1709. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 199 and nothingnefs ; and that feeing -my heart is ready to be vain of little things, hé takes fu h nreafures to prefs inc down. Sept. lt.-,This day Mr Aacmillan preached at Hopecrof:, in the confinesof this parfh. On the i Qtli of- December lad, I had :preached a fermon precifely againd the reparation, upon occafion of reading the aforementioned ad of the commìfliou from the pulpit. It was by a ,miftake I was led to read thefe .papers, I Mean that ads of the commiflì.on, at leaft at that time ; far I had a letter from the prefby'tery-clerk, importing, as I thought, their order ; but they had given none about it. However, it was my opinion, that the ad fhould have been read through the -pref= bytery; but I had no mind to have made tnyfelf fìngular. But it was ahappy mifiake, ordered l>y the good Providence of God. My lecture fell that day to he on .1 . v.; but I handled only the parable of thevineyard, which was to me another piece -of fu- prifingcondu& of Providence. 1t fell to-be an exceeding good day, íb that our kirk was thronged with our own people and firangers. God helped me to deliver it. Copies of it were de-, fired, and I allowed them to be given out fo copies were handed abroad, not only in the pariíh,;but-feveral other places; and this/ galled that party, and I am confident ferved to confirm others. Mr Macmillan preached within a mile of this parifh in February thereafter, and my people did not fhew their wonted inftability. At length this day' Mr Macmillan preached a fermon, on defign to confute that fermonof mine, producing the copyof my fermon, and reading parcels. of it before the people. Seldom or never before came 'that man- to there bounds, but fomethìng was.laid to my; hand in my ordinary, whereof there is an inftance above expreffed. But this day there was nothing of. that nature ; but not without reafon, for our kirk that day was fo throng, that I really thought forge had the rather corne out that day, that I. might i fee-they were not gone to his meeting. I under-flood after, that fèveral who were there were difgufied, and that it had done theircaufe little f'ervice. He left thiscountry, leaving no copy,of his fermon behind him ; which has been taken notice of by judicious perlons. I waited a while, till I .flrou.id fee whether any copy of it appeared or-,not : at length none ap- peari,ng, i fpoke a little of it in the pulpit, deliring the people to.. believe what I had taught them, till they fhould fee it confuted by fcripture, &c. in November I met with a furpriling mercy. A perf'on that had long been in the wrong to me, in a certain particular', with tears confeflèd the fault: which did exceedingly raife we in thankfulrrefs to God. 'Phis was on the Friday. bit the Lord's day night thereafter, mufing on it, I found I had met with that mercy before I was prepared for it. It is true, I had often pray- ed for it,; but the tzrp.was fiueezed out, by confidering that I had not got my heart in -that point brought to-a fubmillion to :the will God.. Upon this account the mercy proved a burden to my :fro. . B b .
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=