1701. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 133 thae office, at their meeting in .October this year ; and continued therein till the cjoCe of their meeting in April 1711, at which time I did demit. That, work was a matter ofgreat weight on .feveral accounts. When I firft took the feat among them, and ftood up for to read, being in great confufion, through my natural diffi- deuce and timoroufnefs, I blundered : but recovering myfelf, with much ado made it out. Upon which occafion, Mr Ramfaydid feafonably exprefs his confidence of me notwithftanding. The oath de firleli adminfratiene I declined : and they were pleafed to accept ofmy promife, to ferve them faithfully, and keep their fe-. crets ; which I ftrictly oblérved. It was a work of great labour and painfulnefs : even the reading of papers was a bufinefs of great toil. In time of their federunts, I took fhort minutes of the fubflance of their abtings, which in the interval of diets I ex- tended ; the which occafioned my fitting up great' part of the night. And their meetings falling in the times of the year wherein I was weakeft, I could not have endured, but that they did not aafl long. After the two first fynods, being always defirous to do the bufinefs to the belt advantage I could reach, I did of my own proper motion ordinarily make a third copy of the minutes ; but this at home, at my leifure. Thera the lynod-book was once a- year to be filled up, for the general affembly to vifit it. I often fat in my feat among them, as one wandering in a wildernefs, while I óbferved the fway of their opinions and reafbnings, in or- der to take up the mind of the court : hut, through the divine affìflance, I ordinarily took up, and expreffed, their affairs, fo as to pleafe, and to facilitate their work. And I hada very honour- able teflimony, in that point, of my Lord Minto, who had been clerk to the council of Scotland, expreffed on occafion of hisbeing. prefent at the fynod the which teflimony raifed in my heart, admiration of the divine condefcenfion, and thankfulnefs to my God. When I entered on that office, the fees were 14 d. a-fynod by each minifler; afterward they were advanced to five groats but, in the year 1703, they railed the fame to half a.dollar, being 29 d. And during the time L continued in Simprin, thefe fees were paid verywell. By an account of the gain, by that office, kept for the firft five years, I find it was better than L. 100 Scots communibtis afuis. The fynod meetingat Jedburgh, on Tuefday April 21. 1702, I was obliged, upon that occafion, to leave my wife, having, I think, paired her'reckoning. And by the difpofai of holy Provi- dence, for our farther trial, the fynod continued fitting even on the Thurfday afternoon. They being at length rifen, I took horfe that evening ; and riding all night, got home about the morning- light : where, by the mercy of God, I found my wife ftill well, though in perplexity. On the Wednefday after, April may. about the going down of the fun, the brought forth her frft fon, John, who was ,baptized on the 1fl day of May, by Mr John Pow m-inifier at Leone!. In his appearance our hearts werecow No. 4. Yv
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