17t0. MR TBOMAS BOSTON. 201 my carnality preffed me fo fore, that I could fcarcely get out a word for tome time. When I got liberty to (peak, my foul pro- tefted before God and angels, that though I could not ihake my- felf loofe ofmy tufts, Chrilt fhould be molt welcome to make havock of them. The letter forefaid tryfted with aLermon I had been preaching before, of making God our end, as a neceffáry requifite in holinefs ; and fo it -came 'feafonably to quicken my thoughts and praólice, in that point. And I defign to preach particularly on referring natural acuions to God, for my own and the people's cafe, as God fháll clear my way. .I have learned two things by experience in that point. l'he one ,is, When the will, on acorrupt principle, that may feed fpiritual lulls, is averfe to what the body requires, to yield to the body the rather to crof thewill, and CO to feek to pleafe God, and not ourfelves, inor about thefe things. The other, To afcend from and by them, to that infinite fatiafa&ion that mutt need be in the enjoyment of God, leaving thefe afhes upon the earth, and mounting up from them in a flame of love to the Lord, as pillars of finoke afi:ending to- wards heaven. Seeing all perfeótion in the creature is originally from God, whatever is in the creature muft be eminently and infinitely in him ; therefore, if a bit of bread he fo fweet, how fweet muff God be, that ocean, whereof that in the bread is but a drop! Jan. 26. The lait week I fpent forne time.in prayer with fatt- ing, with my family, efpecially for my wife's fife delivery: but with me it went not well; my frame was not fixedly lively. This upon refle&ion was terrible tome, as a lip for evil; which was the mean of quickening in fecret; where I got what I got not with others. And I have obferved, that the thing I have been ftill led to for her, was a life for God. And, it was moll; clear to me this night in particular, that it was not fo much her life, as life for God, that I defired ; grace to her (as to myfelf) to live well, more than life. I have been this day alfo, from ,the,. life of the beaft, helped to prize the enjoyment of God ; and was led into a fweet viewof the purity and refinednefs of the pleafures in the fountain, and the dregs mixed with thofe of the ftreanas, that make them humbling and contemptible. Jan. 29. Sabbath. On Friday ftudying my catechetic fer- men fbme furprifing thoughts were laid to my hand: My heart fwelled with thankfulnefs, and loathed myfelf for that there fhould be fo much as a principle of taking any praife to myfelf in me, though it came not forth into an ac`t. And my fóul cried to be emptiedof felf, that I might be nothing, and the Lord might work all -in me. I thought thefe things were from the. Lord, feeing they had that died on me. On Saturday night I made all. ready, that 1 might employ my time to the belt advantage oia the Sabbath morning: and I requefted, particularly, I. That I * viz. that on the firlt fin in particular. See the author's Bodyof Divinity, vol. j'. p. 363. etfegq. ßb
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