154 MEMOIRS OF PERIOD. VIII. time the bufinefs flood only on that weak foot ; Whereas by thefe lets the bufinefs never carne under a judicial cognifance tending to a determination, till it got the people's call as a firmer foot to Rand upon. As to Our prefbytery's forgetting the fynod's diet, I. can only remark one thing, that the coming to profecute the call 'at that time when they carne, was a greater evidence of their affeátion to me than had they come then, when., according to the fynod's appointment, the bufinefs fhould have been dif. cuffed. The milcarrying of the letter to Mr M. feems to have been fubfervient to the cold entertainment I thought I net with there. As to which in particular I have remarked, 1. That it was very neceffary for me to take off; that difpofition of fpirit, whereby I was too eafy in my own mind as to that bufinefs : and it fet me where I had often defired to be,;even afraid of that tranf- portation. 2. I find I have made the very fame remark, as to the inclinations ofthe peopleof Simprin, the firft time I preached in it, the bufinefs being then fet ou foot. ' As to my ftraitening, I find. alfo I have remarked concerning my firft preaching in Simprin, that what account togive of that day's work, I knew not very well. Jan. 4. 1707. Monday. This day I went towards Oxnam, to take Mr Colden's advice about the bufinefs of Etterick. As I was going away from home, I began to be very perplexed about that bufinefs, and, by the way to Stitchill, the difpenfktions croffing that affair, feemed fo big in my eyes, that I thought it was not the Lord's mind that I fhould be tranfported thither. And that night I could not pray about it, any other way than that God would avert it. On the morrow Mr G. Mr K. and,I went to Oxnam, and found that Mr Colderi was at Edinburgh. Thus was I difappointed. I minded alto tohave taken hisadvice, whether to give the winter- facrament at the ordinary time, or delay it. This difappoiutrìent determined nie to do it at the ordinary time. As to Etterick, I looked on that difappointment as a difpenfàtion confirming the conclufion, that God defigned me not for that place. When I came home, I found, that, fee- ing I had miffed my mark at Oxnam, it was neceffary to fet thine time apart for feeking of the Lord hirnfelf his mind in it ; for riow again the eras providences had net fuch a determining afpecî as before. This I did" on Saturday, Jan. 9. having ftudied my fermons' the day before.' The upshot of it, with refpeót to that particular, -(for I had alfo the public affairs and the facrament in view alfo), was, that in fóme, rneafure 1 could fay; that " my countenance was no more fad," the Lord calmed my fpirit, which before was perplexed, and helped me to believe, that hé would clear me in that matter in due time, and to depend on him for the fame ; and that word, He that believeth, (hall not make hafte," was helpful to me. The Lord helped me to lay it before and upon him, efpeeially towards the clofe of that exercife : fo that it was
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