LETTER I. ON THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF REVIVALS. MY DEAR FRIEND, MAY 16th, 1827. You are curious to know something about the religion of this country; a religion without an establishment; a religion left to itself -without a priesthood I had almost said; for every body preaches here who will; nay, those who exhort and pray publicly among the laity, far outnumber those who are considered as regularly ordained. Well, in truth, if you have curiosity, prepare to have it satisfied, for I shall violate the old rhetorical rule, and plainly tell you that I am going to be interesting. The most remarkable thing, about the peo ple of this country, is their religion: at least, in New England, from whence, as my date tells you, I write. Sects and creeds, doctrines and disquisitions, preachers and people, sermons and societies, plans and projects; excitements and conversions, you may hear talked of wherever you go-in stage-coaches and steam-boats, in shops and bar-rooms, nay in ball-rooms and parties of pleasure, and in short, every where. But this religion is as remarkable in its character as it is in its colloquial exhibition; and the most extraordinary thing in its character undoubtedly is the system of revivals of religion as they are called. For these are brought into a system and plan, as much as the religion itself—a system of operations as much as its theology is into a system of speculations. But I see that I must task myself to give you some general notion of these things in the outset, for you have no idea, not even a generic one of what Revivals of Religion are. Once, in two, three or five years, then, it is common for a township, a village, or some portion (i. e. some congregation or congregations) of a city, to be thrown into a great excitement about religion. The intervals are comparatively, and I am afraid, from what I can learn, actually seasons of great religious indifference. This seems in fact to be considered as a matter of course. It is often in conversation assumed as a fact, and stated as an apology. "We have had a great Revival here," many both of the clergy and the laity have said to me in answer to an inquiry into the state of religion among them-" we have had a great Revival here, and there is always a season of coldness afterwards." This is stated indeed with rather a mournful and self-accusing air, but still as a matter of course, and those who offer the apology seem to be glad that the case is no worse with them than with their neighbors. But to return; this periodical character of the Revivals, and the con stant succession of them, are circumstances that discriminate them from all other religious excitements that I have ever read or heard of. There have been excesses and ebullitions of zeal in the origin of all sects, of the Waldenses, the Anabaptists, the Quakers, the Puritans, the Presbyterians, &c. And the Methodists, whose unpretending walls are built out of "the polished stones of some of our stately churches, are contriving through their class-meetings, and conferences, and love feasts, to keep up a sort of perpetual excitement. But the refreshings' here, come,-only less frequently-like the overflowings of the Nile. Not however from any less certain laws or causes, as I think I shall be able to show you. But I must check my wanderings, and try to give you some further idea of what these Revivals are. No sooner does the first access of this spiritual influence appear, than the minister and the most zealous members of his church arouse themselves. They ap point meetings for prayer and exhortation to be held commonly as often as every evening in the week. Sometimes, the assemblings take place early in the morning. The very singularity of these arrangements arrests attention. People crowd to the meetings, at first, perhaps as much from curiosity as any other impulse. You would be apt to think, were you in some of the villages here, that the business of society is to "go to meeting," and the individuals most interested, do often in fact, give up all other business.--Some, even of the most thoughtless, and indeed it is most likely to be they, will in the ordinary course of things, come to be deeply impressed with what is passing around them. They are addressed by their preachers, with the most terrific warnings, or in the most mournful accents of pity and lamentation. Their christian friends perhaps take them by the hand, and, in new and unaccustomed tones, beseech them to flee from the wrath to come. The |