1714. MR THOMASBOSTON. 245 great eafe to my heart upon refleétion. In the afternoons for the cafe ofthe times, I entered on that text, Ifa. xxxii. 2. " And a man (hall be as the fhadow of a great rock in a weary land." Next Sabbath, being Sept. 4. in my ferrnon, I took occáfion not only to thew the people their danger, but to excite them to a due concern for religion and liberty, and to be ready to a& in defence thereof. But not very long after, I found that all was but as the founding again of the mountains,_.the lying ftories of enemies fo prevailing, that the refle&ionof fome that Teemed to be fomewhat was, that I was more afraid than I needed. Finding the heart- flaying doétrine of that text was unfeafonable, hecaufe not needed, (I mean not to make no exception.at all, I believe it was feafonable to fome, though very few), I was obliged to cut, it fhort ; and on Sabbath September25. entered on Amos iv. 12. " Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Ifrael and becaufe I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Ifrael." And upon this I dwelt for feveral months of the public confufions. Sabbath, Oct. 2. in the morning I received a letter from one of- the lieutenantdeputes for our (hire, with an intimation for all betwixt fixteen and fixty, to rendezvous at Selkirk on the 6th, and defiring me to fend the roll of thefe'to the review. I called for one reckoned the moft judicious of our elders,' and propoféd to him a meeting of the parifh at the kirk on the 4th ;, which he quickly agreed to. I defired him to fpeak with foam others, and give me notice ere I went into the pulpit, if it was their mind that the parifh fhould meet, that I might warn them front the pulpit. The intimation being read by the precentor, I exhorted accordingly and having received notice as above laid, I intimated the meeting. When they met on the 4th, I told them, I would not take it on me to make a roll of the fenfibfe men, but propofed to them to make it themfelves. Accordingly it was done, and I gave them my roll ; out of which they made anther, cafting out and putting in as the meeting thought fit but I wrote it. When this work begun, I forboded my eafe in this place (which never was great) to be at an,end ; they ufually wreaking themfelves on the minifters as the caufe ofall public evils. I was not out in my conjecîúres ; for accordingly they gave themfelves the loofe, and that very night 1 heard of burning my houfe, &c. upon the account of that day's work. However, on the morrow I drew up an addref's for them, and went towards Selkirk, the place of the review, to help them all I could. Next day, within two miles of the place, fèveral of the parilh being in company the elder aforefaid, who alto was prefent at the making of the roll, fell ,on me bitterly in that matter. And there Was ,not a man that had a mouth to Open in my behalf, in all the company, except one fervant, who (as he told me) fpoke to him fevretly : but another told me, he heard me reflected on upon that fcore. I faw myfelf hardly beftead, and evil rewarded ter good and therefore defied them to meet me in the town,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=