1699: MR THOMAS BOSTON. 87 trouble thereof otherwife. After prayer I had very much of the divine affiftance in ftudying my fermons, withmuch fatisfaátion ; and thereafter was helped to pour out my foul before the Lord, feeling the blowing's of his Spirit wherefore I took that occauon to mind the affair of my marriage. On the Sabbath I had the fame affiftance in delivering the word. And here I find I made the following comfortable reflection, viz. The Lord is indeed good to me ; bleffed be the name of the Lord ; for I have now the fame freedom every way, in preaching, as when inthe pretty= tery of Stirling. The evening- exercife, on the queftion concern- ing the providence of God, was fweet to me : and in converfe af- ter it, it was a pleafure to think and fpeak of the faints grounds of encouragement from that head, under trouble, particularly, how it is their God that guides the world ; and nothing do they meet with but what comes through their Lord's fingers : how he weighs their troubles to the leaft grain, that no more falls to their share than they need ; and how they have a covenant-right to chattifements, to the Lord's dealing with them as with ions, to be rightly educated, not as fervants, whom the matter will not Itrike, but put away at the .term. On the Monday, being now refolved to remove, I went to Dunfe to make ready for it. Thence on the morrow Iwent to Churnfide to the preibytery, where one Mr Watfon, a north- countryman, rejected before by the prefb tery, was again brought on the field, fore againft my heart, percvinghim tobe a mars of no manner ofmodefty, nor fenfe of the weight of the work : but a brother, from his own private motion, had given him a text.. He was appointed to deliver his difcourfe on it that day eight days, at Hutton, before three brethren, whereof I was one. At night Ireturned toDunfe, where, on the morrow, the preffire I had in the prefby`erial affair forefaid, made me look to the Lord for his own helping in the cafe, and for my direction therein. And fuch matters have all along, generally, been of great weight with me ; judging it always to be a molt momentous part of the minifterial charge,.the admitting of men to the preaching of the gofpel. That night, being Dec. G. I went to Simprin for good and all. On Thurfday the 7th, came the wains with thehoufehold-fur- niture fromDunfe, my father coming along with them on niy horfe : fo that day I took up houfe with him, anti Alifi,n Trotter mycoufin-german, a fervant The manfe being in ruins, I fet- tled inan old houfe in the weft end of the town, formerly neioag.7 ing to Andrew Home, fometinie portioner there : and there I dwelt till toward the latter end of the year 1702. Things bony put infome order that night and the morrow, as I walked through the floor, feeing`myfelf in my own houfe, I was but riffle atrer't- ed with it, and thought that now I had it anew confirmed, That worldly things are greater in expectation than in fruition. When we were quiet, that word, Pfal. lxviii. G. i° God fetteth the fo- L2
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