 
 this praying band. Let those of most experience 
 visit him, converse and pray with him, and seek to 
 induce him to attend the prayer-meeting. Other ex- 
 ercises, such as relating personal experience, might 
 occasionally be introduced into these meetings with 
 very good effect, if carefully and judiciously done. 
 Yet experience seems to teach that this should not be 
 an ordinary feature of the meetings. Personal expe- 
 rience often told becomes uninteresting, if it does not 
 degenerate into egotism and hypocrisy. But if occa- 
 sionally one and another of the members of the prayer 
 meeting has experience of any special interest, it may 
 assist greatly to strengthen and confirm others, if 
 carefully and judiciously related. 
 
 The same reasons that should induce every con- 
 gregation to form such a male prayer-meeting as we 
 have now endeavored to describe, should induce them 
 to form one of precisely the same kind among the 
 female members. They need it just as much, and their 
 influence upon the congregation for good or evil is 
 just as great. The female prayer -meeting ought, for 
 obvious reasons, to be held, not in the evenings but in 
 the day time : on some afternoon in the week. Let 
 all the pious females in the congregation meet to- 
 
PRAYER-MEETINGS. 135 
 
 getlier in tlie lecture room, or in some private house 
 and form themselves into a social prayer-meeting. 
 Let no niale member at all be present — not even their 
 pastor, unless it be at first to organize their meeting, 
 or afterwards by their unanimous request. They will 
 feel under less restraint, and have more freedom in 
 prayer when he is not at their meeting. Let a num- 
 ber be appointed by mutual consent to conduct the 
 meeting alternately ; and let the exercises be singing, 
 prayer, and reading a portion of God's word. Let 
 all malice, pride, hypocrisy, evil speaking, and dis- 
 tinction of rank or condition be laid aside and forgot- 
 ten here ; and let them meet as a band of christian 
 sisters, given to the Lord and his service. They must 
 forget each other's faults, bear each other's burdens, 
 and meet to build each other up in the Lord. Their 
 meetings must be private, and never be made the sub- 
 ject of conversation afterwards. Let no long-tongued, 
 mischief-making gossip be found among the number. 
 If there be one who cannot bridle her tongue, let her 
 be unanimously voted out of the meeting. Let it be 
 the determination of each member to contribute her 
 part to make every meeting interesting and profitable. 
 Let every awakened sinner, or new convert among 
 the females of the congregation be united to this 
 praying band of sisters as soon as possible ; and let 
 every thing in their power be done for the good of 
 souls, the welfare of their congregation, and the ex- 
 tension of the Redeemer's kingdom. Tract distri- 
 bution and visitation, and other benevolent christian 
 efforts midit be united with this meeting. 
 
136 PRAYER-MEETINGS. 
 
 With regard to these prayer-meetings we have yet 
 to remark in general, " that all things must be done 
 decently and in order." They should be held once a 
 week and at such time and place as is most conve- 
 nient for all who attend them. The exercises should 
 always be full of life and interest, truly spiritual and 
 devout; but never noisy, or marred by extravagance 
 or disorder. Let there be no long, drawling, prayers, 
 cold enough to freeze up every avenue of the soul, 
 and quench every spark of true piety. Let the 
 prayers be shorty spiritual, and devout. No matter 
 how broken the language, or unconnected the peti- 
 tions, if they only come from the heart, they are 
 heard in heaven. Let all remember that 
 
 " Pray'r is the souPs sincere desire, 
 Utter'd or unexpressed, 
 The motion of a hidden fire, 
 That trembles in the breast. 
 
 Pray'r is the burden of a sigh. 
 The falHng of a tear, 
 The upward glancing of an eye 
 When none but God is near. 
 
 Pray'r is the simplest form of speech 
 That infant lips can try; 
 Pray'r the sublimest strains that reach 
 The Majesty on high." 
 
 The reason why these male and female prayer- 
 meetings should be held separately and privately are 
 obvious, and will occur to every reflecting mind. 
 They are to be eminently social meetings, and conse- 
 quently the less restraint, and the more freedom each 
 member feels, the more interesting will Ihey be. And 
 
CHRISTIANS MUST BE LABORERS. 137 
 
 if they are properly conducted, their influence upon 
 the piety of the congregation will be extensive and 
 powerful. It is scarcely possible that a congregation 
 can ever decline into a state of coldness and formality, 
 in which such prayer-meetings are established and 
 kept up regularly and faithfully. We know their 
 good effects by experience, and so indispensable do 
 we regard them to the success of the ministry, and 
 the progress of vital piety, that we never could con- 
 sent to become the pastor of any people, who were 
 unwilling that they should be established among them. 
 With regard to the means for promoting revivals 
 now enumerated, we have only one concluding remark 
 to make; namely, that they afford work for lay-mem- 
 bers of the church, as well as for ministers. At the 
 Protracted Meeting, in the Sunday-School, in the cir- 
 culation of Tracts and Books, and in the Prayer- 
 meeting, the members of each congregation, male and 
 female, have an important and indispensable part to 
 perform. The three latter departments of labor be- 
 long nearly entirely to them. And the fact is, that 
 no congregation can ever prosper, no matter how 
 pious, devoted, active, and zealous the Pastor is, 
 unless he can also get his members to work. His 
 efforts, however self-denying and energetic, will be 
 almost in vain so long as his people are all asleep. 
 Every christian, minister and layman, must be a icork- 
 ing man. The Church of Christ is a vineyard^ and 
 all who become members of it, are hired as laborers 
 into it. To every lazy, idle member of the church, 
 we would say in the language of the Bible, "Go to 
 
138 CHRISTIANS MUST BE LABORERS. 
 
 the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be 
 wise : Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 
 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her 
 food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O 
 sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 
 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of 
 the hands to sleep, so shall thy poverty come as one 
 that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." Prov. 
 vi. 6 — 1 1 . A congregation may be compared to a hive 
 of bees in which all work except the drones^ and at 
 certain seasons they must be killed and thrown out as 
 an incumbrance. Every clr07ie ought to be thrown 
 out of the congregation. Every such dead branch 
 must be cut off from the living tree, or the infection 
 will extend to other branches, and presently the whole 
 tree will wither and die. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MOW TO CONDUCT REVIVALS. 
 
 The means to be employed for the promotion of 
 revivals, enumerated in the last chapter, are general 
 in their character, and ought, with the single excep- 
 tion of Protracted Meetings, to be constantly and 
 faithfully used. We shall now consider briefly some 
 of those extra or special efforts which God has blessed 
 in producing genuine revivals, and add a i(d\N general 
 directions as to the manner of conducting a revival, 
 when it has commenced, so as to make the work most 
 pure, extensive, lasting, and beneficial in its results. 
 
 The principal of those extra or. special means is 
 protracted meetings^ and as we have already spoken of 
 them, we shall now merely inquire, 
 
 1 . When it is most proper to appoint such a meeting 
 in a congregation? And here we shall avail ourselves 
 of some valuable suggestions contained in a pamphlet, 
 entitled, " Directions and Advice in reference to Re- 
 vivals of Religion and Prayer-Meetings" by the Rev. 
 J. C. Guldin, of the German Reformed Church. He 
 says, " In setting apart such seasons, ministers and 
 churches should consider: 
 
 1. The most suitable time and favorable circum- 
 stances of the people, among whom a revival is de- 
 sired ; so as to secure the most general attendance." 
 
140 WHEN TO APPOINT A PROTRACTED MEETING. 
 
 This is an obvious and very important direction. 
 There is a time for all things ; and it would manifest 
 a great w^ant of judgment to appoint a protracted 
 meeting in the midst of harvest^ for instance, or any 
 other very busy season, when it would be impossible 
 for the people to attend. 
 
 2. " When there are special indications of the pre- 
 sence of the Spirit of God^ the Church should unite 
 their agency with his in promoting the work. So we 
 act in the kingdom of nature: when the rain falls and 
 softens the fallow ground, we plough. In the king- 
 dom of grace, we are co-workers with God, as in 
 the kingdom of nature. When God works, we should 
 work." Revivals commence in many ditferent ways, 
 besides in protracted meetings. Sometimes they be- 
 gin in the prayer-meeting, the Sunday school, or the 
 catechetical class ; sometimes under the ordinary la- 
 bors of the pastors, or from some providence of God 
 in the sickness and death of an individual or other 
 affliction. Sometimes one or more individuals become 
 awakened, when no special cause can be discovered, 
 and then the work extends to others. It is the sacred 
 duty of the Church carefully to watch all these indi- 
 cations of God's providence, and to follow them up 
 by proper efforts for the good of souls. 
 
 3. " When the Church in general have become 
 cold ; but when, at the same time, individual members 
 feel deeply concerned for the low state of Zion, and 
 travail in birth for souls." When some pour forth 
 their complaints like Jeremiah ix. 1. "O that my head 
 were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that 
 
HOW OFTEN HOW LONG TO CONTINUE. 141 
 
 I might weep day and night for the slain of the daugh- 
 ter of my people !" 
 
 4. When a spirit of prayer is felt and noticed among 
 the members of the chm'ch; these things clearly 
 indicate tlie special presence of God, and warrant a 
 special effort." 
 
 The question may perhaps still be asked, Jfowj often 
 should protracted meetings be held^ and how long should 
 they he contmued ? The above observations make this 
 general answer evident: — This depends upon the 
 circumstances of the case. Some denominations of 
 Christians, as the Methodists, are in the habit of 
 holding regular quarterly meetings of several days 
 continuance, which, when properly conducted, have 
 always resulted in great good. The Lutherans have 
 long been in the habit of holding a meeting of two or 
 three day's continuance at every communion season, 
 which, in some congregations, were held tivice^ and in 
 others three or four times a year. And when persons 
 were to be confirmed, it has been customary to hold a 
 meeting with them once every day for a w^eek or more 
 immediately before the communion season. These 
 meetings, faithfully and judiciously conducted, cannot 
 fail to be eminently useful. After all we repeat, the 
 frequency and duration of protracted meetings must 
 depend upon circumstances. During the progress of 
 a revival, meetings for preaching and prayer must be 
 held often enough to afford the people the necessary 
 instruction and encouragement to keep up the work 
 constantly ; but this can be done by the pastor and 
 members themselves without special assistance or 
 effort. 
 
142 DIRECTIONS RESPECTING A REVIVAL. 
 
 II. " Directions during the commencement and pro- 
 gress of a revival. 
 
 1. Minister and church should be wholly devoted to 
 the V7ork of the Lord. Matt. vi. 33, 2 Cor. viii. 5. 
 
 2. The church should assist the minister by every 
 means in their power, as by visiting-, persuading those 
 around them to attend the public service, and by sus- 
 taining the prayer meetings. 
 
 3. Ministers and people should live very near to 
 God in their closets. 
 
 4. They must be willing to make every needed 
 sacrifice, both of time and property, to carry on the 
 revival. Read 2 Chron. xxx. 24. Also 1 Chron. xxi. 
 23, 24. 
 
 5. If there is any thing wrong in the church, it 
 should be corrected ; if the members have any thing 
 against each other, they should first meet and confess 
 their faults one to another. Read James v. 16, Matt. 
 v. 23 — 25. There must be a kind, yielding spirit 
 towards each other, mutual forbearance and forgive- 
 ness. Rom. xii. 10, Eph. iv. 30—32. 
 
 6. It is good for the brethren and sisters to agree 
 among themselves to set apart special seasons for 
 fasting and prayer during the progress of a revival. 
 
 7. If a revival be in the church of one denomina- 
 tion, and conducted by that denomination, members of 
 other denominations should never try to introduce into 
 it ihe'ir peculia^^ities or their particular mode of action 
 upon such occasions. While another denomination of 
 christians have a work of grace among them, God has 
 given it into their care, and we should cordially, when 
 
AVOID EXTRAVAGANCE. 143 
 
 we can be present, enter with them into the spirit of 
 the work, and pray for it ; but it should be a part of 
 our religion not to push our mode of managing a revi- 
 val among them. Nor will humble and meek persons 
 do this. We have seen much evil grow out of such 
 conduct ; especially when there is connected with it 
 an evident purpose of influencing and proselyting the 
 converts over to their party. Such persons had a 
 thousand times better stay away. 
 
 8. Never call on more than orie or two ministers to 
 assist in a protracted effort. One or two faithful min- 
 isters can present truth enough. When there are 
 more, it is calculated to keep up 7iovelty^ which is sure 
 to injure the work." 
 
 III. Conducting Meetings. 
 
 1. Avoid all extravagance. To every sincere friend 
 of true piety and genuine revivals it must be a subject 
 of the most anxious solicitude, that every work of 
 divine grace should be as pure., extensive., and lasting 
 as possible : and as every kind of extravagance must 
 inevitably injure the work in all these respects, he 
 watches, prays, and makes every proper exertion that 
 every thing of the kind may be avoided. What is the 
 reason that so many of our revivals have been of such 
 short duration., is a question of great importance.^ 
 We think we have shown satisfactorily in a former 
 chapter, not only that they may be of much longer 
 duration, but that constant revivals are possible. Why 
 then is it, that in so many instances they have con- 
 tinued only for a few weeks } Shall we be told, that 
 though constant revivals are possible and obligatory, 
 
144 AVOID EXTRAVAGANCE. 
 
 they will never be attained or enjoyed this side of the 
 milleniuni? To our mind this is a very unsatisfactory 
 reply, even if true. We have some difficulty to un- 
 derstand how a desirable attainment may be possible, 
 and obligatory, and yet never actually reached ! We 
 think we have proven that constant revivals are pos- 
 sible and obligatory, and the question returns, why 
 may they not be enjoyed by the church? We reply, 
 the reason why they have not been enjoyed more 
 frequently, is, first, because of the faithlessness of 
 christians, and secondly, because of the extravagances 
 that have so often been connected with them. If 
 christians do not believe that a revival state may be 
 constantly kept up in a congregation, how can they 
 pray and labor for it? " According to thy faith be it 
 unto thee," is the emphatic language that may be ad- 
 dressed to all such. But the other grand reason, and 
 wiiich we wish particularly to present here, is, that 
 during revivals matters have too frequently been 
 carried to extremes. Now no extreme can last long ; 
 it will almost invariably recoil upon itself with a 
 tremendous reaction. Hence if you would enjoy 
 constant revivals you must most carefully and prayer- 
 fully avoid all extravagance, — all extremes in con- 
 ducting your meetings. — We shall no doubt be asked 
 what we mean by the terms extravagance and extremes 
 in connection with revivals? We answer, that we 
 mean just what these words in such a connection most 
 naturally signify. To hold the meetings too often at 
 the beginning of a revival is such an extravagance. 
 We have known instances where the meetings were 
 
AVOID EXTRAVAGANCE. 145 
 
 held almost constantly day and night for several weeks 
 together, so that the people who attended them were 
 obliged to neglect their secular employments and their 
 domestic affairs until every thing was in a state of 
 derangement and disorder. Now is it not self-evident 
 such a state of things cannot possibly continue more 
 than a few weeks ? This we call extravagance ; and 
 such a constant revival would surely be very unde- 
 sirable. The same objection lies against keeping up 
 meetings too late at night, or continuing them too long 
 at a time. It is an extravagance, and it cannot last 
 more than ten days or two weeks. It so fatigues and 
 overdoes the bodies and minds of the people as neces- 
 sarily to superinduce a most fatal reaction in a very 
 short time. Then the revival is at an end, and is often 
 followed by a state of coldness and indifference which 
 is more to be lamented, than the revival was to be 
 rejoiced at. What friend of genuine revivals does 
 not labor and pray that such an evil may be avoided .'' 
 Would you prevent it .'' then we say again avoid all 
 extravagance — every extreme in conducting your 
 meetings. Hold them only so often that all who wish 
 to attend them can do so, without any special incon- 
 venience ; and never keep them so late, nor continue 
 them so long that the people become fatigued and 
 weary. Rather dismiss them when they are hungering 
 and thirsting for more, than send them away satiated 
 and disgusted never to return again. In a word, man- 
 age all your meetings in such a way as to show that 
 you expect and labor and pray that the revival should 
 continue forever. 
 
146 MAINTAIN SILENCE AND ORDER 
 
 There are many other extravagances that must be 
 avoided; but as we have introduced the subject in its 
 proper place in a former chapter, we shall not repeat 
 here. One observation, however, we must add:— 
 Let it not be your object in any of your meetings 
 merely to produce an excitement. You will have ani^ 
 mal excitement enough when sinners are awakened 
 and converted, and saints are revived, without any 
 extra efforts to produce it: and remember that just in 
 so far as the animal feelings get the better of the 
 judgment will the genuine work of grace be injured, 
 or destroyed. Let the truth, the whole truth, and 
 nothing but the truth be preached plainly, powerfully, 
 solemnly, just as it is in the word of God, not to pro- 
 duce an excitement, but to convince and convert sin- 
 ners. Persons often complain that the excitement 
 has become so powerful that they cannot control it ! 
 This may be very true ; but it is their otim fault! 
 They did not manage the work properly from the 
 beginning — perhaps labored to produce this very ex- 
 citement which now they cannot control ! When a 
 revival has so far degenerated that it can no longer 
 be controlled, it ought to stop^ and the sooner the bet- 
 ter. It is no longer the work of the Spirit, but a 
 spurious wild fire, which will do incalculable injury, 
 
 2. Be careful to maintain proper silence and order 
 in all your rneetings. " During prayer no one should 
 be heard but the one leading in prayer, unless it be 
 the deep, sometimes unavoidable, groan of the deeply 
 agonized soul. The habit of groaning in prayer should 
 be carefully avoided. A meeting to be solemn, must 
 
DURING THE MEETINGS. 147 
 
 be silent. In social prayer, we must all join in one 
 petition, or it is not social prayer ; hence only he who 
 leads in the petition should be heard. It is certain 
 that God needs not our words; but we need the Avords 
 of the one who leads in prayer that we may join with 
 him. Now, if another prays aloud at the same time, 
 how can I listen to both? Is not this confusion? And 
 if each prays for himself and offers up a distinct pe- 
 tition, does not this amount to secret prayer — does it 
 not cease to be social prayer? (1 Cor. xiv. 33.) I 
 have known persons to follow the one leading' in 
 prayer with a voice so loud, or with their continual 
 ' Amen,' or " Lord grant it," that 1 could not help but 
 suspect that they cared more to be heard by those 
 around them, than by Him who alone can answer 
 prayer. There is often much self-uilled habit in this. 
 An individual, in a meeting where I was, when she 
 was not suffered to pray aloud, said to another near 
 her, "now I won't pray at all!" During preaching, 
 singing, and prayer, tliere should be solemn silence 
 and order. No running- in and out should be suffered. 
 Let all who wish to attend the meetings be present at 
 the hour appointed for opening the exercises, and 
 then stay until they are concluded. We have some- 
 times seen meetings where persons were continually 
 coming and going, and thus causing an uninterrupted 
 noise and confusion, so as destroy the effect of the best 
 sermon and most solemn exercises. Others would 
 congregate in groups about the doors, or stand up on 
 their feet, and on the pews m the back part of the 
 church, and thus destroy the solemnity and abuse the 
 
148 PRAYERS SHORT AND TO THE POINT. 
 
 house of God. All such conduct is abominable, and 
 will never be suffered in any congregation where " all 
 things are done decently and in order." 
 
 3. '' Prayers should be short and to the point. All 
 the prayers recorded in the Bible, all the prayers of 
 the Savior were short. Prayers having the least 
 spirit, and most repetition, are always the longest." 
 During a revival many prayers are offered up for spe- 
 cial cases and objects; how ridiculous then for the 
 person called upon to lead, to make a prayer fifteen 
 or twenty minutes long, and to pray for every person 
 and thing in the whole universe, but the very object 
 for which he was asked to pray ! Pray for the per- 
 son or blessing for which you were asked to pray 
 and then stop, if your prayer should be but one min- 
 ute long. It is enough, if you are sincere, and offer 
 up your petition in faith in Jesus Christ. God is our 
 Father and we come to him as children ; but how ab- 
 surd for the child to ask for a thousand things, when 
 it only wants a piece of bread ! 
 
 4. Females should never be called upon to lead in 
 the public promiscuous assembly. Let them pray si- 
 lently, and at home, and in meetings composed en- 
 tirely of their own sex ; but we have never yet seen 
 an instance in which we thought it ^\as proper to vio- 
 late the plain injunction of the apostle, " Let your 
 women keep silence in the churches; for it is not 
 permitted unto them to speak." 1 Cor. xiv. 34. 
 
 IV. Treatment of the awakened. 
 When there is good reason to believe that there 
 are awakened persons in the congregation, they should 
 
TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED. 149 
 
 not be permitted to leave the house until some suita- 
 ble means are employed to induce them to submit to 
 God immediately. If they are permitted to depart 
 with the careless crowd, there is every reason to fear 
 that they will suppress their convictions and grieve 
 away the Spirit. Hence the minister, or some expe- 
 rienced lay-member should have personal conversation 
 with every awakened sinner in the house ; and it is 
 manifest that the sooner this is done, after the sermon, 
 the better. It seems to us that this was precisely the 
 method pursued by the inspired apostles. They not 
 only preached the gospel publicly, but when persons 
 were awakened, they instructed them individually, 
 and from house to house. Thus on the day of Pen- 
 tecost, when the apostle Peter had preached, and 
 several thousand became awakened, and began to in- 
 quire, '' Men and brethren, what shall we do.'^" they 
 were especially and specifically directed. "Peter 
 said unto them. Repent, and be baptized every one of 
 you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
 sins, and ye shall receive tbe gift of the Holy Ghost." 
 How would it have sounded, if Peter had dismissed 
 this immense congregation immediately after his ser- 
 mon, and sent these anxious inquirers away unin- 
 structed and undirected, saying to them, " Go home 
 and think of these things !" Would it not have been 
 like saying to the hungry, be ye fed, and to the naked, 
 be ye warmed and clothed, without giving them that 
 whicb they need ^ And this is just what every min- 
 ister does who sends away awakened anxious sinners 
 without giving them that personal instruction which 
 7 
 
150 TREAT3IENT OF THE AWAKENED. 
 
 they now so much need and desire. True, he may 
 afterwards visit them at their houses, and there con- 
 verse with them and direct them to the Lamb of God : 
 and this every faithful pastor will do. But he is not 
 omniscient, and how does he know ivho are awakened 
 and anxious } He has employed no means to ascer- 
 tain, and how then can he visit them ? Besides, he 
 cannot visit them immediately after the sermon, even 
 if he knew who were anxious — a day or a night or 
 more will necessarily elapse before he lias time or 
 circumstances will admit of his performing this duty; 
 and during this time Satan will have had an abundant 
 opportunity to gather up the seed of the word, and 
 dissipate all serious impressions. It seems evident 
 to us, therefore, that no pastor can be faithful to the 
 souls of men, or be free from their blood, who does 
 not aftbrd the necessary personal instruction to the 
 awakened, and urge them by every consideration to 
 submit to God immediately, before they have had 
 time to suppress their convictions and grieve away 
 the Spirit. 
 
 Hence some suitable means must be employed to 
 ascertain who are aicakened before the congregation 
 is dismissed, and that an opportunity may be afforded 
 the minister to have a personal interview with each 
 one. Various methods have been employed to ac- 
 complish this end. One is to vacate several of the 
 front pews, and affectionately and earnestly urge all 
 who are concerned for their souls to manifest it by 
 coming forward and occupying those pews. Another 
 is to press them to remain, after the congregation is 
 
TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED^ 151 
 
 dismissed; and a third to invite them to the lecture 
 room, or some other convenient place. One measure 
 might answer in one place which would not do so 
 well at another. The conscientious christian cannot 
 be stubbornly tenacious of any external measures. 
 His object is to bring sinners to the Savior and ac- 
 complish the greatest amount of good, and to this he 
 makes every thing bend. Our own experience has 
 led us to prefer greatly the plan of inviting the awa- 
 kened to the front pews immediately after the sermon, 
 and before the congregation is dismissed, to be con- 
 versed and prayed with. We have observed, that 
 when the congregation is dismissed, and the awakened 
 invited to retire to the lecture room, but few of those 
 as a general matter, with whom it is most desirable 
 to converse, will attend. The temptation to go away 
 with the crowd is too strong, they cannot resist it : 
 and the very bustle and confusion of the departing 
 crowd is calculated to dissipate their serious impres- 
 sions. The same objections lie against the plan of 
 asking the anxious to remain after the congregation is 
 dismissed. It is very difficult to induce them to do 
 it. Their own evil hearts and Satan will suggest 
 many excuses for them. They are not the persons 
 meant — their convictions are not deep enough — it will 
 do as well at home or at some future time — it cannot 
 be so important or the congregation would not be dis- 
 missed — it is getting late and my company will go 
 away and leave me, and I do not wish to go home 
 alone. These and many other excuses will be made; 
 and some of them are not without foundation. The 
 
152 TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED. 
 
 wife, for instance, is deeply concerned, and feels anx- 
 ious to be personally instructed and directed, but her 
 husband and family are going home when the congre- 
 gation is dismissed, and it does not seem proper for 
 her to remain and afterwards go home alone. A 
 young man in the house is seriously impressed, and 
 could be induced to submit ; but he came with some 
 young ladies, and as they are going home he cannot 
 remain. Sometimes so many remain, simply waiting 
 for each other, that after all you do not know who 
 are the anxious, and the very object you have in view 
 is defeated. These are serious objections, and in 
 many instances cannot be removed. 
 
 Hence vastly the better plan is to invite the awa- 
 kened to the front pews immediately after the sermon 
 and in presence of the whole congregation. Do not 
 ask them to kneel at a " mourner's bench," as it is 
 called, for this is objectionable for several reasons. 
 Kneeling at a bench is a very uncomfortable posture, 
 and to be kept in this position for an hour or more at a 
 time is insufferable. Besides, it generally causes con- 
 fusion. Persons deeply distressed sometimes throw 
 themselves down at this bench one upon the other in a 
 manner truly disgusting and altogether unbecoming 
 the house of God. Now all this can be avoided by 
 asking them to sit in the front pews, and not to kneel, 
 except in prayer, when the whole congregation kneel. 
 Still more, how can the minister converse with per- 
 sons kneeling at a bench, and hanging down their 
 heads nearly to the floor! Is not the very object of 
 inviting them out in some measure defeated by this 
 
TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED. 153 
 
 plan ? We are therefore in favor of asking the awa- 
 kened to sit in the front pews, that it may he known 
 who they are, that they may be conversed and prayed 
 with, and be personally directed to the Savior, and 
 urged to submit immediately and unconditionally. 
 
 This plan, as it seems to us, is preferable to all 
 others, for the following reasons. 1. It leaves the 
 awakened sinner ivithout excuse. The gospel urges 
 him to submit at once, and here he is invited to do 
 so ; and has an opportunity of making known his feel- 
 ings, and receiving such personal instruction as his 
 situation may require. This invitation is given just 
 when his impressions are deepest, and before he has 
 had time to shake them off. He has no excuse left 
 for not submitting at once. 
 
 2. It is soonest and most conveniently done, and 
 gives rise to no confusion and disorder. 
 
 3. It enlists the prayers and sympathies of the 
 whole congregation. 
 
 4. It has a most salutary influence upon the spec- 
 tators, if managed with proper solemnity and order. 
 It leads christians to search their own hearts care- 
 fully, and anxiously to inquire, whether it is well with 
 their souls; and the unconverted see their former 
 careless companions deciding for God, and they are 
 almost irresistibly drawn to follow their example. 
 
 The pious pastor, or other experienced christian 
 must, as a general matter, judge for himself what par- 
 ticular instructions and directions to give to an awa- 
 kened sinner, after having, as nearly as possible, as- 
 certained the state of his mind. Yet probably the 
 
154 TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED. 
 
 following remarks may not be superfluous in this 
 place : 
 
 1. Be careful to distinguish between mere animal 
 feeling, and genuine conviction of sin. There is a 
 godly sorrow, and there is also a sorrow of this world. 
 Endeavor to ascertain the cause of the individual's 
 sorrow. 
 
 2. Never administer comfort where there is no true 
 sorrow for sin, and no genuine repentance. 
 
 3. Address the individual's judgment and under- 
 standing — reason with him, and do not encourage 
 him to depend upon his feelings alone. 
 
 4. If there is genuine intelligent conviction of sin, 
 insist upon immediate submission to God. Dont tell 
 the sinner to " hold on and persevere until he gets 
 through P'^ It is sickening to hear such slang upon so 
 solemn an occasion. Sinners are at enmity with God 
 — they have a controversy with the Almighty — he is 
 right and they are wrong, and hence they should sub- 
 mit at once. Never listen to their excuse that they 
 cannot submit — It is not true; they can submit, if 
 they will. 
 
 5. Dont tell the anxious that they are not cojivicted 
 enough — You dont know this. The Bible does not 
 tell us how much conviction an individual must have. 
 If the sinner is willing to forsake all his sins, and 
 submit to Christ to be saved by him alone, he has 
 conviction enough. 
 
 6. Be careful that the anxious do not depend upon 
 their sorrows, tears, and prayers, and the exertions of 
 others, as the means to change their hearts. Tell 
 
TREATMENT OF THE AWAKENED. 155 
 
 tliem that God alone can do this, and will do it only 
 on condition that they submit to him. '<- Give me thy 
 heart my son" is his affectionate language. 
 
 7. In all conversation and prayer with the anxious 
 be mild and tender, yet firm and faithful. 
 
 The faithful pastor will also endeavor to visit the 
 anxious at their own houses, to give them necessary 
 instruction and encouragement. If there be too many, 
 and he cannot visit them from house to house, he will 
 hold anxious meetings for their special benefit, and will 
 converse with each one personally. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CONCtUSION, AND AN APPEAL TO CHRISTIANS IK 
 BEHALF OF REVIVALS. 
 
 We have now given, what we regard a correct and 
 scriptural view of the principal topics connected with 
 revivals of religion, in so far as they fall in with our 
 plan. We have considered the design of the church 
 — the nature of true religion, and of genuine revivals 
 both negatively and affirmatively— have endeavored 
 to show that genuine revivals are the work of God's 
 Holy Spirit, and that opposition to them, is really 
 opposition to God himself — that objections to them, 
 where they are well-founded, lie only against their. 
 abuse. We have also endeavored to show that gen^ 
 uine revivals are the best possible state of the church 
 upon earth — that this is true of the constant revival 
 state, and that this state is possible* — We have like* 
 wise considered the most important means for pro- 
 moting revivals, and the best manner of conducting 
 them. In bringing these discussions to a close, it 
 only remains that we should state some of the most 
 important positions which we think we have estab- 
 lished, and make an earnest and affectionate appeal 
 to the church to exert every energy to promote true 
 revivals throughout the world in view of tlieir great 
 7* 
 
158 POSITIONS ESTABLISHED. 
 
 and most blessed results. This we propose to do in 
 the present chapter. 
 
 We think our discussions in the former chapters 
 have fully established the following important posi- 
 tions : 
 
 First; that the grand design of the christian church 
 upon earth is the regeneration and sanctification of 
 souls — that her field of operation is the whole world 
 — and that it is the sacred duty of her ministers and 
 members to rouse every energy and put forth every 
 effort that this glorious design may be accomplished. 
 
 Secondly; that that is clearly the Churches Best 
 State^ in which the greatest number of souls is con- 
 verted and prepared for heaven. Consequently those 
 are the best and most proper " measures" to be em- 
 ployed, be they " new" or '' old," which God blesses 
 to the salvation of the greatest number of souls, and 
 are therefore most successful in the accomplishment 
 of tliis design. 
 
 Thirdly; that the christian church had her origin 
 in a most extensive and powerful revival, and that 
 genuine revivals have ever been the chosen means of 
 God for the accomplishment of her design — that they 
 have been instrumental in the salvation of the great- 
 est number of souls, and the promotion of the most 
 elevated, active, and evangelical piety, and that there- 
 fore they constitute the church's best state. 
 
 Fourthly; that genuine revivals are the work of 
 God, and that opposition to them is really opposition 
 to God himself — that though, like every thing else 
 with which man has any thing to do — they are not 
 
POSITIONS ESTABLISHED. 159 
 
 perfect, but are liable to abuse ; yet that by proper 
 management the evils connected with them may gene- 
 rally be avoided, and that objections made to them, 
 where they have any foundation in truth, lie only 
 against their abuse. It is absurd to oppose revivals 
 on this ground, inasmuch as our holy religion and all 
 its most sacred institutions are, and ever have been 
 liable to the same abuse. 
 
 Fifthly; that C07istant revivals are possible, and 
 that it is the duty of christians to labor and pray for 
 them. The degree and extent of the external excite- 
 ment will indeed vary with circumstances; but that 
 the excitement is not the revival, and is no correct 
 criterion by which to judge of its true character. 
 The genuine work of grace is often most deep 
 and pure where there is least external excitement, 
 or after it has in a measure subsided. Hence the re- 
 vival state., the same state of elevated, active, warm 
 hearted piety among christians, of concern for their 
 own souls, and the souls of others, and the work of 
 awakening and conversion among sinners, may and 
 ought to continue in the church coyistantly. God de- 
 signs that this state should continue constantly, and 
 grants the influences of the Holy Spirit at all times 
 for this very purpose. The church is therefore to 
 blame for not enjoying this state constantly. When 
 christians are properly waked up to their duty, God 
 will doubtless send a constant revival over the whole 
 world, and this will usher in the day of millenial glory. 
 
 " Lord, for those days we wait — those days 
 Are in thy word foretold ; 
 Fly swifter, sun and stars, and bring 
 This promis'd age of gold !" 
 
160 THE LATTER DAY GLORY. 
 
 What a work there is here for christians to do ! 
 Whose soul is not on fire to assist in hastening* on the 
 happy time ! O how the wilderness and solitary place 
 will rejoice, and the desert blossom as the rose, when 
 all who profess the name of Christ, shall fully under- 
 stand the design of his church upon earth, and exert 
 all their influence and power to promote it ! Then 
 shall 
 
 " Kingdoms wide that sit in darkness, 
 See and bless the £rlorious light, 
 And from eastern coast to western, 
 Shall the morning chase the night; 
 
 And redemption. 
 Freely purchased, win the day." 
 
 But the very important question here arises, who 
 are the persons that are to labor for this state of 
 things? By whose instrumentality is a state of con- 
 stant and universal revival to be promoted ? We shall 
 answer this question, in part, by quotations from seve- 
 ral other writers : "I am aware," says Mr. Hinton, 
 " that the work of promoting revivals in the present 
 age, is for the most part committed to professional 
 hands, and the care of men's souls almost entirely left 
 to the ministers of the gospel. There is an impres- 
 sion in the church, that if any one is to be active, it 
 is only the ministers! The Lord help his ministers 
 to be more laborious! We have (as ministers) all 
 need to be quickened in our work, and no faithful 
 minister wishes to shrink from it. But this cherished 
 feeling of exemption on the part of christians at large, 
 is a great evil ; it is one of the greatest evils of the 
 present age. It lies like a mountain on the bosom of 
 
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. 161 
 
 the church of Christ, and it oppresses the heart which 
 would otherwise heave wdth far mightier throes for 
 the salvation of the w^orld. It stifles her voice, it 
 paralyzes her hand, it induces a sluggishness of the 
 general circulation, and with it a morhid want of 
 moral sensibility, which I'enders it impossible to elicit 
 even the existing signs of life, except by a system of 
 excessive and unhealthy stimulants. Nor can any 
 rational hope be entertained of a general revival of 
 religion, until this vast slumbering body is roused to 
 throw off its incubus, and bend its whole energies to 
 the effort. Private Christians must labor to promote 
 revivals, and they have many advantages over minis- 
 ters of the gospel, even in the most favored circum- 
 stances. The one speak in virtue of their office, and 
 often under a gaze of suspicion as to their sincerity ; 
 the other can speak from no motive but unfeigned 
 love. The one can address their hearers but occa- 
 sionally, the other may do it frequently, and follow up 
 their instructions by almost incessant watchfulness and 
 admonition. The one speak as comparative strangers, 
 the other may employ the more touching eloquence of 
 social kindness, of ardent friendship, and perhaps of 
 fraternal or parental love. The one can speak only 
 to those who choose to attend on their ministry ; the 
 other are scattered through society in all its paths, 
 and can carry instruction and reproof to the heedless 
 and the abandoned. Had there been nothing insti- 
 tuted, therefore, but the public preaching of the word, 
 whether at home or abroad, the easiest, most exten- 
 sive, and most effectual means of converting the 
 
162 INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. 
 
 world, would liave been overlooked. Superficial ob- 
 servers might have conceived that little result could 
 have been expected from even a multitude of such 
 feeble efforts as those of individual Christians in the 
 same way as one might at first exclaim : ' Who would 
 think of setting bounds to the sea by a sand bank ?' 
 But he who knew that grains of sand form the only 
 effectual barrier to the raging waters, discerned too, 
 that grains of salt would best season the corrupted 
 world. lie has indeed done well in instituting a pub- 
 lic ministry, but the consummation of his wisdom lies 
 in working the individual energy of his people." (See 
 Essay on Revivals by Rev. R. Weiser.) 
 
 The truth is, that if private christians, the members 
 of the church, do not labor, pray, and live for revi- 
 vals, all the efforts of the most faithful and laborious 
 ministry, will be comparatively in vain. Ministers 
 may preach and pray, and toil and weep, until they 
 fall victims to their exertions; but if their people 
 sleep or refuse to come to their aid, very little can be 
 accomplished. Revivals always begin in the church, 
 and must be carried on by the church. 
 
 We know that many christians excuse themselves 
 by saying, that they have no influence, and therefore 
 cannot accomplish any thing. But this is a great 
 mistake. All, even the most humble, have influence, 
 and really do exert it for good or evil. What if all 
 should say, we have no influence! Christians are 
 declared by the Savior to be " the salt of the earth," 
 and " the light of the world," and are commanded to 
 let their light so shine that others may see their good 
 
ALL HAVE INFLUENCE. 163 
 
 works, and glorify their Father who is in heaven." 
 Has each grain of salt and each ray of the sun no 
 influence ? It has, and so has every Christian. 
 
 "What if the little rain should say, 
 So small a drop as I 
 Can ne^er refresh those thirsty fields — 
 I'll tarry in the sky ! 
 
 What if a shining beam of noon 
 Should in its fountain stay, 
 Because its feeble light alone 
 Cannot create a day ! 
 
 Doth not each rain-drop help to form 
 The cool refreshing shower ; 
 And every ray of light to warm 
 And beautify the flower?" 
 
 Some profess to be willing to labor, but they do 
 not know where to begin or what to do. This re- 
 sults entirely from a Avant of reflection and serious 
 inquiry. If each one would sincerely pray, " Lord, 
 what wilt thou have me to do ?" this excuse would 
 never be made. We are placed in the midst of a 
 world of sin and ruin — all around us there is one 
 grand moral waste, with only here and there a verdant 
 spot, warmed into life by the genial rays of the Sun 
 of righteousness — ten thousand forms of human mis- 
 ery rise up before us, and imploringly beseech us to 
 help for God's sake, and yet we do not know what to 
 do ! Witli us, the members of the church of Christ, 
 is found the only remedy for these evils. Among 
 christians alone is found "the balm of Gilead," and 
 the Physician of souls; and it is for them instrumen- 
 tally to give or withhold moral health to the world. 
 
164 INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. 
 
 And some do not know what to do ! Christian ! you 
 profess to believe, that Jesus Christ died to redeem a 
 lost world — that " God so loved the world, that he 
 gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth 
 in him might not perish, but have everlasting life" — 
 that there is salvation in no other, for there is no other 
 name given under heaven among men whereby we 
 must be saved — and that the great work of publish- 
 ing abroad this salvation is committed to the Church. 
 You know that if the church neglects this duty, men 
 must remain and perish in their sins — You know that 
 the Savior has said, "Except a man be born again, 
 he cannot see the kingdom of God" — You know too, 
 that hundreds and thousands daily around you, have 
 never been " born asrain" — have never been made 
 partakers of the salvation of Christ by repentance 
 and faith — some of them are probably your nearest 
 neighbors or even relatives; and are you yet at a loss 
 to know where to begin or what to do for souls and for 
 Christ ? There are a hundred different ways in which 
 you may labor to promote true piety and genuine re- 
 vivals. There is the prayer-meeting. Go, connect 
 yourself with it — help to conduct it, and to render it 
 interesting and useful — encourage the hearts of others 
 by your presence and assistance — induce all to attend 
 it) over whom you have any influence. There is the 
 Sunday School. Go, collect all the children in your 
 town or neighborhood into it — instruct the young in 
 the doctrines and principles of the Bible — train them 
 up in the way they should go, and when they are old 
 they will not depart from it. Do this, and you will 
 
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. 165 
 
 effectually promote genuine revivals. There is your 
 Pastor's Bible-Class, or his class of Catechumens. 
 Go, induce all the young, over whom you have an 
 influence, to attend. It will encourage your Pastor, 
 and it may be the very means by which a glorious 
 revival will be brought about in your congregation. 
 Go, distribute Tracts and circulate good Books — ask 
 men to attend church on the Sabbath — bring as many 
 with you to the house of God as you can — It may be 
 your fault that more do not attend the preaching of 
 your Pastor. Visit the sick, comfort the mourner, 
 direct the inquirer, warn the careless, and endeavor 
 to reclaim the backslider. Especially talk to your 
 own family, your relatives, your neighbors, your ac- 
 quaintances about the interests of their souls. Do it 
 kindly and faithfully. Neglect no opportunity of do- 
 ing good. If you know an awakened sinner, visit, 
 instruct, pray for, and encourage him. Stand by your 
 Pastor, and assist him in every possible way, I tell 
 you, private christian, you have a great work to do, 
 and you are just as inexcusable and as guilty before 
 God for not doing it, as is the minister of the gospel 
 who neglects his duty. O how the care of precious 
 souls should press upon you, and rouse you to action ! 
 O how your soul should burn with anxiety to see sin- 
 ners converted, the work of God revived, and the 
 world subdued to Christ. 
 
 Do you want motives to urge you to labor for the 
 conversion of men, and the promotion of genuine re- 
 vivals ? You have them in the command of the Sa- 
 vior, the value of souls, and the final reward of the 
 
IGG BENEFITS OF REVIVALS. 
 
 faithful. Remember "they that be wise shall shine 
 as the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn 
 many to righteousness as the stars lorever and ever." 
 "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner 
 from the error of his ways shall save a-soul from 
 death, and shall hide a multitude of sins," Dan. xii. 3, 
 James v. 20. 
 
 Genuine revivals tend greatly to increase the spir- 
 ituality of the church. They are the death of for- 
 mality and cold indifference, and always elevate the 
 tone of personal piety among christians. They kin- 
 dle a fire in the souls of believers, which consumes 
 their lusts and remaining sins, and makes them aspire 
 after higher and holier attainments in the divine life. 
 They have now tasted and seen that the Lord is gra- ^ 
 cious — have found fellowship and communion with the 
 Father and with his Son Jesus Christ — their hearts 
 have been opened and the Savior has entered in, and 
 now sups with them and tliey with him ; hence they 
 now walk by faith and not by sight, and have their 
 conversation in heaven. They now become more 
 active and zealous in the cause of God. They are 
 now ready for every good work. They now not only 
 pray daily " Thy kingdom come — thy will be done 
 on eaVth as it is in heaven," but they also labor that 
 this may be accomplished. They now encourage 
 their Pastor and each other, converse with sinners, 
 and show that they are deeply interested in the suc- 
 cess of the gospel at home and abroad. They also 
 become more liberal. The love of God has thawed 
 their frozen hearts, and they now feel for sinners, and 
 
BENEFIT OF REVIVALS. 167 
 
 for a perishing world ; and as they feel, so they will 
 also give — not grudgingly, but cheerfully and consci- 
 entiously from love to the Savior and his cause. O 
 what a blessed influence true revivals have upon the 
 church ! They cause her to " arise and shine ; for 
 her light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen 
 upon her." Her days of coldness and mourning are 
 past, and God has said to her, " Awake, awake ; put 
 on thy strength O Zion ; put on thy beautiful gar- 
 ments, O Jerusalem?" Christian, do you not wish to 
 see this ? Are you not anxious that the spirituality, 
 the activity and zeal, and the liberality of God's pro- 
 fessed people should be increased ? Then labor, pray, 
 live for revivals. But revivals also increase the nwm- 
 ber of the pious, and thus strengthen the church. 
 Scores and hundreds are often converted from sin and 
 the world to a life of piety and holiness in the course 
 of a few weeks by a single revival. And frequently 
 many of the converts at revivals are from among 
 those who in all human probability would never have 
 been brought in by any other means. During a revi- 
 val persons, who never attend the preaching of the 
 gospel or use any of the means of grace, are often 
 attracted by the novelty of the scene ; they hear the 
 word, the Spirit applies it, and they become subjects 
 of the regenerating grace of God. This is especially 
 true, where christians are active, and go out into "the 
 hedges and high ways, and compel them to come in." 
 Revivals give the church an important victory over 
 the world. Saints are quickened and pray and labor 
 more — sinners, often the most bold and hardened, are 
 
168 BENEFITS OF REVIVALS. 
 
 humbled and brought to the Savior — backsliders are 
 reclaimed — hypocrites and formalists are undeceived, 
 and savingly renewed — the whole community is agi- 
 tated — Satan trembles, and the kingdom of darkness 
 falls before the onward march of the army of Em- 
 manuel. O what a victory for the church ! Heaven 
 shouts for joy, and hell utters a heavy groan. 
 
 True revivals bring " glory to God in the highest," 
 promote "peace on earth, and good will to man." 
 They promote the extension of the Redeemer's king- 
 dom over the world, and hasten on the latter day 
 glory, when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover 
 the earth as the waters cover the mighty deep. We 
 believe that it will be by one great and universal 
 revival, that Messiah will finally subdue the world to 
 himself, and amid the bliss and hallelujahs of such a 
 state he will reign in millenial glory. 
 
 But the results of revivals are not confined to the 
 present world, or to the church in her militant state. 
 They augment the happiness of heaven. For if there 
 is joy among the angels of God over one sinner that 
 repenteth, what must be the unspeakable rapture, 
 which the simultaneous return of scores and hundreds 
 of sinners produces ! But what shall it be when all 
 who have been converted to God in revivals shall be 
 safely brought home to glory ! O how revivals will 
 swell the number of heavenly inhabitants ! Millions 
 are already in glory, and millions more are now on the 
 way, who would never have known the Lord, but for 
 revivals. Who then will not labor, and pray, and 
 live for constant, pure, all powerful revivals over the 
 
RESULTS OF REVIVALS. 169 
 
 whole world ! Christian ! is not your soul fired by 
 a contemplation of this subject ? O let us succeed in 
 arousing you to the importance of this thrilling theme ! 
 O that we could touch some cord in your soul which 
 would induce you to exert every energy, employ every 
 talent, and use every means for the promotion of revi- 
 vals. You desire to see the church becoming more 
 spiritual, active, zealous, liberal — to see her arise and 
 shine in her beauty and glory. — You desire to see her 
 numbers increased, her victories extended, God glori- 
 fied, and the world saved ; O then labor to promote 
 revivals ! Not only with your lips, but with your 
 whole life and by all your actions constantly repeat 
 the prayer, " O Lord, revive thy work in the midst 
 of the years, in the midst of the years make known ; 
 in wrath remember mercy !" 
 
 We cannot bring this chapter to a close, without 
 adding an extract from the concluding lecture of Dr. 
 Sprague on revivals. " Who can estimate," says he, 
 " the number that have already not only had their 
 names written among the redeemed, but have actually 
 entered through the gate into the city, and taken up 
 the anthems of heaven, who but for revivals of religion 
 would have had no part nor lot in the matter ? Limit 
 your view, if you will, to the result of a single year, 
 and think what a mighty accession to the heavenly 
 hosts is furnished by one year's revivals. And then 
 with the promises of God and the signs of the times 
 in your eye, let your thoughts travel down the tract 
 of coming years, and see how much the revivals of 
 each successive year serve to increase the population 
 
170 RESULTS OF REVIVALS. 
 
 of heaven. And finally anticipate the time when this 
 earth shall no longer exist as a theatre for the tri- 
 umphs of redemption, and the ransomed shall all be 
 assembled on the plains of immortality ; and behold 
 in that vast community, a multitude v\^hich no man can 
 number, who date their change of character and des- 
 tiny to revivals of religion. And then think of what 
 has been done for these myriads of immortals. Fix 
 upon the moment wiien the scene of dying was over, 
 and the spirit was rushing forth to meet its God ; and 
 estimate the importance of the change it has experi- 
 enced, by all the horror which it henceforth avoids, 
 and all the bliss which it henceforth attains. All this 
 countless multitude have escaped the pollution, and 
 degradation, and wailing of the pit, and have risen to 
 purity, and glory, and ecstacy of heaven. The day of 
 resurrection and judgment which, but for the renova- 
 tion they have experienced, would have awakened in 
 them nothing but shame and agony, is a signal for 
 exultation and triumph. They walk in the light of the 
 Lamb. They know how to use angelic harps. They 
 are kings and priests unto God. They go on from 
 glory to glory, constantly approaching the perfection 
 of the Highest, while immortality endures. Whose 
 mind is not lost in contemplating the amount of felicity 
 which revivals will secure to their subjects through 
 all the ages of eternity. 
 
 Pause now for a moment on the eminence to which 
 we are brought, and so far as you can, let your eye 
 take in at a glance the results of revivals, as they re- 
 spect both worlds. Under their influence see the 
 
RESULTS OF REVIVALS. 171 
 
 cause of moral renovation advancing-, until this earth 
 every where brightens into a field of millenial beauty. 
 Behold also the inhabitants of heaven kindling with 
 higher raptures in view of tliese wonderful works of 
 God ! Not only those who have been subjects of 
 revivals, but those who have not, not only the ran- 
 somed of the Lord, but the principalities and pow- 
 ers in heavenly places, and even Jehovali wdio is 
 over all blessed forever, rejoice, and will rejoice, in 
 these triumphs of redeeming grace. And this joy and 
 glory is not only to be perpetual, but to be perpetually 
 progressive. Say then whether such results will not 
 justify the church even now in beginning her song of 
 triumph ^ Which of the angels will think she is pre- 
 mature in her praises, if, when she looks abroad and 
 sees Avhat God has wrought for her already in her 
 revivals, she should begin to ascribe blessing, and 
 honor, and glory, and power, unto him that sitteth upon 
 the throne, and unto the Lamb ? Be this then tlie song 
 of the church as she travels on here in the wilderness, 
 while she rejoices in the smiles, and leans upon the 
 arm, and looks forth upon the gracious triumphs of 
 her living Head. Be this her song on the morning of 
 the millenial day. Let the bright jubilee be ushered 
 in by the echoing and re-echoing of this hymn of 
 praise all round the arch of heaven. Let the church 
 on that glorious occasion count up if she can all the 
 revivals which have contributed to her enlargement, 
 and brought glory to her Redeemer, and say what so 
 well becomes her as to take this language of tlianks- 
 giving upon her lips. Let this be her song when her 
 
172 RESULTS OF REVIVALS. 
 
 enemies have all gone into confusion and taken up an 
 eternal wailing; when she is herself glorified and 
 enthroned on the fields of immortality, and privileged 
 to walk in the full vision of God, when the complete 
 triumph of redemption, shall every where be acknow- 
 ledged, and shall awaken joy or agony that is to en- 
 dure forever. From the most distant point in eternity 
 which an angel's mind can reach, let the church, when 
 she remembers these scenes of mercy through which 
 she is now passing, still shout forth her praises in the 
 same noble song; and let seraphim and cherubim, and 
 the whole angelic choir of the third heavens, join to 
 increase the melody : — " Blessing, and honor, and 
 glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the 
 throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. Amen!" 
 
 THE END. 
 
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