The quotes below come from Boston Revival 1842 published in 1980 by Richard Owen Roberts.
God has been accustomed to build up his kingdom in the world mostly by the instrumentality of revivals of religion…Mr. Shepard of Cambridge was eminently a revival preacher. It was on account of his searching preaching, and skill in detecting errors, that the college was located at Cambridge. It was the desire of the founders of this college to raise up a generation of ministers to carry forward the work of revivals in these churches, that they had begun…”I was told when a youth, by elderly people, that he scarce ever preached a sermon, but that some one or other of his congregation were struck with great distress of soul, and cried aloud in agony, what shall I do to be saved? Though his voice was low, yet so searching was his preaching, and so great a power attending, as an hypocrite could not easily hear, and it seemed so irresistible.”
The Lord Jesus Christ was so plainly held up, in the preaching of the gospel unto poor, lost sinners, and the absolute necessity of the new birth; and God’s Holy Spirit, in those days, was blessed to the accompanying the word with such efficacy upon the hearts of many, that our hearts were taken off from old England and placed upon heaven…The discourse…was not, how shall we go to England, but how shall we go to heaven? Have I true grace in my heart? Have I Christ or not? Oh, how men and women, young and old, pray for grace, beg for Christ in those days; and it was not in vain; many were converted, and others established in believing.
I might multiply witnesses to prove that the churches of New England were at first Revival Churches… The spirit of revival planted these churches. Things of religion were the most prominent objects of attention…Such were the men that planted churches around Massachusetts bay. They laid the foundation of these churches in the spirit of revivals. The Holy Ghost overshadowed them….During the first thirty years of their existence they enjoyed the continued influences of the Holy Ghost. In the second generation, there began to be a decay in vital godliness. This was deeply lamented by Increase Mather, and other ministers of that age. President Mather, in 1678, thus remarks: “Prayer is needful on this account, in that conversions are become rare in this age of the world…The body of the rising generation is a poor, perishing, unconverted, and, except the Lord pour down his Spirit, and undone generation…How many churches, how many towns are there in New England, that we may sigh over them and say, the glory is departed.” Arminianism has gradually stolen into our churches. The half-way covenant had been adopted, and the tone of piety lowered down.
The above quotes were taken from a man discussing Christianity very early in America. He was speaking of Thomas Shepard who was the founder of Harvard University. It is amazing to think, in light of what it is now, that Harvard was started to raise up a generation of ministers to carry forward the work of revivals in the churches. One reason that this was important is that revival was seen as the way that God used to build His kingdom. Another writer said that revival is the ordained way that God uses to build His Church. The churches in New England were started by and during a spirit of revival. But a decay of piety came in and Arminianism came in. Without trying to be disparaging, we can at least look at this and understand that the revival that the older Reformed men sought is not consistent with the way Arminians would seek it. The men of old sought revival as an outpouring of the Spirit of the sovereign God who alone could do the work of regeneration in the hearts of men and women. The Arminians sought to have the people make a choice. The men of old preached the glory of God in Christ and told the people that they must seek God and pray that He would give them grace. The Arminians would tell the people that they needed to make a choice. True revival comes by grace alone and by the hand of a sovereign God. We are to seek it that way and we must seek it by hearts that groan for Him and His glory in prayer. We must also realize that hearts that desire Him and His glory will only come by the work of His grace in our souls. We cannot work up revival and we cannot work up hearts for revival. We must pray for both and they only come by grace alone.
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