USA > Connecticut > A complete history of Connecticut, civil and ecclesiastical, from the emigration of its first planters, from England, in the year 1630, to the year 1764; and to the close of the Indian wars > Part 16
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" And now, our beloved brethren and sisters, you and. your children, we are going to prove, confirm and in- crease, by the will of GOD, the seeming good dispositions begun or revived in you, toward CHRIST and his word, in a just, reasonable, and pious care and solicitude for your salvation.
" Mr. Whitefield, once and again, in his admonitions to you, and also, in his fervent, righteous and effectual prayers for you, by the will of Gon, led you into the trial and proof of yourselves, whether, when he was gone from us. you would better attend on the ministry of your own pastors, both on sabbaths and lectures ? For he had heard (and it was too true) that there had been a great defect in that point among you, before he came. Some of your minis- ters, therefore, now make a new tender of themselves to you, in the fear and love of GOD, in this new lecture for the ser- vice of your souls, if you will encourage them by a like attendance on it, as we have lately seen you give to the word preached.
"We preach the same CHRIST, the same doctrines, of grace according to godliness, with the same gospel mo- tives and arguments, applications to conscience, and sup- plications to GOD, for you," &c. &c.
This was the beginning of the most extraordinary revi- val of religion ever experienced in Boston, or in that part of New-England. The religious concern continued and increased all winter. Hundreds of people flocked to their ministers for instruction and comfort under spiritual trou- bles. Never had they experienced any thing to be com- pared with it.
When Mr. Whitefield left Boston, it was for Northamp- ton. He had read in England, the narrative of Mr. Ed- wards, of the remarkable work of God in that place, in 1735, and had a great desire to see him and receive the ac- count from his own mouth. On his way, he preached at. Concord, Sudbury, Marlborough, Worcester, Leicester, and Hadley. Pulpits and houses were every where open- ed to him, and the same happy influence and effects attend-
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ed his preaching, which had been experienced in other Book II. places.
When he arrived at Northampton, about the middle of Mr. White,- October, he was joyfully received by Mr. Edwards and field the people. He preached four sermons in the meeting at North- preaches house, and a private lecture at Mr. Edwards'. The con- ampton. gregation was affected in a very extraordinary manner. Almost the whole assembly were in tears during a great part of the sermon. When he came to remind them of the great things which GOD had done for them in the former work among them, says the writer of his life, "It was like putting fire to tinder ; both minister and people were much moved." His discourses were happily adapted to the circumstances of the town, containing just reproofs for backsliding, and pleaded with them the great mercies which they had received, and the high professions which they had made, as arguments to encourage them to return unto GOD, in all holiness of heart and life. Immediately after kis preaching, the minds of the people appeared more engaged in religion. The revival appeared at first principally among professors ; but it soon became more general and more powerful than the former work ; and especially it was more remarkable and general among children. Many cried out and sunk down under awakenings ; others were overcome with joy, and fainted under the views they had of the exceeding glory and ex- cellency of their Saviour, and of divine truths and beau- ties.
After leaving Northampton, he preached at Westfield, Springfield, Suffield, Windsor, Hartford, Weathersfield, Middletown and Wallingford, to large and affected congre- gations.
On the 23d of October, he reached New-Haven. Here he was affectionately received by Mr. James Pierpont, brother-in-law to Mr. Edwards. As the General Assem- bly were then sitting, he tarried until Lord's day, and had the pleasure of seeing numbers daily impressed. Several ministers waited on him, with whose pious conversation he was much refreshed. He paid a visit to governor Tal- cott, who said to him, " thanks be to GoD, for such re- freshings in our way to heaven."
After the sabbath, he preached at Milford, and prose- cuting his journey to New-York, and the southern colo- nies, he preached with his usual popularity and success, at Stratford, Fairfield, Norwalk and Stamford. Taking leave of Connecticut, he preached at Rye and Kings- bridge, and on the thirtieth October, arrived at New- U
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Book II. York. He preached three days at New-York, and then departed, preaching through the southern colonies, 1740. as he had done before, but apparently with greater suc- cess.
In December, he arrived at Charleston, in South-Caroli- na, where he makes the following remarks: "It is now the seventy-fifth day since I arrived at Rhode-Island. My body was then weak, but the Lord hath much renewed its strength. I have been enabled to preach, I think, an hun- dred and seventy-five times in public, besides exhorting frequently in private. I have travelled upwards of eight hundred miles, and have gotten upwards of seven hundred pounds sterling, in goods, provisions, and money, for the Georgia orphans. Never did I perform my journey with so little fatigue, or see such a continuance of the divine presence in the congregations' to whom I have preached. Praise the Lord, O my soul."
By letters written to him and of him, it appears he was the instrument of great good in New-England, as well as in the southern colonies. He greatly quickened and ani- mated ministers as well as private christians ; convinced, and was instrumental in converting sinners ; thus promot- ing the work of the Lord, especially in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Another instrument in this good work, from abroad, was was Mr. Gilbert Tennant. He had been very successful in his labors among his own people, and others in the neighbouring towns, in New-Jersey, and was sent by the Presbytery, or a number of ministers in his vicinity, to preach in New-England, and assist in promoting the good work which had been so remarkably begun. He had much hesitation relative to the undertaking; but after much prayerfulness and advice, he consented to make a journey into these parts. He was a sound, experimental, searching preacher ; a son of thunder. He designed to labour principally at Boston; but to preach through the country, going and.returning. He is represented as doing special service in his preaching. He came into Connec- ticut soon after Mr. Whitefield went to the southward. His preaching was powerful, and appeared to have hap- py effects. He reached Boston about the middle of De- cember. The assemblies had been full from the time of Mr. Whitefield's preaching there, until this time, but by his preaching, the concern became more general and pow- erful. A gentleman who had been famous for preaching both in England and America and had heard Mr. White- field repeatedly, gives this character of Mr. Tennant :
Account of Mr. Ten- nant.
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" He seemed to have as deep an acquaintance with the ex- Book II. perimental part of religion, as any I have conversed with; and his preaching was as searching and rousing as ever I 1740. heard. He seemed to have no regard to please the eyes of his hearers with agreeable gesture, nor their ears with de- livery, nor their fancy with language ; but to aim directly at their hearts and consciences, to lay open their ruinous delusions, show them their numerous, secret, hypocritical shifts in religion, and drive them out of every deceitful re- fuge, wherein they made themselves easy with the form of godliness without the power. And many who were pleas- ed in good conceit of themselves before, now found, to their great distress, that they were only self-deceived hypo- crites.
"From the terrible and deep convictions he had passed through in his own soul, he seemed to have such a lively view of the divine majesty, the spirituality, purity, and ex- tensiveness of his law, with his glorious holiness and displea- sure at sin ; his justice, truth and power in punishing the damned ; that the very terrors of GOD, seemed to rise in his mind afresh, when he displayed and brandished them. in the eyes of unreconciled sinners. And though some could not bear his preaching, yet the arrows of convic- tion, by his ministry, seemed so deeply to pierce the hearts of others, and even some of the most stubborn sinners, as to make them fall down at the feet of Christ, and yield a lowly submission to him."
He preached in Boston principally for more than two months. His preaching, and the great and general en- quiry of the people after the way of life, caused the minis- ters to treat more largely of the operations of the spirit of grace, as a spirit of conviction and conversion, consola- tion and edification in the souls of men, agreeable to the holy scriptures, and the common experiences of true be- lievers .*
In Connecticut, the work was more powerful than in Boston. In many places, people would cry out, in the time of public worship, under a sense of their overbearing guilt and misery, and the all-consuming wrath of GOD, due to them for their iniquities ; others would faint and swoon under the affecting views which they had of GOD and CHRIST ; some would weep and sob, and there would sometimes be so much noise among the people, in particu- lar places, that it was with difficulty that the preacher could be heard. In some few instances, it seems, that the minister has not been able to finish his discourse, there has
* Prince's account of the work of God in Boston,
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Book Il. been so much crying out and disturbance. This was the case in some places, not only on the sabbath, but at public. 1741. lectures, and also at lectures in private houses. Thus it was in various places, not only in Connecticut, but in other parts of New-England.
When persons, who had cried out in the time of public worship, or had swooned, and appeared unable to endure the things which they had heard or seen, were by them- selves, in the interims of public worship, the people would crowd around them, to inquire what they had seen or felt, which had so affected them; and they sometimes would. give such an account of their view of their sins, and of the dreadfulness of the wrath of God due to them, as would ex -: ceedingly affect others, and be a means of great awakening. and concern in them. In like manner, the accounts which some gave of the overcoming sense which they had of the greatness, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and faithful- ness of God; of the love of Christ; his willingness and sufficiency to save, even the chief of sinners, would seem very greatly to move others. In this way convictions werc increased, and the work promoted.
Connecticut was more remarkably the seat of the work than any part of New-England, or of the American colo- nies. In the years 1740, 1741 and 1742, it had pervaded, in a greater or less degree, every part of the colony. In most of the towns and societies, it was very, general and powerful.
Abundant labours and ex- penses of ministers.
The labours and expenses of ministers were now great, beyond any thing which they had ever before experienced. The people wanted continual preaching. It was difficult to satisfy them. At the same time, there would be consid- erable numbers of them under distress of mind, and in- quiring the way to Zion. During this period, more per- sons repaired to their ministers, for religious conversation and direction, than did, in ordinary times, during the whole course of their ministry .* Not only the people of their own parishes, but from other towns, and some from a dis- tance, resorted to them for instruction and counsel. Num- bers, who had for many years been professors of religion, were convinced, that their hope was no other than the hope
* Mr. Prince, in his account of the awakening in Boston, says, "The Rev. Mr. Cooper was wont to say, that more came to him in one week, in deep concern about their souls, than in the whole twenty-four years of his preceding ministry. I can also say the same, as to the numbers who repaired to me. By Mr. Cooper's letter to a friend in Scotland, it appears about six hundred different persons applied to him in three months time ; and Mr. Webb informs me, he has had, in the same space, above a thou sand.1)
CHAP. VIII.
CONNECTICUT.
of the hypocrite, which would most certainly perish, when Book II. God should take away the soul. They became no less earnest inquirers after the way of life than others. In many 1741. instances, the minister was entirely opposed to the work, and they could obtain no light or satisfaction in conversing with him, and naturally repaired to those who were zeal= ous in promoting the LORD's work. Some of the clergy were so thronged with company, and were at so much ex- pense, as in a considerable degree to injure their estates.
voured the
The reverend gentlemen who most favoured the work in Ministers Connecticut, while others opposed it with all their power, who fa- were Whitman, of Hartford; Lockwood, of Weathersfield ; religious Joseph Meacham, of Coventry ; Lord, of Norwich ; Wil- revival. liams, of Lebanon ; Parsons, of Lyme ; Owen, of Groton ; Pomeroy and Wheelock : In the county of New-Haven, Humphrey, Leavenworth, Allen, and Robbins of Bran- ford : In the counties of Fairfield and Litchfield, Mills, of Ripton ; Graham, of Woodbury ; Farrand, of Canaan ; and Bellamy, of Bethlem. But the most zealous and laborious - in the cause, who took the most pains, and spent the most property in the service of their Master, were the Rev. Messrs. Jedediah Mills, Benjamin Pomeroy, Eleazar Wlree- lock, and Joseph Bellamy. They were not only abundant in labours among their own people, and in neighbouring towns and societies ; but they preached in all parts of the colony, where their brethren would admit them, and in many places in Massachusetts, and the other colonies. They were very popular, and their labours were generally ac- ceptable to their brethren, and useful to the people. They were not noisy preachers, but grave, sentimental, search- ing, and pungent.
Mr. afterwards Dr. Pomeroy, was a man of real genius, Character grave, solemn, and weighty in his discourses ; they were of Mr. generally well composed, and delivered with a great de- Pomeroy, gree of animation, zeal and affection. He appeared to have a deep concern for the salvation of his hearers ; and often, in his addresses to them, and in his expostulations and pleadings with them to be reconciled to God, to for- sake the foolish and live, would melt into tears and weep over them. His language was good, and he might be reck- oned among the best preachers of his day. He could set the terrors of the LORD in awful array before sinners, and show them, in an alarming manner, the slippery places on which they stood. With equal advantage, he could repre- sent the wonders of CHRIST's love, his glory, the sufficien'- cy of his righteousness, and the blessedness of all who would be reconciled unto Gon through him.
1
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BOOK II. Mr. afterwards Doctor and President Wheelock, was a gentleman of a comely figure, of a mild and winning aspect ; 1736. his voice smooth and harmonious, the best, by far, that I Character ever heard. He had the entire command of it. His ges- of Mr. Wheelock. ture was natural, but not redundant. His preaching and addresses were close and pungent, and yet winning, be- yond almost all comparison, so that his audience would be melted even into tears, before they were aware of it.
Doctrines which they preached.
The doctrines preached by those famous men, who were owned as the principal instruments of this extraordinary revival of God's work, were the doctrines of the reforma- tion :- the doctrine of original sin, of regeneration by the supernatural influences of the divine Spirit, and of the ab- solute necessity of it, that any man might bear good fruit, or ever be admitted into the kingdom of GOD; effectual calling, justification by faith, wholly on the account of the imputed righteousness of JESUS CHRIST ; repentance to- ward Gop, and faith toward our LORD JESUS CHRIST ; the perseverance of the saints; the in-dwelling influences of the Holy Spirit in them ; and its divine consolations and joys.
They took great pains to detect the hypocrite, to ex- hibit his character and danger. President Wheelock had a sermon from Job xxvii. 8th : "What is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when Gon taketh away his soul?"-in which he described the hypocrite, showed how far a man might go in religion, and after all be no more than a hypocrite. He then showed the miserable end of the hypocrite ; that notwithstanding all the riches of fame, which the hypocrite had gained, or whatever degree of hope of good things in this world, or in that which is to come, he might gain, GOD would bring him to the grave ; and when he should take away his soul, all his expectations would fail. His deceit and wickedness would all be made manifest, and he would be brought forth at last to public shame and contempt. The folly and danger of hypocri- sy, the dreadful condition and fearful end of hypocrites, were exhibited in a strong and awful point of light. The audience were pressed by all means to be Christians in- deed, and not to deceive themselves, and perish with the hope of the hypocrite. He had another sermon, which he preached with success, from Mark xvi. 16. He that be- lieveth and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believ- eth not, shall be damned. In this sermon, he described a saving faith in Christ, and gave many distinguishing marks of it. At the same time he insisted that all, without excep- tion, who would not believe, would most certainly be damn-
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ed. These sermons I find particularly mentioned, in the Book II. narratives given of the awakenings, as having been attend- ed with happy effects. Concerning this latter sermon, 1742. which he preached at Taunton, at the beginning of the awakening there, it is written, " Many were awakened and pricked in their hearts : Zion's king rode triumphant upon the word of truth."
Mr. afterward Dr. Bellamy, was a large and well built Dr. Bella- man, of a commanding appearance ; had a smooth, strong my's cha- voice, and could fill the largest house without any unnatu- racter and ral elevation. He possessed a truly great mind, generally preaching. preached without notes, had some great point of doctrine commonly to establish, and would keep close to his point until he had sufficiently illustrated it; then, in an ingen- ious, close, and pungent manner, he would make the ap- plication. When he felt well, and was animated by a large and attentive audience, he would preach incomparably. Though he paid little attention to language, yet when he became warm and was filled with his subject, he would, - from the native vigor of his soul, produce the most com- manding strokes of eloquence, making his audience alive. There is nothing to be found in his writings, though a sound and great divine, equal to what was to be seen and heard in his preaching. His pulpit talents exceeded all his other gifts. It is difficult for any man, who never heard him, to form a just idea of the force and beauty of his preaching.
While I was an undergraduate at New-Haven, the Doc- Preaching tor preached a lecture for Mr. Bird. At the time appoint- at New- ed, there was a full house. The Doctor prayed and sang ; Haven. then rose before a great assembly, apparently full of expec- tation, and read, Deut. xxvii. 26, " Cursed be he that con- firmeth not all the words of this law to do them : and all the people shall say, Amen." The number and appear- - ance of the people animated the preacher, and he instant- ly presented them with a view of the twelve tribes of Isra- el assembled on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerrizim, accord- ing to the divine appointment, and the audience were made to hear the Levites distinctly reading the curses, and all the thousands of Jacob repeating them, uttering aloud their approving Amen. Twelve times says the Doctor, it goes, round, round, round all the camp of Israel, Cursed be the man who committeth this or the other iniquity. Nay,
round it goes, through all the thousands of God's chosen people, Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them : and all the people shall say, Amen. By universal consent, (the approving Amen, of all the congregation of Israel,) he who did not yield a cheerful
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Book II. and universal obedience to the whole law, was cursed. From this striking and general view of the subject, the Doctor observed, that it was the ancient doctrine of the church, which Gop took great pains to teach them, that every sin deserved the eternal curse and damnation of GOD : or that the wages of every sin was death. Having, from a variety of views, established this leading point ; that all parties might be treated fairly, he brought the ob- jector on to the stage, to remonstrate against the doctrine he had advanced. When he had offered his objections, Gabriel was brought down to show him the futility of his objections, and the presumption and impiety of making them against the divine law and government. They were clearly answered, and the opponent was triumphantly swept from the stage. The argument gained strength and beauty through the whole progress. The deductions were sol- emn and important. The absolute need of an atonement that sin might be pardoned, or one of the human race sav- ed : the impossibility of justification by the deeds of the Jaw : the immaculate holiness and justice of God in the damnation of sinners. They were stripped naked, and their only hope and safety appeared to be an immediate flight to the city of refuge. The truths of the gospel were established, and God was glorified. No man was more thoroughly set for the defence of the gospel.
The work This glorious work of GOD, which had effected such a injured by wonderful reformation of manners through the country, was dasorders and impru- dences, and vio- lently op- posed. marred and greatly injured by many imprudences and ir- regularities ; and was most violently opposed by ministers, by magistrates, by cruel and persecuting laws, by re- proach, and misrepresentation, and all other ways and means which its adversaries could invent.
Many lay exhorters sprang up among the people, espe- cially in the counties of New-London and Windham; and among some, there appeared an inclination to follow im- pulses, and a pretence to know the state of men's souls ; who were converted, and who were not.
Mr. Dav- enport's impru- wildness.
At the same time, there was a Mr. James Davenport, of Southhold, on Long-Island, who had been esteemed a pious, sound, and faithful minister, but now became zealous be- dence and yond measure ; made a visit to Connecticut, and preached in New-Haven, Branford, Stonington, and various other places ; and went on as far as Boston. He gave an unre- strained liberty to noise and outcry, both of distress and joy, in time of divine service. He promoted both with all his might, raising his voice to the highest pitch, together with the most violent agitations of body. With his unnas.
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ural and violent agitations of the body, he united a strange Book II. singing tone which mightily tended to raise the feelings of weak and undiscerning people, and consequently to 1741. heighten the confusion among the passionate of his hear- ers. This odd, disagreeable tuning of the voice, in exer- cises of devotion, was caught by the zealous exhorters, and became a characteristic of the separate preachers. The whole sect were distinguished by this sanctimonious tone. It was Mr. Davenport's manner, when a number had cried out, and there had been great agitations of body, to pronounce them tokens of divine favour; and what was still worse, he would declare those persons who were the subjects of those outcries and agitations, to be converted ; or that they had come to Christ ; which were gross and dangerous errors. Bodily agitations and outcries were no evidences of grace. He was further, the great encourager, if not the first setter up of public exhorters, not restrict- ing them according to the gospel rule of brotherly exhor- tation ; but encouraging any who were reputed to be lively, zealous christians, to exhort publicly in full assemblies, with ministerial assurance and authority, though altogether raw and unskilful in the word of righteousness. What had still a more mischievous influence than all the rest, was his undertaking to examine his brethren in the minis- try, as to their spiritual state, and publicly to decide con- cerning them, whether they were converted or unconvert- ed. Some, whom he had privately examined, and to all appearance, men of as much grace as himself, he would in his public prayers pronounce unconverted. Such as re- fused to be examined by him, were certain to be denounc- ed, as either unconverted, or in a very doubtful condition. Thus, disorder, jealousy and confusion, were sown in the churches. He represented it as a dreadful thing to hear unconverted ministers ; that their preaching was worse than poison ; and he warned the people against it.
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