1 j(J9, Mit THOMAS BOSTON. 83 unfavoury noire of men drinking in a neighbouring houfe, on the occafjon of a wedding in view. After waiting a while, and find- ing they were not difiniffed, I went out ; and meeting with the mafter of the family, (hewed him the evil of that unfeafonable practice. Coming in again, I poured out my foul to God ; and their cafe confidered with my own was heavy : my heart was humbled within nie, feeing them an unworthy people, and myfelf an unworthy minifter, making an unworthy couple in 'my eyes. As I went to bed, I had a motion to pats my ordinary I had ftudied, and to preach on James iv. 7. " Refift the devil, and he will flee from you," being to go abroad from them for a time. And having, on the Sabbath niorning, confulted God once and again as to that motion, I was reafonably determined to embrace it. So I reviewed my former notes ón that text ; and having no time to Rudy new fermons,' had no fcruple to preach them over again. The which alfo I did ; but with lets affittance in the forenoon's exercife than the afternoon, excepting in the preface. The cuftom of prefacing in the entry of the forenoon's work, I did then ufe ; and I reckoned had ufed from the timeI was licenfed, if it was not the firft day or fo I preached ; and have retained it all along to this time. Only in planted congregations, where the minifter of the place ufed it not, I thinkI forbore it. I noted that day, that I (till thought, I rarely, if ever, had fuch freedom of fpirit and afiiftance in preaching, in that country, as I had had in the bounds of the 'pretbytery of Stirling : but, by the mercy of God, that obfervation did not longhold. In the evening-exer- cife I went on as before, but got amore fatisfying account of the fermons. On the 30th I fet ont for Barhill ; but was in hazardofmy life in Muffelburgh water, having ignorantly adventured to ride it when the fea was in. The horfe, I think, was quite off his feet, and f'wam. And there beinga piece of a brae on the far fide, he leaped up, and I held. In the mean time, with ferenity of mind, I lifted up my foul to the Lord, not knowing but it might colt my life. On the morrow, coming to the ferry, the fea was very rough ; but having fecretly poured out my foul to theLord, my heart was calmed, and I took boat, and was fate. I have formerly taken notice, above, p. 19. of another hazard I was in. I was in Clackmannanfhire the two firft Sabbaths of November. I had determined in my own mind to preach at Clackmanran the firft of there two ; but on the Saturday morning early, Mr Mair entreated me by a line, to preach at Culrofs, in regard he was obliged to go to Edinburgh on a certain emergency ; which in there circumftances, though contrary to my inclination, I could not refufe. After dinner I went down to the manfe, fuppofing him to have taken his journey ; but he had put it off. Where- foré i endeavoured to make away for Clackmannan ; but he would by no means allow me to go, urging the determination of Providence for my ftay, by the violence of the weather through
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