Background to the Revival
Samuel Buell (1716-1798) was a Presbyterian minister born in Coventry, Connecticut. Following his graduation from Yale, and during the time of the First Great Awakening (1730s-1740s), he became acquainted with the likes of David Brainerd and Jonathan Edwards.
At the start of the First Great Awakening, in Northampton, Massachusetts, Buell, at 26 years old, is found to have had a powerful impact upon that community. During his visit to Northampton, Jonathan Edwards, the spark behind the revival in that location, said of Buell’s visit:
About the beginning of February, 1741 Mr. Buell came to this town… Mr. Buell preached, from day to day, almost every day, in the meeting-house…, the people continually thronging him. There were very extraordinary effects of Mr. Buell’s labors; the people were exceedingly moved, crying-out, in great numbers, in the meeting-house, and great part of the congregation commonly staying in the house of God for hours after the public service. Many, also, were exceedingly moved in private meetings where Mr. Buell was; and almost the whole town seemed to be in a great and continual commotion, day and night: and there was, indeed a very great revival of religion.
Sarah Edwards
At this same time Samuel Buell was present when Jonathan Edwards’ wife, Sarah, had a divine encounter that lasted at least 14 days. She described that experience as “transports of joy” or a “foretaste of heavenly glory.” That account can be read here.
Buell Accepts Pastoral Position at First Presbyterian Church in East Hampton, New York
On September 19, 1746, Buell accepted the invitation from the church in East Hampton to become their pastor. Though the power of the Holy Spirit had worked powerfully though him in other locations, at this pastorate, during the first years of his ministry there, there were no “special influences” of the Holy Spirit.
Three Revivals at East Hampton
During Buell’s 52 years as pastor in East Hampton, there were three seasons in which there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit: 1764, 1785, and 1791. The 1764 outpouring was the most profound visitation of the Holy Spirit, and that is what is being reported on in this account.
Samuel Buell
Being strict Calvinists, and not believing a person could know if they were truly converted, Buell and other Presbyterians of that era hesitated to use the term “converted,” so there were no conversion numbers recorded. Some of the phrases used by Presbyterians of that day, in reference to new converts, were:
► Hopeful subjects of salvation
► Hopeful subjects of new life
► Subjects of the gospel’s hope
► Hopefully converted
► Entertaining hopes of salvation
► Hopeful subjects of the saving grace of God
► There is hope that they were translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
Though conversion numbers were not recorded, those who joined the church were, and Buell indicated that during the 1764 Revival, there were not less than 125 who became members of the Presbyterian Church of East Hampton.
Extraordinary Prayer
At the beginning of 1764 there was an awareness that God was getting ready to do something different. To prepare, some of the congregation “became wrestling Jacobs for the divine influences.” That is, they were wrestling in prayer for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
This anticipation and heightened faith led to:
► An increase in attendance during worship services.
► Enhanced attention to the preaching of the Word of God.
► Believers were experiencing a renewed freshness in their relationship with God.
► Conviction of sin was being felt by those who had not yet been converted.
The Start to the Revival
It was on Sunday, March 18, 1764, that a remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred. Buell described what transpired with these words:
Upon this day the spirit of prayer for the divine influences, seemed to be poured forth as in a kind of celestial torrent. Some awakened sinners had their convictions increased, and some others were influenced to attend more seriously than ever before, to their eternal concernments.
Even with that level of visitation, Buell described that Sunday as a “preparatory day,” for something more powerful that was to occur the following day, Monday, March 19, when “the Lord began to carry on his work with astonishing power and glory.”
On March 19, while in a home, Buell was giving counsel to a young person who was experiencing severe conviction of sin. That person told Buell that they hadn’t attended church the day before because they felt their conviction was so powerful that if they went the preaching of the Word would have so overwhelmed them that they would have “cried out” during the service and disturbed the others that were present.
At that time, the home they were meeting in became filled with around 100 people, most of whom were severely concerned about the state of their eternal souls.
Buell spent several hours praying and exhorting them, and then he relates what occurred next:
The Lord was pleased at this time, to bow the Heavens and come down by an effusion [unrestrained pouring forth] of the Blessed Spirit, in a most plentiful and surprizing manner! The house seemed full of the presence of God; and almost all present appeared somehow awed and influenced thereby. I now heard many sinners making the most mournful declarations of their exceeding sinfulness before God, and of their infinite danger of eternal damnation! Some uttered their cries after the manner of the apostle Peter’s hearers, “What shall we do?” The intreaties of some were like the poor publican, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
The conviction of some was so intense that they felt as if their eternal damnation had already begun. There were up to 40 people who felt this severe guilt and were seeking to know how to be saved.
News Spread Like Fire
That evening and the next morning, the news of that outpouring spread rapidly through the town, and as the report was heard by the unconverted, it overwhelmed them with a powerful conviction of their sins.
This news brought people from throughout the town to Buell’s home, and he said that his house was:
Thronged with distressed law-condemned, gospel-condemned, conscious-condemned sinners. Indeed, our houses all over town now began to have persons in them of this character.
As this news kept spreading, people from throughout the town, and even from villages outside the town, assembled at the church on that day. Buell then preached a sermon, and:
Every eye that was not overwhelmed in tears, appeared fixed upon the speaker, and every ear chained to the things spoken.
After he concluded the sermon, and blessed the people in a dismissal, nobody moved. They all remained, “unwilling to leave the house of God.” Buell then prayed again, gave an exhortation, and suddenly:
There was a most marvellous effusion [outpouring] of the Holy Spirit upon the people in all parts of the church. People in general continued in the house of God till nine o’clock in the evening. Many sinners were brought under powerful convictions; others had their concern increased… Many of the Lord’s people appeared to have amazing manifestations of divine glory, and answerable fullness of divine joy.
The day following my house was early thronged by great numbers of weary heavy laden sinners.
Though there was no planned meeting that day, the people assembled at the church at about 2 p.m. and Buell gave a sermon. And after concluding with a blessing of dismissal, like the day before, the people did not move. Buell then prayed and continued with an exhortation for another hour.
And again, like the previous day:
Immediately thereupon, as I proceeded to speak, there appeared to be a most surprising effusion of the Holy Spirit upon people in all parts of the house. An Almighty energy seemed to accompany the same words, so as that they became powerful to a multitude in one and the same solemn moment of time.
The effects of this out-pouring of the spirit seemed to be exactly parallel to that upon the preceding day.
If an Atheist Had Been Present
Buell indicated that if an atheist had been present to hear and observe, they would have acknowledged the existence of God and the reality of His influence among the people that day.
First Presbyterian Church in East Hampton, New York
Day of Prayer and Fasting
Thursday had been designated as a day of prayer and fasting, specifically for the Holy Spirit’s outpouring to occur in all the churches. Many from other churches came and participated, and it was the largest assembly Buell had ever seen on that end of Long Island.
On Friday and Saturday of that week the people assembled at the church again, even though there was no service scheduled, and upon each of those days there was a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Business Came to a Standstill
Church services took the priority over all other activities. People set aside their normal work routine and pursued what they felt was the highest priority, and that was seeking God during this season of special favor.
Glorious Realities and Views of Divine Things
The poetic language of that day indicated that simultaneously, many people experienced “views of divine things” and “glorious realities of the eternal world.” This indicates that their spirits were opened up and they had visions and revelations of eternal truths. In addition to those experiences, Buell reported that he saw:
Many sinners of various ages upon their knees, with hands extended toward Heaven, and in flowing tears, begging and crying for the exercise of sovereign mercy in the name of Jesus, with as much earnestness and importunity, to all appearance, as though the Lord Jesus Christ was then coming in flaming fire to the final judgment.
They seemed to be pressing into the kingdom of God, as if they would take it by violence.
The house of God at these seasons, seemed to be full of his awful and glorious presence!
From day to day, we now saw both in the house of God, and in our houses, surprising displays of the divine power, love and grace of our EMMANUEL.
The Lord’s people in general, seemed to be under the animating power of religion, and mighty in prayer for divine influences, and the salvation of precious souls. Some of them especially appeared like primitive christians full of the Holy Ghost.
Results of the Revival
Though the powerful outpouring lasted but a week, with an occasional visitation a few weeks later, the effects continued for a long time. Here are a few of the results.
► The revival was accompanied with great power.
► It extended through every member of the congregation.
► The whole town was deeply impressed.
► Everyone was focused on the condition of their soul.
► The sermons preached produced tremendous results.
► Even after the revival there were more who became members of the church.
► The mere report of what God was doing stirred the attention of believers in other locations.
► There were thousands that were awakened to look intently at the condition of their soul.
► Many ministers and godly people were stirred to pray passionately for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in other locations.
► The news of the revival brought people from distant locations so that they too could come under the influence, as well as be partakers of “the heavenly dew.”
► All parts of the town were filled with the presence of God’s victorious grace.
► “Very many” people were flocking to the Lord.
► At the Presbyterian church alone, 98 people were added to the Lord on July 5, with another 24 a short time after that.
► People “enjoying hopes of salvation” were those ages 6 to above 70 years old, with most of the work being among the young people.
► Around 14 other congregations also experienced very powerful visitations of the Holy Spirit.
► The news of the revival was known by all in the city of New York, with congregations there also experiencing outpourings of the Holy Spirit, and the same was reported as having occurred in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and other places throughout New England. One report even indicated a similar outpouring in the country of Netherlands.
► Hundreds, if not thousands, who were previously opposed to Christianity became more open-minded and have stated that what was occurring was definitely a work of God.
The Revival Continued Through the Summer
There was a spirit of prayer that hovered over the people through the summer of 1764, and it led even more people to be concerned about their spiritual condition. During the fall of that year there was a suspension of the presence of God, but by the following spring, there were once again more outpourings of the Holy Spirit.
Sources
► A Faithful Narrative of the Revival of Religion by Samuel Buell
► Her Uncommon Discoveries of Divine Perfections and Glory by Sarah Edward
► History by First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton, New York
► History of East Hampton by John Ames
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