LETTER IX. From the Rev. AARON WOOL I the word preached, strikingly marked the deep folemnity of the audience. Never before did we wit WORTH of Bridgehampton, Long- nefs fuch a new-year's day. The Ifland. GENTLEMEN, TAKE the liberty to fend to you fome account of the work of God, in this quarter, laft winter and fpring. It has indeed been glorious. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." The attention, in this place, began to be confiderable the beginning of laft November. Before this, and as early as the preceding July or Auguft, there were manifeft appearances of fpecial ferioufnefs upon the minds of a few individuals. Perhaps, previous to the month of November, there had three or four inftances of hopeful converfion taken place; and a fomewhat larger number of perfons appeared under conviction. From this time, our weekly meetings for prayer and Chriftian conference, which had been kept up, principally, thro the fummer preceeding began to be more frequented. About the laft of November or the beginning of December, there was a more rapid increase in the attention, both as to the extent and folemnity of it. Our affemblies on the Lord's day were much more full and folemn and the conference meetings which instead of once were now attended twice in the week were crouded. The work continued to fpread thro the month of December, when the glorious cloud of divine influence feemed to encircle the whole congregation. On new-year's day we attended public worship both in the afternoon and evening. At each fervice the house of God was much thronged; and an univerfal, eager, and profoundly filent attention to Lord was manifeftly and powerfully prefent. Numbers were hopefully brought into the liberty of the gofpel, and filled with joy and peace in believing; and many others became the fubjects of that earneft folicitude about their falvation, which continued with them, till they obtained hope of their reconciliation to God. Subfequent to this it was found that no private houses would contain the people who flocked to conferences, even though there were two or three meetings at the fame time. Of courfe our appointments were afterwards made in the church. For nearly three weeks, public worship was attended every evening; and the house of God was, in common, much more crouded than it ufed formerly to be, even on the fabbath. Many who lived at the distance of two and three miles, were constant attendants. The things of religion appeared to engrofs the minds of all claffes. Such as had been at the greatest remove from ferious confideration were folemnly awakened; and the ftout-hearted made to bow under fearful apprehenfions of the wrath to come. Among finners the common enquiry was "what fhall I do to be faved?" The care of the foul they confidered as indeed the one thing needful. Worldly business beyond what feemed immediately neceffary was, in a great measure, laid afide and made to give place to the concerns and interefts of eternity. Much time was spent in vifiting from houfe to houfe, and religious converfation became univerfal. Little elfe was to be heard in any circle. Many were mourning under a penetrating fenfe of the Through the whole of this re wretchednefs and danger of their | This has been the cafe till increafftate as finners, and not a few re-ing light, and comparing their joicing in the grace of the gofpel. exercifes with the gofpel, have led This was the ftate of things thro' them on to a comfortable hope of the months of January, February their good eftate. and March. In the month of April, the ardor of the attention ap-markable seriousness much regularpeared in fome measure to abate. The habitual ferioufnefs however, remained much the fame as before; and continues in a good measure to the present time. Confiderable numbers ftill appear under deep and genuine conviction. Perfons of almost every age, from 65 down to 10 or 12 years, have apparently been fubjects of the work. Children from ten years old have been much awakened, and fome hopefully converted. Those who have given the best evidence of a faving change have generally been from 16 to 40 years of age. There have confiderably rifing of a hundred obtained hope of their faving intereft in Chrift. Under conviction the fubjects have, in general, been made deeply fenfible of their utterly loft eftate by nature. They complain much of hard hearts and blind minds. When thus reduced to self-defpair, they have ufually experienced divine manifeftations. Thefe manifeftations, in fome inftances, have been immediate and clear at firft, and connected with great fenfible peace and joy in God and divine things. But more commonly they have been flow and progreffive. The perfon has felt calm and compofed and experienced a degree of inward peace and fatisfaction in a view of divine objects. But thefe exercifes have not been fuch, at first, as to bring in evidence of their being new creatures. Many have continued in this ftate for a confiderable time, fome for weeks without any apprehenfions of their being the fubjects of faving grace. ity has been obferved. Order and decency have marked its rife and progrefs-and it has been attended with much outward peace and harmony of fentiment. No oppofition has appeared. Satan has not been permitted to get advantage against us, by exciting any thing like a fpirit of rafh judging, or bitter, cenforious fpeaking one of another. From the beginning every body feemed convinced, and dif pofed to acknowledge that what they faw was indeed the work of God. Its effects have been most falutary. The veftiges of fcepticifm-and infidelity were fwept away, and differences and prejudices, which had long interrupted the peace of fociety were happily healed. Brotherly love, which has all along abounded, ftill continues. It furprisingly put an end to complaints again't the hard doctrines of the gospel, fuch as the total depravity of the human heart, fovereign grace, &c. There was no danger of giving difguft by preaching thefe doctrines too plainly. The truth of them could not be denied, whilft the power of them was fo deeply and manifeftly experienced. The moral reformation has alfo been, in fome goodmeafure,fuch as we could wifh. Taverns, and other places of vanity and diffipation, which used to be frequented, are deferted. The novel and romance are exchanged for the bible, and books calculated to furnish the most useful knowledge, and improve the heart in habits of virtue and piety. The houfe of God is fill the place of general re fort, and the fabbaths of the Lord | to be granted. Though no fpecia! vifible encouragement appeared, for a confiderable time-they were continued, till it pleafed God to hear and answer in the fignal manner which has been ftated. Herein he hath fhewn himself a pray. er-hearing God, and exhibited a fufficient reafon why his people, even in the darkest feafons, fhould perfeveringly wait upon him in this due time, they may be confident of reaping, if they faint not. are devoutly reverenced, and confcientiously obferved. Family religion in its various branches, I have reason to believe, is tenfold more attended to and maintained than heretofore. And thefe principles of piety and the fear of the Lord, no doubt, have great influence upon the various relative duties of life, which are manifeftly more regularly performed than be-way of his own appointment. In fore the times of refreshing which have past and are still paffing over us. Such habitual alterations of character appear in many individuals, and in the general state of fociety, among us, as bear an honorable teftimony to the truth and importance of experimental religion. Many who have obtained hope complain much of the griev-mong them in May. There was a ous corruption of their hearts, and the want of fenfible Chriftian comfort-but ftill appear engaged to prefs forward in the ways of the Lord. As yet I know of no inftances, which look like apoftacy; though it is to be feared that all will not endure to the end and be faved. There has alfo, for a number of months, existed a very confiderable revival of religion in a small congregation, called Middletown, about 40 miles westward of thisand in Coram, a fociety adjoining. I vifited, and fpent fome time a very great and unufual engagedness manifefted to attend upon the preaching of the word; and though the feafon was very hurrying, multitudes flocked, for many miles round to attend divine fervice once, twice, and even three times a day. I also visited them again, about two weeks ago, and found the fame fpirit as before, though perhaps not attended with altogether fo much engagednefs. There have as many as between forty and fifty obtained hope, and about thirty have joined the church. The work bears the fame general aprevi-pearance as it has in this place. I would just add that this revival of religion appears to have taken place in anfwer to prayer. Previously to it the state of religion among us was very low; and had been fo for many years. But in the preceding April, by certain communications, refpecting vals of religion, then taking place in Connecticut and fome other concurring circumftances, a fmall number of Chriftians were induced to fet up weekly meetings of fpecial prayer for Zion. They were kept up through the fummer. Few, fometimes not more than ten or fifteen, attended. Thefe meetings, however through the divine bleffing, were made edifying; and an ufual spirit of prayer feemed It had long been a time of great religious declenfion. In the beginning of the year 1799, they loft their minifter, deacons, and a number of other most active and influential characters, by death. Every thing looked dark and gloomy-there was no appearance of thefe awful judgments being fanctified; iniquity abounded and the love of many waxed cold-but by this interpofition of divine grace, C the face of things is furprisingly altered the former defolations are happily repaired. The revival has been connected with a spirit of union, and a very remarkable reformation of manners. Among a small tribe of Indians, at a place called Cold Spring, about 12 miles weft of us, under the care of Paul, an Indian minifter, there has also of late been a great awakening; and it continues In a good measure ftill. Alfo at Huntington and Southold there have been, and are at prefent very promifing appearances of fpecial religious attention. May this good and glorious work go on and profper. Verily when the Lord builds up Zion, he appears in his glory. I am, with much respect, Yours, &c. AARON WOOLWORTH. LETTER X. From the Rev. EDWARD D. GRIF- No The work of divine grace among us, three years ago, by which nearly fifty perfons were hopefully added to the Lord, had not wholly ceafed to produce effects on the people generally, when the late fcene of mercy and wonder commenced. In the interval, several were, in the judgment of charity, "created a new in Chrift Jefus unto good works." It is not known however that any thing took place in the fummer of 1798, which had immediate connection with the prefent work, unless it were fome trying conflicts in a number of praying minds, which appeared to humble and prepare them for the bleffings and duties of the enfuing winter. Late in October 1798, the peo ple frequently hearing of the difplays of divine grace in Weft-Symfbury, were increasingly impreffed with the information. Our conferences foon became more crouded and feeling. Serious peoplebegan to break their minds to each other ; and it was discovered (fo far were prefent impreffions from being the effect of mere fympathy) that there had been, for a confid erable time, in their minds fpecial defires for the revival of religion; while each one, unapprifed of his neighbor's feelings, had fuppofed his exercifes peculiar to himself. It was foon agreed to inftitute a fecret meeting for the exprefs purpofe of praying for effufions of the fpirit; which was the scene of fuch wrestlings as are not, it is apprehended, commonly experien ced. Several circumitances confpired to increase our anxiety. The glorious work had already begun in Torringford; and the cloud appeared to be going all a round us. It feemed as though providence, by avoiding us, defigned to bring to remembrance our D d OT having expected that an account of the late work of God among us would be called for, I have not been careful to charge my mind with particulars. Many impreffive circumftances, which, had they stood alone, would not have been foon forgotten, have given place to others, which in their turn arrested and engroffed the attention. A fuccinct and general account fhall however be attempted. Although this place is not in NewEngland, yet as it is in the vicinity, and as the work of God there was coincident in time with that in NewEngland, the Editors have thought proper to infert the account of it in this place. VOL. I. No. 6. paft abuses of bis grace. Befides, having been fo recently vifited with diftinguishing favors, we dared not allow ourselves to expect a repetition of them fo foon; and we began to apprehend it was the purpofe of Him whom we had lately grieved from among us, that we fhould, for penalty, ftand alone parched up in fight of furrounding fhowers. We confidered what must be the probable fate of the rifen generation if we were to fee no more of" the days that were paft" for a number of years, and the apprehenfion that we might not, caufed fenfations more eafily felt than defcribed. This was the state of the people when, on a fabbath in the month of November, it was the fovereign pleasure of a moft merciful God very fenfibly to manifeit himself in the public affembly. Many abiding impreffions were made on minds feemingly the leaft fufceptible, and on feveral grown old in unbelief. From that memorable day the flame which had been kindling in fecret, broke out. By defire of the people, religious conferences were fet up in different parts of the town, which continued to be attended by deeply affected crouds; and in which divine prefence and power were manifefted to a degree which we had never before witneffed. It is not meant that they were marked with out-cries, diftortions of body, or any fymptoms of intemperate zeal; but only that the power of divine truth made deep impreffion on the affemblies. You might of ten fee a congregation fit with deep folemnity depicted in their countenances, without obferving a tear or fob during the fervice. This laft obfervation is not made with defign to caft odium on fuch natu. ral expreffions of a wounded fpirit. But the cafe was fo with us that moft of those who were exercifed, were often too deeply impreffed to weep. to weep. Addreffes to the paffions, now no longer neceffary fince the attention was engaged, were avoided; and the aim was to come at the confcience. Little terror was preached, except what is implied in the doctrines of the entire depravity of the carnal heart its enmity against God-its de ceitful doublings and attempts to avoid the foul-humbling terms of the gofpel-the radical defects of the doings of the unregenerate, and the fovereignty of God, in the difpenfations of his grace. The more clearly thefe and other kindred doctrines were displayed and understood, the more were convictions promoted. By convictions is meant thofe views and feelings which are caufed by uncovered truth, and the influences of the fpirit, antecedently to converfion. The order and progrefs of these convictions were pretty much as follows. The fubjects of them were brought to feel that they were tranfgreffors, yet not that they were totally finful. As their convictions increased, they were constrained to acknoweldge their destitution of love to God; but yet they thought they had no enmity against him. At length they would come to fee that fuch enmity filled their hearts. This was particularly exemplified in a certain house, in which were two perfons exercised in mind. One appeared to have a clear fenfe of this enmity, and wondered how fhe could have been ignorant of it fo long. The other was fenfible that the poffeffed none of that love to God which the law required, but could not believe that the entertained fuck enmity as filled the other with fo much remorfe and anguish. A few days afterwards, feeing a friend to whom she had |