1699. MR THOMAS BOSTON. ¡ on him, trufting him with them, though in a manner blindly, Phil. iv. 6. ; 3. Believe the promife, that all things fhould work together for my good, Rom. viii. 28. ; 4. Remember that man's extremity is God's opportunity, with my former experiences of the fame,, Gen. xxii. 14. ; 5. Ufe the means with dependence on the Lord for fuccefs; 6. Be diligent about the work of my fta- tion., and ply my ¡Indies more clofely ; and for this end, beware of fleeping too much-; Laftly,, Not think that, becaufe God loth not prefently anfwer, therefore he will not anfwer at all, but wait on him, If. xxviii. 16. ; and that if at any timeI begin to faint under my difficulties, I fhould prefs myfelf to hang by the pro-, mires, remembering the thortnefs of my time, and that no man knows love or hatred by all that is before him,; and fhould read Heb. xii. And my confcience bare me witnefs, that to be help- ed fo to live in a courfc of filial obedience, would be more fweet to me, than to be rid of all thefe difficulties. Thefe meafures thus laid down, I thereafter went to prayer, efpecially for direc- tion unto a text for Simprin, and help in my (Indies: and the Lord dealt well with me. I had light and life in prayer, and a contented mind after. And it was but a little ere I fell on that text, John vi. 68. " Lord, to whom (hall we go?" &c. being Rill refolved to preach Chrift : and I had very fatisfying and, fweet thoughts on it in thegeneral ; but havingput off beginning my ftudy of it till I fhould confult the commentary, which I had not by me, I read on inmy ordinary, with much edification, ef- pecially Dent. viii. ; and the 2d, 3d, áth, and 16th verfes there- of, particularly, were fweet and feafonable to my foul. Thefe things were difpatched before breakfaft in the Friday morning. And here, I think, was the full fea-mark of my perplexing circumftances aforefaid ; at which they did immediately begin to go back, and Providence began to open toward my relief, though as yet I perceived it not. But my God had carried them for- ward to an extremity, and caufed them to appear in their full weight, and had moulded my heart into a calm, contented, and depending frame. And meditating on that, How I fhould know whether this keeping of my heart under my difficulties was Chriftian or merely rational, I thought I knew it to be Chriftian, 1. In that in fome meafure it was from a fenfe of the command of God ; 2. By means of thepromifés ; 3. I defired it for God's glory, as well as my own good. That word, James i. 4. was brought to me, with a commentary on it, 9. d. Wait patiently, and that conflantly, till God's time come for deliverance, without which patience is but in perfe6t. This was occafioned by a pe-. tition I had put up in my giving of thanks after breakfaft. Towards the evening of that fame day, I underflood by a let, ter, that the bufiuefk of Dollar was 11111 in agitation ; and that they defired the not to difpofe of myfelf otherwife, feeing they were like to fucceed in their attempts for my fettlement among them : as alfo, that Mr William Reid, minifler of Duping, in
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