nothing, either in absolute justice or by free promise, on account of anything he does before he repents and believes." The celebrated Whitefield, when he first visited America, in 1740, was much struck with the power imparted to our preaching by these principles. "How can they possibly stand," says he in a letter to an Eng perhaps, in speculation, all his life, and yet | newed man; and that a man can challenge never once truly believed; to anticipate all his objections; to strip him of every plea and pretence for delay; to fill and occupy his whole soul with reasons for immediate right action, and thus shut him up to" the obedience of the truth." Such preaching, though it be plain, and even homely, if it flows from a full heart and large experience, is ordinarily much bless-lish friend, "who were never brought to ed of God in seasons of revival. - The leading doctrine at such seasons is that of "the new birth"-of the sinner's entire dependance, for a change of heart, on the direct interposition of God. And yet, for this very reason, the other doctrine implied above, of duty, of obligation to immediate right action, is urged with redoubled force. Without feeling this, the sinner cannot feel his guilt, for there is no guilt, except in the violation of duty; and where guilt is not felt, the influences of the Spirit are not given to renew the heart. And here, at this precise point, is the great difficulty in dealing with the impenitent. They do not believe that God requires them, in their present state, to become instantly holy. It is not possible, they think, that he should command them to do that very thing without the influences of his Spirit, which, if ever done, will be the result of those influences. They therefore feel that there must be, somewhere at this stage of their progress, a kind of neutral ground a resting-place, where, having done their part in "awaking out of sleep,' they are allowed to "wait God's time" (in the customary phrase), until He has done his part, and renewed their souls. Nor are these views confined to the impenitent. They have been openly avowed by some theological writers, and have exerted a secret but most powerful influence upon far greater numbers who never maintained them in form. There has been, extensively, a feeling that all which the unconverted are bound to do is diligently to use the means of grace; that if they do this, it would be hard in God to withhold the renewing influence of his Spirit; and that He has promised that influence to their prayers and exertions if sinceremeaning, of course, a kind of sincerity in which there is no true holiness. These views prevailed in New-England previous to the revival of 1735, and were one cause of the great decline in religion which preceded that event. Mr. Edwards was therefore called upon, when that work commenced, to take his ground on this subject, and the principles which guided him in that revival have been the great controlling principles in all our revivals ever since. They are thus stated by his biographer: "To urge repentance on every sinner as his immediate duty; to insist that God is under no obligation to any unre see, and heartily confess, that after they had done all, God might, notwithstanding, deny them mercy! It is for preaching in this manner that I like Messrs. Tennents. They wound deeply before they heal. They know there is no promise made but to him that believeth, and, therefore, they are careful not to comfort overmuch those that are convicted. I fear I have been too incautious in this respect, and often given comfort too soon. The Lord pardon me for what is past, and teach me more rightly to divide the word of life in future." Against this disposition to "comfort too soon"-to allow the impenitent some resting-place short of instant submission, the following very pointed cautions were cnce given by Dr. Nettleton, who has had great experience in the conduct of revivals. " a Now, what do you mean by this? Do you mean to encourage the sinner in his sins, and take his part against God? You are attempting to ease and soothe him while he is in rebellion against God. When the sinner is in this distress, there are two things that press heavily upon him sense of his obligation to repent, and a fearful apprehension that he never will repent. Now, if you tell him to 'wait God's time,' and the like, you take off this obligation at once. You remove all anxiety, and most probably cause him to sink down into a state of stupidity and indifference on the subject. You take away the apprehension also; and the danger is that he will sink down into a state of stupidity, or mistake the relief he feels for a change of heart. Now, instead of quieting him in his sins by such language, you should endeavour to increase his distress as much as possible. You should press him down, and tell him he must submit to God, and generally he will. I know some have been brought out truly regenerated after all this flattery, but it was not in consequence, but in spite of it. Again, you say, 'Look to the promises.' Now, there is no promise to the impenitent, and how can you expect him to look to the promises while he is in his sins? I distinguish between promises and invitations. Men are invited to repent, but there is no promise to them till they do repent." Such has been the uniform mode of exhibiting this subject. The promises of God are a part of his covenant, and the indispensable conditions of the covenant are repentance and faith. A But the impenitent, when thus pressed just as they would treat a child in rebellion with the duty of at once giving their hearts against an earthly parent, and can make to God, are extremely apt to say (or at him feel that the whole difficulty in his case least to feel), "I cannot; Christ has decla- is a mere reluctance to duty, they find the red it to be beyond my power. It cannot, great impediment removed out of the way. therefore, be my immediate duty; I am They feel an unembarrassed freedom in authorized to wait till power is given me pressing obligation, and a power of fastenfrom on high." Here, as in the former ing conviction of sin upon the conscience, case, the New-England clergy are guided which they never possessed before. by the principles of Edwards. They ap- writer of great experience in revivals has ply that familiar distinction of common remarked, "Whatever may be the speculife which he made so clear and palpable lative opinions of ministers with regard to in theological science, the distinction be- the nature of depravity, inability, regenertween natural and moral ability and inabil- ation, &c., it is a fact, that where their ity. You are not unable in the sense ministry is successful, as it is in revivals, you claim. You have all the faculties they preach to sinners as if they believed which constitute a moral being. He who them to be possessed of all the powers of is capacitated to do wrong, must, from the moral agency, capable of turning to God, nature of the case, be capacitated to do and on this account, and no other, inexcuright. Your cannot, therefore, is only will sable for not doing so. Some have seen not. Christ, who has spoken of the inabil- these points more clearly, and have exity you plead, has explained its nature plained them more philosophically, and "Ye will not come unto me that ye might more scripturally than others, but there have life." "Oh! Jerusalem, how often has always been a substantial agreement would I have gathered thy children to- in their mode of preaching among those gether, as a hen gathereth her chickens who have been blessed in turning sinners under her wings, and ye would not." These to righteousness."* views have formed the basis of New-Eng- But it may be said, granting (as, indeed, land preaching for nearly a century. Dr. we must on some ground) the duty of the Dwight, speaking of this subject, says, unconverted to turn instantly to God, still "The nature of this inability to obey the they will never succeed in doing it withlaw of God is, in my view, completely in- out an influence from on high. Why, then, dicated by the word indisposition, or the press them so urgently to the act? Why word disinclination. A child is equally un- multiply motives, as if you expected to proable to obey a parent, against whom his duce the change by the force of moral suawill is as much opposed, as to obey God. sion? Is it not true, after all, that both In both cases this inability, I apprehend, is you and they must "wait God's time?" of exactly the same nature. Indisposition It would be enough to answer, that God to come to Christ, therefore, is the true himself has set us the example: "Make and the only difficulty which lies in our you a new heart and a new spirit, for why way. Nor are these views confined to will ye die ?" Christ and his apostles urged New-England. A distinguished Scottish to repentance by argument and persuasion, divine, Dr. Witherspoon, afterward presi- just as they did to any of the ordinary acts dent of Princeton College, speaking of the of life. The whole Bible is filled with alleged impossibility, says, "Now consid- warnings, expostulations, and entreaties, er, I pray, what sort of impossibility this pressing a lost race, with every motive that is. It is not natural, but moral. It is not two worlds can offer, to immediate right want of power, but want of inclination." action. Nor is it difficult to see, at least, I am far from saying that no preacher is some of the reasons. First Let the sinfavoured with revivals of religion who ner really put himself to the act of giving does not thus explicitly assert man's pow- his heart to God, and he will learn, as he er as a moral agent to give his heart to can never learn in any other way, the depth God. Men see their way with very differ- of his depravity, the utter and hopeless desent degrees of clearness and confidence, titution of all spiritual sensibility within through the numerous questions that arise him. Nothing can so effectually crush his out of such a statement. I only say, that pride and self-reliance. This practical demthe views of Dwight and Witherspoon, giv-onstration of his entire helplessness, in himen above, prevail universally among the New-England clergy, and to a great extent in the Presbyterian Church; and that those who maintain them consider these views as lying at the foundation of all their successful efforts to promote revivals. When they can go to the impenitent sinner and treat him (after the manner of Dr. Dwight) * Theology, Sermon cxxxiii. Works, vol. ii., p. 279. self considered, may be just the thing that was necessary to bring him to that point where alone it would be proper for God to grant him the renewing influences of his grace. Secondly: The Spirit, in sanctifying, operates "through the truth" and the presence of that truth upon the mind as an instrumental cause is, therefore, just as ne * Views and Feelings requisite to Success in the Gospel Ministry. By W. G. Walton. cessary to the result (at least in the case | fully than this, the great success which of adults) as the renewing influence itself. | attends the urging of sinners to turn immediWhile it was the uniform doctrine of the ately to God, as though we expected them to Apostle Paul that the redeemed are "be- do it at once and upon the spot. Among the gotten of God,” he thought it no arrogance numerous cases in point which occur at to say, "I have begotten you through the once to my mind, I will briefly mention Gospel.' Without affirming that the influ- one. A young man, soon after joining one ences of the Spirit are granted in exact of our colleges, called on a friend one evenproportion to the wisdom and power withing, and stated that he had always been which truth is urged upon the conscience, taught to regard religion as the highest inwe may safely say that such, to a very terest of life, but had ever shrunk from magreat and prevailing extent, is the fact. It king it a personal concern; that his change is, at least, all that man can do; and if the of residence, separation from friends, and doctrines of the sinner's dependence leads sense of loneliness, had made him desirous us to do this with one particle of diminish- to seek salvation, and that he now wished ed force, if we do not ply him with truth to learn the way. A long conversation and motive just as earnestly as if we ex- ensued, in which the object was, not so pected to convert him by our own efforts much to point out what he should do when alone, it is a serious question whether our | he returned to his room, as to lead him (if orthodoxy has not lost its true balance. such were the will of God) to embrace the Is there not reason to fear that very ex-Saviour at once, even before the convercellent men sometimes err on this subject sation closed. With this view, the charfrom the best of motives, the desire to ex-acter of God and Christ was dwelt upon at alt the grace of God? "How often," says a writer quoted above, (W. G. Walton), "do we hear the preaching of the word compared to the blowing of rams' horns around the walls of Jericho! The man who preaches has certainly, in himself considered, no more power to convert the souls of his hearers, than was possessed by the Jewish priests to demolish the bulwarks of that city. But are the instruments used in the two cases equally impotent? Are the truths of the Gospel no more adapted to the conversion of the soul than the blast of a horn to the destruction of a city?" No honour is done to the Holy Spirit by exalting His influences in conversion, at the expense of the truth which He has himself revealed. It is the glory of that blessed Agent, that in turning the soul to God, He does it in strict accordance with the laws of our moral constitution. " Sanctify them through thy truth," was the prayer of Christ himself; and I believe it will be found that the most successful preachers are those who have the most exalted views of the power of divine truth in turning the soul to God. Such views give a peculiar solemnity, and earnestness, and authority in preaching, by which attention is secured, and conviction wrought in the minds of the hearers. Thirdly: The result produced by renewing grace is right action. "God," says Edwards, "produces all, and we act all. For that is what he produces, viz., our own acts."-(Efficacious Grace, sec. 64.) Is it not, therefore, most reasonable to suppose that this grace (if bestowed at all) will be granted to those who are putting themselves to the act of giving their hearts to God, who "strive to enter in at the strait gate;" and not to those who remain in the attitude of mere passive recipients? Account for it as we will, there is no fact which our revivals have taught us more large; their treatment of him during his years of past rebellion, and his treatment of them under the continued invitations of their mercy; with examples taken from the case of those whose absence had produced this unwonted tenderness, of unwearied assiduity and kindness on their part, requited with insult, ingratitude, and rebellion on his. The design was to show him, in this familiar way, the exact state of mind into which he was required to come; the ingenuous sorrow, heartfelt confidence, and grateful love, whose nature and reasonableness he could so perfectly understand in respect to an earthly parent. I have thus dwelt for a moment on the instructions given, for the sake of remarking how extremely simple and elementary it has been found necessary to make them. Such is the case even with those who, like this young man, have been most religiously educated. As these views of the subject were seen to open his mind with continually deepening interest and solemnity, under the prolonged exhibition of divine truth, the question was at length proposed, "Can there ever be a more favourable moment than the present for attempting to put forth the feelings now described? You will not do it, indeed, without an influence from on high. That influence may justly be withheld, but it may, also, be granted: Peradventure, God may give you repentance.' Will you, then, go with me to the throne of grace, not to gain more conviction, not to do any preparatory work (for this will defeat the object), but to put yourself at once, as I go before you in prayer, to the exercise of this ingenuous sorrow for sin, and grateful trust in the blood of Christ ?" They knelt down together to perform this duty, and closed with a solemn dedication of the soul to God. They rose and read over the fifty first Psalm, the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, the principal reason: "It is found in the and other appropriate passages, and went distinct apprehensions which prevail in again, with increased solemnity, to the New-England about the instantaneousness throne of grace. Four hours were thus of regeneration, the sinfulness of every spent, and they separated for the night. moral exercise up to that moment, and They met in the morning, and the young the duty of immediate submission. Such man said, "I hope I have given my heart a view of things leads the preacher to dito God; I think I did it before we parted vide his audience into two classes, and to last evening." That hope he has never run a strong and affecting line of demarrelinquished, and during a number of years cation between them. When one feels which have since elapsed, the uniform that the moral, sober, prayerful, unregentenour of his life, as an active and devoted erate part of his audience are doing pretty member of the Church of Christ, has given well, and can afford to wait a little longer satisfactory evidence that he was not de- before they submit, he will not be so pressceived. ing, nor fall with such a tremendous weight upon their conscience. When he feels that they cannot do much more than they do, but must wait God's time, he will not annoy and weary them, and make them sick of waiting, and compel them to come in. But when one enters the pulpit under a solemn sense that every unregenerate man before him, however awakened, is an enemy to God, is resisting with all his heart, and will continue to resist till he submits; that he must be 'born again' before he is any better than an enemy, or has made any approaches towards holiness; when one looks round upon the unregenerate part of his audience, and sees that they are under indispensable obligations to yield at once, that they have no manner of excuse for delaying; that they deserve eternal reprobation for postponing an hour; when one feels from the bottom of his heart that there is nothing short of regeneration that can answer any purpose, and that he cannot leave his dear charge to be turned from enemies of God to friends ten years hence; delivered from condemnation ten years hence; but must see it now, oh! how will he pray and preach! He will give God no rest, and he will give sinners no rest; and he will bring down their immediate, pressing, boundless obligations upon them with the weight of a world. Under such preaching sinners must either turn to God or be miserable. There is no chance for them to remain at ease this side of infidelity itself." This, then, is the point to which all my observations are directed-the union of these two doctrines of activity and dependence, which are so commonly felt to be subversive of each other; the bringing of both to bear with undiminished force on the minds of the impenitent. Establish one of these doctrines to the exclusion or weakening of the other, and just to the same extent is the Gospel robbed of its power. Inculcate dependence without pressing to the act of instantly giving up the heart to Christ, and the sinner sits down quietly to "wait God's time." Urge him to duty on the ground of his possessing all the requisite power, while (with the Pelagians) you do away his dependence, and his reluctant heart will lead him to take his own time, and that is never. Address him on the Arminian scheme of gracious aid, which is always ready at his call (except in cases of extreme contumacy), and how strongly is he tempted to put off to a more "convenient season" what he feels may at any time be done! But place him under the pressure of both these doctrines-the necessity of action on his part in coming to God, the weighty obligations which urge him to it, the crushing sense of guilt every moment he delays, the momentous interests which seem to be crowded into the decision of the passing hour, the encouragement to "strive as in an agony" afforded by the gift of the Spirit's influences to others around him (an encouragement peculiarly great in seasons of revival, and giving them so much of their power), the feeling that God may justly withhold those influences, and that every moment of delay increases the danger of this fearful doom-and have we not here, most perfectly combined, all the elements of that system of grace which is emphatically the power of God unto salvation? I will conclude my remarks on this part of the subject in the words of the late Rev. Dr. Griffin, formerly a professor at Andover, and afterward president of Williams College, Massachusetts. Being requested to account for the prevalence of revivals in this country, he gave the following as We pass now to consider the second question proposed, viz., What is there in the fact that many are awakened at once, and are pressing together into the kingdom of God, which is peculiarly adapted (under the divine blessing) to secure the desired result? This question has been virtually answered in the facts stated or implied in the preceding part of this chapter. I will, however, briefly advert to them again, and present in a single view some of those influences which unite to give extraordinary power to a well-conducted revival of religion. As far as human instrumentality is concerned, the conversion of sinners depends on two things-the clear and vivid pres- sentation of divine truth to their minds, and | joicing in the hope of having found the importunate prayer, on the part of Chris-Saviour, and reconciliation through his tians, for the influences of the Holy Spirit blood; let it appear that there is nothing to give that truth effect. I am, therefore, disorderly or extravagant in this moveto show what there is in these seasons of ment, nothing but the natural and approconcentrated religious interest, which is priate effect of divine truth applied to the peculiarly adapted both to animate the conscience by the Spirit of God; and what prayers and efforts of the people of God, is there that can appeal more strongly to and to give the Gospel readier access to all the sensibilities of a Christian heart? the hearts of the impenitent, and superior What more natural, under the impulse of efficacy in bringing them to "the_obedi- the fervent desires thus awakened, than to ence of the truth." In doing so, I shall "put away all their idols," to bow before point to certain original principles of our God in deep self-abasement for their past mental constitution which have confess-backslidings, to mourn over the multiedly very great power in moving the minds tudes around them who are in danger of of men, and shall endeavour to show that perishing in their sins, and to pour out the revivals appeal to these principles or prayer of the prophet from overflowing springs of human action, with a force and hearts, "O Lord, revive thy work in the effect altogether greater than can ever be midst of the years, in the midst of the realized under any other circumstances. years make known; in wrath remember I shall thus give what may not improperly mercy." And if, through the grace of God, be termed a theory of revivals, and shall a similar dispensation of the Spirit is grantshow that they are not seasons of mere ed in answer to their prayers, how much excitement and fanaticism, but might rea- more fervent and absorbing do those desonably be expected, from their consisten- sires become as the blessing is brought cy with the laws of human action, to pro-home to their own doors! How do we duce those great and lasting reformations see parents pleading for their children, with which they have actually blessed the wives for their husbands, friend for friend, American churches. In pursuing the sub- with all the importunity of the patriarch of ject, I hope I shall not be suspected of old, "I will not let thee go, except thou losing sight for one moment of the fact, bless me." How is all reserve laid aside that the Holy Spirit is the author of all-all the ordinary backwardness of Christhe good produced in this case, both in tians to speak and act openly on the side the hearts of Christians and impenitent of the Redeemer, and every feeling absinners. But it is the glory of that bless-sorbed amid these triumphs of divine ed Agent, that, in dispensing his sanctify-grace, in the one great question, “Lord, ing influences, he does not set aside or de- what wilt thou have me to do" for the adstroy the established laws of human agen-vancement of thy cause? Faint and feecy; and it is not, therefore, detracting from ble, indeed, when compared with these, are these influences, but rather doing them the spiritual desires which are found to honour, to point out their perfect consist-prevail in any ordinary state of the Church. ency with the great principles of our mental constitution. 1. The first of these principles to which I shall now advert, and which relates particularly to Christians, is strongly-awakened desire. 2. The second of these principles, now to be mentioned, is expectation. that If I were asked why revivals are so frequent in America, and so rare in Europe, my first answer would be, that Christians on one side of the Atlantic expect them, The scenes presented in a revival are and on the other they do not expect them. eminently adapted to create those strong These seasons of "refreshing from on spiritual desires which are only another high" are a part of the blessing that rested name for fervent prayer, and are indispen- on our fathers; and the events of the last sable to all successful Christian effort. Let forty years, especially, have taught us, any church, in its ordinary state of feel- if we seek their continuance in the spirit. ing, hear that the Holy Spirit is poured out of those with whom they commenced, we on a neighbouring town; let some of its shall never seek in vain. Nor is there members visit the spot, and bring back a anything to confine thém within our own report of what is passing there; that the borders. They have been carried by our people of God are animated with all the missionaries to a number of Indian tribes. zeal of their first love, fervent in pray-Our stations in Ceylon have been repeaters and labours for the salvation of sinners, full of joy and hope; let them tell of the crowded assemblies, the deathlike stillness, the solemnity and awe depicted on every countenance; of some who but a few days before were thoughtless and even abandoned to sin, now bowed down under a sense of guilt, and of others re edly visited with the effusions of the Holy Spirit, and the Sandwich Islands, within the last three years, have been favoured with one of the most glorious dispensations of divine grace which the world has ever witnessed. Similar periods of "refreshing from on high" existed formerly in Scotland; and there are cheering indica |