of our history, and no doubt let us further into the Author's life and character. However, from what we have, which fell very accidentally into my hands, we may venture to describe our Author's piety, recommending it as an example to others for their imitation, in the following manner.

By a careful observing of the tendencies of his constitution, he discovered what temptations needed most to be provided against. He was of a sweet and gentle disposition, of a natural easiness of temper, which, as it has its disadvantages in exposing to danger from the impressions of ill company, so it gave this truly good man no small advantage for recommending religion to those with whom he conversed. He was well beloved and well spoke of by every body; and even this set him on his guard.

As he studied his own temper, and which way that most naturally and readily carried him, so he was careful in reviewing his state and actions, whether the one was gracious, and the other done from right principles and to good ends. He frequently contemplated the establishing motives of Christianity, and, by that means, made sure of the goodness of his state; and by prayer, and frequent reviews of the grounds of his faith, confirmed his hope in the Gospel.

He was easily and suitably affected with his own Spiritual concerns, had his senses exercised and ready to discern both good and evil, and was quick at discerning duty and danger, wants and distempers, the way in which he ought to go, and the temptations in his way. His heart would smite him upon recollecting a rash and passionate expression or a proud thought, and favoured no known sin, and connived at the omission of no plain duty.

He made it his business to acquaint himself with the Word of God, and paid a ready and reverential subjection to the Divine authority in it, captivating every thought to the obedience of Christ. He was afraid of doing any thing which he doubted to be disagreeable to the Word of God, and was impressed suitably to the several parts of truth proposed to him out of it. This particularly appears from his recording the substance of some of Mr. Hutchison's sermons he had heard, and his own meditations on several passages of Scripture, which are truly ravishing, such as those on Isa. viii. 12, x. 5, xxiv. 18, &c., on Psal. xxxii. 8, lxxviii. 40, and Prov. xxviii. 20. His Meditations on the English destroying his planting. in the way of those of the pious Bishop Hall and Sir Robert Boyle, are also very edifying. He compared his heart and life with the Word of God, as one suspicious that he may have offended, and yet truly desirous not to offend.

Like David, he was jealous of more sin in himself than he particularly knew. The remains of sin dwelling in him, though he had hopes that no sin had the dominion, gave him no small uneasiness. The law in the members warring against the law in the mind,

the flesh lusting against the spirit," often occasioned such a complaint as that of the Apostle, "O wretched man that I am," &c. Even suspicion of guilt would carry him to the Mercy-seat to supplicate mercy. He durst not indulge himself in any thing he apprehended displeasing to God, though ever so common, or passing among men for a trifle; "abstained from the very appearance of evil;" "watched and prayed that he might not enter into temptation;" was careful "not to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof," "and kept his heart with all diligence."

He was desirous to understand the voice of God in his providences, and endeavoured that his own temper and behaviour might comport with the providences he was under whether prosperous or afflictive. Under favourable Providences, he was afraid of abusing Divine mercies, lest he should grow secure and forgetful of his dependence on God, or his Spirit become vain and worldly, or he should put the evil day far from him, or give in to any criminal indulgence of his appetites, or be lifted up with pride. He entertained an awful fear at the apprehension of God's judgments, even when they were at a distance; and much more when God's hand was visibly stretched out, or when there were many moral signs that God was making a way for his anger. Then the particular prospect of calamities approaching excited him to prepare suitably to meet his God.

All that he had was sincerely consecrated to the honour of God; and every thing in his conduct that might occasion the name of God to be blasphemed, he guarded against, as willing to hazard his own honour or interest, or life itself, if God might but be glorified. He chiefly lamented the dishonour done to God by sin in himself and others, and mourned for the abominations done in the land, which he could not help, but was ready to bear testimony against in all proper ways. Indeed, with relation to the honour of God, we have an expression in his Diary, which by some may be thought liable to exception: For checking himself for what he said in discourse with the Millenaries, "That if Christ were to leave the Father, and to dwell personally on the Earth, he would not come with him to get a Kingdom here;" I say, animadverting upon this, he says, "He would quit his own glory and salvation, and condescend to glorify Christ, were it to go to hell." It seems very harsh to suppose that God could receive glory from the damnation of a righteous and good man: I therefore think my Lord Brodie's expression is to be taken figuratively, otherwise it cannot be defended. Moses's desire of being blotted out of the Book of Life, amounts only to a submission to a temporal sudden death, that his nation might be saved from a temporal sudden ruin. And Paul's wish of being accursed from Christ, is plainly an hyperbolical expression of his great affection to his countrymen the Jews, and his zeal for their salvation; which was so great, that, if it had been a thing reasonable and lawful, he could have wished the greatest evil to himself for their sakes. And therefore it is observable he does not

deliver himself in the form of a positive and absolute wish, but expresses his great passion by a figure, "I could wish;" which we are not to take as a strict and precise declaration of his mind.

Some may be' apt, though with less reason, to find fault with another passage of the Diary, where he records the harassing of his own and Leathin's Ground by the English as the accomplishment of a dream he had had sometime before. 'Tis very certain, from the joint testimony of Scripture, reason, and experience, that in the multitude of dreams (as well as of words) there are divers vanities; yet I don't think the observation of them is wholly to be neglected by a wise man: they may be either indications of wickedness lurking in the mind on the one hand, or of the effectual operation of the Grace of God on the other. But which is more to the present purpose, and of instances whereof all history, ancient and modern, is full, to men, especially good men, they are many times premonitions of something uncommon that is to befal them; and, when compared with the event, are signal proofs of the Divine Providence and Government over all things.

Another thing some may be apt to quarrel is, an expression of my Lord Brodie's on occasion of Glencairn and his forces approaching, which put him to a great plunge whether he should stay at home, or retire South or North. Being in these circumstances, he prays That God would give forth and signify his will whether he should stay or remove, as David said of Keilah "Will they give him up or not?" But Scripture phrases, 'tis well known, may be used in prayer, when the full and literal meaning of them is not always intended to be expressed. All that my Lord Brodie seems to have meant is, that God would be pleased to direct him by His Providence what course to take in the present strait; a petition which no man that believes a particular Providence needs scruple to put to God Almighty.

But, notwithstanding of any imperfections, from which the best of men in this life are not exeemed, we have in this good man's Diary a pattern of humility and self-denial; of zeal for God's glory, and compassion to souls; of contempt of this world, and Heavenlymindedness; of patience under suffering, and resignation to the will of God, to whom he prayed fervently in all difficulties, and whom he trusted in all dangers.

Like the Father of the Faithful, he commanded his children and his household after him to fear and serve the Lord; and found the good success of his religious care in the happy effects of it upon his son and Successor, who proved also a Gentleman of distinguished piety.

Nor were his endeavours this way confined to those of his own family, but extended to all he had occasion to converse with, particularly his friends and neighbours, and the youth under his eye. He was sensible that the neglect of the education of young people was

attended with most pernicious effects, and therefore exerted himself to have it removed, as a chief cause of the growth of wickedness, there being few that are not religiously and virtuously trained up by their parents that ever do well afterwards. He observed the gross neglect of this and other family duties; and, for remedying it, projected to have all debarred from the Sacrament that did not worship God in their families. How happy were it for our young people of both sexes, that they were under the discipline of so good a father and so good a master! How happy for Society, as well as individuals, that there were many of his rank that had these things as much at heart as he had!

In him was verified the saying of the Apostle, "That godliness has the promises of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." Amidst all the troubles and confusions of the times, he was preserved safe and untouched; and by the blessing of God upon his lawful industry, he made a considerable addition to his paternal estate. If his example were more studied and followed, we should not see so many families come to ruin; the natural effect of their luxury and intemperance, and the just judgment of God upon them for their oppression and impiety.

a

I would not have the reader to imagine that the following Book could only be the production of a mind cast in the Presbyterian mould: for the Diary of Doctor John Forbes of Corse, published by Doctor Garden, together with the other writings of that author, who was no Presbyterian, and suffered much for his Opposition to the Covenant, runs in the very same strain.

But, after all that has been said, I am sensible there are those who would account it a hainous reproach to be called enemies to religion, who yet cannot hear of dejections and elevations of the mind in devotion, without branding them with a mark of Enthusiasm : But I doubt such persons would be greatly puzzled to put a tolerable meaning upon a great part of the Book of Psalms, not to mention other places of Scripture, without allowing such exercises of the soul; yet some have turned these into ridicule, as mere mechanism and bodily exercise. I will not deny but there may be counterfeits in this as well as in other cases, and that the workings in melancholy in some may be mistaken, either by themselves or others, for the exercises of religion. Care likewise ought to be taken that occasion be given by none that pretend to devotion for the following censure of a great and good man :-"Some," says he, "put all religion in the affections, in rapturous heats and extatick devotion; and all they aim at is, to pray with passion, and think of heaven with

This refers to "Joh. Forbesii à Corse Vitæ Interioris, sive Exercitiorum Spiritualium Commentaria," 1624-1647, pub

lished by Dr. George Garden, in Vol. ii. p. 92-245, of the "Opera Omnia" of Dr. Forbes, at Amsterdam, 1703, 2 Vols. folio.

pleasure, and to be affected with those kind and melting expressions wherewith they accost their Saviour, till they perswade themselves that they are mightily in love with Him, and from thence assume a great confidence of their salvation, which they esteem the chief of Christian Graces. Thus," continues he, "are these things which have any resemblance of piety, and at the best are but means of obtaining it, or particular exercises of it, frequently mistaken for the whole of religion; nay, sometimes wickedness and vice pretend to that name." Perhaps in this he has a fling at the principles of the Calvinists, and their manner of conceiving of the work of grace in the souls of men; but at the same time he takes notice of a dangerous mistake which some of them may be apt to fall into. This may appear from what the Lord Brodie writes of himself (under August 4th, 1652) :-" The Lord discovered a deep deceit of heart to him, that there was and might be more affection to God in a duty of prayer, than there was holiness in the conversation; and therefore Grace may not be assured by some holy affections in prayer."

In publishing of this Diary, care has been taken to keep strictly to the Author's own words, only the syllabication is altered; such of them as now obsolete, are explained by terms that are more modern; and such as could only be guessed at, which are but few, put in a different character. Nothing that could be read, so as to make a full sentence, is omitted. Some alteration has been made of the order of some passages in the Journal, according to that of time; only some short notes are put all together in the beginning, as they ly in the Author's manuscript.

I thought the publication of it would not be unacceptable to piously disposed minds, especially at a time when our unhappy differences are growing to a height; that, among other things, we may learn from this good man's example how we ought to be affected with and how to demean ourselves in the midst of them. I might enlarge on this head, if the subject were not disagreeable. I shall only put the reader in mind of the fatal issue of the divisions that prevailed in the African Churches, who preserved their liberty longer than most others. The breach was made by Donatius and his followers, upon so inconsiderable a point as, Whether Cecilian and his Ordainers had denied the Faith in the last Persecution, or not? It grew to that height, that almost in every town of Africa there were divided Assemblies and separating Bishops upon that account: And this wound was not healed but with the utter ruin of those Churches. I pray God this may not be the fate of the Church of Scotland!

[Edinburgh, 1740.]