me forcibly, the singular coincidence in the general character of the work there and here. In respect to nearly every prominent feature there is a perfect identity." "Revivals of religion are certainly assuming a new aspect." "I am not a little surprised at the clamors which resound through the land against the peculiarities of these revivals. What peculiarities? Why, the Lord works with increased power. Christians pray with increased faith. Sinners tremble with deeper convictions. Yet good men and good ministers abroad stand amazed, and shake their heads dubiously, as though the ark was rudely handled, and they would fain steady it a little. I can well appreciate the honest solicitude of such Christians. They mean well; but when they suggest their doubts concerning these peculiarities, I simply say, 'It is the Lord's work; and if he does not do it RIGHT I am not responsible.' "I have been myself as little in favor of these peculiarities as any one. And as I have looked back with much interest, and traced my progress to my present state of feeling, I cannot but think that the hand of Providence has led me by a way I knew not."

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Th. What peculiarities does he mean, of which he had been as little in favor as any one?"

Scri. The letter speaks for itself.

Th. Does he mean to say he had been opposed to the Lord's working with increased power? opposed to Christians praying with increased faith? opposed to sinners trembling with deeper conviction? I cannot believe that; and yet that is what he says. He is certainly subject to some strange excitement; and under its influence he talks wildly. He says, "it is the Lord's work; and if he does not do it right, I am not responsible." What does that mean? Does he mean to say, he is not responsible for the instrumentality he uses, and not bound to see that it is according to truth and righteousness? In one part he seems to deny that there are any peculiarities which good men ought to find fault with; and he seems to design to cast suspicion upon the piety of those who "shake their heads dubiously, as though the ark was too rudely handled." But he inust have known that many things had taken place in his neighborhood, that sober Christians had always found fault with. He knew there had been some meetings where numbers prayed aloud at the same time, males and females, while others were groaning, and others were vociferating; some that continued through several days and nights without breaking up; some in which their pious pastor had been publicly denounced as unfit to preach, and in such a state that the Lord could not convert sinners in his presence; as a hireling, an Achan, and in the gall of bitterness; some in which persons had such turns of agoniz

ing for sinners, that they were obliged to be held by others for hours together. I say he knew these things, because they were matters of great notoriety, and took place in his immediate neighborhood. And in the published accounts of revivals in that neighborhood, it was said, "some of their meetings have been characterized by much noise and groaning." That your friend was "at first as little in favor of these peculiarities as any one," was then regarded by sober Christians as in his favor. And if he has since been led into the same spirit, and can approve of all these new measures, it is matter of sincere regret.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

IN Centre street, Mr. Fearless was early distinguished as a friend of Mr. Bold; and for a time he had Mr. Bold to labor among his people, as an assistant. But it was doubtful to many whether Mr. Fearless or Mr. Bold carried measures with a higher hand. The congregation was soon filled with complaints of the same general nature as those which Thoughtful has enumerated as prevailing in Westerly street. The work soon began to extend its influence into adjoining congregations, and some of their members began to imbibe the same spirit; and meetings began to be attended in them, without the consent of their pastors, in which female praying was introduced, and the practice of praying for individuals by name, after the new fashion. And even some of the church members began to pray for their pastors as cold, and stupid, and dead, and unconverted. The pastors became alarmed. Believing that Mr. Meek had established a character for promoting revivals beyond any other man in the present age, and believing that he had uniformly discouraged all those things which had been considered objectionable in the practice of Mr. Bold and his associates, they thought it very desirable to obtain his presence in their congregations. At their pressing entreaty he came, and took up his residence among them, a short distance from the residence of Mr. Fearless. Here, although his health was feeble, and he was unable to labor much, he continued some time, and a very quiet and pleasant revival took place. While here, great solicitude was manifested by the friends of Mr. Bold to obtain the sanction of his name to some of the leading measures which he disap

proved. Mr. Scribus came to see him, and spent a considerable time in talking with him. Mr. Bold called twice, and professed a desire to receive instruction. Mr. Fearless also came, and had a long discussion. Mr. Meek had some conversation with Mr. Bold, and endeavored to tell him something about his own method of proceeding; but Mr. Bold soon observed that he did not think a young man could adopt it. This rather discouraged Mr. Meek. And as he was quite unwell, and had other engagements, he thought he would try to communicate his views through another medium. With Mr. Scribus Mr. Meek "labored for hours together, at different times," endeavoring to show him the calamitous tendency of the new measures, and expecting him to disclose his views to Mr. Bold, and also to the members of the Presbytery in Westerly street, before the publication of the narrative of revivals. He also wrote down, as his strength permitted, many of his thoughts respecting the mischiefs of the new measures. And when Mr. Fearless called, he read them to him, and "labored with all his might to convince him of the calamitous tendency of those measures, until he lost all his strength, and spent the night in faintness. He expected Mr. Fearless would lay the subject fully before Mr. Bold, as he told him he would." After some

time, he was informed that his views had not been communicated to the ministers in Westerly street, and that even in some of the congregations in Centre street "his name was still used to vindicate all these new measures against those who made objections." He then felt disappointed and grieved; and thought himself called upon to make his views known. He therefore wrote out the thoughts which he had been gradually putting upon paper, and addressed a copy to a leading member of the Presbytery in Westerly street, that it might be communicated to his brethren. In this letter Mr. Meek points out some of the things which have been mentioned by Thoughtful as matters of complaint in Westerly street, and expresses his disapprobation of them. And though he does not charge Mr. Bold with them, he speaks of them as "evils running out from under him," being introduced into many churches by young men who profess to have learned them of Mr. Bold and his friends. In sending these things to the Presbytery of which Mr. Bold was a member, Mr. Meek's object seemed to be to induce them to express their disapprobation of these new measures, and endeavor to put a stop to them.

About the same time a distinguished clergyman of Pilgrim street addressed a similar letter to Mr. Fearless. He had been hearing for months before, from such of his brethren as had travelled through Westerly street, various things in relation to

the revival there. At first he was very much gratified with what he heard, and was rejoicing in it, as a great and good work; but afterwards he saw some statements in a Unitarian paper, which alarmed him a little; and soon after he met, at the anniversary of a theological seminary, with one of the members of the Presbytery in Westerly street, who was an ardent friend and promoter of the work. With this minister he sat down, in company with a number of his ministerial brethren, and asked a great many questions, and made notes of his replies. In these ways he learned the leading particulars of the work, and discovered the character of the new measures practised by Mr. Bold and his friends. In view of these, he made out a letter to Mr. Fearless, pointing out the evils which, in his opinion, must result from such measures. He also sent Mr. Meek a copy of this letter, and Mr. Meek sent, in return, a copy of his to a member of the Presbytery. And when Mr. Meek found that his name was still used in Westerly street to sanction the new measures, he sent a copy of these letters to a member of the seminary in that street under the care of Dr. Firm. also permitted some of his friends in various parts to take copies; so that the existence of these letters, and their general nature, soon became extensively known, and greatly encouraged those who were endeavoring to oppose the further spread of the measures they condemned.

He

When these letters came to Westerly street, they produced quite a commotion. The friends of the new measures did not seem to know what to do. There was manifested a strong inclination to deny the existence of any such evils as these letters had supposed; and to condemn their authors for writing them. But since the character of these men for promoting revivals was too well known to admit of their being denounced in the usual manner, there seemed to be no way to neutralize the influence of their letters in the community, but to ascribe them to misinformation. Accordingly, the word given out was, that the letters were pretty good letters, but did not apply to Mr. Bold and his friends. And that the writers of them had been misled by the flying reports and falsehoods which had been put in circulation by the enemy. Of the letter of Mr. Meek, it was said, "the lies came from hell, and the smoke from the bottomless pit." Mr. Scribus, in particular, notwithstanding his long talks with Mr. Meek, was quite zealous in proclaiming these things. On one occasion he said, Those more distant brethren have been influenced by the tide of misrepresentations which has poured forth over the face of the country." On another occasion, in speaking about a publication of one whom he regarded as unfriendly to revivals, he said, "We assert from

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personal knowledge, and without fear of contradiction, that the misrepresentations of just such men as these were greatly instrumental in deceiving our eastern brethren about the character of the western revivals. Had they not been misinformed, they would either have held their peace, or expressed themselves in a different manner." Such are the denials of Mr. Scribus and his friends, of the things which the authors of the letters had supposed to be true, as the ground of their remarks. They generally persevered in ascribing those letters to misinformation; and although one of their number told, in open Presbytery, that he had seen the eastern clergyman, and had answered a multitude of questions respecting those revivals and the measures by which they were promoted, and that he had then made notes of his replies, and proposed to him to be the bearer of a letter on the subject to some of his brethren at the west; yet, they seemed to think it was impossible that a true account, which they no doubt thought that member would give, should produce any such effect upon the mind of either of these letter-writers. They seemed to persist in the assumption with which they had set out, that the measures used to promote this revival were right, and that every true friend of revivals would think so if he only once understood what they were.

Soon after the opposition of Mr. Meek and others to the measures of Mr. Bold became known, Mr. Bold preached and published a sermon, which appeared to be intended as a defence of them. It was from the text, "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" The object of the sermon evidently was, to account for the opposition made to the new measures, by ministers and Christians, as well as others, in such a way as to make that opposition a proof that these measures are right, and that all who oppose them are wrong; and especially that those ministers and professed Christians who oppose them give evidence, by their opposition, that the state of their hearts is the same as that of the impenitent world. The sum of the argument is this sinners must be opposed to that which is nearest right; but they are more opposed to the new measures than they are to other measures; therefore the new measures must be nearest right. And, if ministers and professed Christians oppose the same things that sinners do, and make the same objections to them, they must feel just as sinners do; but some ministers and professed Christians do oppose these new measures, therefore the state of their hearts is the same as that of impenitent sinners, and they are either hypocrites, or so cold-hearted and dead, that there is no present difference in moral character between them and the impenitent world, and they ought to be so considered and treated accordingly.