in the beginning of her illness; but seemed to have satisfying evidences
of God's mercy to her, before her death; so that she died very full of
comfort, in a most earnest and moving manner warning and counselling
others. This seemed to contribute to render solemn the spirits of many
young persons; and there began evidently to appear more of a religious
concern on people's minds.

In the fall of the year I proposed it to the young people, that they
should agree among themselves to spend the evenings after lectures in
social religion, and to that end divide themselves into several
companies to meet in various parts of the town; which was accordingly
done, and those meetings have been since continued, and the example
imitated by elder people. This was followed with the death of an elderly
person, which was attended with many unusual circumstances, by which
many were much moved and affected.

About this time began the great noise, in this part of the country,
about Arminianism, which seemed to appear with a very threatening aspect
upon the interest of religion here. The friends of vital piety trembled
for fear of the issue; but it seemed, contrary to their fear, strongly
to be overruled for the promoting of religion. Many who looked on
themselves as in a Christless condition, seemed to be awakened by it,
with fear that God was about to withdraw from the land, and that we
should be given up to heterodoxy and corrupt principles; and that then
their opportunity for obtaining salvation would be past. Many who were
brought a little to doubt about the truth of the doctrines they had
hitherto been taught, seemed to have a kind of trembling fear with their
doubts, lest they should be led into bypaths, to their eternal undoing;
and they seemed, with much concern and engagedness of mind, to inquire
what was indeed the way in which they must come to be accepted with God.
There were some things said publicly on that occasion, concerning
justification by faith alone.

Although great faul