CHAPTER XXXV.

ABOUT this time the ministers of the Association in Westerly street, whose congregations were bordering upon, or intermingled with, those of the Presbytery in which Mr. Bold and his friends were carrying on their operations, thought it necessary to address a pastoral letter to their congregations on the subject of revivals of religion. In nearly all their congregations there was more or less of special attention to the subject; and attempts were continually making, by persons from abroad, and by some among themselves, to crowd in the new measures. The Association accordingly met, and drew up a pastoral letter, had it published and distributed to their churches, and some copies of it sent to their friends in other parts.

The letter states, that the associated pastors believe seasons of revival to bring their "appropriate duties, and their peculiar dangers." And they wish to call the attention of their people to "a few of those things which appear to be evils in themselves, or more or less attended with danger, at the present time." It discourses at large on the following particulars:

“Indifference on the subject of revivals; neglect to discriminate between true religion and false; insensibility to danger; condemning in the gross, or approving in the gross; indifference to instruction; calling people hard names; making too much of any favorable appearances; ostentation and noise; going to particular places to obtain the Spirit, or to be converted, with a dependence upon places or men; not guarding against false conversions; the hasty acknowledgment of persons as converted; injudicious treatment of young converts; putting them forward too much; suffering the feelings to control the judgment; giving heed to impulses, impressions, or supposed revelations; allowing anybody and every-body to speak and pray in promiscuous meetings, as they feel disposed; wrong means of exciting fear; trying to make people angry; talking much about opposition; the affectation of familiarity with God in prayer; language of profaneness; disregard of the distinctions of age or station; censuring as unconverted, or as cold, stupid and dead, those who are in good standing in the visible church; praying for persons by name, in an offensive manner; imprecations in prayer; denouncing as enemies to revivals, those who do not approve of every thing that is done; female prayer and exhortation in promiscuous assemblies; loud

groaning, speaking out, and falling down, in time of public or social worship; taking the success of any measures as an evidence that those measures are right, and approved of God; disorderly and disorganizing measures, interfering with the concerns of churches to which we do not belong, trying to make people dissatisfied with their minister, or children with their parents. These points the Association discussed at length, and showed the wrong views and practices of which they thought their churches in danger. They advised them to study the writings of Edwards and Brainerd, and labor to promote revivals of religion by the use of such means as they approved.

This letter only warned the churches under the care of the associated ministers, against certain things of which they were considered in danger, without alluding to Mr. Bold or his friends. But they wished to make the impression abroad, that none of these exceptionable things had existed in Westerly street; and that Mr. Meek and others had been misled by false reports put in circulation by the enemy. The publication of this pastoral letter would give an indirect sanction to those reports. So it was considered abroad, as well as at home. Mr. Bold made some ministers believe that he approved of the principles of this letter, though he denied having practised contrary to them. But Mr. Scribus could not withhold the expressions of his disapprobation. The next time he met Thoughtful, he addressed him as follows:

Scri. " Things to be avoided! This phrase seems to be the favorite motto of many at the present day. But who are the persons who are thus employing it; and what part have they acted during the great revivals with which the land has been visited?"

Th. They are the true friends of revivals, who have had the welfare of the Church so much at heart, that they have ventured to express their dissatisfaction with some things that have been done; though at the hazard of being denounced and branded, by you and others, as enemies to revivals. When they have seen dangers, they have thought it was their duty to point them out.

Scri. "Of all the things which are most necessary to be avoided at this time, I should point out that of overlooking or depreciating the great work which God has wrought in the midst of us; and yielding to the insinuations of worldly-mindedness, sloth, spiritual pride, and unbelief. Here is the proper field for the exercise of vigilance; unbelief in its ever varying forms of doubting, presuming, disputing, cavilling, and censuring."

Th. By unbelief you seem to mean calling in question the

excellence of this revival, or finding fault with any of the measures used for its promotion.

Scri. Certainly; "Doubting, disputing, cavilling." These are the forms which I have so often spoken of. Edwards acknowledged the revival in his time to be a glorious work of God, and reckons those as enemies to revivals who refuse to acknowledge it. We only do the same.

Th. You do it without the same grounds. You denounce men who have often been engaged in promoting revivals, men who uniformly pray for the outpouring of the Spirit, and men who have been actually laboring, at the time, to promote a revival in their own congregations. And you denounce them, just because they refuse to countenance the measures which Edwards warned the churches against. I have not perceived that they have been backward to acknowledge the reality of existing revivals, as far as there have been time and opportunity for them to see their good fruits.

Scri. Do they not talk about spurious revivals, and false conversions, in such a way as to throw suspicion upon the work as a whole?

Th. They neither approve in the gross, nor condemn in the gross. They think wrong measures have a tendency to produce false conversions; and they oppose them for that reason, as well as because they are wrong. And so far as such measures prevail, they are obliged to doubt the excellence of the work. In this they follow the example of Edwards.

Scri. "With regard to the general principles laid down in the pastoral letter of the Association, I have, abstractly speaking, but few objections. But, after admitting that most of the particulars pointed out in the letter, would in reality, be things to be avoided,' if they had an existence, I am constrained to ask, whether a letter of such an unprecedented character was called for at the present time?"

Th. If those things had an existence, you admit that they would be "things to be avoided." But you seem to deny their existence, as if you would make that impression; and yet you deny them in such a way as leads me to doubt whether you really believe your own denials.

Scri. "Were not the churches of the Association, at the time the letter was prepared, in a state of coldness, and was there not a great want of unanimity among their members? And was not the moderator, at that very time, for some reason or other, dismissed from the people of his charge? Why then talk of the danger of rashness and indiscretion, where every thing is inactive?"

Th. Every thing was not inactive. There was and had been

an active attempt to introduce the new measures, contrary to the judgment of the pastors, and their most stable and experienced members. And the dismission of the moderator is believed to have been occasioned in part by that very thing. Rashness and indiscretion had been abundantly exerted in most of their churches, and were producing discord and strife.

Scri. "I am constrained to conclude that this same pastoral letter was intended to apply to the Presbytery, which has been blest with a great and glorious revival of religion." Edwards felt constrained to say, that those professed ministers who stood aloof from the work, canvassing the reports and surmises of others, ought to be reckoned as opposers. "There are at the present time many just such opposers as these, who have not at all forwarded the good work, either by their own labors, exhortations, or prayers; but who have all along been waiting for a partial declension to take place, so that their voice might be heard in the uttering of things to be avoided.' Yes, all around us are to be found such individuals as these, elders and ministers, as well as private Christians. Are these the men whose voice should now be heard in the matter before us, the very men whom Edwards himself would have designated as opposers to the work? Are these the men, who, as the best friends of revivals,' are now to quote his writings for the purpose of amending measures, forestalling public sentiment, preventing a reaction, and correcting imaginary evils?"

Th. As to your charge against them of standing aloof from the work, I have spoken before. When they attempted to come near, and take hold, Mr. Bold and his friends usually drove them away, by their manner of treating them. And besides, they had enough to do, in their own congregations, to prevent disorder, and promote true religion there. As to the things they speak of as "things to be avoided," they have either had an existence, or they have not. They are the same things which Edwards spoke of, as things to be avoided, in his day. If the men you denounce have really seen them, they have done right to warn their churches against them. If they have not seen them, it is very strange that they should venture to speak as they have done, and warn their churches against what all their members must know were things not existing in their vicinity.

Scri. The great objection I have to the pastoral letter is, "that it goes virtually to sanction, in an indirect manner, the flying reports which have been put in circulation by the enemies and faint-hearted friends of revivals. It shows, doubtless without intending it, a false coloring of the state of things in the midst of us; gives currency to many accusations which the

of

enemies might else have been ashamed to reiterate. I am unwilling to copy, even in quotation marks, for the purpose refutation, the identical whisperings of malignity and mistrust, which have been copied into the pamphlet, but which have been a thousand times discountenanced and put to silence by the touch of truth."

Th. You do speak strangely. "A thousand times put to silence by the touch of truth.' When, and where? Ministers of the Gospel, and members of the churches, whose word has never been called in question before, do affirm that they have seen these things with their own eyes, and heard them with their own ears; and shall we not believe them? Shall we reject this testimony on the credit of such vague and indefinite denials, as you give us? Where have these "identical whisperings of malignity" been previously stated? I have not seen them. As to its showing "a false coloring of the state of things in the midst of us," as you allege, it may perhaps be necessary, to make that a matter of investigation. And if it should be necessary to bring testimony in the matter, there is good reason to believe that you yourself will afford sufficient proof of some of the most objectionable things.

Scri. Who are these men, and what part have they acted during the revival? The most active and influential members of the Association are those who live in the neighborhood of the Presbytery. These men, who, for the most part, timidly stood aloof from the work during the period of the greatest excitement, are the very ones who have now come forward, in the rashness of mistaken zeal, to caution the world against certain abuses, which they verily believe, though they really know little or nothing about it, have gained a footing within the limits of the Presbytery."

Th. They must feel greatly obliged to you for the concession you make, that they verily believe what their book sets forth; and especially, after you have so often denounced them. But, you have conceded too much for your purpose; for, if they verily believe that the evils set forth in their book do really exist, so that their churches are in danger from them, it cannot well be doubted, and it will not be doubted by those who know the men, that these things are so.