1714. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 233 fermon on Hof. ii. lg. that he might publifh it, and he having taken advice about it atEdinburgh, I fet fometimeapart this day for light from the Lord in that matter. I laboured fore time in confeffing of fin before the Lord, in renewing my covenant and enunication. And two things were wondrous in my eyes.. . The unalterablenefs of the covenant.. Iliad a fweet view of it as a covenant which after many flips might be renewed. There is no renewing of the covenant of works, once broken ; but this covenant will not break : one is welcome to renew it after back- Hidings. 2. That I had- this opportunity without difturbance ; whereas I had attempted it twice before, and bymy unwatchful- nefs had marred it ; whereby, though fomething was done; as on Tuefday 1aft, yet thebufinefs was not carried through. Then I fet myfelf to feek light from the Lord in prayer, and thought on the bufinefs : and confidering that I was urged by a repeated call from that perfon, and that this is a fair way to try what ac- , cepttance the book may meet with if publifh:ed, I refolved to at- tempt it. I had a difcouragement in this matter from the fame quarter from whence I had the temptation at my entering on writing the fermons aforefaid. It was comfortable to me to think, that whatever have been the tranfgreffions of my private walk, God has been very gracious to me in the public Reps of my life. And fo I fiepped over that difcouragement, which I could not get removed. Jan. 3. 1715. Having finifhed the fermon; I took upDempfter's Antiquities, to refrefh myfelf, where I read fomething de ea,pgf- tione infantum, that feemed to give light into Ezek. xvi ; and purfuing the thing, feveral thoughts offered themfelves, which I caft into a paper with much fátisfaóiion, and fóme defign to infert them in the fermon. (N. B. They are infected in the printed fermon). So this morning I was very eafy as to the publithing of the fermon. But at night there came one whom I refpe& and value, and would have employed in the bufinefs ; but in the holy providence of God he carried fo firangely, with refpe& to the book, and this fermon too, that I was confounded; and quite difcouraged in the defign. However, I fent it to Mr Wilfon, feeing I had written it. He approved the motion of printing it ; but withal told me, that the printers would hardly take fuch an interlined copy. Whereupon, though, by the forefaid difcouragement hill remaining with me, I had no heart for publilhing. it ; yet I refolved, come what will, that I would tranfcribe it over again. Jan. 13. I began to tranfcribe it ; but on the 15th at night, while I was bufy with it, there came an exprefs to me, calling me to go to Dunfe, to my brother a-dying. So I laid it afide, wondering at this next dalh I took it-with me, and (hewed it to Mr Brown ; who did encourage me to publifh it; and I think, if I had not met withhini, I had not recovered that damp to the defign given by the perfon aforefaid. So Providence made ú1c; Ff2
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