THE

Christian History;

Containing Accounts of the Propagation and Revival of Religion in England Scotland and America.

To be publish'd Weekly.

Saturday JULY 30. 1743.

§ No. 22:

ATTESTATIONS &c. continued.

UCH Things as thefe, my Brethren, with many others

which might be mentioned, and I hope will be, I • would look upon as inftances of GOD's Mercy, Love and Care for his People in this Land, and fignial To'kens of his abiding Presence with them: That the LORD 'GOD of our Fathers is not about to leave or forfake us. And they call for our most publick grateful Acknowledgments and higheft Praises to the fovereign LORD and gracious HEAD of his Church.

• But we must at the fame Time carefully watch, and bear due Testimony against all Errors and Disorders that have or may arife, and continue in Prayer for further Out-pourings ' of the BLESSED SPIRIT to revive his Work in the midst ' of the Years, and cause it to spread far and wide, even until the whole Earth be filled with the Knowledge and Glory of the LORD. And in your Prayers remember me; a poor, 'weak and worthlefs Creature, that I may be made ftrong in the Grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, enabled to keep the Faith, and finish my Course with Joy in the LORD. Ipfwich, July 2. 1743 John Rogers, Paftor.

No. II. From the Rev. Mr. WISE, Pastor of the Church in Berwick, in the County of York.

Berwick, July 1. 17436 T was my Defign to have attended the Convention of Paftors

*IT to have . But I am prevented by my

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Infirmities

Infirmities, which render me unable well to bear the Fatigué of a Journey in this hot Season. However, it shall be my daily Prayer to the glorious HEAD of the Church, that you all may be under theGuidance and Influence of the DIVINE SPIRIT in all your Proceedings. I fhall alfo be ready to join with the Friends of the prefent glorious Work of the • Grace of GOD in the Land, in bearing Testimony to it as fuch a Work; and to concur with them in the most proper Methods to remove Disorders, and prevent the fpreading ⚫ and Increase of Errors; efpecially Arminian & Antinomian: The latter of which, begin to appear bare-fac'd, as well as the former in fome Places. And it seems very natural and eafy for those that have been in the Extream of Arminianism, ⚫ to run into the contrary Extream of Antinomianifm: As a • Pendulum, if it be fwung too far one Way, will, on its Return, fwing too far the other Way. Agreably, it's evident that fome zealous Promoters of the prefent glorious Work, ⚫ out of Indignation against Arminian Principles, which they have lately been delivered from, and which are fo derogatory to the Grace of GOD; when they have efpoufed the con trary Doctrines of Grace, have carried Matters too far, and verg'd to Antinomianifm. But this Misconduct of theirs, has given the Enemies of thofe Doctrines Advantage to re proach them, as naturally tending to Libertinism, Enthu→ • siasm, and the like; and to possess People's Minds with Pre"judices against them, and the glorious Work of GOD's

Grace which through a divine Influence has lately attended • the powerful preaching of those Doctrines. And they will ⚫ not neglect to improve the Advantage to promote their own • Scheme, and to bring over as many as they can to embrace

their Principles; tho' thereby their Converfion fhould be • prevented rather than promoted. And it's to be fear'd, that what fome Gentlemen have in View at this Time, is to promote Arminianifm under Colour of discountenancing • Antinomianism, and bearing Testimony against the Disorders ⚫ attending the prefent Work: And this we ought to be aware of, and duly guard against; left, instead of advanceing the Cause and Intereft of CHRIST, and his Truth and Grace, we fhould by this Step, prejudice and hurt it our felves, and join with the Enemies of it in deftroying it; and • that at the same Time we would be thought to be tak⚫ing Care to promote it. As to Diferders, Irregularities,&c.

I am of Mr. Edwards, the worthy Paftor of Northampton's Mind about them, and therefore muft refer you to his late • Book for what I might fay further under this Head; wherein he vindicates the Conduct of the Friends of this Work in fome of thofe Things that are accounted Disorders, tho' he cenfures them with Respect to others,

With Respect to the ordaining of Miffionaries, which has been practised for fome Time in the Country, and has been lately voted a Disorder, I can't join in cenfuring it as fuch; or in condemning the Practice of feparating fome of the Fraternity, that are qualified for it, to the facred Ministry, • when there is manifeft Occafion for it, Thus, I have written ⚫ my Thoughts about fome Things, that will lie before the Convention, and am,

Your unworthy Fellow-Labourer in the Gospel,
• Feremiah Wife.

No. III. From the Rev. Mr. THACHER, Paftor of the first Church in Middleborough, in the County of Plymouth. Middleborough, June 30. 1743. EING prevented the Opportunity of giving an oral Teftimony to the Truth and Reality of the extraordi $ nary Work the LORD has lately appeared in among us, in • convincing, converting Sinners, building up, comforting and fealing the converted; I embrace this Way to do it: In which I fhall confine my felf to what I have seen and been acquainted with among the People of my Charge, tho' I might fpeak of the fame in other Places.

There have been above two Hundred in a Judgment of Charity savingly wrought on fince November 1741. Diverfe before that had been met with under the Ministry of the Rev. Mr. Daniel Rogers and the Rev. Mr. Wheelock, not included in this Number. But on one Day in November 'aforefaid, above Eighty were prick'd at the Heart by a Ser • mon from Rom. 8. 1. had here from the Rev. Mr. Jofiah • Crocker. Scarce a Sermon deliver'd after that wonderful Day, but the Hearts of fome feem to be reach'd by Conviction, Converfion or Confolation. This Revival of the Power of Godliness appears to be the genuine Work of the HOLY SPIRIT accompanying his Ward, and in Answer to a Spirit of Prayer poured out from GOD to plead with Faith in CHRIST for this Good. Spiritual Things are now treated and felt as Realities.

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We have not known Visions, nor Tranees, nor Revelations, But brotherly exhorting with more Modefty and Affection than hath been reprefented. Neither have thefe divine Influences been attended with anabaptistical Errors: Twenty that were before in thofe Mistakes are brought off. Neither • have they been attended with the Errors of Familism, or • Antinomianifm, The Arminian Errors were by theConverts univerfally detected and detefted: The Doctrines of Grace fhine in their Understandings; defended and earnestly contended for from inward and real Experience. The HOLY SCRIPTURES made the Standard to try & examineTruth ; which are now carefully fearched, and efteem'd above Gold: And thofe Principles that will not bear the Trial by this Rule, are rejected. A general and humble Willingness to ministerial Inftructions, eagerly fought & attended on: yet without giving up their Understandings. GOD's Worbip, publick, private and fecret, attended, and otherwife attended than ever. The Prayerlefs are prayerful; the Loofe, ftrict; the Ordinances humbly fought, devoutly ⚫ attended on. I believe I have feen at one Adminiftration two Hundred tafting the Sweetnefs of the Redeemer's Love at one Inftant. Indeed CHRIST is now precious, breathed • after, esteemed, and pathetically recommended in Life and Converfation, relied on, rejoyced in. Their Lives fare reformed as well as Principles, fcripturally renewed. The Drunkard is fober; the Churl peaceful: Perfonal Feuds that had been fubfifting more than eleven Years arg buried; and Love takes Place and Power, where Envy and Malice and Hatred formerly ruled Reftitution in many Places made; in more, the Wrongs acknowledged. In a Word, all the Fruits of the SPIRIT are visible in the Converts and they too, free from cenfurable Enthufiaf This is evidently the LORD's Doing, and it's marvellous in our Eyes!

The abovefaid Number is exclufive of many Scores who have been awakened by the Word in the late Showers, and • yet I fear have refted hort of CHRIST,& got fecure again. I hope the true Defign of this is, that GOD may have • the Glory of his own Work And THIS TESTIMONY] • give, as knowing I must give an Account; with an hum bling Senfe of my many Deficiencies in this great Day of divine Grace: Intreating the fervent Prayers of all that

love the LORD JESUS in Sincerity, that I may not be a Caft-away, after I have preached to others; but may find Grace and obtain Mercy from the LORD to fulfil the Ministry I have received, and to be found faithful in all the Parts thereof, Peter Thacher,

No. IV. From the Rev. Mr. SHURTLEFF,Paftor of the fecond Church in Portsmouth, in the Province of NEWS HAMPSHIRE,

To fuch of the Reverend Paftors of the Churches of the Maffachusetts-Bay,or any other of the neighbouring Governz ments,as may convene in Boston on the 7thDayof July 1743. • Reverend and Beloved,

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Should have rejoyced in the Opportunity of being with you in your prefent Convention, had it been the Will of GOD; but being providentially hinder'd, I think my felf oblig'd to make this brief Declaration to the Glory of his Name, viz. That there has for fome Time paft plainly appear'd to be a remarkable Revival of Religion, and a marvellous Work of GOD's Grace going on in PORTSMOUTH in NEW-HAMPSHIRE; the Place in which I am called to labour in the Gofpel Miniftry. That among the very many that have been awaken'd and deeply convinced, there is a goodly Number that are giving all the Evidence that can be expected of a real and faving Change.

I must at the fame Time declare there has not been that Disturbance from Lay-Exhorters, from an Invasion of the ministerial Office, and many other Irregularities, that have been complain'd of in many other Places. And here I would take Leave with all Humility to fay, that had I the Opportunity of being with you, whilft Ifhould gladly bearTeftimony against thefe Things wherefoever they prevail,I should be for ufing a becomingCare that the Disorders complain'd of might not be magnified in an undue Meafure, and that nothing might come under that Character and Denomination that is not worthy of it. Whilft I fhould be for guarding our Pulpits and Parishes against bold, and ignorant Intruders, and fuch as may unjustly pretend to an extraordinary Call & Warrant fromGOD,I fhould be careful that none of the zealous and faithful Preachers of the everlasting Gospel, and the important. Doctrines of it might be excluded, being perfwaded that

GOD