O! settle the ark of thy strength among us, and then we shall be a settled estate. Pity, Lord! while these lands have devoured their judges, and couped [overturned] them; so that we are in such confusion that we know not what to do. Lord! were our first mutations from lusts? And are these from our lusts? Resolve him, and let him not be stupid in these things; but that he may in the midst of these seek to God aright, and with all his heart.

Afternoon. He desired to look on the doctrine of the compassion, as the fountain whence all our good does spring. His compassion led him not only to forgive the sins of the godly, but of the nation also, so far as not to destroy, but turn away his anger. Though he had condemned, and said, I will cast thee off, it hinders not from pleading his compassion. Lord! I am undone then; and the weapons that serve to condemn us at justice. bar, plead for us at this. Sin, innumerable evils compass me, my sin is very great. Oh strange argument !

Lord! thou hast laid out thy compassions this day, that he might lay himself, and his sores, and wants, and miseries at thy door; compassion can cure all when there is no worthiness. That the Lord would, out of his compassion, forgive and heal and lead him. He is full of sores and filthiness, and botches and boils; his wisdom and policy, and complying with all men, is a running sore. Oh Lord! for thy compassion dry it up. He is a reeling, unstable, staggering, unsettled, luke-warm creature. Nor, for thy compassion, forgive and heal, warm, stablish and enlighten, and draw, and he shall follow. He is double-hearted, unsound, naught, faithless: Lord, purge, and fill with believing. He is perverse and blind, and ready to miscarry and go wrong through the corrupt affections in him, self-love, darkness in his judgment, fear to confess thee, or hazard himself, or his estate and peace.

This day he confesses the filthiness of these sins; Oh Lord! out of thy compassion wash and make him clean, create a new heart, enlighten, confirm, convince, and draw. He will believe on this attribute of thine, this excellent attribute; and, were he cast away, he would look to it.

Remember, Lord, the work of his Spirit this day, the work that he has tabled before thee this day. Oh hear, and let the words of thy lips preserve him from every evil way. The design of the heart is not to presume or put himself in high duties, but to pray that his heart give thee not the slip,

when thou callest him to confess thee in a solemn difficult duty, whether upon the one hand or the other. Lord, put to thy seal that thou hast heard him, and heard them that seek unto thee for him, and that his soul may thrive. That this day there may be some assurance that nothing shall prevail so far with him, no temptation, as to make him refuse to part with his life, estate, family, friends, reason, credit, for thee. Lord, is his heart right in seeking? Oh, if it were, thy heart would be toward him to grant it! it is just that he seeks; it becomes not a beggar to boast and extort his answer. Lord! mercy, compassion, thy faithfulness. O thy love and thy glory, and the new Covenant is the ground of his supplication and his confidence; may he say, Thou wilt hear! Oh good news! His soul shall bless thy name for ever and ever. He dare not question but thou wilt forgive and hear. Ere he come to glory and his journey's end, he will spend much of thy free grace; what in pardoning, what in preventing, what in convincing, what in enlightning, what in strengthning and confirming, and upholding; what in watering, and making him to grow; what in growth of sanctification, knowledge, faith, experience, patience, mortification, uprightness, stedfastness, watchfulness, humiliation, fruitfulness, resolution, self denial, discerning of snares and avoiding them; what for the public, what for the private, what for the family; what against snares on the right hand and on the left. Oh Lord! he can conceive thy grace to be above and beyond his needs and wants. Lord, forgive; Lord, let him see the sufficiency of it! But, alas! he is already off of his feet; familiarity with men, and affairs and engagements in employments, are like to ruin him. Lord prevent, and take him from the temptations, or the temptations from him, and let not nature and wisdom miscarry him; prevent what he

fears.

3rd May. He desired to come under a daily observation and recording of the Lord's providences and of his own ways. Oh Lord! teach him how to go about this matter aright!

2nd May. He went to Dalkeith to see Colonel Lilburn. His heart trembled, remembred Daniel, his refusing to eat of the King's meat; lest this and the like familiarity should be a snare to him, he prayed to be kept free, and to have his heart established with grace.

a Colonel Robert Lilburne, as Commanderin-Chief of the English forces in Scotland,

like his successor, General Monck, had his residence in the house or castle of Dalkeith.

Mr. Mosley came in at night and supped with him; as that man's heart is to thee, Lord, so do him good in the inward man, in discovering snares that he is in, and in delivering and ridding him, for thy name's sake.

This day, 3rd May, he went down to Leith anent my fees, and did meet with neither of them, by which the Lord seems either to disappoint, or to make me more indifferent in the seeking or getting them.

4th May.-The ordinary morning, Isa. x. 5, &c., where he observes man's corruption, and the Lord's challenge to be about this, assuming and ascribing success, wealth, &c. to themselves, and not unto the Lord. It is no new thing for the Lord to leave or give up his people unto the hands of tyrannous and vile men; while their end is to spoil and devour, his end is to humble his people, and to take away dross, and to prepare them for deliverance. The time of deliverance is when the Lord hath done his work upon Mount Zion, and no sooner. Oh Lord, when will thy visitation produce this on the spirits of thy people in these lands! It is true, because of success men do perfer their cause to ours, as if their way were more pleasing to thee. Lord! vindicate thy holiness. Let not his heart rejoice in the day of thy people's suffering, albeit himself were free of suffering. Lord, sanctify to my soul all the ways of thy providence in external things, whether private or public, crosses or comforts, losses or gain: that his rejoicing may be in thee, and not in creatures, or in any abundance. Let no outward things be a snare to him.

a

We read, and

gave him, and He told me,

5th May. This day Mr. Mosley came and took me out. made observations on the Testimony which the Protestors prayed, debated on toleration, and their nourishing of error. Lilburn said, He would see, if the Assembly sat again, by what authority they sat.

15th May. After I came from Duddistoun, his soul was cast down under this, that he did not give unto the Lord the glory due to his name, in his professing and confessing of him, in his worshipping and drawing near to him in holy services, in his employments and cares, which took up his heart, and spirit, and thoughts, to the grieving of the Lord's Spirit, and the interrupting his communion with him, and exposing him unto, and

• Edward Mosely, Esq., was one of the English Commissioners appointed for the administration of justice in civil matters,

18th May, 1652, the ordinary Judges in the Court of Session having been superseded.

involving him in many snares. He desired to be cast down under the facileness and plausibleness of his nature, by which he labours to please men more than God; whence it comes that the wicked speak good of him. Woe be to you when all men speak good of you; for strict sincere walking cannot consist with the good-liking of carnal godless men; for he would desire to hate and be hated, if it were for and in the Lord, rather than to purchase their liking with the Lord's dislike and displeasure.

He desired to be cast down under his unsensibleness and unburdenedness with the estate of the Lord's people and his sanctuary, which he lays not to heart; his own darkness, unconvincedness, self-approving, contentedness, with an easy condition to himself, not caring how it goes with the Lord and his glory. This day he is to beg from the Lord to be helped through his grace in Jesus Christ against this temptation, and that a spirit of discerning and light, and a spirit of tenderness, zeal, and his fear, and of a sound mind, may be poured out upon him, for right considering and laying to heart the condition of the Lord's people, and his dealing, and his glory. It is not enough to see, and confess, and apprehend, but to have the heart duly and deeply affected with it, and to be strengthned by his mighty power with grace in the inward man to do what he calls to.

Lord! keep him from leaning to his own understanding; but fill with the saving knowledge and understanding of thy law. Stir up, and grant this spirit of strength, not only to confess, be convinced, determine, and offer, but by thy effectual grace to be born through, that he fail not nor faint not, or come not short in a real sincere endeavour and aim at every duty, not at one only, but to have respect to every command of thine.

He desires to mark and note the matters which should burden and affect his spirit.

1. The Land's sin and provocations, which brought on the wrath both upon Prince and People. Meikle [much] unacknowledged, unrepented-of guiltiness in the King and his family; and not that only, but much corruption, defection, uncleanness amongst us also, even among us, Lord.

2. The judgments which have befallen, whereof many are spiritual, such as darkness, disappointment, the Lord's turning away from us, the confusion on the land, on the spirits of his people in the matters of religion and government, both civil and ecclesiastical. We are compassed with manifold snares on every hand, and there is an outbreaking of wickedness

by the allowance of these governors, as hateful and abominable, and dishonourable to God, as any or all the evils which he did deliver us from; albeit, as to injury against the persons of his people, there be more freedom.

3. Impurity in our societies, fellowship, and administration of spiritual ordinances and discipline; where we have almost nothing but formality and a vizard.

4. The general corruption of all estates, and a tendency to defection, loosness and the favouring of iniquity.

5. Our differences, bitterness, implacableness to one another, unconvincedness, and not taking with guiltiness, no mourning for sin in the land, unstableness in the truth, following our own spirits; and no understanding to discern and try the truth and the spirits, but following and mingling in every purpose much of our own spirit.

6. It would be enquired into, why our ministry and watchmen and their assemblies are thus? Why his people should be thus scattered and driven and broken in judgment?

7. He desires to be humbled under the Land's and his own base, sinful, corrupt creeping under and committing whoredom with the present power that for the time rules, without respect to the Lord, as if our sentence were not from him. This was the sin of us and our fathers, in following willingly after the sinful command of rulers; immoderate seeking their face, and lothness to contradict, oppose, or testify against them. Oh that there were a spirit of courage and wisdom poured out on us, that we might be valiant for the Lord and for the truth! Let thy word abide in me, Oh Lord! This is my humble only suit. And rid my soul out of snares; this is the trouble and wo which he fears. He desires to mourn for this, that men have not done for reforming and purging the house of the Lord what they ought to have done, but letten his pleasant garden turn into a wilderness and confusion, and a place of dragons and wild beasts. Wilt thou not arise for this, and put on thy zeal? Wilt thou not raise up the instruments? Lord! he is like to stumble at the differences of thy people, and to count the zeal of all men for God to be wrong, and therefore to fall in a temper of indifferency and coldness. And desiring to avoid contention, Oh, Lord! he will let the truth go, and dispense with duties, and condemn duties. And this is a grevious snare and a fearful danger, not seen, not seen; and this day he desires to be prevented.

F