Nettleton Second Great Awakening — E.A. Johnston

The Overlooked Leadership of the Second Great Awakening

When most believers hear about the Second Great Awakening, the name of Charles Finney surfaces and many mistakenly believe that Finney was the sole head of that religious awakening, but history proves otherwise, friends.

I've traveled to over 60 locations in three states on the East Coast where powerful revivals broke out under the mighty preaching of Azahel Middleton, who was the primary figure of the Second Great Awakening.

When I was conducting my research for my definitive biography on his life, I spent a great deal of time going through his personal papers at Hartford Seminary, the seminary that he founded. One of the most startling documents I came across was his personal journal relating the revival which took place in 1820 in the town of Nassau, New York.

I traveled to Nassau and visited the churches where this revival broke out. As a matter of fact, the meeting house on Main Street, which was standing in 1820 where Middleton did much of his preaching, still stands unchanged today.

Historic Orthodox Christianity and the Loss of Revival

It was the move away from the theology of Azahel Middleton and Jonathan Edwards which brought us to where we are today in our churches in this land, friends, what's considered orthodox Christianity today, would have been labeled heresy in Middleton's day.

We've moved so far away from the faith of our fathers. It's no wonder this country's not seen a religious awakening in over 170 years. I want to read us some extracts from Middleton's handwritten journal.

It's one of the most remarkable documents in the Middleton papers at Hartford Seminary. That collection has two handwritten letters of Jonathan Edwards, one written from North Hampton when he was pastor there, and the other written from Stockbridge, Massachusetts after he was thrown out of his church, brother pastor, if you've been voted out of your church, you're in good company.

Preparing to Examine the Nassau Revival

Well Nassau is a village a few miles to the east of Albany, New York, and the town still looks much like it did in Middleton's day. The meeting house which is referred to in this account of the revival, I have a photo of in my book.

It's on page 158. It's virtually unchanged since 1820. I want to take the time now to read you, friends, some following extracts of this account of this powerful revival which gripped the town of Nassau under Middleton's mighty preaching, and I want us to notice how wise he was in handling excess in a meeting and how he dealt with the awakened sinner.

He never healed a wound slightly. He stood firm against false conversions, and what makes this account of this revival so unique is the way in which Middleton recorded it. When I went through his papers, I discovered that he had two sets of the same document.

He first hurriedly scrawled the accounts of the revival on pieces of paper as he was in the midst of it. He then rewrote these same accounts in a steadier hand for posterity, and I'm glad he did. And before we go to our time of prayer for revival this evening, friends, while we pray for America and other nations around the world, for God to come and visit us in this sad and desperate day, I want us to read this account of how revival gripped the town of Nassau, New York, in 1820.

Psalm 110 .3 declares, Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, and that's what revival is, friends. It's God taking the field. All human props are kicked out from under us as the awful salinity of a holy God fills a sanctuary with his manifest presence.

Nettleton's Journal: The Revival Begins in Nassau

Listen now, friends, to this account from the Second Great Awakening. Here now are the words of Azahel Nettleton, taken from his personal journal. The state of religion in this village and its vicinity has for years been deplorable.

The village contains a house for public worship held in common by two denominations, the Dutch Reformed and the Presbyterians, the former. During the winter past, they've had one sermon every other Sabbath, and the latter have had no settled minister and no regular preaching for years.

Indeed, their little church had become nearly extinct. The revival of religion in this place commenced as follows. In the month of February, a number of persons from this village visited Malta during the revival there.

One of this number was left at Malta, became a hopeful subject of divine grace, and shortly after returned to this village, the sacred flame began to kindle in the hearts of a few old professors. The news of distant revivals began to excite inquiry, and some few sinners became more solemn.

One, after a season of distress, became joyful. For a moment, hope was cherished that a glorious day had dawned, but the surrounding darkness prevailed and hope at length expired. For a few weeks, I had been absent from Malta.

On my return, I received repeated and pressing invitations to visit Massau, prompted by the state of things. Instead of returning to Schenectady as was expected, I concluded to defer it for one week and visit Massau.

April 19th, arrived at Massau, attended a meeting in the schoolhouse. About 50 assembled and nothing particular occurred. April 20th, this evening, attended a meeting in a large dining hall in a public house.

The room was crowded. A number stood around the doors and windows and listened with respectful silence and much solemnity. It afterwards appeared that not less than 12 or 15 dated their first serious impressions from that meeting.

A Mr. P. subsequently observed, I went to that meeting full of prejudice. You began to tell me the feelings of my heart, and I began to be vexed and angry at once at one or two of my neighbors for informing you what I had said.

I thought you were a man of great brass. April 21st, this evening, met those that were anxious at Dr. McCauley's. About 30 were present. As I commenced speaking to them in general, all were very still and solemn.

Suddenly a youth sitting near the window, as if pricked in the heart, cried out in distress. This produced no diversion of attention, but increased solemnity, for the cause was perfectly understood. After conversing with each one, we bowed the knee together at the Throne of Grace and then in solemn stillness retired at an early hour.

A number of these anxious souls belonged to one family. They reached home weeping. The father of the family had retired to rest. As the carriage came up to the door, he heard the crowd distress and startled from bed to learn the cause.

His daughter-in-law, on entering the house, threw her arms around his neck and exclaimed, My father, what shall I do? What shall I do? She continued for some time in great distress, but before morning was rejoicing in hope.

April 22nd, Saturday, was in some doubt what course to pursue as the meeting house on the next Sabbath was engaged. I rode to Greenbush and negotiated an exchange with the Reverend Mr. Marcellus of the Dutch Reformed Church.

April 23rd, Sabbath, Mr. Marcellus preached at Nassau with power and effect, and at the close of the services, at my request, read a letter from Dr. McCauley containing an account of the revival in Union College and its connectivity.

This increased the solemnity. I preached at Greenbush in the forenoon and at three o 'clock, preached again in a ballroom at a public house on the road about two miles from the village. When I arrived, I found the ballroom crowded to overflowing.

At the close of the services, a number assembled around me, some from curiosity and some from deep distress, weeping aloud. I requested them to suppress their cries and be as still as possible. After meeting a number, they were awakened.

This evening, preached in the meeting house in this village for the first time to a crowded and solemn audience. April the 24th, this evening met about 60 in a meeting for anxious inquirers. Among them were many in deep distress.

This is expected would be my last meeting in this place, but I found so many in distress for their souls and the number increasing that I announced the appointments of one public meeting more in the meeting house on the following evening.

Repentance, Immediate Response, and the Danger of Delay

April the 25th, met in the meeting house, more crowded than ever and solemn as eternity, preached on the nature and reasonableness of gospel repentance and urged the duty of immediate compliance and the danger of delay.

Nevermore expecting to meet my anxious hearers in this world, I urged them by all the solemnities of the judgment not to pass the threshold of the meeting house that night with impenitent hearts. They seemed to hear as if for their lives.

One from deep distress found relief in the midst of the discourse and lifted up a joyful countenance. No sooner had I closed and stepped from the stage than she came near and, taking her husband by the hand, urged him to come to Christ.

He was like a two-edged sword. It pierced him to the heart. At this moment, the anxious ones assembled around me and took me some by the hand, some by the arm, and some by the coat, exclaiming, don't leave us.

What shall I do? What shall I do? Nearly the whole congregation tarried. Those who could not come near stood some on the seats and some on the sides of the pews to hear and see. From the midst of this scene of distress, I addressed the whole congregation for about five minutes.

Among other things, I said, my hearers, I now no longer hesitate to tell you what I have hitherto been afraid to speak, that a revival of religion has begun in Nassau. Yes, from what I have seen, I can no longer doubt the fact.

I believe you are about to witness a solemn and trying time in this place, and now you must prepare either to be taken or to be left. I then told them I would meet them in the morning at sunrise in the schoolhouse and pray with them before I left, if they chose.

I advised them to depart as still as possible and be retired through the night. April the 26th, I met them in the morning before sunrise. Two of those who went away in distress last night came to me rejoicing this morning.

They found relief before they slept. I prayed and conversed with them for a few moments and started for a Schenectady before breakfast. I heard of one more rejoicing this morning. I called and found it so, and found others in distress.

The distress in one house led me to another, and that to another, until I visited nine families before I left the place. It was truly affecting to witness these strangers crying for mercy. In this state, I left them and went to Schenectady.

During my absence, I felt a deep interest for them in Nassau. The scenes that I had witnessed were continually before me. It rained in a tarry two nights. April 28th, I started from Schenectady for Nassau, arrived at Mr. B's within three miles of the village late in the evening.

In this house, some who I had left in great distress met me with joyful countenances. Here I was informed that the Baptists had had a meeting in the meeting house this evening, wishing to embrace the opportunity to make an appointment.

I drove on to the meeting house and found the house nearly full. All were standing and about to retire as the meeting had just closed. I made my way through the crowd as I suppose unobserved, stepped up upon the stage and announced an appointment for the next Sabbath.

The effect of this little circumstance was almost incredible. I could hardly say which was most prominent, the burst of joy or of grief. A number came to me with joyful countenances while others were borne down with grief.

It is this night, just one week since the first instance of hopeful conversions occurred, and now about 30 appear to be subjects of grace. Many of these, it was afterwards found, obtained relief on the day and some a few moments after I left them.

This was a memorable day for when they afterwards came together to give a relation of their Christian experience. We found that some on that day retired into groves and fields and some into their chambers and closets to cry for mercy.

I have since thought that the effects of my leaving them, as I did in the advanced stages of their conviction, was evidently beneficial. It drove them from all human dependence, distressing as it is and cruel as it may seem.

It is necessary for them to feel that no arm but God's can help them. Similar effects from circumstances have heretofore been witnessed. April 30th, the Sabbath. The congregation was crowded and solemn.

This day an event took place, unknown to me at the time, which was designed by the enemy to check and put a stop to the work, but which, into the hand of God, was made subservient to its advancement. May 1st, met about 85 in the meeting of inquiry.

May 2nd, this evening held a meeting in the meeting house and took up the common sayings of Christians, which are calculated to check a revival by lessening the sinner's sense of obligation and quieting him in his sins.

Conviction of Sin and the Danger of Resisting Grace

May 4th, at this date we find about 40 rejoicing in hope from the date of the 14th, preached nine times and held one meeting for inquiries. May 15th, this evening attended a meeting of inquiry and found the number and distress of anxious souls rapidly increasing.

The distress of one is greatly augmented. This is the person who'd been a little anxious during the revival at Salisbury and whose attention had been excited on entering our meeting the second evening in the village.

From this time, her distress continued for about three days and nights. Providentially, she was in a family, a number of whom were thoughtless and far from a religion. This was loud preaching. So great was her distress that she was unable to attend the meetings and was confined to the house.

Many called to witness her distress. She had concluded that day, that the day of grace was over, and she was now past the fear of mortals. She continued crying, Lord, have mercy on my soul, I'm lost, oh, I'm forever lost.

In this situation, she sent for me to call and see her, that she might beg my pardon for what she had said before she died. I called and such was her agitation that it was difficult to keep her in one position, sometimes sitting and then kneeling.

In a piteous tone, she would cry out, young people, take warning from me, young people, take warning from me. The house was constantly visited by curious spectators, often till late at night. Many thought that she could not live long.

One physician asked my opinion, whether I thought she would die. From past facts, I have noticed that this extreme distress does not generally continue long, especially in seasons of revival, sometimes but a few moments, commonly a few hours and rarely over three days.

And when this extreme distress exceeds this time, I begin to fear that it may subside, as it has sometimes done, without a change of heart. On the third day, she was rejoicing in hope. The question is often asked, why is it that the convictions of some sinners are so much greater than those of others?

I answer, I do not know. The sinner's distress does not always appear to be in exact proportion to his crimes. But one thing I have learned from my observation, and that when persons of a particular description have been brought under conviction, they have been exercised with severe distress.

Those who have once been anxious for their souls and have been laughed out of it and returned to the thoughtless world, if again awakened, are more distressed than ever. Those who once made it a business to retire and pray and have long since dropped the subject are usually, if their attention is again excited, greatly distressed.

Those who have labored hard to stifle and throw off their convictions, or those who have formerly resisted the strivings of God's Spirit, are usually the subjects of keen distress, if convicted of sin a second time.

Those who have scoffed at the subject of religion and have mocked the messengers of Christ and ridiculed the worship of God are usually filled with great consternation and agony when brought to just a sense of their character and state.

Those who have had made light of revivals of religion, by calling them enthusiasm, fanaticism, and the work of the devil, especially those who have taken an active part in ridiculing the conviction and conversion of sinners in the season of a revival.

Those who have called revivals by the hardest names, who have expressed the greatest contempt of them, and who have done the most to bring them into disrepute, persons of this description have been the most frightful monuments of distress that I have ever witnessed.

They despair of ever becoming the subjects of that work, which they have treated with so much contempt. We have sometimes heard the champion of infidelity express in his horror for fear of having committed the unpardonable sin.

I am acquainted with the names of persons who have become perfectly deranged in consequence of their own opposition to the progress of revivals. Conscience without any accuser has driven the enemy of revivals out of his reason into a state of settled delirium.

The confession and fate of Judas shows the power of conscience and stand recorded as a warning to the opposers of religion to beware. May 17th. This evening we met in the schoolhouse. The room was crowded and the meeting was exceedingly joyful.

Every word that was spoken seemed to find a place in some heart. Such a season of rejoicing is rarely witnessed. Old things are passed away and all things are become new. It is not yet quite one month since the work commenced and about 60 are supposed to be the subjects of grace.

May 19th. This evening we met in a private house and at the close of the exercises one of the young converts spoke to a stout hearted sinner who had been struggling against his conscience and he dropped upon his knees in distress of soul.

Another followed me nearly home inquiring what must he do to be saved in this situation. I left him but before we retired to rest he came in with a new song in his mouth. The other went home in great distress but found relief before morning.

Conversion, Self-Righteousness, and Finding the Savior

May 20th. This was a solemn day throughout the village. Mr. L, a young lawyer who'd been anxious for a few days and who had retired to rest in my chamber, came to my bedside early this morning in distress.

He sat down to breakfast with us and while at the table heard the tidings that another of his mates had found the savior the last night. He instantly left the table and retired to my chamber. Sometime after I entered the chamber and found him prostrate on the floor crying for mercy.

While he was thus continued waxing worse and worse a number came up to see him but he seemed to take no notice of them and continued pleading for mercy. About 10 o 'clock with a new heart I cannot say I only record the fact he came downstairs expressing his joy that he had found the savior.

At the same time his fellow student in a house a few rods distant lay prostrate in his chamber. I called and found a number assembled around him while he lay crying for mercy. The burden of his prayer was that God would pardon his self-righteousness.

The fact was this. A few days previous he and his brother lawyer had shut themselves in a chamber seeking and striving and praying together for a long time thinking without doubt that they should ere long succeed in becoming Christians.

Here they continued until both had become exceedingly self-righteous. They conceded in each other and each was alarmed at it and asked my opinion if they had not better separate. By all means I told them.

The side of his heart was doubtless what most distressed him. About 3 o 'clock p .m. he arose in like manner rejoicing that he too had found the savior. May 24th Sabbath held a meeting at a public house four or five miles from this village.

Genesis 7 and the Urgency of Entering the Ark

When I arrived the rooms were filled, doors and windows thronged. Those who seemed the most anxious had placed themselves near the seat of the speaker. When I named the psalm all was silence except the sighs and sobs of anxious souls.

The moment I began to speak I felt that God was there. I addressed them from Genesis 7. One, come thou and all the house into the ark. I felt unusual freedom and satisfaction in speaking. The solemnity of the scene will long be remembered.

When I had pronounced the benediction I know not that a foot moved. All were standing and still anxious to hear. I gave them an account of what I had witnessed from the surrounding regions of desolation.

Doubtless from motives of curiosity having heard something of the wonderful movement in the village. While given a relation to these wonderful things every ear was attentive. Some were sighing and some were gazing in wild amazement.

The language of every look seemed to be we never heard such things before. In one large room which was crowded entirely full nearly all were in deep distress. Besides many crowding around the doors and windows all apparently anxious except here and there a joyful convert.

They were crowded so closely together that I could not pass among them to converse. So I spoke to one and another here and there at a distance as I could catch their eyes as they lifted them streaming with tears.

All were utter strangers whom I addressed and not a name could I call. My only method of designation was by pointing and saying I mean you and you or this center and that center. Never did I feel a deeper compassion for centers than for these poor strangers.

A number I know now many were awake in this day. Preached in the village in the afternoon and evening at this time we concluded that the crisis of solemnity was passed in the village. Well I will stop there friends there's more continuance in Nettleton's journal and I want us to realize that we've seen times of little sprinkles of dew drops from heaven in preaching over the last several decades in this country.

A Call for God-Centered Revival Today

I've been in meetings where the presence of God was strong and where people were weeping on the burden of their sins but I've never seen anything like that friends. We need the manifest presence of God back in our sanctuaries.

We need the prominence and preeminence of Christ to take control of our sanctuaries once again. We need to kick out all the human props and man-centered methodologies and give God the glory and preach a God-centered gospel.

Preach up the great doctrines that Nettleton preached, that Edwards preached, that Whitfield preached. Preach up room and redemption and repentance and regeneration. We need men in our pulpits today friends who don't fear man, who don't fear their deacons, but only fear God, a holy God, a holy God, the God of revival.

Repentance and Prayer for Awakening

Let us go now to this time of prayer as we weep between the porch and the altar for the sins of this nation, for the sins of the church. As we confess and repent of our own sins, let us turn to God and ask the Holy Spirit to shine his holy spotlight into our own hearts so we can see the wicked windings there and turn from them to a holy God, a great God.

Come down and hear our prayer.