not come till again called. But finding the ointment quite ineffectual as to the substance aforefaid, I was forry I had prevented his coming up. In these heavy circumftances that week, the Lord comforted me more ways than one. On the Monday there had come to my door a begging cripple, who feeing me without, begged of me a book of my own compofing. I told him I had none but fingle copies, except of the Fourfold State, value 4 s. Sterling: and he infifted not for one of them. I gave him fomething out of my pocket; but he told me, he would rather have had a book. Surprifed with this unusual request from fuch a fort of perfon, after he was gone away I called him back, and told him, I would think of a book for him, bidding him call fome other time. Thinking on this matter, and taking it for a call from the Lord himfelf, I refolved to give him a copy of the Fourfold State, not knowing but God might have fomething to do with it, by that means, among the vagrant poor. So on Monday, Oct. 18. while I was fitting with my fore leg in my closet, he came back; and calling him up to me, I gave him the book, taking him engaged not to fhew from whom he had it, but to read it occafionally among his fellows, and was concerned for a bleffing on it. This afforded me a fatiffaction far beyond what money could have done: and before that, on occafion of giving of them away, I had a fatiffying view of that as the very best i could make of them, having got two dozen of them, and fold one half-dozen of them, few being then left. From the time I read the aforementioned paper, I was fo taken with it, that I cried earneftly again and again unto the Lord, that he would vouchfafe to put the honour on me to be instrumental, in the way defired, towards its public usefulness; and on the Wednesday and Thursday, while I fat in my bed, by reason of my leg, the Lord gave me fomething by way of recommendation of it. Herein my foul rejoiced. And by the time that I was near the clofe of it, on the Thurfday, the furgeon came. And I was the more comforted, in that I faw the Lord had fent him, having got the contrary word, as above faid. He opened the fide of the callous fubftance with the point of his fciffars; then pulled it up with pincers, which I was helped to bear; and what was raifed of it, he clipped away but near a third part of it remained, which he apprehended 3 S Period XII. prehended was not then ripe. And thus I was more comforted. The hand of God was eminent in bringing this trial on me. I was not feeking cure of my knee by medicine, or any fuch way, having, from a continued tract of experience, little or no hope at all that way; but I was put upon it by thofe concerned for my welfare. Providence, by a repeated incident, frowned on it from the beginning; which i faw, and created me thoughts of heart. There was hardly a step of the management of the pea, wherein there was not an error committed, afterward discerned by the effects. This not being fairly acknowledged, and duly regretted, while my leg appeared to be in danger, ruffled my fpirit; but it was calmed, ere Providence fet on the way of help by a furgeon; who, when he came, difcovered one falfe ftep more, viz. that the pea had been put in the belly of the mufcle, not between two mufcles. About that time I obferved, on a particular emergent, what I had often obferved before, the neceffity and advantage of a principle of juftice and reason, and acting therein, in cafes where fofter principles have no ground left them to ftand on. Mean while the catechifing of the parish was interrupted; and I fat in the pulpit when I preached. But my foul rejoiced to obferve, how my gracious God and Mafter ftill timed the hardest of my trouble, fo as it had been defigned, that it fhould be over before the Sabbath fhould return. But with this trouble of my leg there was joined fore eyes, occafioned by my fitting in the bed writing, in the fun-light, on the Tucfday before the furgeon came: fo that, for fome nights, leg and eyes were to be buckled up with their refpeétive appplications at once; and one night a dint of the toothach joined them. The callous fubitance was got away by degrees; and on Nov. 7. at night, what day I had intimated from the pulpit a diet of cate chiling again, the fore appeared clofed. That weck the tranfcribing what I had written on Gen. xxiii. being ended; that I might afterward proceed as I fhould have accefs, I fet myfelf to fill up the paffages and account of my life from where I had left off, Jan. 9. While I was going on in that, there came to my hand on Saturday, Nov. 13. a letter from Mr Hogg, bearing, his writing once more to Mr G. and intreating his friends at London to get the MS. on the covenant from him; and propofing to me to review the notes on the Crook Crook in the Lot, for publication *, and advifing of a motion to call me to Jedburgh, which he had heard; and withal obfcurely hinting fomething of carrying me to a more healthy air, out of Etterick. As for the propofal of new work for me, I found myself content to be employed whatever way the Lord himself should point out. As to that relating to Jedburgh, I neither hoped nor feared it, confidering my circumstances. But the last did touch me very near, being ignorant of the particular, or what might be of it: I confidered how matters were, in all outward appearance, making towards my tranfportation to the grave; and having a terror of making a stumble near the end of my journey, I cried from the bottom of my heart, Wilt not thou who haft faved me from death, keep my feet from falling? I could not but obferve the mercy, that I was not quite forgotten and overlooked in the world: but I found the weight of the thought of parting with the parith of Etterick, otherwife than by death, or civil violence, unless I faw them comfortably provided. I obferved the diet of catechifing aforefaid: but the day was fo very bad that few came to it, being at Kirkhop. The week following I had another at Buccleugh. Confidering my frailty, the feafon, and how Providence had, by the above-mentioned trial, carried me by the time I thought fittest for the utmost corners of the parish, I laid the matter before the Lord. And rifing early in the morning, I got a good feafonable day, vifited a fick man by the way, had a full allowance of ftrength for my work of catechiling, without failing of my fpirits, and got home again with day-light. This merciful conduct of Providence was big in my eyes. That week I finished filling up thus far; my eyes being now fomewhat better, and the fore in the leg almost whole; but the knee always fwelled, and the leg welling fomewhat in the day, and falling again in the night, the lamenefs continuing, and the ftair ftill needed, and ufed. On the foregoing Sabbath I ftood lecturing; but delivered Mr Bofton, in compliance with this propofa!, did, fome time before his death, begin to transcribe, and prepare for the prefs, his fermons on this subject; but was prevented by his growing frailty from finishing the trinfeript. What remained, was tranfcribed from the original MS. by another hand; and they were published in 1737, with an excellent preface by his dear friends Meff Coldea, Wilson, and Davidson, 717 the fermon fitting. But from the time I fell under the fore leg, I was freed from an oppreffion of my fpirits in the morning, as to fuch a degree thereof as laboured under before that time. "He doth all things well." [Thus far the author proceeded in his narrative in November 731, without refuming the subject; owing, no doubt, to his growing frailty. We now for a conclufion, add the feveral paragraphs formerly omitted, and referved till now.] And now, as for the ftate of my body, it was never very strong; yet, confidering my manner of life, there feems to have been fomething in my constitution, bona ftamina vita, that has worn pretty well. A fharp cold, if withal I was dry, was agreeable to, me, making me more vigorous than at other times. I had a very strong voice, till the notable breach in my health. I cannot fay that ever I took very well with riding; but I could have fupped better, after fitting all day in my closet, than after coming home from the prefbytery at Selkirk. I remember not to have had, all my life, any formed ficknefs but twice; once when I had the fmall pox; and none at all fince I was a boy. However, I have often been, fince that time, in apparent danger of death, and under languishing indifpofition; and could hardly have thought to have feen fo many years, as I have now by the mercy of God paffed: but was never to this day, that I remember, kept from preaching through indifpofition; which, with my utmost thankfulness, I defire to record, to the praise of free grace I took very little care of my diet, ate whatfoever was laid to my hand; only for many years very little falmon, being frighted from it by the effects it had on me in my youth, having unwarily mixed milk with it in my ftomach: and this, as to my diet, till of late years, "that I began notably to decline. Í do not remember myfelf ever to have been fenfibly the better of medicine, except the wormwood mentioned p. 41. I have now much given over the ufe of it; and do not bind up myself so strait, even in point of diet, as for fome time after the notable breach in my health. My eyes do yet ferve me pretty well; only I have, about a year or two, read my chapters in the morning with preferves: for many years I have used to wash my eyes, opening them in the water, which I conceive may have been profitable. But it is now long fince I had teeth, wherewith duly to get my meat chewed; and there there are at this time fifteen of them, and a piece of one, laid up in a box, for confervation till the due time of difpofing of them otherwife. Many years ago, I found the fpring-feafon weakening to me, even when I was in Simprin. But the last spring [1730] was the heaviest that ever I faw. As the fummer went on, I became more eafy but ftill a lowness of fpirits feized me, and I ran out like a watch, after fix o'clock at night; whereby it came to pass, that I had much ado, oft-times, to be in cafe for the evening-worship in the family. Since the autumnal equinox, [1730], I think I have been better, even in that point. I had alfo a great difficulty in paffing urine; but that alfo of late feemed to become more eafy. I have flept well fince the time I fell ill in March last [1730]. In October I was brought to the gates of death, in Galafhiels, by a fudden illness feizing me there in the night, as narrated above, p. 477. At prefent, I am, by the mercy of God, pretty well; having fome hope, I may yet, through his favour, have fome access to return to my beloved study of the facred Hebrew text. That caft of temper, whereby I was naturally flow, timorous, and diffident, but eager in purfuit when once engaged; as it early difcovered itfelf, fo, I think, it hath fpread itself all along, through the whole of my course. It hath been a fpring of much uneafinefs to me, in the courfe of my life; in that I was thereby naturally fond, where I loved. Yet I cannot but obferve, that my God hath made a valuable ufe of it; efpecially in my ftudies, combating special difficulties therein, till furmounted by his favour. Agreeable unto it, I was not of a quick apprehenfion; but had a gift of application: and things being once difcovered, I was no more wavering in them. I was addicted to filence, rather than to talking. I was no good fpokefman, but very unready even in common converfation; and in difputes especially at a lofs, when engaged with perfons of great affurance: the disadvantage of which laft I often found in Etterick, where an uncommon affurance reigned. The touching of my fpirit, fo as to fet me above fear, the moving of my affections, and being once well dipped into the matter, were neceffary to give me an eafy exercife of my faculties, in these and other extempore performances. My talent lay in doing things by a clofe application, with pains and labour. I had a |