REVIVAL OF RELIGION.
But I think it incumbent upon me to observe, that during this time, and
for some preceding years, his attention, ever wakeful to such concerns,
was much engaged by some religious appearances which happened about this
time both in England and Scotland, and with regard to which some may be
curious to know the colonel's sentiments. He communicated them to me with
the most unreserved freedom; and I cannot apprehend myself under any
engagement to conceal them, as I am persuaded that it will be no
prejudice to his memory that they should be publicly known.
It was from Colonel Gardiner's pen that I received the first notice of
that ever memorable scene which was opened at Kilsyth, under the
ministry of the Rev. Mr. M'Culloch in the month of February, 1741-2. He
communicated to me the copy of two letters from that eminently-favoured
servant of God, giving an account of that extraordinary success which had
within a few days accompanied his preaching, when, as I remember, in
a little more than a fortnight, one hundred and thirty souls, who had
before continued in long insensibility under the faithful preaching of
the gospel, were awakened on a sudden to attend to it, as if it had been
a new revelation brought down from heaven, and attested by as astonishing
miracles as ever were wrought by Peter or Paul, though they only heard it
from a person under whose ministry they had sat for several years. Struck
with a power and majesty in the word of God which they had never felt
before, they crowded his house night and day, making their applications
to him for spiritual direction and assistance, with an earnestness and
solicitude which floods of tears and cries, that swallowed up their own
words and his, could not sufficiently express. The colonel mentioned this
at first to me "as matter of eternal praise, which he knew would rejoice
my very soul;" and when he saw it spread in the neighbouring parts, and
observed the glorious reformation which it produced in the lives of great
multitudes, and the abiding fruits of it, for succeeding months and
years, it increased and confirmed his joy. But the facts relating to this
matter have been laid before the world in so authentic a manner, and the
agency of divine grace in them has been so rationally vindicated, and so
pathetically represented, in what the reverend and judicious Mr. Webster
has written upon that subject, that it is altogether superfluous for me
to add any thing further than my hearty prayers that the work may be as
extensive as it was glorious and divine.[*]
[*Note: See "Revivals in Scotland," published by the Board of
Publication.]
It was with great pleasure that he received any intelligence of a like
kind from England, whether the clergy of the Established Church or
dissenting ministers, whether our own countrymen or foreigners, were the
instruments of it. Whatever weaknesses or errors might mingle themselves
with valuable qualities in such as were active in such a work, he
appeared to love and honour them in proportion to the degree he saw
reason to believe that their hearts were devoted to the service of
Christ, and their attempts owned and succeeded by him. I remember, that
mentioning one of these gentlemen who had been remarkably successful in
his ministry, and who seemed to have met with some very unkind usage, he
says, "I had rather be that despised, persecuted man, to be an instrument
in the hand of the Spirit in converting so many souls, and building up so
many in their holy faith, than I would be emperor of the whole world."
Yet this steady and judicious Christian, (for such he most assuredly
was,) at the same time that he esteemed a man for his good intentions,
and his worthy qualities, did not suffer himself to be hurried away into
all the singularity of his sentiments, or to admire his imprudences or
excesses. On the contrary, he saw and lamented that artifice which the
great father of fraud has so long and so successfully been practising,
and who, like the enemies of Israel, when he cannot entirely prevent the
building of God's temple, does, as it were, offer his assistance to carry
on the work, that he may thereby get the most effectual opportunities of
obstructing it. The colonel often expressed his astonishment at the wide
extremes into which some whom on the whole he thought very worthy men,
were permitted to run in many doctrinal and speculative points, and
discerned how evidently it appeared from hence that we cannot argue the
truth of any doctrine from the success of the preacher, since this would
be a kind of demonstration which might equally prove both parts of a
contradiction. Yet when he observed that a high regard to the atonement
and righteousness of Christ, and to the free grace of God in him, exerted
by the operation of the Divine Spirit, was generally common to all who
had been peculiarly successful in the conversion and reformation of men,
(how widely soever their judgments might differ in other points, and how
warmly soever their judgments might oppose each other in consequence
of that diversity,) it tended greatly to confirm his faith in these
principles, as well as to open his heart in love to all, of every
denomination, who maintained an affectionate regard to them. Although
what he remarked as to the conduct and success of ministers of the most
opposite strains of preaching confirmed him in these sentiments, yet he
always esteemed and loved virtuous and benevolent men, even where he
thought them the most mistaken in the notions they formed of religion, or
in the methods by which they attempted to serve it.
While I thus represent what all who knew him must soon have observed of
Colonel Gardiner's affectionate regard to these peculiar doctrines of our
holy religion, it is necessary that I should also inform my reader that
it was not his opinion that the attention of ministers or their hearers
should be wholly engrossed by these, excellent as they are; but that all
the parts of the scheme of truth and duty should be regarded in their due
connection and proportion. Far from that distempered taste which can bear
nothing but cordials, it was his deliberate judgment that the law as well
as the gospel should be preached; and hardly any thing gave him greater
offence than the irreverent manner in which some who have been ignorantly
extolled as the most zealous evangelical preachers, have sometimes
been tempted to speak of the former, much indeed to the scandal of all
consistent and judicious Christians. He delighted to be instructed in
his duty, and to hear much of the inward exercises of the spiritual and
divine life. He always wished, so far as I could observe, to have these
topics treated in a rational as well as spiritual manner, with solidity
and order of thought, with perspicuity and weight of expression, well
knowing that religion is a most reasonable service--that God has not
chosen idiots or lunatics as the instruments, or nonsense as the means of
building up his church--and that though the charge of enthusiasm is often
fixed on Christianity and its ministers in a wild, undeserved, and,
indeed, on the whole, enthusiastical manner, by some of the loudest or
most solemn pretenders to reason, yet there is really such a thing as
enthusiasm, against which it becomes the true friends of revelation to be
diligently on their guard, lest Christianity, instead of being exalted,
should be greatly corrupted and debased, and all manner of absurdity,
both in doctrine and practice, introduced by methods which, like
persecution, throw truth and falsehood on a level, and render the
grossest errors at once more plausible and more incurable. He had too
much candour and equity to fix general charges of this nature; but he was
really (and I think not vainly,) apprehensive that the emissaries and
agents of the most corrupt church that ever dishonoured the Christian
name, (by which, it will easily be understood, I mean that of Rome,)
might very possibly insinuate themselves into societies to which they
could not otherwise have access, and make their advantage of that total
resignation of the understanding, and contempt of reason and learning,
which nothing but ignorance, delirium, or knavery can dictate, to lead
men blindfolded whither it pleased, till it set them down at the foot of
an altar where transubstantiation itself was consecrated.
I know not where I can more properly introduce another part of the
colonel's character, which, obvious as it was, I have not yet touched
upon; I mean his tenderness to those who were under any spiritual
distress, wherein he was indeed an example to ministers in a duty more
peculiarly theirs. I have seen many amiable instances of this myself, and
I have been informed of many others. One of these happened about the time
of that awakening in the western parts of Scotland, which I touched upon
above, when the Rev. Mr. M'Laurin, of Glasgow, found occasion to witness
to the great propriety, judgment, and felicity of manner, with which he
addressed spiritual consolation to an afflicted soul who applied to the
professor at a time when he had not an opportunity immediately to give
audience to the case. Indeed so long ago as the year 1726, I find him
writing in this regard to a friend in a strain of tenderness which might
well have become the most affectionate and experienced pastor. He there
congratulates him on some religious enjoyments, lately received, (in
part, it seems, by his means) when, among others, he has this modest
expression: "If I have been made any way the means of doing you good,
give the whole glory to God; for he has been willing to show that the
power was entirely of himself, since he has been pleased to make use of
so very weak an instrument." In the same letter he admonishes his friend
that he should not be too much surprised, if after having been (as he
expressed it) upon the mount, he should be brought into this valley
again, reminding him that "we live by faith, and not by sensible
assurance," and representing that there are some such full communications
from God as seem almost to swallow up the actings of faith, from whence
they take their rise: "Whereas, when a Christian who walks in darkness,
and sees no light, will yet hang, as it were, on the report of an absent
Jesus, and" (as one expresses it in allusion to the story of Jacob and
Joseph) "can put himself as on the chariot of the promises, to be borne
on to Him whom he sees not; there may be sublimer and more acceptable
actings of a pure and strong faith than in moments which afford the soul
a much more rapturous delight." This is the substance of what he says in
this excellent letter. Some of the phrases made use of might not perhaps
be intelligible to several of my readers, for which reason I do not
exactly transcribe them all; but this is plainly and fully his meaning,
and most of the words are his own. The sentiment is surly very just and
important; and happy would it be for many excellent persons, who,
through wrong notions of the nature of faith, (which was never more
misrepresented than now among some,) are perplexing themselves with
the most groundless doubts and scruples, if it were more generally
understood, admitted, and considered.