1727. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 327 the Thurfday, with Mr J. M.'s two fermons, on Prov. xlviii: 13. " He that covereth his fins, (hall .not profper: but whofo confeffeth and forfáketh them, (hall have mercy." Wherein he explained repentance in three things : t. Confetlion, implying fhame ; 2. Sorrow ; 3. Forfaking. Then he endeavoured to confirm the neceffrty of repentance in order to remiffion ; held out the fear of hell as what all had reafon to entertain, to move . them to repent ; and harangued againfi, delaying of repentance. The whole was fhut up with that, We are not to do this in our own ftrength, but in the strength of God, and in dependence on Chrift, from whom the grace muff come. He had not one word of confeffing over the head of the great facritìce, nor of the fin of our nature, nor was faith in Jefus Chrift, or remiffion by his blood, once named, farther than that dependence on Chrift' above mentioned may be thought to bear ; far lefs faith, as unit- ing the foul to Chrift as the fountain of holinefs. 1 had reafon to think it was defigned againft the do&rive I preach. And thus was I rewarded for my preaching for him, April gone a year ; employing him hereon the fait before the laft communion, which gave me diflàtisfa&ion of the fame kind ; and employing him again this time, in hope of better things: all which I did, not from private inclination, but froma fincere define to ftrengthen his hands in the Lord's work in his parifh ; being perfuaded, that any reputation the Lord has given me, I was bound to lay it out for the furtheringhis own intereft and kingdom. How- ever, kind Providence ordered that I preached in the afternoon, contrary to what he feemed to expeet at his coming ; and that alto was by the fame hand kindly guided, time things fallingin the way neceffary on finch an occafion, and on the other hand tendernefs ufed for peace fake. Thus I have teen the ftrain prevailing among the young divines, whom I have had noother occafion to hear : and force of the people here have difcovered their favour and difcerning on this occafion ; fo that outof the eater hath come forth meat. In refpe&of my bodilyweaknefs. I thought I would provide timely for the facrament, that I might rett and be refrefhed the latter end of the week. So I prepared the fait-day's fermon the week before: but I was otherwife fo taken up on Monday, that I could not get the action-fermon begun till Tuefday, nor perfe&ed till Friday morning *. And then I had fo much pre- pared, that I knew not howl would be able to deliver it, But then the Lord had given it fo, that it was molt eafily impreffed on my memory ; and I had it mandated by two o'clock after. noon ; a forwardnefs I do not remember to have been in before. Then I thought I would reft at length : but thereafter I was held fo bufy otherwife, that that afternoon I was exhatìfted ; fo *It was on Luke xix. 5. and is inferted in the volume intitled, The difli zguifbius tbaraaer oftrue believers, publiíhed in 1775. Some fermons preached after this fácra, rent ire alfo in that volume. No. 7.. S
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