Great Awakening - Tracy - VI - Chapter 5 (Parties in the Presbyterian Church)

Required reading
The Great Awakening: A history of the revival of religion in the time of Edwards & Whitefield by Joseph Tracy (Available from Amazon or free here) -
Read Chapter 5 (Parties in the Presbyterian Church).
 
My summary
This week we have a slight detour into the controversy in the Presbyterian church that was raging when Whitefield arrived.  The chapter is supposed to give us some context for Whitefield's ministry.

Basically the trouble was over unconverted ministers - with people on the 'old side' supporting them and people on the 'new side' wanting rid of them.

Tennent was in the thick of it and preached a sermon with a powerful effect - a good portion of the sermon was included in today's reading.

What grabbed me
As a Baptist congregationalist this chapter was a bit of an oddity for me. 

But I was interested to see the effect of Tennent's sermon: 'The sermon was widely circulated, and was a topic of discussion for years. Neither friends nor enemies would let it rest. It turned the tide of popular feeling effectually against unconverted ministers ; and to no other human agency, probably, so much as to this sermon, is it owing, that Presbyterian ministers at the present day are generally pious men.'

Never underestimate the power of a sermon.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 6 (Whitefield at the South).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.