beloved people. The exercises of this day were solemn, impressive, and divinely animating. The falling tear from many eyes witnessed the inward anguish which was produced in the hearts of sinners by the word of eternal truth. Those trembling sinners, groaning under the weight of their sins, were encircled by God's people, and lifted to His throne in the arms of faith and prayer. Some were disburthened of their load; and their shouts of praise testified that Jesus had become their friend. The departure of the Sun under the western horizon indicated the time to have arrived for the intelligent creation to loose themselves once more in "Tir'd nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep." But while some obeyed the impulse of nature, and suffered the soft slumbers of the evening shades to lock up their external senses, others, animated by the love of God, and attracted by the sympathetic groans of wounded sinners, whose piercing cries ascended to heaven, committing themselves to the protection of God, assembled in groups, and united their petitions and intercessions to Almighty God, in behalf of themselves, and their mourn ing fellow creatures. Neither did they labour in vain; for some of these mourning penitents emerged into the liberties of the Gospel. About midnight I was attracted by the shouts of an intimate friend, who had been for some time overwhelmed upon the stand with the power of God. In company with some of the young disciples of Christ, I drew near, while he proclaimed the wonders of redeeming love. I at first looked on with the criticising eye of cool philosophy, determined not to be carried away with passionate exclamations. Bracing myself as much as possible, I was resolved my passions should not get the ascendency over my judgment. But in spite of all my philosophy, my prejudice and my resistance, my heart suddenly melted like wax before the fire, and my nerves seemed in a moment relaxed. These devout exercises were finally interrupted by a shower of rain-but the showers of grace descended so plentifully that sleep could not be persuaded to visit many of our eyes. So we sung, "With thee all night I mean to stay, And wrestle till the break of day." This many did. The next day was remarkable on account of the presence of Him who dwelt in the bush. The sermons were pointed, lively, and solemn. The prayers were ardent, faithful, and persever ing. The singing melodious, and calculated to elevate the mind to the third heavens. The shouts of redeeming love were solemnly delightful: and the cries of penitent sinners, deep and piercing. Notwithstanding the almost incessant labours of the last twenty-four hours, when night came on many seemed determined not to intermit their religious exercises. Their souls knit together by divine love, they persevered in their prayers and exhortations; some heavy laden sinners, delivered from their sins, were enabled to praise God for his pardoning mercy. Friday was the day appointed to close our meeting. It had been unusually solemn, and profitable to many, very many souls ; and the hour of separation was anticipated with reluctance. The exercises of this day were attended with an uncommon manifestation of the power and presence of God. The mournful cries of penitent sinners, were many and strong and the professors of religion were ardently engaged in praying for them: and not a few were groaning for full redemption in the blood of the Lamb. While engaged in this exercise, some of the preachers were baptized afresh with the Holy Ghost and fire; and their cup run over with love to God, and to the souls of men. After the meeting was closed, circumstances rendered it expedient, for the people from New-York, and some others, to remain on the ground another night. This news was received by most of the people with delightful sensations. Indeed the place had become a sanctified Bethel to our souls. At six o'clock, P. M. the people were summoned to the stand for preaching. The Preacher who was to address them, after singing and prayer, read the following text; God who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the Fathers, by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. He was so filled with a sense of the overwhelming presence of God, that he could only say, "It is a good time-I feel it is a good time."-Not being able to proceed, he simply repeated the text, changing the latter part of it thus, hath spoken unto you by his Son; "and therefore there is no need for me to say any thing" and he sat down bathed in tears. These words were like a two-edged sword-They seemed to penetrate every heart; and tears, sobs and groans, shaking and trembling were beheld in every direction. A preacher, standing near one of the tents, perceiving his situation, went on the stand, took the text which had been read, and made some observations upon it, which were attended with divine authority, and with the unction of the Holy One. Many fell to the ground under the mighty power of God, while the shouts of the redeemed seemed to rend the heavens, and to be carried on the waves of the undulating air to the distant hills—and in their rolling melody proclaimed the praises of Him who sits upon the Throne, and of the Lamb. This was one of the most awfully solemn scenes my eyes ever beheld. Such a sense of the ineffable Majesty rested upon my soul, that I was lost in astonishment, wonder, and profound adoration. Human language cannot express the solemn, the delightful, the deep and joyful sensations which pervaded my soul. Nor me alone. It was a general shower of divine love. It seemed as if the windows of heaven were opened, and such a blessing poured out that there was scarcely room to contain it.— The glory of the God-Man shone with divine lustre all around, and filled every believing heart. Singing, prayer, and exhortation were continued more or less until three o'clock next morning, the hour appointed to prepare to leave the consecrated ground. Many were the subjects of converting grace; and great was the joy of the happy Christians. About eight o'clock, A. M. Saturday, those of us from the city, embarked in the Steam-boat Connecticut, Capt. Bunker, (whose polite attention deserves our warmest thanks.) It seemed like leaving the place of the divine Shekinah, and going into the world again-but still, the presence of our God rested upon us. I trust the fruits of this Camp-meeting will be extensively witnessed. Not only sinners were awakened and converted, but very many believers were quickened, the work of grace was deepened in their hearts; and some who had been languid in their spiritual enjoyments, formed resolutions to be entirely devoted to God. May they never violate their solemn vow, nor suffer their serious impressions to be effaced. Let no vain amusement, no trifling company, nor any worldly concern divert your attention, ye young professors of religion, or ever efface from your minds those solemn impressions of God, and of his goodness you have received. The writer of this imperfect sketch, feels as if he should praise God in eternity for this Camp-meeting. What a sacred fire has been kindled at this holy altar. May many waters never extinguish it. It is not a transient blaze, or a sudden extacy. No; my soul bows with submission to my God, and thankfully acknowledges the continuance of his loving kindness. The bare recollection of that solemn pause-when Jesus spoke-with a voice more melodious than all the harps of the muses-fills my soul with solemn delight. Some times when I have indulged in the cool speculations which worldly prudence would suggest, so many objections have been raised in my mind against Camp-meetings, that I have been ready to proclaim war against them: but those objections have uniformly been obviated by witnessing the beneficial effects of these meetings, while attending them. My theories have all been torn to pieces while testing them by actual experimentbut never more effectually than by this last. This is more convincing than all the arguments in the world. What I experience I know; and hundreds of others, equally competent to decide, would, were they called upon, bear a similar testimony. O ye happy souls, who were bathed in the love of God, at this meeting! May you ever evince to the world by the uniformity of your Christian conduct, that such meetings are highly useful. An indescribable pleasure is even now felt from reviewing those moments of solemn delight, while our kindred spirits, attracted by the love of Jesus Christ, joyfully adored the God of our salvation. May such seasons of refreshing often return.— O! the depth of redeeming love. "Angel minds are lost to ponder, One thing which contributed greatly to the promotion of the cause of God at this meeting, was the order and regularity which prevailed. There was little or no disturbance from spectators; and but little confusion in any of the religious exercises. Sometimes, indeed, the ardor of the mind, when powerfully operated upon by the Spirit of God, would lead it to break over the bounds of moderation; but in general the exercises were conducted with much decorum and regularity. Hymns were selected which were solemn and impressive; and the prayers and exhortations, as well as the preaching, all indicated that the mind was under the direction of grace. How many were brought to the experience of redeeming grace, cannot be correctly ascertained; but the number must have been very considerable. New-York, as well as other places, will, I trust, be greatly profited by means of this meeting. A general quickening is already witnessed, and some sinners have been awakened and converted since our return-May their numbers he continually multiplied. EVANGELUS. THE METHODIST MAGAZINE. FOR OCTOBER, 1818. DIVINITY. EVIDENCES OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. Extracted from the new Edinburgh Encyclopædia. 119. THE next piece in the succession of Christian writers, is the undoubted epistle of Clement, the bishop of Rome, to the church of Corinth, and who, by the concurrent voice of all antiquity, is the same Clement who is mentioned in the epistle to the Phillippians, as the fellow-labourer of Paul. It is written in the name of the church of Rome, and the object of it is to compose certain dissentions which had arisen in the church of Corinth. It was out of his way to enter into any thing like a formal narrative of the miraculous facts which are to be found in the evangelical history. The subject of his epistle did not lead him to this; and besides, the number and authority of the narratives already published, rendered an attempt of this kind altogether superfluous. Still, however, though a miracle may not be formally announced, it may be brought in incidentally, or it may be proceeded upon, or assumed as the basis of an argument. We give one or two examples of this. In one part of his epistle, he illustrates the doctrine of our resurrection from the dead, by the change and progression of natural appearances, and he ushers in this illustration with the following sentence: "Let us consider, my beloved, how the Lord shows us our future resurrection perpetually, of which he made the Lord Jesus Christ the first fruits, by raising him from the dead." This incidental way of bringing in the fact of our Lord's resurrection appears to us the VOL: I. 46 |
