A biographal lesson by Ivor Jefferies
In 1740 George Whitefield visited the American Colonies. Under the blessing of God’s Spirit his preaching lead to a powerful revival. Thousands of sinners were brought to their knees under a sense of their own hopelessness and lostness. They could no longer play church. “Instead of that interchange of smiles which lately had pervaded the congregation while the orator was doing his part, now every man feels himself alone in that crowd. Even the preacher himself is almost forgotten; for an immortal guilty spirit has come into the presence of Eternal Justice.” (Iain Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, p. 170).
As the Good News of Christ dawned upon their darkened souls, people began to “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet. 1:8). “Many more began to put on immortality, almost, in the look of their faces…Their looks were all love, adoration, wonder, delight, admiration, humility. In short, it looked to me a resemblance of heaven…Many old Christians told me they had never seen so much of the glory of the Lord, and the riches of his grace, nor felt so much of the power of the gospel before…never been so sensible of the love of God to them…they could not support themselves, many of them, under the weight of it, they were so deeply affected with it. Had not Christ put underneath his everlasting arms for their support, I know not but many would have expired under the weight of divine benefits.” (Murray, New Biography, p. 174).
A bag of gold would be safe in the streets, since stealing, drunkenness, immorality, swearing, sabbath-breaking, and other sins became a thing of the past. The Lord’s Day was spent spiritually and with reverence as people desired to seek and know the Living God. Whitefield’s contemporary, Jonathan Edwards, expected an even greater revival. He believed that the Scriptures predict a glorious age in the future, and thus he called upon the church to unite in prayer for those promised times. He wrote, “A time shall come wherein...true Christianity shall in every respect be uppermost in the world… A time of great and universal joy, we are taught to expect, will take place through all the earth, when ‘from the utmost ends of the earth shall be heard songs, even glory to the righteous,’ and God’s people, ‘shall with joy draw water out of the wells of salvation.’ ” (Jonathan Edwards, Works 2:287-288).
As we look at the world around us, do we expect that God could do this in our day? Unless you believe this “I may say to you as Paul did Agrippa, ‘Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?’ Acts 26.8. Why should it be thought an incredible thing that there should be a resurrection of religion?” (John Howe quoted in Iain Murray, The Puritan Hope, 1971, p. 253).