Excerpt from Edwards on Revivals, Containing a Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton, Massachusetts, A. D. 1735: Also, Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England, 1742, and the Way in Which It Ought to Be Acknowledged and Promoted

There has been a great and just complaint for many years among the ministers and churches in Old England, and in New, (except about the time of the late earthquake there, ) that the work of conversion goes on very slowly, that the Spirit of God in his saving influences is much withdrawn from the ministrations of his word, and there are few that receive the report of the gospel, with any eminent success upon their hearts. But as the gospel is the same divine instrument of grace still, as ever it was in the days of the apostles, so our ascended Savior now and then takes a special occasion to manifest the divinity of this gospel by a plentiful efl'usion of his Spirit where it is preached then sinners are turned into saints in numbers, and there is a new face of things spread over a town or country The wilderness and the solitary places are glad, the desert rejoices and blossoms as' the rose and surely concerningthis instance we may add, that they have seen the glory of the Lord there, and the excellency of our God they have seen the outgoings of God 'our King in his sanctuary.

Certainly it becomes us, who profess the religion of Christ, to take notice of such astonishing exercises of his power and mercy, and give him the glory which is due, when he begins to accomplish any of his promises concerning the latter days; and it gives us further encon ragement to pray, and wait, and hape for the like display of his power in the midst of us The hand of God 19 not shortened, thfi it can not save, but we have reason to fear that our iniquities, our coldness in religion, and the general carnality bf our spirits, have raised a wall of separation between God and us: and we may add, the pride and perverse humor of infidelity, degeneracy, and apostasy from the Chris tian faith, which have of late years broken out amongst us, seem to have provoked the Spirit of Christ to absent himself much from our nation. Return, 0 Lord, and visit thy churches, and revive thine own work in the midst of us.

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