182 MEMOIRS OF PERIODD IX. had faid. He fhifted this ; 'andI told it him, viz. that I exhorted thole that had met with God at that occafon, to tell to them, that itwas fo ; and that they thereupon according to the fpirit of the gofpel, fhould fay, "We will go with you, for we hear the Lord is with you*." 'J: L. faid, if that were true, that the Lord were with you, we, would join with you. Mr St. having no will to make that the determining point, told me, that he knew not but'the Lord was with the church of the Jews in time of great corruption. Towhich I anfwered, And neither did Chrift himfelf feparate from them in that tune ; and urged them with that, Luke iv. 16. After others fhifts, they were at length brought to that defperate anfwer, That Chrift was the lawmaker, and therefore not imitable by us. Thee, per on whom. I took for Mr Macmillan was not like to fpeak, an herefore I afked for Mr Macmillan. I ftaid there with them,an hour and a halfat least ; but faw not i' 1 Macmillan. When I was coming away, I defired Mr St. to tell him, that feehíg Í had not feen him, he would come to my houfe and fee me ; which he undertook to teli him. About fixweeks after this rencounter, and Imy not meeting Mr Macmillan having made a noife in the country, I heard that John Scot in Langfhawburn had laid óf me, that I was a liar, and he would prove me a liar, for I had never afked for Mr Macmillan, nor defired him to Come to my houfe. This was at firft very troublefbme to me. Afterwards I found real joy in my heart, in that I was made partaker of the fufferings of Chrift, while I faw a fpirit of bitternefs pof!`effing fome of that party. However, the truth was brought to light after, by the confeflion of'fome of that party. Mr Macmillan Was in that houle in the time, in,an outer chamber; and Adam Linton told me, that he was certainly informed, that he caufed the lath lock the door, and give him in the key at the door head or font, whatever was his .defign in it. It pleafed the Lord, for my further trial, to remove by death, on the 8th Septem,ler, my fbn Ebenezer. Before that event, I was much helped of the Lord ; I had never more confidence with God in any''fuch cafe, than in that child's beirT the Lord's. I had indeed more than ordinarily, in giving him away to the Lord, to be faced by the blood of ,Jef'us Chrift. But his death was ex- ceeding afiéting to me, and matter of fharp exercife. To bury his name, was in, .:ed harder than to bury his body ; and fo much the heavier was it, that I could fall on no fcripture-example parallel to it: but I law a neceflity of allowing a latitude to fovereignity. I could not charge myfelf with rafhnefs, in giving him that name. But one thing was plain as the fun to me, that that day eight days before, my heart was exceffìvely led away Mr Baton preached onthis occafion froi'ti Pfal. iv. 6. both on Monday and Satur- day, in Juhe 1707. The fermons are preferved ; and there is an exhortation in the clofe of the !aft, much the fame with what is here related.
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