850 MEMOIRS. OP PERIOD XL Spirit, and what I had writ lait winter on the catechifrn, in the queftion offan6tifìcation. That hook of Owen's was laid to my hand, for an tire I knew not till I had it.. But laft week, being to enter on a new fubjeet, and fitting down to my ftudies on Friday, the Lord withdrew, and I fluck. The bands were kept on me Friday and Saturday forenoon ; and then being fatisfieci -_ to have recourfe to old fermons, particularly thole on Joel. iii. 21. " I will cleanfe the blood that I have not cleanfed," &c. and having prayed in order to mandate what I was to fay there- from, it carne into my mind to look to the text in the original ; which done, I found the cleanfing there to be legal4at, is, avenging the blood ; and fo that. I had miftaken that text when I ftudied there fermons on it upwards of twentyyears ago. So, not daring to give that for the meaning of theLord's word which I did not believe to be the meaning of it, I was forced to quit it. And my bands were kept on to the end. So I behoved at length to 'make a fhift, and deliver fowething, for ferrnon on Ezek. xxxvi. X25. " Then will I fprinkle clean water uponyou," &c..and was not quite deferted in the pulpit. My God, I take it kindly at thy hand ! I acknowledge my holding is of thee; and that I am nothing, and without thee can do nothing. On the 29th, being the Sabbath after that f'orefaid, I entered on the fubject of this world lying in wickednefs : the which, from 1 John v. 19.=" The whole world lieth in wickednefs," and Q Çor. vi. 17. " Wherefore come out from among them," I infifted on till the rummer following. Jan. 1. 179. Awaking in the morning, my heart was filled with thankfulnefs, for that I had feen the year 1729 ; and I per- ceived an honour the Lord puts me, in prolonging.life. It was a.good morning' me; and from that time I was in a particular concern to no more of the other world ; of the which, I was con- vinced, I had very little diftinct knowledge. I look for it in the fcripture only. It is an awful thought, the cafe of the foul on its reparation.. The carrying of it by angels into Abraham's bofom, is clear : but ,, By this means I have feen my body to be fomething belonging to my font ; and that my foul in efie& is I ; that therefore I, as it were, (hall not'die, but only drop this body to be diffolved, I efcaping. A. little before that, I had received a letter in Latin, from Profeffor Hamilton, bearing, that he found nothing in the elfay on the accentuation, contrary to the doctrine of the Reform- ed churches ; and that it was not unworthy of the notice of the learned, in cafe of publication. Thefe two things I had exprefsly defìred of him, if he could have freedom to tefîify the fame; and according to my define, hegave me the letter forefaid. And now, towards the end of January, having been endeavouring, as it has often been my, exercire, to cot-node my- felt to acquiefce in that effay its not feeing the light during the time of my life, by reafon of my friendlefs circumftances in an
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