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340
MEDDELANDEN’ OCH AKTSTYCKEN
deep-felt want of religion, although their religious notions have been
very little developed. Even during times of darkness and death among
the clergy, strong spiritual awakenings have taken place among the
people of different parts of the country, especially in the eighteenth
century. These awakenings have verv often been of an ecstatic character.
The consequences of these movements have commonly been of very little
duration, probably as they have had few faithful and enlightened
leaders.
A revival, more important, and with greater results, commenced,
nevertheless, at the beginning of this century. In the eastern parts of
the country, Savolax and Karelen, there arose " no small stir about that
way." Thousands of men and women were seized by grace, and the
movement spread far and wide. Much imperfection was nevertheless
mingled even in these movements, not only ecstatic phenomena, as
swoons, groans, and over-excited speech, mostly among unpolished and
young people—and by the imprudent leaders as well as by those whom
they led, these strange signs were regarded as tokens of a higher
grace—but also more special errors in doctrine. The awakened souls
in the before-named places soon divided into two opposite parties. The
chief of one of these parties was a peasant, Paavo Ruotsalainen, and
of the other a minister of the Church, H. Renquist; and whilst the
former partially and exclusively preached the doctrine of justification,
the latter as exclusively taught the doctrine of sanctification.
Eager to stand up against self-righteousness, the first party
neglected to take heed of their conduct, and sunk down more and more
into manifest sins, drunkenness, and such like. Renquist, on the
contrary, with his party, degenerated into dead and empty ceremonies and
Pharisaical self-holiness.—Except two clergymen, this revival comprised
only peasants.
Independent of these movements in the eastern parts of Finland,
another revival commenced in the counties of Wasa and Uleåborg
among the higher classes, comprising even the clergy, and by degrees
spread to the lower. Even at the University of Helsingfors the Spirit
of the Lord worked among the students in such a way, that, about 1840,
twenty youths, awakened and seeking their salvation, went out as
teachers of parishes, and on their different stations worked with more or
less wisdom and blessing. Thus the work of the Lord was spread over
the whole country. But even these young teachers, coming into contact
with Ruotsalainen and his partisans, had become tainted by the impurity
of their doctrine and deeds, I have myself seen some specimen of the
disgusting deformations of this religious movement, which I wish to
expose to you. In 1843 I went to Helsingfors in order to be present at
a meeting of these young awakened clergymen and some laymen. The
assembled ministers amounted to twenty-three. No description
whatsoever could have made me believe what I now experienced. One moment
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