17©7. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 1$i are, very liberal to the poor, both their own, and rangers palling among them ; but very unkind to ftrangers fettling among them, and not very benevolent in neighbourhood among 'themfelves. But one thing I was particularly furprifed with, viz. the pre- valencyof the fin of profane fwearing ; and was amazed to find bleffingand curling proceeding out of the fame mouth ; "prayingper fons, and praying in their families too, horrid (wearers at times: fco that by the month of NOvember I behoved to fet myfelf to preach dire&ly againft that fin*. The very next day after. my preaching from A&s x..33. as above related, Mr Macmillan came to Elkdale, and Ibme of my hearers went to him. 'Phis was what I got to begin-with. On the morrowafter I went up to S. to fee J. L.'s family and others my defign was to endeavour to prevent their perverting others. When I came there, I went firft into the houfé of one of y hearers ; and there I was furprifed with the news of Mr Mac- millan's being in J. L.'s, and others with him. The old ,main Came in to me. If. L. came into that houfe, but never neticed me ; but I carried courteoufly to her, and told her I had a mind tohave come and feen them. She told me, I íhould be welcome_ When I went in, J. L. [hewed not common civility. I was fet down among three men, ítrangers, noneof whom I knew. They were S. H. of H. Mr St. and Mr Sin. The-fait I took for Mr Macmillan, having never feen the man. Being fet down, I was refolved to divert difputes, at leaft a while, with fomè difcourfè of pra&ical godlinefs. Wherefore being alked, s What news? Ifaid, that news were hard to be got here, the place being fó far remote from towns; that it was like Jerufalem, Pfd. cxxv. Z. ; which brought us at length to the difcourfe of communion with God ; concerning whichS. H. gave his opinion, that it confuted in doing the will of God, and keeping his commandments. I told him, that all communion was mutual, and therefore it could not confiftin that ; and Ihewed, thata&ual communion with God, which we ordinarily call communion with ,Giod, confifts in the Lord's letting down the influences of his grace on the foul, and the foul's re-a Ling the faine in the exercife of grace. O, làys he, that is extraordinary ; wherewith I was ltúrtned. I told . him, it was that without which neither he nor I would be laved. Howwill you prove that? fays he. `So I was put to prove it to him. Thereafter he brought in the mattes' of the feparatio,n told, that he underftood I was an enemy to them, and preached againft them. I acknowledged, that I judged their way was not of God ; and therefore, when it fell in my way, I did preach againft it. And undemanding that he meant of a note I' had at Morbattle< facrament, I defired him to, tell me what he heard h ' The text óf thefe fermons was Math. v. 34.-37. He afterwards preached on the fame fubjeót in 1714, from the third commandment, the explication of which is in his Bòdy of Divinity, vol. 2. ; and a third time in 1724, from James v. 12. publif edIs his " Diftinguifhing charaóters of true belieyersrprinted in 1773.
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