have been greatly affected; but old men and little children have been so now. Many of the first have, of their own accord, formed themselves into religious societies, in different parts of the town: a loose careless person could scarcely find a companion in the whole neighbourhood; and if there was any one that seemed to remain careless and unconcerned, it would be spoken of as a strange thing.

"God also has seemed to go out of his usual way, in the quickness of his work, and the swift progress his Spirit has made in his operations on the hearts of many: it is wonderful that persons should be so suddenly, and yet so greatly changed: many have been taken from a loose and careless way of living, and seized with strong convictions of their guilt and misery, and in a very little time old things have passed away, and all things have become new with them. God's work has also appeared very extraordinary, in the degrees of the influences of his Spirit, both in the degree of saving light, and love, and joy, that many have experienced. It has also been very extraordinary in the extent of it, and its being so swiftly propagated from town to town. In former times of the pouring out of the Spirit of God on this town, though in some of them it was very remarkable, yet it reached no further than this town, the neighbouring towns all around continued unmoved.

"The work of God's Spirit seemed to be at its greatest height on this town, in the former part of the spring, in March and April; at which time God's work, in the conversion of souls, was carried on amongst us in so wonderful a manner, that so far as I, by looking back, can judge from the particular acquaintance I have had with souls in this work, it appears to me probable, to have been at the rate, at least, of four persons in a day, or near thirty in a week, take one with another, for five or six weeks together when God in so remarkable a manner took the work into his own hands, there was as much done in a day or two, as at ordinary times, with all endeavours that men can use, and with such a blessing as we commonly have, is done in a year."

In Vol. II. page 455, Dr. Gillies has inserted letters from a minister in Holland, of the date of October 2, 1750, and January 15, 1751; of which the following are extracts :

"I bless the Lord, I can give you the certain account of the plentiful out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in several congregations in the Velurve, one of the quarters of the dutchy of Guelderland, by whose blessed and powerful influences that amiable kingdom, which consists in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, is notably advanced. Of this great event, I had some confused notice before I went to but thought it my duty to be silent about a matter of such vast importance till I obtained full and certain information, knowing well of what pernicious consequence, groundless precipitant reports are, in most cases, and especially of that nature. This information I have got since my return; and now desire to acknowledge and rejoice in this great work of God.-This blessed work begun in a town called Nieuwkerk, about ten English miles above Amersfoort, and

about as many from Harderwick, near the end of the Zeuderzee; and from that town the blessed influence has spread over five different congregations in the villages of Putten, Barnevelt, Lunteren, Nunspeet, and Zoest; in all of which, but especially in Putten, the awakening has been very great, and multitudes, according to the best judgment, brought under the blessed bond of the everlasting covenant.-There are two reformed ministers in the church of Nieuwkerk; the oldest is J. J. Roldanus; the other, who was called there in 1748, is called Gerardus Kuypers; the Lord has honoured them both to be instrumental in carrying on that blessed work. Mr. Kuypers gives the account of the work. It had been in this place a dead, barren, backsliding time for many years past; conviction and conversion work very rare: the place was full of infidelity, carnality, profanity, and fearlessness of God, to that degree, that it was by other places reproached, as being an habitation of people, who, by long prosperity, were waxed fat, and kicked against the Lord.-The small remnant of the godly who were in the place were daily persecuted with bitter scoffings and mockings.-The first means which the Lord was pleased to bless, for awakening that dead secure people to something of seriousness and concern about eternal things, was a public weekly catechizing, set up with this good design, that by this plain, simple, familiar way of instruction, that ignorant people might be brought to some distinct knowledge of the Lord.―This exercise was attended with notable success; many were stirred up to search the scriptures.-Another thing which the Lord remarkably countenanced, was the setting apart of some time for a kind of fellowship-meetings or Christian conferences, alternately, in the houses of the few among them who seemed to have any fear of God, and particularly on the evenings of the Lord's day.-These meetings were immediately much talked of; hundreds frequented them after their daily labour was over, (for that was the time pitched upon as the most convenient ;) several were brought under the same concern about their souls, and began to see their miserable lost state, and were made to continue earnest in prayer.-All this was carried on with little noise, silently, as usual in the ordinary work of the conversion of particular persons.-In this way was ushered in that uncommon dispensation of the Spirit, which they looked not for; for, at last, the preaching of the gospel began to be attended with such awful power, that several were made to cry out aloud with many tears, under a bitter painful sense of their distress and misery.— The troubled and broken in heart were brought to Mr. Kuypers's house, who, upon conversing with them, soon discovered that the Holy Spirit, by the word, had begun a work of conviction in them. Mr. Kuypers finding things thus with them, began to conceive some hope; yet he stood astonished, conflicting with doubts and fears, to see so many persons so strangely affected.-His doubts and fears had this good effect; they made him very careful and circumspect in examining all these appearances, and comparing them with the Lord's word. The next day, there was an almost universal dejection and astonishment among the inhabitants of the town; Mr. Kuypers went early in the morning to the houses of such of the awakened and distressed as were best known to him; and the work being great, he got some private Christians to go to others; they were busy the

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whole day, going to innumerable houses. From that day the work increased beyond description; there is no painting of it to the life; it was a perfect commentary upon the 2d chapter of the Acts. Mockers ridiculed, but multitudes were pricked at heart, and cried, What shall we do? day, the Lord graciously accompanied the sermons of both ministers with such demonstration of the Spirit and power, that many more were awakened. The exercises of most were carried on with a considerable degree of quietness and sedateness, who, as far as we are allowed to judge, are savingly converted. But a great number were exercised with great bodily distress. As the awakened and distressed were many in number, several hundreds, so they were of all characters and ages.-Old persons of seventy and eighty years, who had spent all their days in ignorance of God, deep forgetfulness of him, and rebellion against him, have been at the eleventh hour snatched as brands out of the burning, and are melted into tears at the thought of the admirable patience of the Redeemer, to bear so many horrid provocations from them, and wait so long knocking at their hearts for entrance. Many of the more knowing and learned in the speculative knowledge of Scripture truths, have been deeply and thoroughly convinced of their great blindness and ignorance.—The awakening went on so powerfully all the months of June and July, that several hundred strangers who came from other places were made to feel its influence, and pricked to the heart. I can assure you that this blessed work still goes forward in that, and has spread through several other congregations, and eminently in the village of Putten, and that all the subjects of this blessed work continue steadfast in the faith and ways of the Lord.

By the account I have given, and the farther account I hope to give, if the state of my health permit, you will clearly perceive, that this work of grace wrought on the hearts of so many hundreds by the word and Spirit of the Lord, is, in substance, the very same work, which was some years ago carried on so remarkably in your happy corner of the Lord's vineyard, and agrees exactly, in all the great leading strokes and lineaments of it, with the work of grace, which has more or less been carried on in all ages of the Church of Christ from the beginning, though perhaps with some variety of circumstances, which must reasonably be expected whenever the Lord builds up Zion in a more observable and glorious manner, which he would have to be taken notice of by the world.

"The great work of grace, of which I gave you some general account, not only goes forward at Nieuwkerk and the villages mentioned in my last, but, blessed be the God of all grace, it spreads itself through many other places unworthy that the God of glory should cast a look of mercy upon them, much more pour out his Spirit upon them, and make them savingly to know his word. The word of the Lord has free course, and is glorified in the conviction and conversion of great numbers at a village called Aalten in Guelderland; at a village called Rheid, in the dutchy of Juliers, and several other places through the country; and in the city of Groeningen (one of the seats of learning and philosophy) there has been a considerable awakening several months past, hundreds being under sharp convictions, which it is hoped will have a gracious saving issue. As to the work in general, the number of witnesses is so great,

their character for understanding, probity, and serious godliness, so unexcep tionable, and the facts they attest such in their nature, as they could not mistake through ignorance, being what God's word plainly requires to pass upon every soul that would be saved, and what the awakened or comforted declare uniformly they have experienced; that no man can reasonably refuse his assent."

The following account, though to be found more at large in Gillies, I prefer taking from a late publication, "The Life of John Erskine, D. D. by Sir Henry Moncrief Welwood, Bart."

"In the following winter (1741-2,) very remarkable impressions of religion were observed in the congregation of Cambuslang, under the ministry of Mr. M'Culloch, the pastor of that parish—a man of genuine piety and considerable capacity, but who is said to have had nothing particularly striking either in the manner or substance of his preaching. His hearers, în considerable numbers, were on different occasions so violently agitated, while he preached on the Christian doctrine of regeneration, as to fall down, in the midst of the multitude, under visible paroxysms of bodily agony."

"To suit his labours to what he considered as important circumstances in the state of his parishioners, he thought himself bound in duty to add to the number of their religious exercises. He preached frequently on week days as well as on Sundays. He met with them often separately and together in his own house, to instruct, to admonish, and to console them, according to the best idea which he could form of their state of mind. The effect of his labours became every day more visible and extensive; and even they who were most disposed to question the soundness of his judgment on the subject, could scarcely refuse to give him credit for the purity of his intentions. The same visible agitation among the people was continued during the whole course of the winter, and his labours and solicitudes were never relaxed."

"Similar effects began to appear at Kilsyth, in the barony parish of Glasgow, and in some other adjacent parishes; and something less remarkable, but of the same kind, had been before observed at Edinburgh, and in other districts of Scotland, where Mr. Whitefield had preached. But nothing can be more certain, than that the unusual events at Cambuslang had been a subject of general observation and enquiry, for many months before Mr. Whitefield had ever been there; and it is not possible to identify their commencement with his labours, by any fair examination of the facts as they occurred."

"It was natural, however, to suppose that, after what he had heard, Mr. Whitefield would seize on the first occasion which offered to visit Mr. M'Cullock. In the summer of 1742, he was more at Cambuslang, and in its immediate vicinity, than in any other district. He was there joined by a considerable number of ministers of the established church; by some whose curiosity was excited to examine the appearances which had attracted so much attention; and by others who were already convinced that they

were not common events, and were willing to give their help in what they believed to be the work of God."

"From this time, the multitudes who assembled were more numerous than they had ever been, or perhaps than any congregation which had ever before been assembled in Scotland; the religious impressions made on the people were apparently much greater, and more general; and the visible convulsive agitations which accompanied them exceeded every thing of the kind which had yet been observed."

"Whatever opinion we may form, either of the nature or of the source of those extraordinary effects, it is, at least, a most remarkable fact, that, in this period, they were neither confined to any one district or country, nor were exclusively connected with the ministry of any individuals."

"In Scotland, though they were more frequent and more remarkable in the crowds collected by Mr. Whitefield, than in any other congregations, they were observed, nearly at the same aime, in situations remote from Cambuslang, under the stated ministrations of the parish ministers.”

"The facts themselves, as they occurred in Scotland, whatever view may be taken of them, are ascertained by the most unquestionable evidence, -by the testimony of Mr. John Maclaurin of Glasgow, who was most assiduous and minute in his investigation of them,-by Dr. John Hamilton of the High Church of Glasgow, whose good sense and discernment were worthy of the high respectability of his character,-by Mr. Robe of Kilsyth, whose integrity was never questioned, and who published a narrative of the subject, by Dr. Webster of Edinburgh, who accompanied Mr. Whitefield, and preached with him at Cambuslang; who published a defence of what he represented as real conversions there, in opposition to those who pronounced them a delusion; who wrote from his personal knowledge, and attested the facts of which he was an eye-witness, and by Dr. Erskine himself, who was then a student in divinity; who wrote a pamphlet on the subject, entitled, "The Signs of the Times," which has furnished one of the chief reasons for introducing the subject into this narrative."

"The converts of Cambuslang and Kilsyth, could not prove their sincerity by their agitation; but it is equally clear, that their agitation could furnish no reasonable ground to suspect them of insincerity."

"It may, no doubt, be admitted, in perfect consistency with all this representation, that physical sympathy in a crowd might, sometimes, produce bodily convulsions, which had no connexion with any religious feeling. And this fact, as well as other circumstances alluded to, will account for such examples as occurred, of pretended converts at that time, who, afterwards contradicted their professions,"

"But it must not be forgotten, that the number was very considerable of those who dated their first and best impressions of religion from this time, and who were afterwards distinguished by a visible and unquestionable reformation of manners, of which, few examples of the same extent can be produced in modern times. Even those who have done their utmost to decry the converts of Cambuslang, and to diminish their number, are obliged to admit, that they might amount to some hundreds; and others, who appear to have honestly related the facts from their own observations and

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