disputing, and conversing, with a confusion scarcely describable. This wonderful excitement may be considered as standing related, both as cause and effect, to several other deplorable irregularities*. A love of excitement and of agitation seemed to take possession of the people.”

He adds,

"No intelligent Christian, it is believed, who has any adequate acquaintance with the course of the events in question, has any doubt, that these Revivals, on account of their sad accompaniments, left the churches in the west in a far worse state than they had been before. Anterior to the occurrence of these scenes, their state had borne chiefly a negative character. There was a lamentable absence of religious knowledge, privileges, and feeling. But now there was generated a bitter hostility to Revivals of Religion; a systema tic, bold, and wide-spread infidelity; and such a division and alienation of the sound materials for ecclesiastical organizations which were left, as to throw them back for many years, as to any desirable religious order."

Thus it was mournfully impressed on the minds of the American clergy, that every thing theatrical, every thing calculated to work on the mere animal feelings, and to produce mere animal excitement, should be carefully avoided. We believe that such scenes still occur, for there are still rash and injudicious pastors, who, to use the language of Dr. Griffin, "find it easier to move the people by impassioned forms, than to bring down the Holy Ghost by the struggles of faith;" but so generally are they discountenanced, that we have before us at present the opinions of more than fifty eminent American divines, who were personally engaged in the work, and who have with one voice put their testimony on record against all such questionable excitements. Indeed they are now so rare, that Dr. Davis, President of Hamilton College, Clinton, New-York, writes, "We have known nothing here, except by report, of the new measures for building up the Kingdom of Christ. We have no machinery for making converts; and we could allow none to be introduced. We should be afraid to make, or suffer an impression upon the young men under our care, many of whom will be ministers of Jesus Christ, that the Gospel can be helped, or the work of the Holy Ghost facilitated, by human devices. This forms part of an account of a succession of Revivals among the students under his care, by which several hundreds were brought to Christ; and he declares that he is not more certain of his own existence, than he is, that these were produced by divine influence. Certain of these new measures, however, have attained so much notoriety, that it will not do to condemn them in the mass. We shall therefore select a few of the more prominent, and give, in their own words, the finding of the writers in Dr. Sprague's book, with regard to them.

And first they are unanimous in their condemnation of the use of anxious seats. The reasons are briefly stated by Dr.

* See President Bishop's Outline of the History of the Church in Kentuckey, p. 117.

Alexander, at this time, perhaps the most eminent of the American clergy.

"All means and measures which produce a high degree of excitement, or a great commotion of the passions, should be avoided; because religion does not consist in these violent emotions, nor is it promoted by them; and when they subside, a wretched state of deadness is sure to succeed."

"The subjects of religious impression ought not to be brought much into public notice. It ought not to be forgotten, that the heart is deceitful above all things, and that strong excitement does not prevent the risings of pride and vain glory. Many become hypocrites when they find themselves the objects of much attention, and affect feelings which are not real; and where there is humility and sincerity, such measures turn away the attention from the distinct contemplation of those subjects which ought to occupy the mind. "On this account, I prefer having the anxious addressed and instructed as they sit undistinguished in their seats, rather than calling them out to particular pews, denominated anxious seats: and if the pastor can visit the awakened at their houses, it would be better, than to appoint meetings expressly for them. But as this cannot be done, when the number is great, these meetings may be necessary; but instead of attempting to converse with each individual, let the preacher address suitable instruction and advice to all at once; and if any are in any great trouble and difficulty, let them come to the minister's house, or send for him to visit them."

The last part of this extract relates to what are called inquiry meetings, which, it will be seen, are allowed only on the ground of necessity.

There is a greater difference of opinions in regard to camp meetings; but all seem to agree very nearly with the following statement of Dr. Miller, a presbyterian clergyman and professor:

"I confess I deeply regret that the use of camp-meetings should be resumed in our body. When they are necessary, that is, where an assembled multitude cannot be accommodated in any other way, as was evidently the case with some of the audiences of John the Baptist, and afterwards, in some cases, with those of our Lord, and as, doubtless, has happened in a number of instances since ;-let them be freely employed. I am far from supposing that they are necessarily and always injurious. Far less, that all the converts which have been numbered on such occasions, were of a spurious character. By no means. Wherever the word of God is faithfully and powerfully presented, it never fails, I believe, of doing some good. It has never been my lot to see a presbyterian camp-meeting. But I have had an opportunity of personally witnessing the effects of such a scene, as they appeared among our methodist brethren. And the general impression which they made upon me, was, I acknowledge, by no means favorable. To say nothing of the irregularities and abuses, which it is difficult, if not impossible, in ordinary cases, wholly to avoid, on the skirts, and sometimes in the interior, of such camps; they have always appeared to me adapted to make religion more an affair of display, of impulse, of noise, and of animal sympathy, than of the understanding, the conscience, and the heart. In short, they have always struck me as adapted, in their ordinary form, to produce effects on our intellectual and moral nature analogous to those of strong drink on the animal economy; that is, to excite, to warm, and to appear to strengthen for a time; but only to pave the way for a morbid expenditure of sensorial power, as we say concerning the animal economy-and for consequent debility and disease.”

We come now to the question of sympathy: but before entering on it, we must remark, that there seem to be, among American Christians, a decided tone of piety, a warmth of religious feeling, altogether alien from our habits and our experience. We have not read a single account of a Revival, in which whole congregations were not moved to "strong crying and tears;" while careless individuals are often represented as having their bodily strength prostrated, bursting out into audible sobs, or waiting only for the conclusion of the service, to cry before all the people, What shall I do to be saved? Sometimes the pastor hears a low murmur, among the people, as they go forth, saying, "it is good for us to be here!" The same deep sense of religion is carried into private life. We are informed, that it is no unusual thing for a layman, going on a journey, to resolve to speak to every one he meets, as to the state of his soul, and to do so : and further, that if a professing Christian, even in a stage-coach, is silent on religious subjects, he is looked upon by worldly people in much the same light as an ungodly clergyman among us. We do not praise all this, but we mention it as indication of a higher standard of piety than prevails among ourselves. With such excitable materials, great caution is requisite ; and we think the remarks of Edwards on this subject particularly admirable:

"It would be very unreasonable and prejudicial to the interest of religion to frown upon all these extraordinary external effects and manifestations of great religious affections. A measure of them is natural, necessary, and beautiful, and the effect is nowise disproportioned to the spiritual cause, and is of great benefit to promote religion. Yet, I think, they greatly err who suppose that these things should be wholly unlimited, and that all should be encouraged in going to the utmost length that they feel themselves inclined to. There ought to be a gentle restraint upon these things, and there should be a prudent care taken of persons in such extraordinary circumstances. They should be moderately advised at proper seasons, not to make more ado than there is need of, but rather to hold a restraint upon their inclinations; otherwise, extraordinary outward effects will grow upon them, they will be more and more natural and unavoidable, and the extraordinary outward show will increase, without any increase of the internal cause. Persons will find themselves under a kind of necessity of making a great ado, with less and less affection of soul, till at length almost any slight emotion will set them going; and they will be more and more violent and boisterous, and will grow louder and louder, till their actions and behaviour become indeed very absurd. These things experience proves."

We shall suppose, that in a congregation, an individual is moved to tears, or some outward and unequivocal sign of strong feeling. The preacher proceeds. Another and another are added: the contagious emotion spreads, until nearly the whole assembly are visibly under its influence. Shall he appeal to their sympathy? shall he make use of it to urge them forward to some decided step,to commit themselves, as it is often called? Dr. Sprague thinks that he should. We confess we think otherwise. When this sym

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pathy proceeds from a fellow feeling of deep concern about eternity, there can be no doubt on the subject: it ought to be fed by every lawful means in our power. But if it spring from that mere animal feeling of our nature, which prompts us to laugh, or weep, or shout with the multitude, in spite of our strongest resolutions, we should hesitate, we should tremble to lay such unhallowed fire on the altar of the Lord. Nothing is easier than to make a man pledge himself as solemnly, and as publicly, as you please, while the excitement is strong upon him but the morrow comes, and with it his old habits and associations; and, unless the Spirit graciously interpose, the individual runs fearful risk of being a perjurer, or a hypocrite for the rest of his life. We believe that here lies the debateable ground between true and spurious enthusiasm,— the rock on which many have made shipwreck of their reason and their faith. But in justice to our American brethren, we must say that the general feeling among them is decidedly against such a questionable use of sympathy; and that they are ready, and willing to try all spirits whether they be of God.

We shall afterwards notice the protracted meetings, being ourselves fully convinced of their efficiency, when rightly conducted, and having to offer, on the part of Dr. Sprague and his coadjutors, an almost unanimous testimony in their favour. In the mean time, leaving behind all questionable matters, we shall shortly mention those measures which the Holy Spirit has more especially honoured, by using them in this glorious work. Of these the first in order, and by no means the least in importance, is early and careful religious instruction. This will be better appreciated after reading the following excellent remarks of Dr. Proudfit, of the Associate Reformed Church:

"With respect to the fruits of these Revivals, on which you desire information, I have almost uniformly remarked, that where the subjects had been early and competently instructed, the impressions have been permanent : those of this character who assumed the profession of religion have been enabled to persevere; but in other instances, the excitement has too often been transient as "the morning cloud and the early dew;" the latter class, like those in the parable of the sower, I have frequently seen receive the word with joy; but not having root in themselves, endured for a time, and afterwards returned to the world. From these facts, founded on long observation, I have been particularly impressed with the importance of early instruction.

"We cannot appreciate too highly the establishment of Sabbath schools and Bible classes. They may be considered as constituting some of the brightest features of our distinguished age, and forming a new era in the religious world. Through the instrumentality of the former, many have been raised from the lowest degradation, mental and moral, who are now ornaments to the church; and by means of the latter, the seed has been sown in ten thousand youthful hearts, which will spring up to life eternal: yet in connexion with these I wish to see revived that system of catechetical instruc tion, which prevailed so extensively among your ancestors in England, and

mine in Scotland. I wish to see means every where in operation which shall secure to the juvenile mind profound instruction in the doctrines of religion. No period, since the Apostolic, has been adorned with a generation of profes sors more intelligent and stedfast, than during the administrations of Owen, and Flavel, and Baxter, and Boston, and the Erskines; and at that time, catechising in the week was considered scarcely less essential to the fulfilment of the ministry, than preaching on the Sabbath."

To the same purport, and still more pointedly, Dr. Sprague

writes:

"If it be asked, whence come the greater number of the subjects of our Revivals, we answer, from our Sabbath schools, and Bible classes, and from families in which the parental influence is decidedly religious; and the reason why some have held a different opinion, is, that when a profligate or an infidel is hopefully converted, it excites much attention and remark; and thus the number of such conversions is frequently estimated far higher than it should be. Go into any place you will, where the Holy Spirit has been extensively and powerfully at work, and you will find that the families which have been specially blessed, are those in which God has been honored by the faithful discharge of parental duty, and the general influence of Christian example; while only here and there one is taken from those families in which there is no parental restraint, nor instruction, nor prayer; and in which, as a natural consequence, the youthful mind is pre-occupied with sentiments and feelings most unfriendly to the work of the Holy Spirit."

Another, equally scriptural, more necessary, if possible, and more generally effectual, is the earnest, faithful, simple preaching of the Gospel. "By earnestness we do not mean," says Mr. Mc Ilvaine, (an episcopalian clergyman, whose letter on this part of the subject is particularly able and judicious,)" seeking out new and more striking modes and expressions, but to combine in our discourses more prayer in their preparation, and more faith in the power of God, while delivering them." But while we protest earnestly against the introduction into the pulpit of the mere stage trick and machinery of oratory, we would have the manner of the preacher solemn, affectionate, and plainly showing that he decply feels what he utters. We are no friends to a cold, unimpassioned, scholastic style of preaching, because we see no example of it in the Bible. "If the subject," says Edwards, "be in its own nature worthy of very great affection, then speaking of it with very great affection is most agreeable to the nature of that subject, or is the truest representation of it, and therefore has most of a tendency to beget true ideas of it in the minds of those to whom the representation is made. I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections of my hearers, as high as possibly I can, provided that they are affected with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable to the nature of the subject." But there is much to do, besides preaching. The sick must be visited, comfort given to the afflicted, counsel to inquirers: the first flutterings of the heart towards religion must be carefully discerned and encouraged, the doubting convinced, and the Christian