315 MEMOIRS OF PERIOD XI, cafe being at a great extremity, I have it to notice to the praife of free grace, that the Lord however made it a very comfortable work, and orderly : yea a fpecial careof thedivine Proyidence was about it. Mr Wilfon the weekbeforehad a .fit of the ague, and not coming up on Friday's night, I had laid my account to preach on the Saturday : and when he came up on the Saturday, I had given orders' about fending for Mr G. providentially at Cavers ; but no more was done in that. I was helped to truft the Lord for carrying on his own work, and.had not much un- eafinefs - that way : hereto contributed lily remembering that I. inyfelf fell indifpofed on Wednefday, but was mercifully re- covered, foas, on the morrow, I went about the whole faft-day's workalone, comfortably. Mr Davidfon that week was threatened with a fit of the gravel, but mercy ítopt it. He was taken ill of a head-ach, about the latter end of the Sabbath work forenoon here : it lei- him whenhe went out to preach the afternoon-fer- mon. In a word,,nothing was lackingneither ftrength of body, nor what was neceffary for edifying the body of Chrift. My wife being all the time in great diftrefs fixed to her bed, and a great . throng in the houfe ; yet things were managed with dil= cretion and order. However, her cafe was evidentlyworfted by the weight of people's coming in to vifit her. But to him I `give thanks who has happily carried through thisswork : for my wife was not without thoughts, that it might be the time of her departure: and on Tuefday, ere ,the minifters went away, the feemed indeed to be at the point ofdeath ; fo that not only they, but a neighbour, were called to be witneffes to the iffue. The frame of my spirit, on the Saturday and Sabbath morning, I found to be flat: but now for forne time that mybodily ftrength is fenfibly decayed, I have in fóme xneafure learned to truft in the Lord more, though my pains in fecret duties are lefs than fore times they have been, when my ftrength would bear more. And my truft was not in vain. At the table, even about the time of diftributing the bread, my falte heart was unfeafonably carried' off to a thought, which was thinning and (tumbling : but preffed with the fenfe of need, I was thereby furred up to the exercife of faith on Chrift, for, the fanótification of my un-, holy nature. But 'O that hereby I'might learn to watch! This fummer 1724 has been the moft trying time that ever my family had liincewe were a family. I had made force altera-' tions in the houfe before the fácrament, turning the barn into a, 'kitchen, the hall into a cellar, and fo making two low bed- rooms, which} we hadnot before. The defign we had in view, was chiefly my wife's cafe in her heay.inefs, requiring the little room ; and then to have more room for ftrangers at the facra- ment; for which caufe a new bed was made, and fet up in the low room. But Providence had a defign in it unknown to us, namely, that it might be a convenient lick-bed room ; and for that ufe it was for more than two months.
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