MEMOIRS OF PERIODXI. Tuefday, letting a fcripture-phrafe undulyufed by abrother pafs without witneffing againft it. This ruined my peace and com- fort, to this day not fully recovered. July 15. A roll of about fixty perfons being prayed for at the communion in Maxton, my brethren and I tryfted to meet at the throne of grace on their account, and my wire's among the refs, every Wednefday betwixt feven and eight in the morning, each at his own home, till the week of the communion here. And being this day at. that exercife, I was refreEhed with that meeting me in my ordinary, Zech. viii. 19. " Thus faith the Lord of hafts, The fait of the fourth month, and the faft of the fifth, and the fait of the feventh, and the fait of the tenth,. fliail be to the houfe of J udah joy acid gladuet's, and chearful feafts." Aug.. 5. Being now in a near view of the facrament, my trials are many : Mr Davidibn's frailty continued ; the life of my wife feeming to hang more in doubt than for force time before; and withal Satan has given a broadfide in the. parifh. A couple of fornicators appear before the congregation next Lord's day, being the Sabbath immediately betbre thefacrarnent. Perceiving theawful defignofProvidence tohu to hle the and thecongregation thereby, I durst not fhift their appearance till after ; but put my peck under that yoke, precifefy on thè view I had of Providence's calling to take ont4hat badge of our throne. I defire íäf1 to hope, to be doing, and to llibmit. If I am never more on earth, to get up niy back, this I aim at, with an eye to him for pity. Aug. Viz. On the 18th the fácrament was celebrated here. The Lord has fhewed me the necefTity and ufefulnefs of living by faith, being trotábled on every fide,, yet not diftreffed. Satan hath laid at me, mÿ God hath tried nie with his. awu hand but in neither café has he left me comfortlefs, Since the latter end ofJune three fornications have broke out : the frft,' the man about fifty, who till that time had lived un, married, with an unftained, reputation ; and a young woman_ of kerning fingular ntodefty: the feçond, a ftripling of liven- teen, and a woman of thirty at leaft : the third, the woman a communicant, the man one of the catechumens that waited on the examination kept at the kirk for the younger fort, from. January to about Whitfunday. On the other hand, of twenty examined for admitffon, nineteen were admitted : and I think I was never more fatisfied, generally (peaking, with thofe I fo ex- amined. All of them came tome orderly before the communion- week, except two, whereof one upon the fait-day, who was therefore examined before the fefhon, refolving to examine no more privately in the couimnuion-weep. The fait was kept on Wednesday ; and I neither had nor fought. help ; but I was helped every way, bodily ttreugtb bear- ing oui quite beyond ex pettation. Seeing how Satan fet himfelf tò ruin the Lord's worm in, my hand, I,judged, it necesfary to ítruggle the more refolutely; and :upon that view, after fermons
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