May 6, 1751

1751 May 6 (Monday).  A.M. at the New House.  Mr. Jonathan Forbush and Mr. Ebenezer Rice there with me.  Mr. Forbush prizes Mr. Rice’s Boards which he has spar’d to me.  The price falls so much below Mr. Rice’s Expectation that I agree not to use ‘em till he is better Satisfy’d.  Mr. Biglo Spends Some Hours in building a Wall against the Bank of Gravel which came out of my Cellar.  N.B. frequent high Winds.  Towards evening I visited Eliezer Rice who is Sick of a Fever.  He and his wife also were so fervent for forgiveness and Reconcilement that I gave him my Hand — but as to the Doctrine of Original Sin, I told him, I would wave every Thought at present, as he was not now able to undergo Discourse and Dispute.  We part’d friendly.  Brother Hicks[1] had been at my House and was gone to Cambridge.  When I came home, found Mr. Edwards[2] of Northampton, who was in his Return home from Boston.  He and Colonel Timothy Dwight[3] have been endeavouring to have a Council to sit at Northampton next week to advise the small part of people there whether it is best to have Mr. Edwards install’d over them, or not.

[1]Parkman’s brother-in-law, John Hicks of Sutton.

[2]The great Jonathan Edwards.

[3]Dwight and other friends and supporters of Edwards were working to establish a new church in Northampton for the dismissed preacher.  James R. Trumbull, History of Northampton (Northampton, 1898, 1902), II, 228, 233-234.