334, M OIRS OP PERIOD XI. now fent in to Mr Macewan : and fo I am relieved of a promife I made, namely, to give himfome fèrmonsfor theprefs. When that promife was made feveral years ago, thefe fermons werenot in being, and fo could not be in my view. I hope never to make filch a proníife again, nor to print for printing's fake. And I biefs God I am delivered from this by a plain providential call to publífh thefe. Thereafter I began a flnort- explication of , the catechifm the occafion whereof was this, Some time ago, there was a motion for MeW. Wilfon, Davidfon, and I, writing on the catechifm, for the prefervation of the do&rine. They took their parts aflïgned ,them; I declined any part, as having my hands otherwife tilled ; only they pròpofed to me the corn- mands. What I perceived in my examinations of thofe of ,the younger fort, and in my own family, made me long for that work : but they not being likely to be hafty in it, I fell on this project to fatisfy myfelf in the mean time ; but could not get accefs to fix to it. Afterthefacramentat Galafhiels, I inclined much to fall on that work ; but by no means could I in my con- fcience evite the filling up of the pafhages ofmy life, at leaft as far as the account of the finifhing the effay on the accentuation. So I filled it up from the beginning of Jan. 1716. to Nov. 9. 1727 ; and in doing of it was fatisfied, and began to look on it as a figs of that matter of the effay moving to forne point. That having been the moft bufy time of my life, in ftudy and writing, there was but little of that nature recorded. What I have now in view, is that explication of the catechifm, the notes on the covenant of grace, and the proceeding in the effay on the Hebrew text, which (till as I read the Hebrew Bible, my heart rues upon. As'for the ftate of my body, all my upper teeth are now come out by the roots,, except two in the end of each, jaw, and two fide-teeth. I have frequent pains of the toothach : can hardly continue clofe till two o'clock ; am afterwards unfit for any thing, if it is not to read a littleat night. I preach fhort now, but I think I pray longer than I was wont in public. I have found my weaknefs, this fummer, fubfervient to my humiliation and felf- denial in all myperformances ; and a kind of checkon the lightnefs of the heart, that youth is ready to go out unto: yet have I found it withal infufficient of itfelf to that good pur- pofe. Sept. 25. Having been this day eight days, after prayer, de- termined to that work on the catechifm, as what would be of prefent ufe, I appliedmyfelf thereto ; and for three days it went on comfortably ; fo that I was too fecure about it on the third night. But that night fleep fled fromme, and on the morrow I was left to toil all the day to little purpofe or fatisfaótion. Moreover, I was feized with a violent toothach, and was in great extremity, efpecially in the night ; fo that for two nights I could not lay downmy head, but behoved to fit in my bed.
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