1700. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 121 with, if minded to comply with my propofal. Thereafter, by eonverfe with her I was more and more confirmed in the thoughts of her piety, &c. On the 9th of January 1690, while I was praying about that bufinefs ofmy marriage, that word was brought to me, ''Delight thyfe f in the Lord, and he lhall give thee the defires of thine heart ;" Ì'fal. xxxvii. 3. ; as was that word, Rom. viii. 28.'" All things {hall work together for good to theta that love the Lord," while praying about my going to the north, which was an exercile tome at that time ; and 1 washelped to grip the promife. Jan. 30. being, to write to her, I went to God, and was helped with life and fóme confidence to implore his guidance as to the main thing, and as to the letter in particular. When I arofe up, remembering what croffes fóme wives have proved to minifters, this fent me back toGod again... A fterward I fain would have.had fomethilig to have confirmed me in the ' Lord's hearing of me; but I thought I would take God's helping me to cry to him as a fign of that. On the ift of February, I obferved, that when I am molt hea- venly itt the frame of my heart, my love to her is leaf', fhaken, and I am molt fatisfied in my choice ; and that when I am moil carnal and earthly, it is otherwise. And, on the 8th, that temp- tation from the world was very fevere, and i`found it no eaty matter to get over it, though it is my grief. Wherefore in deep feri,oufnefs I propofed that queftiort to myfelf, Dareft thou give over that bufinefs? I thought on it, and that word, Prov. xxxi. SO. ` Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain : but a woman that feareth the Lord, the ihall be praifed." I went to the Lord with it, earneftly defiring light from him ; and that word came to me in prayer, and I turned it into a prayer, Matth. vi. 33. " Seek " ye firít the kingdom of God, and his righteoufnefs, and all other " things (hall be added unto you." And the Lord, gave nie a clear commentary on that place, with refpea to that 'bufinefs, which I can better think than exprefs. The Lord ,made nie clearly fee, that I had firft fought the kingdom of heaven ; for, as I appealed to the Lord's omnifcience', unlefs I had difcerned the fparkles of grace in her, and had thought her acquainted with religion, I durft not have propofed filch a thing to her. So I concluded I dui-ft not ; but would follow it as my duty, hoping other things fhould beadded. Next day, finding myheart lifted up above the word, I took that nick of time to examine myfelf on the head fòrefáid, and myheart laid, Now I am well content. On the 16thof pri1, this morning, efpecially in prayer, before I went to the church, I was tempted to think I had been rafh in my choice; which temptation I flighted, knowing it to be a deceit of Satan, to wear me off what I was about. I thought it no time then for me to confider whether or not, and fo rejted it ; but it colt me ftruggfing. However, its unfeafonable impor- tunity difcovered the cloven foot. April 26. I was about this time goitlg to leave that country'
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