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 10 (The revival in New England).
My summary
This week we learn about the revivals in Natick, Wrentham and Bridgewater.
The revivals:
(i) added many unbelievers to the congregations;
(ii) strengthened many believers;
(iii) were not always the result of visiting preachers such as Whitefield and Tennent;
(iv) were not accompanied by trances, visions, revelations or the like.
What grabbed me
I was encouraged to read about the religious discussions that erupted outside of public gatherings: 'Many of our people, living three or four miles or more from our places of public worship, are necessitated to tarry at or near about the meetinghouses, through the intermission, between forenoon and afternoon exercises ; and there used to be little else but vain and worldly talk among most. But upon the late remarkable divine influence on people's minds, there was a wonderful change in this regard among, we think, the greatest part of our people. It became a common thing for them to retire in small companies to different places, for religious conferences or reading, and sometimes these exercises were mixed. And more lately there are several societies that spend part of the intermission in praying, reading, and singing together. So that on many accounts the intermission, as well as time of public exercises of God's worship, is very remarkably holy to the Lord, esteemed honorable, and a great delight unto the more serious among us. And even the time of travel to and from our places of public worship has often been sweetly redeemed for pious discourse between two or three, as they walk in company together. '
May people not be able to stop talking about Christ in my town too.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 11 (The revival in New England).
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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