in laying an account of it before the public. I appointed a weekly conference, in the latter part of the month of Feb. 1799, for this purpose, believing that the prevailing wickednefs of the day called for extraordinary prayer to God. This ap what had been expected in bringing many people together to unite in prayer to God, and in feeking the precious bleffings of his grace. In the latter part of March and the beginning of April, of the fame year, there appeared the fmall beginnings of more than ordinary attention to the things of God's kingdom. Some were ftruck with a deep conviction of their fin and danger, and others were alarmed. This attention to religion continued to increase for feveral weeks, till it had become fo general in the parish, that it was judged expedient to fet up, in various parts of the fociety, feveral religious meetings. At these meetings, which were three and fometimes four in a week, a fermon was preached; and in this way three and generally four fermons were preached in a week, befides those preached on the Sabbath, for more than fix months together, during this revival. Previous to this uncommon feriousness, which there has been a mong us, the cause of religion, for many years, had been in a low and lamentably declining ftate.pointment was fucceeded far beyond But here and there one had been under an awakening influence of the divine spirit, and brought to a faving knowledge of the truth. For feveral paft years, not more than two or three perfons had, in any one year, joined the church. Deism and other corrupt opinions were prevailing, and, as the natural confequence, the morals of the people had greatly degenerated. Family prayer-the Chriftian fabboth-public worship and divine ordinances were greatly neglected. The rifing generation, more efpecially, treated things of this nature with great coldnefs and indifference. A few of the children of God with us, at this period, were deeply affected and alarmed, at thefe threatening appearances of abounding wickedness. It feemed as if a righteous God were about to for fake us altogether-to give us up to hardness of beart and blindnefs of mind. And what seemed peculiarly to alarm our fears, at this time, in refpect to our local condition was, the pleasing news we heard of the powerful work of God, in other towns, while there was fuch a growing neglect of religion among ourselves. This gave us reafon to fear, that while other parts of Zion were fo highly bleffed with the prefence of God, and the work of his grace, we should be left to our own deftruction. This feemed necef fary to prevent diforder among the people, and to enlighten their minds in the knowledge of the gospel, and the way of falvation by the Lord Jefus Christ. From this time, the houfe of God was filled on the Sabbath; and these weekly lectures, in various parts of the parish were attended by from two hundred and fifty, up to three and four hundred people. The attention to religion foon became great We therefore then felt the great need of abundant prayerful-er than was ever before known in nefs, and were brought to cry to the Most High, for his holy fpirit to be fhed down for the awakening of finners and quickening of his faints. this parish. There was no longer a cold and formal attendance upon divine worship. The countenances of crouded affemblies were fix lent. ed and folemn; their eyes were upon the speaker; their ears were open to the truth, and they were pricked in their hearts. No pains were fpared to hear the gofpel preached. All was folemn and fiNothing appeared like noife and enthufiafm. Many might be feen, from time to time, melted in to tears, from the impreffive force of truth, fet home upon their hearts, by a divine influence. Such had been the oppofition to experimental religion, that perfons thus affected, with a fenfe of their fin and danger, were, at firft, afraid that they should be noticed and derided for these impreffions. Many of them, therefore, refolved to keep from meeting, where they found their hearts fo deeply affected. But, they were fo powerfully impreffed with this conviction, as to be compelled to refort to the places of worship; and the cry was, "What shall we do to be faved? Is there any hope-any encouragement for fuch hardened 'finners to feek for falvation? Is not our day of grace for ever paft? Does God offer falvation to fuch hardened, guilty and ungrateful finners upon any terms?" For they were now awakened out of their long fleep of carnal fecurity, and brought to examine into the guilt and pollution of their own hearts. They were convinced that they were truly wretched, and miferable, and unholy, in the fight of God. They faw that they were and always had been the enemies of God in practice, and that the temper of their hearts was oppofed to his law and government. They were convinced that they had been living, and were now living fuch a life, as muft inevitably end in their everlafting deftruction, if perfifted in. They had fuch a fenfe of the depravity of their own hardened, wicked hearts, as to be convinced that no power was fufficient to change them, but the Almighty power of God; and that, unless they were renewed by the fpirit of his grace, they must forever perish ir. their fins. Thefe deep convictions of foul made them fenfible, that however much their hearts had been opposed to the doctrines of divine fovereignty, total depravity and falvation by grace, yet, that they were thus depraved in heart; and that it was wholly in vain to hope for falvation in any other way. They now faw, that if they were faved at all, it would be owing to the uncovenanted mercy of God; and, therefore, were brought to lift up their hearts in ftrong cries to him in the expreffive language of David, Pfal. xxv. II. "For thy name's fake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for It is great In the midst of these diftrefling fears and forrows of foul, in many inftances, they were, at once, relieved, by an instantaneous change of their views, when a new apprehenfion of the character of God, or of Chrift, broke in upon their minds in a molt fweet and glorious manner, in confequence of which they felt their enmity and oppofition to the character of God, and of the Lord Jefus to the law and gefpel, and to the way of falvation therein taught, taken away; and they beheld fuch purity and goodnessfuch fweetnefs, beauty and glory in divine things as filled their hearts with unfpeakable joy. Overpowered with the great nefs of the change under the view which they then had of God and religion, they cried out, " What have we been about, that we have not been praing God before? Oh! we never knew what happiness was, • till now. What a feaft are the holinefs, the goodness and the mercy of God, and the conde. fcending fufferings of Chrift to a guilty, thirsty, perishing finner! How could we ever have finned against a God and Saviour of fuch 'infinite goodness! Oh, how vile we are in the fight of fuch an holy God! How dreadfully guilty and unworthy of his notice! But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory thro' Jefus 'Chrift, our Lord; and let the adorable Trinity be praised for "" ever and ever. They now felt a fweet fubmiffion to the will of God in all things-had done quarreling with his juftice, and had such an all-subduing fenfe of the purity and glory of his perfections, as to rejoice that he was God, and just such a fovereign and holy God as he is. Their very fouls were tuned to that divine fong, "The 'Lord reigneth; let the earth re'joice." Hitherto, among the hopeful converts, there has appeared a great uniformity in the prevailing temper and relish of the foul. It has been evident, that whofoever is born of God loveth God and Chrift, the law and gospel, and the church and gofpel inftitutions. It has truly appeared, that the kingdom of God confifteth in righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft: that it influences to purity in heart and practice, to peace in fociety, and to joy in attending upon all the duties of religion, thro' the bleffed influences of the divine fpirit. But, tho' fuch has been the great uniformity of temper and relish of foul, in the hopeful fubjects of this work; yet, in other refpects there has been a confiderable diverfity. Their fpiritual exercifes-their joys and comforts have not been all alike, nor equally great. Some appear to have had greater and clearer dif coveries of divine things than others to have had a deeper and more agonizing sense of their own vilenefs in the fight of fuch an holy God, and to have had greater and larger feafons of_fpiritual_refreshings from the Lord. But this has appeared to be true of all, that even thofe, who have been the most fearful of deceiving themfelves with a falfe hope, have felt a moft humble and sweet fubmiffion to God, and to the glorious fcheme of falvation by a crucified Redeemer. Their views and feelings towards God and the Lord Jefus Chrift-towards the law and the gofpel-towards the church and the facraments, and, in short, towards all religious duties have been changed. The holy scriptures are more highly prized. Family pray. er is now attended in many families where it was before neglected. Thofe, who once hated and reviled a religious life. now rejoice in it, while they contemplate the fovereignty, the holiness, the juf tice, the mercy, the grace and the goodness of God, with real complacency and fatisfaction. The divine law, which they once hated, because of the ftrictness of its requirements and the dreadful nature of its threatenings, they now delight in, as holy, juft and good in all its requirements; and while they love, praife and adore the Almighty, their hearts are engaged in a willing obedience to his law. The Lord Jefus Chrift has alfo been exceedingly precious to their fouls. They have contemplated his amazing condefcenfion and fufferings to expiate for fin-to magnify the holy law of God, and make it honorable for divine juftice to grant pardon and falvation to the penitent believer; and humbled in the duft for their own wicked FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- An account of the converfion of A MELIA was defcended from refpectable parents. Her powers of mind were above the common level; and much pains and care were employed in giving her an education which might e nable her to appear, on the stage of life, to good advantage. Her parents, in the judgment of charity, were friends to piety and vir tue. nefs, they have felt that they could | work, I intend in a fubfequent letnever fufficiently praise and glorify ter to give fuch a narrative. him. They continue to manifest I am yours, a defire after the fincere milk of the WILLIAM F. MILLER. word, to grow thereby in grace (To be continued.) and knowledge; an attachment to the holy fcriptures and to gospel inftitutions; and an exemplary walk and converfation. But, tho' fuch, at prefent, appears to be the promifing fruit of this work; yet, I pretend not to fay, that none will hercafter difgrace their profeffion. The enemy has generally, in all great religious revivals, fcattered fome tares among the wheat. It concerns all profeffors, therefore, to remember, that if they do spiritually abide in Chrift, and he in them, they will confequently bring forth much fruit, to the glory of God; and that, if they bear not fruit, they will be taken away as unfruitful branches, whofe end is to be burned. This work has been extended to perfons of different ages from twelve years old up to fixty; and to both men and women, tho' to a greater proportion of the latter. Since the prefent fpecial attention to religion among us, there have been fifty-four perfons added to the church, in about fourteen months; the most of whom profeffed to have experienced a faving change in the courfe of this revival and the few others, who before had a weak hope, were now greatly quickened, comforted and confirmed. Sundry others have been hopefully the fubjects of this work; and tho' the most powerful period of the revival is paft, yet, even to this day, there are favorable appearances that others will become the happy fubjects of the kingdom of God. As fome perfons may defire a more particular account of the experiences of fome individuals, who have been the hopeful fubjects of this glorious While fhe was yet in the earlier part of youth, her mother, after a course of distressing sickness, paid the great debt of nature, and bowed to the KING OF TERRORS. The father was left a folitary and afflicted man. He mourned for his deceased friend with a commendable fincerity. In fpeaking of her, the tear of grief would fteal down his cheeks, even after fhe had been long depofited in the cold and difmal manfions of the dead. A hearty mourner doth not foon forget the dear object of his affections. Noify and tumultuous grief quickly goes off, but that which is fincere and deep long remains. After a course of time, when he had paffed many a lonely month in forrow, and had paid that debt of mourning, which the world esteems due to the memory of the dead, and all that the stricteft laws of decorum require, the father of Amelia fuppofed the circumstances family made it his duty to connect again in life. He accordingly for med a fecond connubial relation of his Al From this connection, nothing of an unpleasant nature to the family, as is too often the case, refulted.— Amelia was now in that time of her youth, when she thought of little elfe, except adorning her perfon, and scenes of gaiety and diverfion. The comelinefs of her perfon and gracefulness of her figure made her vain. Her ambition was only to shine in the polite circle, and to gain admirers. In a round of fashionable gaieties feveral years paffed. With tenderness and affection, her father frequently preffed her to feek fomething more folid, as her felicity, than could be found in youthful amufements and pursuits, intreating her to repair to the infpired volume as the fountain of heavenly light, and to think of another and eternal world. Accustomed to obey, from the happy family government maintained by the father, fhe heard his counfel with deference. though he treated religion with outward decorum and civility, yet fhe could not endure the thought of a relinquifament of what the called the innocent amufementsthe harmlefs levities-and fweet pleasures of youth, for what fhe thus termed the aufterities of piety and religion. A facrifice of this nature, fhe counted too great for one in the bloom of youth. However, as fhe was fond of reading, in her leifure hours, fhe would occafionally take down from her books the facred volume, or fome other ferious work, and read for a few minutes in them. But fhe did not relish them. Her delight was in novels, plays and other pieces of mere amusement. Nevertheless her memory retained fome folemn truths, which had paffed in her mind while reading the Oracles of God, and books of devotion. Recollecting, one day, fome pious VOL. I. No. 7. fentiments contained in what the had read, fhe thought with herself "I will now fit down and spend a few minutes in meditating on religion, which has been so often recommended to me, and of which I have heard fo many excellent things faid; particularly, I will examine whether I have fuch a SINFUL HEART, as it is affirmed that mankind actually have-efpecially in the following words, the heart is deceitful and defperately wicked. What has been my life? one continued feries of forgetfulness of God-and a Redeemer, who died to fave a perishing world. What have been my thoughts? vain and foolish. Where have my attachments been on the merest trifles. Can I lift up my eye to a holy God? My confcience accufes, condemns and pains me I will reflect no farther. I will difmifs thefe thoughts." Difmiffing, as is to be feared multitudes do, this rational employment of her mind, fhe haftily reforted to her ufual mode of spending her time. Concluding that fhe had many-many years yet to live, fhe had no doubt, but there would still in future be abundance of time and opportunity for attending to the concerns of her falvation. All her circle of friends and acquaintance of both fexes were gay and unferious. They did not, it is true, either openly defpife and fcoff at religion, or fecretly difbelieve its reality. But they apprehended that it was much too early in life for them either to profefs or practife piety and religion. Add to this, it was a time of great deadnefs and languor in religion, in the place where the refided. They had it is true excellent fermons on the Sabbath. The people likewise very generally repaired to the fanctuary on Lord's day. They were LI |