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knowest that , she has come in here on purpose to mock thee and insult thea tosthy ( face » " Aftefc completing this description thepraclntkiBer&dds ^^ Now , Lard God Alnaighty * GQjne { down upon , this * enemy t > f ithhie- ^ break in upon her ; i ? reak her down , O Lord , break her down . And if thdo hast one thunderbolt in store heavier than another , come , God Almighty , and break it over her head * Break her down ; crush her at thy feet ; slay her before thee , " .: .- ¦ .: ¦ : -i ! ¦ . ¦¦•¦ : ¦
In illustratjon of the prayer-meetings of the American Revivalists we introduce an extract from an appendix to a work written by an eye-witness ; at the same time we recommend the work itself to our readers as uniting the interest of a Waverley novel with the piety of the New Testament , * ** Mr . F . arose ( the great leader in these excitements ) and made a few remarks on the right method of conducting these meetings . He kept his eye much fixed on the ceiling while he spoke , and ottered himself in a plain and forcible but
rather disjointed manner . What most surprised me was the apparent irreverence of his manner and the singularity of some of his directions . For instance , he said , that those who prayed on such occasions ought to be careful not to dwell on the attributes of God , for it tended to let down the tone of feeling . When he had done speaking three persons arose , called upon by name , to pray in succession . They began in a very low and drawling tone , but soon became loud and vehement , speaking with all the power of lungs
they could muster , and using the most violent gesticulations . In that small room it was as much as the ears could bear , and by the noise alone persons of delicate nerves must have been agitated . The matter of the prayers consisted principally of exclamations and alarming denunciations of the wickedness of the village , and of the sinners that were present One of the speakers was for some time occupied in denouncing the elders of the church for not favouring these violent efforts , saying , amongst other things , id a very
familiar , colloquial tone , ' O Lord , don't send ' em right down to hell for this . ' This familiarity in addressing the Supreme Being was carried so far as to be perfectly shocking . I would record several examples which , to my ear , were little short of blasphemy , if it were not better to forget them . But I cannot forget the whole impression of the evening ; it was one of unmixed horror ; loud , violent declamatory denunciations , accents of wrath and terror , without one word of compassion or tenderness for the sinrters they were
praying for—only the slightest mention of God's mercy , and the most terrific description of his vengeance . The only object seemed to be to frighten and agitate , and I could not help asking myself , Is this after the example of our blessed Lord ? When these prayers had ceased , Mr . F . again rose . He addressed the sinners , asked them if they knew that these saints Had been praying for them , drew a strong picture of their criminality , ancfc assured them that they would go rig At down to hell if they were unaffected by this scene .
The address , just like the prayers , was pitiless , denunciatory , harsh , with not the slightest appeal to any principle in man but fear , nor to any attribute in God but his vengeance . Another minister followed in the same strain , and closed with prayer in a similar style . I must not neglect to record , that throughout his remarks Mr . F . addressed himself wholly to the side of the room on which the females were seated , as if they were the only sinners in the congregation . Also , that while the other preacher was speaking he was groaning aloud , and holding his head between his hands , and writhing bis
* The Recollections of Jotham Anderson , by the Rev . H . Ware , Boston j may ba had of Wilmer , Liverpool .
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560 The Wutehman .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1829, page 560, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2575/page/40/
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