The church in America and its baptisms of fire; being an account of the progress of religion in America, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as seen in the great revivals in the Christian church, and in the growth and work of various religious bodies . great awakenings among the Baptists ofAmerica, in the more comprehensive meaning of that phrase,is very much identified with that of other denominations. Thatwhich is distinctive of Baptists in this respect is due mainly tothe part borne by individual men in promotion of the greatmovement, each within the sphere of his own personal minis
The church in America and its baptisms of fire; being an account of the progress of religion in America, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as seen in the great revivals in the Christian church, and in the growth and work of various religious bodies . great awakenings among the Baptists ofAmerica, in the more comprehensive meaning of that phrase,is very much identified with that of other denominations. Thatwhich is distinctive of Baptists in this respect is due mainly tothe part borne by individual men in promotion of the greatmovement, each within the sphere of his own personal minis-try, or in the share which the churches of the denominationwere permitted to have in the gracious result. Earlier Revival Work. An example of the latter appears in the case of Rev. IsaacBackus, honored among American Baptists as their first his-Rev. Isaac torian. It was in the time of the historic GreatBackus. Awakening of 1741 that he was converted, althonot under the preaching of either of the evangelists White-field or Tennent. Mr. Backus at the time was living in Nor-wich, Conn. The tide of revival sweeping through New Eng-land reached Norwich in the year just named, in connectionwith the preaching of other zealous men, of whom Drs. Wheel- 386. THE BAPTIST CHURCH. 387 ock and Pomeroy are especially named. The awakening therewas similar in character to what was going forward in otherplaces. Speaking of it in his own history, Mr. Backus men-tions the physical manifestations occurring in some cried out and fell down in meetings; owing, as hebelieved, to the fact, not only that the work was so powerful,but also that the people in general were so ignorant that theyhad little government of their passions. His own conversion, tho due in general to the awakeningeffect of these meetings, did not ofccur in immediate connectionwith them, but was the result of mental struggle there begin-ning, and continued through some three months, the experiencesof which he chara
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectsects, bookyear1896
