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At School I was attacked by a violent fit of sickness,
being an <sic>inflamatory</sic>  <corr>inflammatory</corr> fever, which reduced me so
far, that <emotion>all despaired of my recovery,</emotion> but God in
his great loving kindness & mercy had compassion
on me & healed me. However from that time
I obtained a weakness in my tongue & a pressure
upon my breast, which to this hour renders speak-
-ing at times rather difficult to me: This was
also <emotion>a great disappointment to my parents,</emotion> who
had destined me for a preacher of the Gospel,
and I myself thought, it would hinder me from
[?] such a holy & pious life, as was be=
-coming a Servant of God, rendering me also
incapable of doing the duty of this important
office, aright.
<gap></gap>In the year <date>1730</date>, a most tremendous tempest
arose, which threatened destruction to our whole
neighbourhood. It is known to have laid waste
almost the whole south part of <placename>England</placename>, did 
great damage at Sea, & also to the houses &
barns carrying many of them away, Trees 
were blown down, & plucked up by the roots; Yea
it swept, as it were every thing before it.
I slept that night in a lofty garnet, heard the 
rolling of the thunder, the violent rustling of the
rain, saw the dreadful flashes of lightning,
yea even felt the house tremble in which I
was, but God in mercy preserved is from all
danger, & his hand covered us.