556 MEMOIRS OF PERIODXT. church, which I think myfelf obliged in confcience to be very tender of, I do not iafift for the marking of it in your records,: but having the diffent, as I declared it, by me, in writ, from which I read it before this Venerable Affembly ; and having alto inwriting what I have now delivered, I am refolved, through grace, to make fuch ufe of the fame afterward, as prelling need- fay, in any undefrable event, maybe judged to require. Which fàid, I immediately fat down ; and the affemblyfeem- ed to be well fatisfied. The conduct of Providence in this matter is wonderful in my eyes. I have feen lb much of God in it, in guiding a poor fool, who in leffer matters ufes, by being hurried and i raitened as to time, to be put in confúfion ; and (ò much beyond what could be the produce of my talents ; that I am, in my own eyes, a deep debtor to free grace for it and am humbled to the duff, admiring fovereign condefcenfion, doing things by me, becaufe he will do them ; and putting that honour on me, who for leveral years have looked on myfelf as a withered branch raft ,;4 Ayer the hedge, in refpea of public management : and yet he h made the withered branch to bud again.. Upon reflection, I have full fatisfaaion as to the management &this matter, and find that word verified, Prov. iv. 12. " When thou runneft, thou plait not ftumble." Though it was an invidous appearance, in which I was left alone ; yet being made out ofconscience towards it was fo ordered by providence, that it vifibly tended to my reputation, both with the one party and the .other"; whereof feveral expreffions were made me. And the party againft Mr Simfon taw the ufefulnefs of it, confidering it as a warning of what they are to expeót who afterwards may appear for hirn. I was convinced, that the appearance in the matter of the açt againft the Marrow, had an influence in this cafe, on worthy brethren, with refpeót to me but,'on the other hand, I fee as plainly, that God hereby put an honour On that appearance.. As I was the alone man of the twelve engaged in that affair, that was ,a member of this affembly fo I was left alone in this : yet in the end of it, the fecond day, others found themfelves obliged publicly to declare to the affembly their going the fame way with me ; and fo, upon the matter, to adhere". What thall I fay ? The Lord bath both fpoken it, and done it : I defire to go foftly all my years. This invidious appearance, which feerned tohave an ill afpeót on the affair of the effay on the accentuation, had a quite con- trary effe& ; fo that; before I came from .Edinburgh, the print- ing of it there, and publifhing propofals for that efféót, were It is no fectèt, but very well known; that feveral worthyminters regretted to their dying-day, that they did ífot formally adhere to Mr Bolton's diffent ; nay fome of them expreffed the greatefi forrow, that a formal protefation was riot entered againft the affembly's decifion in Prof. Simfon's affair. It is remarkable, that in this bufinefs Mr Bolton Rood, as Athanafius of old, contra totuna orfen.
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