clay, and set upon a rock, with a new song of praise to God in their mouths."

"This work of God, as it was carried on, and the number of true saints multiplied, soon made a glorious alteration in the town; so that in the spring and summer following, Anno. 1735, the town seemed to be full of the presence of GOD. It never was so full of love and joy, and yet so full of distress, as it was then. There were remarkable tokens of God's presence in almost every house. It was a time of joy in families, on the account of salvation being brought unto them; parents rejoicing over their children new born, and husbands over their wives, and wives over their husbands. The goings of GOD were then seen in his sanctuary; GOD's day was a delight, and his tabernacles were amiable. Our public assemblies were then beautiful; the congregation was alive in God's service, every one earnestly intent on the public worship, every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth; the assembly were, from time to time, generally in tears while the word was preached; some weeping with sorrow and distress; others with joy and love; others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbours.

"Our public praises were then greatly enlivened: They were sung with unusual elevation of heart and voice, which made the duty pleasant indeed.

"In all companies, on whatever occasions persons met together, CHRIST was to be heard of and seen in the midst of them. Our young people, when they met, were wont to spend the time in talking of the excellency and dying love of CHRIST, the gloriousness of the way of salvation, the wonderful, free and sovereign grace of God in his glorious work, in the conversion of a soul, the truth and certainty of the great things of GOD's word, the sweetness of the views of his perfections, &c. And even at weddings, which formerly were merely occasions of mirth and jollity, there was now no discourse of any thing but religion, and no appearance of any thing but spiritual joy."

Those who had before been born of God, experienced the fresh anointings of the Spirit, and revived like the spring and grew like the vine. Many who had laboured under great difficulties with respect to their spiritual state, obtained satisfying evidence of the love of God to their souls.

There appeared such an extraordinary change in the town, that strangers were surprised to see it; and it had serious and happy effects on many who occasionally visited it.1

This happy revival of God's work was not confined to Northampton, but soon appeared with much the same powerful and salutary effects, in about twelve other towns in the county of Hampshire, particularly in South-Hadley, Suffield, Sunderland,

The Rev. Mr. Edwards' Narrative of the work.

Deerfield, Hatfield, West-Springfield, Long-Meadow, in Enfield, and Westfield, in Northfield, and in one or two other places. In some of these it was no less powerful and extraordinary than it had been in Northampton. The great and general concern in those towns was for the salvation of their souls. True Christians were remarkably quickened and renewed more and more after the image of GOD; and an uncommon spirit of grace and supplication was poured upon them. They acted in character, shining as lights in the world. Sinners flocked unto CHRIST, as clouds, and as doves unto their windows. According to the observations of some ancient ministers, more was done in one week than, according to the ordinary course of providence, had been done in seven years.

The same work was more extensive in Connecticut than in Massachusetts. In fourteen or fifteen towns or more, in several parts of the colony, it was powerful and general, in 1735, and in 1736.

The first parish in Windsor, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Jonathan Marsh, experienced the same mercy about the same time that the work commenced and was carried on at Northampton, although at the time of its commencement, the towns had no knowledge of each other's circumstances. Here, as in the other towns, there was a very general concern, and a great ingathering of souls unto CHRIST. At the same time East-Windsor, a parish under the ministry of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, experienced a very happy revival. Mr. Edwards had before seen several awakenings among his people, during his long ministry. No minister in the colony had been favoured with greater success than he, and now, in the forty-first year of his ministry, his spirit was greatly refreshed by an extraordinary ingathering of souls unto CHRIST, not only from among his own people, but from many other congregations in Connecticut, and in other colonies.

There was at the same time a very wonderful work of GOD, begun and carried on at Coventry, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Meacham. There was a surprising change made, not only on the people in general, but upon such as had been most rude and vicious. The work also, was very great at Lebanon-Crank, a parish under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Wheelock, a pious young gentleman, who had been then very lately ordained in that place. At Durham, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Chauncey, there was the like work, and a great accession made to the church. The town of Mansfield, under the ministry of the Rev. Eleazar Williams; of Tolland, under that of the Rev. Mr. Steel; Bolton, under the charge of the Rev. Mr. White; and Hebron, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Pomroy, a young minister, ordained about the same time with Mr. Wheelock; and the north parish in Preston, were all visited with an uncommon effusion of the holy spirit.

At Norwich, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Lord; and at Groton, there was the same divine work carried on, with great power. Mr. Lord, and Mr. John Owen, minister at Groton, in the spring of 1735, visited Northampton, having heard the report of the extraordinary work there, that they might see, and hear, and form a judgment of the work for themselves. They conversed with Mr. Edwards, and with many of the people, to their great satisfaction. They declared that the work exceeded all which had been told, or that could be told. On their return, they reported what they had heard and seen, to their own people, on whom it had a great effect. It appeared to be a means of beginning a similar work at Norwich, which in a short time became general.

The western as well as the eastern parts of the colony, were refreshed by the divine shower. In New-Haven, there was an unusual concern for the salvation of the soul; a flocking in to the church. Some in the principal families in the town, became the subjects of it. Stratford society, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Gould; Ripton, under the pastoral care of Mr. Mills; and Newtown, and Woodbury, had a refreshing visitation. Part of the town of Guilford, was also visited in the same gracious man

ner.

Indeed, this rain of righteousness, these dews of heaven, were still more extensive. They descended in no small degree on various places in New-Jersey.

This work was very extraordinary, on many accounts; it was much beyond what had been the common course of providence. It was more universal than had before been known. It extended to all sorts and characters of people, sober and vicious, high and low, rich and poor, wise and unwise. To all appearances, it was no less powerful in families and persons of distinction, in the places with which it was visited, than others. In former works of this nature, young people had generally been wrought upon, while elderly people and children had been little affected, if moved at all. But at this time, old men were affected, as well as others. Even children appeared to be the subjects of saving mercy, and in some places formed themselves into religious societies. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, the Lord perfected praise. It was extraordinary as to the numbers who appeared, to a judgment of charity, to be regenerated and brought home to CHRIST. It was uncommon in that, persons more than fifty, sixty and seventy years of age, in considerable numbers, appeared to be savingly wrought upon, and after long courses of sin and opposition to their Saviour, to become his humble and faithful followers. The work was no less extraordinary as to the power and quickness of it. Convictions were powerful, and terrible, at once bowing down sinners to the very dust, stripping them of every self

justifying plea, and showing them that they were wholly at the disposal of a sovereign GOD, against whom they had always been unreasonably and inexcusably sinning: they saw that there was no help for them, but through the mere sovereign mercy of GOD in CHRIST. According to the best judgment which could be formed, it was the opinion, that, in some towns and parishes, fiíteen, twenty, and even thirty persons, were in one week, brought out of darkness into marvellous light. As their convictions were powerful, and their distress, in some instances, almost intolerable; so their light and joy, on a change of heart, were unusually great. They appeared to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. So general was the religious concern where this work prevailed, that a loose careless person could scarcely find a companion in the whole neighborhood. If any person appeared to remain unconcerned, it was considered and spoken of as a strange thing.

The work at this time, though extraordinary where it prevailed, was comparatively but in a few places; the great body of the people through the colony, and the country, remained secure as betore; and sin and inattention to the great concerns of eternity, seemed rather to be increasing among the people in general, for about four or five years from this time, until the commencement of the great revival, as it has been called, in the years 1740 and 1741. Though the effects of the work were happy, and great and abiding reformations were made in those places, which had been visited so remarkably, in the preceding years, yet it had no apparently good and general effect on other parts of the country. Family prayer and religion were much neglected. Lectures previous to the sacrament of the Lord's supper, and on other occasions, were very thinly attended. On the Lord's day, there was not that general and serious attention which had been in former times. Too great formality and coldness appeared to attend the public worship in general. The extraordinary concern which had been in a number of towns and parishes, in 1735 and 1736, was a subject of very serious consideration, and excited the prayers and hopes of pious people, that there might be a general revival of religion through the land. Some sinners were thought to become more serious and thoughtful in consequence of it. Mr. Edwards, at the desire of Dr. Watts, and Dr. Guyse of London, and Dr. Coleman of Boston, had written and published a narrative of the said work, in 1738; attested by a number of the neighbouring ministers who were eye witnesses to it. In the mean time, religion appeared on the decline: But few persons offered themselves to the communion of the churches. It was also observed, that those who did offer themselves, gave no account of any previous convictions, which they had obtained of their great sin and misery, by nature and practice. It does not appear that ministers in general, at that time, made any particular enquiry of those

whom they admitted to communion, with respect to their internal feelings and exercises. The Stoddardean opinion generally prevailed, at that period, that unregenerate men could consistently covenant with God, and when moral in their lives, had a right to sealing ordinances.

In 1740, there began a very great and general concern among the people, for the salvation of their souls. The awakening was more general and extraordinary, than any ever before known. It extended to old and young, to gray-headed sinners, who had long accustomed themselves to sin, and grown old in their iniquities; and even to little children. The sinners in Zion were afraid, and fearfulness surprised the hypocrites. The children of GOD received the fresh anointings of the Spirit, and the spices of their garden flowed out. The bride, in happy union with the spirit, said, Come. This awakening reached the large towns and cities, were iniquities and dissolute practices, of all kinds, did generally most abound, as well as the country towns and villages. The most thoughtless, secure and hardened sinners, were awakened and made to cry for mercy. Negroes and Indians, on whom before no impression could be made, were heard with others, making the great enquiry. Young people, among whom the work was most general, forsook their merry meetings and youthful diversions, became earnest to hear the word, met in conferences, read good books, prayed, and sang praises to GOD. People, in a wonderful manner, flocked together to places of public worship, not only on the Lord's day, but on lecture days, so that the places of worship could not contain them. They would not only fill the houses, but crowd round the doors and windows without, and press together wherever they could hear the preacher. They would not only thus assemble in their own towns and parishes, when the word was preached, but if they had the knowledge of lectures in the neighbouring towns and parishes, they would attend them. Sometimes, they would follow the preacher from town to town, and from one place to another, for several days together. In some instances, in places but thinly settled, there would be such a concourse, that no house could hold them.

There was in the minds of people, a general fear of sin, and of the wrath of GOD denounced against it. There seemed to be a general conviction, that all the ways of man were before the eyes of the LORD. It was the opinion of men of discernment and sound judgment, who had the best opportunities of knowing the feelings and general state of the people, at that period, that bags of gold and silver, and other precious things, might, with safety, have been laid in the streets, and that no man would have converted them to his own use. Theft, wantonness, intemperance, profaneness, sabbath-breaking, and other gross sins, appeared to be put away. The intermissions on the LORD's day, instead of being