13$ MEMOIRS Of PERIOD VIII. often lince that time I would have been glad to have shaken off, but could not get it done. Neverthelefs I have been convinced, it Was a kind and honourable difpenfation of Providence that kept it on me. Howbeit, whereas in my notes at that time, as all'o before and after unto this day, may be fometimes found Latin, Greek, and perhaps Hebrew, it was not my manner to exprefs them in the pulpit to the people; but in their mother-tongue to. exprefs the thing the belt way I could. In fermons indeed coram elero, as prefbyterial exercises, I ufed all freedom in that point : but tó doing in fermons before the people, in country or town, I ever def'pifed, and had a contempt of, as pedantic, and unbe- coming the weight of the fàcred myfteries. Mean while, having difpatched that 'fubje&, I proceeded, Nov. 15. 1702, to the privileges ofbelievers in Chrift. And finally, on Feb. 14. 1703, I entered on the believers duty : wherein, after the general doe:trine, coming to particulars, I went through all the ten com- mands: which done, I fhewed the ufe of the law to thofe that are out of Chrift; the believers deliverance and freedom from the law as a covenant ;' and preffed the regarding thereof,'ás a rule of , life : with which "I clofed that ordinary of fubjec s, in the month of A Aril this year 1704. Withal on the 4th of May following, I began an ordinary of week-days fermons on the Song ofSolomon ; in which, I think, I continued till my removal to l:.tterick ; where I had no more acceL's to lervice of that kind. In that time I went through the. '2d and 3d chapters of that book, and had entered on the4th : and there afforded us many a fweet hour together.' Thefe fermons are in retentis. But 1 judge I had before that gone through the tint chapter injome exercifes, without writing any notes. As to my ftudies, when I was fettled in Simprirr, I had very few books; which occafoned in borrowing, as I had accefs; Mid moreover, where I wanted to be fatisfied in fowe particular points, obliged me to think of the fume, if fo I could find out what to reft fatisfied in, not having accefs to confult many au- thors. And thus my fcarcity of books proved a kind difpofal of Providence towards me ; I, in that method; arriving at a greater diftin tnefs and certainty in there points, . than otherwife I could readily have obtained. The chief of there points I wanted to be fatisfied in, were two ; namely, the doctrine of thegrace ofGod in Chrift, and the fubje& of baptifm. As for the doetrin.eof grace, how the Lord was pleafed togive my heart a let toward the preaching of Chrift, and how I had fe. vend convitlions of legality in my own practice, is already nar- rated. I had heard Mr Main often fpeak, of beingdivorced from the law, dead to it, and the like but I underftood very little of the matter. Howbeit, my thoughts being, after my fettlemeut at Simprin, turned that way, that I might underiand fomewhat of there things ; tome light, new to me, 'teemed to break up from the do&riue of Chrift : but.tren I, court. not fee how to reconcile '.A 4
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