Iain H. Murray tells the story in his excellent book, Revival and Revivalism-

Edward D. Griffin and Alexander McWhorter were godly pastors in the New England and New York area during the Third Great Awakening that occurred in the U.S. A great revival occurred in New Jersey in August, 1807.

Griffin had been a pastor for years and then later was engaged in a powerful itinerant ministry and saw outpourings of the Spirit regularly in his preaching; McWhorter was a man who exemplified Spirit-anointed preaching to his generation and was nearing the end of his ministry. McWhorter had seen the Spirit of God poured on in Newark in 1772, 1784, and 1996. But greater days were coming in 1807.

Speaking of a meeting on the first Monday night in September, Griffin wrote–

“The first feelings which denoted the extraordinary presence of God and the actual commencement of a revival of religion were awakened in almost every person who was present. It was no longer doubtful whether a work of divine grace had begun.

“During the next two weeks, increasing symptoms of a most powerful influence were experienced. The appearance was as if a collection of waters, long suspended over the town, had suddenly fallen at once, and deluged the whole place.

“For several weeks, the people would stay at the close of every evening service to hear some new exhortation; it seemed impossible to persuade them to leave until those on whose lips they hung needed to retire for the night.”

Seven years later, in 1814, Edward Payson of Portland, Maine wrote to his mother of a similar outpouring on January 7 where he had been preaching in another town away from Portland on December 13–

“I came home thoroughly drenched by the showers of divine influence which began to fall; I soon found that the cloud had followed me and was beginning to be poured out upon my own people; we appointed a season of thanksgiving and blessing seemed to follow it.

“I then invited the young men of the parish to come to my house on Sunday evenings. Some in the church thought none would come. I expected twenty at most to attend. The first evening forty came, then sixty, and finally, seventy men began to attend. About thirty of them are seriously inquiring about salvation, and the work is spreading. Meanwhile, I am so ashamed, so rejoicing, and so astonished to see what God is doing, that I can scarcely get one hour’s sleep.”

Brethren, let us still hope, pray, and preach for God to pour out His Spirit upon our churches and our nations. He can yet revival His work in the midst of the years!

– Iain H. Murray