lation to the prevailing formalism of the Anglican church, but accomplished its reformatory effects, not so much within that church, as by an exodus and new organism without it. Hence it retained, as a part of its recognized and permanent method some of those bodily manifestations as implicated with true Christian experience and emotion, along with some other things which were ranked prominent among the disorders coming in the wake of the great American revival that brought the latter to a close. Falling under the efficient lead of John Wesley, who broke with his co-laborer, Whitefield, on account of the Calvinism of the latter, it was also organized and developed upon the basis of Arminian theology. In regard to all this, however, we refer our readers to the first article in this number on Methodism. But what we wish to signalize now and here is the fact, susceptible of conclusive proof from a cloud of witnesses which we do not quote solely for want of room, but which may easily be found in Tracy's volume, that the revival of 1740, in this country, was carried forward under the emphatic preaching of the sternest Calvinism according to the ipsissima verba of our Confession of Faith, without the slightest softening dilution, or mitigation of what are esteemed its sterner features; and that its disorders and errors were mostly in the line, or in consequence of, the exaggeration or distortion of those principles.

Art. VII.-REVIVALS OF THE CENTURY.*

BY LYMAN H. ATWATER.

AMONG the phenomena of the century just closed which deserve distinct commemoration and discriminating review, none rank higher than those known as revivals of religion. It is quite certain that our Christianity has infused into our national life its highest powers of endurance and safe development, and beyond all else fortified it against that multitude of hostile and destructive forces which, without this counteracting agency, would have left us utterly to perish at the hands of those who, "while they promise liberty, are themselves the servants of corruption." No two maxims are more trite or indisputable than that virtue in the people is indispensable to sustain a "government of the people, by the people, for the people," and that religion is the only true spring and support of national virtue. To this we may safely add, that Christianity, as the only God-sent, is the only adequate religion for this purpose the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, not only from the curse, but from the pollution and immorality of sin. This may safely be said without danger of sinking Christianity to the low function of being a mere "aid extraordinary to the police."

But if this be so, it is none the less true that the Christian

*Lectures on Revivals of Religion, by W. B. Sprague, D.D., with an Introductory Essay by Leonard Woods, D.D.; also an Appendix, consisting of Letters from various Clergymen. Albany, 1832.

Memoir of the Life and Character of the Rev. Asahel Nettleton, D.D. By Bennet Tyler, D.D. Hartford, 1844.

Remains of Asahel Nettleton, D.D. Edited by Bennet Tyler, D.D. Hartford 1845.

Life and Labors of Daniel Baker, D.D., Pastor and Evangelist, edited by his son Rev. Wm. M. Baker, 1859.

Autobiography, Correspondence, etc., of Lyman Beecher, D.D. Edited by Chas. Beecher, in two volumes. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1865.

Memoirs of Rev. Charles G. Finney.

Barnes & Co., 1876.

Gospel Sermons. By D. L. Moody.

Written by Himself. New York: A. S.

piety of the country has been chiefly preserved and increased. through the last two centuries, especially that now ending, by the agency of revivals of religion. Adopt whatever theory we may as to the ideal state of the church, and assuming that only a steady and continuous growth, which excludes alternations of intense excitement and persistent languor, is compatible with its highest thrift; were we to admit even, as we do not, what some maintain, that, had there been no revivals, there would have been a better average religious condition on the whole than now, yet it cannot be denied that, in point of fact, the strongest and most influential religious life of the country has been largely due to these revivals. This is surely so of those Christian denominations that are at once most aggressive and progressive in character; whose members reach the highest grade of holy living and Christian morality; which are most felt in antagonism to prevailing immorality and vice; and become in every way the "salt of the earth." Even those Christian communions whose theory and practice are adverse to revivals, or are even ostentatious in denouncing them, often owe much of their growth to the direct or indirect influence of revivals. Their members catch the heavenly gales which, during these scenes, are sweeping through and renovating society. Then, too, is the time of their golden harvest. Many have been the confirmations this year in ritualistic churches whose ministers would take no part in a powerful revival going forward around them, of persons who found Christ, along with their associates, in that revival. More than one Episcopal bishop can trace to such scenes the first upspring of his Christian life. Is it strange that in these celestial visitations, when they became all-pervasive, some most prejudiced against them should "breathe the heavenly air," and catch something of their inspirations?

We propose to consider the revivals of the century now closed, not in any way of minute historical details. This would. fill more volumes than we have pages for this work. We can only aim at a general review, which shall deal with the successive revival epochs and the distinctive characteristics of each, bringing to view important lessons and inferences, theoretical and practical, deductive and inductive, to which they fairly lead.

As our topic is, the revivals of the century, it technically rules out what, if its extent and results in proportion to the population of the country be the basis of comparative estimate, may be regarded as the first and greatest of American revivals—we mean, of course, the Great Awakening of 1740, which occurred not far from the close of the first century of Protestant church life in this country. This being the only simultaneous widespread revival of that period, may be taken for the concentrated revival of the century which preceded and culminated in it. We have, however, made this the subject of a short, separate article, both for its own sake, and on account of the direct and indirect light it may serve to throw upon some of the phenomena of the revivals of the last century.

From causes specified in our paper on that subject, there was, with sporadic exceptions, a cessation of revivals after the Great Awakening of 1740 in the American churches till about 1790. Then they began and continued to appear with greater or less frequency in one congregation and another till they reached their culmination, and became very general near the beginning of the present century. After this they did not cease. From that day to this they have come to be regarded, not as exceptional, but normal phenomena, in the great body of evangelical, certainly of Methodist, Baptist, Congregational, and Presbyterian, churches. We shall confine our survey more especially to the latter two, although analogous phenomena in the former two have come to be, in an increasing degree, coincident and simultaneous. This has gone forward in later years with the increasing growth of charity, catholicity, and unity among evangelical churches. Union meetings and co-operative measures among them for the promotion of religion have been more and more common. The meetings and measures under the preaching and conduct of Mr. MOODY have been entirely on this basis. It is rare that any special outpouring of spirit and ingathering of souls occurs in a church of one denomination in any community, which does not extend more or less to others. Moreover, there are few such churches in which, whatever accessions to the communion may occur with some regularity from year to year, there are not, also, at times unusual and more extended ingatherings. The Lord, working after the manifold methods and exhaustless riches of his grace,

refreshes, now and then, here and there, with the gentler dews or rains, or the mighty showers of his Spirit, not excepting the great rain of his strength. But the years which we would note as climacteric years, in which the more scattered revivals of intermediate years culminated in general and all-pervading awakenings, each marked by some distinct and incidental, among the essential characteristics common to them all, since the beginning of the century, are 1821-2, 1831-2, 1843-4, 1857-8, 1875-6. Other years have been more or less marked in this respect. But we think these have a decided pre-emi

nence.

The revivals culminating in the early years of this century and the close of the last, were of immense power and extent, and went far toward recovering religion and the churches from the declensions of the preceding half century, induced by the war, and the reaction from the disorders of the revival of 1740. The exercises of the subjects of them were generally deep and thorough, and usually, during the first quarter of the century, were somewhat protracted before the subjects of them passed out of the alarm and dejection induced by the unsparing exhibition of the terrors of the Lord, into the joy and peace of believing. But they took on, also, two different forms of development, including certain misproportions and maladjustments, in the East and West, which either abridged their duration and usefulness, or planted the seeds of future evils. In New England and the parts of the Presbyterian church most largely and directly affected by emigration of ministers and people from it, the positions taken by the preachers and champions of the great revival in the preceding century in regard to the impotence and helplessness and worthlessness of all prayers and doings of the unregenerate; their absolute dependence upon God for a change of heart, and his sovereignty and liberty in the matter of working it, coupled with the equally emphatic assertion of the perfect and indispensable obligation of the sinner to obey the gospel, and his accumulating guilt and danger for every moment's delay so to obey it, led the pulpit in that and the succeeding period to earnest discussion as to the doctrines of sovereignty and election, and man's dependence. and the modes of reconciling them with the sinner's liberty, guilt, and responsibility. In aid of this came the ponder