long nipt and withering; but O! as it is now fpring time, and thou art caufing the warm beams of the fun, and refreshing fhowers to defcend on the earth, fo that every herb and tree rejoices, and grows, and bloffoms, fo, Lord, shed abroad the influence of thy grace, and I shall yet grow, and bring forth fruit. O, nothing is too hard for thee. Thou canst yet caufe, that the beautiful lineaments of the Lamb of God may be more feen in me day by day. O help me, Lord, to lay hold on thy ftrength, and hold out to the end. O let me "run and not be weary, walk and not faint."

Sabbath evening, February 21, 1748.

I AM now within a few hours arrived at the age of thirty four years, and furely I have had experience of the goodness of the Lord, all my life long, and efpecially fince I have avouched him to be my God. It is now better than eleven years fince I folemnly gave myfelf up, in covenant, to him and his church; and notwithstanding all the fears and temptations I have had from the world, the flesh and the devil, yet hitherto the Lord hath helped me, and, bleffed be his name, preferved me from falling into any open, fcandalous fins, to the difhonor of his dear name and my profeffion. I will therefore humbly truft, that he will ftill keep and " preferve me by his mighty power, through faith unto falvation:" And, Ó my God, fuffer me not to difhonor thee by a

i.

cold

cold, lifelefs converfation; but enable me to "adorn the doctrine of God my Savior in all things." O may I fo behave myself, that all around me may take knowledge of me, that I have indeed been with Jefus. Lord, help me to live in the conftant exercife of every grace. O bring me near to thyfelf: Give me transforming views: Reinftamp thy beautiful image, more and more, upon my poor foul: Meet me in all duties and ordinances, and let me be by them fitted to meet thee in glory, for Jesus' fake, on whom all my hopes are grounded; to whom with thee, and thy bleffed Spirit, be everlafting praifes. Amen.

The

June 4.I have this week been to fee my dear Sufa, and found much caufe to rejoice, and blefs God, who is caufing his grace to triumph, and making her more than a conqueror through him that has loved her, in that he is enabling her to fpeak as highly and honorably of Chrift as though fhe was under the most clear difcoveries and lively manifeftations, which, the affures me, is not the cafe. Lord in mercy firengthen her yet more, and 'grant her grand enemy may never get an advantage against her; and I truft he never fhall, fince her dependence is all on the Lord Jefus.. And now, my God, I have feen what great things thou art enabling thy child to do, while fhe is flying to, and relying on Chrift by faith.. Help me alfo, in like manner, to make great ufe of my dear Redeemer. Lord Jefus, if thou wilt frengthen me, I can do all things too. Oh why, my foul, doft thou fo oft fit down difcouraged,

aged, fince there is such fulness and fufficiency in the glorious Mediator, that great Prophet and High Priest, who has undertaken for me, that bleffed King, under whofe banner I am lifted; he will ere long fet his foot on the neck of his enemies. Come, my foul, rouse up, and run again in the ftrength of the Lord Jehovah. Who can tell but thou mayeft yet be a growing chriftian, notwithstanding all thy vilenefs. Lord, grant it for Jesus' fake.

June 13.-1 would fain write as one who has lifted under the banner of the Lord Jefus, that great Captain of our falvation, viz, without complaints, difcouragements and finking fears. I would fain joy and triumph in my great Redeemer, amidst all difficulties; but, alas! the wheels of the foul are fo taken off by fin, that I drive on very heavily in the road, Nevertheless, this I will fay, the fault is all my own. There is ftrength enough in Chrift for me, if I had but fkill, by faith, to derive it from him. O how plainly do I fee this," will not come to me," as well as "cannot." Lord, fubdue this will, and all shall be well. I will run to thee, clasp thee in the arms of faith, and rejoice in thee, though earth and hell were combined against me. Lord Jefus, pity thy rebellious worm, and now, as at the firft, fubdue me to. thyfelf. Lord, I beseech thee have compaffion. on me, and pity, pity, Lord, the foul that longs for a freedom from fin and for increase of grace. O grant it for thine own honor's fake, not for mine, be it known unto me. Amen and Amen. Thursday

Thursday morning, September 7, 1749. O MY God, fince, by the permiffion and concurrence of thy providence, I am determined to fet out on a journey this morning, I would now fly to thee, and befiege the throne of thy grace, that I may have thy gracious prefence with me and my dear confort. O Lord, except thou go with me, let me not ftir hence.

Preferve me in all my ways; and O that thou wouldeft condefcend to draw near to me, and incline me to commune with thee while freed from the incumbrances of bufinefs. O let not my vain frothy heart, be taken up with trifling pleasures, neither let me be hewing out broken cifterns, while I am pleafing myself with hopes of being refreshed by chriftian converfation. Lord, blefs this to me, if it be thy will; butenable me to fly from all dependence on any thing, but Chrift Jefus, the head of all gracious influences. Thither let me fly-there rest and bathe my weary foul, which has long been at an awful distance. O let me enjoy thee in my journey, and that will be a thousand times more comfortable than all other enjoyments can be. O let thy glory, I beseech thee, lie exceedingly near my heart, and be the ultimate end of all my actions. Lord, thou alone knoweft what lies before me. I defire to fubmit myself, foul and body, with all my affairs, in life or death, to thy care. The Lord bless my friends, to whom I am going. The Lord blefs all dear to me, whom I leave behind; in fpe

cial thine handmaids, who take care for me..

'Lord,

Lord, make things eafy and comfortable for . them. Let not their communion with thee be interrupted, but, abundantly refresh their fouls with the incoming of thy bleffed Spirit. Blefs thy fervant, my dear Paftor, with the best of bleffings, with his dear confort and little one. Bless all my flock of little ones, and grant that, if I fhould never meet them here again, I may meet them at thy right hand in the great and laft day. Blefs all under this roof, with fpiritual bleffings. And hear thefe petitions, and grant them, not for my fake, but for Jefus fake. Amen.

August 20, 1750.

I HAVE at this time had the moft fweet communion with God in prayer, that I have experienced this long time. God has difcovered to me much of his perfections, and caused me to rejoice in him, as a faithful unchangeable God, my only portion and happiness, and in. Chrift Jefus as a fuitable Savior, juft fuch an one as I want. O how does the sweetness of enjoying God in duty exceed all other pleas ures, and render them trifling. Surely, compared with this, they are all very vanity and nothing. The Lord make me thankful for this golden feason, and yet preferve me from depending on it, for Jefus' fake.

Auguft 22.I defire to record, with a truly grateful foul, that God has permitted me draw near to him in prayer, and other duties,

every