1704. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 143 of the temple and the altar accordingly, which to this day hang in my clofet. And though, being an utter ftranger tò mathema- tics, I could not reprefent things in their properfigures ; yet that draught, fuch as it is, to fixed the idea of the temple with me in fome meafureof diftincinefs, that it foon became familiar to me, and bath fince that time been ofvery great ufe to me on feveral occafions. That winter I vifited a woman in Homtoun, who alledged the devil was in her. After I had fpoke and prayed with her, I went out ; in the mean time the got out of the bed, and cried with a ` moft horrid cry, without intermiflion, near a quarter ofan hour. Coming in,'and finding her in this cafe, I often defired her but to fay, God help me and the ftill faid, the could not, and cried again. A weaver-lad had prayed with her ; the told him the devil had find to her, the could be nothing the Better of that good prayer, becaufe it was not her own prayer, but his. To which, the young man anfwered, The devil is a liar ; for the prayer was not mine, but the Spirit's. I admired the a.nfwer. Being with E. P. the night before fhe died, I had no fatisfac- tien in converfe with her ; which affèóted meexceedingly. There- upon, I came in to my clofet, and fet myfi;lf to wreftle with God on her account ; and then went to her again, and was much comforted in her ; fo that my fpirit was more than ordinarily ele- vated. She Paid, the fixed on that word, " Thou haft played " the harlot with many lovers; yet return again _tó me, faith the Lord." In they latter part of the month of December, it pleafed the Lord to -threaten to remove my wife, by death, being violently lick. I was anxious exceedingly, and above meafure grieved on that account. She recovered ; but God met me in fuch a man- . ner, that I was molt convincingly made to finart for that excefs. After having clofed the ordinary of fubjeóts for the Sabbath, as before narrated, I handled force texts for exciting unto exer- cife to godlinefs ; and, upon a particular occafion from the parith, I treated of divine defertion : a fubjea which, together with that ofcommunion with God, was, in the early days of my hearing the gofpel, much in the mouths of the old experienced minitters, though now much worn out of Our praótical divinity, through the decay, I doubt, of foul exercife and experience among minifte?S andpeople. Afterwards I did, on the 10th of December, enter on the epiftle to the church of the Laodiccans, Rev. iii. 14. 2. on which I dwelt till May 6. 1706. Having adminiftered the facrament of the Lord's fupper in the fummer-feafon, yearly; hitherto from thetime I began that courfe, I did, on Jan. 28. 1705, adminifter it again : and this cocírfe of adminiftering it in the winter-feafbn alfo, was continued from that time, yearly, till I was removed from that place. And thus we had that foul-ftrengthening ordinance twice a-year from ?pis time. 111yn Robert was fick before ; and I was laying my account S2
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