Md. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 325 acceptance with God from 2 Cor. viii. 12. 0e If there be firfl a willing mind it is accepted," &c. and Eph. i. 6. " Having Made us accepted in the beloved." That winter a copy of the effay on the text was taken at Edinburgh, halfon Mr WilliamHogg'scharges, and half on mine, which I paid, leaving that copy to him. My body has kept up better this winter than the laft. I am now almoft a fecond time through the parith in examination ; and fince the middle of January. 1727 have had a diet of examination of the younger fort, every fourteen days, except one. Having plied the writing of the Latin effay on the accentuation through the winter, I finifhed it on the 17th of March 1727 ; conutling the firft part of 1S2, the fecond of J22 pages in quarto. That day was to me, on this account, one joyful day among many heavy and forrowful ones I have had ; and it was my birth-day, upon which, not by anyart amine, but providentially, as I went on in my ordinary courfe, the finifhing of that work of my life did,fall. It being Friday, I had 'Inched my fermons by 11 o clock ; and having refrefhed myfelf an hour, I finifhed that work about 4 o'clock ; laid it before the Lord with thanksgiving, for life, ftrength, and heart, gracioufly given me, for it ; fang that latter part of the 71f1 pfalm, given me for my launching out, as being now on the fooe ; dined with my two daughters, with a kind of little foletnnity ; and at night in the family fang again that part of the 71f1 pfalm, which I'could not get conveniently done after dinner, in refpe& of a lb-anger, a widow, being pre- fent in the houfe. She came in while I was finifhing my work ; and in token ofmy thankfulnefs to God for his bounty to me in this 'matter, ,I gave her acrown on the Monday when the went away, and three fhillings on Saturday to fóme others in flraits. After fome time f'pent on Saturday morning, in further thanksgiving;' being diflàtisfied with fóme phrafes in one or both of the two lait paragraphs, I wrote the laft.leafover again and added the Hebrew fentences, as the language of my heart and experience, to the praife of a gracious God. In. he fpare time I had till March 28. I fought out and bound up fóme paper which. I incline not to leave behind me ; read over the M.S. now finifhed ; reformed my clofet ; took a lift ° of borrowed books with me ; and made a catalogue of finch of my own books, as I deured to leave for profecutiug the fludy the HebrewBible, which I have begun, though I know not hole hand they may fall, but being defirous, that, if it (hall eaf'e the fovereign Manager, they may be fo dil'pofed of and tployed and took forne new thoughts of the wayof difpoting iy worldly goods to my children ; but the then pate of my af- fairs would not permit the putting them as yet in execution. Thefe things were done, with a defign to have no incunibrance * The fermons on acceptance with God, from thefe two texts, áre printed in the volume intitled, Tbc Cbr en 1 fe dedincated.
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