330 MEMOIRS OF PERIODXI. had particularly defired that day, and had not f6r feveral years before reached unto : and-how gracious the Lordhad been to her on the Saturday, being the morrow after, and the Sabbath : fo that the was brought to fay in her heart, Who knciws but the Lord mar yet bring me again to the land of the living! This furprifing relation difcovering that God had remarkably heard prayer on her behalf, I began to conceive more firm hopes of her deliverance. And they were ítrengthened, when I con- lidered, that, the foregoingyear, the Lord had led me to preach, at the fame placer, on the fubje& of deep humiliation going be- fore the Lord's lifting up his people ; and then this year, to that of praying always, and not fainting, from Luke xviii. 1. having at parting told her, that I was going to tell yonder people from the Lord, that they who have bufinefs at the court of heaven, muft hang on there, and not faint, whatever entertainment they meet with; for that fo doing they fhall be heard at length. Thefe texts were occafioned to me by her cafe. Now we were, with our broken íhip, within fight of the Chore ; and I was as one ftretching forth his arms, crying, Help forward, help for- ward ! But behdld, in a little time after, the form rofe anew ; and the íhip was beat back into the main ocean, out of fight of land again. July 31. Monday, I fell under a confiderable illneís, which ;t took to be the etfect, of Moffat well water, having advanced to three chopins of it, being wearyof the time the drinking of it took up. On the Thurfday's night it carne to an extremity, fo that death flared me in the face ; and the fending for help pro- pofed was delayed, till it íhould be feen, what the morrow would produce. This was a íharp-edged trial to me. I had been invited to the facrament at E r, to be adminiftered Aug. 6. the very following Sabbath; but, for a teftimony againft the injury done by the minifi,er.of that place here, to the truth of the gof'pel, refufed. The copy of the paragraph of my anfwer to him, is to be found with that to Prof.- Hamilton. Now I feared I would be made the reproach of the foolifh, being likely to preach none at all that Sabbath, nor at Galafhiels facrament the followingLord's day, Aug. 13. if ever to preach more. Thus I was obliged to review that refufal; and found, in the face of eXtremity, I had done no more in it, but what was neceffary for the fake of truth ; and defired to lay my credit, and my all, at the Lord's feet. On the morrow my illnefs abated ; but I was unable to fludy, arid was fatisfied in an old fermnn I thought the Lord had ufe for. I was helped to deliver it on the Lord's day, and to go about my work as ordinary which was a mercy ex- ceeding great in my eyes, in that thereby, l was not left to be the reproach of the foolifh. On the Tuel'day after, I ftudied a little for Galafhiels : but it was the Wednefday ere I was quite well, and that day and Thurfday I was ftrengthened to do my work for that place.
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