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Edwards, 1703-1758, the Puritan-Presby-
terian-Congregationalist preacher from
Massachusetts who in his sermons instilled
the fear of “hellfire and damnation” into
the hearts of men and women for their pre-
sumed sins.
This was during the period of the Great
Awakening, an era of religious ferment
between the 1720’s and the 1770s. The
1740s, in particular, is when Edwards and
George Whitefield excoriated and threat-
ened crowds of up to 20,000 horror struck
penitents (when towns rarely reached into
the thousands).
Another period of fever pitch took place in
the 1810-40’s. There was more rabid
preaching against the devil in us all, and
sermonizing on redemption and perfecting
one’s character, accompanied by camp
meetings and revivals. Read it in the let-
ters you own.
There was prophesy of the end of the world,
when up to 100,000 Millerites in 1844 sold
all their worldly goods and stood on a hill-
top to await the Second Coming of Jesus.
They left dejected the next morning, some
to reject all religion outright , others to join
another less fearsome congregation, still
others begin a new flock, soon to be titled
Seventh Day Adventists.
An interesting, small movement became
The Church of the New Jerusalem. It
Figure 11
formed in 1817 near Boston (though be-
In 1913 telephones would soon begin to supplant letters but
for now a Black? country woman (“20 chickens”) is thrilled by the
gan in Europe in the 1760s) and today has
revival meeting in Brunswick GA. The preacher was an ‘avangilist’,
branches headquartered there and in Bryn
‘the singing was the finest’, etc. The Methodists and Baptists and Athyn (near Philadelphia) PA, with believ-
Presbyterians were as one, which thrilled our lady writer even more.
ers around the world. Its spiritual founder
more the structure of the fellowship than the specific
was Emmanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish
tenets of belief. Pilgrims and Puritans were small “c”
scientist turned mystic who died in 1772. His writings
congregationalists long before the capital “C” Con-
have led some to call them, following the Old and New,
gregational Church appeared.
the Third Testament. Johnny “Appleseed” Chapman
and deaf-dumb Helen Keller were adherents.
Bless you if you have a letter signed by some of the
movers and shakers of early religion in America.
Christian missionaries led the way to the new territo-
Samuel Sewall, 1652-1730, was the apologetic Puri-
ries and states west of the Mississippi, and Oregon
tan judge during the witch trials, and prolific Cotton
and California and letters refer to brothers and uncles
Mather, 1663–1728, was the Puritan clergyman who
as on a mission, traveling in the hinterland at great
helped extinguish the trials’ for their excesses. Fortu-
personal risk to spread one or another word.
nate too, if you have a message written by Jonathan
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