BAXTER'S DYING THOUGHTS.. 159 in difficulties and dangers, from the malice of Satan, and from the wrath of man, and from accidents which threaten sudden death ! While I beheld the ruins of towns and countries, and the fields covered with the carcasses of the slain, I was preserved,' and re- turned home in peace. And O, how great was the mercy he showed me, in a teachable, tractable, peaceable, humble, unani- mous people ! So many in number and so exemplary in quality; who to this day keep their integrity and concord, when violence hath separated me from them above thirty years : yea, the like mercy of acceptance and 'success beyond my expectation, he bath showedme everywhere: I have hadopportunityof freeministration ; even where there were many adversaries I have had an open door; in the midst ofhuman wrath and rage he hash preserved my liber- ty beyond expectation, and continued my acceptance and success. When I .might not speak by voice to any single congregation, he enabled me to speak by writing to many ; and for the success of my plainest and popular writings, which cost me least, I can never be sufficiently thankful; some of which be sent to preach abroad, in other languages, in foreign lands. When my mouth, with eigh- teen. Hundred or two thousand more, had been many years stop- ped, he hath since opened them in some degree; and the suffer- ings intended us ,by menhave been partly put by, and partly much alleviated, by his providence ; and the hardness of our terms bath not so much hindered thesuccess of faithful labors as wefeared, and as others hoped it would have done. I have had the comfort of seeing some peace and concord, and prosperity of truth and piety, kept up, under the utmost opposition of diabolical and human pow- er, policy, and wrath. When I have been sent to the common jail for my services and obedience to him, he hath there kept me in peace, and soon' delivered me. He bath made the mouths of my greatest enemies, who have studied my defamation and my ruin, to become my witnesses and compurgators, and to cross their own designs. How wonderful is it that I should so long dwell in so much peace, in the midst of those that seemed to want neither power nor skill, and much less will, to tread me down into con- tempt and misery! And O, how many a danger, fear and pain hath he delivered this frail and languishing body from ! How oft bath he succored me, when flesh, and heart, and art have failed! He bath cured my consuming coughs, and, many atime, stayed my flowing blood : he hath eased my pained limbs, and supported a weary, macerated skeleton : he hath fetched me up from the jaws of death, and reversed the sentence which men havepassed on me. How many thousand weary days have been sweetened with his pleasant work ; and howmany thousand painful, weary nights have had a ,comfortable morning ! How many thousand strong and
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