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found, is more apt to follow carnal, unbelieving, crooked, wrong ways, that he is sure to have no profit in, but will be ashamed of. Oh for faith, whereby to overcome the World! or else he will be overcome of the World.

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4th August, 1653.-This day I went to Leathin; and, in the managing of business betwixt the father and his son, he met with much infirmity, in himself especially; both sin, impatiency, and anger, which arises from inward pride; for the humble spirit is ever lowly and meek, and will see more wrong and disorder in his own nature than in any other, and will spend itself more in grief for sin, than in anger that every body's disposition is not according to his humour; particularly on occasion of some unreasonableness, he said, He wished his tongue to fall out if he should open his mouth in such a business again, and being too peremptory in refusing to stay supper. Oh Lord! this is an iniquity and evil which he has used oft to fall into; therefore he desires to mourn and be cast down under it, and desires to note this his own shame, and to record it, and beseeches the Lord for strength in Jesus Christ to mortify and overcome this corruption; for much is thy Spirit grieved by it. He believes in the name of Jesus for Grace against it, and in his name desires to be brought under an humble resolution and determination against it, thro' faith in the Lord Jesus; that he may learn more moderation and meekness in the matters of men, and more zeal and fire according to knowledge in the matters of God, and may discern where his glory requires it. In prayer he was convinced of much sin and guilt in matters of public government; self-seeking, partiality, unsoundness, fearfulness to offend men, pride, conceit. Oh Lord! humble and purge.

5th August.-Against E. Glencairn and Balcarras. This day came Captain Deal and his troop, and quartered on my land in their march: they destroyed the young oak and birk which I had sown and planted in the little park. Now this was, in my estimation, a very great cross; and desiring to search into it, what reproof or instruction it had in it, I besought the Lord to discover if this were his mind. 1, To reprove my too much care of my planting and young tender trees, and my too little care of the desolation of his church, ordinances, and people, which were his delight. 2, It reproved my taking too much pleasure in these outward comforts, and therefore would have that mortified. 3, It reproved my not laying Alexander Brodie of Leathen, and his son.

to heart the case of his vineyard, which was far more beautiful and delightsome than his fading grass. 4, He thanked the Lord that had in wisdom chosen to humble him by a cross from him, [rather] than to leave him to fall into snares through them; and in his heart counted the cross a greater mercy than the highest preferment or benefit that he could attain by them. 5, By this he desired to be warned and fitted for any harder trial that is to come on him, upon his earthly comforts; that he may be prepared to forego house, estate, lands, mother, children, ease, life, credit, friends, for thy name. 6, Albeit he could not say that this was suffering for the Lord, yet it was suffering in him and by him, and desired to bless his beloved name. 7, He prayed that his spirit may be kept from bitterness or vindictiveness, and from misinterpreting the providence; but that the prayer at Clatt oft renewed may be heard, and his soul may be kept in life, at a due lively defiance of hatred, and dislike, and indignation, and zeal against evil and all appearance of evil, and in love with every thing that's good, both persons, and actions, and courses; and to be kept from sinful, politick, carnal indifferency: that his soul may discern betwixt that, upon the one hand, which is carnal zeal and carnal compliance; and the zeal of God according to knowledge and holy moderation, upon the other. He received Mr. James Guthrie's a letter anent Colonel Ker, and prayed the Lord for a free spirit. He writ to him that he hoped, upon grounds of conscience and religion, he had refused the employment. Oh Lord! help him to build sure in that matter. 8, He desired to know in this day of trial if the Lord were not pointing at the unseasonableness of my earthly delight, when his church and people were under a trial.

7th August.-Sabbath morning. He could see no light, nor find any life. 1, Could find no sense of any sin burdening; 2, Nor any sense of want; 3, Nor any sense of danger spiritual; 4, Nor any thirst for the Lord Jesus; 5, Nor any fear of snares: but a heart overwhelmed with stupidity, carnality, loosness, unbelief, security, deadness, distance with the Lord, uncleanness, unstableness, earthliness. Oh Lord! help him, under all this, to get the eye directed toward thee in Jesus Christ for life, and that in more abundance.

a Mr. James Guthrie, minister of Stirling, and one of the leading members of the Protesters. He was the author of the

treatise, "The Causes of God's Wrath," in 1653, for which, after the Restoration, he was tried and executed, in June, 1661.

9th August.-In prayer he besought the Lord to raise up nourish[ing] fathers to his Kirk; and, in the meantime, that himself and his people may be kept from taking with wrong fathers, and mistaking stepfathers for fathers, even albeit they gave never so many favours to allure us to call them fathers that are not. If his body was the temple of the Holy Ghost, was not his spirit much more [so]? Therefore that it may be, as a temple, kept pure and undefiled to him; the mind free from error and darkness, the affections from looseness and disorder, the conscience from deadness or blindness, the will from perversness, sinful facileness, and unstableness; but that he may be filled with the fulness of God.

10th August. This morning, having heard from John Forbes that there was a proclamation against praying for the King, his soul bowed down. under the trouble that was like to come upon ministers, and resolved to beseech the Lord earnestly in this matter, to give his servants a right understanding and the spirit of a sound mind, and to myself in particular2, Next, that this be not a snare to them, nor any impediment to the preaching of the Gospel. 3, That the Lord would remove the cup, if it seemed good to him, and that by what means should be most acceptable ; and, if he would not, then to sanctify it to them, that it be not a stumblingblock, but that their sufferings may be approven as for and to him. He desired also to spread that business before the Lord, which he

This day he read Gualter on 1 Cor. v., who thinks that Traditio Sathana was extraordinary, whether bodily punishment, or on his mind by apostolick power inflicted; and he thinks it was not excommunication. He is against secluding from the Communion any that confess their fault, and profess repentance. He is against Ruling Elders or Senatus Ecclesiasticos taking government on them, and power to seclude or censure Magistrates; and says, It belongs to the Christian Magistrate. At his City [Zurich] the Zurichers did by their civil law seclude from [the] Sacrament vitious or scandalous persons, and did compel these to communicate who neglected it. Form of discipline cannot be uniform and universal. Lord, my soul was humbled under this, how much the good man differed from the truth which we profess; and besought the Lord to pity his Church in these poor lands, which is in danger to be shaken and destroyed presently.

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12th August.-Colonel Morgan marched west against the L. Balcarras, and E. Glencairn, and Glengary. He worshipped the Lord, in the consideration of the many commotions and insurrections that this poor land was subject unto; a city of tumults. Lord! he cannot seek a blessing on them; but submitted them to thy wisdom and goodness, to order the event to the good of thy people. He was told of his Son's irreverence and incogitancy in time of prayer and divine worship. His soul desired to be humbled under it, and to beseech the Lord in that matter on his behalf for pardon and grace.

13th August, 1653.—This day he heard of the Highlanders being within six miles of Inverness. Leathin came to advise with him what to do. His soul did spread before the Lord his own and the land's perplexity That which might be his greatest burden was, that he saw not the Lord; it was not with him as in times of former suffering and trial. He had something which, as sin, he avoided, and comfort in submission, acting or suffering; but, alas! he finds no act nor operation of the Lord's Spirit and his own conscience; but reason-natural working and trying what may be safest. This is the ground of most perplexity; and why should he not hide his face while it is thus? Lord, this day he desired, and did of new offer up and resign his body, mind and spirit to thee; and besought thee to lay thy sweet law, and command, and yoke upon his heart. It was the only sole desire of the heart, that he may be kept in thy way, to discern and hate every evil, and any appearance thereof; and that there may be a willing heart in him to do or suffer in and for thee, and not to seek safety and self-preservat on, and to decline the Cross, and shift it by any indirect crooked by way; but to be born through, and be accepted of thee, and established thro' Jesus Christ; and that thy love may be as a fountain of refreshing water at his heart, and may make every duty, albeit never so costly or painful, to be delightsom and sweet to me, and preferable to goods, house, children, liberty, and life itself; but, Lord! I am far from this. He besought the Lord to be fitted for the storms coming on; and, for this end, he desired to separate himself for seeking the Lord in the day following. He hath been his refuge and strong tower; and will thou not be so still,

a Colonel, afterwards Major-General, Thomas Morgan, who distinguished himself at the siege of Dunkirk, and in the wars

in France and Flanders against the Spaniards, in the years 1657 and 1658. His Memoirs were printed at Glasgow, 1752, 12mo.

that trouble drive him not further from thee, nor make him stumble? He received another letter from Provost Jaffray, desiring me to go up. He desired also to spread this before the Lord. He heard of the new sea-fight, and victory over the Hollanders; and besought the Lord to sanctify that providence, and to give us the right use of it. He read Ambrose, anent admitting or joining with scandalous in the Lord's Supper: and was exereised under the darkness of his mind, and blindness and untenderness in practice and affection in this point; and besought the Lord to clear the mind and purge the affections, and to quicken him, and fill with zeal and a sound mind.

14th August -This was a day of humiliation for the causes foresaid. In this day he desired to put away all his very lawful delights, and to ly in the dust before the Lord for the extraordinary disorder in his heart, that in very duties he is without love to the Lord: they are not from love; and love would make him more fruitful, and abound in all patience more, and make duty more savoury and lively. "Cursed be they that love not the Lord Jesus." As also, that in his resolutions anent the present trials which are lying on the land, or coming on, he finds not the heart walking upon strict grounds of conscience, holding by a rule, making the Lord and his Word the guide; but is led by carnal natural reason, upon grounds of natural wisdom, self-love, and for eschewing danger. Oh cursed, woful temper! Oh heavy judgment! Oh, what can follow but judgment? Alas! he can neither resolve nor pray against this sore woful sin and evil. Lord! that his will, affections, counsel, resolution, may be pointed out, and ruled absolutely by the Word! Whence arises this evil? Whether that he knows not thy will distinctly, or that he smothers and suppresses, flights, resists, bears it down, and will not be subject to it? Is it from want of light, or want of desire, or from want of sincerity, or from want of strength? This is that he desires the Lord to help, or else all will be destroyed, and his soul undone, and thou will lose all thy labour, and the creature is and will be cutted from the Lord Jesus, even as from salvation, so from being a subject of his kingdom, which is more loss than the loss of his salvation. Lord! publish and proclaim thy law in his heart! So use Kings to do in time of insurrection and invasion. Oh let him hear the voice and sound of it, and he shall not be doubtful or indifferent any longer, but shall be zealous and obey! Let the one be a pledge of the other!

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