Cambuslang Work
Encyclopedia
The Cambuslang Work, or ‘Wark’ in the Scots language
, (February to November 1742) was a period of extraordinary religious activity, in Cambuslang
, Scotland
. The event peaked in August 1742 when a crowd of some 30,000 gathered in the ‘preaching braes’ - a natural amphitheatre next to the Kirk
at Cambuslang - to hear the great preacher George Whitefield
call them to repentance
and conversion
to Christ
. It was intimately connected with the similar remarkable revivalist events taking place throughout Great Britain and its American Colonies in New England
, where it is known as The First Great Awakening
.
was an unlikely person to have organised this remarkable event. He was Mr William M’Culloch
. Early on in his career as a Minister, he had confessed to a friend that he envied those who had felt called or converted to Christ. To him these feelings were completely alien. In addition, although he was an extremely learned and studious person, and a conscientious pastor
to his congregation, he was no great preacher
. It was said that the ale houses filled up when it was his turn to preach outdoors in traditional Scottish "Sacramental Occasions" or "Holy Fair
s", as they were called. This was when ministers and congregations of neighbouring parishes came together for several days of fasting
, preaching and self-examination before receiving Holy Communion. One of these events is vividly, and humorously, described in one of Robert Burns’
poems, appropriately called ‘The Holy Fair’. It may be that the outdoor preaching of the First Great Awakening in New England had their origins in these Scots emigrant memories of these Holy Fairs.
of conversion
and followed closely the work of the great preachers and their effects in Britain and British North America
. His son had for some time been a trader in the colonies, but besides that, the West of Scotland had very close contact with them, as Glasgow
merchant ships had several weeks’ advantage over other ships in the transatlantic trade
. He received many letters from there describing the Great Awakening which he read out (instead of sermons) to his congregation. He also read out copies of sermons collected from there and printed by John Erskine
the famous Evangelical
. In 1741, the great Methodist preacher George Whitefield came to Scotland, partly to raise money for his orphanage in Georgia
. His stops included Leith
and Glasgow. This was attended by several of Mr M’Culloch's congregation, who belonged to local prayer and discussion groups called Fellowships. They were much affected by what they heard and saw. On their return to Cambuslang they sought some spiritual help from their minister, Mr M’Culloch.
According to his successor, Dr Meek
, Mr M’Culloch had been in the habit of preaching out of doors, in the nearly gorge, because of the poor repair of the church. It was here, after sermon, that he shared the letters and written sermons he received from New England. Towards the end of January 1742, two men, Ingram More, a shoemaker, and Robert Bowman, a weaver, went through the parish, and got about 90 heads of families to sign a petition to the minister, asking that he give them a weekly lecture. Thursday evening was set for this. The first two lectures passed off as expected, and only a few persons came back to the manse
for further prayer
and discussion. However, on Monday 15 February, all the Fellowships in the parish turned up at the manse and spent several days praying and discussing and wondering about the great events that were being reported from England and America.
. However, when the minister finished his last prayer by asking "Lord who hath believed our report; and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? where are the fruits of my poor labours among this people" several people cried out publicly in response - an event rare in Scottish worship. Afterwards, some 50 people came back in anguish to the manse, expressing a strong conviction of sin
and fearing dreadful punishment in the next life. Then began so great an influx of people to Cambuslang
that the minister started giving daily sermons and instruction. This lasted for about seven or eight months, until the coming of autumn. Many who attended the sermons were seized with a strong conviction that they were sinners and experienced an horrific sense of future punishment, many "bewailing their lost and undone condition by nature; calling themselves enemies to God, and despisers of precious Christ; declaring that they were unworthy to live on the face of the earth; that they saw the mouth of hell open to receive them, and that they heard the shrieks of the damned". The most insistent cry was "what shall we do to be saved?" Some beat their breasts and trembled. Many were seized with violent contortions, one woman saying afterwards that it was far worse than the pain of childbirth. Others fainted or bled at the nose. It was noted that the minister, and some of the congregation, encouraged people to give vent to their distress. Those who had been affected often went back to the manse and many spent long nights there in prayer and admonition. They returned to sermon the next day, often bandaged, and sat weeping and moaning in the front row of the congregation, or outside the entrance to the tents. This part of the process - of becoming aware of their sinfulness - was known as "conviction" and many were convicted. Not all, however, went on to the next stage, that is "conversion". Several were converted, though, and often quite suddenly. They were "raised all at once from the lowest depth of sorrow and distress, to the highest pitch of joy and happiness, crying out with triumph and exultation…that they had overcome the wicked one; that they had gotten hold of Christ!" They often followed this with a joyous appeal to the congregation to pray or sing along with them.
, of Edinburgh
, who conducted one of the first Statistical Accounts of Scotland
and Mr Robe of Kilsyth
where similar events took place.
Holy Communion was distributed on 11 July and 15 August, when extra tents needed to be erected to accommodate the multitude. George Whitefield, who had experience with crowds, reckoned there were about 30,000 at the latter. (He was surprised, when he announced his text, to hear the rustle of bibles being leafed through to follow him - an indication of the high rate of literacy
among common Scots of the time.)
Four ministers preached on the Friday fast day
before the sacrament
, four others preached on the Saturday to prepare those taking Communion and probably 15 preached in total on the Sunday of the Communion. James Meek reckons about 3000 took communion, about 10% of the crowd. Another, more evangelical minister calculated that, in total, about 400 persons were converted during the six months of the Cambuslang work, though he also noted "backsliders". The crowds seemed to dwindle after the second communion, no doubt partly due to the year progressing. For some years, however, 18 February was kept, according to Mr M’Culloch "partly as a day of thanksgiving for the remarkable season of grace to many in the British colonies, and particularly for this small corner, in the years 1741 and 1742; and partly as a day of humiliation and fasting for misimprovement (sic) of mercies; and especially for the backslidings of many, who then showed a more than ordinary concern about their souls, but have since fallen away, and turned as bad, or worse than they were before". It is not known if Mr M’Culloch finally experienced either conviction or conversion. There was a centenary event in 1842.
scholar, Dr Meek set out three explanations for the events of the Cambuslang Work. He did not mention modern explanations - the distress of tailors and shoemakers following the bad harvests of 1741, the tradition of Holy Fairs, the growing interest in Calvinist theology among many people, especially weavers (who read at their loom
s), including the country wide interest in what was happening in New England. Instead, he argues that this striking event was either natural
or supernatural
. If it had been natural (and he seems to suspect it was) he thinks it was caused by "sympathy and example" or what would be known today as "mass hysteria". If it had been supernatural, it either came from God
or from the devil
. The ministers in the Church of Scotland
who belonged to the Evangelical Party - like those who had preached at Cambuslang - were convinced it was a "glorious work of God". However, many of similar Calvinist views had recently left
what they thought of as an "ungodly" church and had set up a rival Associate Presbytery. They were convinced that God could not have operated so spectacularly in the Church they had just left, and condemned the Cambuslang Work as "the delusions of Satan
, attending the present awful work upon the bodies of men, going on at Cambuslang". A fierce and intemperate pamphlet
war ensued - though the writers always professed a Christian concern for the truth and the well-being of men's souls. The controversy still rages today, and remarkably similar general positions are still taken, depending on religious convictions, or indeed the lack of them. The Cambuslang Work was a remarkable historical event and one which is peculiarly well, and in great detail, documented.
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
, (February to November 1742) was a period of extraordinary religious activity, in Cambuslang
Cambuslang
Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Historically, it was a large rural Parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway. It is known as "the largest village in...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The event peaked in August 1742 when a crowd of some 30,000 gathered in the ‘preaching braes’ - a natural amphitheatre next to the Kirk
Kirk
Kirk can mean "church" in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.-Basic meaning and etymology:...
at Cambuslang - to hear the great preacher George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
call them to repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
and conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. It was intimately connected with the similar remarkable revivalist events taking place throughout Great Britain and its American Colonies in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, where it is known as The First Great Awakening
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
.
A Holy Fair
The Minister of CambuslangCambuslang clergy
The sequence of Clergy of Cambuslang reflects pretty accurately the development of the Christian Church in Scotland.-The Catholic Church:The revenues of the Parish of Cambuslang were obviously substantial enough for the priests to carry the title Rector. One - William Monypenny - had enough to...
was an unlikely person to have organised this remarkable event. He was Mr William M’Culloch
William M'Culloch
William M'Culloch was Minister of Cambuslang during the extraordinary events of the Cambuslang Work when 30,000 people gathered in the hillsides near his church for preaching and communion. Many were there struck by their own depravity and horrified at the probable punishment after death...
. Early on in his career as a Minister, he had confessed to a friend that he envied those who had felt called or converted to Christ. To him these feelings were completely alien. In addition, although he was an extremely learned and studious person, and a conscientious pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
to his congregation, he was no great preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
. It was said that the ale houses filled up when it was his turn to preach outdoors in traditional Scottish "Sacramental Occasions" or "Holy Fair
Holy Fair
The Holy Fair was a biennial rural celebration of the Communion once common in Scotland, attended not only by the people of the parish, but by large numbers of strangers from far and near. Their acts were of questionable decency, however, and were exposed and satirised by the poet Robert Burns in...
s", as they were called. This was when ministers and congregations of neighbouring parishes came together for several days of fasting
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
, preaching and self-examination before receiving Holy Communion. One of these events is vividly, and humorously, described in one of Robert Burns’
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
poems, appropriately called ‘The Holy Fair’. It may be that the outdoor preaching of the First Great Awakening in New England had their origins in these Scots emigrant memories of these Holy Fairs.
New England preachers
However, Mr M’Culloch was keenly interested in Calvinist theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
of conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
and followed closely the work of the great preachers and their effects in Britain and British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
. His son had for some time been a trader in the colonies, but besides that, the West of Scotland had very close contact with them, as Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
merchant ships had several weeks’ advantage over other ships in the transatlantic trade
Tobacco Lords
The Tobacco Lords were Glasgow merchants who, in the 18th Century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco from Great Britain's American Colonies....
. He received many letters from there describing the Great Awakening which he read out (instead of sermons) to his congregation. He also read out copies of sermons collected from there and printed by John Erskine
John Erskine (theologian)
John Erskine , the Scottish theologian, was born near Dunfermline at Carnock, on 2 June 1721. His father was the great Scottish jurist John Erskine of Carnock and his grandfather was Colonel John Erskine of Cardross who had been in William of Orange's army when it invaded England in the Glorious...
the famous Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
. In 1741, the great Methodist preacher George Whitefield came to Scotland, partly to raise money for his orphanage in Georgia
Bethesda Orphanage
Bethesda Academy is a boys orphanage and school located in unincorporated Chatham County, Georgia, USA, near Savannah....
. His stops included Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
and Glasgow. This was attended by several of Mr M’Culloch's congregation, who belonged to local prayer and discussion groups called Fellowships. They were much affected by what they heard and saw. On their return to Cambuslang they sought some spiritual help from their minister, Mr M’Culloch.
According to his successor, Dr Meek
James Meek
James Meek was Minister of Cambuslang from 1774 until his death. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1795, but is most remembered as the model Enlightenment cleric who wrote the entry for Cambuslang in the First Statistical Account of Scotland.-Biography :James...
, Mr M’Culloch had been in the habit of preaching out of doors, in the nearly gorge, because of the poor repair of the church. It was here, after sermon, that he shared the letters and written sermons he received from New England. Towards the end of January 1742, two men, Ingram More, a shoemaker, and Robert Bowman, a weaver, went through the parish, and got about 90 heads of families to sign a petition to the minister, asking that he give them a weekly lecture. Thursday evening was set for this. The first two lectures passed off as expected, and only a few persons came back to the manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
for further prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and discussion. However, on Monday 15 February, all the Fellowships in the parish turned up at the manse and spent several days praying and discussing and wondering about the great events that were being reported from England and America.
Strange behaviour
On Thursday 18 February, the weekly lecture proceeded as usual, though it was noticed that the congregation were paying particular attention to the detail of the sermonSermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
. However, when the minister finished his last prayer by asking "Lord who hath believed our report; and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? where are the fruits of my poor labours among this people" several people cried out publicly in response - an event rare in Scottish worship. Afterwards, some 50 people came back in anguish to the manse, expressing a strong conviction of sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
and fearing dreadful punishment in the next life. Then began so great an influx of people to Cambuslang
Cambuslang
Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Historically, it was a large rural Parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway. It is known as "the largest village in...
that the minister started giving daily sermons and instruction. This lasted for about seven or eight months, until the coming of autumn. Many who attended the sermons were seized with a strong conviction that they were sinners and experienced an horrific sense of future punishment, many "bewailing their lost and undone condition by nature; calling themselves enemies to God, and despisers of precious Christ; declaring that they were unworthy to live on the face of the earth; that they saw the mouth of hell open to receive them, and that they heard the shrieks of the damned". The most insistent cry was "what shall we do to be saved?" Some beat their breasts and trembled. Many were seized with violent contortions, one woman saying afterwards that it was far worse than the pain of childbirth. Others fainted or bled at the nose. It was noted that the minister, and some of the congregation, encouraged people to give vent to their distress. Those who had been affected often went back to the manse and many spent long nights there in prayer and admonition. They returned to sermon the next day, often bandaged, and sat weeping and moaning in the front row of the congregation, or outside the entrance to the tents. This part of the process - of becoming aware of their sinfulness - was known as "conviction" and many were convicted. Not all, however, went on to the next stage, that is "conversion". Several were converted, though, and often quite suddenly. They were "raised all at once from the lowest depth of sorrow and distress, to the highest pitch of joy and happiness, crying out with triumph and exultation…that they had overcome the wicked one; that they had gotten hold of Christ!" They often followed this with a joyous appeal to the congregation to pray or sing along with them.
The two communions
Many people came from other parts of Scotland, and even from England and Ireland, to hear the sermons, and no doubt to witness the convictions and conversions. Mr M’Culloch needed help and many of the most prestigious Evangelical ministers preached in Cambuslang - in particular Dr Alexander WebsterAlexander Webster
Alexander Webster , Scottish writer and minister, son of James Webster, a covenanting minister originally from Fife, was born in Edinburgh.Alexander became a minister in the Church of Scotland, beginning his career in Culross in Fife...
, of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, who conducted one of the first Statistical Accounts of Scotland
Statistical Accounts of Scotland
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland are three series of documentary publications covering life in Scotland in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries....
and Mr Robe of Kilsyth
Kilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
where similar events took place.
Holy Communion was distributed on 11 July and 15 August, when extra tents needed to be erected to accommodate the multitude. George Whitefield, who had experience with crowds, reckoned there were about 30,000 at the latter. (He was surprised, when he announced his text, to hear the rustle of bibles being leafed through to follow him - an indication of the high rate of literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
among common Scots of the time.)
Four ministers preached on the Friday fast day
Fast Day
Fast Day was a holiday observed in some parts of the United States between 1670 and 1991."A day of public fasting and prayer", it was traditionally observed in the New England states. It had its origin in days of prayer and repentance proclaimed in the early days of the American colonies by Royal...
before the sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
, four others preached on the Saturday to prepare those taking Communion and probably 15 preached in total on the Sunday of the Communion. James Meek reckons about 3000 took communion, about 10% of the crowd. Another, more evangelical minister calculated that, in total, about 400 persons were converted during the six months of the Cambuslang work, though he also noted "backsliders". The crowds seemed to dwindle after the second communion, no doubt partly due to the year progressing. For some years, however, 18 February was kept, according to Mr M’Culloch "partly as a day of thanksgiving for the remarkable season of grace to many in the British colonies, and particularly for this small corner, in the years 1741 and 1742; and partly as a day of humiliation and fasting for misimprovement (sic) of mercies; and especially for the backslidings of many, who then showed a more than ordinary concern about their souls, but have since fallen away, and turned as bad, or worse than they were before". It is not known if Mr M’Culloch finally experienced either conviction or conversion. There was a centenary event in 1842.
Explanations
Like a good EnlightenedScottish Enlightenment
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy...
scholar, Dr Meek set out three explanations for the events of the Cambuslang Work. He did not mention modern explanations - the distress of tailors and shoemakers following the bad harvests of 1741, the tradition of Holy Fairs, the growing interest in Calvinist theology among many people, especially weavers (who read at their loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
s), including the country wide interest in what was happening in New England. Instead, he argues that this striking event was either natural
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
or supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
. If it had been natural (and he seems to suspect it was) he thinks it was caused by "sympathy and example" or what would be known today as "mass hysteria". If it had been supernatural, it either came from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
or from the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
. The ministers in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
who belonged to the Evangelical Party - like those who had preached at Cambuslang - were convinced it was a "glorious work of God". However, many of similar Calvinist views had recently left
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
what they thought of as an "ungodly" church and had set up a rival Associate Presbytery. They were convinced that God could not have operated so spectacularly in the Church they had just left, and condemned the Cambuslang Work as "the delusions of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, attending the present awful work upon the bodies of men, going on at Cambuslang". A fierce and intemperate pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
war ensued - though the writers always professed a Christian concern for the truth and the well-being of men's souls. The controversy still rages today, and remarkably similar general positions are still taken, depending on religious convictions, or indeed the lack of them. The Cambuslang Work was a remarkable historical event and one which is peculiarly well, and in great detail, documented.