The GOSPEL TRUTH

A HISTORY OF AMERICAN REVIVALS

by

Frank G. Beardsley PH.D, S.T.D.

1912

Chapter 12

 

THE GREAT REVIVAL OF 1857.

 

The Great Revival of 1857-1858 was preceded by a combination of circumstances, which from a purely human standpoint would have been regarded as an unfavorable preparation for an extensive religious awakening. A consideration of these circumstances is necessary to an understanding of the providential character of this remarkable work of grace. 

It was a time of intense political excitement. Already were heard the distant mutterings of that fearful storm which, in all its direful fury, was destined to burst over this fair land of ours, visiting north and south alike with the desolations of an internecine war. As early as the Presidency of Andrew Jackson, the slavery question had begun to assume proportions of national importance. The rapid march of events ó the founding of the "Liberator" by William Lloyd Garrison, the assassination of Lovejoy, the work of Wendell Phillips and his coadjutors, the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, the publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the Kansas-Missouri warfare, and the Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court -- had served to keep the slavery question before the minds of the people, so that by the autumn of 1857 public feeling was at fever heat upon the subject. 

It was a time of spiritual declension. From 1840 to 1845 much excitement was aroused in various parts of the country on account of the views propagated by William Miller and others in sympathy with him concerning the second advent of our Saviour and the end of the world. From a study of Daniel and the Book of the Revelation, April 23, 1843, was the date agreed upon for our Lord's appearing. As the time drew near the excitement in numerous portions of the land became intense. Great meetings were held and extensive preparations were made for the coming of the Lord. Ascension robes were prepared. Multitudes, neglected their work, and many who were rich generously sold their goods and gave to the poor. The day arrived, but it brought with it no remarkable phenomena. Nothing daunted, the leaders of the movement concluded that the time of the advent was to be March 22, 1844, and their deluded followers again made ready for the coming of the Son of man. "The specified day came, as calm and bright a harbinger of spring as ever shone upon the earth. The Son of man did not appear in the clouds of heaven." Other dates were set, but the results were equally disappointing. Finally the confidence of the public became shaken and the excitement was at an end. The faith of many was staggered, not a few became infidels, others passed over to materialistic views, while those who returned to the churches were for a time unfitted for Christian service. As a consequence public confidence in religion became impaired, and churches were made the subject of ridicule and abuse. Revivals were few. From 1843 to 1857, there were several years during which the accessions to the churches scarcely equalled the losses sustained by death and discipline. 

The Great Revival, moreover, was preceded by a period of financial and commercial prosperity unprecedented in the history of our country. The discovery of gold in California, the accessions of territory by conquest in the Mexican War, the opening up for settlement of vast tracts of arable land throughout the west and northwest stimulated trade and immigration. A great impetus was given to the latter by the famine in Ireland and the revolutions which had taken place in nearly every European state. Multitudes flocked to this country, drawn hither by the promise of cheap and fertile lands. Thus the great west became peopled and developed. Cities, territories and states grow up in rapid succession. Population increased at an enormous ratio. Railroad building almost assumed the form of a craze. Within a few years the railroad mileage of the country increased fourfold. Speculation was rife. Gigantic schemes were proposed for the internal improvement of the country and projects for speedy enrichment multiplied on every hand. Thus it was that the "cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other, things" so preoccupied the minds of men that they became utterly indifferent to the claims of religion. These conditions, however, were suddenly reversed. In the autumn of 1857 the country was visited with a severe financial panic, caused by excessive railroad building, over-speculation and a wildcat currency system. Each state regulated its own banking system. Some of the banks were good, others were not, and as they issued their own notes in accordance with the respective state laws, the country became flooded with bank-notes of uncertain value. Speculation in land was bolstered up by means of mortgages. A crash was inevitable. When it came, merchants by the thousands all over the country were forced to the wall, banks failed, and railroads went into bankruptcy. The financial ruin of the country seemed complete. Interest on first-class securities rose to 3%, 4%, and even 5% a month. Upon ordinary securities no money was obtainable. Specie payments were suspended. Manufactories were shut down and vast multitudes were thrown out of employment. In New York City alone thirty thousand lost employment on account of these stringent conditions. All classes were confronted by hard times. In the midst of these disasters men had time to think, and when ruin stared them in the face they could find refuge in God. 

It must not be supposed, however, that the financial panic of 1857 was a cause of the Great Revival. Adversity does not always drive men to God. "In the year 1837 there was a commercial revulsion, quite as widespread and unexpected as that of 1857, and ten-fold more disastrous; yet there was no unusual turning to religion, no mighty movement of the popular mind, no upheaving of the foundations."*

* Chambers' Noon Prayer Meetings p. 284. 

Notwithstanding these unfavorable conditions a revival commenced, which was so unpretentious in its origin, but so mighty in its influence and results as to be the undoubted work of God. If ever a season of grace was providential in its inception, pre-eminently so was the Revival of 1857-1858. The down-town church problem was then a pressing one in many of the churches in New York City. The increasing demands of trade made heavy encroachments upon the early residence section of the city. "Streets once filled with the families of substantial and opulent citizens were invaded by shops and warehouses, and in a short time entire rows of houses, which formerly had served their occupants at once for a place of business and a dwelling, were replaced by stately blocks adapted solely to business purposes." There seemed to be no diminution of population in these down-town districts, but now it was composed of a large foreign element and consisted chiefly of the submerged classes who apparently were beyond the reach of religious influences. Consequently church attendance decreased, at an alarming ratio, and became scarcely a tithe of what it had been in former days. In view of these circumstances the Brick Presbyterian Church and the Broadway Tabernacle had been forced to move to more inviting districts. A similar situation confronted the old North Dutch Church located at the corner of Fulton and William Streets. For many years it had served a purpose of eminent usefulness, but at the time of which we write it was suffering a state of decline. Instead of removing to some other portion of the city the church decided to secure the services of a lay missionary, and if possible reach the unchurched masses which had gathered about it. Mr. Jeremiah C. Lanphier was employed for this purpose. He was born at Coxsackie, N. Y., in 1809, and for a period of more than twenty years had been engaged in mercantile business in New York City. In 1842 he had made a public profession of religion and had united with the Broadway Tabernacle. Later he became affiliated with the Brick Presbyterian Church, of which he was a member when he entered the service of the North Dutch Church as a lay-missionary. An eastern journal of the period described him as "tall, with a pleasant face, an affectionate manner, and indomitable energy and perseverance; a good singer, gifted in prayer and exhortation, a welcome guest to any house, shrewd and endowed with much tact and common sense." Relinquishing at once his secular affairs, Mr. Lanphier entered heartily upon the duties of his new position July 1, 1857. 

It was his first effort to reach the unchurched masses in that section of the city. The field was divided up into districts into which Mr. Lanphier went, calling upon every family and where it was possible upon every individual. A neat folder, commending the lay-missionary, giving a brief history of the church and containing a description of its services, was placed in the hands of those visited. Bibles and tracts were distributed, and by the employment of all justifiable means, the missionary sought to attract the masses to the church and to their Saviour. Especial attention was devoted to the hotels and boarding-houses in the vicinity. Pews were set apart for the use of such; the proprietors were informed that they and their guests would be welcome at the services, notices of which were displayed in these places, and small cards bearing announcements of the same were put into the hands of the chambermaids for distribution among the guests on the Sabbath day. 

Amid the difficulties and discouragements which Mr. Lanphier met, he found comfort and strength in prayer. It occurred to him that it might be profitable for others, especially those engaged in business pursuits, to retire from their activities for a brief communion with God. The noon hour seemed the most feasible one, and by making the services sufficiently varied in character, with the understanding that persons might come or go at pleasure, it was thought that such a service might prove to be a source of helpfulness to all who could attend. 

At twelve o'clock on Wednesday, September 23, 1857, the room on the third floor of the Consistory Building, in the rear of the North Dutch Church on Fulton Street, was opened for a noon prayer meeting. In his missionary visits Mr. Lanphier had announced the fact of such a meeting. Hand-bills were also liberally distributed in hotels, shops, factories, mercantile establishments, counting-rooms, and private residences in the neighborhood. At the appointed hour, Mr. Lanphier was the only one present. Thirty minutes slowly passed away, when finally the first attendant appeared. Others came in one by one until the whole gathering numbered six persons. Wednesday, September 30, at the second meeting, twenty persons were present. The week following, on October 7, the number had increased to forty. It was not the original purpose to conduct these meetings daily, but on Wednesday only of each week. Between the second and third meetings, after due consideration, it seemed advisable to make the meeting semi-weekly or daily. Strange to say the purpose of so doing was anticipated at the third meeting itself, when a proposition was made and carried to have the services daily. 

During the weeks that followed, the increase in attendance was slow but sure. Men of all classes and conditions attended the service. Capitalists and laborers, manufacturers and artisans, professional men, merchants and clerks, butchers and bakers, men from every walk in life were represented from day to day. Draymen would drive up to the curb stone and securing their teams, would enter the service long enough for the singing of a hymn or a season of prayer, and then be off to their work. At first the attendance was composed of men, but gradually the gentler sex began to drop in one by one until a fair proportion of the attendants were women. 

By the middle of January, the attendance had increased until all three of the lecture rooms in the Consistory Building were filled to overflowing, and simultaneous meetings under different leaders were there conducted. 

As the interest increased other places were opened for prayer throughout the city and Brooklyn, where a daily prayer meeting had been instituted at Plymouth Church, nearly if not quite simultaneously with the Fulton Street meeting. By spring more than twenty different prayer meetings had been established in New York City alone. Some of the largest churches in the city were filled to Overflowing, multitudes crowded into the Free Academy, and the fire and police departments opened their doors for the service of prayer. Merchants opened rooms in their stores where their clerks could meet at stated times for communion with God. In addition to the noon prayer meetings, similar gatherings were held at nearly all hours of the day to accommodate the convenience of every one. 

Not only were these prayer meetings held in different parts of the city, but preaching services at unwonted times and in unaccustomed places were conducted to further the interests of this great revival. Burton's Theater, on Chambers Street, in the very center of New York's commercial activity, was employed for this purpose. Here the thronging multitudes listened to the stirring sermons and ringing appeals of Henry Ward Beecher, Theodore L. Cuyler, Robert M. Hatfield, and other eminent divines of the day. Everywhere religion seemed to be the common topic of conversation. An unwonted activity manifested itself in all the churches of the metropolis. Clergy and laity alike seemed to be engaged in the all-important task of enforcing the claims of religion and placing before men the duty of repentance and the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ. 

The publicity given to the movement in the public press was an efficient means in promoting the revival. Reporters were detailed to narrate the progress of the meetings. Startling headlines called the attention of the public to the latest "Revival News" of the day, and for the time being, criminal trials, politics, causalities, etc., were overshadowed by the remarkable religious interest which had been awakened. At one time the New York dailies published several extras filled with accounts of the progress of the work in various parts of the land. For such a movement could not long remain local. On the wings of lightning the revival spirit spread to the various cities throughout the Northern States, and "daily union prayer meetings" were at once established to promote the interests of religion and reach the hearts of men. Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Albany, Boston, Cincinnati, and Chicago, soon were brought under the influence of the Great Revival. 

Philadelphia was one of the first cities to be reached by the revival movement. The winter preceding. Rev. James Caughey, the eminent Methodist revivalist, conducted a notable series of meetings in the city, during the progress of which some five hundred persons or more were converted. This served no doubt as a gracious preparation, but the revival itself was a direct result of the work in New York City. A young member of the Philadelphia Young Men's Christian Association had attended some of the early meetings at Fulton Street, and thinking that a similar service might be of profit in his own city, he broached the subject to some of his fellow members in the Association. The proposition met with favor, and on November 23, 1857, a noon prayer meeting was inaugurated at the Union Methodist Episcopal Church. The attendance was at first discouraging, never exceeding thirty-six. At length it was thought best to secure a room more centrally located, and the anteroom of Jayne's Hall was engaged for that purpose, early in February, 1858. Little by little the interest and the attendance increased until it became necessary to hold the service in the large hall. Within an incredible space of time the seats and galleries were filled to overflowing. For weeks there was an attendance of three thousand daily at the Jayne's Hall meeting. Similar meetings were instituted at the Handel and Hayden Hall, American Mechanic's, and various other places throughout the city. Daily preaching services were sustained and a special prayer meeting was established for the firemen of the city. Early in May a big tent was purchased at a cost of two thousand dollars, and during the four months that it was pitched in the city it had an aggregate attendance of more than one hundred and fifty thousand persons. The spirit of prayer seemed to pervade the city, and as a result of the various services, it was estimated that ten thousand persons had been converted during the year, one denomination alone receiving three thousand accessions and another eighteen hundred. At Boston, where Charles G. Finney was laboring, a daily business men's prayer meeting was instituted at the Old South Church, but from the very first the place was too strait for them and numerous other daily prayer meetings were established throughout the city. Ladies' meetings were conducted daily by Mrs. Finney in the vestry of the Park Street Church. The whole city was moved and the revival became so general that it was impossible to make an estimate of the number of conversions that would approximate the truth. Unitarians and orthodox alike became interested and attended the various meetings in large numbers. 

In Chicago, the Metropolitan Theater was daily crowded with two thousand attendants and upwards, while various churches opened their doors for the service of prayer. Thus the revival went on, extending from city to city and from state to state, increasing in momentum and power as the months passed by. 

Besides the influence of the noon prayer meeting there were other forces at work for the promotion of the revival. In the late autumn of 1857 a revival convention was called at Pittsburg, which was largely attended by ministers and influential laymen. Such topics were discussed as the obstacles in the way of revivals, the means of promoting them, the encouragements to seek them. A ringing appeal to the churches was formulated with the request that it be read from the various pulpits. It was recommended that the official members of churches meet and discuss such topics as had received consideration at the convention, and that plans be adopted for systematic visitation, in order to effect a general revival. Accordingly the first Sabbath in January, 1858, was observed by many Presbyterian and other pastors in preaching upon the necessity for a revival, and the following Thursday was set apart as a day of humiliation and prayer. Soon after the Pittsburg convention, a similar gathering assembled at Cincinnati with the same object in view. The influence of these conventions was highly beneficial and an added impetus was given to revivals throughout the country. 

Not only did the great cities feel the throbbings of this mighty movement, but there was scarcely a village, or hamlet, or community throughout the Northern States that was not visited with showers of refreshing grace. A divine influence seemed to pervade the land. The minds of men were wonderfully moved and their hearts were strangely softened. Those who were unaccustomed to pray or attend divine worship became deeply interested' and could be reached with little difficulty. It was said that there were towns in New England where scarcely an unconverted person remained. In one of Mr. Finney's Boston meetings a gentleman arose and said, "I am from Omaha, in Nebraska. On my journey East I have found a continuous prayer meeting all the way. We call it two thousand miles from Omaha to Boston; and here was a prayer meeting about two thousand miles in extent." 

One section of the country alone was not powerfully affected by this revival. Slavery seemed to rest like a great pall upon the Southern States and apparently prevented this divine visitation from extending thither to any remarkable degree. The contentions about the "peculiar institution" were so numerous, and the public mind seemed to be so occupied with questions relating thereto that the operations of the Holy Spirit were shut out and no great results were realized. 

If the South did not profit to any great extent in this movement, its influence was felt abroad. There can be no question that the great revival, which visited Ireland in 1859, and extended to England and Scotland, received its impulse in part from the revival in America. By steamer and packet, in letter and tract and newspaper, the tidings were carried until a general expectancy and desire were awakened on the part of the British public for a similar, visitation on that side of the water. Moreover in 1858 the Fulton Street prayer meeting was visited by a delegation from the Presbyterian Synod of Ireland for the purpose of studying this remarkable movement that the way might thereby be prepared for a work of grace among their own countrymen. The following year a great revival, resembling in many respects the one in America, swept over the British Isles, producing similar results for good. 

The characteristics of the Great Revival were such as to make it absolutely unique. It stands apart both in its method and its aims from every other great awakening. There were no efforts to get up a revival or to arouse great public interest upon the subject. None of the elaborate machinery of modern revivals was made use of. There was no concerted action and there seemed little likelihood that the principal means used should produce results of unusual magnitude. From its very inception this revival was the work of God. A humble layman, an ordinary man, who was laboring for the spiritual welfare of others, cried out in his supplications: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and a business men's prayer meeting at the noon-tide hour was the result. An inopportune time, some would have said, but it became a source of blessing to thousand3 and tens of thousands. Its influence was felt throughout this broad land of ours, and tidings thereof were wafted abroad to other shores to inspire men in lands afar with hope and faith that God would bless them and pour out his Spirit for the salvation of the people. 

Providential in its origin, it was providential in its continuance. Bishop Mcllvaine, in his annual address before the Diocesan Convention of Ohio, said: "As for myself, I desire to say that I have no doubt 'whence it cometh.' So far as I have had personal opportunities of observing its means, and spirit, and fruits; so far as I have had opportunity of gathering information about it, from judicious minds, in various parts of my own Diocese, and of the country at large, I rejoice in the decided conviction that it is 'the Lord's doing;' unaccountable by any natural causes, entirely above and beyond what any human device or power could produce; an outpouring of the Spirit of God upon God's people, quickening them to greater earnestness in his service; and upon the unconverted, to make them new creatures in Christ Jesus." 

This divine visitation, providential in its character, was emphatically a lay revival. There was no evangelist of national reputation, no minister, however influential, to whom credit could be given for this mighty work of grace, even as the indirect instrument of its accomplishment. The revival was carried on independently of the ministry and almost without their aid. The ministry were not ignored, nor was there in any sense an opposition to them. They carried on their regular services, but to greatly increased congregations, which were the immediate fruits of the revival, and by their preaching and prayers they gave encouragement to the work and co-operated in it. The laity were especially active. The movement commenced with the efforts of a layman, it enlisted the sympathies and energies of other laymen throughout the country and was carried on chiefly through their instrumentality. 

The methods employed for the furtherance of this work were the distribution of tracts, personal work, and th6 daily union prayer meetings. In some instances, as at Burton's Theater, New York, and elsewhere, preaching was employed to promote the revival after it had commenced, but this was exceptional and in most cases there was but little preaching aside from that of the regular Sabbath services. The principal means relied upon were the daily union prayer meetings. Said Finney: "There was such a general confidence in the prevalence of prayer, that the people very extensively seemed to prefer meetings for prayer to meetings for preaching. The general impression seemed to be, "We have had instruction until we are hardened; it is time for us to pray. The answers to prayer were constant, and so striking as to arrest the attention of the people generally throughout the land. It was evident that in answer to prayer the windows of heaven were opened and the Spirit of God poured out like a flood."*

* Autobiography, p. 444. 

The purpose of the original noon prayer meeting on Fulton Street was not the conversion of sinners. It was designed for those engaged in the active pursuits of life, that, in the midst of their cares and activities, they might withdraw their minds from their duties and perplexities and find spiritual refreshment in a brief communion with God. In the first instance it was simply a revival of prayer. Men came together to pray and wait before the Lord. It was but natural for men who pray to work and put forth efforts for the conversion of their fellows. However much we may expatiate upon the innate selfishness of men, it is none the less true that on great occasions, at unusual crises, there is a higher, nobler altruistic instinct which manifests itself in active endeavors for the welfare of others. As the interest at the Fulton Street meeting deepened, it proved no exception to this general rule. Requests for prayer, either on the part of unconverted persons themselves or in their behalf on the part of interested friends, soon began to multiply, and as the work went on these requests became more importunate and more earnest. To pray and not to work was impossible. As men prayed for others they manifested an unwonted activity in their behalf. They dealt personally with the unconverted. They invited them to the meetings. They distributed handbills and tracts. Time and effort were expended to further the interests of the revival. But underlying the use of all external means and agencies was the predominating spirit of prayer. The recorded instances of answered prayer were remarkable and volumes have been written upon the subject. Throughout this work of grace the daily union prayer meetings continued to be the principal means for its promotion. 

A contemporary description of one of these prayer meetings, that at Philadelphia, will afford some idea of the chief means employed for the furtherance of this mighty revival: "There is no noise, no confusion. A layman conducts the meeting. Any suitable person may pray or speak to the audience for -five minutes only. If he does not bring his prayer to a close in that time, a bell is touched and he gives way. One or two verses of the most spiritual hymns go up, 'like the sound of many waters;' requests for prayer for individuals are then made, one layman or minister succeeds another in perfect order and quiet, and after a space which seems a few minutes -- so strange, so absorbing, so interesting is the scene -- the leader announces that it is one o'clock, and punctual to the moment a minister pronounces the benediction, and the immense audience slowly, quietly and in perfect order, pass from the hall! Some minister remaining to converse in a small room off the platform with any who may desire spiritual instruction."*

*The Noon Prayer Meeting, p. 273.

There was nothing about this revival which led to flagrant evils or violent abuses. There were none of the exciting agitations or lamentable disorders, which had characterized some of the earlier American revivals, particularly the Great Awakening. Excitements there were to be sure, but not of an unhealthy character. The excitement, or more properly the deep interest, of the Revival of 1857 was brought about by the publicity given to the movement through the columns of the public, press and in topics of conversation, all of which had a tendency to draw the attention of the unconverted, with a compelling force, to a consideration of the concerns of the soul. Revivals have been compared to spring freshets, but this revival could be compared more appropriately to a May shower, gentle in its influence, but refreshing and far-reaching in its consequences. Imperceptibly almost the revival commenced, gradually it increased in interest and power until the whole nation and even foreign lands had felt its gracious influence. It did not subside with any unfavorable reaction or as the result of an unhealthy excitement. It reached the height of its influence and then quietly, almost imperceptibly it waned, leaving the churches and communities which it had visited more spiritual, stronger in their influence for good, and richer in countless ways, having a more abiding confidence in God who reigns above, and with a more hopeful view for the ultimate conversion of the world. 

In every great awakening there is a tendency to exalt the means employed above the instrument who makes use of such means. Such a tendency appeared in this revival. There was a disposition on the part of some to overlook the sovereign workings of the Lord and to attribute the results to the daily union prayer meetings, to the zeal of the laity and their active endeavors for the salvation of men. The story is told of one who said that in his estimation "the great power of the church for the salvation of souls, now, consisted in the union prayer meetings and the union Sunday School." Another expressed the opinion that the "Young Men's Christian Association had come to take religion out of the church and ventilate it." Such views, if persisted in, might have wrought incalculable injury to the cause of Christ, but they were wisely discountenanced, so that the revival came, exerted its powerful and far-reaching influence, and quietly passed away, without having been impaired, by any appreciable ill-effects. Four notable results mark the achievements of the Great Revival. First, The number added to the Churches. Speaking in his diocesan address of the extent of the revival, Bishop McIlvaine said: "There have been, in the American churches, revivals as pure and simple, and in their sphere as effective for good. But we read of none of such extent; reaching at the same time so many people; scattered over such a length and breadth of territory; appearing in so many denominations of Christians, of widely separated ecclesiastical institutions; leavening so many colleges and other institutions of education; so penetrating with one and the same influence all gradations of society, from the most cultivated to the most unlettered; in cities and villages, in the counting-house of the merchant, in the work-shop of the mechanic, in factories, in printing-offices, among classes of persons usually regarded as peculiarly removed from and fenced against the influence of gospel truth. How can we witness all this, and not see the hand of God and take courage, and desire and pray for more and more of such manifestations of his grace?"

There was scarcely a religious denomination which did not share in the gracious fruits of this revival. Various estimates of the number converted range from three hundred thousand to one million persons. It is impossible to estimate with accuracy the numerical results, but an innumerable host whom no man can number were converted, most of whom united with some branch of the church of Christ. In the city of Philadelphia alone there were ten thousand conversions. For a period of six to eight weeks, when the revival was at its height, it was estimated that fifty thousand persons were converted weekly throughout the country, and as the revival lasted for more than a year it becomes evident that the sum total of conversions reaches a figure that is enormous. Conservative Judges have placed the number of converts at five hundred thousand, and this estimate in all probability is approximately correct. 

A second result of the Revival was the Organization of the Laity for aggressive service. Formerly the idea had found wide acceptance that the work of the church was to be done by the pastor in conjunction with his church officiary. In this respect the influence of the revival was quite revolutionary, but it was a wholesome revolution which tended to magnify the usefulness of the church many-fold and make it a more effective agency for good. The laity were aroused as to the possibilities of their usefulness. Having witnessed the fruits of their labors in this movement laymen came to realize that they had a part, and by no means an unimportant part, in the extension of Christ's kingdom. An awakened laity infused new energy and new life into the various activities of the church. Their energies became enlisted to a greater extent in all phases of Christian work and now found expression in the Young Men's Christian Association, the Sunday School, City Missionary organizations, and kindred forms of activity. 

The revival, moreover, served as a great training school for laymen, and brought to light of such men as D. L. Moody, who has left a lasting impress upon the history of American Christianity, and whose life and public services will receive ample consideration at its appropriate place in this narrative. 

One of the great lessons which this revival was calculated to teach was that the work of the church was not committed to the clergy alone nor to the laity, but that both have their appropriate sphere in the church and by their mutual co-operation the largest results are accomplished and the greatest usefulness of the church is conserved. 

A third result of the Revival was the Promotion of Interdenominational Fellowship. Hitherto the various denominations had viewed one another with feelings of mutual suspicion and distrust. But in this work of refreshing there was no room for sectarian strife or jealousy. Arminian and Calvinist, Baptist and Paedo-Baptist, Congregationalist and Episcopalian, the Methodist in his glowing zeal and the Friend in his quiet conservatism, all had been blessed. Sharing thus in the fruits of the revival, they could not but magnify the things which they held in common, in contrast to the differences which kept them apart. 

The fourth result of the Revival was a Providential Preparation for the Civil War. As the Great Awakening enabled the feeble colonies ï to pass through the baptismal fires of the American Revolution and preserved the religious institutions of the country from complete impairment in that struggle, so the Great Revival of 1857-1858 served to prepare the people and sustain them in the fearful cataclysm which swept over our country in th6 early sixties and threatened to blast forever our free institutions. It is interesting to raise the question how this nation could have passed through the dark and trying times of war had it not been preceded by the "most extraordinary and widespread revival ever known on this continent." It was the religious influences generated by this revival which served to give strength to the wearied soldier on his long forced marches; which inspired him with courage amid the perils and carnage of battle; which brought comfort and support to the sufferer in the hospital or the gruesome prison-pen; and which gave dying peace to many a youth who sacrificed life upon the altar of his country. 

The revival nerved and fortified the church, for this fearful struggle. The church sent forth her sons to the conflict, and while she gave much, ofttimes her all, yet as the war progressed, there was no diminution in her zeal. Her resources seemed to be inexhaustible. Instead of retrenching in her missionary gifts and activities, notwithstanding a depreciating currency, the power of the church to give seemed only to be multiplied, while her activities during the long struggle suffered no serious impairment.

 

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