times were inflicted upon many of them, and might further.

Things being come to this extremity, it was the Lord's opportunity to glorify his name in a way furprifing to us, and peculiar to himself. We were going on towardly in the way of our heart, notwithftanding a variety of fmiting judgments and alluring mercies; he, in his fovereign mercy and goodness, hath begun to fee our ways and heal them, when nothing else could help and prevent our ruin, and we were proof againft all other dispensations, he hath vifited us with fuch a difpenfation of his Spirit, as is fufficient to do it, and which we pray that it may, and hope that it fhall be general unto the whole church and land. This extraordinary out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, whereby great numbers of secure finners are awakened, and many of thefe converted, and filled with faith, and more than ordinary peace and joy in believing, appeared first upon the 18th of February laft, and continues at Cambuslang a little parish within four miles, South-Eaft of Glafgow. A well attefted Narrative of this hath been published.

Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that this fenfible prefence and power of the Holy Ghost, hath not been confined to that highly favoured parish: but began to vifit us upon the last Sabbath of April laft, being the 25th day of that month, as it did also soon after in feveral other congregations lying to the North, North-East and NorthWeft of Glasgow. This work fo extraordinary upon the fouls of many in these congregations is the fame with that at Cambuslang. The method of the Spirit's operation is alike in all these congregations; and the effects of it upon the bodies of the awakened, which have not been fo common at other times, are alfo much the fame.

The bodies of fome of the awakened are feized

with trembling, fainting, histerisms in fome few women, and with convulfive-motions in fome others, arifing from that apprehenfion and fear of the wrath of God, they are convinced they are under, and liable to because of their fins. They have a quick apprehenfion of the greatnefs and dreadfulness of this wrath before they are affected.

These effects upon the bodies of fome of the awakened have been objected against this work, by many. And fome have not been afraid to afcribe it to the devil, and to traduce the whole as delufion.

As there were the very fame appearances accompanying fuch an effufion of the Holy Spirit in fome of our American colonies; fo the fame objections were made against them, which have been made against this appearance of God among us. This hath occafioned the reverend and judicious Mr. Edwards, minifter of the gospel at Northampton in New-England to preach, and publish a fermon upon the diftinguishing marks of a work of the Spirit of God, wherein he fatisfyingly answers and takes off the forefaid objections. It would be fuperfluous and unneceffary to answer apart after him, seeing this fermon hath been oftener than once reprinted in North Britain, and is and will be in as many hands, as any other answer probably can, with this advantage, that by the surprising direction of providence it comes from one in a foreign country, who preached and published it long before this appearance of the Lord in his glory and majesty amongst us.

I cannot however forbear to obferve and offer the following remarks to the reader.

First, That there are fome who do not cry out in the congregation, neither have any of the aforefaid bodily feizures, who have been under a law-work for fome months, and are, as far as we can know the state of another, favingly converted: and there are others who have been under the fevereft bodily

diftrefs, in whom the work of conviction and converfion, as to the main strokes of them, answer to the former as face to face in a glass. Is it poffible then that any thinking perfon will conclude that all is delufion with the latter, merely because their bodies were strangely difordered, when they were at firft awakened to feel themselves in a state of fin and wrath, feeing there are the very fame inconteftible evidences of the converfion of the laft, as there are of the first.

Secondly, There are few obferving perfons who have not feen fudden fears, and great forrow upon worldly grounds, caufe faintings, hifterick-fits, convulfions, bodily agonies and strugglings. The apoftle faith, Wordly forrow worketh death. What reason can be affigned, why legal terrors and fears, a strong apprehenfion of the wrath of God in perfons who know not but the fentence of condemnation may be executed upon them immediately, should not have the like effects upon their bodies? efpecially confidering that the cause and reasons of their fears are incomparably jufter and greater. Several of us minifters have long ere now seen persons distracted as Heman was with the terror of God.

Thirdly, There is much reafon to conclude that the work of God in converting many in feveral parishes in the fhire of Ayr, and other places of the Weft from 1625 to 1630 was attended with much the fame apperances as this now. It was called the Stewarton ficknefs by the malignants because of the bodily diftrefs which accompanied it. I fhall tranfcribe the fhort account which the Author of the fulfilling of the fcriptures gives of it, page 264. “I must here inftance a very folemn, and extraordinary outletting of the Spirit, which about the year 1625 and thereafter was in the Weft of Scotland, whilt the perfecution of the church there, was hot from the Prelatick party; this by the profane rabble of

that time, was called the Stewarton fickness, for in that parish first, but after through much of the country, particularly at Irvine, under the ministry of the famous Mr. Dickson, was moft remarkable, where it can be faid (which divers minifters and christians yet alive can witness) that for a confiderable time, few fabbaths did pafs without fome eminently converted, and some convincing proof of the power of God accompanying his word, yea that many were fo so choaked and taken by the heart, that through terror, the Spirit in fuch a measure convincing them of sin, in hearing of the word, they have been made to fall over, and thus carried out of the church, who afterward proved most solid and lively christians; and as it was known fome of the most grofs who used to mock at religion, being engaged upon the fame that went abroad of fuch things, to go to some of these parts where the gofpel was then most lively, have been effectually reached before their return, with a vifible change following the fame; and truly, this great spring-tide which I may so call of the gospel, was not of a fhort time, but for fome years continuance, yea, thus like a spreading moor-burn, the power of godlinefs did advance from one place to another, which put a marvellous luftre on these parts of the country, the favour whereof brought many from other parts of the land to see the truth of the fame." The fimilitude and likeness of this work amongst us unto that referred to, feems evident; and can these bodily effects mentioned be just grounds of objection against this work now, and not also against the other?

Fourthly, It is not to be forgotten, that in NewEngland where hundreds were affected in their bodies, the fame way feverals with us are, the most part of these who were thought to be convicted, have continued now for fome years to profess serious religion, and to practise it without returning to their former follies. And shall we not hope the fame of E

thefe converted amongst us, feeing also they have continued for feveral months or weeks, fince they appeared to be converted, in a desirable way? efpecially when some parts of the most refined and uncommon morality have been practised by them, of which some instances may be given in the following Narrative.

I forbear to give inftances from the holy fcriptures, of things exactly fimiliar to these bodily diftreffes in our cafe, seeing I have already referred to Mr. Edwards fermons. Only it is furprifing, that fome reafon, as if they had never read the history in the 2d of the Acts, or the Jaylor, or Felix trembling, and of the converfion of the holy apoftle Paul; and as if they found in their Bibles pofitive declarations, that the Lord would never to the end of the world, fuffer finners to cry out, tremble, faint, or fall down aftonished, under a work of conviction, and apprehenfion of his juft and dreadful wrath.

Laftly, I feriously beg of any who are prejudiced against this difpenfation of God's extraordinary grace, and look upon it as delufion, that they will fhew themselves fo charitable and good, as direct me and other ministers what we shall answer diftreffed perfons of all ages, who come to us, crying bitterly that they are loft and undone, because of unbelief and their other fins. What shall we do to be faved? and as a young girl about twelve, who had been in distress for fome time, called for me to a separate place in a house where I was, and asked me, with great fedatenefs, what shall I do to get Chrift? Shall we tell them they are not christless and unconverted, when we evidently fee many of them to be fuch? Shall we tell them that their fears of the wrath of God is all but. delufion, and that it is no fuch dreadful thing as they need to be fo much afraid of it? Shall we tell perfons lamenting their curfing, fwearing, fabbath-breaking, and other immoralities, that it is the devil who makes