169g MR THOMASBOSTON. 65 theLord's making my itinerant labours, not unfuccefsful, but ufeful at leafs to his own, and giving me a large room in their affe6tions, affordedme a fatisfa&ion, which I thought might be an equivalent of the comfort of a fettlement. Next day, having heard of nothing done in the affair of Sim prin, it was fuggefted to me by one, that Langton minded to thift it till Michaelmas were paft ; fo that night, and the morrow morning, being the 9th, thinking with myfelf that the Lord minded to grant my defire of not fettling in the Merfe, I defired of him he would be pleated to thewme how to difpofe of myfelf' next : and the fame day; force time after that, I was furprifed with a vifit of Mr Murray, who continued to defite me to go to Nithfdale. And indeedhis corning to me at fuck a nickof time, did feem at firft to.be determining : but even while he was with me, tame in one froth Siin;i4in, {hewing that Langton had moved in the affair, and that it might yet be done in due time ; and a little after I found that he had writ to the prefbytery to go on towards my fettlement there. Now my inclination was togo to Nithfdale, and I was racked betwixt the two. That night I thought ferioufly on then, went to God, particularly for light anddire6tion therein ; and afters as I was going tobed, I found I durit not as yet leave Simprin. On this occafion 1 obferved the, fubtilty of fell in two cafes : 1. I feared my feeking of light pro- ceeded more fromPelf-love than love to Chrifi ; 2. That my feek- ing the very mortifièation of my idols, difcontent, worldly-mind- ednefs, &c. did likewife proceed from the fame fountain, which might be in regardOf the difquiet the want of the one, and having of the other; occafions me. This felfifhnefs I did manifefily obferve : yet I found there was refpect to the command of God in this, and thought it predominated. I thought I fhould have light from the Lord, or I durft not do it, though it íhould be to my temporal lot's. On the 10th, havingoccafionallycontinued'iíiy former requeft, I found that afternoon my foul content I íhould fettle in Sim- prin, if the Lord íhould giveme a clear call to it, that being then my exercife, of the iffue whereof I was much afraid. At night. I went to the meeting for prayer, found my heart much affected with the fad ftate of my native country the Merfe, in refpeét of religion, and cried to God for an alteration therein to the better. I deflred James Minto, a godly man, and a mighty pleader in prayer, though otherwith of very ordinary abilities, to remember in prayer my fituátion, and to plead for light to me ; and my difficulties preflèd me forward unto God: The day following; having gone to prayer for a text, I was, through the blowing of the Spirit on me, brought to acontented frame of heart with refpeót to the affair of Simprin. And indeed at what times I was molt heavenly in the frame of my fpirit, it was eafieft for me to get over thofe things that were firaitening and difcouraging to me in it, and founded my averfion to it,
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