17155e MRTHOMAS BOSTON. VIZ tables though we life to have but about feven ; and the tables were longer than ordinary, and people carne from a far dif- tance. laving been taken with the defign of Crofs's Taghmical Art aforementioned, I would fain have underll.00d it ; but could never reach it to my fatisfadion. The nature of the fubje& treated of, the indiftind way of the authors writing; and the falfe printing of the book, which was to a pitch, made the difficulty infuperable to. me. What pains I was at before ant, about this time, to underftand that book, and to gather the' author's meaning, by comparing paffages, may be Peen in an octavo paper-book, whereof forty-four pages were written for that end, confitfing moftly of excerpts, and partly of my own reafonings and conjeétures thereon. But all to very little pur- pofe ; fo that at length I laid the matter afide.' But the kind reception the Everlafting Efpoufals met with, whereof 1200 copies being printed, were moftly difpatched by the end of May, recovered my courage for publifhing the Four- 'fold State, which had funk as aforefaid. And after force time fpent in prayer about it and my wife's cafe, on June 16. I began ön that view to tranfcribe it over again. The acceptance of the fermon appeared in the gathering aforefaid ; and that very thing apprehended was the rife of all that rage above mentioned. I had encouraging teftimonies about it, from the feeling offorce godly minifters. June 7. This day the affair of Mr J. D. aforefaid which lay weighty on my Spirit, had a happy iffue, in a committee of the fynod. And having laid it over on the Lord before I went into the church, my heart was filled with thankfulnefs in the iffue. My fpirit alto in the management of the matter, fo far as I was concerned, was kept fromwhat I was afraid of. It is good to keep the way of duty : for though we were generally ill looked on by others in that matter, the Lord brought forth our righ. teoufnefs as the noon day ; and there was not a man had a mouth to open in the caufe that we were, fet againft, ere all was done. I defire from this to learn to alt faith in fuch matters, and with confidence in the promifes tßò recommend them to the great matter of the vineyard. July 8. This day Mrs Martin, fpoufe to Bailie Martin in Hawick, tenant in Crofslee, was buried. Shecame to this parith at Whitfunday, was prefent at the faft before the facrament, but that night was feized with indifpófition, which lb increafed that the had no accefs to be witnefs to more of that work. I faw her on the Tuefday after, much broken with that difpenfation ; for the was a godly woman, and minded to have partaked. Her cafe grew worfe and worfe, till he fickened untodeath, havinga bloody flux ; in the time of which the mifcarried ; and the flux continuing on the tenth áßy from the birth of the child in the feventh month, the died. In the time ofher ficknefo, on many Gg2
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