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THE
X
/
WORKS
PRESIDENT EDWARDI
IN EIGHT VOLUMES.
VOLUME IIL
CONTAINING
I. A NARRATIVE OF MA- NT SURPRISING CONVER- SIONS. II. THOUGHTS ON THE RE- VIVAL OF RELIGION IN NKWENGLAND.
III. AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE EXPLICIT AGREEMENT IN PRAYER. IV. LIFE OF REV. D. BRAIN- ERD AND REFLECTIONS' UPON IT.
FIRST AMERICA.^ EDITION.
PUBLISHED AT WORCESTER,
Bt ISAIAH THOMAS, Jun,
tSAAC SfUR'TEVAUr^ PRItJTEP..
1808.
CONTENTS.
NARRATIVE OF SURPRISING CONVERSIONS.
PACE,
ACCOUNT of Northampton, _-----.---- lo
Religious concern begins, ------,------ 18
Increasing concern, ■«-------_---- 15
Attention and solemnity universal, .__,,..___- 17
Extends to other places, -.._._------- 19
Number of hopeful conversions, -------,--- 23
Manner of operation, ----„-.-----.- 27
Remarkable instance, _.-_,----»---- 49
Another, _-----_----------- 6t
Another, a young child, __.----,----- 70
Decline, ___-------.-----.-- 77
THOUGHTS ON THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION IN NEWENGLAND.
Error in judging of the v/ork, --__-.----- 89
Another error, --------.------- 92
Obligations all are under to rejoice in this work, ------147
Subject of the work injuriously blamed, -------- 188
What ought to be corrected in this work, - -.----- 217
Spiritual pride, ---------------- 223
Wrong principles, --------------- 243
Careless inattention to the Devil's devices, -------- 273
Defects in experiences, ------ --...--- 278
Degenerating of experiences, ------------ 282
Common people not to become authoritative teachers, ----- 301
Aereenent in extraordinary prayer, ---------- 345
UNION IN PRAYER.
The Text opened, and an account given of the affair proposed in the
Memorial from Scotland, ------------ yg^
Observations relative to the Memorial, .-_-----. 365
Memorial, -----_.-.--..---. 370
Motives to a compliance with what is contained in the Memorial, - 373
The future advancement of the Kingdom of Chriit a glorious event, - 383
iv CONTENTS.
PACI.
Christ an example of prayer, ..---------. 387
Whole creation waiting for Church's glory, --,_-__ 391
Word of God full of encouragement to prayer, -._--- 395
Motives from aspect of present events, --.-«---. 406
Union of Christians in prayer beautiful, --..--.-- ^1^
Objections answered, _-.----.------ 41 8
Jirtt Objection, -.-_---.-------- ibid
Second Objection, -----.--------- 4C1
Third Objection, .---.-.-.---- -- 428
Fourth Objection, ------- -------- 430
Fifth Objection, ------- -_------ 4^9
Sixth Objection, .-.------ 488
Conclusion, -»-------------•- 489
Life of David Brainerd, ------------- 495
Reflections, ------.---------- ja*
NARRATIVE
OF
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS.
Vol.. Ill,
NARRATIVE
OF
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS.
TO THE REV. DR. COLMAN.
Reverend and Honored Sir,
JTIAVING seen your letter to my honored un- cle Williams, of Hatfield, of July 20, wherein you inform him of the notice that has been taken of the late wonderful work of God in this, and some other towns in this county, by the Rev. Dr. Watts and Dr. Guyse of London, and the congrega- tion to which the last of these preached on a monthly day of solemn prayer ; as also of your desire to be more perfectly acquainted with it, by some of us on the spot : And having been since informed by my uncle Williams, that you desire me to undertake it ; I would now do it in as just and faithful a manner as in me lies.
The people of the county in general, I suppose are as so- ber, and orderly, and good sort ofpeople, as in any part of Newengland ; and I believe they have been preserved the freest by far, of any part of the country from error, and variety of sects and opinions. Our being so far within the land, at a distance from seaports, and in a corner of the country, has doubtless been one reason why we have not been so much cor- rupted with vice, as most other parts. But without question the religion, and good order of the country, and their purity in doctrine, has, under God, been very much owing to the great abilities, and eminent piety, of my venerable and honored
Vol. III. B
10 NARRATIVE OF
/ grandfather Stoddard. I suppose we have been the freest of
any part of the la:^d frchi unhappy divisions, and quarrels in
oiu' ecclesiastical and religious affairs, till the late lamentable
Spring-field contention.*
We being much separated from other parts of the province, and having comparatively but little intercourse with them, have from the beginning, till now, always managed our eccl«- fciaslical affairs within ourselves ; it is the way in which tlie country, from its infancy, has gone on by the practical agree- ment of all, and the way in which our peace and good order lias hitherto been maintained.
'J'he town of Northampton is of about eighty two years stand- ing, and has now about two hundred families ; which mostly dwell more compactl /together than anytownof such a bigness in these parts of the country ; which probably has been an oc- casion that both our corruptions and reformations have been, from time to time, the more swiftly propagated, from one to another, through the town. Take the town in general, and so tir as I can judge, they are as rational and understand- ing a people as piost I liave been acquainted Avith : Many ot" them have been noted for religion, and particularly, have been remarkable for their distinct knowledge in things that relate to heart religion, and Christian experience, and their great re- gards thereto.
I am the third minister that has been settled in the town : The Reverend Mr. Eleazar Mather, who was the first, was or- dained in July 1669. He was one whose heart was much in his work, abundant in labors for the good of precious souls ; he had the high esteem and great love of his people, and was blessed with no small success. The Rev. Mr. Stoddard who succeeded him, came first to the town the November after his death, but was not ordained till September 1 1, 1672, and died February 11, 1728-9. So that he continued in the work of the ministry here from his first coming to town, near sixty
* The Springfield contention relates to the settlement of a Minister there, which occasioned too war.Ti debates between some, both pastors and peo- ple that were for it, and others that were against it, on account of their dif- ferent apprehensions about his principles, and about some steps that wtrc taken to procure his ordinatinn.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 11
years. And as he was eminent and renowned for his gifts and grace ; so he was blessed, from the beginning, with ex- traordinary success in his ministry, in the conversion of many souls. He had five harvests as he called them : The first was about fiftyseven years ago ; the second about fiftythree years : the third about forty ; the fourth about twentyfour ; the fifth and last about eighteen years ago. Some of these times were much more remarkable than others, and the ingathering of souls more plentiful. Those that were about fiftythree, and forty, and twentyfour y^ars ago, were much greater than either the first or the last : But in each of them, I have heard my grandfather say, the greater part of the young people in the town, seemed to be mainly concern- ed for their eternal salvation.
After the last of these, came a far more degenerate time, (at least among young people) I suppose, than ever before. Mr. Stoddard, indeed, had the comfort before he died, of see- ing a time when there was no small appearance of a divine work amongst some, and a considerable ingathering of souls, even after I was settled with him in the ministry, which was abovit two years before his death ; and I have reason to bless God for the great advantage I had by it. In these two years there were near twenty that Mr. Stoddard hoped to be saving- ly converted ; but there was nothing of any general awaken- ing. The greater part seemed to be at that time very insensi- ble of the things of religion, and engaged in other cares and pursuits. Just after my grandfather's death, it seemed to be a time of extraordinary dullness in religion : Licentiousness for some years greatly prevailed among the youth of the tOAvn; they were many of them very much addicted to night walking, and frequenting the tavern, and lewd practices, wherein some by their example exceedingly corrupted others. It was their manner very frequently to get together in conventions of both sexes, for mirth and jollity, which they called frolics ; and they would often spend the greater part of the night in them, without any regard to order in the families they l^elonged to : And in- deed family government did too much fail in the town. It was become very customary with many of our young people to b^
12 NARRATIVE OF
indecent in their carriage at meeting, which doubtless "would not have prevailed to such a degree, had it not been that my grandfather, through his great age, (though he retained his powers surprisingly to the last) was not so able to observe them. There had also long prevailed in the town a spirit of contention between two parties, into which they had for many years been divided, by which was maintained a jealousy- one of the other, and they Avere prepared to oppose one anoth- er in all public affairs.
But in two or three years after Mr. Stoddard's death, there began to be a sensible amendment of these evils ; the young people shewed more of a disposition to hearken to counsel^ and by degrees left off their frolicing, and grew observably more decent in their attendance on the public worship, and there were more that manifested a religious concern than there used to be.
At the latter end of the year 1733, there appeared &. very unusual flexibleness, and yielding to advice, in our young peo- ple. It had been too long their manner to make the evening af- ter the sabbath,* and after our public lecture, to be especially the times of their mirth, and company keeping. But a sermon was now preached on the sabbath before the lecture, to shew the evil tendency of the practice, and to persuade them to reform it ; and it was urged on heads of families, that it should be a thing agreed upon among them, to govern their families, and keep their children at home, at these times ;....and withal it was more privately moved, that they should meet together the next day, in their several neighborhoods, to know each other's minds : Which was accordingly done, and the motion complied with throughout the town. But parents found lit- tle or no occasion for the exercise of government in the case ; the young people declared themselves convinced by what they had heard from the pulpit, and were willing of them- selves to comply with the counsel that had been given : And it was immediately, and, I suppose, almost universally compli-
* It must be noted, that it has never bfen our manner to observe the evening that follows the sabbath, but that which precedes it, as part of holy time.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 13
cd with ; and there was a thorough reformation of these dis- orders thencefonvard, which has continued ever since.
Presently after this, there began to appear a remarkable re- ligious concern at a little village belonging to the congrega- tion, called Pascommuck, where a few families were settled, at about three miles distance from the main body of the town. At this place a number of persons seemed to be savingly wrought upon. In the April following, Anno 1734, there hap- pened a very sudden and awful death of a young man in the bloom of his youth ; who being violently seized with a pleurisy, and taken immediately very delirious, died in about two days ; which (together with what was preached publicly on that occa- sion)much affected many young people. Thiswas followed with another death of a young married woman, who had been con- siderably exercised in mind, about the salvation of her soul, before she was ill, and was in great distress, in the beginning of her illness ; but seemed to have satisfying evidences of God's saving mercy to her, before her death ; so that she died very full of comfort, in a most earnest and moving manner, warning and counselling others. This seemed much to con- tribute to the solemnizing of the spirits of many young per- sons ; and there began evidently to appear more of a religious concern on people's minds.
In the fall of the year, I pi'oposed it to the young' people, that they should agree among themselves to spend the even- ings after lectures, in social religion, and to that end to divide themselves into several companies to meet in various parts of the town ; which was accordingly done, and those meetings have been since continued, and the example imitated by elder people. This was followed with the death of an elderly per- son, which was attended with many unusual circumstances, by which many were much moved and affected.
About this time began the great noise that was in this part of the country, about Arminianism, which seemed to appear with a very threatening aspect upon the interest of religion here. The friends of vital piety trembled for fear of the issue ; but it seemed, contrary to their fear, strongly to be overruled for the promoting of religion. Many who looked on themselves
U NARRATIVE OF
as in a Christlcss condition seemed to be awakened by it, with fear that God was about to withdraw from the land, and that we should be given up to heterodoxy, and corrupt principles ; and that then their opportunity for obtaining salvation would ■be past ; and many who were brought a little to doubt about the truth of the doctrines they had hitherto been taught, seemed to have a kind of a trembling fear with their doubts, lest they should be led into bypaths, to their eternal undoing : And they seemed with much concern and engagedness of mind to inquire what was indeed the way in which they must come to be accepted with God. There were then some things said publicly on that occasion, concerning justi- fication by faith alone.
Although great fault was found witli meddling with the con- troversy in the pulpit, by such a person, at that time, and though it was ridiculed by many elsewhere ; yet it proved a word spoken in season here ; and was most evidently attend- ed with a very remarkable blessing of heaven to the souls of the people in this town. They received thence a general sat- isfaction with respect to the maiu thing in question, which they had in trembling doubts and concern about ; and their minds were engaged the more earnestly to seek that they might come to be accepted of God, and saved in the way of the gospel, which had been made evident to them to be the true and only way. And then it was, in the latter part of December, that the spirit of God began extraordinarily to set in, and wonderfully to work amongst us ; and there were, very sud- denly, one after another, five or six persons, who were, to all appearance, savingly converted, and some of them wrought upon in a very remarkable manner.
Particularly, I was surprised with the relation of a young- woman, Avho had been one of the greatest company keepers in the whole town : When she came to me, I had never heard that she was become in any Avise serious, but by the conversa- tion I then had with her, it appeared to me, that what she gave an account of, was a glorious work of God's infinite pow- er and sovereign grace ; and that God had given her a new heart, truly broken and sanctified. I could not then doubt of
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 15
it, and have seen much in my acquaintance with her since to confirm it.
Though the work was glorious, yet I was filled with con- cern ahout the effect it might have upon others : I was ready to conclude (though too rashly) that some would be hardened by it, in carelessness and looseness of life ; and would take occasion fi'om it to open their mouths, in reproaches of I'elig- ion. But the event was the reverse, to a wonderful degree ; God made it, I suppose, the greatest occasion of awakening to cjthers, of any thing that ever came to pass in the town. I have had abundant opportunity to know the effect it had, by my private conversation with many. The news of it seemed to be almost like a flash of lightning, upon the hearts of young people, all over the town, and upon many others. Those per- sons amongst us, who used to be farthest from seriousness, and that I most feared would make an ill improvement of it, seemed greatly to be awakened with it ; many went to talk with her, concerning what she had met with ; and what ap- peared in her seemed to be to the satisfaction of all that did sd.
Presently upon this, a great and earnest concern about the great things of religion, and the eternal world, became \miver- sal in all parts of the town, and among persons of all degi'ees, a"nd all ages ; the noise amongst the dry bones waxed louder and louder : All other talk but about spiritual and eternal things was soon thrown by ; all the conversation in all companies, and upon all occasions, was upon these things only, unless so much as was necessary for people carrying on their ordinary secular business. Other discourse than of the things of religion, would scarcely be tolerated in any company. The minds of people were wonderfully taken off from the world ; it was treated amongst us. as a thing of very little consequence : They seemed to follow their worldly business, more as a part of their duty, than from any disposition they had to it ; the temptation now seemed to lie on that hand, to neglect worldly affairs too much, and to spend too much time in the immediate exercise of religion : Which thing was exceedingly misrepre- sented by reports that were spread in distant parts of the land.
15 NARRATIVE OF
as though the people here had wholly thrown by all worldly business, and betook themselves cntkely to reading and pray- ing, and such like religious exercises.
But though the people did not ordinarily neglect their •worldly business, yet there then was the reverse of what com- monly is : Religion was with all sorts the great concern, and the world was a thing only by the bye. The only thing in their view was to get the kingdom of heaven, and every one appeared pressing into it : The engagedness of their hearts in tliis great concern could not be hid ; it appeared in their very countenances. It then was a dreadful thing amongst us to lie out of Christ, in danger every day of dropping into hell ; and ■what persons, minds Avere intent upon was to escape for their lives, and tojiyfrom the wrath to come. All would eagerly lay hold of opportunities for their souls ; and were wont very often to meet together in private houses for religious purpo- ses : And such meetings, when appointed, were wont greatly to be thronged.
There was scarcely a single person in the town, either old or young, that Avas left unconcerned about the great things of the eternal world. Those that Avere wont to be the vainest, and loosest, and those that had been most disposed to think and speak slightly of vital and experimental religion, Avere now generally subject to great awakenings. And the Avork of con- version Avas carried on in a most astonishing manner, and in- creased more and more ; souls did, us it were, come by flocks to Jesus Christ. From day to day, for many months togeth- er, might be seen evident instances of sinners brought out of darkness into marvellous light, and delivered out of art horrible flit, and from the miry clay, and set ufion a rock with a neiv song of praise to God in their mouths.
This work of God, as it Avas carried on, and the number of true saints multiplied, soon made a glorious alteration in the town ; so that in the spring and summer following, Anno 1735, the town seemed to be full oi the presence of God : It never was so full of love, nor so full of joy ; and yet so full of distress as it Avas then. There Avere remarkable tokens of God's pres- ence in almost every house. It was a time of joy in families
Surprising conversions. if
on the account of salvation's being brought unto them ; par- ents rejoicing over their children as new born, and husbands bver their wives, and wives overtheir husbands. The goings of God were then seen in his sanctuary^ God *s day was a delight^ and his tabernacles were mniable. Our public assemblies were then beautiful ; the congregation was alive in God's service, every one earnestly intent on the public worship, every hearer- eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth ; the assembly in general were, from time to time, in tears While the word was preached ; some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbors.
Our public praises were then greatly enlivened ; God was then served in our psalmody, in some measure, in the beauty of holiness. It has been observable, that there has been scarce any part of divine worship, wherein good men amongst us have had grace so drawn forth, and their hearts so lifted up in the ways of God, as in singing his praisea : Our congregation excelled all that ever I knew in the external part of the duty before, the men generally carrying regularly, and well, three parts of music, and the women a part by themselves : But now they were evidently wont to sing with unusual elevation of heart and voice, which made the duty pleasant indeed.
In all companies, on other days, on whatever occasions per' sons met together, Christ was to be heard of, and seen in the midst of them. Our young people, when they met, were wont to spend the time in talking of the excellency and dying love of Jesus Christ, the gloriousness of the Way of salvation^ ^he Avonderful, free, and sovereign grace of God, his gloriou* work in the conversion of a soul, the truth and certainty of the great things of God's word, the sweetness of the views of his perfections. Sec. And even at weddings, which formerly Avere merely occasions of mirth and jollity, there was now no dis- course of any thing but the things of religion, and no appear-^ ance of any but spiritual mirth.
Those amongst us that had been formerly converted, were greatly enlivened and renewed with fresh and extraordinary- incomes of the spirit of God ; though some jiauch more than Vol. III. C
Iff NARRATIVE OF
others, according to the measure of the gift of Christ : !Many that before had labored under diflicullics about their o%vn state, had now their doubts removed by more satisfying experience, and more clear discoveries of God's love.
When this work of God first appeared, and was so extraor- dinarily carried on amongst us in the winter, others round about us, seemed not to know what to make of it ; and there were many that scoffed at, and ridiculed it ; and some com- pared what we called conversion to certain distempers. But it was very observable of many, that occasionally came amongst us from abroad, with disregardful hearts, that what they saw here cured them of such a temper of mind : Strang- ci's were generally surprised to find things so much beyond what they had heard, and were wont to tell others that the state of the town could not be conceived of by those that had not seen it. The notice that was taken of it by the people that came to town on occasion of the court, that sat here in the beginning of March, was very observable. And those that came from the neighborhood to our pubhc lectures, were for the most part remarkably affected. Many that came to town, on one occasion or other, had their consciences smitten, and awakened, and went home with wounded hearts, and with those impressions that never w ore off till they had hopefully a saving issue ; and those that before had serious thoughts, had their awakenings and convictions greatly increased. And there were many instances of persons that came from abroad, on visits, or on business, that had not been long here before, to all appearance, they Avere savingly wrought upon, and partook of that shower of divine blessing that God rahied doMn here> and went home rejoicing ; till at length the same work be- gan evidently to appear and prevail in several other towns in the county.
In the month of March, the people in South Hadley began to be seized with deep concei'n about the things of religion j which very soon became universal : And the work of God has been very wonderful there ; not much, if any thing, short of ■what it has been here, in proportion to the bigness of the place. About the same time it began to break forth in the
SURPRISING CpNVHIlSIONS. 19
Wtst part of Suffield, (where it has also b^en very great) and it soon spread into all parts of the; town . It next appeared at Sunderland, and soon overspread the town ; and I believe was for a season, not less remarkable than it was here. About the same time it began to appear in a part of -Deerfield, called Green River, and afterwards filled the town, and there has been a glorious work there : It began also to be manifest in the south part of Hatfield, in a place called the Hill, and after that the whole town, in the second week in April, seemed to be seized, as it were at once, with concern about the things of relip:ion ; and the work of God has been great there. There has been also a very general awakening at West Springfield, and Long Meadow ; and in Enfield, there was, for a time, a pretty general concern amongst some that before had been very loose persons. About the same time that this appeared at Enfield, the Rev. Mr. Bull of Westfield informed me, that there had been a great alteration there, and that more ha,d been done in one week there than in seven years before..... Something of this work likewise appeared in the first precinct in Spi'ingfield, principally in the north and south extremes of the parish. And in Hadley old town, there gradually appear- ed so much of a work of God on souls, as at another time ■would have been thought worthy of much notice. For a short time there was also a very great and general concern, of the like nature, at Northfield. And wherever this concern ap- peared, it seemed not to be in vain : But in every place God brought saving blessings with him, and his word attended with his spirit (as we have all reason to think) returned not void. It might well be said at that time in all parts of the county, Who ar^ these thatjiy as a cloudy and as doves to their imndawa ? As what tri:her towns heard of and found in this, was a great means of awakening them ; so our hearing of such a swift, and extraordinary propagation, and extent of this work, did doubtless, for a time, serve to uphold the work amongst us. The continual news kept alive the talk of religion, and did greatly quicken and rejoice the hearts of God's people, and much awakened those that looked on themselves as still left
20 NARRATIVE. OF
behind, and made them the more earnest that they also might share in the great blessing that others had obtained.
This remarkable pouring out of the spirit of God, which thus extended from one end to the other of this county, was not confined to it, but many places in Connecticut have par- took in the same mercy : As for instance, the first parish in Windsor, under the pastoral care of the Reverend Mr. Marsh, was thus blest about the same time, as we in Northampton, while Ave had no knowledge of each other's circumstances : There has been a very great ingathering of souls to Christ in that place, and something considerable of the same work be- gan afterv/ards in East Windsor, my honored father's parish, which has in times past been a place favored with mercies of this nature, above any on this western side of New England, excepting Northampton ; there having been four or five sea- tsons of the pouring out of the spirit to the general awakening cf the people there, since my father's settlement amongst them.
There was also the last spring and summer a wonderful work of God carried on at Coventry, under the ministry of the Rever- end Mr. Meacham : I had opportunity to converse with some of the Coventry people, who gave me a very remarkable account of the surprising change that appeared in the most rude and vicious persons there. The like was also very great at the same time in a part of Lebanon, called the Crank, where the Reverend Mr. Wheelock, a young gentleman, is lately set- tled : And there has been much of the same at Durham, un- der the ministry of the Reverend Mr. Chauncey ; and to ap- pearance no small ingathering of souls there. And likewise amongst many of the young people in the first precinct in Stratford, under the ministry of the Reverend Mr. Gould ; where the work was much promoted by the remarkable con- version of a young woman that had been a great company keeper, as it was here.
Something of this work appeared in several other towns in those parts, as I was informed when I was there the last fall. And we have since been acquainted with something very re- markable of this nature at another parish in Stratford, called
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 21
Ripton, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Mills. And there was a considerable revival of religion last aummer at New Haven old town, as I was once and again informed by the Rev. Mr. Noyes, the minister there, and by others : And by a letter which I very lately received from Mr Noyes, and al- so by information we have had otherwise. This flourishing of religion still continues, and has latel ■ much increased : Mr. Noyes writes, that many this summer have been added to ths church, and particularly mentions several young persons that belong to the principal families of that town.
There has been a degree of the same work at a part of Guilford ; and very considerable at Mansfield, under the min- istry of the Rev. Mr. Eleazar Williams ; and an unusual i-eligious concern at Tolland ; and something of it at Hebron, and Bolton. There was also no small effusion of the spirit of God in the north parish in Preston in the eastern part of Con-' necticut, which I was informed of, and saw something of it when I was the last autumn at the house, and in the congre- gation of the Rev. Mr. Lord, the minister there ; who with the Rev. Mr. Owen of Groton, came up hither in May, the last year, on purpose to see the work of God here ; and hav- ing heard various and contradictory accounts of it, were care- ful when they were here to inform and satisfy themselves ; and to that end particularly conversed with many of our peo- ple ; which they declared to be entirely to their satisfaction ; and that the one half had not been told them, nor could be told them. Mr. Lord told me, that, when he got home, he in- formed his congregation of what he had seen, and that they were greatly affected with it, and that it proved the beginning of the same work amongst them, which prevailed till there was a general awakening, and many instances of persons, who seemed to be remarkably converted. I also have lately heard that there has been something of the same work at Woodbury.
But this shower of Divine blessing has been yet more ex- tensive : There was no small degree of it in some parts of the Jerseys ; as I was informed when I was at New York, (in a long journey I took at that time of the yeur for my health) by some people of the Jerseys, whom I sav,- : Especially the
2!^ NARRATIVE OF
Key. Mr., WilUam Tenncnt, a ininistcr, wlo seemed toliaye such things much at heart, told me of a very great awakening efinany in a plape called the Mountains, under the ministry of ©ne Mr. Cross ; and of a very considerable revival of relig- ion in another place under the ministry of his brother the Rev. Mr. Gilbert Tennent ; and also at another place, under the ministiy of a very pious young gentleman, a Dutch min- ister, whose name as I remember, was Freclinghousen .
This seems to have been a very extraordinary dispensation o£ Providence : God has in many respects, gone out of, and much beyond his usual and ordinary v/ay. The work in this town, and some others about us, has been extraordinary on ac- count of the universality of it, affecting all sorts, sober and vicious, high and low, rich and poor, wise and unwise ; it leached the most considerable families and persons to all ap- pearance, as much as others. In former stirrings of this na- ture, the bulk of the young people have been greatly affected ; but old men and little children have been so now. Many of the last have, of their own accord, formed themselves into re- ligious societies, in different parts of the town : A loose care- less person could scarcely find a companion in the whole neighborhood ; and if there was any one that seemed to re- main senseless or unconcerned, it wovild be spoken of as a strange thing.
This dispensation has also appeared extraordinary in the luambers of those, on whom we have reason to hope it has had a saving eflect : We have about si:: hundred and twenty com- municants which include almost all our adult persons. The church was very large before ; but persons never thronged into it, as they did in the late extraordinary time. Our sacra- ments were eight weeks asunder, and I received into our com- munion about an hundred before one sacrament, and four- score of them at one time, whose appearance, when they pre- sented themselves together to make an open explicit profes- ision of Christianity, was very affecting to the congregation : I took in near sixty before the next sacrament day : And I had very sufficient evidence of the conversion of their souls, through divine grace, though it is not the custom here, as it
SURPRISIMi CONVERSIONS' 2S
Is in'inany other churches in this coumry, to make a credible relation of their inward experiences, the groimd of admissioii to the Lord's Supper.
I am far from pretending to be able to determine how many- have lately been the subjects of such meccy ; but if I -may be allowed to declare any thing that appeal's to me probable in a thing of this nature, I hope that more than three hundred souls were savingly brought home to Christ in this town, in the space of half a year, (how many more I don't guess) and about the same number of males as females ; which, by wh^fl: I have heai'd Mr. Stoddard say, was far from what has beeii usual in years past, for he observed that in his time, many more women were converted than men. Those of our young people that are on other accounts most likely and considera- ble, are mostly, as I hope, truly pious, and leading persons in the way of religion. Those that were formerly looser young persons, are generally, to all appearance, become true lovers of God and Christ, and spiritual in their dispositions. And I hope that by far the greater part of persons in this town, above sixteen years of age, are such as have the saving knowl- edge of Jesus Christ ; and so by what I heard I suppose it is in some other places, particularly at Sunderland and South Hadley.
This has also appeared to be a very extraordinary dispensa- tion, in that the spirit of God has so much extended not only his awakening, but regenerating influences, both to elderly persons, and also those that are very young. It has been a thing heretofore rarely heard of, that any were converted past middle age ; but now we have the same ground to think, that many such have in this time been savingly changed, as that others have been so in more early years. I suppose there were upwards of fifty persons in this town above forty years of age ; and more than twenty of them above fifty, and about ten of them above sixty, and two of them above seventy years of age.
It has heretofore been looked on as a strange thing, when any have seemed to be savingly wrought upon, and remarka- bly changed in their childhood ; but now, I suppose, near
U NARRATIVE OF
thirty were to appearance so wrought upon between ten and fourteen years of age, and two between nine and ten, and one of them about four years of age ; and because, I suppose, this last will be most difficultly believed, I shall hereafter give a particular account of il. The influences of God's spirit have also been very remarkable on children in some other places, particularly at Sunderland and South Hadlcy, and the west part of Sufficld. There are several families in this town that are all hopefully pious ; yea, there are several numerous fami- lies, in which, I think, wc have reason to hope that all the children are truly godly, and most of them lately become so t And there are very few houses in the Avhole town, into which salvation has not lately come, in one or more instances. There are several negroes, that from what was seen in them then, and what is discernible in them since, appear to have been truly born again in the late remarkable season.
God has also seemed to have gone out of his usual way in the quickness of his work, and the swift progress his spirit has made in his operation, on the hearts of many : 'Tis wonder- ful that persons should be so suddenly, and yet so greatly changed : Many have been taken from a loose and careless ■way of living, and seized with strong convictions of their guilt and misery, and in a very little time old things have passed away, and all things have become new with them.
God's work has also appeared very extraordinary, in the degrees of the influences of his spirit, both in the degree of awakening and conviction, and also in a degree of saving light, and love, and joy, that many have experienced. It has also been very extraordinary in the extent of it, and its being so swiftly propagated from town to town. In former times of the pburing out of the spirit of God on this '.own, though in some of them it was very remarkable, yet it reached no fur- ther than this town, theneighboring towns all round continu- ed unmoved.
The work of God's spirit seemed to be at its greatest height in this town, in the former part of the spring, in March and April ; at which time God's work in the conversion of souls was carried on amongst us in so wonderful a manner, that so
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 25
far as I, by looking back, can jiidge from the particular ac- quaintance I have had with souls in this work, it appears to me probable, to have been at the rate, at least of four persons in a day, or near thirty in a week, take one with another, for five or six weeks together : When God in so remarkable a manner took th(? work into his own hands, there was as much done in a day or two, as at ordinary times, with all endeavors that men can use, and with such a blessing as we commonly have, is done in a year.
I am very sensible how apt many would be, if they should see the account I have here given, presently to think with themselves that I am very fond of making a great many con- verts, and of magnifying and aggrandizing the matter ; and to think that, for want of judgment, I take every religious pan-g, and enthusiastic conceit, for saving conversion ; and I do not much wonder if they should be apt to think so : And for tKis reason, I have forborn to publish an account of this great work of God, though I have often been put upon it ; but having now as I thought a special call to give an account of it, upon mature consideration I thought it might not be beside my duty to declare this amazing work, as it appeared to me, to be indeed divine, and to conceal no part of the glory of it, leaving it with God to take care of the credit of his own work; and running the venture of any censorious thoughts, which might be entertained of me to my disadvantage. But that dis- tant persons may be under as great advantage as may be, to judge for themselves of this mratter, I would be a little more large, and particular.
I therefore proceed to give an account of the manner of persons being wrought upon ; and here there is a vast vari- ety, perhaps as manifold as the subjects of the operation ; but yet in many things there is a great analogy in all.
Persons are first awakened with a sense of their miserable condition by nature, the danger they are in of perishing eter- nally, and that it is of great importance to them that they speedily escape, and get into a better state. Those that before were secure and senseless, are made sensible how much they were in the way to ruin in their former courses. Some are Vol. III. D
:^^
26 NARRATIVE OF
more suddenly seized with convictions ; it may be, by the news of others conversion, or something they hear in public, or in private conference, their consciences are suddenly smit- ten, as if their hearts were pierced through with a dart : Oth- ers have awakenings that come upon them more gradually, they begin at first to be something more thoughtful and con- siderate, so as to come to a conclusion in their minds, that it is their best and wisest way to delay no longer, but to improve the present opportunity ; and have acccordingly set them- selves seriously to meditate on those things that have the most awakening tendency, on purpose to obtain convictions ; and so their awakenings have increased, till a sense of their mis- cry, by God's spirit setting in therewith, has had fast hold of them. Others that, before this Avonderful time, had been something religious and concerned for their salvation, have been awakened in a new manner, and made sensible that their slack and dull way of seeking was never like to- attain their purpose, and so have been roused up to a greater violence for the kingdom of heaven.
These awakenings when they have first seized on persons, have had two effects : One was, that they have brought them immediately to quit their sinful practices, and the looser sort have been brought to forsake and dread their former vices and extravagancies. When once the spirit of God began to be so wonderfully poured out in a general way through the town, people had soon done with their old quarrels, backbitings, and intermeddling with other men's matters ; the tavern was soon left empty, and persons kept very much at home ; none went abroad unless on necessary business, or on some religious ac- count, and every day seemed in many respects like a sabbath- day. And the other effect was, that it put them on earnest application to the means of salvation, reading, prayer, medi- tation, the ordinances of God's house, and private conference ; their cry was, Jiliat shall we do to be saved ? The place of re- sort was now altered, it was no longer the tavern, but the min- ister's house ; that was thronged far more than ever the tav- ern had been wont to be.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. . 2?
There is a very great variety, as to the degree of fear and trouble that persons are exercised with, before they obtain any comfortable evidences of pardon and acceptance with God : Some are from the beginning carried on with abundantly more encouragement and hope, than others : Some have had ten times less trouble of mind than others, in whom yet the issue seems to be the same. Some have had s.uch a sense of the displeasure of God, and the great danger they were in of dam- nation, that they could not sleep at nights; and many have said that when they have laid down, the thoughts of sleeping in such a condition have been frightful to them, and they have scarcely been free from terror while they have been asleep, and they have awaked with fear, heaviness, and distress still abiding on their spirits. It has been very common, that the deep and fixed concern that has been on persons minds, has had a painful influence on their bodies, and given disturbance to animal nature.
The awful apprehensions persons have had of their misery, have for the most part been increasing, the nearer they have approached to deliverance ; though they often pass through many changes, and alterations in the frame and circumstances of their minds : Sometimes they think themselves wholly senseles, and fear that the spirit of God has left them, and that they are given up to judicial hardness ; yet they appear very deeply exercised about that fear, and are in great earnest to obtain convictions again.
Together with those fears, and that exercise of mind which is rational, and which they have just ground for, they have of- ten suffered many needless distresses of thought, in which Sa- tan probably has a great hand, to entangle them, and block up their way ; and sometimes the distemper pf melancholy has been evidently mixed ; of which, when it happens, the tempter seems to make great advantage, and puts an unhappy bar in the way of any good effect : One knows not how to deal with such persons ; they turn every thing that is said to them the wrong way; and most to their own disadvantage : And there is nothing that the devil seems to make so great a handle of, as a melancholy humor, unless it be the real corruption of th» heart. ??
srs NARRATIVE OF
But it has been very remarkable, that there has been far less of this mixture in this time of extraordinary blcssint^, than there was wont to l)e in persons under awakenings at other times ; for it is evident that many that before had been ex- ceedingly involved in such difficulties, seemed now strangely 16 be set at liberty : Some persons that had before for a long time, been exceedingly entangled with peculiar temptations, of one sort or other, and unprofitable and hurtful distresses, were soon helped Qver former stumbling blocks, that hindered any progress towards saving good ; and convictions have wrought more kindly, and they have been successfully carried <m in the way to life. And thus Satan seemed to be restrain- ed, till towards the latter end of this wonderful time, when God's spirit was about to withdraw.
Many times persons under great awakenings were con- cerned, because they thought they were not awakened, but miserable, hard hearted, senseless, sottish creatures still, and sleeping upon the brink of hell : The sense of the need they have to be awakened, and of their comparative hardness, grows upon them with their awakenings ; so that they seem to themselves to be very senseless, when indeed most sensible. There have been some instances of persons that have had as great a sense of their danger and misery, as their natures could well subsist under, so that a little more would probably have destroyed them ; and yet they have expresed themselves much amazed at their own insensibility and sottishness, in slich an extraordinary time as it then was.
Persons are sometimes brought to the borders of despair, and it looks as black as midnight to them a little before the day dawns in their souls ; some few instances there have been of persons, who have had such a sense of God's wrath for sin, that they have been overborn, and made to cry out under an astonishing sense of their guilt, wondering that God suffers such guilty wretches to live upon earth, and that he doth not immediately send them to hell ; and sometimes their guilt does so glare them in the face, that they are in exceeding ter- ror for fear that God will instantly do it ; but more common- ly the distresses under legal awakenings have not been to
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 29
such a degree. In some these terrors do not seem to be so sharp, when near comfort, as before ; their convietions have not seemed to work so much that way, but they seem to be led further down hito their own hearts, to a further sense of their own universal depravity, and deadness in sin.
The corruption of the heart has discovered itself in various exercises in the time of legal convictions ; sometimes it ap- pears in a great struggle, like something roused by an enemy, and Satan the old inhabitant seems to exert himself, like a ser- pent disturbed and enraged. Many in such circumstances, have felt a great spirit of envy, towards the godly, especially towards those that are thought to have been lately converted, and most of all towards acquaintances and companions, when they are thought to be converted : Indeed some have felt many heart risings against God, and murmurings at his ways of dealing with mankind, and his dealings with themselves in particular. It has been much insisted on, both in public and private, that persons should have the utmost dread of such en- vious thoughts, which, if allowed, tend exceedingly to quench the spirit of God, if not to provoke him finally to forsake them. And when such a spirit has much prevailed, and persons have not so earnestly strove against it as they ought to have done, it has seemed to be exceedingly to the hinderance of the good of their souls : But in some other instances, where persons have been much terrified at the sight of such wickedness in thtir hearts, God has brought good to them out of evil ; and made it a means of convincing them of their own desperate sinfulness, and bringing them off from all self confidence.
The drift of the spirit of God in his legal strivings with per- sons, has seemed most evidently to be, to make way for, and to bring to, a conviction of their absolute dependence on his sovereign power and grace, and universal necessity of a me- diator, by lt!ading them more and more to a sense of their ex- ceeding wickedness, and guiltiness in his sight ; the pollution, and insufficiency of their own righteousness, that they can in r>o wise help themselves, and that God would be wholly just and righteous in rejecting them, and all that they do, aiid in casting them off for ever : Though there be a vast variety, as
sa NARRATIVE OF
♦a the manner, and distinctness of persons' convictions of th«3c things.
As they are gradually more and more convinced of the corrup- tion and wickedness of their hearts, they seem to themselves to grow worse and worse, harder and blinder, and more desper- ately wicked, instead of growing better : They arc ready to be discouraged by it, and oftentimes never think themselves so far off from good, as when they are nearest. Under the sense which the spirit of God gives them of their sinfulness, they often think that they differ from all others ; their hearts are ready to sink with the thought, that they are the worst of all, and that none ever obtained mercy that were so wicked as they.
When awakenings first begin, their consciences are com- monly most exercised about their outward vicious course, or other acts of sin ; but afterwards, are much more burdened ■with a sense of heart sins, the dreadful corruption of their na- tm'e, their enmity against God, the pride of their hearts, their unbelief, their rejection of Christ, the stubbornness and obsti- nacy of their wills ; and the like. In many, God malies much use of their own experience, in the course of their awakenings and endeavors after saving good, to convince them of their own vile emptiness and universal depravity.
Very often under first awakenings, when they are brought to reflect on the sin of their past lives, and have something of a terrifying sense of God's anger, they set themselves to walk more strictly, and confess their sins, and perform many relig- ious duties, with a secret hope of appeasing God's anger, and making up for the sins they have committed : And oftentimes, at first setting out, their affections are moved, and they are full of tears, in their confessions and prayers, which they are ready to make very much of, as though they were some atone- ment, and had power to move correspondent affections in God too : And hence they are for a while big with expectation of what God will do for them ; and conceive that they grow bet- ter apace, and shall soon be thoroughly converted. But these affections are but short lived, they quickly find that they fail^ and then they think themselves to be grown worse again ;
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. SI
they do not find such a prospect of being sooti converted as they thought ; instead of being nearer, they seem to be far- ther off; their hearts they think are grown harder, and by this means their fears of perishing greatly increase. But though they are disappointed, they renew their attempts again and again ; and still as their attempts are multiplied, so are their disappointments ; all fail, they see no token of hav- ing inclined God's heart to them, they do not see that he hears their prayer at all, as they expected he would ; and some- times there have been great temptations arising hence to leave off seeking, and to yield up the case. But as they are still more terrified with fears of perishing, and their former hopes of prevailing on God to be merciful to them in a great measure fail, sometimes their refigious affections have turned into heart risings against God, because that he would not pity them, and seems to have little regard to their distress and pit- eous cries, and to all the pains they take : They think of the mercy that God has shown to others, how soon, and how eaa- ly others have obtained comfort, and those too that were worse than they, and have not labored so much as they have done, and sometimes they have had even dreadful blasphemous thoughts, in these circumstances.
But when they reflect on these wicked workings of heart against God, if their convictions are continued, and the spirit of God is not provoked utterly to forsake them, they have more distressing apprehensions of the anger of God towards those, whose hearts work after such a sinful manner about him ; and it may be have great fears that they have committed the unpardonable sin, or that God will surely never shew mercy to them that are such vipei's : And are often tempted to leave off in despair.
But then perhaps, by something they read or hear of the in- finite mercy of God, and allsufficiency of Christ for the chief of sinners ; they have soine encouragement and hope renew- ed ; but think that as yet they are not fit to come to Christ, they are so wicked that Christ will never accept of them : And then it may be they set themselves upon a new course of fruitless endeavors in their own strength to make themselves
53 NARRATIVE OF
better, and still meet with new disappointments : They arc earnest to inquire what they shall do ? They do not know but there is somethinij; else to be done, in order to their obtaining converting grace, that they have never done yet. It may be they hope that they are something better than they were; but then the pleasing dream all vanishes again. If they arc told that they trust too much to their own strength and righteous- ness, they cannot unlearn this practice all at once, and find not yet the appearance of any good, but all looks as dark as midnight to them. Thus they wander about from moun- tain to hill, seeking rest and finding none : When they are beat out of one refuge they fly to another, till they are, as it were, del^ilitated, broken, and subdued with legal humb- lings ; in which God gives them a conviction of their own ut- ter heiplessness and insufficiency, and discovers the true rem- edy in a clearer knowledge of Christ and his gospel.
When they begin to seek salvation, they are commonly profoundly ignorant of themselves ; they are not sensible how blind they are, and how little they can do towards biinging themselves to see spiritual things aright, and towards putting forth gracious exercises in their own souls ; they are not sen- sible how remote they are from love to God, and other holy dispositions, and how dead they are to sin. When they see unexpected pollution in their own hearts, they go about to wash away their own defilements, and make themselves clean ; and they weary themselves in vain, till God shews them it is in vain, and that their help is not where they have sought it, but elsewhere.
But some persons continue wandering in such a kind of labyrinth, ten times as long as others, before their own ex- perience will convince them of their insufficiency ; and so it appears not to be tlieir own experience only, but the convinc- ing influence of God's spirit with their experience, that at- tains the eflcct : And God has of late abundantly shown that he does not need to wait to have men convinced by long and often repeated, fruitless trials ; for in multitudes of instances he has made a shorter work of it : He has so awakened and convinced persons consciences, and made them so sensible of
SURPRISING COISfVtRSIONS. 33
fheir exceeding great vileness, and given them such a sense of his wrath against sin, as has quickly overcome all their vain self confidence, and borne them down into the dust be- fore a holy and righteous God.
There have been some who have not had great terrors, but have had a very quick work. Some of those that have not had so deep a conviction of these things before their conver- sion, have, it may be, much more of it afterwards. God has appeared far from limiting himself to any certain method in his proceedings with sinners under legal convictions. In some instances it seems easy for our reasoning powers to discern the methods of divine wisdom, in his dealings with the soul imder awakenings : In others his footsteps cannot be traced, and his ways are past finding out : And some that are less distinctly wrought upon, in what is preparatory to grace, ap- pear no less eminent in gracious experiences afterwards.
There is in nothing a greater difference, in different per- sons, than with respect t6 the time of their being under troub- le ; some but a few- days, and others for months or years. There were many in this town that had been before this ef- fusion of God's spirit upon us, for years, and some for many years, concerned about their salvation ; though probably they were not thoroughly awakened, yet they were concerned to such a degree as to be very uneasy, so as to live an un- comfortable, disquieted life, and so as to continue in a way of taking considerable pains about their salvation, but had never obtained any comfortable evidence of a good estate, who now in this extraordinary time have received light ; but m.any df then! were some of the last : They first saw multitudes of others rejoicing, and with songs of deliverance in their mouths, who seemed wholly careless and at ease, and in pur- s'uit of vanity, while they had been bowed down with solicitude about their souls ; yea, some had lived licentiously, and so continued till a little before they were converted, and grew up to a holy rejoicing in the infinite blessings God had be- stowed upon them.
And whatever minister has a like occasion to deal with souls, in a flock under such circumstances, as this was in the Vol. III. F,
34 NARRATIVE OF
last year, I cannot but think he will soon find himself under a necessity, greatly to insist upon it with them, that God is un- der no manner of obligation to shew any mercy to any natur- al man, whose heait is not turned to God : And that a man can challenge nothing, either in absolute justice, or by free prom- ise, from any thing he does before he has believed on Jesus Christ, or has true repentance begun in him. It appears to mc, that if I had taught those that came to me under trouble, any other doctrine, I should have taken a most direct course utterly to have undone them : I should have directly crossed what was plainly the drift of the spirit of God in his influences upon them ; for if they had believed what I said, it would ei- ther have promoted selfflattery and carelessness, and so put an end to their awakenings ; or cherished and established their contention and strife with God, concerning his dealings with tliem and othere, and blocked up their way to that hu- miliation before the sovereign disposer of life and death, whereby God is wont to prepare them for his consolations. And yet those that have been under awakenings, have often times plainly stood in need of being encouraged, by being told of the infinite and allsnfficient mercy of God in Christ ; and that it is God's manner to succeed diligence, and to bless his OAvn means, that so awakenings and encouragements, fear and hope, may be duly mixed, and proportioned to preserve their minds in a just medium between the two extremes of selfflat- tery and despondence, both which tend to slackness and negli- gence, and in the end to security.
I think I -have found that no discourses have been more re- markably blessed, than those in which the doctrine ofj God's absolute sovereignty with regard to the salvation of sinners, and his just liberty, with regard to answering the prayers, or succeeding the pains of mere natural men, continuing such, have been insisted on. I uever found so much immediate sav- ing fruit, in any incasure, of any discourses I have offered to my congregation, as some from those words. Rom. iii. 19. " That every mouth may be stopped ;" endcavoiing to shew from thence that it would be just with God forever to reject and cast off mere natural men.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 35-
In those in whom awakenings seem to have a saving issue, commonly the first thing that appears after their legal troub- les, is a conviction of the justice of God in their condemna- tion, in a sense of their own exceeding sinfulness, and the vileness of all their performances : In giving an account of this they expressed themselves very vaiiously ; some, that they saw that God was sovereign, and might receive others and reject them ; some, that they were convinced, that God might justly bestow mercy on every person in the town, and on every person in the world, and damn themselves to all eter- nity ; some, that they see that God may justly have no rer gard to all the pains they have taken, and all the prayers they have made ; some, that they see that if they should seek, and take the utmost pains all their lives, God might justly cast them into hell at last, because all their labors, prayers and tears, cannot make an atonement for the least sin, nor merit any blessing at the hands of God ; some have declai'ed them- selves to be in the hands of Cod, that he can and may dispose of them just as he pleases ; some that God may glorify him- self in their damnation, and they wonder that God has suffer- ed them to live so long, and has not cast them into hell long ago.
Some are brought to this conviction, by a great sense of their sinfulhess, in general, that they are such vile wicked creatures in heart and life : Others have the sins of their lives in an extraordinary manner set before them, multitudes of them coming just then fresh to their memory, and beh>g set before them with their aggravations ; some have their minds especially fixed, on some particular wicked practice, they have indulged ; some are especially convinced by a sight of the corruption and wickedness of their hearts ; some fr<jm a view they have of the horridness of some particular exercis- es of corruption, which they have had in the time of their awakening, whereby the enmity of the heart against God has been manifested ; some are convinced especially by a sense of the sin of unbelief, the opposition of their hearts to the ■way of salvation by Christ, and their obstinacy in rejecting^ him 9(nd his grace.
36 ' NARRATIVE OF
There is a great deal of difference as to persons distinct- ness here ; some, that have not so clear a sight of God's jus- tice in their condemnation, yet mention things that plainly imply it. They find a disposition to acknowledge God to be jlist and righteous in his threatenings, and that they are de- serving of nothing : And many times, though they had not fio particular a sight of it at the beginning, they have very cleai discoveries of it soon afterwards, with great humblings in the dust before God.
Commonly persons' minds immediately before this discove- ry of God's justice are exceeding restless, and in a kind of struggle and tumult, and sometimes in mere anguish ; but generally, as soon as they have this conviction, it immediately brings their minds to a calm, and a before unexpected quiet- ness and composure ; and most frequently, though not al- ways, then the pressing weight upon their spirits is taken away, and a general hope arises, that some time or other God ■will be gracious, even before any distinct and particular dis- coveries of mercy ; and often they then come to a conclusion within themselves, that they will lie at God's feet, and wait his time ; and they rest in that, not being sensible that the spirit of God has now brought them to a frame whereby they ^re prepared for mercy ; for it is remarkable that persons, when they first have this sense of the justice of God, rarely, in the time of it, think any thing of its being that humiliation that they have often heard insisted on, and that others experience.
In many persons, the first convictions of the justice of God in their condemnation, which they take particular notice of, and probably the first distinct conviction of it that they have, is of such a nature, as seems to be above any thing merely le- gal : Though it be after legal humbliags, and much of a sense of their own helplessness, and of the insufficiency of their own duties ; yet it does not appear to be forced by mere legal ter- rors and convictions ; but rather from an high exercise of grace, in saving repentance, and evangelical humiliation ; for there is in it a sort of coiTiplacency of soul, in the attribute of God's justice, as displayed in his threatenings of eternal damn- ation to sinners. Sometimes at the discovery of it, they can
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 5r
scarcely forbear crying out, 'Tis just ! 'Tis just !... .Some express themselves, that they see the glory of God would shine bright in their own condemnation ; and they are ready to think that if they are damned, they could take part tvith God against themselves, and would glorify his justice therein. And when it is thus, they commonly have some evident sense of free and alisufficient grace, though they give n© distinct ac- count of it ; but it is mani fest, by that great degree of hope and encouragement that they then conceive, though they were never so sensible of their own vileness and illdeservings as they are at that time.
Some, when in such circum.stances, have felt that sense of the excellency of God's justice, appearing in the vinolictive ex- ercises of it, against such sinfulness as theirs -was, and have had such a submission of mind in their idea of this attribute, and of those exercises of it, together with an exceeding loath- ing of their own unworthiness, and a kind of indignation against themselves, that they have sometimes almost called it a willingness to be damned ; though it must be owned they had not clear and distinct ideas of damnation, nor does any ■\Tord in the Bible require such selfdenial as this. But the truth is, as some have more clearly expressed it, that salvation has appeared too good for them, that they were worthy of nothing but condemnation, and they could not tcU how to think of salvation's being bestowed upon them, fearing it was incon- sistent with the glory of God's majesty that they had so much contemned and affronted.
That calm of spirit that some persons have found after their legal distresses, continues some time before any special and delightful ir.anifestation is made to the soul of the grace of God, as revealed in the gospel ; but very often some comfort- able and sweet view of a merciful God, of a sufficient Redeem- er, or of some great and joyful things of the gospel, imme- diaiely follows, or in a very little time : And in some, the first sight of their just desert of hell, and God's sovereignty with respect to their salvation, and a discovery of allsufficient grace*' &i--i M near, that they seem to go as it were together.
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These gracious discoveries that are given, whence the firsi special comforts are cUrived, are in many respects very va- rious ; more frequently Christ is distinctly made the object of the mind, in his allsufficiency and w^illingness to save sinners r But some have their thoughts more especially fixed on God> in some of his sweet and glorious attributes manifested in the gosp>el, and shining forth in the face of Christ : Some vievethe allsufficiency of the mercy and grace of God ; some chiefly the infinite ix)\ver of God, and his ability to save them, and to do all things for them ; and some look most at the truth and faithfulness of God : In some, the truth and certainty of the gospel in general is the first joyful discovery they have ; in others, the certain truth of some particular promises ; in some, the grace and sincerity of God in his invitations, very commonly in some particular invitation in the mind, and it now appears real to them that God does indeed invite them. Some are struck with the glory and wonderfulness of the dy- ing love of Christ ; and some with the sufficiency and prec- iousness of his blood, as offered to make an atonement for sin; and others with the value and glory of his obedience and right- eousness. In some the excellency and loveliness of Christ chiefly engages their thoughts ; in some his divinity, tliat he is indeed the son of the living God ; and in others the excel- lency of the way of salvation by Christ, and the siutab.leness of it to their necessities.
Some have an apprehension of these things so given, that it seems more natural to them to express it by sight or discov- ery ; others think what they experience better expressed by the realizing conviction, or a lively or feeling sense of heart ; meaning, as I suppose, no other difference but what is merely circumstantial or gradual.
There is often, in the mind, some particular text of scrip- ture, holding forth some evangelical ground of consolation ; sometimes a multitude of texts, gracious invitations and prom- ises flowing in one after another, filling the soul more and more with comfort and satisfaction ; and comfort is first given to some while reading some portion of scripture ; but in soma it is attended with no particular scripture at all, either in read-
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 3^
T^■Q or meditation. In some? many divine things seem to be discovered to the soul as it were at once ; others have their tuinds especially fixing on some one thing at first, and after- wards a sense is given of others ; in some with a swifter, and others a slower succession, and sometimes with interruptions of much darkness.
The way that grace seems sometimes first to appear after legal humiliation, is in earnest longings of soul after God and Oiiist, to know God, to love him, to be humbled before him, to have communion v/ith Christ in his benefits ; which long- ings, as they express th'em, seem evidently to be of such a na- ture as can arise from nothing but a sense of the superlative excellency of divine things, with a spiritual taste and relish of them, and an esteem of them as their highest happiness and best portion. Such longings as I speak of, are commonly at- tended with firm resolutions to pursue this good forever, to- gether with a hoping, waiting disposition. When persons have begun in such frames, commonly other experiences and discoveries have soon followed, which have yet more clearly manifested a change of heart.
It must needs be confest that Christ is not always distinctly and explicitly thought of in the first sensible act of grace (though most commonly he is ;) but sometimes he is the ob- ject of the mind only implicitly. Thus sometimes when per- sons have seemed evidently to be stript of all their own right- eousness, and to have stood self condemned as guilty of death, they have been comforted with a joyful and satisfying viewj that the mercy and grace of God is sufficient for them ; that their sins, though never so great, shall be no hinderance to their being accepted ; that there is mercy enough in God for the whole world, and the like, when they give no account of any particular or distinct thought of Christ ; but yet when the account they give is duly weighed, and they are a little inter- rogated about it, it appears that the revelation of the mercy of God in the gospel, is the grovlnd of this their encouragement and hope ; and that it is indeed the mercy of God through Christ, that is discovered to them, and that it is depended on m him, and not in any wise moved by any thing in them-
40 NARRATIVE OF
So sometimes disconsolate souls amongst us, hare been t6' Tived and brought to rest in God, by a sweet sense given of his jrrace and faithfulness, in some special invitation or prowi- ise, in vhich is no particular mention of Christ, nor is it ac- compunicd with any distinct thought of him in their minds ; but yet it is not received as out of Christ, but as one of the in- Titations or promises made of God to poor sinners through his son Jesus, as it is indeed ; and such persons have afterwards had clear and distinct discoveries of Christ accompanied with lively and special actings of faith and love towards him.
It has more frequently been so amongst us, that when per- sons have first had the gospel ground of relief for lost sinners discovered to them, and have been entertaining their minds with the sweet prospect, they have thought nothing at that timeoftheii- being converted: To see that there is such an allsufficiency in God, and such plentiful provision made in Christ, after they have been borne down, and sunk with a sense of their guilt and fears of wrath, exceedingly refreshes them ; the view is joyful to them, as it is in its own nature glorious, and gives them quite new, and more delightful ideas of God and Christ, and greatly encourages them to seek con- version, and begets in them a strong resolution to give up themselves, and devote their Avhole lives to God and his son, and patiently to wait till God shall see fit to make all effectual ; and very often they entertain a strong persuasion, that he will in his own time do it for them.
There is Avrought in them a holy repose of soul in God tlirough Christ, and a secret disposition to fear and love him, and to hope for blessings from him in this way : And yet they have no imagination that they are now converted, it does not so much as come into their minds ; and very often the reason is, that they do not see that they do accept of this sufficiency of salvation, that they behold in Christ, having entertained a wrong notion of acceptance ; not being sensible that the obe- dient and joyful entertainment which their hearts give to this discovery of grace, is a real acceptance of it: They know not that the sweet complacence thev feel in the mercy and complete salvation of God, as it includes pardon and sanctili-
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 41
eation, and is held forth to them only through Christ, is a tru« receiving of this mercy, or a plain evidence of their re- ceiving it. They expected I know not what kind of act of soul, and perhaps they had no distinct idea of it them- seh'es.
And indeed it appears very plainly in some of them, that before their own conversion they had very imperfect ideas what conversion was : It is all new and strange, and what there was no clear conception of before. It is most evident, as they themselves acknowledge, that the expressions that were used to describe conversion, and the gmces of God's spirit, such as a spiritual sight of Christ, faith in Christ, pov- €rty of spirit, trust in God, resignedness to God, &c. were ex- pressions that did ^ot convey those special and distinct ideas to their minds which they were intended to signify : Perhaps 10 some of them it was but little move than the nannes of col- ers are to convey the ideas to one that is blind from his birth. This town is a place where there has always been a great deal of talk of conversion, and spiritual experiences ; and therefore people in general had before formed a notion in their own minds what these things were ; but when they come to be the subjects of them themselves, they find themselves much confounded in their notions, and overthrown in many of their former conceits. And it has been very observable, that persons of the greatest understanding, and that had studied most about things of this nature, have been more confounded than others. Some such persons that have lately been con- verted, declare that all their former wisdom is brought to nought, and that they appear to have been mere babes, who knew nothing. It has appeared that none have stood more in need of enlightening and instruction, even of their fellow christians, concerning their own circumstances and difficulties, than they : And it has seemed to have been with delight, that they have seen themselves thus brought down and become nothing, that free grace and divine power may be exalted in them.
It was very Avonderful to see after what manner person's af- fections were sometimes moved and wrought upon, when God Vol. III. F
42 NARRATIVE OF
(lid, as it were, suddenly open their eyes, and let into therr minds, a sense of the greatness of his grace, and fulness of Christ, and his readiness to save, who before were broken ivilh apprehensions of divine wrath, and sunk into an abyss under a sense of guilt, which they were ready to think was beyond the mercy of God : Their joyful surprise has caused their hearts as it were to leap, so that they have been ready to break fortli into laughter, tears often at the same time issuing like a flood, and intermingling a loud weeping : And some- times they have not been able to forbear crying out with aloud voice, expressing their great admiration. In some even the view of the glory of God's sovereignty in the exercises of his grace, has surprised the soul with such sweetness, as to pro- duce the same effects. I remember an instance of one, who, reading something concerning God's sovereign way of saving sinners^ as being selfmoved, and having no regard to men's own righteousness as the motive of his grace, but as magnify- ing himself, and abasing man, or to that purpose, felt such a sudden rapture of joy and delight in the consideration of it ; and yet then suspected himself to be in a Christless condition, and had been long in great distress for fear that God would not have mercy on him.
Many continue a long time in a course of gracious exer- cises and experiences, and do not think themselves to be con- verted, but conclude themselves to be otherwise ; and none knows how long they would continue so, were they not help- ed by particular instruction. There are undoubted instances of some that have lived in this w?y for many years together ; and a continuing in these circumstances of being converted and not believing it, has had various consequences, with va- rious persons, and with the same persons, at various times ; some continue in great encouragement and hope, that they shall obtain mercy, in a stedfast resolution to persevere in seeking it, and in an humble waiting for it at God's foot ; but very often when the lively sense of the sufficiency of Christ, and the riches of divine grace begins to vanish, upon a with- draw of the influences of the spirit of God, they return to greater distress than ever; for they have now a far greater
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 43
sense of the misery of a natural condiUon than before, being in a new manner sensible of the reality of eternal things, and the greatness of God, and his excellency, and how dreadful it is to be separated from him, and to be subject to his wrath ; so that they are sometimes swallowed up with darkness and amazement. Satan has a vast advantage in such cases to ply them with various temptations, which he is not wont to neg- lect. In such a case persons do very much need a guide to lead them to an understanding of what we are taught in the word of God of the nature of grace, and to help them to apply it to themselves.
I have been much blamed and censured by many, that I should make it my practice, when I have been satisfied con- cerning persons' good estate, to signify it to them : Which thing has been greatly misrepresented abroad, as innumerable other things concerning us, to prejudice the country against the whole affair. But let it be noted, that what I have under- taken to judge of, has rather been qualifications, and declared experiences, than persons : Not but that I have thought it my duty, as a pastor, to assist and instruct persons in applying scripture rules and characters to their own case, (in doing of •which, I think many greatly need a guide ;) and have, where I thought the case plain, used freedom in signifying my hope of them, to others : But have been far from doing this con- cerning all that I have had some hopes of; and I believe have used much more caution than many have supposed. Yet I should account it a great calamity to be deprived of the com^ fort of rejoicing with those of my flock, that have been in great distress, Avhose circumstances I have been acquainted Avith, ■when there seems to be good evidence that those that were dead are alive, and those that were lost are found. I am sen- sible the practice would have been safer in the hands of one of a riper judgment and greater experience; but yet there has seemed to be an absolute necessity of it on the foremen- tioned accounts ; and it has been found to be that which God has most remarkably owned and blessed amongst us, both t^ the persons themselves, and others.
44 ^ KtCk ATIYT. 'OF
Grace itt rtiatiy persons, through this ignorance of their state, and their looking on themselves still as the objects of God's displeasure, has been like the trees in -winter, or like seed in the spring suppressed under a hard clod of earth ; and many in such castas have labored to theilr utmost to divert their minds from the pleasing and joyful views they have had, and to suppress those consolations and gracious aft'ections that arose thereupon. And ■wheti it has once come into their minds to inquire whether or no this Was not tt'ue grace, they have been much afraid lest they should be deceived with com- mon illuminations and flashes of aftection, and eternally un- done with a false hope. But When they have been better in- structed, and so brought to allow of hope, this has awakened the gracious disposition of their hearts into life and vigor, as the warm beams of the sun in the spring, have quickened the seeds and productions of the eai'th : Grace being now at liber- ty, and cherished with hope, has soon flowed out to their abundant satisfaction and increase.
There is no one thing that I know of that God has made such & means of prornoting his work amongst us, as the news c(f others conversion ; in the awakening sinners, and engaging them earnestly to seek the same blessim^-, and in the quicken- ing of saints. Though I have thought that a minister's de>- claring his judgment about particiilar pei-son's experiences, might from these things be justified, yet I am often signify- ing to my people how unable man is to \iti6w another*s heart, and how unsafe it is depending merely on the judgment of ministers, or others ; and have abundantly insisted on it with them, that a manifestation of sincerity in fruits brought forth, is better than any manifestation they can make of it in words alone can be ; and that without this, all pretences to spiritual
experiences are vain ; as all my congregation can witness
And the people in general, in this late extraordinary time, have manifested an extraordinary dread of being deceived, being exceeding fearful lest they should build wrong, and some of them backward to receive hope, even to a great ex- treme, which has occasioned me to dwell longer on this ipart of the narrative.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 4S
Conversioii is a great and glorious •\\'OTk of God's power, at once changing the heart, and infusing life into the dead soul ; though that grace that is then inipianled does more gradually display itself in some than in others. But as to fix- ing on the precise time when they put forth the very first act of grace, there is a great deal of difference in different persons ; in aotne it seems to be very discernible -when the very time of this was ; but others are moi'e at a loss. In this respect there are very many that do not know the time (as has been already observed) when they have the first exercises of grace, do not know that it is the grace of conver- sion, and sometimes do not think it to be so till a long time after : And many, even when they come to entertain great hope that they are converted, if they remember what they experienced in the first exercises of grace, they are at a losS AVhether it was any more than a common illumination ; or whether some other, rnoa'e clear and remarkable experience, that they had afterwards, was not the first that v/as of a saving nature. And the manner of God's work on the soul is (some- times especially) very mysterious, and it is with the kingdom t)f God^s to its manifestation in the heart of a convert, as it is said Mark iv. 26, 27, 28. « So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and shovild sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up, he knoweth not how ; for the earth bringeth forth of herself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear."
In some, converting light is like a glorious brightness, sud- 43enly shining in iipon a person, and uU around him : They are in a remarkable manner brought out of darkness into mar' ■vellous light. In many others it has been like the dawning of the day, when at first but a little liuht appears, and it may be is presently hid with a cloud ; and then it appears again and shines a little brighter, and gradually Increases, with intervening darkness, till at length, perhaps, it breaks forth more clearly from behind the clouds. And many arc, doub less, ready to date their conversion wrong, throwing by those lesser degrees of light that appeared at first dawning, and calling some more remarkable experience, that they had
46 NARRATIVE OF
afterwards, their conversion ; which often in great measure ai-ises from a wrong understanding of what they have always been taught, that conversion is a great cliangc, wherein old things are done anvay, and all things become new, or at least from a false arguin;:^ from that doctrine.
Persons commonly at first conversion, and afterwards, have had many texts of scripture brought to their minds, that are exceeding suitable to their circumstances, which often come ■with great power, and as the word of God or Christ indeed ; and many have a multitude of sweet invitations, promises, and doxologies flowing in one after another, bringing great light and comfort with them, filling the soul brim full, enlarging the heart, and opening the mouth in religion. And it seems to me necessary to suppose, that there is an immediate in- fmence of the spirit of God, oftentimes in bringing texts of scripture to the mind : Not that I suppose it is done in a >vay of immediate revelation, without any manner of use of the memory ; but yet there seems plainly to be an immediate and extraordinary influence, in leading their thoughts to such p.nd such passages of scripture, and exciting them in the mem- pry. Indeed, in some, God seems to bring texts of scripture io their minds no otherwise than by leading them into such frames and meditations, as harmonize with those scriptures ; but in many persons there seems to be something more than this.
Those that while under legal convictions, had the greatest terrors hav.e not always obtained the greatest light and comfort; jior have they always light most suddenly communicated ; but yet I think, the time of conversion has generally been most sensible in such persons. Oftentimes, the first sensible change after the extremity of terrors, is a calmness, and then the light gradually comes in ; small glinip;jcs at first, after their midnight darkness, ajnd a word or two of comfort, as it ■were, softly spoken to them ; they have a little taste of the sweetness of divine grace, and the love of a Saviour, when terror and distress of conscience begins lo be turned into an humble, meek sense of their own unwortliiness before God ; and there is felt inwardly, perhaps, some disposition to praise
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 47
God ; and after a little while the light comes in more clearly and powerfully. But yet, I think more frequently, great ter- rors have been followed with more sudden and great light, and comfort ; when the sinner seems to be, as it were, sub- dued and brought to a calm, from a kind of tumult of mind, then God lets in an extraordinary sense of his great mercy through a Redeemer.
The converting influences of God's spirit very commonly bring an extraordinary conviction of the reality and certainty of the great things of religion ; (though in some this is muck greater, some time after conversion, than at first :) They have that sight and taste of the divinity, or divine excellency, that there is in the things of the gospel, that is more to con- vince them, than reading many volumes of arguments without it. It seems to me that in many instances amongst us, when the divine excellency and glory of the things of Christianity have been set before persons, and tliey have at the same time, as it were, seen and tasted, and felt the divinity of them, they have been as far from doubting of the truth of them, as they are from doubting whether there be a sun, when their eyes are open in the midst of a clear hemisphere, and the strong blaze of his light overcomes all objections against his being. And yet many of them, if we would ask them why they be- lieved those things to be true, would not be able well to ex- press, or communicate a sufficient reason, to satisfy the in- quirer, and perhaps Avould make no other answer but that they see them to be true : But a person may soon be satisfied, by a particular conversation with them, that what they mean by such an answer, is, that they have intuitively beheld, and im- mediately felt, most illustrious works, and powerful evidence of divinity in them.
Some are thus convinced of the truth of the gospel in gen- eral, and that the scriptures are the word of God : Others have their minds more especially fixed on some particular great doctrine of the gospel, some particular truths that they are meditating on ; or are in a special manner convinced of the divinity of the things they are reading of, in soine por- tion of scripture. Some have such convictions in a much
4t NARRATIVE OF
more remarkable manner than others. And there are somo that never had such a special sense of the certainty of divino things impressed upon them with such inward evidence and strenp;th, have yet very clear exercises of grace ; i. e. of love to God, repentance, and holiness. And if they be more par- ticularly examined, they appear plainly to have an imvard, firm persuasion of the reality of divine things, such as they do not use to have before their conversion. And those that have the most clear discoveries of divine truth, in the manner that has been spoken of, cannot have this always in view . When the sense and relish of the divine excellency of these things fades, on a withdrawment of the spirit of God, they have not the medium of the conviction of their truth at command : In a dull frame they cannot recal the idea, and inward sense they had, i)crfectly to mind ; things appear very dim to what they did before : And though there still remains an habitual strong persuasion, yet not so as to exclude temptations to un- belief, and all possibility of doubting, as before : But then at particular times, by God's help, the same sense of things rC" vives again, like fire that lay hid in ashes.
I suppose the grounds of such a conviction of the truth of divine things to be just and rational, but yet in some God makes use of their own reason much more sensibly than in others. Oftentimes persons have (so far as could be judged) received the first saving conviction from reasoning, which they have heard from the pulpit ; and often in the course of reasoning, which they are led into in their o^vn meditations.
The arguments are the same that they have heard hun- dreds of times ; but the force of the arguments, and their conviction by them, is altogether ncAv ; they come with a new and before unexperienced power : Before they heard it was so, and they allowed it to be so ; but now they see it to be so indeed. Things now look exceeding plain to thorn, and they wonder that they did not see them before.
They are so greatly taken with their new discovery, and things appear so plain and so rational to them, that they are often at first ready to think they can convince others, and are
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 49
apt to engage in talk Avith every one they meet Avith, almost to this end ; and when they are disappointed, are ready to wonder that their reasonings seem to make no more impres- sion.
Many fall under such a mistake as to be ready to doubt of their good estate, because there was so much use made of their own reason in the conviction they have received ; they are afraid that they have no illumination above the natural force of their own faculties : And many make that an objec- tion against the spirituality of their convictions, that it is so easy to see things as they now see them. They have often heard that conversion is a work of mighty power, manifesting to the soul, what no man nor angel can give, svich a conviction of ; but it seems to them that the things that they see are ftp plain and easy, and rational that any body can see them : And if they are inquired of, why they never saw so before ; they say, it seems to them it was because they never thought of it. But veiy often these difficulties are soon removed by those of another nature ; for when God Avithdraws, they find them- selves as it were blind again, they for the present lose their realizing sense of those things that looked so plain to them, and by all that they can do they cannot recover it, till God re- news the influences of his spirit.
Persons after their conversion often speak of things of re- ligion as seeming new to them ; that preaching is a new thing ; that it seems to them they never heard preaching be- fore ; that the Bible is a new book : They find there new chapters, new psalms, new histories, because they see them in a new light. Here was a remarkable instance of an aged wo- man of above seventy years that had spent most of her days under Mr. Stoddard's poAverful ministry ; who, reading in the Kew Testament, concerning Christ's sufferings for sinners, seemed to be surprized and astonished at what she i-ead, as at a thing that was real and very wonderful, but quite neW to her, insomuch that at first, before she had time to turn her thoughts, she wondered within herself that she had never heard of it before ; biii then immediately recollected herself, and thought that she had often heard of it, and read it, but Vol. III. G
so NARRATR'E OF
never until now saw it as a thing real ; and then cast in her mind, how wonderful this was, that the Son of God should un- dergo such things for sinners, and how she had spent her time in ungratefully sinning against so good a God, and such a Saviotir ; though she was a person, as to what was visi- ble, of a very blameless and inoffensive life. And she was so overcome by those considerations, that her nature Vi'as ready to fail inider them. Those that were about her, and kne\y not what was the matter, were surprized and thought she was a dying.
Many have spoke much of their hearts being drawn out in love to God and Christ, and their minds being wrapt up in de- lightful contemplation of the glory and wonderful grace ofGod, and the excellency and dying love of Jesus Christ, and of their souls going forth in longing desires after God and Christ. Several of our young children have expressed much of this, and have manifested a willingness to leave father and mother, and all things in the Avorld, to go to be w ith Christ. Some persons have had longing desires after Christ, which have risen to that degree, as to take away their natural strength. Some have been so overcome with a sense of the dying love of Christ, to such poor, wretched, and unworthy creatures, as to weaken the body. Several persons have had so great a sense of the glory of God, and excellency of Christ, that nature and life have seemed almost to sink under it ; and in all probalnlity, if God had shewed them a little more of him- self, it would have dissolved their frame. I have seen some arid been in conversation with them in such frames, Avho have certainly been perfectly sober, and very remote from any thing like enthusiastic wildness ; and have talked, when able to speak of the glory of God's perfections, and the wonderful- ness of his grace in Christ, and their own unworthiness, in such a manner that cannot be perfectly expressed after them. Their sense of their exceeding littleness and vileness, and their disposition to abase themselves before God, has appear- ed to be great in proportion to their light and joy.
Such persons amongst us as have been thus distinguished with the most extraordinary discoveries of God, h^ve com-
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 51
utionly in no wise appeared with the assuming;, and selfcon- eeited, and selfsufficient airs of enthusiasts ; but exceedingly the contrary ; and are eminent for a spirit of meekness, mod- esty, selfdiffidence, and a low opinion of themselves : No persons seem to be so sensible of their need of instruction, and so eager to receive it, as some of them ; nor so ready to think others better than themselves. Those that have been thought to be converted amongst us, have generally manifest- ed a longing to lie low, and in the dust before God ; withal complaining of their not being able to lie low enough.
They very often speak much of their sense of the excellen? cy of the way of salvation, by free and sovereign grace, through the righteousness of Christ alone ; and how it is with delight that they renounce their own righteousness, and re- joice in halving no account made of it. Many have expressed themselves to this purpose, that it would lessen the satisfac- tion they hope for in heaven, to have it by their own right- eousness, or in any other way than as bestowed by free grace, and for Christ's sake alone. They speak much of the inex- pressibleness of what they experience, how their words fail, so that they can in no wise declare it : And particularly speak •with exceeding admiration of the superlative excellency of that pleasure and delight of soul which they sometimes enjoy ; how a little of it is sufficient to pay them for all the pains and trouble they have gone through in seeking salva- tion ; and how far it exceeds all earthly pleasvu'es : And some express inuch of the sense which these spiritual views give them of the vanity of earthly enjoyments ; how mean and worthless all these things appear to them.
Many, while their minds have been filled with spiritual de- lights, have, as it were, forgot their food ; their bodily appe- tite has failed, while their minds have been entertained with meat to eat that others knew not of. The light and comfort which some of them enjoy, gives a new relish to their com- mon blessings, and causes all things about them to appear as it were beautiful, sweet, and pleasant to them : All things abroad, the sun, moon and stars, the clouds and sky, the heavr ens and earth, appear as it were with a cast of divine glory apd
52 NARRATIVE OF
sweetness upon them. The sweetest joy that these good people amongst us express, thou(!;li it include in it a delight- ful sense of the safety of their own state, and that now they arc out of danger of hoU ; yet frequently in times of their highest spiritual entertainment, this seems not to be the chief object of their fixed thought and meditation. The supreme attention of their minds is to the glorious excellencies of God and Christ, which they have in view ; not but that there is very often a ravishing sense of God's love accompanying a sense of his excellency, and they rejoice in a sense of tlie faithfulness of God's promises, as they respect the future eter- nal enjoyment of God.
The joy that many of them speak of is, tliat to which none is to be parallelled ; is that which they find when they are lowest in the dust, emptied most of themselves, and as it were annihilating themselves before God, when they are nothing, and God is all, are seeing their own unworthiness, depending not at all on themiselves, but alone on Christ, and ascribing all glory to God : Then their souls are most in the enjoyment of sali'^ying rest ; excepting, that at such times, they appre- hend themselves to be not sufficiently selfabased ; for then above all times do they long to be lower. Some speak much of the exquisite sweetness, and rest of soul that is to be found in the exercises of a spirit of resignation to God, and humble submission to his will. Many express earnest longings of soul to praise God ; but at the same time complain they can- not praise him as they would do, and they want to have oth- ers help them in praising him : They want to have every one praise God, and are ready to call upon every thing to praise him. They express a longing desire to live to God's glory and to do something to his honor ; but at the same time cry out of .their insufficiency and barrenness, that they are poor impotent creatures, can do nothing of themselves and are ut- terly insufficient to glorify their Creator and Redeemer.
While God was so remarkably present amongst us by his spirit, there was no book so delighted in as the Bible ; espociall/ the book of Psalms, the prophecy of Isaiah, and the New Testament. Some by reason of their esteem and
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 53
love to God's word, have at some times been greatly and wonderfully delighted and affected at the sight of a Bible ; and then also, there was no time so prized as the Lord's day, and no place in this world so desired as God's house. Our con- verts then remarkably appeared united in dear affection to one another, and many have expressed much of that spirit of love which they felt to all mankind ; and particularly to those that had been least friendly to them. Never, I bciieve, was so much done in confessing injuries, and making up differ- ences as the last year. Persons after their own conversion, have commonly expressed an exceeding desire for the conver- sion of others : Some have thought that they should be will- ing to die for the conversion of any soul, though of one of the meanest of their fellow creatures, or of their worst enemies ; and many have indeed been in great distress with desires and longings for it. This work of God had also a good effect to unite the people's affections much to their minister.
There are some persons that I. have been acquainted with, but more especially two, that belong to other towns, that have been swallowed up exceedingly Avith a sense of the awful greatness and majesty of God ; and both of them told me to this purpose, that if they in the time of it, had had the least fear that they were not at peace with this so great a God, they should instantly have died.
It is worthy to be remarked, that some persons by their conversion seem to be greatly helped as to their doctrinal no- tions of religion ; it was particularly remarkable in one, who having been taken captive in his childhood, was trained up in Canada, in the Popish religion ; and some years since return- ed to this his native place, and was in a measure brought off from Popery, but seemed very awkward and dull of receiving any true and clear notion of the Protestant scheme, till he was converted ; and then he was remarkably altered in this re- spect.
There is a vast difference, as has been observed, in the de- gree, and also in the particular manner of persons experiences, both at and after conversion ; some have grace working more sensibly in one way, others in another. Some speak more
54 NARRATIVE OF
fully of a conviction of the justice of God in their condemna- tion ; others more of their consenting to the way of salvation by Christ ; some more of the actings of love to God and Christ; some more of acts of affiance, in a sweet and assured conviction of the truth and faithfulness of God in his promises; others more of their choosing and resting in God as their ■whole and everlasting portion, and of their ardent and long- ing desires after God, to have communion with him ; others more of their abhorrence of themselves for their past sins, and earnest longings to live to God's glory for the time to come ; some have their minds fixed more on Ciod, others on Christ, as I have observed before, and am afraid of too much repetition ; but it seems evidently to be the same work, the same thing done, the same habitual change wrought in the heart ; it all tends the same way, and to the same end ; and it is plainly the same spirit that breathes and acts in various persons. There is an endless variety in the particular man- ner and circuinstances in which persons are wrought on, and an opportunity of seeing so much of such a Mork of God, will shev/ that God is further from confining himself to certain steps, and a particular method in his work on souls, than it may be some do imagine. I believe it has occasioned some good people amongst us, that were before too ready to make their own experiences a rule to others, to be less censorious and more extended in their charity, and this is an excellent advantage indeed. The work of God has been glorious in its variety, it has the more displayed the manifoldness and un- scarchableness of the wisdom of God, and wrought more charity among his people.
There is a great difference among those that are converted as to the degree of hope and satisfaction that they have con- cerning their own state. Some ha\c a high degree of satis- faction in this matter, almost constantly : And yet it is rare that any do enjoy so full an assurance of their interest in Christ, that selfexamination should seem needless to them ; unless it be at particular seasons, m hile in the actual enjoyment of some great discovery, that God gives of his glory, and rich jrace in Christ, to the drawing forth of extraordinary acts of
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 55
^vace. But the greater part, as they sometimes fall into dead fraYnes of spirit, are frequently exercised with scruples and fears concernin^^ their condition.
They generally have an awful apprehension of the dreadful- ness and undoing nature of a false hope ; and there has been observable in most a great caution, lest in giving an account of their experiences, they should say too much, and use too strong terms : And many after they have related their expe- riences, have been greatly afflicted with fears, lest they have played the hypocrite, and used stronger terms than their case ■would fairly allov/ of; and yet could not find how they could correct themselves.
I think that the main ground of the doubts and fears that persons, after their conversion, have been exercised with about their own state, has been that they have found so much cor- ruption remaining in their hearts. At first their souls seem to be all alive, their hearts are fixed, and their affections flow- ing ; they seem to live quite above the world, and meet with but little difficulty in religious exercises ; and they are ready- to think it will always be so :... .Though they are truly abased imder a sense of their vileness by reason of former acts of sin, yet they are not then sufficiently sensible what corruption still remains in their hearts; and therefore are surprised when they find that they begin to be in dull and dead frames, to be troubled with Meandering thoughts in the time of pubUc and private worship, and to be utterly unable to keep themselves from them ; also, when they find themselves unaffected at seasons in which^ they think, there is the greatest occasion to be affiscted ; and when they feel worldly dispositions working in them, and it may be pride, and en\7, and stirrings of re- venge, or some ill spirit towards some person that has injured them, as well as other workings of indwelling sin : Their hearts are almost sunk with the disappointment ; and they are ready presently to think that all this they have met with is nothing, and that they are mere hypocrites.
They are ready to argue, that if God liad indeed done such great things for them, as they hoped, such ingratitude would be inconsistent with it : They cry out of the hardness and
56 Narrative of
vickedness of their hearts ; and say there is so much corrup- tion, that it seems to them impossible that there should hi anv goodness there : And many of them seem to be much more sensible how corrupt their hearts are, tlian ever they were before they were converted ; and some have been too ready to be impressed with fear, that instead of becoming better, they are grown much worse, and make it an argument cigainst the goodness of their state. But in truth, the case seems plainly to be, that now they feel the pain of their own wound ; they have a watchful eye upon their licarts tliat they do not use to have : They take more notice what sin is there, and sin is now more burdensome to them ; they strive more against it and feel more of the strength of it.
They are somewhat surprised that they should in this re- spect, find themselves so different from the idea that they generally had entertained of godly persons ; for though grace be indeed of a far more excellent nature than they imagined, yet those that are godly have much less of it, and much more remaining corruption, than they thought. They never real- ized it, that persons were wont to meet with such difiiculties, after they were once converted. When they are thus exer- cised with doubts about their state through the deadness of their frames of spirit, as long as these frames last, they are commonly unable to satisfy themselves of the truth of their grace by all their selfexamination. When they hear of the signs of grace, laid down for them to try themselves by, they are often so cloudedj that they do not know how to apply them : They hardly know whether they have such and such things in them or no, and whether they have experienced them or not: That which was sweetest and best, and most distinguishing in their experiences, they cannot recover a sense or idea of.... But on a return of the influences of the spirit of God, to re- vive the lively actings of grace, the light breaks through the cloud, and doubting and darkness soon vanish away.
Persons are often revived out of their dead and dark frames, by religious conversation ; while they are talking of divine things, or ever they are aware, their souls are carried away into holy exercises with abundant pleasure. And oftentimes.
. SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. St
Vrhile they are relating their past experiences to their Christ- ian brethren; they have a fresh sense of them revived, and the same experiences in a degree, again renewed. Sometimes •While persons are exercised in mind with several objections against the goodness of their state, they have scriptures one after another, coming to their mindSj to answer their scruples and unravel their difficulties, exceeding apposite and proper to their circumstances ; by which means their darkness is scat- tered ; and often before the bestowment of any new remarka- ble comforts, especially after long continued deadness and ill frames, there are renewed humblings, in a great sense of their own exceeding vileness and unworthiness, as before their first fcomforts were bestowed.
Many in the country have entertained a mean thought of this great work that there has been amongst us, from what they have heard of impressions that have been made on persons imaginations. But there have been exceedmg great misrep- resentations, and innumerable false reports, concerning that matter. It is not, that I know of, the profession or opinion of any one person in the town, that any weight is to be laid on any thing seen with the bodily eye : I know the conti'ary to be a received and established principle amongst us. I cannot say that there have been no instances of persons that have been ready to give too much heed to vain and useless imagi- nation, but they have been easily corrected, and I conclude it will not be wondered at, that a congregation should need a guide in such cases, to assist them in distinguishing wheat from chaff. But such impressions on the imagination as have been more usual, seem to me to be no other than what is to be expected in human nature in such circumstances, and what is the natural result of the strong exercise of the mind, and impressions on the heart.
I do not suppose that they themselves imagined that they saw any thing with their bodily eyes ; but only have had with- in them ideas strongly impressed, and as it Avere, lively pic* tures in their minds : As for instance, some when in great terrors, through fear of hell, have had lively ideas of a dread- ful furnace. Some when their hearts have been strongly im- VoL. III. H
58 NARRATIVE OF
pressed, and their aflections greatly moved with a sense of the beauty and excellency of Christ, it has wrought on their imaginations so, that together with a sense of his glorious spiritual perfections, there has risen in the mind an idea of one of glorious majesty, and of a sweet and gracious aspect : So some, when tlicy have been greatly aifected with Christ's death, have at the same time a lively idea of Christ hanging upon the cross, and of his blood running from his wounds ; "whicli things will not be wondered at by them that have ob- served how strong aflections about temporal matters will ex- cite lively ideas and pictures of difl"crent things in the mind.
But yet the vigorous exercise of the mind does doubtless more strongly impress it with imaginary ideas in some than others, which probably may arise from the difierence of con- stitution, and seems evidently in some, partly to arise from their peculiar circumstances : When persons have been ex- ercised with extreme terrors, and there is a sudden change to light and joy, the inaagination seems more susceptive of strong ideas, and the inferior powers, and even the frame of the body, is much more aflected and wrought upon, than when the same persons have as great spiritual light and joy after- wards ; of which it might, perhaps, be easy to give a reason. The forementioned Rev. Messrs. Lord and Owen, who, I be- lieve, are esteemed persons of learning and discretion where they are best known, declared that they found these impres- sions on persons imaginations, quite different things from what fame had before represented to them, and that they were what none need to wonder at, or be stumbled by, or to that purpose.
There have indeed been some few instances, of impressions on persons' imaginations, that have been something myste- rious to me, and I have been at a loss about them ; for though it has been exceeding evident to me, by many things that ap- peared in them, both then (when they related them) and af- terwards, that they indeed had a great sense of the spiritual excellency of divine, things accompanying them ; yet I have not been able v/ell to satisfy myself, whether their imaginary , ideas have been more than could naturally arise from their
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 59
spiritual sense of things. However, I have used the utmost caution in such cases ; great care has been taken both in pub- lic and in private, to teach persons the difference between what is spiritual, and what is merely imaginary, I have often warned persons not to lay the stress of their hope on any ideas* of any outward glory, or any external thing whatsoever, and have met with no opposition in sucli instructions. But it h not strange if some weaker persons, in giving an account of their experiences, have not so prudently distinguished be- tween the spiritual and imaginary part ; which some, that have not been well affected to religion, might take advantage of.
There has been much talk in many parts of the country, as though the people have symbolized with the Qu»ikers, and the Quakers themselves have been moved with such reports, and came here once and again hoping to find good waters to fish in ; but without the least success, and seem to be discour- aged, and have left off coming There have also been re- ports spread about the country, as though the first occasion of so remarkable a concern on people's minds here, was an ap- prehension that the world was near to an end, which was alto- gether a false report : Indeed after this slirrhig and concern became so general and extraordinary, as has been related, the minds of some were filled with speculation, what so great a dispensation of divine providence might forebode ; and some reports were heard from abroad, as though certain divines and others, thought the conflagration was nigh : But such re- ports were never generally looked upon worthy of notice.
The work that has now been wrought on souls, is evidently the same that was wrought in my venerable predecessor's days ; as I have had abundant opportunity to know, having been in the ministry here two years with him, and so convers- ed with a considerable number that my grandfather thought to be savingly converted in that time : and having been par- ticularly acquainted with the experiences of many that were converted under his ministry before. And I know no one of tliem that in the least doubts of its being the same spirit, and the same work. Persons have nov/ nc otherwise been sub-
ee NARRATIVE OF
jcct to impressions on their imagination than formerly : Thq •\vork is of the same nature, and has not been attended with any extraordinary- circumstances, excepting such as are anal- ogous to the extraordinary degree of it before, described
And God's people that were formerly converted, have now partook of the same shower of divine blessing, in the renew- ing, strengthening, edifying influences of the Spirit of God, that others have m his converting influences ; and the work here has also been plainly the same with that which has been ■vn-ought in those of other places that have been mentioned, as partaking of the same blessing. I have particularly convers- ed with persons about their experiences, that belong to all parts of the country, and in various parts of Connecticut, where a religious concern has lately appeared ; and have been informed of the experiences of many others by their own pastors.
It is easily perceived by the foregoing account, that it is very much the practice of the people here to converse freely one with another of their spiritual experiences, which is a thing that many have been disgusted at. But hov.ever our people may have, in some respects, gone to extremes in it, yet it is doubtless a practice that the circumstances of this town, and neighboring towns, have naturally led them into. Whatsoever people arc in such circumstances, where all have their minds engaged to such a degree, in the same affair, that it is ever uppermost in their thoughts, they will naturally make it the subject of conversation one with another when they get together, in which they will grow more and more free : Restraints will soon vanish, and they will not conceal from one another what they meet with. And it has been a practice, which, in the general, has been attended with many good effects, and what God has greatly blessed amongst us : But it must be confessed, there may have been some ill con- sequences of it, which yet are i^'ather to be laid to the indis- creet management of it, than to the practice itself ; and none can wonder, if, among such a multitude, some fail of exercis- ing so much prudence in choosing the time, manner and occa- sion of such discourse, as is desirable.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 61
But to give a clearer idea of the nature and manner of that operations of God's spirit, in this wonderful effusion of it, I ■would give an account of two particular instances. The first is an adult person, a young woman whose name was Abigail Hutchinson. I pitch upon her especially, because she is now dead, and so it may be more fit to speak freely of her than of living instances ; though I am under far greater disadvantages on other accounts, to give a full and clear narrative of her ex-* periences, than I might of some others, nor can any account be given but what has been retained in the memories of her near friends and some others, of what they have heard her ex- press in her life time.
She was of a rational, understanding family ; there could be nothing in her education that tended to enthusiasm, but rather to the contrary extreme. It is in no wise the temper of the family to be ostentatious of experiences, and it was far from being her temper. She was, before her conversion, to the observation of her neighbors, of a sober and inoffensive con- versation, and was a still, quiet, reserved person. She had long been infirm of body, but her infirmity had never been ob- served at all to incline her to be notional or fanciful, or to occasion any thing of religious melancholy. She was un- der awakenings scarcely a v/eek, before there seemed to be plain evidence of her being savingly converted.
She was first awakened in the winter season, on Monday, by something she heard her brother say of the necessity of being in good earnest in seeking regenerating grace, together with the news of the conversion of the young woman before mentioned, whose conversion so generally affected most of the young people here. This news wrought much upon her, and stirred up a spirit of envy in her towards this young woman, whom she thought very unworthy of being distinguished froni others by such a mercy, but withal it engaged her in a firm resolution to do her utmost to obtain the same blessing ; and, considering with herself what course she should take, she thought that she had not a sufficient knowledge of the princi- ples of religion to render her capable of conversion ; where- upon she resolved thoroughly to search the scriptures, and
f>2 NARRATIVE OF
accordingly immediately bej^an at. the beginning of the Bibic; intending to read it through. She continued thus till Thurs- day, and then there was a sudden alteration, by a great in- crease of her concern, in an extraordinary sense of her own sinfulness, particularly the sinfulness of her nature, and wick- edness of her heart, which came upon her (as she expressed it) as a flash of lightnint;:, and struck her into an exceeding terror. Upon Avhich she left off reading the Bible in course as she had begun, and turned to the New Testament, to see if she could not find some relief there for her distressed soul.
Her great terror, she said, was that she had sinned against God : Her distress grew more and more for three days, until (as she said) she saw nothing but blackness of darkness be- fore her, and her very fiesh trembled for fear of God's wrath ; she wondered and Avas astonished at herself, that she had been so concerned for her body, and had applied so often to physi- cians to heal that, and had neglected her soul. Her sinfulness appeared with a very awful aspect to her, especially in three things, viz. her original sin, and her sin in murmuring at God's providence, in the weakness and afflictions she had been under, and in want of duty to parents, though others had looked upon her to excel in dutifulness. On Saturday she was so earnestly engaged in leading the Bible, and other books, that she continued in it, searching for something to relieve her, till her eyes were so dim, that she could not know the letters. Whilst she was thus engaged in reading, prayer, and other religious exercises, she thought of those words of Christ, wherein he warns us not to be as the hea- then, that think they shall be heard for their much speaking ; ■which, she said, led her to see that she had trusted to her own prayers and religious performances, and now she was put to a nonplus, and knew not which way to turn herself, or where to seek relief.
While her mind was in this posture, her heart, she said, seemed to fly to the minister for refuge, hoping that he could give her some relief. She came the same day, to her broth- er, with a coimtcHance of a person in distress, expostulating with him, why he had not told her more of her sinfulness.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 63
and earnestly inquiring of him, what she should do. She seemed, that day, to feel in herself an enmity against the Bi- ble, which greatly aiTrighted her. Her sense of her own ex- ceeding sinfulness continued increasing from Thursday till Monday, and she gave this account of it, that it had been an opinion, which, till now she had entertained, that she was not guilty of Adam's sin, nor any way concerned in it, because she was not active in it ; but that now she saw she was guilty of that sin, and all over defiled by it, and that the sin which she brought into the world with her was alone sufficient to condemn her.
On the Sabbath day she was so ill that her friends thought it not best that she should go to public worship, of which she seemed very desirous ; but when she went to bed on the sab- bathday night, she took up a resolution that she would, the next morning, go to the minister, hoping to find some relief there. As she awaked on Monday morning a little before day, she wondered within herself at the easiness and calmness she felt in her mind,which was of that kind which she never felt be- fore ; as she thought of this, such words as these Avere in her mind ; the words of the'Lord are pure words, health to the soul, and marrow to the bones ; and then these words came to her mind... .the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin ; which were accompanied with a lively sense of the excellency of Christ, and his sufficiency to satisfy for the sins of the whole world. She then thought of that expression. ...it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the sun....w^hich words then seemed to her to be very applicable to Jesus Christ. By these things her m.ind Avas led into such contemplations and views of Christ, as filled her exceeding full of joy. She told her brother in the morning that she had seen (i. e. in realizing views by faith) Christ the last night, and that she had really thought that she had not knowledge enough to be converted ; but, said she, God can make it quite easy ! On Monday she felt all day a constant sweetness in her soul. She had a repeti- tion of the same discoveries of Christ three mornings togeth- er, that she had on Monday morning, and much in the same
64 Narrative of
manner, at each time, waking a little before day, but brighter and brighter every time.
At the last time, on Wednesday morning, while in the en- joyment of a spiritual view of Christ's glory and fulness, her soul was filled with distress for Christless persons, to consider what a miserable condition they were in ; and she felt in her- self a strong inclination immediately to go forth to warn sin- ners, and proposed it the next day to her brother to assist her in going frorn house to house, but her brother restrained her, telling her of the unsuitableness of such a method. She told one of her sisters that day, that she loved all mankind, but especially the people of God. Her sister asked her why she loved all mankind ? She replied, because God had made them. After this there happened to come into the shop where she was at work, three persons that were thought to have been lately converted ; her seeing them as they stepped in one af- ter another into the door, so affected her, and so drew forth her love to them, that it overcame her, and she almost faint- ed : And when they began to talk of the things of religion, it was more than she could bear, ...they were obliged to cease on that account. It was a very frequent thing with her to be overcome with a flow of affection to them that she thought godly, in conversation with them, and sometimes only at the sight of them.
She had many extraordinary discoveries of the glory of God and Christ ; sometimes in some particular attributes, and sometimes in many. She gave an account, that once, as those four words passed through her mind, wisdom, justice, GOODNESS and truth, her soul was filled with a sense of the glory of each of these divine attributes, but especially the last. ...Truth, she said, sunk the deepest ! and, therefore, as these words passed, this was repeated, truth, truth ! Her mind was so swallowed up with a sense of the glory of God's truth and other perfections, that she said, it seemed as though her life was going, and that she saw it was easy with God to take away her life by discoveries of himself. Soon after this she went to a private religious meeting, and her mind was full of a sense and view of the glory of God all the time ; and
SURPRISING CONVERSIOK^S. en
when the exercise was ended, some asked her conceniing what she had experienced ; and she bea;au to give them an account, but as she was relating it, it revived such a sense of* the same things, that her strength failed, and they were oblig- ed to take her and lay her upon the bed. Afterwards she was greatly affected, and rejoiced with these woi'ds, worthy is the Iamb that nvas slain.
She had several days together a sweet sense of the excel- lency and loveliness of Christ in his meekness, which disposed her continually to be repeating over these words, which Avere sweet to her, meek and lowly in heart, meek and lowly IN HEART. She once expressed herself to one of her sisters to this purpose, that she had continued whole days and whole nights, in a constant ravishing view of the glory of God and Christ, having enjoyed as much as her life could bear. Once as her brother was speaking of the dying love of Christ, she told him that she had such a sense of it, that the mere men- tioning it was ready to overcome her.
Once, when she came to me, she told how that at such and such a time she thought she saw as much of God, and had as much joy and pleasure as was possible in this life, and that yet afterwards God discovered himself yet far more abundantly, and she saw the same things that she had seen before, yet more clearly, and in another and far more excellent and de- lightful manner, and was filled with a more exceeding sweet- ness. She likewise gave me such an account of the sense she once had from day to day of the glory of Christ, and of God, in his various attributes, that it seemed to me slie dwelt for days together in a kind of beatific vision of God, and seemed to have, as I thought, as immediate an intercourse with him, as a child with a father ; and at the same time she appeai'ed most remote from any high thought of herself, and of her own sufficiency, but was like a little child, and expressed a great desire to be instructed, telling me that she longed very often to come to me for instruction, and wanted to live at my house, that I might tell her her duty.
She often expressed a sense of the glory of God appearin?^ in the trees and growth of the fields, and other works of God'is Vol. III. I
6'6 NARRATIVE 6T
hands. She told her sister that lived near the heart of thft town, that she once thought it a pleasant thing to live in the middle of the town, but now, says she, I think it much more pltasant to sit and see the Avind blowing the trees, and to be- hold in the country what God has made. She had sometimes the powerful breathings of the spirit of God on her soul, while reading the scripture, and would express a sense that she had of the certain truth and divinity thereof. She sometimes would appear with a pleasant smile on her countenance, and once when her sister took notice of it and asked why she smiled, she replied, I am brimful of a sweet feeling within ! She often used to express how good and sweet it was to lie low before God, and the lower, says she, the better ! And that it was pleasant to think of lying in the dust all the days of hef life, mourning for sin. She was wont to manifest a great sense of her own meanness and dependance. She often ex- pressed an exceeding compassion, and pitiful love, which she found in her heart towards persons in a Chi'istless condition, whicli was sometimes so strong, that as she was passing by such in the streets, or those that she feared were such, she would be overcome by the sight of them. She once Baid, that she longed to have the whole world saved. ...she wanted, as it were, to pull them all to her. ...she could not bear to have one lost.
She had great longings to die, that she might be with Christ, which increased till she thought she did not know
how to be patient to wait till God's time should come
But once, when she felt those longings, she thought, with
herself, if I long to die, why do I go to physicians ?
Whence she concluded that her longings for death were not M'ell regulated. After this she often put it to herself, which she should choose, whether to live or to die, to be sick or to be well, and she found she conld not tell, till at last she found herself disposed to say these words....! am quite willing to live, and quite willing to die. ...quite willing to be sick, and quite willing to be well ; and quite willing for any thing that God \\ill bring upon me ! And then, said she, I felt myself perfectly easy, in a full submission to the will of God. She
\
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 6J
then lamented much, that she had been so eager in her long- ings for death, as it argued want of such a resignation to God as ought to be. She seemed henceforward to coniinr.e in this resigned frame till death.
After this her illness increased upon her ; and once, after she had before spent the greater part of the night in extreme pain, she awaked out of a little sleep with these words in her heart and mouth....! am wiUing to suffer for Christ's sake.. ..I am willing to spend and be spent for Christ's sake. ...I am willing to spend my life, even my very life for Christ's sake ! And though she had an extraordinary resignation, with res- pect to life or death, yet the thoughts of dying were exceedmg sweet to her. At a time when her brother was reading in Job, concerning worms feeding on the dead body, she ap- peared with a pleasant smile, and being inquired of about it, she said, it was sweet to her to think of her being in such cir- cumstances. At another time, when her brother mentioned to her the danger there seemed to be that the illness she then labored under, might be an occasion of her death, it filled her with joy that almost overcome her. At another time, when she met a company following a coipse to the grave, she said, it was sweet to her to think, that they would in a little time follow her in like manner.
Her illness, in the latter part of it, was seated much in her throat, and swelling inward filled up the pipe, so that she could swallow nothing but what was perfectly liquid, and but vei'y little of that, and with great and long strugglings and stranglings, that which she took in, flying out at her nostrils, till she at last could swallow nothing at all : She had a raging appetite to food, so that she told her sister, when talking with her about her circumstances, that the worst bit she threw to her swine would be sweet to her ; but yet when she sav/ tliat she could not swallow it, she seemed to be as perfectly con- tented without it as if she had no appetite to it. Others were greatly moved to see what she underwent, and were filled with admiration at her unexampled patience. At a time, Avhen she was striving in vain to get down a little food, something liquid, ^nd was very much spent with it, she looked upon her sister
68 NARRATIVE OF
•with a smile, saying, O sister, this is for my good ! At anoth- er time, M'hcn htr sister was speaking of what she under- went, she told her, that she lived an heaven upon earth for all that. She used sometimes to say to her sister, under her extreme sufferings. ...It is good to be so 1 Her sister once ask- ed her, why she said so ? Why, says she, because God would have it so : It is best that things should be as God would have them.. ..It looks best to me. After her confinement, as they were leading her from the bed to the door, she seemed over- come by the sight of things abroad, as shewing forth the glory of the Being that had made them. As she lay on her death bed, she would often say these words.. ..God is my friend ! Ai".d once looking upon her sister, with a smile, said, O sister ! How good it is ! How swtet and comfortable it is to consider, and think of heavenly things ! And used this argument to persuade her sister to be much in such meditations.
She expressed, on her death bed, an exceeding longing, both for persons in a natural state, that they might be convert- ed, and for the godly that they might see and know more of God, And when those that looked on themselves as in a Christless state c?me to see her, she would I^e greatly moved with compassionate affection. One, in particular, that seem- ed to be in great distress about the state of her soul, and had come to see her from time to time, she desired her sister to persuade not to come any more, because the sight of her so
wrought on her compassions, that it overcome her nature
The same week that she died, when she was in distressing circumstances as to her body, some of the neighbors that came to see her, asked if she was willing to die ? She replied, that she was quite willing either to live or die. ...She was will- ing to be in pain. ...She was v, illing to be so always as she was then, if that was the will of God. She willed what God will- ed. Tiiey asked her whether she was willing to die that night ? She answered, yes, if it be God's will ; and seemed to speak all with that perfect composure of spirit, and with such a clieerful and pleasant countenance, lliat it filled them with admiration.
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 69
She was very weak a considerable time before she died, having pined away with famine and thirst, so that her flesh seemed to be dried upon her bones, and therefore could say but little, and manifested her mind very much by sicius. She said she had matter enough to fill up all her time wi'Ji talk, if she had but strength. A few days before her deatli, some asked her Avhether she held her integrity still ? Whether she v/as not afraid of death ? She answered to this purpose, that she had not the least degree of fear of death. They asked her why she would be so confident ? She answered, if I should say otherwise, I should speak contrary to what I know ; there is, says she, indeed a dark entry, that looks something dark, but on the other side there appears such a bright shining light, that \ cannot be afraid ! She said, not long before she died, that she used to be afraid how she should grapple with death ; but, says she. Cod has shewed me that he can inake it easy in great pain. Several days before she died, she could scarcely say any thing but just yes and no, to questions that were ask- ed her, for she seemed to be dying for three days together ; but seemed to continue in an admirable sweet composure of soul, without any interruption, to the last, and died as a per- son, that went to sleep, without any struggling, about noon, on Friday, June 27, 1735.
She had long been infirm, and often had been exercised with great pain ; but she died chiefly of famuie. It was, doubtless, partly owing to her bodily weakness, that her na- ture was so often overcome, and ready to sink witli gracious affection ; but yet the truth was, that she had more grace, and greater discoveries of God and Christ, than the present frail state did well consist with. She wanted to be v/hcre strong- grace might have more liberty, and be without the clog of a weak body ; there she longed to be, and there she doubtless now is. She was looked upon amongst us as a very eminent instance of Christian experience; but this isbut a very broken and imperfect account I have given of her : Her eminency would much more appear, if her experiences were fully re- lated, as she was wont to express and manifest them while living. I once read this account to some of her pious neigh-
ro NARRATIVE OF
box's) who were acquainted ^vith her, who said to this pui-poscy that the picture fell much short of the life, and particularly that it much failed of duly representing her humility, and that admirable lowliness of heart, that at all times appeared in her. But there lU'e, (blessed be God !) many living instances of much the like nature, and in some things no less extraor- dinary.
But I now proceed to the other instance that I would give an account of, which is of the little child forementioned. Her name is Phebe Bartlet, daughter of William Bartlet. I shall give the account as I took it from the mouths of her parents, whose veracity, none that know them doubt of.
She was born in March, in the year 1731. About the latter end of April, or beginning of May, 1735, she was greatly af- fected by the talk of her brother, who had been hopefully con- verted a little before, at aboui; eleven years of age, and then seriously talked to her about the great things of religion. Her parents did not know of it at that time, and were not wont, in the counsels they gave to their children, particularly to direct themselves to her, by reason of her being so young, and, as they supposed not capable of understanding ; but after her brother had talked to her, they observed her very earnestly to listen to the advice they gave to the other children, and she was observed very constantly to retire, several times in a day, as was concluded, for secret prayer, and grew more and more engaged in religion, and was more frequent in her closet, till at last she was wont to visit it five or six times in a day, and was so engaged in it, that nothing would, at any time divert her from her stated closet exercises. Her mother often observed and watched her, when such things occurred, as she thought most likely to divert her, either by putting it out of her thoughts, or otherwise engaging her inclinations, but nev- er could observe her to fail. She mentioned some very re- markable instances.
She once, of her own accord, spake of her unsuccessfulness, in that she could not find God, or to that purpose. But on Thursday, the last day of July, about the middle of tlie day, the child being in the closet, where it used to retircj its moth-
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 71
cr heard it speaking aloud, which was unusual, and never had been observed before ; and her voice seemed to be as of one exceeding importunate and engaged, but her mother could distinctly hear only these words, (spoken in her childish man- tier, but seemed to be spoken with extraordinary earnestness, land out of distress of soul) Pray bessed lord give me sal- vation ! I FRAY, BEG pardon all my sins ! When the child had done prayer, she came out of the closet, and came and sat doWn by her mother, and cried out aloud. Her mother very earnestly asked her several times, what the matter was, before she vi^ould make any answer, but she continued exceedingly crying, and wreathing her body to and fro, like one in anguish of spirit. Her mother then asked her whether she was afraid that God would not give her salvation. She then answered yes, I am afraid I shall go to hell ! Her mother then endeav- ored to quiet her, and told her she would not have her cry.... she must be a good girl, and pray every day, and she hoped God would give her salvation. But this did not quiet her at all. ...but she continued thus earnestly crying and taking on for some time, till at length she suddenly ceased crying and be- gan to smile, and presently said with a smiling countenance ....Mother, the kingdom of heaven is come to me ! Her mother Avas surprised at the sudden alteration, and at the jspeech, and knew not what to make of it, but at fiist said noth- ing to her. The child presently spake again, and said, there is another come to me, and there is another. ...there is three J and being asked what she meant, she ansv/ered..,.One is, thy will be done, and there is another.. ..enjoy him forever ; by which it seems that when the child said there is three come to me, she meant three passages of its catechism that came to her mind.
After the child had said this, she retired again into her closet ; and her mother went over to her brother's, who was next neighbor ; and when she came back, the child being come out of the closet, meets her mother with this cheerful speech... .1 can find God now ! Referring to what she had be- fore complained of, that she could not find God. Then the child spoke again, and said....I love God ! Her mother asked
n NARRATIV^E Ot
her how well she loved God, whether she loved God better than her father and mother, she said, yes. Then she asked her whether she loved God better than her little sister Rachel, ^he answered yes, better than any thing ! Then her eldest sister, referring to her saying she could find God now, asked her where she could find God ; she answered, in heaven : Why, said she, have you been in heaven ? No, said the child. By this it scorns not to have been any imagination of any thing seen with bodily eyes that she called God, when she said I can find God now. Her mother asked her whether she was afraid of going to hell, and that had made her cry. She an- swered, yes, I was ; but now I shall not. Her mother asked her whether she thought that God had given her salvation ; she answered yes. Her mother asked her, when ; she answered, to day. She appeared all that afternoon exceeding cheerful and joyful. One of the neighbors asked her how she felt her- self ? She answered, I feel better than I did. The neighbor asked lier what made her feel better ; she answered, God lYiakcs me. That evening as she lay a bed, she called one of her little cousins to her, that was present in the room, as hav- ing something to say to him ; and when he came, she told him that heaven was better than earth. The next day being Fri- day, her mother asking her her catechism, asked her what God made her for ; she answered, to serve him ; and added, every body should serve God, and get an interest in Christ.
The same day the elder children, when they came home from school, seemed much afTected with the extraordinary change that seemed to be made in Phebe ; and her sister Abigail standing by, her mother took occasion to counsel her, now to improve her time, to prepare for another world ; on Avhicli Pliebc burst out in tears, and cried out, poor Xabby ! Her mother told her, she would not have her cry, she hoped that God would give Nabby salvation ; but that did not quiet her, but she conthuied earnestly ci'ving for some time ; and T\ hen she had in a measure ceased, her sister Eunice being Vw her, she hurst out again, and cried, poor Eunice ! and cried cxceedinglv ; and when she had almost done, she went into another room, and there looked upon her sister Naomi, and
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. rS
burst out again, crying poor Amy ! Her mother was greatly- affected at such a behavior in the child, and knew not what to say to her. One of the neighbors coming in a little after, asked her what she had cried for. She seemed, at first back- ward to tell the reason : Her mother told her she might tell that person, for he had given her an apple ; upon which she said, she cried because she was afraid they would go to hell.
At night a certain minister, that was occasionally in the town, Avas at the house, and talked considerably with her of the things of religion ; and after he was gone, she sat leaning on tiie table, with tears running out of her eyes ; and being ask-> ed what made her cry, she said it was thinking about God. The next day being Saturday, she seemed great part of the day to be in a very affectionate frame, had four turns of cry- ing, and seemed to endeavor to curb herself, and hide her tears, and was very backward to talk of the occasion of it. On the sabbath day she was asked whether she believed in God ; she answered yes : And being told that Christ was the Son of God, she made ready answer, and said, I know it.
P'rom this time there has appeared a very remarkable abiding change in the child : She has been very strict upon the Sabbath, and seems to long for the sabbath day before it comes, and will often in the week time be inquiring how long It is to the sabbath day, and must have the days particularly- counted over that are between, before she will be contented. And she seems to love God's house. ...is very eager to go thither. Her mother once asked her why she had such a ■mind to go ? Whether it was not to see the fine folks ? She said no, it was to hear Mr. Edwards preach. When she is in the place of worship, she is very far from spending her time there as children at her age usually do, but appears with an attention that is very extraordinary for such a child. She also appears, very desirous at all opportunities, to go to private religious meetings, and is very still and attentive at home, in prayer time, and has appeared affected in time of family prayer. She seems to delight much in hearing religious con- versation. When I once was there with some others that M were strangers, and talked to her something of religion, she Vol. III. K
U NARRATIVE OF
Kecmcd more ihan ordinarily attentive ; and ulirn we were gone, siie looked out very wistly after us, and said....! wish they would come again ! Her mother asked her why : Says she, I love to hear them talk ! '
She seems to have very much of the fear of God before her eyes, and an extraordinary dread of sin against him ; of which her mother mentioned the following remarkable instance. Some time in August, the last year, she went with some big- ger children, to get some plumbs, in a neighbor's lot, know- ing nothing of any harm in what she did ; but when she brought some of the plumbs into the house, her mother mild- ly reproved her, and told her, that she must not get plumbs w^ilhout leave, because it v as sin : God had commanded lier not to steal. The child seemed greatly surprised, a nd burst cut into tears, and cried out. ...I will not have these plumbs ! And turning to her sister Eunice, very earnestly said to her ....why did you ask me to go to that plumb tree ? I should not have gone if you had not asked lue. The other children did not seem to be much affected or concerned ; but there was no pacifying Phebe. Her mother told her she might go and ask leave, and then it would not be sin for her to eat them, and sent one of the children to that end ; and when she re- turned, her mother told her that the owner had given leave, I10W she might cat them, and it would not be stealing. This stilled her a little while, but presently she broke out again in- to an exceeding fit of crying : Her mother asked her what made her cry again ? Why she cried now, since they had ask- ed leave ? What it was that troubled her now ? And asked her several times very earnestly, before she made any answer ; but at last, said it was because... .because it was sin. She continued a considerable time crying ; and said she would not go again if I'unicc asked her an hundred times ; and she retained her avc^rsion to that fruit for a considerable time, un- der the remembrance of her former sin.
She, at some times, appears greatly affected and delighted
with texts of scripture that come to her mind. Particularly,
%iibout the beginning of November, the last year, that text
came to her juind, Rev. iii. 20. Behold I stand at the door and
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. 75
'knock : If any mail hear my voice, and open the door^ I ivill ■come in, and sup. with him and he with me. She spoke of it to those of the family, with a great appearance of joy, a smiling countenance, and elevation of voice, and afterwards she went into another room, where her mother overheard her talking very earnestly to the children about it, and particularly heard her say to them, three or four limes over, with an air of exceeding joy and ad miration.... Why it is to sup with god. At some time about the middle of winter, very late in the night, when all were in bed, her mother perceived that she was awake, and heard her as though she Avas weeping. She called to her, and asked her what was the matter. She answered with a low voice, so that her mother could not hear what she said ; but thinking it might be occasioned by some spiritual affection, said no more to her ; but perceived her to lie awake, and to continue in the same frame for a considera- ble time. The next morning she asked her whether she did not cry the last night : The child answered yes, I did cry a little, for I was thinking about God and Christ, and they loved me. Her mother asked her, whether to think of God and Christ's loving her made her cry : She answered yes, it does sometimes.
She has often manifested a great concern for the good of other souls ; and has been wont, many times, afiectionately to counsel the other children. Once about the latter end of September, the last year, when she and some others of the children were in a room by themselves a husking Indian corn, the child, after a while, came out and sat by the fire. Her mother took notice that she appeared with a more than ordi- nary serious and pensive countenance, but at last she broke silence, and said I have been talking to Nabby and Eunice. Her mother asked her what she had said to them. Why, suLd she, I told them they must pray, and prepare to die, that they had but a little while to live in this world, and they must be always ready. When Nabby came out, her mother asked her whether she had said that to them. Yes, said she, she said that and a great deal more. At other times the child 4,ook her opportunities to talK to the other children about idie
76 NARRATIVE OF
great concern of their souls ; sometimes so as mvich to affect them, and set them into tears. She was once exceeding im- portunate wilh her mother to go with her sister Naomi to pray : Her mother endeavored to put her off, but she pulled her by the sleeve, and seemed as if she would by no means be denied. At last her mother told her, that Amy must go and pray herself ; but, says the child, she will not go, and persist- ed earnestly to beg of her mother to go with her.
She has discovered an uncommon degree of a spirit of charity, particularly on the following occasion : A poor man that lives in the woods, had lately lost a cow that the family inuch depended on, and being at the house, he was relating his misfortune, and telling of the straits and difficulties they ■were reduced to by it. She took much notice of it, and it wrought exceedingly on her compassions ; and after she had attentively heard him a while, she went away to her father, who was in the shop, and intreated him to give that man a cow ; and told him that the poor man had no cow ! That the hunters or something else had killed his cow ! And intreated him to give him one of theirs. Her father told her that they could not spare one. Then she intreated him to let him and his family come and hve at his house ; and had much talk of the same nature, whereby she manifested bowels of com- passion to the poor.
She has manifested great love to her minister ; particularly when I returned from my long journey for my health, the last fall, when she heard of it, she appeared very joyful at the news, and told the children of it with an elevated voice, as the most joyful tidings, repeating it over and over, Mr. Edwards is come home ! Mr. Edwards is come home ! She still con- tinues very constant in secret prayer, so far as can be observ- ed, (for she seems to have no desire that others should ob- serve her when she retires, but seems to be a child of a re- served temper) and every night before she goes to bed will say her catechism, and will by no means miss of it : She never forgot it but once, and then after she was a bed, thought of it and cried out in tears.. ..I have not said my catecliism ! And ^ould not be quieted till her mother asked her the catechism •as she hiy in bed. She sometimes appears to be in doubt
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. Tt
^bout the condition of her soul, and when asked whether she thinks that she is prepared for death, speaks something doubt- fully about it : At other times seems to have no doubt, but when asked, replies yes, without hesitation.
In the former part of this great work of God amongst us, till it got to its height, we seemed to be wonderfully smiled upon and blessed in all respects. Satan (as has been already observed) seemed to be unusually restrained : Persons that before had been involved in melancholy, seemed to be as it were waked up out of it, and those that had been entangled with extraordinary temptations, seemed wonderfully to be set at liberty, and not only so, but it was the most remarkable time of health that ever I knew since I have been in the town. We ordinai'ily have several bills put up, every sabbath, for persons that are sick, but now we have not so much as one lor many sabbaths together. But after this it seemed to be otherwise, when this work of God appeared to be at its great- est height. A poor weak man that belongs to the town, being in great spiritual trouble, was hurried with violent temptations to cut his own throat, and made an attempt, but did not do it effectually. He after this continued a considerable time ex- ceedingly overwhelmed with melancholy, but has now, of a long time, been very greatly delivered, by the light of God's countenance lifted up upon him, and has expressed a great sense of his sin in so far yielding to temptation, and there are in him all hopeful evidences of his having been made a sub- ject of saving mercy.
In the latter part of May, it began to be very sensible that the spirit of God was gradually withdrawing from us, and af- ter this time Satan seemed to be more let loose, and raged in a dreadful manner. The first instance wherein it appeared, was a person's putting an end to his own life, by cutting his throat. He was a gentleman of more than common under- standing, of strict morals, religious in his bthavio r and an useful, honorable person in the town. ...But was of a family that are exceeding prone to the disease of melancholy, and his mother was killed with it. He had, from the beginning of ^his extraordinary time, been exceedingly concerned about the
rs NARRATIVE OF
state of his soul, tind ll)crc were some things in his expe- rience, that appeared very liopcrully, but he durst entertain no liope concerning- his own good estate. Towards tiie latter part of liis time, he grew much discouraged, and melancholy grew amain upon him, till he was wholly overpowered by it, and was in great measure, past a cajuicity of receiving advice, or being reasoned with to any purpose : The devil took the advantage, and drove him into despairing thoughts. He was kept awake a nights, meditating terror, so that he had scarce any sleep at all, for a long time together. And it was observ- ed at last, that he was scarcely well capable of managing his ordinary business, and was judged delirious by the coioner's inquest. The news of this, extraordinarily afTccted the minds of people here, and struck them as it were with astonishment. After this, multitudes in this and other towns seemed to have it strongly suggested to them, and pressed upon them, to do as this person had done. And many that seemed to be under no melancholy, some pious persons, that had no special dark- ness or doubts about the goodness of their state, nor were un- der any special trouble or concern of mind about any thing spiritual or temporal, yet had it urged upon them, as if some- body had spoken to them, Cat your o%v?i throaty no-v is a good o/i/iortuniiy. Now 1 Now ! So that they were obliged to fight with all their might to resist it, and yet no reason suggested to them why they should do it.
About the same time, there were two remarkable instances of persons led away with strange enthusiastic delusions : One at SufBeld, and another at South Hadley : That which has made the greatest noise in the country was of the man at South Hadley, whose delusion Avas, that he thought himself divinely instructed to direct a poor man in melancholy and dcf.paiiing circumstances, to say certain words in prayer to Cod, as recorded in Psal. cxvi. 4, for his own relief. The jnan is esteemed a pious man : I have, since this error of his, had a particular acquaintance with him, and, I believe, none would question his piety, that had had such an acquaintance. He c:ave me u particular account of the manner how he was deluded, wh.icb is too long to be here inserted. IJut, in short,
SURPRISING CONVERSIONS. M
lie was exceedingly rejoiced and elevated with this extraordl- '/laiy work, so carried on in this part of the coiintry, and was possessed with an opinion that it was the beginning of the glorious times of the church spoken of in scripture : And had read it as the opinion of some divines, that there would ba many in these times that should be endued Math extraordinary- gifts of the Holy Ghost, and had embraced the notion ; though he had at first no apprehensions that any besides ministers would have such gifts. But he since exceedingly laments tiie dishonor he has done to God, and the wound he has given religion in it, and has hiin low before God and man for it.
After these things the instances of conversion Avcre rare here in comparison of what they had before been, (tliougli that remarkable instance of the little child was after this ;) and the spirit of God after that time appeared very sensibly withdrawing from all parts of the country, (though we have heard of its going on in some places of Connecticut, and that it continues to be carried on even to this day.) But religion rerilained here, and, I believe in some other places, the main subject of convereation for several months after this. And there were some turas, wherein God's work seemed some- thing to revive, and we were ready to hope that all was going to be renewed again ; yet in the main there was a gradual de- cline.of that general, engaged, lively spirit in religion, which had been before. Several things have happened since, that have diverted people's minds, and turned their conversation more to other affairs, as particularly his Excellency the Gov- ernor's coming up, and the Committee of the General Court, on the treaty with the Indians ; and afterwards the Springfield controvei^sy, and since that, our people in this town have been engaged in the building of a new meetinghouse ; and some other occurrences might be mentioned, that have seemed to have this efTcct.
But as to those that have been thought to be converted among us, in this time, they generally seem to be persons that have had an abiding change wrought on them : I have had particular acquaintance with many of them since, and they generally appear to be persons that have a new s^nse of
80 NARRATIVE OF
thinc^s, new apprehensions and views of God, of the divine at- tributes, and Jesus Christ, and the great things of the gospel : They have a new sense of the truth of them, and they affect them in a new manner ; though it is very far from bein"- al- ways alike with them, neither can they revive a sense of things when they please. Their hearts arc often touched, and sometimes filled with new sweetnesses and delights ; there seems to be an inward ardor and burning of heart that they express, the like to which they never experienced before ; sometimes, perhaps, occasioned only by the mention of Christ's name, or some one of the divine perfections : There arc new appetites, and a new kind of breathings and pantings of heart, and groanings that cannot be uttered. There is a new kind of inward labor and struggle of soul towards heaven and holiness.
Some that before were very rough in their temper and manners seem to be remarkably seftened and sweetened.... And some have had their souls exceedingly filled and over- whelmed with light, love, and comfort, long since the work of God has ceased to be so remarkably carried on in a general way ; and some have had much greater experiences of this nature than they had before. And there is still a great deal of religious conversation continued in the town, amongst young and old ; a religious disposition appears to be still maintained amongst our people, by their upholding frequent private re- ligious meetings, and all sorts are generally worshipping God at such meetings, on sabbath nights, and in the evening after our public lecture. Many children in the town do still keep up such meetings among themselvesw I know of no one young person in the town that has returned to former ways of looseness and extravagancy in any respect, but we still re- main a reformed people, and God has evidently made us a new people.
I cannot say there has been no instance of any one person that has carried himself so, that others should justly be stum- bled concerning his profession ; nor am I so vain as to imag- ine that we have not been mistaken concerning any that we bave entertained a good opinion of, or that there are none that
SURPRISING CONV^ERSIONS. 81
Jiass amongst us for sheep, that are indeed wolves in sheep'sr cloathing, who probably may, some time or other, discover themselves by their fruits. We are not so pure but that we have great cause to be humbled and ashamed, that we are so impure ; nor so religious but that those that watch for our halting may see things in us, whence they may take occasion to reproach us and religion ; but in the main there has been a great and marvellous work of conversion and sanclification among the people here, and they have paid all due respects to those who have been blest of God to be the instruments of it. Both old and young have shewn a forwardness to hearken not only to my counsels, but even to my reproofs from the pulpit.
A great part of the country have not received the most fa- vorable thoughts of this affair, and to this day many retain a jealousy concerning it, and prejudice against it ; I have rea- son to think that the meanness and w^eakness of the instru- ment, that has been made use of in this town, has prejudiced many against it ; it does not appear to me strange that it should be so : But yet the circumstance of this great work of God is analagous to other circumstances of it ; God has so ordered the manner of the work in many respects, as very sig- nally and remarkably to shew it to be his own peculiar and immediate work, and to secure the glory of it wholly to his own almighty power and sovereign grace. And whatever the circumstances and means have been, and though we are so un- worthy, yet so hath it pleased God to work ! And w«e are evi- dently a people blessed of the Lord 1 And here in this corner of the world, God dwells, and manifests his glory.
Thus, Reverend Sir, I have given a lar,3;e and particular ac- count of this remarkable affair, and yet considering how man- ifold God's works have been amongst us, that are worthy to be written, it is but a very brief one. I should have sent it Hiuch sooner, had I not been greatly hindered by illness in my family, and also in myself. It is probably much larger than you expected, and it may be than you would have chos- en. I thought that the extraordinariness of the thing, and the innumerablemisrepresentations which have gone abroad of it, many of which have, doubtless, reached your cars, made U
Vol. III. K
82 NARRATIVE OF, ?cc.
necessary that I should be particular. But I would leave \i entirely with your -wisdom to make what use of it you think best, to send a part of it to England, or all, or none, if you think it not worthy ; or otherwise to dispose of it as you may think most for God's glory, and the interest of religion. If you are pleased to send any thing to the Rev. Dr. Guyse, I should be glad to have it signified to him, as my humble de- sire, that since he, and the congregation to which he preach- ed, have been pleased to take so much notice of us, as they have, that they would also think of us at the Throne of Grace, and seek there for us that God would not forsake us, but ena- ble us to bring forth fruit answerable to our profession, and our mercies, and that our light may so s/ihic before jnen, that others^ seeing our good ivorks, may glorify our father which is in heaven.
When first I heard of the notice the Reverend Dr. Watts and Dr. Guyse took of God's mercies to us, I took occasion to inform our congregation of it in a discourse from these words ; ji city that is set ufion a hill cannot be hid. And hav- ing since seen a particular account of the notice of the Rever* end Dr. Guyse, and the congregation he preached to, took of it, in a letter you wrote to my honored uncle Williams, I read that part of your letter to the congregation, and labored as much as in me lay to enforce their duty from it. The congregation were very sensibly moved and affected at both times.
I humbly request of you, Reverend Sir, your prayers for this country, in its present melancholy circumstances, into which it is brought by the Springfield quarrel, which, doubt- less, above all things that have happened, has tended to put a stop to the glorious Avork here, and to prejudice this country against it, and hinder the propagation of it. I also ask your prayers for this town, and would particularly beg an interest in them for him who is, Honored Sir,
With humble resfiect.,
Your obedient son and .servant,
JONATHAN EDWARDS.. Northampton, Aov. 6, 1736.
THOUGHTS
ON THE
REVIVAL OF RELIGION
IN
NEWENGLAND,
1740.
ADVERTISEMENT.
THE occasion of the following treatise, will be seen, in part, in the preceding Narrative. The gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, with which Northampton was so abundantly enriched, and which spread through many towns in its vicinity, were soon followed with a very extensive revival over the land. An extraordinary zeal was excited in many gospel ministers. Itinerants travelled the country and preached daily. They addressed their crowded audiences, not in the dull monotony of a mere moral lecture, but in the demonstration of the Spirit, and with power. Their indefatigable labors were crowned with the most desirable success. Zion put on her robes of salvation. Converts to Je- sus were multiplied as the drops of the morning dew. Religion became almost the only subject of concern. Many indulged the hope that the milleni- al glory was commencing. This glorious work had its opposers. Advantage was taken of the er- rors of some of its most zealous promoters to cry it down, and render it altogether suspicious. Mr. Edwards's design was to vindicate it, as undoubted- ly a work of God, and among the most admirable of his triumphs over the hearts of his enemies ; to correct errors which attended it, and to excite aug- mented efforts for its increase.
The scene which he describes is past. Let it live however in our memories. Let it excite our fervent
ADVERTISEMENT.
gratitude, and call forth the devout aspirations of our souls for the spread of the victories of our glori- ous King ill these days. Let the pertinent and in- structive sentiments wrought into the treatise, the most of which are adapted to every condition in which the church and the individual believer can' be placed, take deep hold of our hearts and be car- ried out in their proper effects in our lives.
This work had a second edition in Scotland, soon after it was first published in this country.
THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE,
IJV the ensuing treatise^ I condemn ministers assurning^ of taking too much upon them^ and appeanng as though they sup- posed that they ivere th? persons^ to v^hom it especially belonged to dictate^ direct^ and determine ; but perhaps shall be thought to be very guilty of it myself: A7id some., when they read this treatise., may be ready to say that I condemn this in others., that I may have the monopoly of it. I confess that I liave taken a. great deal of liberty freely to express my thoughts^ concerning almost every thing appertaining to the Tjonderful ivork of God that has of late been carried on in the landy and to declare nvhat has appeared to me to be the mind of God concerning the duty and obligations of all sorts of persons., and even those that are my superiors and fathers., ministers of the gospel., and civil rulers. But yet I hope the liberty I have taken is not greater than can be justifed. In this nation.^ such liberty of the press is alloxv- erf, that every author takes leave, nvithout offence., freely to speak his opinion concerning the management of public affairs., and the duty of the legislature., and those that are at the head of the ad- ministration., though vastly his superiors. As now at this day., private subjects offer their sentimejits to the public, from the press, concerning the vianagemcnit of the war with Spain ; freely declaring what they think to be the duty of the Parliament, and the principal ministers of state, l3'c. We in JVewengland are at this day engaged in a more important war : And I am sure, if V}e consider the sad jajigling and confusion that has attended it., we shall confess that it is highly requisite that some body should speak his mind, concerJiing the way in which it ought to be rnan- aged : And that not only a few of the mamj particulars, that are the matter of strife in the land, should be debated, on the one side and the other, i?i pamphlets ; (as has of late been done with heat andferceness enough) which does not tend to bring the con' ■tention in general to an end^ but rather to infame it, and increase
PREFACE.
the uproar. But that something should be published, to bring the affair i?i general, and the many tliinga that attend it, that are the subjects of debate, under a particular consideration. And certainly it is liigh time that this was done. Jf private persons may speak their minds -without arrogance ; much more may a viinister of the kingdom of Christ speak freely about things of this nature, ivhich do so nearly concern the interest of the king- dojn of Ms lord and master, at so important a Juncture. If some elder imnister had midcrtaken this, I acknoivledge it would have been more proper i but I have heard of no such thing a doing, or like to be done. I hope therefore J s/uill be excused for un- dertaking such apiece of work. J think nothing that I have said can justly be interpreted, as though I would impose my thoughts tip07i any, or did not suppose that others have equal right to think for themselves, with myself We are not account- able one to another for our thoughts ; but we miist all give an account to him who searches our hearts, and has doubtless his eye especially upon us at such an extraordinary season as this. If I have well confrmed my opinion concerning this work, and the way in which it should be acknowledged and promoted, with Scripture and reason, I hope others that read it will receive it, as a manifestation of the mind and will of God. If others would hold forth further light to me in any of these particulars, I hope I slioidd thankfully receive it. I think I have been made in some meamire sensible, and much more of late tfian formerly, oj my need of more wisdom than I have. I make it my rule to lay hold of light and embrace it, wherever I see it, though held forth by a child or an enemy. If I have assumed too much in the fol- lowing discourse, and have spoken in a manner that savors of a spirit of pride, no wonder that others can better discern it tlum I myself. If it be so I ask pardon, and beg the prayers of every Christian reader, that I may have 7nore light, hu7nility and zeal ; and that I may be favored with such measures of the divine Spir- it, as a minister of the gospel stands in need cf, at cwh an ex- traordinai'v season
EKVIVAL OF EMLIGION
IN
NEWENGLAND,
PART I.
S/iewifjg that the extraordinary Work that has of late been going on in this Land, is a glorious Work .of God.
X HE error of those who have had iil thoughts of the great religious operations on the minds of men, that have been carried on of late in Ne^vengland (so far as the ground of such an error has been in the understanding, and not in the disposition) seems fundamentally to lie in three things J
First. In judging of this work a priori.
Secondly. In not taking the holy scriptures as an whole rule whereby to judge of such operations.
Thirdly. In not justly separating and distinguishing the good from the bad.
I. They have greatly erred in the way in which they have gone about to try this work, whether it be a work of the Spirit of God or no, viz. in judging of it a priori ; from the way that it began, the instruments that have been employed, the means that have been made use of, and the methods that have been taken and succeeded, in carrying it on. Whereas, if we duly consider the matter, it will evidently appear that such a work is not to be judged of a/^n'o?-?, but a posteriori : We ai'e to ob- irerve the effect wrought ; and if, upon examination of it, it
Vol. hi. M
90 REVIVAL OF RELIGION
be found to be agreeable lo the word of God, we are bound, V ithout more ado, to rest in it as God's work ; and shall be like to be rebuked for our arrogance, if wc refuse so to do till God shall explain to us how he has brought this effect to pass, or why he has made use of such and such means in doing of il. Those texts are enough to cause us with trembling to for- bear such a way of proceeding in judging of a work of God's Spirit, Isa. xl. 13, l-k " Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him ? With whom took he counsel r And who instructed him, and who taught l)im in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding ?" John iii. 8. " The wind bloweth where it listeth ; and thou hearest the sound thereof ; but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whith- er it gocth." We hear the sound, Ave perceive the efiect, and from thence we judge that the Avind does indeed blow ; ■without waiting, before we pass this judgment, first to be sat- isfied what should be the cause of the wind's blowing from such a part of the heavens, and how it should come to pass that it should blow in such a manner, at such a time. To judge a priori^ is a wrong way of judging of any of the works of God. We are not to resolve that we will first be satisfied how God brought this or the other effect to pass, and why he hath made it thus, or why it has pleased him to take such a course, and to use such and such means, before we Avill ac- knowledge his Avork, and give him the glory of it. This is too much for the clay to take upon it Avith respect to the Pot- ter. God (fives ?iot account of his matters : His Judgments are a great deep : He hath his ivay in the sea^ and his path in t he great waters, and his footsteps are vot knoxmi ; and who shall teach God know/edge, or enjoin him his way, or say tinto him, ivhat doest thou ? We know not what is the way of the Spirit, vor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child ; even so we know not the works of God, who maketh all. No vonder, therefore, if those that go this forbidden Avay to Avork, in judging of the present Avondcrful operation, are perplexed and confounded. We ought to take heed that Ave do not ex- pose ourselves to the calamity of those who pried into the ark
IN NEWENGLAND. ^l
of God, when God mercifully returned it to Israel, after it had ■departe d from theni .
Indeed God has not taken that course, nor made use of those means, to begin and carry on this great work, which men in their wisdom, would have thought most advisable, if he had asked their counsel ; but quite the contrary. But it appears to me that the great God has wrought like himself, in the manner of his carrying on this work ; so as very much to show his own glory, and exalt his own sovereignty, power, and allsufficiency, and pour contempt on all that human strength, wisdom, prudence, and sufficiency that men have been wont to trust, and to glory in ; and so as greatly to cross, rebuke, and chastise the pride and other corruptions of men ; in a ful- filment of that, Isa. ii. 17. " And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." God doth thus, in intermingling in his providence so many stum- bling blocks with this work ; in suffering so much of human ■weakness and infirmity to appear ; and in ot'dering so many things that are mysterious to men^s wisdom : In pouring out his Spirit chiefly on the common people, and bestowing his greatest and highest favors upon them^ admitting them nearer to himself than the great, the honorable, the rich, and the learned, agreeable to that prophecy, Zech. xii. 7. " The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusa- lem, do not magnify themselves against Judah." Those that dwelt in the tents of Judah were the common people, that dwelt in the country, and were of inferior rank. The inhabi- tants of Jerusalem were their citizens, their men of weahh and figure : And Jerusalem also was the chief place of the habitation or resort of their priests, and Levites, and their of- ficers and judges ; there sat the great Sanhedrim. The house of David were the highest rank of all, the royal family, and the great men that were round about the king. It is ev- ident by the context that this prophecy has respect to some- thing further than the saving the people out of the Babylonisli captivity.
92 REVIVAL OF RELIGION
God in this work has begun at the lower end, and he ha« made use of the weak and foolish things of the world to carry on his work. The ministers that have been chiefly improved, some of them have been mere babes in age and standing, and some of them, such as have not been so high in reputation among their fellows as many others ; and God has suflercd their infirmities to appear in the sight of others, so as much to displease them ; and at the same time it has pleased God to improve them, and greatly to succeed them, while he has not so succeeded others that are generally re- puted vastly their superiors. Yea, there is reason to think that it has pleased God to make use of the infirmities and sins of some that he has improved and succeeded ; as par- ticularly their imprudent and rash zeal, and censorious spirit, to chastise the deadness, negligence, earthly mindedness, and vanity, that have been found among ministers, in the late times of general declension and deadness, wherein wise vir- gins and foolish, ministers and people have sunk into such a deep sleep. These things in ministers of the gospel, that go forth as the ambassadors of Christ, and have the care of im- mortal souls, are extremely abominable to God ; vastly more hateful in his sight than all the imprudence, and intem- perate heats, wildness, and distraction (as some call it) of these zealous preaehcrs. A supine carelessness, and a vain, carnal, worldly spirit, in a minister of the gospel, is the worst mad- ness and distraction in the sight of God. God may also make ■use at this day, of the unchristian ccnsoriousness of some preachers, the more to humble and purify some of his own children and true servants, that have been wrongfully censur- ed, to fit them for more eminent service, and future honor that he designs them for.
II. Another foundation error of those that do not acknowl- edge the divinity of this work, is not taking the Holy Scrip- tures as an ivholc^ and in itself a sufficient rule to judge of such things by. They that have one certain consistent rule to judge by, are like to come to some clear determination ; but they that have half a dozen different rules to make the tiling they would judge of agree to, no wonder that ijistead of
IN NEWENGLAND. §3
justly and clearly determining, they do but perplex and dark- en themselves and others. They that would learn the true measure of any thing, and will have many different measures to try it by, and find in it a conformity to, have a task that ■they will not accomplish.
Those that I am speaking of will indeed make some use of scripture, so far as they think it serves their turn ; but do not make use of it alone, as a rule sufficient by itself, but make as much, and a great deal more use of other things, diverse and wide from it, to judge of this work by. As particularly,
I. Some make philosophy, instead of the Holy Scriptures, their rule of judging of this work ; particularly the philosoph- ical notions they entertain of the nature of the soul, its facul- ties and affections. Some are ready to say, " There is but little sober, solid religion in this work : It is little else but flash and noise. Religion now a days all runs out into transports and high flights of the passions and affections." In their phi- losophy, the affections of the soul are something diverse from the will, and not appertaining to the noblest part of the soul, but the meanest principles that it has, that belong to man, as par- taking of animal nature, and what he has in common with the brute creation, rather than any thing whereby he is conform- ed to angels and pure spirits. And though they acknowledge that a good use may be made of the affections in religion, yet they suppose that the substantial part of religion does not consist in them, but that they are rather to be looked upon as something adventitious and accidental in Christianity.
But I cannot but think that these gentlemen labor under great mistakes, both in their philosophy and divinity. It is true distinction must be made in affections or passions. There is a great deal of difference in high and raised affections, Avhich must be distinguished by the skill of the observer. Some are much more solid than others. There are many exercises of the affections that are very flashy, and little to be depended on ; and oftentimes there is a great deal that appertains to them, or rather that is the effect of them, that has its seat in animal nature, and is very much owing to the constitution and frame jftf the body ; and that which sometimes more especially ob-
94 REVIVAL OF RELIGION
tains the name of passion, is nothing solid or substantial. But it is false philosophy to suppose this to be the case with all ex- ercises of affection in the soul, or with all great and high af- fections ; and false divinity to suppose that religious affections do not appertain to the substance and essence of Christianity : On the contrary, it seems to me that the very life and soul of all true religion consists in them.
I humbly conceive that the affections of the soul are not properly distinguished from the will, as though they were two faculties in the soul. All acts of the affections of the soul are m some sense acts of the will, and all acts of the will are acts ♦jfthe affections. All exercises of the will are in some de- ^Y€c or other, exercises of the soul's appetition or aversion ; vx which is the same thing, of its love or hatred. The soul Tiills one thing rather than another, or chooses one thing rather than another, no otherwise than as it loves one thing more than another ; but love and hatred are affections of the soul : And therefore all acts of the will are truly acts ©f the affections ; though the exercises of the will do not obtain the name of passions, unless the will, either in its aversion or opposition, be exercised in a high degree, or in a vigorous and lively manner.
All will allow that true virtue or holiness has its seat chiefljr in the heart, rather than in the head : It therefore follows, from what has been said already, that it consists chiefly in ho- ly affections. Tlic things of religion take place in men's hearts, no further than they are affected with them. The in- forming of the understanding is all vain, any farther than it effects the heart ; or which is the same thing, has influence on the affections.
Those gentlemen that make light of these raised affections in religion, will doubtless allow that true religion and holiness, as it has its seat in the heart, is capable of very high degrees, and high exercises in the soul. As for instance ; they will doubtless allow that the holiness of the heart or will, is capa- ble of being raised to an hundred times as great a degree of strength as it is in the most eminent saint on earth, or to be exerted in an hundred times- so strong and vigorous exercises
IN NEWENGLAND. 93
of the heart ; and yet be true religion or holiness still, but oMiy in an high degree. Now therefore I would ask them, by what name they will call these high and vigorous exercises of the will or heart ? Are they not high aifections ? What can thev consist in, but in high acts of love ; strong and vigor- ous exercises of benevolence and complacence ; high, exalt- ing and admiring thoughts of God and his perfections ; strong desires after God, Sec. ? And now what are we come to bixt high and raised affecfions ? Yea, those very santie high and raised affections that before they objected against, or made light of, as worthy of little regard ?
I suppose furthermore that all will allow that there is noth- ing but solid religion in heaven : But that there, religion and holiness of heart is raised to an exceeding great height, to strong,high, exalted exercises of heart. Now, what other kinds of such exceeding strong and high exercises of the heart, or of holiness, as it has its seat in their hearts, can we devise for them, but only holy affections, high degrees of actings of love to God, rejoicing in God, admiring of God, 8cc. ? Therefore these things in the saints and angels in heaven, are not to be despised and cashiered by the name of great heats and trans- ports of the passions.
And it will doubtless be yet fiu'ther allowed, that the mortf ■eminent the saints are on earth, and the stronger their grace is, and the higher its exercises are, the more they are like the Saints in heaven ; i. e. (by what has been just now observed) the more they have of high or raised affections in religion.
Though there are false affections in religion, and affections that in some respects are raised high, that are flashy, yet un- doubtedly there are also true, holy and solid afi^ections ; and the higher these are raised, the better : And if they are rais- ed to an exceeding great height, they are not to be thought meanly of or suspected, merely because of their great degree, but, on the contrary, to be esteemed and rejoiced in. Chari- ty or divine love, is in scripture represented as the sum of all the religion of the heart ; but this is nothing but an holy afftc^' Hon : And therefore in proportion as this is firmly fixed in the soul, aiid raised to agreat height, the more eminent a per-
«>e REVIVAL OF RELIGION
sun is in holiness. Divine love or charity is represented aV the sum of all the relii^ion of heaven, and that wherein mainly the religion of the church in its more perfect state on earth shall consist, -when knowledge and tongues, and prophesy- ings shall cease ; and therefore the higher this holy afl'cction is raised in the church of (iod, or in a gracious soul, the more excellent and perfect is the state of the church, or a particular soul.
If we take the scripures for our rule then, the greater and liigher are the exercises of love to God, delight and compla- cence in God, desires and longings after God, delight in the children of God, love to itiankind, brokenness of heart, abhor- rence of sin, and self abhorrence for sin ; and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, and joy in the Holy Ghost, joy unspeakable and full of glory ; admiring thoughts «if God, exulting and glorying in God ; so much the higher is Christ's religion, or that virtue which he and his apostles taught, raised in the soul.
It is a stumbling to some that religious affections should seem to be so powerful, or that they should be so violent (as they express it) in some persons : They are therefore ready to doabt whether it can be the Spirit of God, or whether this vehemence be not rather a sign of the operation of an evil spirit. But why should such a doubt arise from no oth- er ground than this ? What is represented in scripture, as
more powerful in its effects, than the spirit of God ?
Which is therefore called the power of the Highest^ Luke i. 35. And its saving effect in the soul, called X\\q poiver of god- liness^ So we read of the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power, 1 Cor. ii. 4. And it is said to operate in the minds of men Avith the exceeding greatness of divine power, and according to the working of God's mighty power, Eph.i. 19. So we read of the eflectual working of his power, Eph. iii. 7. And of llie power that workelh in Christians v. 20. And of the glorious power of God in the operations of tlie spirit, Col. i. 11. And of ihe work of faith, its being wrought with pow- er, 2 Tlu-s. i. 1 1, and in 2 Tim. i. 7. The Spirit of God is called the spirit of pov.cr, and love, and of a sound mind. Srt
IN NEWENGLAND. 9f
the spirit is represented by a mighty Avind, and by fire, things most powerful in their operation.
2. Many are guilty of not taking the holy scriptures as a sufficient and whole rule, whereby to judge of this work, ■whether it be the work of God, in that they judge by those things which the scripture does not give as any signs or marks whereby to judge one way or the other, and therefore do in no wise belong to the scripture rule of judging, viz. The ef- fects that religious exercises and affections of mind have up- on the body. Scripture rules respect the state of the mind, and persons' moral conduct, and voluntary behavior, and not the physical state of the body. The design of the Scripture is to teach us divinity, and not physic and anatomy. Minis- ters are made the Avatchmen of men's souls, and not of their bodies ; and therefore the great rule which God has commit- ted into their hands, is to make them divines, and not physi- cians. Christ knew Avhat instructions and rules his church would stand in need of better than we do ; and if he had seen it needful in order to the church's safety, he doubtless would have given ministers rules to judge of bodily effects, and would have told them how the pulse should beat under such and such religious exercises of mind ; when men should look pale, and when they should shed tears ; when they should tremble, and whether or no they should everbe faint or cry out ; or whether the body should everbe put into convulsions : He probably would have put some book into their hands, that should have tended to make them excellent anatomists and physicians : But he has not done it, because he did not see it to be needful. He judged, that if ministers thoroughly did their duty as watchmen and overseers of the state and frami© of men's souls, and of their voluntary conduct, according to the rules he had given, his church would be well provided for, US to its safety in these matters. And therefore those minis- ters of Christ and overseers of souls, that busy themselves, ■and are full of concern about the involuntary motious of the fluids and solids of men's bodies, and from thence full of doubts and suspicions of the cause, when nothing appears but that the state and frame of their minds, and their voluntary
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98 KEVIVAL OF RELIGION
behavior is good, and agreeable to God's word ; I say, such ministers go out of the place that Christ has set them in, and leave their proper business, as much as if they should under- take to tell V ho arc under the influence of the Spirit by their looks, or their gait. I cannot see which way we are in danger^ or how the devil is likely to get any notable advantage against us, if we do but thoroughly do our duty with respect to those two things, viz. The state of persons' minds, and their moral conduct, seeing to it that they be maintained in an agreeable- ness to the rules that Christ has given us. If things are but kept right in these respects, our fears and suspicions arising from cxtraordinai y bodily effects seem wholly groundless.
The most specious thhig that is alleged against these ex- traordinary effects on the body, is, that the body is impaired, and health wronged ; and that it is hard to think that God, in the merciful influences of his Spirit on men, would wound their bodies and impair their health. But if it were so pretty commonly, or in multiplied instances, (which I do not suppose it is) that persons received a lasting wound to their health by extraordinary religious impressions made upon their minds, yet it is too much for us to determine that God shall never bring an outward calamity, in bestowing a vastly greater spir- itual and eternal good.
Jacob, in doing his duty in wrestling with God for the bles- sing, and while God was striving Avith him, at the same time that he received the blessing from God, suffered a great out- ward calamity from his hand ; God impaired his body so that he never got over it as long as he lived : He gave him the blessing, but sent him away halting on his thigh, and he went lame all his life after. And yet this i:-: not mentioned as if it were any diminution of the great mercy of God to him, when God blessed him and he received his name Israel, because as a Prince he had power with God, and had prevailed.
But, say some, the operations of the Spirit of God, are of a benign nature ; nothing is of a more kind influence on human nature, than the merciful breathings of God's own Spirit. But it has been a thing generally supposed and allowed in the church of God, till now, that there is such a thing as being;
IN NEWENCLAND. »9
«ick of love to Christ, or having the bodily strength weakened by strong and vigorous exercises of love to him. And how- ever kind to human nature the influences of the Spirit of God are, yet nobody doubts but that divine and eternal things, tis they may be discovered, would overpower the nature of man in its present weak state ; and that therefore the body in its present weakness, is not fitted for the views, and pleasures, and employments of heaven : And that if God did discover but a little of that which is seen by the saints and angels in heav- en, our frail natures would sink under it. Indeed I know not what persons may deny now, to defend themselves in a cause they have had their spirits long engaged in ; but I know these things do not use to be denied or doubted of. Let us rationally consider what we profess to believe of the infinite gi'eatness of the things of God, the divine Avrath, the divine glory, and the tlivine infinite love and grace in Jesus Christ, and the vast- ness and infinite impoi-tance of the things of eternity ; and how reasonable is it to suppose, that if it pleases God a little to withdraw the veil and let in light into the soul, and give somc^ thing of a view of the great things of another world in their transcendent and infinite greatness, that human nature, that is as the grass, a shaking leaf, a weak withering flower, should totter under such a discovery ? Such a bubble is too weak to bear the weight of a view of things that are so vast. Alas ! What is such dust and ashes, that it should support itself under the view of the awful wrath or infinite glory and love of Jehovah I No wonder therefore that it is said, no man can see me and live, and flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, That external glory and majesty of Christ which Daniel saw, when there remained no strength in him, and his comeliness was turned in him into corruption, Dan. x. 6, 7, 8. And which the apostle John saw, when he fell at his feet as dead ; was but an image or shadow of that spiritual glory and majes- ty of Christ, which will be manifested in the souls of the saints in another world, and which is sometimes, in some degree, manifested to the soul in this world, by the influences of the Spirit of God. And if the beholding the image, and external representation of this spiritual majesty and glory, did so over-
100 REVIVAL OF RELIGION
power human nature, is it unreasonable to suppose that a sight of the spiritual glory itself, which is the substance, of Avhich that was but the shadow, should have as powerful an effect ? The prophet Habakkuk, speaking of the awful mani- festaiions God made of his majesty and wrath, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, and at Mount Sinai, where he gave the Law ; and of the merciful influence, and strong im- pression God caused it to have upon him, to the end that he anight be saved from that wrath, and rest in the day of trouble ; says, Hab. iii. 16. " When I heai'd, my belly trem- bled, my lips quivered at the voice, rottenness entered into my bones, I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble." Which is much such an effect as the discovery of the same majesty and wrath, in the same awful voice from Mount Sinai, has had upon many in these days ; and to the same purposes, viz. to give them rest in the day of trouble, imd save them from that wrath. The psalmist also speaks of very much such an effect as I have often seen on persons un- der religious affections of late, Psal. cxix. 131. " I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for thy commandments."
God is pleased sometimes in dealing forth spiritual bless- ings to his people, in some respect to exceed the capacity of the vessel, in its present scantiness, so that he does not only fill it full, but he makes their cufi to run ova- ; agreeable to Psalm xxiii. 5. And pours out a blessing sometimes, in such a manner and measure that there is not room enough to re- ceive it, Mai. iii. 10, and gives them riches more than they can carry away ; as he did to Jehoshaphat, and his people in a time of great favor, by the word of his prophet Jehaziel in answer to earnest prayer, Avhen the people blessed the Lord in the valley of Berachah, 2 Chron. xx. 25, 26. It has been ■with the disciples of Christ, for a long time, a time of great emptiness upon spiritual accounts ; they have gone hungry, and have been toiling in vain, during a dark season, a time of night with the church of God ; as it was with the disciples of old, when they had toiled all night for something to eat, and caught nothing, Luke v. 5, and John xxi. 3. But now, the morning being come, Jesus appears to his disciples, and tak^:^
IN NEWENGLAND. 101
a compassionate notice of their wants, and says to them> Children^ have ye any meat ? And gives some of them such abundance of food, that they are not able to draw their net j yea, so that their net breaks, and their vessel is overloaded, and begins to sink ; as it was with the disciples of old, Luke V. 6, 7, and John xxi. 6,
We cannot determine that God never shall give any person so much of a discovery of himself, not only as to weaken their bodies, but to take away their lives. It is supposed by very- learned and judicious divines, that Moses's life was taken away after this manner ; and this has also been supposed to be the case with some other saints. Yea, I do not see any solid sure grounds any have to determine, that God shall never make such strong impressions on the mind by his Spirit, that shall be an occasion of so impairing the frame of the body, and particularly that part of the body, the brain, that persons shall be deprived of the use of reason. As I said be- fore, it is too much for us to determine, that God will not bring an outward calamity in bestowing spiritual and eternal blessings : So it is too much for us to determine, how great an outward calamity he will bring. If God gives a great in- crease of discoveries of himself, and of love to hira, the bene- fit is infinitely greater than the calamity, though the life should presently after be taken away ; yea though the soul should not immediately be taken to heaven, but should lie some years in