16976 MR THOMAS BOSTON. 27 on for the firft two months. But fpeakingwith Mr John Dyfert minifter at Coldinghame,, of the ftrainof preaching I had conti- nued in, he fäid to me to this purpofe : But if you were entered on preaching of Chrift, you would find it very pleafiint. This had an effed on me fo far, that immediately I did fomewhat change my ftrain ; where I had occafion to enter on a new text and then I preached; firft, on If. lxi. 1. and next, on 1 Pet. ii. 7 I haveoften, fince that time, remembered that word of Mr Dyfert's as the firft hint given me, by the good hand ofmy God, towards the doétrine of the gofpel. The firit Sabbath I preached, being timorous, I had not confi- dence to look on the people ; though I believeI did not clofemy eyes yet, as a pledge of what I was. to meet with, an heritor of the parifh, on that very fen-non, called me afterwards, in con- tempt, one of Mr Henry Erfkine's difeiples. In which he fpoke truth, as Caiaphas did, that worthy minifter of Chrift being the firft inftrument of good to my foul : but the thing he meant was, that I was a railer. The fecond Sabbath I had more confidence ; and the next again more, till very foon I had enough ; and was cenfured as too bold, particularly in meddling with the public fins of the land. The truth is, my God lb far pitied my natural weaknefs, indulging me a while after I firft fet out to his work, that, whatever fear I was liable to ere I got into the pulpit, yet when once the pulpit-door was clofed on me, fear was as it were clofed out, and I feared not the face of man when preaching God's word. But indeed that failed not long, at leaft after I was a minifter. Soon after I was licenfed, I was peremptorily refolved not to continue in the Merfe, though there was appearance of encou- ragement : and I received a letter from the prefbytery of Stirling, inviting me to their bounds, whither it was my own inclination to go. So, on July 27. I craved of the prefbyteryan extra&of my licence. But they, defigning to have me fettled in Foulden, would not grant it. By this time I had preached once in that pparifh, and they were inclined to have me to be their minifter ; but I was not fond of it. Their Epifcopal incumbent had newly removed from them; and when I was togo thither, I forepaw a ftrait, in allowing his precentor to officiate as fuch to me, with- outa judicial acknowledgement, which I, not being a minifter, could not take. Confulting it with Mr Golden, he would not urge me againft my light ; but told me, he feared the bailie, be- ing Epifcopal, would take it ill. I refolved to venture on that. So when the precentor came to me, in the Sabbath morning, I told him, I myfelf would precept ; but .fhewed him no reafon "why. This I took to be the moft reafonable courfe in my cir- cumftances, having no authority. Neverthelefs the bailie was fa- vourable. Thereafter I preached frequently in that parifh while I continued in the country ; had many gooddays in it, the meet- ings frequent, and people very defirous to hear the word. 3Iean.,
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