LETTER TO AN ORTHODOX MINISTER, ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION. BY BERNARD WHITMAN. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY GRAY & BOWEN. Ꮮ Ꭼ Ꭲ Ꭲ Ꭼ Ꭱ. REVEREND SIR: I am credibly informed that you publicly made the following statements respecting revivals of religion. You asserted that such excitements were enjoyed by none but orthodox denominations; that they were produced by scriptural means and measures; that they yielded the genuine fruits of the gospel; that they were the special work of the holy spirit, and that all who opposed them were enemies to the cause of Christ. Now I firmly believe your declarations have no foundation in truth; and to state the honest reasons for this belief is the design of the present Letter. And I would not have you suppose that I have undertaken to address you on a subject with which I have no experimental acquaintance. I can assure you, that I once defended the divine origin and beneficial tendency of such revivals; that I denounced all who opposed them as boldly as you now do, and that nothing but a thorough knowledge of their injurious consequences, and a better acquaintance with the holy scriptures, convinced me of my dangerous error. I hope and pray, therefore, that my remarks and arguments may be instrumental in promoting the cause of pure and undefiled religion. I now proceed to the examination of your five propositions. I. You assert that none but orthodox sects are favored with religious excitements. I think a plain statement of facts will prove your assertion untrue; and also convince you, that these revivals do not depend upon the peculiar religious opinions of any christian denomination. Let us then attend to the facts in question. In the first place, what is the origin of modern revivals? They originated with John Wesley and George Whitefield, the founders of the Methodist denomination. These distinguished men began their ministry in England at a period of great moral apathy, and religious indifference, and even gross immorality. They adopted an earnest, direct, familiar, pungent and impassioned style of preaching. They usually addressed the less informed and more depraved classes of society. Their intelligible, powerful and heart-rending appeals produced a most astonishing and wonderful excitement of the passions and feelings. They were at first greatly pleased with the striking results of their labors, and readily ascribed them to the special operations of the holy spirit. But more experience convinced them of the deceptive character of such promising appearances, and led them to doubt the expediency of such commotions. For they early discovered that it was much easier for their converts to relate marvellous experiences, than to exhibit christian dispositions and characters. I have said that modern revivals originated with the founders of Methodism. I cheerfully admit, that religious excitements existed before their day among the Anabaptists, Quakers, and various other sects. But you will not pronounce their disgusting extravagances to be genuine revivals of religion. I also admit that seasons of uncommon attention to religion had occasionally been experienced in the calvinistic churches both in Europe and America before this period. But you find no traces of anything like our present delusions in any of the reformed denominations. So that we may justly consider Wesley and Whitefield the authors of modern revivals. Their followers in this country have generally aimed to imitate the example of their leaders. Most of the Methodist preachers in America have taken unwearied pains to produce similar excitements; and they have labored with very considerable success among the more ignorant and more excitable members of our community. Now Now you should remember, that there is a diversity of religious opinions among the professors of this pious sect. Nearly all in this country embrace arminian views of the gospel, and are the disciples of Wesley. The larger portion of those in England receive the five points of Calvinism, and are the followers of Whitefield. Not a few both in England and America have been led by a prayerful perusal of the scriptures to embrace Unitarianism. Read Ashworth's most interesting account of the rise and progress of the Unitarian doctrine among the Methodists of Rochdale, Newchurch, and other places. Notwithstanding this diversity of views, these revivals are principally confined to the arminian Methodists of Ame rica. 2. In the second place, what is the fact in relation to the Calvinistic denomination? When Whitefield first visited this part of our country, such revivals were scarcely known to the descendants of the pilgrims. Some of the orthodox clergy and laity cordially united in his new measures for their production; and they succeeded in raising such a tempest and whirlwind of passion, contention, reviling and wickedness as never before desolated the New England churches. Others of the orthodox clergy and laity, equally learned, zealous and pious, openly opposed the operation of this human machinery; and for their conscientious adherence to the rules of good order and gospel institutions, were denounced as the enemies of Christ and God. Even Whitefield declared that the president of Yale College had no more grace in his heart than the chair over which he leaned when offering his prayers |