1721. ' MR THOMAS BOSTON. 303 on the Monday with them ; fo fpoke none at difmiffing of the . congregation, which I am never wont to omit. I thought I faw in the condu& of Providence at this communion, as in an em- blem, what is, and is like to be, our cafe : the multitude carried off from us ; the molt tender of the godly and Zion's mourners cleaving to us ; proteótion allowed us as to the florin hanging over our heads from the church ; with a blink now and then, and perhaps another communion allowed me here. I had a lignal inftance of the anfwer of prayer in my wife's cafe ; who being in deep diftrefs of along time, it feemed to come to a great height the week before, that I was put to cry, that the Lord would at leaft heave up the cloud, fo as it might not de- prive her of partaking at his table. In this I was heard ; and the attained to fo much compofure, that fhe was not only not barred from it, but gave a very Chriftian account of the aetings of her foul in the cafe ; which was the doing of the Lord,and wondrous in my eyes. 'On the 10th of July, a motion was fo made to meby my two friends to write notes on the Marrow, that I was obliged feri- oufly to think of it. At length having fpent Tome time in prayer, purpofely for difcovering the Lord's mind therein, I was determined to effay it, on this confideration, that as matters now ftand, the gofpel-doctrine has got a root-ftroke by the con- demning of that book ; and that whatever elfe be done for re- trieving it, it will be but to little purpofe, while that book lies among the pots, people being Bumbled and frighted at it. And this day I began that work, being obliged to lay afide thoughts ofother bufinefs, viz. the preparing of the Fourfold State for a fecond edition, and the publifhing of fome fermons ; both which I am engaged to do to Mr Macewan ; and my great work on the accentuation. Having plied that work two weeks, on the Saturday's night of the . fecond, awaking out of fleep, I was taken extremely ill of a kind of heart-fwooning, a molt vehement heat and fweat being felt by me, my wife neverthelefs teftifying me to be cold as dead in the time. While in my extremity death ftared me in the face, the doctrine of fhe Marrow concerning gift and grant, and that fcripture, 1 John v. 11. " And this is the re- cord, that God hath given tous eternal life ; and this life is in his Son," accordingly underftood, That God hath given unto us mankind- finners (and to me in particular) eternal life, &c. whereby it is lawful for me to take poffefiion of it as my own, was the fweet and comfortable prop of my foul, believing it, and claiming accordingly. The effects of that iflnefs hung about me for force time : fo that I had much ado to preach the two Lord's days after it, before the communion at.Galafhiels, Aug. 1. There I was very ill on the Saturday, and had much ado to get through the preaching. I was better on the Lord's day, and the Lord was with my fpirit, and.fignally owned the whole No. 7. P p
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