Stedman and Hutchinson, comps. A Library of American Literature:
An Anthology in Eleven Volumes. 1891.
Vols. IX–XI: Literature of the Republic, Part IV., 1861–1889
Some Oddities of Belief
By Charles Chauncy (17051787)T
Agreeable whereto is the account we have printed in the Boston Post-Boy; in which the writer, speaking of the itinerant preachers, among other things, observes: “Their main design in preaching seems not so much to inform men’s judgments, as to terrify and affright their imagination; by awful words and frightful representations to set the congregation into hideous shrieks and out-cries. And to this end in every place where they come, they represent that God is doing extraordinary things in other places, and that they are some of the last hardened wretches that stand out; that this is the last call that ever they are likely to have; that they are now hanging over the pit of destruction, and just ready this moment to fall into it; that hell-fire now flashes in their faces; and that the devil now stands ready to seize upon them, and carry them to hell: and they will oftentimes repeat the awful words, ‘damned!’ ‘damned!’ ‘damned!’ three or four times over.”
It is well known, no preacher in the new way has been more noted for his instrumentality in producing these shriekings and faintings and tremblings, than the Rev. Mr. James Davenport of Southhold; and yet, one of the ministers of this town (who has always been a great friend to that which he esteemed the good work of God going on in the land) having been, one night, a witness to this inexpressible management among the people, and the terrible effects consequent thereupon in their screaming and crying out, and the like, thought himself obliged in conscience to go to him the next day, and declare against such a method of acting: And accordingly went, and told him to his face (as he himself informed me) that in the appearance of the last night, he was persuaded, there was no hand of the spirit of God; and that it was no other than might have been expected, if a man raving mad from Bedlam had gone among the people, and behaved as he had done. And one of the charges exhibited and proved against this Mr. Davenpart, when brought before the General Assembly of Connecticut, was, “That he endeavored by unwarrantable means to terrify, and affect his hearers.” And that,
1. “By pretending some extraordinary discovery and assurance of the very near approach of the end of the world; and that though he did not assign the very day, yet that he then lately had it clearly opened to him and strongly impressed upon his mind, that in a very short time all these things would be involved in devouring flames.” (N. B. This same impression, he told the people at Boston, he had lately had upon his mind, and was as sure the day of judgment was at the door, as of the things he then saw with his eyes; and made use of this accordingly, as an argument to work upon their passions.)
2. “By an indecent and affected imitation of the agony and passion of our blessed Saviour; and also by voice and gesture, of the surprise, horror, and amazement, of persons supposed to be sentenced to eternal misery, and,
3. “By a too peremptory and unconditioned denouncing damnation against such of his auditory, as he looked upon as opposers; vehemently crying out, that he saw hell-flames flashing in their faces, and they were now! now! dropping down to hell! And also added, Lord thou knowest, that there are many in that gallery, and in these seats, that are now dropping down to hell!”
An account of Mr. Davenport’s preaching, not altogether unlike this, a gentleman in Connecticut wrote to one of the ministers in this town, upon his own knowledge, in these words: “At length he turned his discourse to others, and with the utmost strength of his lungs addressed himself to the congregation, under these and such like expressions, viz.: ‘You poor unconverted creatures, in the seats, in the pews, in the galleries, I wonder you don’t drop into hell! It would not surprise me, I should not wonder at it, if I should see you drop down now, this minute, into hell. You Pharisees, hypocrites, now, now, now, you are going right into the bottom of hell. I wonder you don’t drop into hell by scores, and hundreds,’ etc. And in this terrible manner he ended the sermon.” ’Tis then added: “After a short prayer, he called for all the distressed persons (which were near twenty) into the foremost seats. Then he came out of the pulpit, and stripped off his upper garments, and got up into the seats, and leaped up and down for some time, and clapped his hands, and cried out in those words: ‘The war goes on, the fight goes on, the devil goes down, the devil goes down!’ and then betook himself to stamping and screaming most dreadfully.”
And what is it more than might be expected, to see people so affrightened as to fall into shrieks and fits, under such methods as these? Especially when they have first been possessed of the notion that the persons who make use of them are men of God in an extraordinary sense; as being sent immediately, as it were, to deliver his messages to them. The mind is now prepared to receive almost any impression from this kind of persons; and it is no wonder if, by their terrifying voice and action, people are thrown into agitations and convulsions.
I doubt not but the Divine Spirit often accompanies the preached Word, so as that, by his influence, sinners are awakened to a sense of sin, and filled with deep distress of soul. But the blessed Spirit must not, at random, be made the author of all those surprises, operating in strange effects upon the body, which may be seen among people. They may be produced other ways; yea, I trust, that has been already said, which makes it evident they have actually been produced, even by the wild and extravagant conduct of some overheated preachers.