We quote the following account of Gilbert Tennent's life and doctrine
from the pen of Thomas Prince. It will illustrate some remarks under the
former head:
"From the terrible and deep convictions he had passed
through in his own soul, he seemed to have such a lively view of 'the
Divine Majesty, the spirituality, purity, extensiveness, and strictness
of His law; with His glorious holiness, and displeasure at sin, His justice,
truth and power in punishing the damned; that the very terrors of God
seemed 'to rise in his mind afresh, when he displayed and brandished them
in the eyes of unreconciled sinners. And though some could not bear the
representation, and avoided his preaching, yet the arrows of conviction,
by his ministry, seemed so deeply to pierce the hearts of others, and
even some of the most stubborn sinners, as to make them fall down at the
feet of Christ, and yield a lowly submission to Him.
"Such were the convictions wrought in many hundreds in this town
by Mr. Tennent's searching ministry; and such was the case of those many
scores of several other congregations as well as mine, who came to me
and others for direction under them. And indeed by all their converse
I found, it was not so much the terror, as the searching nature of his
ministry, that was the principal means of their conviction. It was not
merely nor so much his laying open the terrors of the law and wrath of
God or damnation of hell (for this they could pretty well bear as long
as they hoped these belonged not to them, or they could easily avoid them),
as his laying open their many vain and secret shifts and refuges, counterfeit
resemblances of grace, delusive and damning hopes, their utter impotence,
and impending danger of destruction; whereby they found all their hopes
and refuges of lies to fail them, and themselves exposed to eternal ruin,
unable to help themselves, and in a lost condition. This searching preaching
was both the suitable and principal means of their conviction.
"And now was such a time as we never knew. More came to one minister
in one week in deep concern about their souls, than in the whole twenty-four
years of his preceding ministry."
We add a few quotations from George Whitefield's Journals. The reader
will see how they bear upon the preceding statement regarding the Christian
ministry.
"On Thursday, he preached the public lecture at the Old
South. He had chosen another text, but it was much impressed on his heart
that he should preach from our Lord's conference with Nicodemus. A great
number of ministers were present: and when he came to the word, 'Art thou
a master in Israel, and knowest not these things,' he says: 'The Lord
enabled me to open my mouth boldly against unconverted ministers; to caution
tutors to take care of their pupils; and also to advise ministers particularly
to examine the experience of candidates for ordination. For I am verily
persuaded the generality of preachers talk of an unknown and unfelt Christ;
and the reason why congregations have been so dead is, because they have
had dead men preaching to them. O that the Lord may quicken and revive
them, for His own name's sake! For how can dead men beget living children?
It is true, indeed, God may convert men by the devil, if He pleases, and
so He may by unconverted ministers; but I believe He seldom makes use
of either of them for this purpose. No, the Lord will choose vessels made
meet by the operation of the blessed Spirit for His sacred use. Unspeakable
freedom God gave me while treating on this head. In the afternoon, I preached
on the Common to about fifteen thousand people, and collected upwards
of £200 for the Orphan House. Just as I had finished my sermon, a note
was put up to me, wherein I was desired to pray for a person just entered
upon the ministry, but under apprehension that he was unconverted. God
enabled me to pray for him with my whole heart; and I hope that note will
teach many others not to run before they can give an account of their
conversion. If they do, they offer God strange fire'."
"He preached on Monday at Westfield and Springfield, and on Tuesday
at Suffield, to large audiences, and with his usual power. A little below
Springfield, when crossing a bridge, he was thrown from his horse, and
'stunned for a while'; but was soon able to remount and proceed. At or
near Suffield, he met with a minister, 'who said it was not absolutely
necessary for a gospel minister to be converted'; meaning doubtless, that
though conversion was necessary for his salvation, it was not indispensable
to his ministerial character and usefulness. This interview gave Whitefield
a subject, 'I insisted much in my discourse upon the change of the new
birth, and also the necessity of a minister's being converted before he
could preach Christ aright. The word came with great power, and a great
impression was made upon the people in all parts of the assembly. Many
ministers were present. I did not spare them. Most of them thanked me
for my plain dealing. But one was offended; and so would more of his stamp
if I were to continue long in New England. For unconverted ministers
are the bane of the Christian Church.'
"His ride to Stanford was dark and rainy. That night he was visited
with a great inward trial, so that he was pained to the heart. He was
somewhat dejected before he went out of his lodgings the next morning,
and somewhat distressed for a text after he got into the pulpit. 'But
at length the Lord directed me to one, but I looked for no power or success,
being very low by my last night's trial. Notwithstanding, before I had
preached half-an-hour, the blessed Spirit began to move on the hearers'
hearts in a very awful manner. Young, and especially many old people,
were surprisingly affected, so that I thought they would have cried out.
At dinner, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me again, and enabled me to
speak with such vigour against sending unconverted persons into the ministry,
that two ministers, with tears in their eyes, publicly confessed, that
they had laid their hands on young men, without so much as asking them
whether they were born again of God or not. After dinner, finding my heart
much enlarged, I prayed, and with such power, that most in the room were
put under concern. And one old minister was so deeply convicted that,
calling Mr. Noble and me out, with great difficulty (because of his weeping)
he desired our prayers; for, said he, 'I have been a scholar and have
preached the doctrines of grace for a long time, but I believe I have
never felt the power of them in my own soul.' O that all unconverted ministers
were brought to make the same confession.'"
Such were the instruments. Such were the mighty things accomplished by them
in the strength of the Spirit of the Lord. In the different awakenings,
there were doubtless many things which proclaimed the frailty and imperfection
of the agency through which the Holy Spirit wrought His mighty signs and
wonders. There were things to remind man that the treasure was in earthen
vessels. These revivals were not without their blemishes. There might be
errors, there might be imprudencies, there might be excitement, there might
be physical emotion; but still, notwithstanding all that may be spoken against
them, the hand of God was manifestly there, awakening, deepening, extending,
carrying forward the mighty movement by which the walls and bulwarks of
the prince of darkness were, in many of his strongholds, shaken to their
deepest base. The Lord gave the word, and great was the company of those
who published it, as well as of those who received and obeyed it.
Nothing was to be seen but a faithful minister of Christ, surrounded by
a small band of praying ones, leading on the array against the prince of
darkness! There was no pomp, no display, no artifice, no carnal attraction.
Yet the ranks of darkness gave way before them, and multitudes owned the
power of the simple yet resistless words that fell from their earnest lips!
How could the world but wonder at such vast results, so disproportioned
to the apparent cause? How could they but feel, if they did not confess,
that all this was the doing of the Lord? |