11x00, MR THOMAS BOSTON. 11 to hand, endeavouring to plead the covenant. I prefaced with (erne liberty on Pfal. lxv. 1. but afterwards I had fuch liberty in prayer, fuch clear conceptions of things in the lecture, with inch a facility of exprefiingmyfelf plainly in it, and this in the preach- ing too, that I was indeed a wonder to myfelf. It was molt palpably the doing of the Lord, and is wondrous in my eyes. This continued in the afternoon. , Only I thought I had more foul-advantage by the sofpel- fermon than the law-fermon. I was never more convinced of the influencesof the Spirit on mens gifts, and of the necetlity of the fame. It is fo palpable to me, that it was the Spirit of the Lord, that Icannot doubt it ; for I fee it is he chat makes one differ in gifts from another, and makes a man 'differ from himfelf. And fo do I find my foul convinced of it, that I am helped to give the glory entirely (I think) unto him, feeing ¡till my own emptinefs ; for all which my foul blefïeth the Lord. June 15. This day, or yefternight, my frame being fomewhat above the world, and wearied of a body of fin anddeath, I thought I would get a feaft to-morrow in preaching, being to Phew what comfort a child of God had from the do&¡trine of Chrift's coming. But this night my proud heart was fo raifed upon a bufinefs, that I was put all wrong ; and fò finding what temptations I behoved to have, and how foully I come otT', I would again have been con- tent to have left all, to have been out of the reachof thefe things. On the Sabbath morning the temptation was renewed, and came from the fame. hand ; which fo prevailed to difcompofe me, that it made me go halting all the day. But all thefe things do fiilt more commend to me being with Chrift, which I fee is heft of all. ordained three elders this day ; and when ordaining them I was on a fudden, in the very aót, turned out of my ordinary frame, my foul melted, and poffeffed with the dread of that holy God, by a new.light Ihining into my mind. June 234, I preached at Eymouth. I had extreme difficulty to get a text. When I got it, I had much darknefs and ftraiten- ing; but got a fermon wreftied out at length. In delivering it, the Lord withdrew Rill ; and in the forenoon I was ftraitened even in refpeótof words. Mr Colden'has often'told me, that he could never get help to preach in that place. And I have often felt it ftraitening there. But the Lord had good ground of con- troverfy with me, for I had not got my heart kept with God through that week as fometimes. (N. B. I had fometimes after that, efpecially one time, in that place, help from the Lord.) I have obferved, that fometimes, when it has been iff with me, and particularly at this time, I have obferved it, that I have been heft when in ,company, grieving to fee others wrong as well as myfelf, and would fain have had fervice done to God by others, though I could do none. As alfo within there two months, I have found I have been more free from temptation when in company than when alone. P2
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