terror of chufing for themselves, and hold it for a principle, that he fhall chufe out the lot of our inheritance for us. We are here as ordinary; and, remembering your fon, I am, in straitest bonds, V. D. Sir, yours affectionately, &c.

(21) V. D. Sir,

Dec. 30. 1731.

Yours of 16th I received; which refreshed my bowels, and opened my mouth to return thanks unto God, who had condefcended to make my last of ufe to you, and kept you in a way with refpect to your affair, which cannot mifs of a happy iffue, go as it will. I think I never faw more than about this time, how abfolutely nothing the creature is in point of action and usefulness to us in itself, and how God is all; the former nothing, but just as he touches it for motion, and resting moveless like a tone when he moves it not; and therefore would fain learn to overlook all, and look to him as my party in all things, finding this view of matters mightily staying and quieting to the heart, and a promoter of faith and hope. Wherefore let us aim at this, rolling ourselves fecurely and confidently over on him, whether we fee or fee not whither he is like to carry us: "For he careth for us." Let us exercise patience to wait the end of the Lord; and as fure as the Bible is the word of God, we will fee there was nothing in the conduct of Providence, about us and our matters, that fhould have been out, and nothing out that thould have been in. O! he doth all things well; no hazard of finging this triumph before the victory. I find myself obliged to effay what you moved to me, whatever the Lord minds to do with nie in it; and whether I am to fee the end of it or not, I defire to be found to doing. I know there is folid comfort in that, "Thou didft well that it was in thine heart." You will know fomewhat of the difpofition of my heart by the premiffes, with refpect to the fituation of my affair at London. I think I may, if the Lord will, need fo requiring, write Sir Richard Ellys, and in February, or before, if I find my letter to Mr G. fucceflets. Take kindly your concern about my fon. We continue here much as ordinary. My love to your fon. I am, in the ftraiteft bonds, V. D. Sir, yours, &c.

March 9. 1732.

(22) My V. D. Sir, It was on Friday the 3d inftant that yours of the ift came to my hand. That of the 18th and 24th of February coming on the Sabbath thereafter, being the 5th, I had withal, on the Tuesday before, got an uncertain word of the ill fituation of your affairs, which, by reafon of what you had fhewn me before, did feem very probable. But while I was altogether uncertain of the state of your affairs in my concern for you before the Lord, you fill appeared to me fmiling; fo that

getting

getting the letter of the 1ft inftant, it did fo answer the continuing idea of you, that I declare, though the fituation of your affairs was very affecting, I behoved to lay that letter before the Lord, and folemnly give him thanks for it; and afterwards receiving that of the 18th February, wherein you was under the damp, I could not but obferve that kind and wife Providence, that kept it up till I had got the former of that date; and reckon it up among the many happy well-ordered difappointments I have met with. It is ordinary with the Lord's people falling into trouble, as it is with a person wading a deep and cold water; who is, upon his firft entering it, ftruck to the heart; but the first gliff, as we call it, is the worst. In this point the world's frowns and fmiles do readily agree appearing at some distance, or in the first encounter, they fhew ordinarily greater than afterward they are found really to be. Hence our fears of the one, as well as hopes from the other, are readily carried beyond the juft bounds; and Satan presently falls a-fifhing in the drumly waters, ftirs them affiduously, to make them more drumly and awful like. Many a time have I thought a great point gained, when one gets a view of his naked crofs and trial; for it is hard to get a fight of it without a ponderous cover on it, partly of our own, and partly of Satan's making: and therefore I am convinced there is great need of making ufe of Chrift as a prophet under our troubles, that by his light fhining into our fouls, we may fee what that cross or trouble is precisely which he has laid before us, to take up and bear, that we may fet ourselves to bear that and no more. And I am very fure that at this rate croffes and trials lofe a great deal of their weight. What but the art of hell ufed in a diflurbed mind, would bring in the wounding of the interefts of religion, by the pass your affairs were brought to, the opening of the mouths of the wicked flaming the faces of the godly, &c.? Every body knew you to be a sober man, a man of unordinary application to your business. The occafion of the confufion of your affairs, arifing from others at a distance from you, would not be hid. And no body is fo ignorant of the ftate of human affairs, but they know the wealthielt. faireft, and moft diligent traders, may be broken to pieces by providential incidents, or the treachery of falfe men with whom they may have dealings. However, glad am I it has pleafed the Lord to confound that temptation, and to fatis:y you perfectly on that head. But, my Dr Sir, take heed, and be on your guard against other devices of that kind; left, if you fuffer your feet to be intangled therewith, it may not be fo eafy to be extricated therefrom: and therefore I cannot ceafe to put you in remembrance, that as you employ Jefus Chrift in his priefly office, for the removal of guilt, and addrefs him as your king for ftrength to bear

your

your trial, so you are ftill to be eying him in his prophetical office for light to give you just views of it. I fee our Lord, the great prophet, has come to you already in your darkness. I perceive the Interpreter, one among a thousand, was with you in a particular manner on Monday Feb. 20. He was in thefe two hours exercising his prophetical office in you. He was letting you fee your trial in its juft colours, not putting co lours on it; for he is the Amen, the faithful and true witnefs; and therefore, though it do not always appear in these colours to you, that is the native hue of it, and the fault is in your eyes when it appears otherwife. He was taking you by the arms, and teaching you to go; and that you will employ him. for his light, as well as his ftrength, in time to come; that if he comes not to you, you will go to him; and if a promife be not laid to your hand, you will go out and fetch in one: and welcome. The bleffed Bible is a richly-loaden tree of that kind of fruit. Sometimes his people has no more ado, but to take of the fruit falling into their lap; but that is only a piece of indulgence that they fometimes meet with; the ordinary way is to look up to the tree, and reach out the hand of faith, perhaps, with no little difficulty, and pluck the fruit; and O but a fharp trial makes the promife fweet! Witness your experience of the two laft verfes of Pfal. cxxxiii.. Sir, you are in a plunge; but, I make no question, he that fits at the Father's right hand, having all judgement committed to him, will bring you out of it; and the day will come, when you will fay from leisurely obfervation, He hath done all things well. Yea, Sir, look for feeing God's wonders in the deeps, and he will not difappoint you. However, if you were through this trial, you will not be at the end of trials, leffer or greater, till you be in the better country; only this is a deep ftep, a deep water; but the Lord Jefus is the lifter up of mine head', you muft fay with David, Pfal. iii. That pfalm has appeared of late to me, to bear an inftance of as ftrong a faith as readily appears in the whole book of Pfaims, confidering its firmnefs, and the circumstances there defcribed: only it must be owned, the terror of God on his foul, with which nothing is to be laid in the balance, was indeed wanting in it. But O how piercing was that, that the common faying on that melancholy occafion was, There is no help in God for him,' (fay the Jews) who flole the ewe and killed the fhepherd (Baththeba and Uriah)! the very thing God was purfuing him for. I was so affected with your friend's manner of entertaining your trial, that I was obliged to give God thanks for it; and fince that time, my heart blefies that perfon as acting like a Chriftian; and doubt not, but if that mind continue, as I hope it will, it will have a plentiful reward of free grace: but will own myfelf quite miftaken, if ever the change on that head prove a gainful one at balancing

balancing accounts. The news of Mr Archibald Stewart's death and burial was ftunning. It is an awful difpenfation of a wrathful afpect to this generation. Oh! what does it fpeak, that fuch a promifing inftrument is laid afide at this time a-day. But the Lord's ways are not ours, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. We must be filent to him.

That the state of your own affairs did not keep you from proceeding in mine, is a rare token of a rare kind of friendship. It will not be unacceptable to me to hear of the matter's being determined, with the joint advice of Mr W. and yourfelf, without hearing further from me. My infirmity increases apace. The leg, ftill painful, is now almost useless; so that I know not if I get down ftairs again, without being carried, till I be provided with two ftilts. My wife, I hear, is fomewhat feverish to-day. The prefence of him who dwelt in the bufh while it burned, be with you! I am, in the straitest bonds, my V. D. Sir, yours affectionately, &c.

(23) My V. D. Sir,

March 23. 1732.

The ufe of the providential diftrefs in your affairs, and its influence relative to your other business, I doubt not, you will fee in due time to be an event, both in the kind of it, and the timing of it, becoming the divine wisdom and goodness, and that God acts like himself. Efau and his pofterity, who had their lot by common Providence, were foon and easily fettled in the land of Edom; but Jacob and his, whofe lot was to be brought about in the way of accomplishing of a promife of the covenant, met with many rubs in their way, and fome of them fuch as feemed to render it quite hopelefs. Your prefent circumstances puts you in much need of direction from the Lord, as you remark. But, dear Sir, is it not a great privilege to be allowed to come to the great Counsellor in all our ftraits? and you may go to him with your greater and your smaller matters; for all is comprehended in the word Prov. iii. 6.; both the precept and promise takes in all. You are neither to look for impretlions, nor any thing elfe of that kind, whatever indulgence the Lord makes to fome of his people in fome circumftances: but lay you the matter before the Lord, and yourself open to the divine determination, and believe the promife of direction, with application to your own. cafe, firmly trufting that he will be as good as his word, Prov. iii. 6. Pfalms xxv. 9. and xxxii. 8. to you: and then, depending on the promise of Heaven's directions, fet yourself as a Chritian man to perceive what in the circumitances appears reafonable to be done; to the clearing whereof, obfervation of concurring difpenfations of Providence notably contributes, that being in many cafes the finger of God pointing out our way. In this way of management, there is a real communion with

God

God to be had in providences as in ordinances, Pfal. cvii. ult. You have here my whole day's work. I am at my ne plus ultra, my diftrefs being confiderable, whereof there is fome account in the inclofed. The eternal God be your refuge; and underneath the everlasting arms, may he be eyes, and all to you in the wilderness! Kindly remembering your fon, I am, in the ftraiteft bonds, V. D. Sir, yours molt affectionately, &c. P. S. I have got Mr Du Pont's letter. I am forry Prof. Mauritius had not vouchfafed a few lines to me for the many fheets I fent him. The Lord has for my trial restrained him, and I take it kindly off that hand; but I keep foot in the main under the several pieces of that treatment: Quam fi dura filex aut fiet cautes.

N° 17. Letter from the Author to the Reverend Mr James Hogg minifter of the gospel at Carnock.

Nov. 24. 1727.

R. and V. D. Sir, YOURS of the 22d September came to my hand Oct. 28. and I have taken this very first occafion to make you a return, that I may shew the cordial fympathy I have with you in your afflicted lot, and may not put you to a tiresome waiting for any thing that can come from me to you, from whom I would rather hear, than speak to in fuch matters. I could not but think, that the very writing of your letter to me, behoved, through the divine bleffing accompanying it, to be of ufe to you in your affliction for your comfort. Sure I am it was an apt mean; though the moft fit means can of themselves effect nothing, but only as they are blown upon by the Spirit, and fo rendered effectual to their ends. The account you give of the fituation of matters with you with respect to the way, as it has a comfortable diftinctnefs in it, without any thing of the confufion you speak of difcernible to me; fo it carries fuch an agreeableness to the way-marks fet up by the Spirit, the leader in the way, to be feen standing for the direction of travellers in the fcripture of truth, that you have ground from the word to take the comfort of your being in the way in fpite of hell, and confequently of your coming affuredly to the end of the journey in a happy fort, fince the great leader drops none by the way, but perfects what he has begun, and never leaves nor forfakes the work of his own hands, nor thofe in whom it is wrought. I think I need not infift to add to what you have advanced from the fcripture on that head. What pincheth you, feems to be the blowing of the wind in your face, particularly the rifing of storms and tempefts upon you, fo that fometimes you lofe fight, are blown afide, yea, blown down and foundered. But, D. Sir, if you were beyond thefe, you would not