Finally, I earnestly pray that the glorious HEAD of the Church will vouchfafe his gracious Prefence and particular Influence and Direction to, and with you, in what is before you; and that you and all of us may be owned and honoured as Inftruments in his Hands, of promoting his Intereft and Glory here, that fo we may have the Reward of faithful Servants hereafter. I am your Brother and Servant, Oliver Peabody.

P. S. I would particularly remark that some with whom I have converfed date their Convictions which have been ftill carried on without any great Intermiffion, before ever Mr. Whitefield came hither. And also that about fifteen Years ago we had something like this, at Natick.

No. XII. From the Rev. Mr. TUCKE, Paftor of the Church in Gofport, on the Ie of Shoals, in the Province of NEWHAMPSHIRE.

SEEING in the Boston Gazette of the 31st of May laft anInti

mation that it is defired and propofed by a Number of Minifters in Town and Country, that fuch of their Brethren as are perfwaded there has of late been a happy Revival of Religion,thro' an extraordinary divine Influence, in many Parts of this Land,and are concerned for the Honour and Progrefs of this remarkable Work of GOD, may have an Interview at Bofton the Day after the approaching Commencement, to confider &c. But if any who heartily concur in the End and Defign of this Propofal,be hindred in Providence from giving their Prefence at this defigned Interview, it is earnestly desired they would send their ATTESTATIONS & communicate their Tho'ts seasonably in writing. According to this Defire & Propofal I had defign'd to be at the Interview,but Providence is now fending Sickness into my Family, fo that I can't be in Bofton this Week, I therefore fend my Thoughts in writing.

I acknowledge the Work in this Land to be a blessed Work of GOD: And I believe that it is the Duty of CHRIST's Minifters to give an open conjunct TESTIMONY unto it. I apprehend there are in one Place & in another certain abominable Antinomian, Arminian, Socinian, Pelagian, Familiftical,&c. Errors, and fome Disorders in Practice, which ought to be testify'd against.-We have a Revival of Religion among us. I beg your Prayers for my Family,myPeople, &myfelf. I am with all dueRegards, Your humble Servant, John Tucke (To be continued.)

Gofport, July 4th 1743.

THE

Christian History;

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

Saturday AUGUST 13. 1743. § No. 24.

ATTESTATIONS &C. continued.

No.XIII. From the Rev. Mr.HALL,Paftor of theChurch in Sutton, in the County of Worcester.

H

AVING been defired by fome of my Brethren, to write, provided I was not like to be perfonally prefent at the Commencement; to fignify my Sentiments of the Work of a religious Nature, that has been carried on in many Parts of this Land for fome Years paft;

I am free, it should be known, that I do greatly rejoyce in the bleffed Work that has been in the Land, and have been to the utmoft of my Power labouring to promote it in these Parts.

And as to the Effence of it; if I understand the Doctrines of the Gospel according to Truth, and that old folid Calvinistical Divinity, which was fo dear to our Forefathers; and if the Writings of Meffirs. Shepard, Willard, Stoddard, and numberlefs other Divines of that Stamp and Principle, are to be regarded as the Writings of Men that rightly understood the Way of Salvation; I must conclude that the Work is the fame, as to the effential Parts of it, which in their Days, as well as from the Beginning, had been by the Servants of the most high GOD, rejoyced in, as the only Way to Heaven, which the Gospel

teacheth.

Some Irregularities ('tis true) have fometimes attended the Subjects of this Work; and fome Imprudences may alfo have Sometimes attended the Promoters of it: But what is Man that he should be perfect?

There may be alfo fome high Pretenders to the Work of Converfion in this remarkable Day, that may turn out Counter feits :

A a

feits and fuch Tares have been among the Wheat hitherto,

and will be to the End: fo that neither is this to be wondered

at.

Moreover I have not been without Fears, left fome at this Day run into Antinomian and familifical Errors; and that others would fall into enthufiaftick Phrenfies, Evils by allMeans to be watched and guarded againft: And who in this Life is out of Danger? Dangers of this Kind are proportionably greater according to the Height of Men's Zeal,and the Smallnefs of their Knowledge and Experiences; and if where there is a vast Number of young and zealous Converts in a Place, and very few of long Experience to fteady them, fome for a Time appear in fome Refpects very weak and unsteady; 'tis not to be wondered at: being fed with the fincere Milk of the Word, 'tis hopeful, they will grow thereby.

But I conceive that in general the Subjects of this Work, are groundlefly charged with fuch Errors and Evils at this Day: and indeed I marvel not at it. For as there are very fad Tinctures of Arminianism in many ; so with the Subjects of that Error, the PURE DOCTRINES of FREE GRACE and JUSTIFICATION by FAITH ALONE, are often charged upon, as Antinomian Errors. And with the dead Formalift, THAT SACRED ZEAL, which is enkindled in the Breaft of true Believers, from the fanctifying Spirit, forming their Hearts to Love, and drawing forth the Powers of their Souls in a fervent lively Manner, to pursue the great Duties required of us by GOD in his Word; why all this is by fuch termed Enthufiafm.

And no wonder therefore there are fo many Enemies to the bleffed Work of GOD in the Land; feeing it is to be feared there are fo many, who would have all to be counted Enthufi afts, Antinomians, &c. that are under any powerful Constraints from the Views of divine Sovereignty and Grace.

But let fuch Men think what they will of their flighting the precious Showers of divine Grace; yet I am of the Opinion of Mr. Edwards of Northampton, that the GREAT JEHOVAH of a Truth has been in New-England.

And although I hope many of those who are fighting against this Work, doing it ignorantly, will find. Mercy; yet for one that has feen and known fo much of the Power & Grace of GoD, in breaking down the ftubbornHearts of fo many Scores of Sinners, that were wickedLivers, turning them from their ungodly Courfes

Courses to the Ways of Virtue; who are became fome of the moft lively Chriftians, and as far as I can learn and judge, walking in Godliness and Honefty; as alfo the wonderful Change I have obferved, even upon fuch as were moral Men before, and high Profeffors, who have been convinced of their being very Hypocrites, building upon a falfe Foundation, who declare with Wonder and Tranfport, what GOD has done for their Souls, and think none fo beholden as they, to divine fovereign Grace. Upon the whole, if after all that I have feen and known, of the Wonders of GoD's Power and Grace, I fhould join in with fuch, as render these Doings of the LORD to be the Work of the Devil, I have thought in me it would be the Sin against THE HOLY GHOST.

I ftand ready to join in bearing any proper Teftimony against the Ingratitude of the Men of this Generation. And for my own Part think, I can never praife GOD enough, for the Work he bath wrought among us; and doubt not but he will carry it on to greater Perfection.

From your unworthy Brother,

Sutton June 30. 1743,

David Hall.

No. XIV. From the Rev. Mr. BRADSTREET, Paftor of a Church in Glocefter, in the County of Effex.

WHE

HEN I first faw in the Tuesday's Paper of May the 31st the Propofal and Defire of a Number of Ministers both in Town and Country, that fuch of their Brethren as are perfuaded that there has of late been a happy Revival of Religion, thro' an extraordinary divine Influence in many Parts of this Land, &c. Might have an INTERVIEW at Boston the Day after the approaching Commencement; immediately I thought within my felf I would be present then; but theCircumftances of my Family are fuch as by no Means will admit of it.

Therefore this comes to inform you; that I am fully perfwaded that of late (Glory be to GoD) there has been a happy Reformation, and glorious Revival of Religion in a wonderful Manner, in many Places in NEW-ENGLAND; tho' in fome Places attended with fome Irregularities & Disorders thro' the permitted Agency of Satan; and no Wonder at all that this grand Arch-Enemy fhould ufe all his Devices at fuch a Day, to blemish fo glorious a Work, which fo fatally fhakes his Kingdom.

I am fure in my little Parish there is of late a very confiderable Reformation andRevival of Religion. (LetGOD have all the Glory :) Tho' I had labour'd hard for it, yet I could never perfwade young Perfons, to form themselves into a Society, for the spending together the Sabbath Evening in religious Exercifes, until about fifteen Months paft: And now we have two Societies of young Perfons who meet together twice in theWeek to read, fing, and pray; to each of which I preach once a Quarter. And fome of them which were too much addicted to the youthful Sins of Quarelling, Swearing Drinking, &c. feem to be wonderfully reformed, and are hungering and thirsting after the Righteousness of CHRIST; and there is a very pleafant Change wro't in them. And the Aged many of them (tho' fome are stumbled at the present Day) among us feem to be anointed afrefb: And there is a happy Revival of Religion. Our Lectures which have been once aWeek, for more than fifteen Months paft, are fuller and better attended, than when we had (as formerly) a Lecture once in fix Weeks. We have had many, (moftly young Perfons) under great Concern and deep Convictions, many crying out in Time of divineService under a Senfe of their Sins, What they fhould do, and the most of them have had their Convictions ending in the Joy of the LORD, and Comfort of the HOLY GHOST.

In my very fmall Parish (confifting of about eighty Families) we have had in about twelve Months paft (when we had before more Communicants than Families) about forty added to the Church; and all excepting one, by the Grace of God (blefied be his Name) live to bear good Fruit.

Thanks be to God, we have no Divifions, nor Seperations among us; we are without Dreams, Vifions and Trances, (tho' there has been fome in the Neighbourhood) nor are we troubled with Exhorters. The People seem to express a greater Love for their Minifter, and a greater Defire than ever to hear the Word; and I hope their unworthy Minister has a greater Regard than ever for their Souls.

So that I am far from joining with thofe, who fay the prefent Day in general is a dark Day to our Churches, and looks with a melancholly Afpect. (Tho' to be fure, for the Divifons of Reuben there ought to be great Searchings of Heart; and my Soul mourns in fecret for the Divifions of the House of Levi, and the Seperation there is from fome of our Churches) And I freely confefs that I verily believe, that there has been

of