"The length of time that people continue at the places of worship, is another important circumstance of the Kentucky revival. At Caneridge, they met on Friday, and continued till Wednesday evening, night and day, without intermission, either in the public or private exercises of devotion; and with such earnestness that heavy showers of rain were not sufficient to disperse them. On other sacramental occasions, they generally continued on the ground until Monday or Tuesday evening; and had not the preachers been exhausted and obliged to retire, or had they chosen to prolong the worship, they might have kept the people any length of time they pleased; and all this was, or might have been done, in a country where, less than twelve months before, the clergy found it difficult to detain the people during the usual exercises of the Sabbath. The practice of encamping on the ground was introduced, partly by necessity, and partly by inclination. The assemblies were generally too large to be received by any common neighborhood. Every thing, indeed, was done, which hospitality and brotherly kindness could do, to accommodate the people. Public and private houses were opened, and free invitations given to all persons who wished to retire. Farmers gave up their meadows, before they were mown, to supply the horses. Yet, notwithstanding all this liberality, it would have been impossible, in many cases, to accommodate the whole assemblies with private lodgings. But besides, the people were unwilling to suffer any interruptions in their devotions, and they formed an attachment to the place where they were continually seeing so many careless sinners receiving their first impressions, and so many Deists constrained to call on the formerly despised

name of Jesus; they conceived a sentiment like what Jacob felt at Bethel 'Surely the Lord is in this place; this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.' The number of persons who have fallen down under serious impressions, in this revival, is another matter worthy of attention; and on this I shall be more particular, as it seems to be the principal cause why this work should be more suspected of enthusiasm than some other revivals. At Caneridge sacrament, it is generally supposed not less than one thousand persons fell prostrate to the ground, among whom were many infidels. At one sacrament which I attended, the number that fell was thought to be more than three hundred. Persons who fall are generally such as have manifested symptoms of the deepest impressions for some time previous to that event. Immediately before they become totally powerless, they are seized with a general tremor, and sometimes, though not often, they utter one or two piercing shrieks in the moment of falling. Persons in this situation are affected in different degrees: sometimes, when unable to stand or sit, they have the use of their hands, and can converse with perfect composure. In other cases, they are unable to speak; the pulse becomes weak, and they draw a difficult breath about once in a minute. In some instances, their extremities become cold, and pulsation, breathing, and all the signs of life, forsake them for nearly an hour. Persons who have been in this situation have uniformly avowed that they felt no bodily pain; that they had the entire use of their reason and reflection; and when recovered, they would relate every thing that had been said or done near them, or which could possibly fall within their

observation. From this it appears that their falling is neither a common fainting, nor a nervous affection. Indeed, this strange phenomenon appears to have taken every possible turn to baffle the conjecture of those who are not willing to consider it a supernatural power. Persons have sometimes fallen on their way from public worship, and sometimes after they had arrived at home; in some cases, when they were pursuing their common business on their farms, or when retired for secret devotion.

"It was observed, generally, that persons were seriously affected for some time previous to their falling. In many cases, however, it is otherwise; numbers of thoughtless sinners have fallen as suddenly as if struck with lightning. Many professed infidels and other vicious characters have been arrested in this way, and sometimes at the very moment when they were uttering blasphemies against the work. At the beginning of the revival in Shelby county, the appearances, as related to me by eye-witnesses, were very surprising indeed. The revival had before this spread, with irresistible power, through the adjacent countries; and many of the pious had attended distant sacraments with great benefit. These were much engaged, and felt unusual freedom in their addresses at the throne of grace, for the outpouring of the divine Spirit, at the approaching sacrament in Shelby.

The peo

"The sacrament came on in September. ple, as usual, met on Friday; but all were languid, and the exercises went on heavily. On Saturday and Sunday morning, it was no better. At length, the communion commenced; every thing was still lifeless. While the minister of the place was speaking at one of the

tables, without any unusual animation, suddenly there were several shrieks from different parts of the assembly; instantly persons fell in every direction, the feelings of the pious were suddenly revived, and the work progressed with extraordinary power till the conclusion of the solemnity.

"This phenomenon of falling is common to all ages, sexes, and characters; and when they fall, they are differently exercised. Some pious people have fallen under a sense of ingratitude and hardness of heart, and others under affecting manifestations of the love and goodness of God; many thoughtless persons under legal convictions, who have obtained comfort before they arose. But perhaps the most numerous class consists of those who fall under distressing views of their guilt, who arise under the same fearful apprehensions, and continue in that state for some days, perhaps weeks, before they receive comfort. I have conversed with many who fell under the influence of comfortable feelings; and the account they gave of their exercises while they lay entranced was very surprising. I know not how to give you a better idea of them, than by saying that in many cases they appear to surpass the dying exercises of Dr. Finley; their minds appeared wholly swallowed up in contemplating the perfections of the Deity, as illustrated in the plan of salvation; and whilst they lay apparently senseless and almost lifeless, their minds were more vigorous, and their memories more retentive and accurate, than they had ever been before. I have heard men of respectability assert that their manifestations of gospel truth were so clear as to require some caution, when they began to speak, lest they should use language which

might induce their hearers to think they had seen those things with bodily eyes; but at the same time, they had seen no image nor sensible representation, nor indeed any thing beside the old truths contained in the Bible. Among those whose minds were filled with the most delightful communications of divine love, I but seldom observed any thing ecstatic. Their expressions were just and rational; they conversed with calmness and 'composure; and on their first recovering their speech, they appeared like persons recovering from a violent disease, which had left them on the borders. of the grave. I have sometimes been present when those who fell under the influence of convictions obtained relief before they arose. In these cases, it was impossible not to observe how strongly the change in their minds was depicted in their countenances. Instead of a face of horror and despair, they assume one open, luminous, and serene, and expressive of all the comfortable feelings of religion. As to those who fall down under legal convictions, and continue in that state, they were not different from those who receive convictions in other revivals, excepting that their distress is more severe. Indeed, extraordinary power is the leading characteristic of this revival; both saints and sinners have more striking discoveries of the realities of another world, than I have ever known on any occasion.

"I trust I have said enough on this subject to enable you to judge how the charge of enthusiasm is applicable to it. Lord Lyttleton, in his letter on the conversion of St. Paul, observes, (I think justly,) that enthusiasm is a vain, self-righteous spirit, swelled with selfsufficiency, and disposed to glory in its religious attainments. If this be a good definition, there has been,