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miring views of the excellencies and perfections of God; every thing about them, even the natural creation has appeared new, because declarative of the prefence and agency of God, which they had never before regarded in this light. Others have at firft only experienced a calm compofure of mind, in which, without any fenfible

ciled to him, with refpect to the length, degree, and diftinét quality of their convictions, and the ftrength, and bitterness, of their fenfible heart-rifings against God, in the course of their convictions, and the clearness of their views, and greatness of their joys, when they were at first reconciled, yet there is a general fimilarity in the accounts, which they all, or near-heart-rifings against God, they ly all, have given of themfelves. They have at first generally, tho' not univerfally, been principally affected with a fenfe of their danger of the wrath of God, and all have reforted to their own works, to conciliate his favor, without that fubmiffion to him, and reliance on Christ, which the gospel requires. While purfuing this courfe, their painful apprehenfions of divine wrath have been gradually overbalanced, by fucceffive and increafing difcoveries of their guilt and obftinate depravity of heart, until they have felt their entire dependence, on the fovereign uncovenanted mercy of God, to renew their hearts. While in this fituation, they have generally been fenfible of dreadful heart-rifings against God, and his government. Some have related their feelings, when in this fituation, which were too dreadful to be repeated. Several have been on the borders of defpair. They, who have received comfort, look back on this, as the feafon of their greateft diftrefs of foul, and it has often become fo great, as very much to interrupt, and fometimes wholly to deftroy their fleep, labor and appetite for food.-After continuing for fome time, in this fituation, oppreffed with a fenfe of their defperate wickednefs; many of them have been fuddenly relieved, from the anguish of their fouls. Of thefe, fome have been immediately filled with great joy, and ad

have attentively contemplated his character and government-their own extreme vileness, and his fovereignty in the difpenfations of his grace; they have seen and acknowledged the juftice and fitnefs of his adminiflrations, felt themfelves wholly at his difpofal, and confented that it fhould be fo; but at the fame time, had no fenfible exercifes or effufions of love, joy or praife, did not view themfelves entitled to the promises of the gospel; but even feared that they were lofing their convictions, and should foon return to their former ftupidity. This ftate of mind has been generally followed, in a few hours, or a few days with an admiring sense of the excellency and glory of God, and a fpirit of praife, love and comfort in him; fometimes excited by difcoveries of Chrift, and the glory of his work of redemption, and the fulness and fufficiency of his falvation, and at other times, by a view of the divine law, and the other various manifeftations, which God has made of his perfections. Thofe exercifes have fuggested to their minds, an hope that they are now born of God, of this however none have appeared very confident at firft; but their hopes have been expreffed with caution, and have often been feeble and intermitting, and as their religious exercises have been by turns more or less fervent, and in their view productive of

obedience, their hopes have increafed or diminished.

Many of them have obferved, that the happiness, which they have poffeffed in religious exercifes, in refpect to purity and fublimity, greatly exceeds all the finfulpleafures that they ever enjoyed. They appear to delight exceedingly in God, and their religion is to them a refreshing feaft.

A number of thofe, whofe exercifes have been here defcribed, were formerly opposed to the doctrines of God's decrees, and particular election; but are now, without any exception convinced of their truth and importance, and of the total depravity of the natural heart. Two or three were inclined to univerfalism; but have now abandoned thofe opinions, and view them as falfe and pernicious. One in particular was a confirmed universalist, and had been fo for fome years. He is a man, about forty years of age, of a determined fpirit, disposed to be confident in his own opinion, and to give little heed to the opinions of others,

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' which I conceived could be eafily accomplished, fo that I might be fafe, even though my fentiments, concerning the falvation of all men, fhould not prove true. I fet about the work, but in a few days relapfed into my old careless habits. A reflection on 'this gave me fome alarm, and I ' refolved, and entered on the bu'finefs again and again, but to no better effect than before, until at length, I felt, in fome measure,

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my dependence on God, to ena 'ble me to keep my refolutions. All this time, my confidence in univerfalifm gradually weakened. "I now had much anxiety and con'cern of mind for feveral weeks; but remained opposed to the doc'trines of the entire depravity of the carnal heart, divine fovereignty and election; til! on a certain day, as I was alone, on fome bu finefs at a distance from my house, • God discovered to me my own heart to that degree, that for a 'confiderable time, I can have no ' recollection of any circumftance or object about me. My atten

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in matters of religion. Ifhall heretion was fo entirely fwallowed up, give an abstract of the account, which he gave of himself. 'was,' faid he, 6

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a real univerfalift, and fully believed those • fentiments. After the awakening began, I had some converfation with a religious neighbor on the fubject, and left him with a 'fenfible inquietude on my mind:

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by the dreadful discoveries of my " "I own heart, that I know of nothing elfe, which paffed in my 'mind, until at length, I found myself proftrate on the earth. I left the bufinefs on which I went out undone, and returned home, with an heavy load on my mind, and was unable to do any bufinefs for feveral days. I got no relief, until feeling my abfolute dependence on the fovereign will of God, to difpofe of me as he fhould fee fit, I refigned myself into his hands, fenfible, that if he fhould renew me, I 'fhould be faved; but if not, and if he fhould fend me to hell, he would be perfectly juft, and I fhould fee it and know it forever."

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I went home, took my bible for relief, and turned to thofe texts, which I had long confidered as full proof of my fentiments but on carefully reading and confidering them, they did not apfo conclufive as they had I knew that I had no religion myfelf, and I determined. 'I would now attend to it, and repent, and believe on Chrift VOL. I. No. 1.

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-It was fome days after this, and it was after he gave me this account of himself, that he first began to entertain an hope, that he was interefted in the promifes of the Gofpel, tho' he had much comfort, when he gave me this relation, and had set up the worship of God in his family, which till this time, he had always neglected, and he had taken pains to convince one, whom he had led into the perfuafion that all men would be faved; and has Ence vifited others for the fame purpose. But whether his converfion be genuine, muft remain to be proved by his fruits, and perfeverance in religion.

was replied, Perhaps if he fhould
he would cut you off.
He an-
fwered, "Well, I won't find
fault with him if he does ; I
'won't fay, I fubmit, and then
• find fault with him, because he
does not do with me, as I wish
he would." He faid these
things, with an emphasis and ex-
preffion, which cannot be copied,
and which apparently bespoke the
feelings of his heart. He remain-
ed for feveral weeks rejoicing in
God, and in his government, and
in the doctrines and duties of the
Gofpel. His countenance was
cheerful, and even his natural abil
ities, efpecially for free, focial
converfation, feemed to be enlarg-

To the account given of this man, I will fubjoin that of anoth-ed; er—a man about fifty-fix years of age, who had no great fhare of general information, or fociability. He had been very inattentive to religion, even in speculation, and had very much neglected public worship. When the awakening first began among us, this man had let himself out at work, in a neighboring town; but after two or three months returned. He obferved the great alteration, that had taken place among the people, and was led by it, to reflect on his own finful and miferable condition, and became deeply impreffed with a fenfe of his danger. From this time, he conftantly attended religious meetings, and foon acquired fome juft views of the state of the controverfy between God and himself, and expreffed his views, with much feeling and propriety. Not long after, he manifefted a fpirit of fubmiffion to God. He

was then asked whether he was willing that God fhould govern all things, according to his own good pleafure? He readily anfwered, "Yes, this is what I want." It

altho' at the time, he had no idea, or hope that he was a real Chriftian, or was entitled to the promifes. His ferious neighbors indeed confidered him as one born again, and one of them fuppofing by the tenor of his converfation on religious fubje&s, that doubtless he confidered himself a convert, requested him to ftate the reasons, which made him fuppofe, or hope that he was a Chriftian. He replied, "I don't think I am oneI have no idea that I am ; but I hope I fhall be." Mention was made to him of the gracious promifes, which God had made to fuch as would caft themselves upon his mercy. He anfwered, "I choose he fhould do with me as he 'thinks fit." Since that time by comparing his exercises with the word of God, he has conceived an humble hope that he has real religion; and he continues to poffefs much joy and comfort, at the fame time that a fenfe of his own vilenefs and unworthinefs increases upon him. But he now fays that "a fenfe of his vilencfs, neither interrupts his happiness, nor leads

him to dread the day of judgment, for his hopes are in Chrift ' alone!"

believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN. I am, &c. JONATHAN MILLER.

LETTER II.

From the Rev. SAMUEL J. MILLS of Torringford, fate of Con

necticut.

Torringford, Litchfield county.
GENTLEMEN,

N the latter end of Auguft

1798, unufual religious appearances commenced in this place, efpecially among the young people. They met weekly by themselves. Their number conftantly increafed, until it was found that a private room would not contain them. They then repaired to the meetinghoufe, where they prayed, fang, and converfed on religious subjects.

I have obferved, that altho' but a fmall proportion of the heads of families among us were profeffors of religion, yet about two thirds of thofe, who have now become apparent converts, are the children of fuch parents-that little more than one third are above thirty years of age-and that the number of the females is almost double to the males. Yet I hope there are numbers, who are reconciled to God, with whom I have had no opportunity for particular converfation; and fo the number of converts may be greater, and the proportion as to age, fex and family may be different from that which is here mentioned. And on the other hand, if fome of thofe, whom we now charitably hope are Chriftians, fhould apostatize from their profeffion, it ought not to furprise us, or bring an evil report on this great and good work of God; for our Lord has forewarned us, that fome fhall be like feed fown upon ftony ground.And there have been many in all ages, who have come unto the marriage-feaft, without a wedding garment. But we hope better things of them all, and things that accompany falvation, tho' we thus fpeak. And while we rejoice in hope of their bleffedness, we have caufe to tremble for the greatest proportion of the people, who yet undoubt-ture, were appointed; and crowds edly remain in fearful bondage to were wont to affemble at fuch feafin and death. fons.

The Lord grant that his gracious prefence and power may continue with us that the children of God may be more abundantly fanctified-that converts may be greatly multiplied, and prove real converts to God-and all the people have great joy and peace in

An event fo extraordinary, excited a fpirit of general enquiry throughout the fociety, and feveral weeks, and even months paffed away, while as yet one was fcarce able to decide whether any very deep, or powerful impreffions were on their minds, or not, unlefs in a very few inftances.

In the mean time an unusual folemnity appeared on the countenances of the people in general. And thofe who antecedently to all this, had been much in prayer to God for a day of his divine pow er, “thanked God, and took courage." Of course, conference meetings of a more general na

Thus things paffed on, with but few inftances of hopeful converfions, until about the middle of the following winter.

While our hopes, and our fears, had thus long been very fenfibly excited, by turns, as appearances varied, at this memorable period,

it pleafed the great Head of the Church in a very peculiar manner, to fhow forth his prefence, and power in the midst of the people. So extraordinary a feafon, for weeks, and we may fay, for months we never witneffed. An anfwer to the enquiry, Whether the Lord was indeed among us, or not, was now attended with no

difficulty. The minds of many were greatly agitated, and unufual attention was paid to means of inftruction. In the time of this extraordinary vifitation, a goodly number of the people, obtained hope of their reconciliation to God. Having made this general ftatement, I fhall now defcend to fome particular obfervations.

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oftheir own hearts, and to an increafing conviction, of the impoffibility of ever obtaining relief, in. their own way, they have felt fenfibly difturbed. They have been ready to plead in their own defence, while they dared to do it, that they could do no more than they could-that they never made their own hearts-and that it was out of their power to change them--they have contended allo against God, for fhowing mercy to others, while they were left-and . even for giving them existence. But as their convictions increased, they became fenfible of the dreadful obftinacy of their own hearts, and found themselves growing worfe and worse, till finally all hope difappeared, except what arofe from the fovereign grace of God-from the confideration that he could, and that he would have mercy, on whom he would have mercy. They. found their hearts fo much oppofed to God, to his law, and to the gofpel, as to fee that nothing short of divine power could ever fubdue. them. In the midst of all this, . their proud and obftinate fpirits would rife against that very fovereign grace, which fecured them from utter defpair, and contained their only remaining hope, of ef It may be ob-caping divine wrath.

I. It is worthy of particular notice, that the work has been carried on with remarkable regularity. Little or nothing has been difcovered, of wild enthufiafm, or diforder. The fubjects of the work, have been as able, and ready in any ftage of it, to inform of the ground of their diftrefs, as a patient to tell what part of his body was in pain. This perhaps, may account for it (in measure,) that there has been fo little open oppofition to the work. Such as wifhed to cenfure and reproach it, were confounded. ferved,

II. As to the nature of the work, that it has been fuch, in the courfe and iffue of it, as wonderfully to difplay divine power, and grace, and to bring out to view the human heart. The fubjects of it in the first stages of their concern, have generally been filled with furprife and aftonifhment at themfelves, and their past lives. And feeing themselves in danger, have formed refolutions, and entered on measures to amend their fituation. When led to a more full difcovery,

Butne foon

er were they led to a difcovery of the juftice of God in their condemnation-to fee and to feel that the law was right and holy, and hell their proper place, than they found their mouths fhut, and their complaints at an end. They have readily acknowledged, that God would be glorious in executing fentence against them. Thus have they been brought to refign themfelves cheerfully, without any referve into the hands of God, to be difpofed of as may be moft for his glory--rejoicing that they were,

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