on that part of the text, namely, preparation for trials, which, though the main thing I had in view when I chofe that text, yet providence kept me off till then, feveral things coming forth in the breaking, very feasonable. When I was about to study that fermon, confulting former notes, I was fomewhat moved to find, that that was the last subject I handled at Simprin before the farewell-fermon. November 8. was the first diet for examination, which day proved fo ftormy, that I could not get out. On the 10th, în another place, I had a diet, where I was attended but with one man, and a few women and children. In other three places after, it was not very much better. My wife was much of the fame apprehenfion as I, and obferved that I preached as when I was to leave Simprin. My getting through the ten commands looked like my getting through thofe fubjects I was on in the laft months I was in that place. And my prefent circumftances answered to the uneafinefs I had from neighbours, ere I left that place. What the Lord's defign in these things is, I know not yet: but in my circumftances they could hardly mifs to make fome impreffion.

December 1. being the last day for taking the oath, I fpent fome time in fafting and prayer, I found my courage for fuffering was not fuch as on the former occafion of this oath. Though I could not ward off the thoughts of that forefaid, yet I defiderated fuch an impreffion of the thing as might make me fpeak to them as about to leave them; therefore I begged to be led of God, whether I faw or not, as he had led me to my amazement, for fome time paft, and fo left it on him. At night my natural spirits being funk, I was fore broken and difcouraged, feeing the law fo hard upon the one hand, and the parish on the other. This held me under for three days following. That fame night, I think, the Lord made my wife, being fick, and unable to converfe, to fpeak two words in season to me. I told her, that I found I had not courage for fuffering, &c. Her anfwer was, You need it not yet. My heart, faid I, is alienated from this place. She answered, It feems there is need for it. This matter of the oath I altogether kept up from the people, looking for no sympathy, by the difcovery of it, but affliction upon my affliction, if they fhould know of it, as I got the last time I had this trial. Some time before the laft facrament, being asked news, I told the elder aforefaid, it was faid the abjuration

oath

oath would be impofed again. His anfwer was, I think • we must even let you all do as ye like, and strive to know Christ and him crucified;' as if we had been feeking it, or had no confcience, but as guided by them.

Sabbath Dec. 4. Thus fhattered and broken in body and fpirit, I preached my firft fermon in my new circumftances; but recovered fomewhat ere I came out of the pulpit. That very fame day, Mr Taylor, who has made a new fchifm, preached in Efkdalemoor, got feveral of this parifh to hear him, and thofe fuch as were not wont to wander, whatever number he had of others formerly of another temper. At night I heard of two new deferters faid to be broke off from me, one whereof I was told broke off on account of my meddling in the rolls aforefaid. The burthen of the parish lies on me alone, having no tolerable fupport of my intereft in it, from any. And the word not having efficacy on people's confciences, and those of the fchifm being in every corner of it, it is little wonder poor I am unable to ftem the tide. I have for fome time been much afraid of being caft over the hedge; but otherwife an honourable discharge from him who fent me hither, has often been beautiful in my eyes. But when I think on leaving them, the cafe they will apparently run into in thefe circumftances, is terrible to me. So I am toffed as from one sharp rock upon another every way.

The conduct of Providence in leading me in my preaching, in this place, has often been remarkable; but never more fo than of late amidst these difcouragements. Since the 4th of September that I preached first to stir up the people as above faid, what day the lecture fell, Jer. iv. where we had a moft lively defcription of the calamities of war, &c. I have often been amazed to fee the Lord leading me in lectures and fermons, in my ordinary, fo pat to the difpenfations of the day, as they fell out one after another, and to my own cafe with the parish, that I could not but fay, This is the finger of God. The Sabbath after the rendezvous at Selkirk, the lecture fell Jer. ix.; the Sabbath after the victories, Jer. xv. ; the Sabbath after the oath, Jer. xvii; and few days there were, wherein was not fomething moft seasonable in them, as may appear by comparing what is noted above with the order of the chapters, allowing one to each Sabbath. As for the fermons, I have dated that before the battles, Nov. 6. and that on the very

day

day of the battles, Nov. 13. This has been no small stay and fupport to my heart.

As to the Fourfold State, though, the rebellion breaking out, I faw there was no access to publish it; yet I went on, (as the time would allow), and by the 2 1ft of November had the three firft ftates tranfcribed, minding to do no more till I fee what comes of that. I have often and again committed it to the Lord, and for prefervation particularly that day forefaid, if he have any use for it. For now it has been, and often is heavy to me; that the feafon of publishing it is flipt; and the confufion of the times has made me afraid of the lofing of the copy; and, to my apprehenfion, the fitteft feafon for publifhing it is gone. Only I know the Lord has before this ferved his own holy wife ends, by my folly, cowardice, and bastardmodefty, in his caufe. I have formerly related how the defign was stopped when I went into Edinburgh, to get it put to the prefs. It was indeed an ungrateful advice given to me in the time; but the thing being fo feasible, I thought could not in modefty refift it. The kind reception the printed fermon got, recovered my courage and refolution for the book; though fome profeffors of this parish, my conftant hearers, thought it not enough to flight that fermon when printed, but not obfcurely fhewed their grudge and indignation against it, on no other reafon I can divine, but that they grudge any thing tending to my reputation. In the tranfcribing, feveral things are left out, with a defign to shorten it, fome few things put in, fcripture-texts filled up that were only cited before, a great many expreffions altered, and the copy divided into chapters or fections, or what elfe may be thought meet to call them. And for thefe caufes I undertook the tranfcribing of it. It was a remark of Mr Flint's on the state of grace, that the texts cited were often not filled up. And an obferve of Mr Halyburton's, in the Memoirs of his life, namely, That when he found the word had done good, it was ufually God's own word in the fcripture, brought in in his fermons, carried that remark home on my confcience which Mr Flint had made. And by this means I fuppofe it will be found little fhorter, if any thing at all, than formerly. I heard no more of the fermons at Morbattle, the rebellion breaking out foon after.

In the first week of January 1716, I was, by the good hand of God upon me, moved yet again, to attempt inquiring

I

quiring into what Mr Cross calls the Taghmical Art, viz. the facred ftigmatology, or accentuation of the Hebrew Bible. And having by prayer addreffed the Father of lights exprefsly on that particular, he was graciously pleafed to help me afterwards therein, to my great fatisfacAnd I came to be perfuaded of its being of fo . great use for understanding the holy fcriptures, that, it being a time of great confufions, I was fatisfied I might have full peace within myself, to be found by public troubles in the study thereof.

And here began the most bufy time of my life, which continued while my ftrength lafted.

Jan. 16. Being on my way to Edinburgh, on the ac count of a project on foot for clearing the nonjurors to the government, day-light failed us between the Craig and Blackhoufe, there was a drift in our face, and we were in fear of wandering; yet came fafe to Blackhouse, almost fenfelefs with the ftrefs. While I went up that burn, walking, not daring to ride, that word, "Lord, thou "preferveft man and beast, how precious is thy grace! "Therefore in fhadow," &c. was fweet and encouraging. There was no proceeding in the journey for the ftorm: fo coming back again on the morrow, I wondered how we had got through in the night in that cafe, having fo much ado with it in the day-light.

After I had ended my ordinary on Amos iv. 12. "Pre66 pare to meet thy God," &c. before I had accefs fo much as to enter on another, there began a diftrefs in our parish, by a storm, fuch as they had not felt for forty-two years before. And this led me to a new ordinary, viz. Rom. viii. 22. "For the whole creation groaneth, and travail"eth in pain together until now." I entered on it Jan. 22. and continued till March 4. The Lord's day was fuch, that but few could come out. I had once thoughts of taking another fubject; but the difcourfe being fo feafonable, and believing that he who had given me that, could give me more, I refolved to preach it, however few fhould hear it. So to a few in the house I delivered it with much fatisfaction.

Since, by reafon of the woful unconcernedness of the people in the public caufe, I could not appoint a congregational faft for the King's army, for the Lord's help to them, I had no confidence to move for one upon the account of the ftorm, which was our private caufe in a

Rr

fpecial

fpecial manner, and heavy to the parish, and by which I faw the Lord was pleading against us on account of our unconcernedness about the public caufe. Therefore, on the morrow after, being the 23d, I kept a family-faft for both, and, as to myfelf in particular, for the divine affiftance in the study of the Hebrew accentuation. And being helped to confidence in the Lord as my God, I was made the more freely to lay out my requests before him. As to the ftudy of the Hebrew accentuation, no body, confidering what pains I had been at to understand Mr Crofs's book, and that the Hebrew Bible was my delight, will doubt but by this time I had fome notion of that accentuation, however lame, dark, and confused and I refolved to put in writing what I thought I had reached of it, to the end I might not forget it.

At this time, lecturing in Jeremiah's prophecy, I wrote the fpecimen of the Taghmical Art on chap. xxiv. to be found in the mifcellany MS. p. 350.-356.: a performance of little value, done on Mr Crofs's principles, fo far as I understood them; and therefore to be very little regarded.

Feb. 2. We kept a faft by order of the prefbytery. The Lord heard the prayers of his people; and on the Saturday thereafter, the thaw began. The ftorm aforesaid was followed with an extraordinary mortality in our parith, fuch as none, I could hear of, pretended to remember of the like therein and I heard of no fuch thing neither, in the places about. My dear child Katharine died among the reft. In April the mortality ceafed.

:

Feb. 22. Laft Lord's day being quite out of cafe ere I went into the pulpit, I prayed to the Lord; and remarkably he heard me, and made all right beyond expectation. I have been moft comfortably furprifed with discoveries of the Lord's mind in his word of the Hebrew text, which he has been pleased to make to me by means of its accentuation. Particularly, the difcovery of the true fenfe of that paffage, Gen. xlix. 10. by that means, did fo affect, strike, and transport me, that it did moft fenfibly affect my very body, and that from head to foot *. And by the light into

• The author, in a manufcript, containing a new translation of the last fourteen chapters of Genefis, thus tranflates this paffage. "The fceptre "fhall not-depart, from- Juadah; and-a-lawgiver, from-between his-feet : "until, that-Shiloh-come; and-to-him be, the gathering of the-people.

And