Once this day I was interrupted, I think by a fratagem of Satan, who threw into my mind, as a dart, fome things which I took hard of fome neighbors: And withal fome refentment began to rife. But presently this fcripture was brought to my thoughts, "If ye forgive not men their trefpaffes against you, neither will your Father, who is in heaven, forgive you your trefpaffes." Upon which I foon found not only a difpofition to forgive them myself; but was enabled to cry to God for them, that he also would forgive them all their trefpaffes againft him, and unite them to Chrift by a living faith. Thus God overruled, and defeated Satan in his defigns against me. Bleffed be his name

forever!

Saturday morning, May 25-O my Lord,. when fhall I get near to thee, and unbofom myself to thee! Lord, thou feeft wants prefs hard. I want faith, love, humility, repentance, zeal, knowledge, prudence, patience, and increase of every grace; and by faith and prayer to draw water out of the well of falvation, that my weary, thirsty, barren foul may be fatisfied, and made fat and flourishing. Lord, I am a ftranger on earth; O hide not thy face from me, but let me recover fpiritual frength, before I go hence, and be here no more. I am a pil

grim and stranger here, travelling to my eternal home. O when fhall I reach the peaceful regions! where ftorms and tempefts never come; where I fhall fee thy lovely face forever, and be like a holy God!

Saturday

Saturday morning, September 7.-Have all this week paft labored under bodily indifpofition, and great dulnefs in fpirituals. The Lord pity, forgive and quicken me according to his word.

Tuefday morning, September 10.-Still in an unfettled frame. Cannot fix on any thing, Nothing feems fpiritual enough. I daily want; but cannot be fatisfied: Every thing feems to have loft its life and vigor. My own writings are all infipid; nor can I find any body's elfe, which feem to favor of heaven enough: No, not even the feraphic Watts himfelf. All is flat and dull. The Bible itfelf does not reach me !———

O my foul, what a diforder has feized thee now! Surely thou art fick; or thou wouldst not have loft thy tafte at this rate. O that God may restore thee to appetite and health again fpeedily, if it be his bleffed will. O how nearly art thou allied to this body! Because that is disordered, thou art alfo. God be merciful to me a finner, and deal with me in covenant love and faithfulness, as thine own, for Jefus' fake.

Friday morning, September 12.-I have not yet recovered my fpiritual tafte, and my foul is faint and reftlefs. It wants food; and, Lord, it will grow lean from day to day, if thou doft not feed it with the bread of life.

September 15, Sabbath morning.-As I awoke today I was refreshed by these words, "This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” And thefe, O, that I knew where I might find him! That I might

come

come even to his feat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments." -In reading Rom. vii. alfo, the Spirit of God bore witnefs with my fpirit, that it is my daily experience that I do delight in the law of God, after the inward man. Notwithstanding the law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of fin which is in my members.

to

Grace was for a few minutes drawn forth into fenfible, lively exercife; and I appeared myfelf as a veffel which had been wind bound, and could by no means get forward, while wind and tide were against it. But now, as there feemed to be a favorable gale, determined to weigh anchor, hoift fail, ply my work, and make all speed towards the defired haven.

But, alas! ere I could get to my closet, to pour out my foul to God there, I feemed be-calmed again. May I improve every breeze of the Spirit, fince, as the wind he bloweth when and where he lifteth. The Lord make me thankful, that I have not been all the days of my life left deftitute of his operations.

This evening refreshed and ftrengthened by the dear Mediator's prayer, John xvii. whom the Father heareth always; Yea, and he will fulfil his requeft, though I cannot pray as I ought. O my foul, believe and be comforted; for he will keep thee from the evil. He will fanctify thee through the truth. He will maintain the union between his bleffed felf, and thee. He will ere long take thee to himself, to

behold

behold his glory. Amen, bleffed Jefus; for I am thine own forever.

December 25.-Very ftormy this morning. Thunder, lightning, wind, rain, and hail. O bleffed be God for Jefus Chrift, that sure refuge from every ftorm. O may every one, who this day pretends to celebrate his birth, with praise, make their flight to him by faith, and find fhelter under the fhadow of his wings, that they may be fecured, not only from temporal troubles, but from the form of vengeance, which hangs over a guilty world. Lord, have compaffion on poor, ignorant finners, and reveal thy Son to them. Olet them not perifh, fince a glorious Savior is born, and the glad tidings have reached our ears. O let not this place be as Chorazin and Bethfaida, but Lord have mercy on us, and turn us to thyfelf. Turn us from the error of our ways, from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Lord, pity us a finful people, laden with fins. Truly our iniquities cry aloud for vengeance; but O pour out thy Spirit, and not thy fury. Lord, what profit is there in our blood? O magnify the riches of thy fovereign grace, by turning this people to thyfelf. O, wilt thou not get to thyfelf a great name? Surely thou wilt. The glory will be all thine own. This people is noted for vileness. O may thy power appear. True, O Lord, thou ftandeft in no need of us, nor can our converfion add to thine ef fential glory; but to thy declarative glory it will. O, of thefe hearts of ftone raife up children unto Abraham. O let there be a fhaking

among these dry bones, if it be thy bleffed will. And, O Lord, revive religion in thine own children. Here is there not a remnant, even in this place, bad as it is, who are indeed thine own, by regeneration and adoption? O, bleffed be God, there is, or we had been as Sodom and Gomorrha. Lord, in mercy pour out on thefe a Spirit of prayer and fupplication. O fir up thine own children to greater diligence in thy way and work: O let them be ftrengthened, edified, yea fanctified throughout, for Jefus' fake. O Lord, let not thine own children live at fo low a rate, that they cannot be diftinguifhed from the children of the Devil. Lord, I lament this before thee, that thou doft receive fo many cruel wounds in the house of thy friends. O let the children of Zion appear fo eminent in their lives and converfations, that all who know them may take knowledge of them, that they have indeed been with Jefus; are indeed united to him; and do indeed enjoy fecret, intimate communion with him, day by day. Lord, let it be thus, if it be thy bleffed will. Unveil thy glorious face, difcover thine adorable perfections to thy children, and they will be more transformed into thy lovely image: This will make their faces fhine, when they partake more and more of thy holiness. O let holiness to the Lord be ftamped upon all their employments and enjoyments as chriftians, eafy to be read of every one, that glory may redound to thy great name. Lord, let it be no longer faid of chriftians, profeffing thy name, here is one worldly minded, covetous, cheating;

another