Continuation of Journal from Arrival at Savannah to Leaving Stanford, Journal · Journal entry 42
Stanford and Rye.
Wedneſday, Oct. 29. Came hither laſt Night in Safety, tho' it was ve…y … …nd rainy. Was viſited with a great i… wa… ▪ Trial, ſo that I was pained t… the …. Was ſomewhat dejected …fore … … out of my Lodgings, and ſomewh…t … for a Text after I got up in …he … ▪ The LORD at length … one; but I looked for no Power … being very low by my laſt Night's Trial. Notwithſtanding, before I had preached half an Hour, the bleſſed Spirit began to move on the Hearers Hearts in a very awful Manner; young, and eſpecially many old People were ſurprizingly affected, ſo that I thought they would have cried out. At Dinner the Spirit of the LORD came upon me again, and enabled me to ſpeak with ſuch Vigour againſt ſending unconverted Perſons into the Miniſtry, that two Miniſters with Tears in their Eyes, publickly confeſſed, they had laid Hands on young Men without ſo much as aſking them, Whether they were born again of GOD, or not? After Dinner, finding my Heart much enlarged, I prayed, and with ſuch Power, that moſt in the Room were put under Concern; and one old Miniſter was ſo deeply con…cted, that calling Mr. Noble and me …, with great Difficulty (becauſe of his …) he deſired our prayers: For, …, I have been a Scholar and have p…each'd the Doctrines of Grace for a long T…me, …t I believe I have never felt the Power of them in my own Soul. — Oh that all unconverted Miniſters were … make the … Confeſſion! I wa… … affected wi… his Ingenuity, and …, by Prayer, earneſtly … him to GOD, I took Horſe, … exceedingly in Spirit, to ſee how our LORD was getting himſelf the Victory, in a Place where Mr. Davenport, a Native of Stanford, a dear Miniſter of the bleſſed JESUS, had been ſlighted and deſpiſed. A Prophet is not without Honour, ſave in his own Country and his Father's Houſe.
But here I think it proper to ſet up my Ebenezer, and before I enter into the Province of New-York, to give GOD Thanks for ſending me into New England. I have now had an Opportunity of ſeeing the greateſt and the moſt populous Parts of it; and take all together, it certainly, on many Accounts, exceeds all other Provinces in America, and for the Eſtabliſhment of Religion, perhaps all other Parts of the World. Never, ſurely, was ſo large a Spot of Ground ſettled in ſuch a Manner in ſo ſhort a Space as a hundred Years. The Towns through Connecticut a…d Eaſtward towards York, in the Provi…e of the Maſſachuſetts, near the River Side, are large and well peopled and exceeding pleaſant to travel through; every five or t…n Miles you have a Meeting-Houſe, and I believe, there is no ſuch Thing as a Plu…ſt or Non-reſident Miniſter in both P…inces: Many, nay, perhaps, moſt that preach, I fear, do not experimentally know CHRIST; yet I cannot ſee much worldly Advantage to tempt them to take upon them the ſacred Function; few Country-Miniſters, as I have been inform'd have ſufficient allowed them in Money to maintain a Family. GOD has remarkably, in ſundry Times, and after divers Manners, poured out his Spirit in ſeveral Parts of both Provinces; and it often refreſh'd my Soul to hear of the Faith of the good Forefathers who firſt ſettled in theſe Parts. Notwithſtanding they had their Fobles, ſurely they were a Set of righteous Men! They certainly followed our LORD's Rule, ſought firſt the Kingdom of GOD and its Righteouſneſs, and behold all other Things GOD added to them. Their Seed are now bleſſed in temporal Things eſpecially, and notwithſtanding the riſing Generation ſeem to be ſettled on their Lees, yet, I believe, the LORD has left more than ſeven Thouſand who have not bowed the Knee to Baal. The Miniſters and People of Connecticut ſeem'd to be more ſimple and ſerious than thoſe that live near Boſton, eſpecially in the Parts where I went. But, I think, …he Miniſters Preaching, almoſt 1univer…all…, by Notes, is a certain Mark they have, in a great Meaſure, loſt the old … Preaching: For, tho' all are not to … condemned that uſe Notes, yet it is a ſad Symptom of the Decay of vital Religion, when Reading Sermons becomes faſhionable where extempore Preaching did once almoſt univerſally prevail. When the Spirit of Prayer began to be loſt, then Forms of Prayer were invented. And, I believe, the ſame Obſervation will hold good as to Preaching. As for the Univerſities, I believe, it may be ſaid, their Light is now become Darkneſs, Darkneſs that may be felt, and is complain'd of by the moſt godly Miniſters. I pray GOD theſe Fountains may be purified, and ſend forth pure Streams to water the City of our GOD. The Church of England is at a very low Ebb; and, as far as I can find, had People kept their primitive Purity it would ſcarce have got Footing in New-England. I have many Evidences to prove that moſt of the Churches have been firſt ſet up by immoral Men, and ſuch as would not ſubmit to the Diſcipline of their Congregation… or were corrupt in the Faith: But I will ſay no more about the poor Church of England, moſt of her Sons, whether Miniſters or People, I fear, hate to be reform'd. As for the Civil Government of New-England, it ſeems to be well regulated; and, I think, at opening all their Courts, either the Judge or Miniſter begins with Prayer. Family-Worſhip is, I believe, generally kept up. The Negroes, I think, are better uſed, in reſpect both to Soul and Body, than in any other Province that I have yet ſeen. In ſhort, I like New-England exceeding well, and when a Spirit of Reformation revives, it certainly will prevail more than in other Places, becauſe they are more ſimple in their Worſhip, leſs corrupt in their Principles, and conſequently more eaſily brought over to the Form of ſound Words, into which ſo many of their pious Anceſtors were deliver'd. Send forth, O LORD, thy Light and thy Truth, and for thy infinite Mercies ſake ſhew thou haſt a peculiar Delight in theſe habitable Parts of the Earth. Amen. LORD JESUS, Amen.
End of the text · George Whitefield, Continuation of Journal from Arrival at Savannah to Leaving Stanford (1741)