The book Arran; - Cook Clan

208 THE BOOK OF ARRAN
and consciences, and so their awakenings soon passed away ;
at least, it was with some.'
These candid reflections warrant the introduction of an
' account from a more unsympathetic mind : Almost at
every meeting, when a clergyman or other person, who they
judged to have the Spirit, presided, great numbers, especially
of women and children, were moved in a most extraordinary
manner, uttering strange cries, trembling and falling into
convxilsions, so that the service could not go on with regu-
larity,' ^ The summing-up of this writer is ' that these con-
versions produced no apparent good effects on the people.'
This judgment may be discounted, but even in Mr. M'Millan's
relation there is distinguishable a note of honest disappointment.
Multitudes flocked to the services, they travelled
ten or fifteen miles to attend, they so crowded the building
as to tread on each other ; services were prolonged into
private houses and barns, and some even spent whole nights
in such ecstasy. In the spring of 1813 this ' awakening
began to decline ' and ' It is doubtless true that, as the
awakening declined, some of those who appeared at one
time much affected, and much engaged in religious pursuits,
began to grow cold . . . like the stony-ground hearers, the
religious impressions of many were slight and transitory.'
And, he sadly continues, ' Even in respect of the best of us,
the zeal, fervour, and liveliness manifest during the time of
our revival, have suffered some decay ; and . . . instead
of these, coldness, deadness, and formality in religion are
now too prevalent among us.' And so we are back at the
' Paterson's Account, p. 142. From a private contributor :
' Clapping of hands
and exclamations were common in the congregation among some of the people. It
was disturbing to many who went to church to worship. One member encouraged it
and .another denounced it ; for it was known that a few of those professing were
questionable characterSj though doubtless there were many true Christians among
them. A farmer whom I knew was so much excited at the time that he day after day
mounted his horse and rode through the fieldSj singing aloud with heart and soul the
Psalms of David to the tunes that are usually sung in Church.'