thoughts of taking another subject; but the discourse being so
4. The Lord's day was such, that but few could come out. I had once thoughts of taking another subject; but the discourse being so seasonable, that he who had given me that, could give me more, I resolved to preach it, however few should hear it. So to a few in the house I delivered it with much satisfaction.
Since, by reason of the woful unconcernedness of the people in the public cause, I could not appoint a congregational fast for the King's army, for the Lord's help to them, I had no confidence to move for one upon the account of the storm, which was our private cause in a special manner, and heavy to the parish, and by which I saw the Lord was pleading against us on account of our unconcernedness about the public cause. Therefore, on the morrow after, being the 23d, I kept a family fast for both, and, as to myself in particular, for the divine assistance in the study of the Hebrew accentuation. And being helped to confidence in the Lord as my God, I was made the more freely to lay out my requests before him. As to the study of the Hebrew accentuation, no body considering what pains I had been at to understand Mr. Cross's book, and that the Hebrew Bible was my delight, will doubt but by this time I had some notion of that accentuation, however lame, dark, and confused; and I resolved to put in writing what I thought I had reached of it, to the end I might not forget it.
At this time, lecturing on Jeremiah's prophecy, I wrote the specimen of the Taghmical Art on chap. 24 to be found in the miscellany MS. p. 350–356; a performance of little value, done on Mr. Cross's principles, so far as I understood them; and therefore to be very little regarded.
Feb. 2.—We kept a fast by order of the presbytery. The Lord heard the prayers of his people; and on the Saturday thereafter, the thaw began. The storm aforesaid was followed with an extraordinary mortality in our parish, such as none, I could hear of, pretended to remember of the like therein; and I heard of no such thing neither, in
the places about. My dear child Katharine died among the rest. In April the mortality ceased.
Feb. 22.—Last Lord's day being quite out of case ere I went into the pulpit, I prayed to the Lord; and remarkably he heard me, and made all right beyond expectation. I have been most comfortably surprised with discoveries of the Lord's mind in his word of the Hebrew text, which he has been pleased to make to me by means of is accentuation. Particularly, the discovery of the true sense of that passage; Gen. 49:10, by that means, did so affect, strike, and transport me, that it did most sensibly affect my very body, and that from head to foot.* And by the light into the Lord's word so given me, I have found my soul sanctified, and made to love the Lord. This makes me to account the better of these titles of the law, as divine. By this means, what I designed in the writing aforesaid, as introductory to what I was to note of that which I had learned on the thing itself, has been spun out quite beyond any thing I could have in view when I began it; so that I cannot yet get my collections on the art itself begun; and by the same means I am persuaded, that these accents are the key to the true version and sense of the Hebrew text.
March 21.—This day we spent some time in family humiliation and prayer, on the account of the death of our youngest child Katharine, who departed on the 12th instant: and the hand of the Lord still on Thomas and Alison by the chincough; also for the state of the public; and as to myself, for the study of the accentuation. That child was very comfortable to me; but I bless him I was helped to part with her; and saw and believed much of the Lord's goodness in that dispensation. Coming home from Selkirk on the 2d instant, and thinking on the time of the land's trial, I had two main questions as to my family. The one was the case of that dear child, the other, the then case of my wife. I dare not say I was faithless as to either, but believed God could see to them very well in the worst of my circumstances. As soon as I came home, I found the Lord was in his way to answer the last; and shortly after the other was hid. I never had such a clear and comfortable view of the Lord's having other use
for children than our comfort; for which ends he removes them in infancy; so that they are not brought to the world in vain. I saw reason to bless the Lord, that I had been made father of six children, now in the grave, and that were with me but a very short time; but none of them lost; I will see them all at the resurrection. That clause in the covenant, "And the God of thy seed," was sweet and full of sap. The mortality in our parish is not over yet, though I hoped my child had closed it; but just while I was writing this, I heard of the death of a mother of four small children, who I am told, has not been well these twenty days, but never lay; was better yesterday, but carried off at night by a sickness, so far as I could understand, not above two hours' long. Alas! we have provoked our God.
By the awful voice of Providence continuing, I was led to Zech. 12:12, "And the land shall mourn, every family apart," &c. on which I dwelt from March 11, till May 20; and for some time after, on Psalm 126:5, "They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy."* Upon the former of these I pressed the duty of personal and family fasting, among other things. And this was not without fruit. I knew that some were engaged in these duties; particularly James Biggar's family, on which the hand of the Lord lay long and heavy, and carried off several of them; in their death, as in their life, comfortable to me as above said.
Immediately after the family-fast of Jan. 23, I pursued my resolution of putting in writ what I thought I had reached of the accentuation; the which I reckoned, when I began it, I might comprise in two or three leaves; but even what I designed for introduction thereto, swelled to about six sheets; and was not finished till March 23; the bread by the divine blessing, increasing in the breaking. Reading the Hebrew Bible, I was most pleasurably, beyond what one can readily without feeling imagine, surprised with discoveries of the Lord's mind in his word; by means of that intrinsic light I perceived it to be illuminated with, by its own accentuation. Thus I came to be fully persuaded, as of what I saw with my eyes, that the accents are the true key to the genuine version and sense of the Hebrew text; and that they are divine. As from time to time, in that happy study, I met
with new discoveries of that nature; I often thought with myself, What a trifle my digging up gold in some mine I might have fallen upon in Peru or elsewhere, would have been, in comparison of this, which I found in my accentuated Hebrew Bible!
Just on the morrow after my finishing of what I designed for introduction, and have now so intitled, came to my hand "Wasmuth's Institutio Accentuationis Hebrææ; the which I took for a token for good. Having glanced it the week following, I found it miring, and perceived that it wanted the tables often therein mentioned. So I was set anew to turn my eyes towards the Lord, from whom my help behoved to come; and to depend on him for that effect. And here I cannot but admire and adore the conduct of sovereign wisdom towards me in that matter. I had no character of Wasmuth aforehand, to prepossess me; and before his book came to my hand, I was set a seeking the knowledge of the accentuation, by the study of the sacred Hebrew text itself, considering the same as it stood accentuated. And I found so many turnings and windings, and heaps of irregulars, in that learned man's account of the accentuation, that I saw nothing therein to remove me from the method of inquiry I had been led unto, to the study thereof instead of it. Upon the account of the defect above mentioned, that copy of Wasmuth's book was returned; and some time after, I got another copy thereof having the tables, the which is yet among my books.
About this time I received letters from Edinburgh, moving the reprinting of the "Everlasting Espousals," because of the continued demand for the same; the which, after being laid before the Lord, and considered, was ordered to be done. So in a short time after, there was a second edition of that sermon.
March 26.—An old temptation recurred; but I bless God the edge of it is now much blunted, in comparison of what it has been. But my heart bleeds afresh for my dear child Katharine.
On March 29, I began to make collections on the accents themselves; encouraged, and more fitted thereto, by what had fallen out, in the case of the aforesaid introduction which is in retentis. Reading the sacred text, I studiously gathered what I could observe. And, what was of great use to me, as my pole-star in this study, was a notion, which by the discoveries aforesaid I was confirmed in; namely, The true construction of the words of the text, was to be determined by their accentuation, as the rule thereof to us; and not the power or value of the accents, by what seemed to us the construction of the words. This natural and most rational point was, I think, originally owing to my reading somewhere in Cross's Taghmical Art, that the verbs of the first hemistich; Psalm 2:2, were to be repeated in the following one. I very well remember, that that had a particular light with it to me. And accordingly, considering other texts at this rate, and thereby obtaining convincing discoveries of their true sense, I was fixed in that point; so Wasmuth's notion of the ambulatory value of the accents, could not take with me.
April 25.—This day I kept a secret fast, 1. To seek light in the matter of a transportation to Ligertwood, proposed to me when at the synod, in the matter of adding to the eldership here, my wife's journey to Fife, the determining about the celebration of the sacrament, and the disposing of the MS. on the Fourfold State of Man. 2. To seek the Lord's presence and help in my study of the accentuation, and his blessing on the second edition of the sermon, now, I suppose, in the press. 3. On the account of the affliction of my wife and children, and of James Biggar's family, Mr. Borthwick, LevMuir. 4. The case of the church, the parish, and the vacancy of Simprin. These things I laid before the Lord, with some confidence in himself, minding to hang on for them. The mortality is ceased.
May 4.—But alas! I found, three or four days ago, that I had not hung on; and therefore God has pursued me with darkness in the point of the sacrament, being extremely perplexed and embarrassed in that matter, which should have been determined on Wednesday last, but I am not clear in it as yet. I have seen my mismanagement, in that I
have not prayed and thought about it more; and have got a dearbought lesson, to pursue by thinking, for light, in what I consult God by prayer.
Meanwhile, since that time, some things have looked better in the parish. On the day after, the examination was frequented unordinarily. On the Lord's day two contumacious persons submitted. On Tuesday, one that has been of the new separation by Mr. Taylor near a year bygone, and whom I parted with last summer as no more one of my flock, came to me, and acknowledged her sin; declaring, that from the Sabbath night after I had spoke with her, she had no rest in her mind; but that that wore off in some measure, yet a great while ago returned more vigorously; that it had worsted her private case, wishing never any might do as she had done, and bring such bitterness to their own souls, These things had weight against the business of Ligertwood.
May 11—Friday I was almost on the 9th resolved to celebrate the sacrament on the first Sabbath of June, and to venture over difficulties standing in the way, minding to seek the Lord on Saturday morning for a full determination. But this night arrived an express from Mr. Murray, obtesting me, as I would not have a hand in strengthening a most sinful schism, to come and assist him on the last Sabbath of this month at the communion there. This carried my perplexity to the height. I went to the Lord with this, took with my sin in not insisting as aforesaid after the fast, endeavoured and was helped to believe over the belly of that provocation. Thereafter I found the light clearing, to my answering of that call to Penpont; and having sent for two elders, they advised to it. Thus I was both punished for that sin, and matters were kept open for sending me thither. I have but four elders at this time, but design an additional number. While assisting at that sacrament, was conceived a project of transporting me to Closeburn, a parish in that neighbourhood; of which I shall take more notice afterwards.
July 19.—On the 15th the sacrament was celebrated here. The fastday was extraordinary stormy with wind and rain; but the three days fair; and for some time before, and since, there has not been one fair day to an end. On Wednesday, in studying my action-sermon, I was sore bound up; and little better on the Tuesday afternoon, when I began it. But on the Thursday, being the fast-day, the Lord sent us two sermons with much of his countenance; hence my heart was loosed, and I resolved to try the study of the sermon again. Accordingly on the morrow I studied the last half of it anew, to more satisfaction to myself. It was delivered with some measure of solid seriousness. But in the invitation I was straitened, and yet more in the prayer for consecration of the elements; I laboured to improve the declaring of them no more common bread and wine, yet not with desired effect. But my spirit opened a little ere the table was ended. I communicated as I preached. The work from the beginning to the end, had a favour of God upon it; felt, I am persuaded, in the spirits of many; and his servants were remarkably helped in their work.
Having been at the communion at Maxton Aug. 12, and at the presbytery for Mr. B.'s business on the 14th, I have to remark, 1. The Lord's hearing of the joint prayers of his people, and that in two instances. One was, I had been led in the Saturday's sermon, which was on Exod. 24:11; to beseech for and require the prayers of serious Christians, for the private cases of ministers, which I doubt not had influence on several of that sort in the meeting; and it went well with me at that communion. I think I saw the lights spoke of in that sermon, and believed. The other was, my wife, who minded to have been there, but was taken ill just the night before I went away; her case was remembered not only in private, but in the public prayers, as one kept from that occasion by the afflicting hand of God. And the Lord made it a good time to her soul. 2.The hearing of prayer, and the good fruit of dependence on the Lord in presbyterial management, being sensibly assisted to a clear uptaking of matters in that difficult business. 3. The Lord's leading the blind by the way they knew not, being sweetly surprised with a providential
management of matters, in two particulars, to a better account than otherwise they could have been brought.
As I came by Closeburn house, in my return homo from the communion at Penpont in the end of May, the chaplain met me, and told me, that at supper on the Sabbath night they were speaking of transporting me to that parish. He had no orders that I know of to speak of it to me; so I gave a suitable return, without any shadow of encouragement. When Mr. Murray was at the sacrament here in July, he proposed it to me in earnest; and I, with all the earnestness I was capable of, discouraged the motion; so that I thought it might be laid aside. But some time in harvest I received a letter from him, shewing that the parish of Closeburn were to apply to their presbytery for that effect. This letter I judged meet neither to make public, nor yet to keep altogether secret; so I imparted the purpose of it to one of our elders. And about the 11th of September I wrote a most pathetic return, to stop that procedure of that parish.
At the which time I was writing my collections on Silluk, in a folio book I had prepared for putting down my materials in. And herein I so prospered, by the good hand of my God upon me, that, as I reckon, I began from that time to apprehend, that this business I had engaged in, for my own private benefit only, might possibly in end turn to a book for public use. And all along thereafter, until it was done, I looked upon that study as the business of my life.
About the end of this month of September, came an account to our parish, that a call to Closeburn was drawn up for me. Herewith they were much alarmed; and, in their own rough way, shewed a mighty concern for my continuance among them. And thus the trouble of the parish about me began just about the time wherein, the year preceding, my trouble with them was going to the highest pitch.
What influence the awful steps of Providence that followed upon this last, as above narrated, had upon them, I cannot say. But as the spring of comfort, from the study aforesaid, was most seasonably
struck up to me in my closet, when without I was so much oppressed; so, about the latter end of April, some things in the parish began to look with a better face towards my encouragement, as I have related above, p. 281, in so much that they had weight with me against a transportation to Ligertwood, which at the April synod had been proposed to me; so as I had been obliged seriously to seek the Lord's mind in it, and was one of the causes of the secret fast above mentioned. Moreover, whereas the session had been reduced to a very small number, by death and otherwise, I prevailed this summer to get their number increased; so that, on July 12, being the fast-day before the sacrament, there were seven added to the eldership. Among these seven was Thomas Linton in Chapelhop, a man of weight and activity; who, together with another elder, and Michael Anderson younger of Tushilaw, went in December to Closeburn, by conference and reasoning to divert the storm of the designed transportation thither; but it prevailed not. But this was perhaps the last journey that Thomas Linton made; being seized with a sore and vehement trouble in his mouth and head, which kept him till he died about the end of the year 1718. He had been a notable sufferer in the time of persecution, and spoiled of all his goods; but was become very wealthy; and moreover he had a heart given him to do good with his wealth, and was very useful in the country that way. On him I bestowed this epitaph, which I suppose is to be found on his tombstone in Mary church-yard in Yarrow:—
All lost for Christ, an hundred-fold
Produc'd, and he became
A father, eyes, and feet unto
The poor, the blind, the lame.
Tushilaw younger died also not very long after. He was a man of a gentle disposition, and likewise was endued with a principle of
beneficence to mankind; so that, dying before his father, he was much lamented, as a father of the country.
Nov. 14.—Being at Edinburgh to put my son to the college, and all comfortable views I had had, as to the disposing of him for his quarters, having failed, I was directed to a stranger; but there were some things in that case that disgusted me. I had laid the matter over on the Lord; and behold, at the nick of time, when I was come to the last point, just going out at the chamber-door, to agree with that person for his quarters, because I could do no better, one came to me, and told mo of a religious private family, which I knew nothing of, desirous of my acquaintance, and therefore of entertaining my son. This appeared to me the finger of God, and I lodged him there. This step of kind Providence was big in my eyes. After I came home, I was perplexed as to his learning, fearing his rust in that point should expose him; but within three weeks after, by a letter from the boy himself, I was delivered from that fear.
Jan. 1. 1717.—I spent some time in prayer, and humiliation, concerning the affair of Closeburn, my study of the accentuation, the case of some afflicted in the parish, and some other particulars in my own case, and that of my family, and renewing my covenant with God, not without some soul-advantage in the time. By this time I had seen the Lord's jealousy against me, for sinking so far under my pressures; and against the people, for their having been such a burden to me.
I had on the 19th of the preceding August, begun an ordinary of subjects, for pressing into the life and power of religion; and, in pursuance thereof, preached on walking with God*, the study of the holy Scriptures, and the observing of providences.† But while I was on the sweet subject last mentioned, I was, by scandals abounding at that time, obliged to cut short, and forced away from it, (the which hath oftener than once been my lot), unto the doctrine of repentance, which I began on Jan. 27, and, pursuing it from several texts, ended it not till the 21st of October following. But I had no sooner ended the