most lively views of the kingdom be forgotten. Hence the necessity of so often reviving these things among professors. But whatever can die away, is short of the kingdom of God; those who are in the kingdom have everlasting life. Therefore it is plain that the constituent parts of a revival (which are conviction of sin, a hope of deliverance from it, and a manifestation of the heavenly state) can only be preparative to entering into. it. How many revivals have taken place in these latter days, which for a season would raise the people, as it were, to heaven's gate; and after all, leave them to fall back into their former lifeless state. And why so? Because they did not take the last step, and press into that state which in word and doctrine was opened.

II. It will be granted, that whoever preaches the kingdom of heaven, must preach deliverance from all sin For where sin is, there can be no heaven. Now when the kingdom has been preached, and honest souls have fixed their eye of faith upon it-longed with intense desire to be in it, and solicitously enquired for the footsteps of those who have already entered: then has been the time for the grand deceiver to come in. with his doctrine of procrastination, and preach up sin for term of life ;-appeal to the doleful experience of past generations, and confirm the fatal error by the doc-. trines and decrees of a corrupt church. Thus the most promising revivals have been blasted, and all that near sense of heaven's pure enjoyments (common under the preaching of the kingdom) extinguished by men of corrupt minds.

But the Kentucky Revival, from the beginning, spoke better things. Those who were the genuine subjects of it, ever expressed the fullest confidence that it would not terminate as revivals had generally done. It was not a common portion of law conviction; nor that faith in the promise, which puts heaven at a distance; nor merely preaching about the kingdom, that drew out the multitudes to encamp for days and nights in the wilderness, &c. It was a near prospect of the true king

dom of God, into which many were determined to press at the expense of all that they held dear upon earth. The late revival was not sent to RE-FORM the churches. It did not come with a piece of new cloth to patch the old garment, to mend up the old hope with some new experience; but to prepare the way for that kingdom of God, in which all things are new and whether it be in many or few, the purposes whereunto it was sent, shall undoubtedly be answered.

III. That this extraordinary work sprung from some supernatural cause has been universally granted; but whether the cause was good or evil, has been a matter of much debate, even among those who profess to take the scripture for their only guide. Christians so called, of all others have been the most divided in their judgment concerning it; and while some without hesitation have pronounced it a glorious work of God; others. who professed to be children of the same father, followers of the same Saviour, and instructed by the same word of God, have with equal confidence pronounced it witchcraft, enthusiasm, fanaticism, and the very ener- gy of delusion. Hence the various predictions concerning it: Some affirming that it would shortly terminate and leave the unhappy subjects of it, in a worse condition than ever; others that it should cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea, and gather the nations into one united body.

IV. As the continuance of the revival was so strongly predicted and asserted by its subjects, it will be proper to consider how far and upon what footing, those predictions and assertions are tenable. That it should always continue in the same measure and appearance without any increase, was never intended; therefore if that same power continues to work, though it should be in a greater degree and more extraordinary manner, and tho' it should be among a different people, this will not prove the above predictions false, provided it be the same power working to the same end.

While the extraordinary power of the revival was exterraneous; while irresistible beams of light present

edobjects to the view which persons could not avoid seeing, and they were rushed into exercises of body by a force of operation which they could not withstand, the continuance of the work in this fashion, was precarious, knowing that God will not always work upon man like a machine. Therefore in order to the continuance of the work, a number of its subjects have found it necessary to receive this extraordinary power as an in-dwelling treasure, to unite with this supernatural agent, to dwell in him and he in them, and become workers together with him, and without force or violence, believe and practise whatever he teaches. And on this pivot the revival turns with each individual. The power or light of God, continues with those who continue in it, his spirit abides only with those who abide in him, and do continually the things that please him; of course such as are willing that Christ and Belial should have day about, light and darkness alternately prevail, must fall off and wither; for no man can serve two masters.

V. Since the spirit and power of the revival has been established upon the above principles, and the divine agent has found a habitation with men, less attention has been paid to former appearances. This new and strange doctrine of receiving Christ, and walking in him, has engrossed the general concern and while the singular manner of worship, strange bodily exercises, &c. of those who stand in it, have furnished matter of speculation to the world around, their distinguishing faith has been a matter of serious enquiry with many; especially those who have begun to open their eyes on the hidden glories of the kingdom of Christ, and are beginning to move Zion-ward. But before the temple of God can be opened in heaven and the ark of his testament be seen, it will be proper to recognise the various operations by which the materials of the tabernacle were prepared: According as it is written-" Behold I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.

Turtle-Creek, June 20, 1807.

R. M.

The Kentucky Revival, &c.

CHAP. I.

Of the state of religion in this western country before the Kentucky Revival made its appearance.

IN

N the first settlement of this country, no small part of the inhabitants were Christians by profession. Different denominations early began to shine out, and employ their zeal in organizing churches, settling ministers, and propagating their respective doctrines and forms of worship throughout the land. The greatest number of professors might be ranked among the Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists. And although these different sects professedly set out to establish and promote the peaceable religion of Jesus; yet in the attempt, their usual debates and controversies were brought to life, which, for a number of years occasioned a hot spiritual war. Notwithstanding, these churches acknowledged each other as sisters, descended from the same stock; yet such was the zeal of each for their distinguishing tenets and forms of worship, that they stood entirely separate as to any communion or fellow, ship, and treated each other with the highest marks of hostility; wounding, captivating, and bickering one another, until their attention was called off by the appearance of a common enemy, viz. Deism, or the religion of nature.

II. For many ages the christian religion, so called, had been incorporated with civil government, and they had mutually supported each other, consequently when

t

that revolution in politics began, which aimed at the overthrow of monarchy and the establishment of a republican government, that religion was particularly involved.

Kings, Emperors and Popes, had claimed the Bible, as "the only rule to direct them," in their unnatural wars, dire oppressions, bloody persecutions, and unparralleled cruelties toward mankind; yea, every class of tyrants, both civil and ecclesiastical, had made their common appeal to the Bible, for their authority to lord it over their fellow-creatures, consequently when the eye of reason began to open upon the rights of man, the tyrant's Canon must appear in very pernicious colors, no book in the universe so mischievous and hateful. And under this view the Bible was attacked by the political reformers of the last century; and the dictates of a lawless naturę cried up in opposition to its sacred requirements.

III. I do not suppose with many, that Deists have had no cause for rejecting the scriptures; the contrary is certainly true. Not that the cause is in the scriptures, but in those who profess to take them for their rule of life. It is not the scriptures that lie open to the view of the Deist, but those churches and people who profess to be governed and influenced by them. And what have those churches exhibited which for ages past have claimed the Bible for their foundation? Little else but division, animosity and confusion. What have been the lives and manners of professors in general? Do they not stand below the modern Deist, even in point of bible virtue? Now if Christians so called, are chargeable with so great wickedness, in the eye of common sense and reason, and at the same time testify that the Bible is their "only rule," what judgment can the Deist form of that book? The tree is known by its fruit; and if professing Christians acknowledge themselves to be wicked, if they judge and prove one another to be wicked, and claim the Bible as their root and foundation; it is reasonable for the Deist to judge that to be a wicked book,