shall prove little to their comfort that take it. Lord, teach me the application of these truths at this time, that in the faith of thy word he may get his steps ordered aright, nay, and his thoughts as well as his ways, without mistaking! What is he, that he should not mistake? Every man vanity, how shall he not mistake? Can man, unclean as he is, be without sin and ignorance? Oh no! Teach me to walk humbly under darkness, and to depend on thee for his light, that he stumble not to thy dishonour. Flexibleness, natural goodness, dutifulness, pliableness, want of edge against evil, is like to be his snare and burial, the very grave of his soul. "Thou wilt deliver from the grave, and his eyes from tears, and his feet from falling."

Sermon. Suddenness adds much to the aggravation of sin. Alas! after mercy, and after correction, how apt at all times has my heart been to decline, and to provoke and forget thee (I may say) in a moment. This is my shame. It is a fearful thing when no dispensation can do a people or a person's turn, neither prosperity, nor trouble, nor trials, nor kindness, nor severity. The sight of the Lamb, who is the most blest sight to his people, shall be the most terrible and blackest sight to the reprobate It is a great exprobration, when the Lord says, "What have I done unto thee? What iniquity found your fathers in me?" &c. Especially mercy shewn in a strait. Better they had perished and consumed in the strait, than unthankfully abuse a mercy. Oh, oh!

Now for remedy. 1, Put the most desperate case in his hand 2, Seek not only to be freed of the plague and judgment of a declining heart, but most earnestly seek to have the evil heart taken away, and that seed of unbelief and unstedfastness.

A gracious penitent heart [soul] does not look at the present failing, but all the sores open; he looks with a mourning heart at all the slips and passages of unthankfulness throughout his life. 1, Men oft forbear sin, not out of hatred or grace, but because the occasion or temptation is withdrawn : as soon as the spark meets with the flax, again it burns. 2, Men see not the sinfulness of sin; sin and wrath are to them but a contemplation. Affliction is a candle to shew sin; but it is not well if we have not another clearer candle. 3d Cause of apostasy, when men mourn for the act or outbreaking, but not for the root and fountain of sin. 4, Spiritual pride, arising from an endeavour at humiliation and repentance. 5th, Cause of apostasy is, idle

H

ness, want of work to hold our spirits in exercise, and giving Christ meikle to do.

Frequent sinning imports, 1, That no bands can hold or secure them. 2, This says, dispensations will do their turn. 3, New sins waken all the old sores, like the digging of unripe graves; it makes them all bleed. 4, It hardens more. Have high thoughts of God's compassions; for they never found them, nor have right to them, that have low thoughts of them. A man may find proofs of God's compassions, and yet find a sad sentence from him. He had compassion on them oft, forty years, and at last "swore they should not enter into his rest."

June 5th, 1653.-Lord! this is a time when many are falling away from thee into error, into loosness, into some kind of apostasy or other; and others are saying, "It is in vain to serve God," his servers are so broken, divided, ashamed; therefore he counts it is his duty to cleave the faster to thee, and to determine and resolve, in thy strength, never to depart, never to turn aside, nor lust after another idol, or a false god, or a false way, that thy ways may be in his heart; whatever danger they may bring me unto, yet they shall be his choice and his wisdom, before all the world. This, and not carnal, self-saving craft, and time-serving, is the wisdom which he craves; but, Oh Lord, how far is he from it? For thou seest how corrupt, unsound, fleshly, double, vain, his heart is, and how soon he will turn away, if thou preventest him not. Go from thee when he will, he will never do so well; he will never meet with the like of thee. Oh! the deceit lies in the particulars, there's the snare. No man will take with defection, till thou convincest. Much of this is requisite in the Land among thy people, and great defect of it in his heart. Lord! loose the heart from love of himself and creatures, and unite it unto thee, that he may fear thy name. In thy light let him see light, even the light of life. Thon art the way, and the life, and the light, and the truth; and all this, all this, even to my poor soul.

7th June.-Waristoun said, I would either come a step nearer them, or step further from them to defection Lord! he sees this evil ready to break out; prevent, prevent, prevent, thro' thy truth and covenant, that he be not forsaken or turn aside. No better will come of him, if thou upholdest not. Let him see in persons what to love and what to hate, and in ways of men, that he may chuse the good and hate the evil, and not halt sinfully. Lord!

deliver from sinful politick moderation; that, whether wisdom or natural goodness, all may be sanctified to the Lord, to the Lord, or else it is cursed.

Isa. xxiv. 18, to the end, seems to hold forth our times, and reeling, and confusions. The earth is broken and dissolved, and moved exceedingly, reels to and fro like a drunkard, or like a cottage, &c. He is punishing the host of the high ones that are on high, and things of the earth upon the earth. They are gathered together as prisoners in the pit. Oh the promise that follows, that it may be fulfilled! The Lord "may reign in Mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." Lord! he desires to be humbled under his present distance from thee. Oh that he had as much diligence, foreseeing, and care, to avoid spiritual snares, as helps to compass business! Then should he by no earnestness grieve thy spirit, and make haste to other things.

8th June. I hear of Major-General Dean's death by sea a

12th June. At Kirk of Clatt. The Lord did put it in his heart this day to be exercised in acknowledging the sinfulness of his natural temper, in want of fervour for the Lord and his glory, and want of zeal and hatred against sin; that it is not abominable, hateful, lothsome, detestable enough to him; that he can agree and comport with any wickedness or wicked This moderation is not of the Lord, springs not from holiness; but is contrary to it, and will cut the throat of holiness, and turn all religion to nature. And the next step will be to hate those that are zealous and fervent for the Lord's glory, and in hating of every wickedness and evil, for he must necessarily condemn these that are not of his own temper. Hence it is that the world, wicked men, speak good of him and love him, because he testifies not against their wickedness, complies with them, lets them live in their sin. Wo, wo, wo to such a temper, when all men speak good of him; it is not for nought, it is a dear, dear bought approbation. Let me be hated, persecuted, torn in pieces by the world and wicked men,

a Major-General Richard Deans was appointed Admiral of the Fleet. He was slain with a cannon ball by the first broadside in the celebrated engagement with the Dutch fleet, on the 2nd of June, 1653. (Cromwelliana, p. 124, 125.) In a contemporary letter, the other officer of the same name, and probably his brother, is thus men

tioned on 23rd June that year, 1653 :—“ Our regiment, with Major-General Deans, lyth near Inverury, 10 or 12 miles from Aberdeen, toward the hills, &c." (Letters of Roundhead Officers, p. 60.)

b

The Kirk of Clatt, in the Presbytery of Alford, Aberdeenshire.

ere I sinfully keep silence at, consent unto, approve or comply with, any wickedness! Oh that he may be at the staff's end with [a due distance from] everything that thou hatest, to hate it perfectly, not to regard these that turn aside to vanity! Striving at civility and humanity may, if the Lord prevent not, cost him the loss of thy favour, peril his own soul, and cast him into the pit of death.

This day he is to set himself against this temptation, and to beseech the Lord, thro' the covenant of grace, that he be not overcome. Reason will sway much in favour of the temptation; Lord, subdue it! Let him be unreasonable to man-ward, when reason is against thee and his duty! Teach him to apply Christ for kindling and blowing upon his own fire, that the affections may be his wholly, sincerely, totally, indivisibly, absolutely, solely his, without reversion. Thou, Oh Lord, broughtest to hand and leddest him upon Mr. Love's sermons this day anent a zealous christian, "The Violent take it by Force." He thanks, and blesses, and adores, and worships thee, and desires to believe in thy name for grace, thou art his all-sufficient Lord God. Print the differences, marks, cautions, instructions, uses, reproofs, and every truth of this day upon his spirit deeply; that they being mingled with faith, he may change his mind, and he be transformed, and the word be not ineffectual. Oh grant, grant in Jesus Christ!

a

June 12th. He had thoughts for justifying Association. The land is incorporated and associated, by divine and human laws, into one politick body and ecclesiastick. 2, Otherwise we must dissolve all bands of communion with them, as with Infidels. 3, Association consists not only in personal presence and assistance, but in contributing of men, money, and other things, &c. So that we must not take their men, nor money, nor arms, &c. 4, It were a favour to these men to exeem them; and no favour to other men to be burdened, and they eased. (Vide 5th June.)

12th June. This was a day at the Kirk of Clatt, coming from Druninour, in which he was exercised with much violent temptation of lusts, covetousness, ambition, with much strength and force. In the close of the day, the Lord seemed to visit him, and incline towards him, in dis

a

Christopher Love: "The Zealous Chris

tian taking Heaven by holy Violence"; in several sermons. Lond. 1653, small 8vo. The author, a minister in London, was a celebrated Presbyterian divine; but, having

been concerned in a plot against Cromwell, he was executed on Tower Hill, 22d August, 1651. See Baillie's Letters and Journals. Druminour or Druminer, an old seat of Lord Forbes.

solving his soul into desires and affections after his name, his so precious name, that then was more fragrant and sweet to him than roses or any costly ointment or perfume. The Sabbath-day's purpose and suit was set on foot, that he might discern and hate perfectly every appearance of evil. He was cast down under his natural lothness to displease men, or undertake difficile, imitating duties. This arose either from policy, natural discretion, or care to preserve himself; and Satan was in all these, if grace did not season and sway. Let his soul be led forth in zeal for the Lord, and for his glory, and for his truth, and for his people, and on his side. The granting this would decide the doubts of Civil government, Association, church-government My soul desired that there might not be one grain of his own wisdom or natural affection in these, but to love or hate perfectly, as the Lord loves. Oh that the Lord would subscribe, and say Amen !

14th June. I came to Brodie; and on the 15th my [soul] was humbled under the carnal and fleshly affections.

17th June. He looked on that poor woman Elspet Fraser, and saw her great pain and sickness, and desired to be humbled under it, and to be instructed by it, and that the rod might be sanctified both to the poor creature and to us; and that he would take off or mitigate the pain, or bear her up and strengthen her under it. This day, Oh the desertion and deadness in his approaching to God, and in reading! He read Psalm lxxviii. but it was all locked up, and he prayed and mourned deeply before the Lord.

17th June. He got Oliver Cromwell's letter, or rather a citation and summons to come to London.

4th July.-Oh Lord! he has met with the lion and the bear before, but this is the Goliath; the strongest and greatest temptation is last. Upon the getting of it, he did communicate it unto Mr. W. Falconer, Mr. Joseph and Mr. John Brodies, Nic. Guthrie, Janet Brodie my sister, and David Brodie; and desired them to set themselves apart for solemn seeking of the Lord on my behalf, for the Saturday and Sabbath-day following; and to deal with the Lord that this citation may not be a snare to him, but that he might be led out of the temptation. He is not a man of courage, but faint, and

Mr. William Falconar, minister of Dyk and Moy, Morayshire, was settled in 1628. His presentation, signed by Charles, Earl of

Dunfermelyne, and George, Earl of Wintoun, his tutor, is in the Editor's possession, dated in July, 1628. He survived till June, 1674.