173 _MEMOIRS OP PERIOD VIII. there. Thefe I had jufl ended, on the loft Sabbath fàve one be- fore my removal. And this day I preached, out of one of the barn-doors, to a great multitude of people, my farewell- fermon, or' John vii. 37. " In the fail day, that great day of the feaft, Jefus flood and cried, If any man thirft, let him come unto me, and drink." And as the Lord was with me in that place during rnyminiftry there, fo he left me not then, but was with me at that cloie of it, and muchof God's power appeared in it. On the Tueflay we came away, and arrived at .Etterick on the Thurfday thereafter. Thus I parted with a people whofe hearts were knit to me, and mine to them ; nothing but the retire of God's command that took me there, making me to part witlr them. The three or four Tait years of my miniftry there were much bleflèd, and very comfortable to me ; not in refpe& of my own handful only, who were ordinarily but about ninetyexamin- able perfons, but others of the country-fide. During the time of my miniftry in Simprin, I had frequent occafions of affifting at fàcraments ; inibmuch that I. obferved, for foam years I was ftiil abroad three Sabbaths together; on fuck occafions, at one time.; betides other occafions, which allowed Tome intermiffion. Mean while I never liked to bé even fo em- ployed, but where there was need : and if I found none, I would either not have gone, or elfe returned home to my own charge; and that upon this principle, That though it was a fmall charge, -yet it was my charge, and that I was not to look to be ufeful, according to the number of thole i fpoke to, but according to the call of God to fpeak unto them, whether Many or few. And I never, that I know, had occafion to rue that part of my condue. I remember, I once came borne, and left the communion at Fogo, on that principle : and I got a feaft in the pulpit of Simprin, in the evening-exercife, on the Q3d pfhlm, as I think. And upon occafion of my being urged on that head, that it would be more for "mny own edification to be prefect at fuch a fblenmity, I was brought to take notice, that according to the fi,ripture, i Cor. xiv. 4. 5. one is to prefer the edification ofthe church to his own private edification. Now by means:of my going fo much- abroad to facraments, 'and having that ordinance twice a-year at home, I had frequent occafion ofconverfe with perfons exercifed about theirown fpiritual café; the which was a great help to me in preaching. It was to fuch a converiàtion with a gentlewoman as the means, that I '.6-wed the fermon preached at Swinton, Sabbath afternoon, J ialy QS. 1706, being the day of the communion there. The text be- ing Lam. iii._ 49. 50. " Mine eye trickleth down, and ceafeth -not, without any intermifiion : till the Lord look down, and be- hold from heaven ;" the fermon not only had more than ordinary weight on the people, but two minifters prefect made. feeling ac- knowledgements of it. But the Tweet fcene,of thefe days was quickly after turned into a gloomy one.
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