The Religious Meditations of John Eaton

“God hath appointed a day wherein he will Judge the world in Righteousness” 

In this manuscript, John Eaton outlines Judgment Day, wherein God, who presided over the highest court of justice, would punish the souls of those who were not “righteous” in “fire and brimstone.” 

Yet it was in the nature of man to strive towards earthly desires, as Eaton bemoans. This would not, however, make the soul healthy: only the Lord could offer true salvation. 

This commentary both on the failings of man and the path towards salvation would have appealed to many readers of the era, as this style of Christian teaching was common. 

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To view our transcription, please click on the picture below. Once you scroll down, you will see clickable pages on the right where you can view our transcription for each page. 

The Religious Meditations of John Eaton was the more difficult transcription, as John Eaton often combined letters, used multiple writing styles for the same letters, and even seemed to speed up his handwriting in certain places. You should also notice the pages, which had been bound so that a few of them were upside-down. 

Much of our transcription process revolved around learning John Eaton's handwriting. Once we understood how he wrote certain letters, we could more easily discern the words. 

Of course, as with any manuscript, we read carefully to view each individual letter when some letters crossed into the lines above and below.