1717. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 265 make me to take a mountain on my fhoulders." 6. The heritor aforefaid, who would never come to the kirk fince my fettlement in this parifh, by the profpect of this tranfportation was brought to come on the, faft-day, and continues fo to do, being zealous for my flaying among them. Mean while fcandalous outbreak- ings in the parifh have abounded more fence this bufinefs com- menced, than for a good while before. And this affair has o- bliged me fome time ago to lay afide the work on Ezekiel, hav- ing no time for it. May 1. I went to Edinburgh to the general affernbly, and re- turned on the 17th. On the laft of. April, I defigned to have taken journey, my wife being indifpofed. I was ready to take my horfe ; but going to prayer with my wife, to commit' the family to the Lord, I could not get my family committed to hint as ufual. So rifing up from prayer, I prefently concluded I could not, and fhould not go. It was well ordered ; for after- wards my wife was better, and I found therewas no need of the hafte which I then apprehended there was, In Edinburgh I found forne were impreffed with my inclina- tion to go to Clofeburn, which I endeavoured to carry off. On the 8th of May I had a tofs with Mr Murray before Sir Thomas, he affirming, and I denying, that I had given them ground by word or deed ; and Sir Thomas declaring, that if he had not been informed fo, he would not have infifted. When the bull- fiefs carne before the committee of bills, Mr P. opened up the cafe of the parifh of Clofeburn. This obliged, me, otherwife unwilling to fpeak, to open up the cafe of Etterick too ; which, with much difficulty I obtained leave to do, a plain fway to the other .fide appearing in that committee; which much oppreffed my fpirit. When it came before the affembly, our fynod was moftly abfent, thofe of them prefent little to be trufted, (and the truth is, I faw none of our fynod there, but thofe of our own prefbytery, I could have confidence in), and the fame fway ap- peared there. This made me break filence there, which I had kept for feventeen years in that judicatory : and being touched, the Lord helped me to fpeakwithout fear. I cannot but obferve kind Providence that fuffered Mr P. to make that unfeafonable difcourfe on the merits of the caufe, and that our fynod was mofily abfent when it came before the,affembly; for thefe things obliged me, otherwife unwilling, to fpeak ; whereby the refpec- tive judicatories could not but perceive how I ftood affeéted to the thing. The iffue of the conferencewithMr Murray and Sir Thomas, and of the fway I perceived in the committee and àffetnl, ready to make a compliment of the bufinefs, was, that íü11 there appeared to nie lefs of God in the matter ; and fo it tended to my farther clearing, as to my not being called to, go to that place. The fynod of Dumfries feemed at firft (according to my infer- Kk2
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