466 MEMOIRS OF MR BOSTON. withyou with refpe& to the way, as it has a córnfortable diftin&- nefs in-it, Without any thing of the confufion you freak ofdif- cernible to me ; fo it carries fuch an agreeablenefs to the way- marks fet up by the Spirit, the leader in the way, to be feen ftanding for the dire&ion of travellers in the fcripture of truth, that you have ground from the word to take the comfort.of your being in the way in feite of hell, and confequently of your corning affuredly to the end of the journey in-a happy fort, lince the great leader drops none by the way, but perte&s what he has begun, and never leaves nor forfakes the work ofhis own hands, uar thofe in whom it is wrought. I think I need not infift to add to what you have advanced from the fcripture on that head. What pincheth you, feems to be the blowing of the wind in your face, particularly the riling of forms and tempefts upon you, fo that fòrnetimes you lofe fight, are blown afide, yea, blown down and foundered. But, D. Sir, ifyou were beyond thefe, you would not be a traveller, but one got home from your travels ; you would not be in, or by the way, but come to the end of it. It is the glory of the man who is the Father's fellow, to be " an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the ternpeft," ifa. xxxii. 2. to be a ftrength to the needy in his diftrefs, a refuge from the ftorm, when the blaft of the terrible 'ones is a form againft the wall. When Mould that glory of his be, if thefe tempefts and forms did not rife, if the terrible ones did not get leave to blow fometimes furioufly, like a form againft the wall? If then our Lord jefus, whofe ftrength is made perfe& in weaknefs, fees meet to take ,away your eafe for a time, to make of it a ftepping-ftone to his own glory, where you hear the Lord bath need of it, you will ,lìraightway fend it. I verily think, that when a.poor believer is engaged in a combat with the powers of darknefs, our Lord jetirs has an occation of fgnalizing his vi &ory over the bruited fervent next to that Which he had on the crofs. It is true, that ftaggering even on, that place is to be lamented as a finful weak- nefs ; but, I think, all the travellers and combatants will be found to have been ftaggerers through ftrefs, though that gives them not their denomination from their believing. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, yet we hear very much ofhis im- patience too. Peter remained with an unfailing faith when he was lifted, yet he was fhamefully foundered. Even Abraham, though in that infiance, Rom. iv. he ftaagered not ; yet in another cafe he did, Gen. xii. 11. and. downwards ; and in that fame inftance Sarah, Who was a type of the church, asAbraham, was of Chrift, ftaggered : and tell foully, but recovered, Gen. xviii. In this Taft faith had hut One tingle word, " My lord-," and unbeliefhad all the rett of the fpeech ; and yet the Spirit of God. makes honourable mention of that one word in the New Teltament, 3 Peter iii. 6. -; drawing a wail over the rett. I own
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