Continuation of Journal from Savannah to Arrival at Rhode Island, Journal · Entry 41
Stanford and Rye.
Wedneſday, Octob. 29. Came hither laſt Night in Safety, tho' it was very dark and rainy. Was viſited with a great inward Trial, ſo that I was pained to the Heart. Was ſomewhat dejected before I went out of my Lodgings, and ſomewhat diſtreſſed for a Text after I got up into the Pulpit. But the Lord at length directed me to one, but I looked for no Power or Succeſs, being very low by my laſt Night's Trial; notwithſtanding, before I had preach'd 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 tho't 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 convicted, that calling Mr. Noble and me out, with great difficulty (becauſe of his weeping) He deſired our Prayers. For, ſays he, I have been a Scholar, and have preached the Doctrines of Grace for a long Time, but I believe I never have felt the Power of them in my own Soul. O that all unconverted Miniſters were bro't to make the ſame Confeſſion. I was much affected with his Ingenuity, and after having by Prayer earneſtly recommended him to God, I took Horſe, rejoicing exceedingly in Spirit, to ſee how our Lord was getting himſelf the Victory in a Place where Mr. Davenport, a Native of Stanford, and dear Miniſter of the bleſſed Jeſus, had been ſlighted & deſpiſed. A Prophet is not without Honour, ſave in his own Country & 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, & take all together, it certainly on many Accounts exceeds all other Provinces in America, & for the Eſtabliſhment of Religion, perhaps all other Parts of the World. Never ſurely was ſo large a Spot of Ground ſetled in ſuch a Manner, in ſo ſhort a Space as one hundred Years. The Towns thro' Connecticut, and Eaſtward towards York, in the Province of the Maſſachuſetts-Bay, near the River Side are large, and well peopled, and exceeding pleaſant to travel thro'.
Every five or ten miles you have a Meeting-Houſe, and I believe there's no ſuch Thing as a Pluraliſt or non-reſident Miniſter in both Provinces. 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 informed, have ſufficient allowed them in Money to maintain a Family. God has remarkably in ſundry Times, & in divers manners, poured out his Spirit in ſeveral Parts of both Provinces, & it often refreſhes my Soul, to hear of the Faith of the good Forefathers who firſt ſetled in theſe Parts; notwithſtanding they had their Foibles, ſurely they were a Set of righteous Men: They certainly followed our Lord's Rule, ſought firſt the Kingdom of God and his Righteouſneſs, and behold all other Things God added unto them: Their Seed are now bleſſed in temporal Things eſpecially, & notwithſtanding the riſing Generation ſeem to be ſetled on their Lees, yet I believe the Lord hath left more than ſeven thouſand who have not bowed their Knee to Baal. The Miniſters and People of Connecticut, ſeemed to be more ſimple and ſerious than thoſe that live near Boſton, eſpecially in thoſe Parts where I went. But I think the Miniſters preaching almoſt univerſally by Notes, is a certain mark they have in a great meaſure loſt the old Spirit of Preaching.—For tho' all are not to be 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 complained of by the moſt godly Miniſters. I pray God thoſe 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 Congregations, or were corrupt in the Faith.—But I will ſay no more about the poor Church of England.—Moſt of her Sons, whither Miniſters or People, I fear hate to be reformed. 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 a Miniſter begins with a 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 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 delivered. 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.
FINIS.
End of the text · George Whitefield, Continuation of Journal from Savannah to Arrival at Rhode Island (1741)