صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

and he was unquestionably pious. "His soundness in the faith," says one of his ardent admirers, "his fervent zeal and unwearied diligence for promoting the cause of Christ; the plainness and simplicity, the affection and warmth of his sermons, and the amazing power that had accompanied them in many parts of England, and in almost all the North American colonies, joined to his meekness, humility, and truly candid and catholic spirit, convinced them there was reason to think well of him, and to countenance his ministry. Conversions were become rare, little liveliness was to be found even in real Christians, and bigotry and blind zeal were producing animosity and divisions, and turning away the attention of good men from matters of infinitely greater importance. In this situation, an animated preacher appears singularly qualified to awaken the secure, to recover Christians to their first love and first works, and to reconcile their affections one to another." He indeed laid claim to an extraordinary call, and the party seem to have been willing to allow it to the full. "This worthy youth," says Willison of Dundee, "is singularly fitted to do the work of an evangelist; and I have been long of opinion, that it would be for the advantage of the world were this still to be a standing office in the church;† and seeing the Lord has stirred him up to venture his life, reputation, and his all for Christ-refuse the best benefices in his own country, and run all hazards by sea and land, and travel so many thousand miles to proclaim the glory of Christ, and riches of his free grace, of which he himself is a monument; and especially seeing God has honoured him to do all this with such surprising success among sinners of all ranks and persuasions, and even many of the most notorious, in awakening and turning them to the Lord, I truly think we are also bound to honour him, and to esteem him very highly in love, for his Master's and for his work's sake." "God," he adds, " by owning him so wonderfully, is pleased to give a rebuke to our intemperate bigotry

* Memoirs of the Life of Mr. George Whitefield, &c. by John Gillies, D. D. p. 101.

Might not Mr. Willison at the same time have just as reasonably recommended the continuance of the apostleship?

and party zeal; and to tell us, that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing, but the new creature.”*

The enthusiasm into which the party had thus wrought themselves, they maintained, and wound up to a still higher pitch by reading from the pulpit, printing and circulating missives, attestations, journals, &c. of the extraordinary conversions that were taking place in various parts of the world, and particularly of those effected by the ministry of Mr. Whitefield, all of whose sermons were supposed to be accompanied with a more than ordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit. These missives, printed at Glasgow in weekly numbers, one halfpenny each, and industriously circulated, in the then state of knowledge and religious feeling, naturally and necessarily created an uncommon ferment over all the adjacent country, and in different parishes there were movements of no common kind. Circumstances, however, gave to Cambuslang, a small village about five miles to the south-east of Glasgow, the honour of being the centre where the various degrees of influence met-hence, to this day, though by no means confined to so narrow a compass, the whole affair is still known by the name of "Cambuslang Wark."

A residenter in Cambuslang, of the name of Ingram More, having, through the preaching of Mr. Whitefield, come under serious impressions at Glasgow the previous year, by his prayers at fellowship meetings, religious conferences, &c. became the instrument of awakening many, and particularly a neighbour named Robert Bowman, who, about the end of January, or the beginning of February this year, joined him in a petition, to which they procured the subscription of about ninety heads of families, and presented it to the minister, Mr. William M'Culloch, requesting him to establish a weekly lecture. With this the minister readily complied, and Thursday was fixed upon as the day most convenient. "On the two first Thursdays, after the lecture was over, some persons came to the minister's house, much concerned about their spiritual estate; but they were in no great number. On Monday, February the fifteenth,

Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, &c. by John Gillies, D.D. pp. 95, 96.

and the two following days, all the fellowship meetings in the parish convened in one body in the minister's house, and were employed in fervent prayer for many hours for the success of the gospel, and for an outpouring of the Spirit in their bounds, as in other places abroad. The next day, Thursday the eighteenth, nothing particular happened during the lecture, except that the hearers were apparently all attention; but the minister in his last prayer expressing himself thus, "Lord, who hath believed our report; and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Where are the fruits of my poor labours among this people?" a number of persons cried out publicly, and about fifty men and women came to the minister's house, under strong convictions of sin, and alarming fears of punishment."*

After this period the concourse of people was so great, that the minister felt himself called upon to provide them daily sermons or exhortations, and actually did so for upwards of six months! during which the sacrament was twice dispensed, viz. on the eleventh of July, and on the fifteenth of August, and especially on the latter day, to immense multitudes. Besides the tent for field preaching in the usual place, which is peculiarly adapted for such a purpose, being a circular excavation on the brink of a small rivulet, where a very great number can assemble within reach of the minister's voice, other two tents were erected, at each of which there was a very great congregation. By some they were estimated at fifty thousand. Mr. Whitefield, who was probably the best judge, being more accustomed to numerous audiences than any other person present, estimated the three assemblies to be above thirty thousand, a greater number than probably was ever assembled in Scotland on a like occasion. There were assisting at this solemnity, besides Mr. Whitefield, the very flower of the Scotish church, men distinguished for general talent, and eminent for personal piety, viz. Mr. Webster from Edinburgh, Mr. M'Laurin and Mr. Gillies from Glasgow, Mr. Robe from Kilsyth, Mr. Currie, the champion of the church, from Kinglassie, Mr. M'Knight from Irvine, Mr. Bonnar from Torphichen, Mr. Hamilton from

* Narrative of the Extraordinary Work of Cambuslang, Kilsyth, &c. by the Rev. James Robe.-Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. v. pp. 267-274. Pamphlets of the time, &c. &c.

Douglas, &c. &c. all of whom, inspired by the greatness of the occasion, or specially assisted, seemed to rise above their former attainments. Nor were the services less extraordinary than the assemblage and the assistants. Four ministers preached in succession on the fast-day, four on Saturday, probably fourteen or fifteen, for the number is not exactly stated, on Sabbath, and five on Monday. There were upwards of three thousand communicants who sat down in succession to twenty-five tables set in the open air, the last of which concluded with the closing day, and Mr. Whitefield commenced his exhortation in the church-yard at ten o'clock at night. Of this vast assemblage of people there were among the communicants about two hun dred from Edinburgh, two hundred from Kilmarnock, two hundred from Irvine, Stewarton, and the neighbourhood, and severals both from England and Ireland. There was much of the peculiar influence which characterized this work felt on the occasion, especially under the sermons of Whitefield, and particularly about ten o'clock on Sabbath evening, when the auditory was dissolved in tears, and many cried out.

• Robe's Narrative, &c. p. 39.

The

† Of this sacrament, the following account was given to a reverend brother by Mr. M'Culloch, which we reckon it but justice to insert :

Reverend and dear brother,

You know that we had the sacrament of the Lord's supper dispensed here on the eleventh of July last. It was such a sweet and agreeable time to many, that a motion was made by Mr. Webster, and immediately seconded by Mr. Whitefield, that we should have another such occasion in this place very soon. The motion was very agreeable to me, but I thought it needful to deliberate before coming to a resolution. The thing proposed was indeed very extraordinary, but so had the work in this place been for several months past. Care was therefore taken to acquaint the several meetings for prayer with the motion, who relished it well, and prayed for direction to those concerned, to determine in this matter. The session met next Lord's day, and taking into consideration the divine command to celebrate the ordinance often, joined with the extraordinary work that had been here for some time past; and understanding that many who had met with much benefit to their souls at the last solemnity, had expressed their earnest desire of seeing another in this place shortly; and hearing that there were many who intended to have joined at the last occasion, but were kept back through inward discouragements or outward obstructions, and were wishing soon to see another opportunity of that kind here to which they might have access; it was therefore resolved (God willing) that the sacrament of the Lord's supper should be again dispensed in

greatness of this occasion, however, seems to have wound up the enthusiasm of all to the last pitch, and it immediately began to subside. Convictions, of the more violent kind at least, were no more heard of, the daily sermons and exhortations, with the

this parish on the third sabbath of August then next to come, being the fifteenth day of that month. And there was first one day, and then another, at some distance of time from that, appointed for a general meeting of the several societies for prayer in the parish, at the manse, who accordingly met there on the days appointed, with some other christians from places in the neighbourhood; and when the manse sometimes could not conveniently hold them, they went to the church; and at one of these meetings, when light failed them in the church, a good number, of their own free motion, came again to the manse, and continued at prayers and praises together, till about one o'clock next morning.

The design of these meetings, and the business which they were accordingly employed in (besides singing of psalms, and blessing the name of God together) was to ask mercy of the God of heaven to ourselves; to pray for the seceders and others, who unhappily oppose this work of God here, and in some other parts where it takes place; that God would forgive their guilt in this matter, open their eyes, remove their prejudices, and convince them that it is indeed his work, and give them repentance to the acknowledgment of this truth; that the Lord would continue and increase the blessed work of conviction and conversion here, and in other places where it is begun in a remarkable measure, and extend it to all corners of the land; and that he would eminently countenance the dispensing of the holy supper a second time in this place, and thereby to make the glory of the latter solemnity to exceed that of the former. Much of the Lord's gracious presence was enjoyed at these meetings for prayer, returns of mercy were vouchsafed in part, and are still further expected and hoped for.

This second sacrament occasion did indeed much excel the former, not only in the number of ministers, people, and communicants, but, which is the main thing, a much greater measure of the power and special presence of God, in the observation and sensible experience of multitudes that were attending. The ministers that assisted at this solemnity, were Mr. Whitefield, Mr. Webster from Edinburgh, Mr. M'Laurin and Mr. Gillies from Glasgow, Mr. Robe from Kilsyth, Mr. Currie from Kinglassie, Mr. M'Knight from Irvine, Mr. Bonnar from Torphichen, Mr. Hamilton from Douglas, and three of the neighbouring ministers, viz. Mr. Henderson from Blantyre, Mr. Maxwell from Rutherglen, and Mr. Adam from Cathcart. All of them appeared to be very much assisted in their work. Four of them preached on the fast day, four on Saturday, on Sabbath I cannot tell how many, and five on Monday, on which last day it was computed that above twenty-four ministers and preachers were present. Old Mr. Bonnar, though so frail that he took three days to ride eighteen miles from Torphichen to Cambuslang, yet his heart was so set upon coming here, that he could by no means stay away, and when he was helped

« السابقةمتابعة »