A Study of the First Evangelical Magazines, 1740–1748

Susan Durden

doi:10.1017/S002204690005185X

A Study of the First Evangelical Magazines, 1740–1748

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2011

Susan Durden

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Susan Durden: Affiliation:
Lecturer in History, La Sainte Union College of Education, Southampton

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The religious revival during the 1740s, in Britain and the American colonies, resulted in a vast output of printed matter. A comparison of the literature printed before, with that printed after this period, shows the impact of a single decade on both the form and content of evangelical literature. In particular, the revival was responsible for launching a new literary genre—the evangelical newspaper and magazine. Where there had been no specifically evangelical periodical publication in the first forty years of the century, by the last forty years such literature had become a normal means of communication and propagation for several denominations.

Type: Articles
Information: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History , Volume 27 , Issue 3 , July 1976 , pp. 255 - 275

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S002204690005185X [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1976

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References

^{page 256 note 1} Tyerman, Luke, The Life and Times of Rev. John Wesley, London 1890, I. 325.Google Scholar

^{page 256 note 2} E.g., Synod of Ross and Presbyteries of Glasgow, Hamilton and Tain.

^{page 256 note 3} The author is currently working on a general comparison of revivalism in America and Britain in this period, and a particular comparison of New England and Scotland using these periodicals and transatlantic correspondence.

^{page 256 note 4} Bridenbaugh, Carl, Mitre and Sceptre, New York 1962, 186.Google Scholar See also Manning, Bernard L., The Protestant Dissenting Deputies, Cambridge 1952Google Scholar, and Armstrong, Maurice W., ‘The Dissenting Deputies and The American Colonies’, Church History, XXIX (1960), 298–320.CrossRef Google Scholar

^{page 257 note 1} Francke, Kunno, ‘Further Documents Concerning Cotton Mather and August Hermann Francke’, Americana Germanica, IV (1897), i. 31–6.Google Scholar

^{page 257 note 2} Robe, James (ed.), The Christian Monthly History, Edinburgh 1743, i. 43.Google Scholar

^{page 257 note 3} Edwards, Jonathan, The Great Awakening, ed. Goen, C. C., New Haven 1972; The Works of Jonathan Edwards, iv.Google Scholar

^{page 257 note 4} Ibid.

^{page 257 note 5} Lewis, John (ed.), The Christian's Amusement containing Letters Concerning the Progress of the Gospel both at Home and Abroad etc. Together with an Account of the Waldenses and Albigenses…, London 1740Google Scholar, printed by John Lewis, September 1740–March 1741, 4 pp., price id. (hereafter C.A.). Then The Weekly History: Or, An Accovnt of the Most Remarkable Particulars Relating to the Present Progress of the Gospel. By the Encouragement of the Rev. Mr Whitefield, London 1741Google Scholar, i., printed by John Lewis, 11 April 1741–13 November 1742, 4 pp., price id., 4to (hereafter W.H.). Then in Autumn 1742 An Account of the Most Remarkable Particulars Relating to the Present Progress of the Gospel, London 1742Google Scholar, ii. iii. iv., printed by John Lewis, 84 pp., price 3½d. per week, pocket size (hereafter Accnt.). Then in Autumn 1743 The Christian History or General Account of the Progress of the Gospel in England, Wales, Scotland and America, as far as the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, His Fellow Labourers and Assistants are concerned, London 1743Google Scholar, v. vi. vii., printed by John Lewis, every 7 weeks. Each volume was divided into four numbers of 84 pp., price 3½d., pocket size (hereafter C.H.). Finally The Christian History or General Account… of the Gospel…, London 1748Google Scholar, 1 volume printed by John Lewis, containing letters, June 1747–June 1748, 283 pp., 8vo (hereafter C.H. 1748). Locations: The only complete collection is in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. C.A., Bodleian Library, Oxford. W.H., Bodleian Library, Oxford; Dr. Williams's Library, London. C.H., 1748, The British Museum. See Journal of the Calvinist Methodist Historical Society, iv. ii. 59–66; and vi. ii. 26–32.

^{page 257 note 6} M'Culloch, William (ed.), The Glasgow-Weekly-History Relating to the Late Progress of the Gospel at Home and Abroad; Being a Collection of Letters partly reprinted from the London- Weekly-History …, Glasgow 1742, printed by William Duncan, December 1741–December 1742, 8 pp., price id., bound with an index (hereafter G.W.H.). Copy in the library of the University of Glasgow. Issue i, which is missing, is printed in Publications of the Massachusetts Historical Society, liii. 192ff.Google Scholar

^{page 258 note 1} Robe, James (ed.), The Christian Monthly History or an Account of the Revival and Progress of Religion Abroad and at Home, Edinburgh 1743, 2 vols., printed by R. Fleming and A. Alison, November 1743–January 1746 (hereafter C.M.H.). Vol. i. consisted of i–vi, 40 and 24 pp., price 6d. on fine and 4d. on coarse paper, 8vo. Vol. ii, i–x, begun in April 1745 was repriced 3d. and 2d. The last issue traced was possibly for January 1746. There were therefore 16 nos., of which only 8 have been located in Britain (New College Library, Edinburgh). The remainder: i. nos, iii. iv. and ii. nos. i–x. are in the Congregational Hist. Library, Boston, Massachusetts.Google Scholar

^{page 258 note 2} Thomas Prince, Jr. (ed.), The Christian History, Containing Accounts of the Revival and Propagation of Religion in Great Britain and America … 1743 and 1744, Boston, Mass., 2 vols., printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, 5 March 1743–23 February 1745, 8 pp., bound with indexes (hereafter C.H. Boston). Copies in the British Museum, Dr. Williams's Library, London and the University Library, Hull.

^{page 258 note 3} Little is known about John Lewis. See the Dictionary of Welsh Biography.

^{page 258 note 4} It seems possible that William Seward (?–1740) was Lewis's financial backer. He was a wealthy man from Radnorshire, employed at the South Sea Office of the Treasury.

^{page 258 note 5} W.H., xiii.

^{page 258 note 6} E.g., The Experience of Bishop Beveridge (1637–1708): C.A., ii; The Death and Suffering of Dr. Taylor (1613–1677): C.A., xiv.

^{page 259 note 1} Ibid., vii.

^{page 259 note 2} Ibid., x.

^{page 259 note 3} Ibid., xiii. See also the text of footnotes 3–4, p. 264, and Walsh, J. D., ‘Methodism and the Mob in the 18th Century’, in Popular Belief and Practice, ed. Cumming, G. J. and Baker, D., London 1972Google Scholar, and Thompson, E. P., The Making of the English Working Class, Harmondsworth 1968.Google Scholar

^{page 259 note 4} C.A., xiii.

^{page 259 note 5} Ibid., xii.

^{page 259 note 6} E.g., ‘This is to give notice that Sister Betty Angus … sells all sorts of Hollands for Shirts and Aprons … Also I give notice that Bro. Humphreys … makes and sells and cleans clocks and watches at reasonable rates’: Ibid., xiii.

^{page 259 note 7} Ibid., xxi.

^{page 260 note 1} Ibid., ix.

^{page 260 note 2} E.g., ‘Whenever I trade with a Brother or Sister, I commonly give what they ask, for I conclude I shall not be impos'd upon. This Method, with just Dealing, wou'd prevent lying etc. etc.’: Ibid., xv.

^{page 260 note 3} Ibid., xix.

^{page 260 note 4} Ibid., vii.

^{page 260 note 5} W.H., iv.

^{page 261 note 1} Ibid.

^{page 261 note 2} Seward, William, Journal of a Voyage from Savannah to Philadelphia and from Philadelphia to England, London 1740.Google Scholar

^{page 261 note 3} W.H., xxviii.

^{page 262 note 1} Ibid., lii.

^{page 262 note 2} Roberts, Gomer M., Selected Trevecka Letters, Caernarvon 1956, 48.Google Scholar

^{page 262 note 3} E.g., Trevecka MSS. 209B Catalogue (National Library of Wales): J. Oulton of Leominster to H. Harris requesting that the paper be sent to W. Evans of Nantwel and Mr. Price of Presteign.

^{page 262 note 4} Trevecka Collection: Harris's Diary No. 105.

^{page 262 note 5} C.H., v. i. lxvii: Letter from Joseph Periam of Georgia: ‘I am sure when I look over the Accounts of the Weekly History I am ready to blush …’.

^{page 262 note 6} W.H., xlix.

^{page 262 note 7} E.g., W.H., iv, in the Bodleian Library is headed: ‘Third Impression’.

^{page 263 note 1} Accnt., ii. ii. 77.

^{page 263 note 2} Tyerman, Luke, The Life of the Rev. George Whitefield, London 1877, i. 542. Whitefield to the Welsh evangelists, 28 December 1741: ‘I am about to settle a monthly meeting in Bristol and London where correspondents' letters are to be read’.Google Scholar

^{page 263 note 3} Accnt., vi. ii. 47.

^{page 263 note 4} Ibid., iv. ii. 17.

^{page 263 note 5} The Welsh had their first conference of ministers at Devynock, 2 October 1740, but the first Association of English and Welsh ministers was not until 5 January 1743 at Waterford.

^{page 264 note 1} Accnt., ii. ii. 25.

^{page 264 note 2} Ibid., iv. i. 31.

^{page 264 note 3} C.H., v. i. 9.

^{page 264 note 4} Ibid., v. ii. 35.

^{page 264 note 5} Ibid., vi. ii. 9.

^{page 264 note 6} Ibid., 14.

^{page 265 note 1} Ibid., v. iv. 33.

^{page 265 note 2} Ibid., 32.

^{page 265 note 3} All in the Trevecka Collection, referred to several times in this article, which is part of the Calvinist Methodist Archives housed in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. See Jones, Morgan H., The Trevecka Letters, Caernarvon 1932, for a full inventory of the letters.Google Scholar

^{page 265 note 4} C.H., vii. i. 30: ‘The Carnal mind cannot bear that our Saviour's precious blood should be all in all … Blood, Blood, only Blood, that sweet and pleasing theme’.

^{page 265 note 5} Ibid., vii. iv. 43: ‘I met with much opposition in Glos., for T.B. has declared to the Congs. at Thornbury and Rengery that I preach damnable doctrine and that you and Bros. Godwin, Thorne and I and Bro. Pugh … worshipped the Body of Jesus’.

^{page 265 note 6} See Gomer M. Roberts, Selected Trevecka Letters, 177.

^{page 266 note 1} C.H., vii. iv. 78.

^{page 266 note 2} C.H., 1748, 26.

^{page 266 note 3} Ibid., 27.

^{page 267 note 1} E.g., on trade see Price, Jacob M., ‘The Rise of Glasgow in the Chesapeake Tobacco Trade’, William and Mary Quarterly, IX (1954), 179ff.CrossRef Google Scholar

^{page 267 note 2} G.W.H., xxxiv. 1.

^{page 267 note 3} Ibid., xlviii. 4. This problem continued throughout part of the nineteenth century and the same procedure was used to combat it. E.g., The Missionary Magazine, Edinburgh 1796, i. 70ff.Google Scholar, prints a letter from the Rev. Mr. Charles of Bala, and another was reprinted in Philip, Robert, The Life, Times and Missionary Enterprises of the Rev. John Campbell, London 1848, 147ff.Google Scholar

^{page 267 note 4} Narratives of the Extraordinary Work of the Spirit of God at Cambuslang, Kilsyth etc. Begun 1742 written by Mr. James Robe, and others, with Attestations by Ministers, Preachers etc., Glasgow 1742.Google Scholar

^{page 267 note 5} G.W.H., xliii. 2.

^{page 268 note 1} Ibid., xvii. 1.

^{page 268 note 2} Ibid., xvi. 6.

^{page 268 note 3} Ibid., xliii. 66.

^{page 268 note 4} Ibid., v. 5.

^{page 268 note 5} Chauncey, Charles, A Letter from a Gentleman in Boston, To Mr. George Wishart, One of the Ministers of Edinburgh, Concerning the State of Religion in New England, Edinburgh 1742.Google Scholar

^{page 269 note 1} John M'Laurin (1693–1754), Minister of St. David's, Glasgow, very active in the revival and correspondent of several American ministers.

^{page 269 note 2} G.W.H., xxiii–xxxiii.

^{page 269 note 3} Edwards, Jonathan, A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundreds of Souls in Northampton, and the Neighbouring Towns and Villages in the County of Hampshire, in the Province of Massachusetts-Bay in New England, Boston, 3rd ed. 1738.Google Scholar

^{page 269 note 4} G.W.H., v. 6.

^{page 269 note 5} Ibid., xxii. 6.

^{page 269 note 6} Ibid., 5.

^{page 270 note 1} Ibid., xlii. 4.

^{page 270 note 2} C.M.H., Preface, 33.

^{page 270 note 3} Ibid., 36.

^{page 270 note 4} Ibid., i. iv. 49.

^{page 270 note 5} Ibid., Preface, 34.

^{page 271 note 1} Ibid., 36.

^{page 271 note 2} Ibid., i. vi. 61.

^{page 271 note 3} Ibid., preface, 7.

^{page 271 note 4} Ibid., 16.

^{page 271 note 5} Ibid., i. iii. 15.

^{page 271 note 6} Ibid., i. ii. 47.

^{page 272 note 1} Ibid., i. iv. 46.

^{page 272 note 2} Ibid., i. ii. 23.

^{page 272 note 3} Ibid., 19.

^{page 272 note 4} Ibid., i. iii. 4.

^{page 272 note 5} E.g., The Testimony and Advice of an Assembly of Pastors of Churches in New England at a Meeting in Boston July 7, 1743. Occasion'd by the Late Happy Revival of Religion in Parts of the Land. To which are added Attestations contain'd in Letters from a Number of Their Brethren Who Were Providentially Hinder'd from Giving Their Presence, Boston 1743.Google Scholar

^{page 272 note 6} C.M.H., i. ii. 3.

^{page 272 note 7} Ibid., i. iii. 4.

^{page 273 note 1} Ibid., Preface, 6.

^{page 273 note 2} Ibid., ii. i. 3.

^{page 273 note 3} Ibid., 7.

^{page 273 note 4} Ibid.

^{page 273 note 5} Ibid., ii. i. 21.

^{page 273 note 6} Ibid., ii. iii. 61.

^{page 273 note 7} Ibid., i. vi. 66.

^{page 274 note 1} The Missionary Magazine, ii. v.

^{page 274 note 2} Historical Collections had additional volumes printed in 1761 and 1796. Gillies also published and wrote, An Exhortation to the Inhabitants of the South Parish of Glasgow and the Hearers in the College-Kirk, Glasgow, 26 September 1750–2 February 1751, which contained revival news from America and was very similar to the literature of the revival.Google Scholar

^{page 274 note 3} The Spritual Magazine, London 1761–1784. Birtish Museum Catalogue says there are no holdings for this magazine.Google Scholar

^{page 274 note 4} Ann Dutton (ed.), Divine, Moral and Historical Miscellanies in Prose and Verse containing Many Valuable Originals … as will tend … to … enlighten and profit the Reader, London and Coventry 1760–63, 3 vols.

^{page 275 note 1} Toplady, A. M. (ed.), The Gospel Magazine, or Treasury of Divine Knowledge: designed to promote experimental religion, i–x, London 1774–1783Google Scholar, continued as The Gospel Magazine, now enlarged and improved …, London 1784, i.Google Scholar

^{page 275 note 2} Continued as The New Spiritual Magazine; or Evangelical Treasury of Experimental Religion … Being the labours of a real society of Gospel Ministers and others, I–vi, London 1783–1785.Google Scholar

^{page 275 note 3} It has been called ‘the most lively and exasperated tempest of theological controversy that ever broke on English literature’: quoted in Wood, A. Skevington, The Inextinguishable Blaze, London 1960, 200.Google Scholar

^{page 275 note 4} The Arminian Magazine: consisting of extracts, and original translations on Universal Redemption, London 1778–1797Google Scholar. Successively edited by J. Wesley and G. Story. Continued as The Methodist Magazine …, London 1798–1821Google Scholar. Successively edited by G. Story and J. Benson.

^{page 275 note 5} The Evangelical Magazine, London 1793–1812Google Scholar. Continued as The Evangelical Magazine and Missionary Chronicle, London 1813.Google Scholar

^{page 275 note 6} Dodd, W. (ed.), The Christian's Magazine, or a Treasury of Divine Knowledge, London 1760–1767—an example of magazines published by the mainstream of the Church of England throughout this period. The Baptists also began their own periodical in 1798.Google Scholar

^{page 275 note 7} C.M.H., i. iv. 50.

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A Study of the First Evangelical Magazines, 1740–1748

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