1731. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 407 in delivering thefe two words *, which in my own eyes, and in the eyes, I believe, of fome others too, looked like farewell-fer- mons, whatever be the iffue. But day-light failing on the Lord's day at night, and not being able to_command the lines of the pfalm I was minded to have given out, there was no pfalm fung ; thewhich I heartily was forry for afterward. Dur- ing that time I was pitied alto in my private work. As we were coming away homeward from Maxton, Mr Wil- fon put into my hand a printed paper of the commitfion of the general affembly td50, intitled, The greatenand chiefguiltinefs of Scotland, in the contempt of the gqf el, detigned to be re- printed ; defining me to write a preface to it. This I utterly refufed, and that in earnett ; knowing nothing particularly about the matter, and judging him more fit to manage things of that nature. However, he obliged me to keep it, to read it atmy leifure, and thew what I obferved in it. Getting home on Wednefday, as I lay a-bed that night, I read the paper above mentioned; and I was thereby, through the bleffing of God on it, convinced, iniftrubted, direóted, comforted, and recovered ; and particularly helped towards a right ufe-making of facraments received. And the impreffion it made was, through grace, lafting. On the morrow, findingI had feveral occafional things laid to my hand to do, and knowing myfeif liable to an unfit- nefs for aótion after travel, I chofe to tranfcribe in mundo fbme- thing of what was written on Gen. xxiii. that being the thing which the bent of my fpirit lying mainly toward, I judged belt to bring me in cafe for applying to work in my clofet. But holy Providence had detigned a piece ofnew trial for me that I was not aware of. When I came home from Maxton, I was told, that one had advifed Uttering, and putting a pea in my leg, for my tore knee, and had left me a bliftering-planter for that 'end. The piailler was applied on the Friday's night. On the Sabbath night the pea was put in ; and through pain I fleet none that night. The pain continuing, the pea was taken out again on the Tuefday ; and on the morrow after, I had my firft diet of catechifing at Chapelhop. After taking away the pea, the hole quickly clofed : but there grew upon it a hard callous fubftance, and withal the leg was inflamed. This created thoughts of heart, and the fore kneewas forgotten. Ott the Monday after I wrote for a furgeon ; who returned me anfwer, that he apprehended nodanger, and tent me an ointment to apply. Expe&ing fume benefit by the ointment, I wrote him on the morrow, that he needed not come till again called. But finding the ointment quite ineffeátual as to the fubftance aforeláid, I was forry I had prevented his coming up. In there *Thefe twodifcourfes areboth printed ; the former in the author's Body ofDivinity, vol. 3. the latter in the fecund volumeof a collection of his fermons publithed in ;OS, No. 9, 3 E
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