MEMOIRS or PLI{..i0.4) My thoughts on thefe feveral fubjeas, written for my own fa- tisfànt.ion, I had, by the 4th of Auguft this year 1704, ail fairly tránfcribed for confervation, in a book purchafed for the purpofe, and which I have called The nzfcellany Tnanufcript ; and thereby it was filled up to p. 325 *. But whereas I had, in May 1703, begun exercifes on the Confeffion of Faith, written at large for my own inftru&ion, and the edification of the people, to whom I delivered them, for the evening-exercife on Sabbaths for ordi- nary, that work was continued only to the end of that year 1703. And in the faid fpace of time I went through the ftrft two chap- ter:*only. I judge its proving fometimes too ftrong meat for the people ; and its requiring- more time and ftudy than my other af- fairs could well allow, contributed to the breaking me off from that defign, that otherwife would have been very profitable to myfelf for my inftruótion in the whole fyftetn. I had, on the 3d of September, in my courfe of lecturing, pro- ceeded unto the epiftle to the Romans. And whereas it was not my ordinary praktice to write my lectures ; yet having confidered that epiftle, as the proper fountain from whence the doctrine of juftification was to be drawn, I had an earneft delire of infight into it, fá far as I could reach : for which èaufe, having gathered together foníe commentaries upon it, I ftudied the doctrinal part thereof, viz: to chap.. xii. with that defign, and wrote ,fome thoughts thereon, whichare in retentis. But flicking too precife ly unto the le&uringof a chapter every Lord's day, this did, of courfe, make them the more fuperficial ; and withal the work was interrupted in the 5th and 7th chapters. As in the former part of this year, I had got a new parcel of books, fo toward the latter end thereof, hi Oélober, I got ano- ther, This parcel I had bought in England. ,Ere I got them home, they had ftolen away my heart, and I was extremely fond on them. This raifed in me a great fear while the lad was gone to fetch them ; and it,fent me to God ; but I had no confidence. The books were taken, and then I law well that my tin had found rife out. This was a piece of trouble to me for two or three days. At length I refolved to lay myfelf down at God's feet, and to leavecaring for the books ; which that I might the better do, I applied myfelf to the work ofminifterial vifitation of fami- lies. Having fpent but aforenoon that way, when I came in, it was told me,' that the books were in Ladykirk, and I might fend for them when I would. Among thefe books were fóme of Lightfoot's pieces, the which did efpecially take with me, in re- fpent of the Jewith learning therein ; to which a particular bias feems always to have been hung-on me, plainly perceiving the fngular ufefulnefs thereoffor underftanding of the holy fcriptures. While`I proceeded in acquainting myfelf with thefe,, as I had ac- cefs, I ftudied his defcriptionofthe temple, fo as I made, a draught All thefe queftions were printed in 1753, except the animadverfions on Fuiwood; the manufcripf ofwhich is now imperfect,
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