472g. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 851 ill-natured world, I received a letter froma friend at Edinburgh, giving a comfortable account of a very honourable teftimou r given to it,'in converfation, by Mr John Flint aforefaid. This filled me with thankfulnefs ; but withal I was left to rejoice in this alone, which I found to be of good ufe. I prayed for a way of grave, calm, and ferious delivery of the word to the people, which of late bath been much fet by, with Me, or valued ; and I got it by the divine favour., Toward the end of February, I found myfelf fo extremely weakened, that I could not fee how I could be much longer able for:>my public work, without an affiftant. But being im- .mediately after clofely engaged, in neceffary work, above my ordinary, for the fervice of my God, [drawing the prefbytery's inftru&ions to their cornmiífioners about Mr Simfon's affair] ; as alto before that in a congregational faft, at which I continued long ; and withal Iof my ref the night following : 1 was, from the beginning thereof, and for tome time after, in better cafe than for a good time before : being thus taught fill to be do- ing, without afking queftions, or with the ftrength I have, tilt the it/after (hall fay, Stop. Let the Lord do with me what Teems him good. This fpring-feafon, efpeeially inand about the monthofApril, was a time fìngulariy heavy. Flocks were defolated, by an ex- traordinarydrift, on the 24th day ofMarch : there were dcarcity of fodder, dearth of viótual, general licknefs, and frequent deaths ; all come in upon. the back of an impoverifhed fate of the country. It made me often to refle& on what might be the deugn of Providence in leading to that text on the fait-day Feb. 26. aforementioned, Ezek. xii. 23. " Say unto them, The days are at hand, and the area of every vifion t." That drifty day fopt a burial appointed to have been upon it, at Kirkhop : fo that the corpfe behoved to be kept till another day. For about three weeks, as my study-day came about, I found myfelf un- fitted for it, through bodily indfpoftion. All my children, except one, had Tome touch of ilinefs; and -'the, fever falling to my wife in the fpring, came on in the fief of that month of April, and continued long. On Tuefday's night, April A. being abed, an exprefs came, that Ifabel Biggar, a worthy perfon, feemed to be juft a-dying; whereupon I arofe, and betook my- felf to prayer for her, that I might not have fbrrow'upon forrow ; and was comforted in her cafe with Pfal. xli. 1. t. So I laid myfelf to ref again, and in the morning was refrefhed with the account of her being better, which I took as a fign for good in my wife's cafe. nave feen of latemach of My being a fign to this people, having drunk firft of the bitter cup: At that time there was a weighty conjunaure, feeming to point towards the diffolution ofmy family : Myown body was in a weak condition ; * 'This fermon, with forne others on fait-days, &c, was puhliíhed in a pamphlet, in NO.8. Xx
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