1721, MR THOMAS BOSTON. 3O9 to hear me ; and he gave me fome fweet views of the myftery. And the truth is, that, notwithftanding of what light into the doctrine of grace I had by the divine favour reached, at feveral diftant periods above marked, I was ftill all along dark and confufed in my notions of that covenant, until I entered on it at this time to preach it ; and in the progrefs therein, things were, by the good hand of my God upon me, gradually cleared unto nie, endeavouring to ftudy it, with the utmoft application, in dependence on the Lord for light thereinto". Feb. 10. 1723. I entered on Pfal. xv. and for a confiderable time dwelt on verf. 1. and 2. judging it meet to interf'perfe the doctrine of the covenant of grace with that kind of fubjeets ; that I mightjointly teach the people the dobtrine ofgrace and Chrif. tian morality t. The general affembly, in the month ofMay this year, put an end to the process against Mr Wilfon, on the account of his fynodiçal fermon aforefaid. It came before them by a reference from our fynod ; who being bent to find error in the fermon, were, in the fchool-houfe of Kelfo, upon the very point of giving the ftroke, but with great difficulty were got to flop. In the morning before the reference there was a meeting of a few, whe- ther as a committee of the fynod, or a private meeting for con- ference, which I rather refpect, I cannot be pofitive. There propofals were made for ending the affair : and I made them one, tending to peace, without prejudice to truth ; which, though coldly received, yet all hopes of its taking were not-cut off, till. we came to the fynod. But being read there, Mr James Ram- fay, minifter of Kelfo, fired upon it ; and, as I remember, offered to diffent in cafe it fhould pafs : and, on the contrary, he propofed a fevere decifion ; againft which I was refolved to diffent, in cafe of its being gone into. So the fynod *, perceiv- ing the affair would:go before the general affembly, which way foever they fhould take, agreed to refer it to them, as it flood before them flìll entire. At the general affembly, where the proceeding was more wary, Mr Wilfon came off honourably; not one error being fixed on his fermon, notwithftanding all the clamour had been made againft it. For his peculiar zeal and faithfulnefs, his brethren had (hot at him particularly ; hut his bow abode in ftrength. And the truth is, he was never till that his trial known to-them ; but it set him in a clear light, and ex- ceedingly railed his reputation. The publishing of his trial bath been much defined, I was comforted, in feeing the affair brought * The author's fermms on this important fubledt, as tranfcribed and prepared for the prefs by himfeif, were not published till 1734, two years after his death. The beak has paffed through many editions, is juttly confidered as the heft treatife on the fubjeel, and will, it is not doubted, be held in honour till the founding of the lait trumpet. f The fermons here mentioned are iuferted in thevolume, entitled, Thediftingui/Ling ebararaere of true Lelievers,publilhed in 1773., f Nlr Wi'ifon's fpeech delivered at this meeting i$ inferted in the Appendix, No9w.
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