4 MEMOIRS Or PERIOD vi. a Chriftian, hearing, that her heart did indeed rife at my lafl, 'hewing I had received the call of Simprin, but withal defiring me to fimo,v my light, anti to be tingle in my accepting or refit- ling it, that the world might not caft the balance : The fame Chriftian difinterefted courfe the fteered all along in thefematters being my wife. Mr Golden being returned from Teviotdale on the 1 tth, fpake nothing of the affair of Hownam, whereofI was to have the re- po, t upon his return. He calling me alide that day, I was afraid he might have fomethiug to propofe its oppofition to this current bulinefs of Simprin : it was my heart's defile to the Lord, that it might not be fo ; and it was not. Thusdid the fovereign Ma- nager, by a trainof providential difpenfations, mark out myway to Simprin. Mean while the man whom he had defigned for Hownam, was at that time in the feat appointed next for me, viz. Mr James Macmichan minitter of Etterìck, afterward tran!- ported to Hownam. Being under fome difcouragements at home, Sept. 13. I be- gan to be fòmewhat uneafy and difcontent with my fettling in Simprin. I was now hampered in mychamber: I had lent out my money, and could not get it back, to procure myfelf neceffa- ries. These, with my future circumftances, were grievous to me. Finding myfelf hereby carried off my feet as a Chriftian, I refolved to fpend forte time ou the morrow in falling and prayer, for thefe caufes : 1. To.get habitual nearnefs to God ; 2. For a due imprelon of the weight of the work 1 am called to; 3. His prefence with me in it; 4. For content with my lot addrefiing myfelf to the intended exercife of that day, I added to thefe a- forefaid caufes, 5. That I might' get viétory over a particular corruption wherewith I had been often foiled ; Laftly, That I might be kept from cooling in my zeal in that country. After prayer and meditation with refpebt to the aforementioned caufes, I went to prayer with the fame requefts. Meditating how to reach the things above mentioned, I found, that as to the firfì, viz. habitual nearnefs to God, I might attain it, by obferving what I had written in my fermons, lib. 3. p. 104. & T77. As to the fecond, a due impreflion of the weight of the work I was called to, that helps were laid down in the foliloquy, p. 22. [of the printed copy], and that I ¡honk' confider the worth of fouls, of which ibid. p. 34. As to'the third, viz. God's prefence with me in my work, the 1f1, The Lord had been with me, and done good by me to fouls heretofore, and thereby had fealed my call to thepreaching of his word ; and, Qdly, That 1 had his promife án-. vexed to his call, " Go, and lo I amwith you." Now, thought I, I am called by himfelf to undertake that charge, and from a fenfe of his command I do undertake it, therefore he will be with me. As to the fourth, viz. contentment with my lot, I found that there were helps to it, Soliloquy, p. 51. and downwards. I knew I had reached it, hoped yet to reach it, and my foul cheer-
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