Count himself travels and preaches in very many dif ferent and remote places; though it is matter of regret to hear that thefe zealous preachers of Christ are tainted with feveral errors; and fo indeed were feveral of our reformers at the first. May the Lord purge them from all error whatfoever. Likewife, about the year 1736. there was a marvelous outpouring of the Spirit upon the people of Northampton in New England, and neighbouring places, where God difplayed the riches of his grace, and the power of hi- Spirit, in the wonderful convertion of fcveral hundreds in a fhort time, under the miniftry of Mr Jonathan Edwards and others there. O how glori ous was that work! as appears by the narrative then published of it. At the fame very time the Lord was pleased to raise up and qualify a number of students at the college of Oxford, in our neighbour nation of England, to be inftruments of much good, although not altogether purged from the corruptions of that land. They joined in a religious fociety, wherein they agreed upon certain methods and rules for fpending their time in fafting, praying, communicating, visiting the fick and the pri foners, inftructing the ignorant, &c. and hence they were called Methodists. And, being afterwards ordained to the miniftry, they preached with great warmth, chufing fubjects very much neglected in that church, fuch as the doctrine of grace, of justification by faith in the righteoufnefs of Chrift; of original fin and the corruption of our nature, of the nature and neceffity of regeneration, and the new birth, &c. Thefe doctrines being new, they were much admired and followed wherever they preached: they ufed alfo a good deal of freedom in fpeaking against the loose and ne gligent clergy, for which they were at length denied the ufe of churches; whereupon they went and preach ed in the fields, in houses, and wherever they might have accefs, collecting money for erecting fchools, hofpitals, and other pious ufes; travelling to many places, and preaching every day, and feveral times in one day, having many thoufands to hear them, in London, Brif tol, tol, Gloucester, through Wales, and very many places in England. Many of their hearers were brought under great impreffions, fhedding tears, and crying out, "What shall we do to be faved?" And great changes were made upon very profligate perfons, and upon severals who went to scoff and ridicule them. Alfo many of the clergy were quickened to their work by them. In the year 1740, Mr Whitefield, one of the forefaid Methodists, went to New England, and Mr Gilbert Tennent after him, where they preached some months two or three times every day, with fingular and extraordinary fuccefs, the people being greatly awakened, efpecially by Mr Tennent's preaching; fo that there followed a remarkable change upon their lives, and a wonderful revival and appearance of religion through all that country for feveral years. The like alfo was very obfervable in Penfylvania, and the Jerfeys, about the fame time. It is to be regreted, that the work began to be much clouded by fome zealous but imprudent minifters, and a set of illiterate exhorters, who went through the country preaching and venting errors, and sometimes very rafh cenfures against their brethren, and fome of them pretending to vifions, prophecy, and great attainments, and running into feveral extravagancies; upon which account fome have endeavoured to expofe the whole work as Enthufiafm and Delufion. But it being Satan's ordinary way, when he fees Chrift's kingdom advancing in a place, to exert himfelf to bring a reproach upon religion, by leading fome zealous profeffors into errors and diforders; this can prove no more against the work in general, than the delufions of the Anabaptifts and Fifth-monarchy-men did against the reformation. But thefe clouds did not long continue. Likewife in the year 1740 and afterwards, in Scotland, even amidst our backflidings and divifions, in fome parts promifing tokens began to appear of a revival of Chriftianity: for, in Edinburgh and elsewhere, fome new praying focieties were fet up, and fundry ftudents did affociate with them, which gave hopes of VOL. IV. 3 N a further reviving; and for this many prayers were put up through the land, and that a good time before Mr Whitefield came to Scotland, which was in the end of July 174, where he abode fome time, and preached many awakening fermons in Edinburgh, Glafgow and, other places. In Cambuslang, a fmall parish four miles from Glafgow, there were feveral praying focieties, who fpent much time in prayers and wrestling with God (especial. ly in Febr. 742) that he might pity them and the whole land, and pour out his Spirit upon them, as on other places. And the reverend Mr William M'Culloch their minifter, who frequently met with them, having at their defire (joined with others in the parish) fet up a weekly fermon upon Thursday a little before, and preaching clofely to them upon the nature and neceflity of regeneration; it pleafed the Lord, that, upon, Thurfday the 18th of Feb. 1742, the holy Spirit fo wrought upon his hearers, that about fifty of them, with many attending them, came into his houfe, under alarming apprehenfions about the ftate of their fouls, crying "What fhall we do to be faved?" The minifter, being much affected with their case, spent all that day and night with them, either feparately or together, in exhortations, inftructions, prayers, and finging pfalms; being affitted in the work by fome preachers and elders. And, the awakened and wounded people daily increafing, he was obliged to preach to and converfe with them every day for a great many weeks thereafter; the people filling all the rooms of his houfe after fermon, and continuing in prayer and finging pfalms in different companies till near midnight. Many minifters came from other places to Mr M'Culloch's affillance, with multitudes of people to hear the word, and to be witnefles of that very uncommon work; and there many of them felt the power of the word, and went home with the arrows of God ticking in their hearts; and great numbers of thefe convinced people attained also to a fair appearance of a hopeful outgate; having their minds filled with peace and joy in beljeving. This was a wonderful time at Cambuslang for many months in the the year 1742, and the pleasant fruits of it continued to appear both in that and the following years. In Summer fame year, viz 1742, the work began to spread and appear remarkably in Kilfyth, Calder, Kirkintilloch, Carpfic, Cumbernauld, Gargunnock, Baldernock, Muthil, and many other parithes; and even in Edinburgh. and Glasgow there was a confiderable revival in religion. In May 1742 there was published a narrative of the work at Cambuslang, attelied by many; and soon after another narrative of the work at Kifyth and parithes about it, continued in different parts, and published from time to time by the reverend Mr James Robe. Thefe narratives, being well attefted, were spread and reprist ed in America and different places of the world; they were tranflated into Dutch, and had several editions in Holland, and were well received by the minifters and divines there. The work indeed was very furprising and extraordinary, much resembling that which was in the last century at Stewartown, Irvine, kirk of Shots, and other places, in the years 1625, 1626, and feveral years after, though in a very difinal backfliding time; and that work in Ireland, about Antrim, and the Six-milewater, about the year 1628; of both which Mr Robert Fleming, once minifter at Cambuslang, gives account, in the Fulfilling of the Scriptures; as do Mr Robert Blair and Mr John Livingston, in the manufcripts of their lives. And there being much faid and written about this work in the weft of Scotland, we have thought curfelves bound to enquire into the nature, fruits and evidences of it; and from what fome of us have feen of that work, and hath been attested by the minifters immediately concerned, and others who have feen it, we judge ourselves warranted to give our teftimony to it, as a glorious work of the Spirit of God, which he hath been pleased to fend in his fovereign free mercy, in a time of great infidelity, formality and backfliding, to glorify his own name, by awakening, convincing, humbling, converting, con forting, reviving, ftrengthening and confirming many fouls through the land; and our reafons for it are thefe: 1. The convictions and com 1 forts of the people of Cambuslang, and other awakened parishes, have come to them in a fcriptural way, by Christ's ordinances, and particularly the word preached, and paffages of Scripture carried in upon their minds, fuited to their cases and circumstances. 2. The fruits and effects of that work in the peoples lives and converfations, do evidence themselves to be from the Holy Spirit, according to the Scripture account of these fruits for those who formerly were blind and ignorant, have foon come to advance in the knowlege of Jefus Chrift and divine things; and the tongues which were dumb in the things of God, have foon learned to fpeak the language of Canaan. They who formerly were given to curfing, fwearing, drunkenness, Sabbathbreaking, fcoffing at facred things, and other immoralities, have prefently changed their courfe into fober living, godly conference, reading, praying, and finging pfalms. They who formerly were trufting to their own performances, attainments and felf-righteousness, have prefently renounced all these for the righteousness of Chrift only, imputed to them for their juftification before God. They who formerly were glewed to the world, and to the love of fenfual and finful things, are made willing to part with all these for the love of Jefus Christ their Saviour, defiring earnestly to be conformed to him in his contempt of the world, self-denial, humility and holiness both in heart and life. They who before thought it an unmanly thing to shed tears for fin, and piercing of Chrift, have been made to mourn as for an only fon, and be in bitterness as for a first born. Those who have been guilty of fecret acts of injuftice, have been filled with remorfe for them, and made reftitution to the perfons injured or their children. They who hated and mocked the people of God, have their hearts warmed with love to them, and account them the excellent ones of the earth. They who before were contentious, malicious and revengeful, do prefently drop their quarrels, forgive their enemies, wish well to their fouls, and the falvation of all around them. They who before minded only their own things, are highly concerned for the interefts of Jefus Chrift, and for |