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the God of your father, and of my father bless you; the God that fed me all my life, the angel that redeemed me from all evil bless you,' and the reft, and be your portion. That's a goodly heritage,better than if I had crowns and fcepters to leave you. My child I got you from him, and I give you to him again.

To his wife, he faid, my dear encourage your felf in the Lord; he'll keep you, tho' you even come among enemies hands; furely he'll caufe the enemy to treat you well. And then declaring his willingness to part with deareft relations, he laid, this is the practife of religion, firs; this is a practical part of religion to make ufe of it when we come to the pinch : This is a leffon of practical divinity..

When the physician came in, he faid, is my pulfe. weak doctor? Anj. Yes; but I have feen it as weak. Then he faid, doctor, as to this piece of work, you're near an end with it. I with you may lay it to heart; it'll come to your door too. And 'tis a bufinefs of great moment to die like a chriftian: And 'tis a rarity. Chrift himself has told us, that there are but few that fhall be faved,' even among them who are called outwardly, I wish the Lord himself may fhew you kindness. The greatest kindness I am now capable to fhew you, is to commend ferious religion to you. There is a reality in religion, doctor; this is an age 'that hath loft the sense of it. He has not faid to the houfe of Jacob, feek ye my face in vain.' Atheists will fee one day, whether it be fo or not.

I blefs God I was educated by godly parents in the principles of the church of Scotland: I blefs him, that when I came to riper years, I did on mature deliberation make them my choice: I blefs the Lord I have been helped ever fince to adhere to them without wavering: I blefs him, I have feen, that holiness yields peace and comfort in profperity and adverfity: What should I feek more, or defire more to give evidence of the reality of it? Therefor, I'm not afhamed

of the gospel of Christ; because 'tis the power of God to falvation to every one that believeth.' I'm fo far from altering my thoughts of religion by reafon of the prefent contempt thrown on it, and oppofition made to it, that this endears it the more to me.

As to the fimplicity of gospel worship, many must have gaudy pomp now a days in worship, 'tis an evidence of the decay of religion; for when folk want the power and fpirituality of it, they must have fomething to please the carnal heart. This is my fense of it; and 'tis the words of truth and foberness; and I speak as being shortly to appear in judgment; and hope to give an account of this with joy, as a part of the teftimony of Jesus:

Well doctor, the Lord be with you, and perfuade you to be in earnest. I return you thanks for your diligence. Is my pulfe low? Anf. Yes. He replied, I am very well pleased. I would have been content to have been away long ere now. I found my spirits failling. 'Tis but a few strokes moe,and victory,victory for evermore, thro' the captain of our Jalvation,

After a pause, he faid, every one that is in Chrift Jefus must be a new creature; he must have union with Chrift, and a new nature; That's the ground work of religion. The chriftian religion is little underftood by the moft part of us.

O the gospel of Chrift, how purely was it preached in this place, when I was at the univerfity though I found not the sweetness in the time, when I heard others preach on thefe fubjects, I found it fince; and it has fallen on me like fhowers on the mown grafs. verily there's a reality in religion : Few have the lively impreffions of it.

Now get acquaintance with God, the little acquaintance I have had with God within thefe two days, has been better than ten thousand times the pains I have all my life been at about religion. Tis good to have him to go to, when we are turning our

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face to the wall He's known for a refuge in the palaces of Zion, a very prefent help in trouble.

O there's a strange hardness in the heart of man! I believe there are few men come to age, but, when they fee others dying, have a conviction that they moft die, and yet are not duly affected with it. 'Tis like one rifing from the dead, what they meet with. But they have Mofes and the prophets; if they • will not hear them, neither would they hear, though one should rife from the dead. We must have an ear from God before we can hear. "Ye hear not my words, Jays Christ, because ye are not of God. However, whether folk will hear, or whether they will forbear,' 'tis our duty, whom the Lord has employed to preach his gospel, to speak his word: And when we are dead and rotten, what we fpeak of his word in the name of the Lord, it will take hold of them.

We must have patience to wait till he come. Yet C a little while, and he that shall come, will come, ' and will not tarry; and till he come the juft shall

live by faith. But if any man draw back fays the 'Lord, my foul fhall have no pleasure in him.' To point once heaven-ward, and then draw back, is a dangerous thing.

We are foolish creatures, we would have all the trial at our disposal, and limit the Lord as to the circumftances of our trial, Why fhould I complain of a little trouble in lying on the bed? Bleft be God, there's an everlasting reft. Yea, Chrift hath perfumed a bed of languishing, and a grave; he has unfting'd death.

To fome at another time, he faid, enemies in this place will be infulting over me, but I am not afraid of that; but that which fills me with fears, is a mifimproven gospel in St. Andrews. St. Andrews has finned against asclear gofpel-light as ever shone in the isle of Britain. I remember, when I was at the college,

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how much of God was there in the preached gof pel! I had my part in the mifimprovement of it. Afterwards to his children he faid, my bairns, I have nothing to fay to you, but be feekers of God, fulfill my joy. Ah! that I was fo long a beginning to feek God; and yet I was touched with convictions that God was feeking me ere I arrived at the years of fome of you.

To his eldest child he faid, ay, Margaret, you feem fometimes to have convictions, beware of them, they are the most dangerous things that ever you meddied with; for if you feek not God, each of them is God's meffenger; and if you despise God's messenger he will be avenged on you. My bird, feek the Lord, and be your mother's comfort.

In the forenoon, to a gentlewoman he faid, madam, I wait for the fupplies of the fpirit of the Lord Jefus, whereby I may be able to finish my courfe

ith joy. I began a text at Ceres, being his farewel fermon, and fmilling, faid, I fticked it, I went not through with it. When I came to St. Andrews, I began where I left at Ceres, 'I go bound to Jerufalem, &c. Acts, xx. 22, 23. The point 1 paft was, Minifters may have a clear call to work in a place, even where they have the certain profpect of diffi culties, and winnowing trials;' which I difcourfed here. I was very clear of God's calling me hither, come of it what will, whether I fignify any thing or not. What would befal me I did not know, I had a very dark profpect, 'specially from this place, that had fo much defpifed gofpel-light; and that when he was taking away his fervants here, it made me tremble to think that wrath was coming, and that I could do nothing to hold it off; I can fignify nothing. The Lord help, I wish for Jerufalem's peace and joy.

I have nothing to do with my life. but yet to teap it, that I may lay it out for my God, and good my

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What had I been if the grace of God had not been revealed in the gofpel! He has brought life and immortality to light, One faid,keep your grips to the laft; Satan is bufy. He anfwered, I have had trial of it already. O! fober, fober religion is neceffary. I was often ftealing from the Lord; but bleft be his name, he made me lay it down again with fhame, and to cry, Not I, &c. 1 Cor, xv. 10. I was ay fear'd in public on that account.

He caufed read one of Mr. Rutherford letters, and thereafter faid, that's a book I would recommend to you all; there's more practical religion in that letter, than in a book of large volumes.

viz. to Mr. John Mein, 139th letter

To a minister that came in he faid, I'm lying waiting for the falvation of God; who faid, mind what I fpoke to you anent Mr. Anderfon, how gracious the Lord had been to him, taking him away before these heart-breaking providences that have fallen out fince. He reply'd, I know there's a better end of it; the caufe that's down will not bide down; I faid it, I'll ven ture my foul on it: Say to Zion, thy God reigneth.Kings and minifters of state, that build their fate on the ruins of Zion, they and their buildings fhall be ruined and perish, and their memorial with them. One faid, if the Lord would fpare you, it would be a mercy to the place; the apoftle fays, Phil. i. 23, 24. to abide in the flesh, &c. he answered, What can a poor wretch fignify? I'll tell you, brother, what I have thought year and day, I'm no prophet, I pretend to know nothing but what the word of God leads to, my thoughts of taking off the fervants of God at this time, are, I fear 'tis coming to that, that there's no stop to be put to the overflowing fcourge, there's like to be a general overflowing confumption running over not only this, but all the reformed churches. Sovereignity I will not limit.

Afterward one was fhewing the difficulty we would

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