812 MEMOIRS Or PE1IOI) XI day,. being Thurfday, and laid before the Lord with thankfgiv, in '''0'. Sept. 10. This day I fpent tome time in thankfgiving to the Lord, upon the account of the mercy of that book now ended ; and prayer, for a bleffing on it, and that the Lord may find out means, whereby it may become of public ufe, for advancing of fcripture-knowledge ; and for tome other particulars in my cir- cumflauces, particularly with refpeato my wife's aflicîion, &c. I had a heart - melting view of the condudf of holy Providence, towards peor me, from my childhood even until now. O! how am I deeply indebted to a gracious God preventing me with kindnefs, and working about me for ends I knew nothing óf in the time ! I have had much fweetnefs in the original text : and it mademe this day to think, how inconceivablyTweet mutt the perfonal Original of the original text be ! how fweet to fee, by the light of glory, the glory of God in the face of Jefus! When I got Crofs's Taghrnical Art from Mr Macghie, Í knew nothing of the matter : but the Lord gave me force fweet dif- coveries, by means of the accentuation, when he had fo led me to notice it. Holy and wife was that Providence, by which I in vain tried to underlfand and digeft inorder Mr Crofs's fyflem ; and that kept Wafrnuth from me till I was begun to write : and that I had nothingofhis charac`fer nor his books from any body : and Pfeiffer I had not till the year 1720. By this means I was kept free of being preoccupied and impreflèd by any body' authority ; I was led to truft nothing but as I law it with Mt, own eyes. While I was making my colleéfions of materials, which I did by reading attentively, and obferving, the fäcred text, they made me many errands to the throne of grace, finding myfelf travelling as in a pathlefs way, efpecially in making the obfervations ; and being often as in a thicket, where when I had fet down one foot, I knew not where to fet down another. But God, the Father of lights, is in my experience the hearer of prayer. Oft-times was I afraid, that death thould have pre- vented me : but glory to his' name for life continued, for time and opportunity for flndy allowed, for ffrength to'make ufe of that time, and for a bleflìng on my endeavours therewith made. It is the doing of the Lord, and it is wondrous in my eyes, that he - has had there things frommany truly wife, and has revealed them to a babe : and i Rill find the fenfe of this humbles my foul within me, before him; as being thereby made a great debtor: and it fills my heart with love to himfelf. I fee there is one thing wanting in it, which I defire to wait on the Lord for, if fó be he may be pleated to difcover it to me, namely, the reafon of double accentuation, which I have not yet been able to reach to my fatisfaaion. Whatever other wants there be in that effay; towards the perfebting of the knowledge of that fubjecî, this is a palpable one. -laving now ofa long time had a great defire, to tranfiate the
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