442 MEMO11tS OF MR BOSTON. hands, whence I looked for encouragement, it hate pleafed the Lord, there where I could have no expeát.ation, to raife we up a friend, by inclining your heart to take notice of and comfort me, and to beflir yourfelf to ad in favour of that and me ; May not I be allowed to fay unto you, though I have never with mine eyes feen your face, and it is likely never will in this world, " I have feen thy face as if I had teen the face of God ?" A perlon of honour, learning, and piety, ftirred up to befriend me. The acceptablenefs of the Fourfold State to you notwith- ftanding of its homely drefs, gave me an inexpreflible pleafure. Yóur tranfinitting the fpecimen, title and index, and friendly writing along therewith, to Mr Gowan and Mr Loftus, in Holland, was .a moft charitable aótion and the fending there- with the FourfoldState, was fuch anencouraging token of your re- gard for it, as I could not have expelled, more than I could have dreamed of what elfe you did in favour of it. Mr G°owan's return, concerning the fpecimen, which you was pleafed to di&ate to my worthy friend Mr Grant, coming unto my hand, was "tas cold waters to a thirfty foul." And your generofity, preventing the remoteft thought in me, is quite fiarprifìng ; hav- ing received at your hand ten guineas, a gift in that kind, of iùch value in itfelf, that it was new to me, and therefore recei- ved with proportionable thankfulnefs ; the which value is yet but a very fmall thing, in comparifon of the value I put upon it, as a token of the regard you are pleafed to have for me, and pledge of your readinefs to lay out yourfelf to encourage any work of mine. What remains on my part is, on your account to blefs, the Lord, who bath given you wealth and honour, and, which is more rare, a heart and wifdom to improve them to the honour of his name ; and topray, that he fomultiply his blefl°ings on you and your confort, as you may plainly perceive, that what you have done, and are difpofed to do, in this matter, is a good work, acceptable unto God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. And I am not without confidence in the Lord, upon the ground of his own word, Prov. xi. 25. " He that watereth, [hall be watered alto himfelf," that it (hall be even fo unto you in due time the view being carried, but without limiting of fovereign- ty, towards the particular trial it bath pleafed God to exercife you and my Lady Ellys with ; the which, fince it came to my knowledge fome feveral months ago, bath been much on my heart,, continuing in a difpofition to wait on the Lord's hand in that matter; having alto recommended it to the prayers of two godly minifters, my intimate friends. Herein I am the more encouraged, that as we learn from the words I have learned alto by forty years experience, and upwards, that the more fignal and eminent mercies defigned for one in the way of the covenant, are ufúally brought through iron gates : which for a time mak- ing their accefs apparently hopeless, for the exercife and trial of
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