REVIVALS OF RELIGION. The term revival of religion, or more briefly, revival, is employed to denote an increase of faith and piety in individual Christians, particularly after a period of religious declension, and also an increase of religion in a community or neighborhood, both through the revival of those who are already,religious, and through the conversion of the previously irreligious: In these applications, its use is countenanced by several passages of Scripture; the idea which it is intended to convey is, however, far more frequently suggested by passages in which the term does not occur. The idea of revival is more particularly connected with the system of "evangelical" doctrine, and particularly with that part of it which relates to the work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners.
What are commonly called revivals of religion may be described as religious move ments or excitements extending, more or less generally, over a neighborhood, or some times over a country. By those who regard them as genuine, it is urged in their favor, that they are in accordance with what the Scriptures teach us to expect, and that we have instances of a similar kind recorded in the Scriptures themselves—both in the history of the Jews, and in the early history of the Christian church, particularly in the effusion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and afterward in connection with the minis try of the apostles when many were converted through a single discourse, or, in other cases, evidently within a short time. It is further urged that the promise of the effusion of the Spirit in "the latter days" was not completely fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, but relates to the whole period of the Christian dispensation, and that, according to many prophecies, we have reason to expect even more of it in future times than there has ever hitherto been, so that "a nation shall be born in a day, and the kingdoms shall be the Lord's." The reformation of the 16th c., and the more partial movements of the same kind which preceded it, are also regarded as essentially revivals of religion—the reforma tion itself the greatest which has taken place since the apostolic age. The great develop ment of religious fervor in England in the 17th c., is, according to this view, to be considered as a revival, and the extravagances which attended it as mere excrescences, like those of the Anabaptists in the time of the reformation. The next great move ment of the same kind was that in the first half of the 18th c., from which the Methodist churches originated (see )loruomsTs). It was accompanied with many circumstances similar to those which have attended later revivals of religion. The term revival did not begin to be commonly employed till after this period; and the revival which took place in New England and other parts of North America about the same time was then and still is geuendly designated the great awakening. The beginning of this revival
seems to have had no connection with the Methodist movement in England, although subsequently they became connected through Mr. Whitefield's visits to North America. The revival in New England, which began about 1734, under the ministry of the cele brated Jonathan Edwards at Northampton, and rapidly extended over great part of New England and New York, was speedily followed by similar religious movements in Scotland, not altogether independent of it. Such religious movements had not, however, been unknown in Scotland before, although very much confined to particular times and localities. In 1625 and some following years, there was a revival at Irvine, under the ministry of Mr. David Dickson=—rt minister of more than ordinary abilities and attain ments, some of whose works have recently been republished—so considerable as to be noticed in many histories of the church of Scotland, and which, because it extended very !Mich to the neighboring parish of Stewarton, and along the banks of the Stewar ton Water—the people of that district frequenting Irvine on market days, and hearing Mr. Dickson's lectures—was contemptuously styled by its adversaries the Stewarton sickness. In 1630 several hundreds are said to have been converted at once, through a sermon preached at Kirk-of-Shotts by Mr. John Livingstone, then a young preacher, but afterward an eminent minister of the church of Scotland. and a sufferer for the cause of Presbyterianism. About the same time (162344 similar movements took place in Ireland under the ministry of Scottish Presbyterian ministers settled in Ulster, and to which the origin of the Irish Presbyterian church must in great part be ascribed. The Presbyterians of Scotland were thus in some measure prepared to acknowledge the revivals of the earlier part of the 18th c. as genuine, which began at Cambuslang—Mr. M'Culloch being minister of that parish—in 1742, and speedily extended to Kilsyth and other parishes in the neighborhood, as well as to Dundee and other places more remote. No similar movement, however, took place over the country generally; nor was there anything of the same kind again till the very end of the century, when a revival took place (1798-1800) at Moulin in Perthshire, of which Mr. Alexander Stewart was then minister. This was followed in a few years by a revival in Arran (1804-13), under the ministry of Mr. M'Bride. Other similar local revivals followed, not 'infrequently, and in parts of Scotland widely remote from each other, both in the Highlands and Lowlands; and also in other parts of Britain, particularly a very extensive one in Wales, resulting in the formation of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist church, but not confined in its effects to those who became connected with that church. Local revivals also in some instances attended the ministry of evangelical ministers of the church of England.