Cambuslang Work - New England Preachers

New England Preachers

However, Mr M’Culloch was keenly interested in Calvinist theology 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.