S94 MEMOIRS OF PERIOD XII. and adore that hand Of God, which had given his heart fuch a touch, upon that defign ; and which älfo had first fet, again excited, and hill keeps, Mr G. in motion therein. That night, thinking to proceed in my begun anfwer to Mr G. my strength would not ferve : fo I was obliged to lay it alide. Neverthelefs I behoved to write two (bort letters, to go off on the morrow early : in one of which I defired my friend Mr Willhn forthwith to tranfmit the MS on the covenant of grace, then with him, to Mr Hogg at Edinburgh, tobe by hire fent off to London, to be (hewn to Sir Richard : as to which I know not, at writing hereof, what is done by him ; but I have committed it to the Lord.. On Saturday's morning, being the (2d, perceiving myfelf over- charged with nece(fary bufinefs, I prayed for ftrength for it, trufted I would get it ; and accordingly I did get it. And with that ttrength afihrded me in hunt. efe&um, I difpatched all I had to do that day, both as to my public and private work, though it kept me late that night. I wrote that day another letter to Sir Richard, (fee the appendix) ; and a letter to Mrs Balder- ftone ; and feveral others. I had a good time of it, on the Lord's day morning, in prayer, particularly in praying for Sir Richard Ellys. But for'all the fweet morning I thus had, that I might know what a poor depending thing I was, I had no guff nor feeling in the public ordinances, lecture or preaching, that day ; but I comforted myfelf, in that my Lord Chrift is to the fore, and he changes not. On the morrow our feflion met, and I had accefs to the Lord in prayer, and felt the power of " his hand put in by the hole ofthe door." And that night I faw it neceflàry, folemnly to add refs the throne of grace, for carrying on that work now again fet in motion. Accordingly, on Tuefday the 5th, I fpent force time in prayer on that account, as an for affiftance in the work on the Hebrew text, again entered on force time ago, and for the divine pity with refpeét to my cafe in the enfuing fpring. Becoming faint, I took a refre(hment : but withal it pleafed the Lord all along to withdraw, fo that I had no fenfe nor feel- ing in, that work, which was carried on heavily, in my ufual method. At length, thinking-I was like to lofe that day's work, I refolved to believe over the belly of fenfe : and refolutely laid my petitions on thefe heads, for Mr G. my wife, and Mr Henry Davidfon, before the Lord, in the name of Jefus Chrift ; pro- fefï'ing, that I did not at all look for the acceptanceofmy perfon, performances, or petitions, upon the account of anything about nie, which was but variable but for the fake of Chrift only, who, whatever I was, remained trill the fame : and therefore had confidence, they should be accepted, for his fake, over the belly of my want of fenfe. And I found much benefit in this courfe. Thus, as has been narrated, did the Lord bring my five months
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