4721. MIt THOMAS fOSTON. 31 In the mean time of our diftrefs in the fummer, watchful and kind Providence favoured me with a vifit from Mr J G , a minifter of the church of Scotland, whom I had but little acquaintance of before : A man well feen in the doétrine of free grace, and to a pitch kind, and difpofed to be ufeful, whereof I have fince had fìgnal proof. At that time I Chewed him, that I could get no body to judge of the effay made on the Hebrew accentuation, the performance being upon fuch an out- of-the-way fubjedt ; and that I had force view to Profeffor Simfon for that end. .And hé having minded this, and taken occafion in his own country to inform himfelf, did afterwards write me a letter, giving me notice of Mr George Gordon, profellòr of the Oriental languages in the King's College, Aberdeen, as the fitteft in our ifland to judge in fuch matters. Mr Wodrowwas his informer, being a man of the moft extenfive correfpondence. I had no acquaintance with Mr Gordon, nor did I know his charadter, but by my correfpondent's letter. I knew not till afterwards that I had it from hirnfelf, that he was that Gordon whomMr Crofs mentions in his preface to the Taghmicai Art. PGt without more ado, I quickly addreffed mylélf to him, by a letter of the 14th Decemtrer, committing the matter to the Lord. Mean while, after doting my fermons on the Covenant of Grace, I had purfued my former fubjecî of Chriftian morality, in the general, from John xv. 14. " Ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you ;" and Eccl. ix. 10. " What- Ibever thy hand findeth to do, do it," &c. Then I entered on on force particulars, viz. againft profane (wearing, finful anger, revenge ; and preflèd the love of our enemies ; the which fob- jets were ended Dec. 27. On the 17th of January 17253 I received a letter from Mr George Gordon aforefaid, large and friendly, quite beyond any thing I could have expedited, Chewing all readinefs to perufe.the effay, when it could conveniently be put in his hand. This ftep of Providence was great in my eyes, looking like a dawning of light, in a cafe right hopelefs, even as to the getting any body's judgment upon it, .that I could rely on, for which my attempts hitherto had been baffled. The date of the letter, being Jan..t. was molt íweet, when I called to mind, that that very day hav- ing (pent force time in folemn prayer, (as ufi;al on the occafion; of the new year), my letters finding favour with that man, had been much on my heart before the Lord. Whatever be the ifline, it is a great mercy to me, to have hope of getting it put in one's hand capable to judge of it. After carrying on the work aforefaid, through the firft twenty chapters of Genefis, I found it neceffary to (top ; and that in confideration of my frailty, and that the notes were written in '1, All thefe fermons are publilhed in the volume intitled Th d ingofling dáraliers Vim believers, printed in 1773, and area inoit clioicg Pet of difcvgrles.
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