strong a faith as readily appears in the whole book of Psalms,
particular manner on Monday, Feb. 20. He was in these two hours exercising his prophetical office in you. He was letting you see your trial in its just colours, not putting colours on it; for he is the Amen, the faithful and true Witness; 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 otherwise. 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 strength, in time to come; that it he comes not to you, you will go to him; and if a promise be not laid to your hand, you will go out and feteh in one: and welcome. The blessed 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 pieee of indulgence that they sometimes 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 sharp trial makes the promise sweet! Witness your experience of the two last verses of Psalm 133. Sir, you are in a plunge; but I make no question, he that sits at the Father's right hand, having all judgment committed to him, will bring you out of it; and the day will come, when you will say from leisurely observation, "He hath done all things well." Yea, Sir, look for seeing God's wonders in the deeps, and he will not disappoint you. However, if you were through this trial, you will not be at the end of trials, lesser or greater, till you be in the better country; only this is a deep step, a deep water; but "the Lord Jesus is the lifter up of mine head," you must say with David, Psalm 3. That psalm has appeared of late to me to bear an instance of as strong a faith as readily appears in the whole book of Psalms, considering its firmness, and the circumstances there described; only it must be owned, the terror of God on his soul, with which nothing is to be laid in the balance, was indeed wanting in it. But O how piercing was that, that the common saying on that melancholy occasion was, "There is no help in God for him," (say the Jews) who stole the ewe and killed the shepherd (Bathsheba and Uriah)! the very thing God was pursuing 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 since that time, my heart blesses that person
as acting like a Christian; 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 myself quite mistaken, if ever the change on that head prove a gainful one at balancing accounts. The news of Mr. Archibald Stewart's death and burial was stunning. It is an awful dispensation of a wrathful aspect to this generation. Oh! what does it speak, that such a promising instrument is laid aside at this time a-day. But the Lord's ways are not ours, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. We must be silent 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 yourself, without hearing further from me. My infirmity increases apace. The leg, still painful, is now almost useless; so that I know not if I get down stairs again, without being carried, till I be provided with two stilts. My wife, I hear, is somewhat feverish to-day. The presence of him who dwelt in the bush while it burned, be with you! I am, in the straitest bonds, my very dear Sir, yours affectionately, &c.
March 23, 1732.
(23) MY VERY DEAR SIR,—The use of the providential distress in your affairs, and its influence relative to your other business, I doubt not, you will see 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. Esau and his posterity, who had their lot by common Providence, were soon and easily settled in the land of Edom; but Jacob and his, whose lot was to be brought about in the way of accomplishing of a promise of the covenant, met with many rubs in their way, and some of them such as seemed to render it quite hopeless. Your present circumstances put 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 straits? and you may go to him with your greater and your smaller
matters; for all is comprehended in the word, Prov. 3:6; both the precept and promise takes in all. You are neither to look for impressions, nor any thing else of that kind, whatever indulgence the Lord makes to some of his people in some circumstances; but lay you the matter before the Lord, and yourself open to the divine determination, and believe the promise of direction, with application to your own case, firmly trusting that he will be as good as his word, Prov. 3:6, Psalm 25:9, and 32:8, to you; and then, depending on the promise of Heaven's directions, set yourself as a Christian man to periceive what in the circumstances appears reasonable to be done; to the clearing whereof, observation of concurring dispensations of Providence notably contributes, that being in many cases the finger of God pointing out our way. In this way of management, there is a real communion with God to be had in providences as in ordinances, Psalm 107 ult.
You have here my whole day's work. I am at my ne plus ultra, my distress being considerable, whereof there is some account in the enclosed. 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 son, I am, in the straitest bonds, very dear Sir, yours most affectionately &c.
P.S.—I have got Mr. Du Pont's letter. I am sorry Professor Mauritius had not vouchsafed a few lines to me for the many sheets I sent 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 si dura silex aut stet cautes.
No. XVII
Letter from the Author to the Reverend Mr. James Hogg, minister of the gospel at Carnock
Nov. 24, 1727
REVEREND AND VERY DEAR SIR,—Yours on the 22d September came to my hand October 28, and I have taken this very first occasion to make you a return, that I may show the cordial sympathy 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 such matters. I could not but think, that the very writing of your letter to me, behoved, through the divine blessing accompanying it, to be of use to you in your affliction for your comfort. Sure I am it was an apt mean; though the most fit means can of themselves effect nothing, but only as they are blown upon by the Spirit, and so rendered effectual to their ends. The account you give of the situation of matters with you with respect to the way, as it has a comfortable distinctness in it, without any thing of the confusion you speak of discernible to me; so it carries such an agreeableness to the way marks set up by the Spirit, the leader in the way, to be seen standing for the direction of travellers in the scripture of truth, that you have ground from the word to take the comfort of your being in the way in spite of hell, and consequently of your coming assuredly to the end of the journey in a happy sort, since the great leader drops none by the way, but perfects what he has begun, and never leaves nor forsakes the work of his own hands, nor those in whom it is wrought. I think I need not insist to add to what you have advanced from the scripture on that head. What pincheth you, seems to be the blowing of the wind in your face, particularly the rising of storms and tempests upon you, so that sometimes you lose sight, are blown aside, yea, blown down and foundered. But, dear Sir, if you were beyond these, you would not be a traveller, but one got home from your travels; you would not be in, or by the way, but come to the end of it. It is the glory of the man who is the Father's fellow, to be "an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest," Isa. 32:2, to be a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, when the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall. When should that glory of his be, if these tempests and storms did not rise, if the terrible ones did not get leave to blow sometimes furiously, like a storm against the wall? If then our Lord Jesus, whose strength is made perfect in weakness,
sees meet to take away your ease for a time, to make of it a steppingstone to his own glory, where you hear the Lord hath need of it, yon will straightway send it. I verily think, that when a poor believer is engaged in a combat with the powers of darkness, our Lord Jesus has an occasion of signalizing his victory over the bruised serpent next to that which he had on the cross. It is true, that staggering, even on that place, is to be lamented as a sinful weakness; but, I think, all the travellers and combatants will be found to have been staggerers through stress, though that gives them not their denomination from their believing. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, yet we hear very much of his impatience too. Peter remained with an unfailing faith when he was sifted, yet he was shamefully foundered. Even Abraham, though in that instance, Rom. 4, he staggered not; yet in another case he did, Gen. 12:11, and downwards, and in that same instance Sarah, who was a type of the church, as Abraham was of Christ, staggered; and fell foully, but recovered, Gen. 18. In this last, faith had but one single word, "My lord," and unbelief had all the rest of the speech; and yet the Spirit of God makes honourable mention of that one word in the New Testament, 1 Pet. 3:6; drawing a veil over the rest. I own that temptations within, and troubles from without, trysting together, make a very heavy case; yet it is scriptural too, that without be fightings, and within be fears. You have been particularly honoured of God to contend for the faith; and it is no wonder Satan's malice prompt him to dispute it with you immediately; and the wisdom of the God of truth appears in permitting it to be so, to teach dependence on himself in managing the contending otherwise. The strong champion of truth, Luther, found himself hardly bestead in the several conflicts within his own breast. I desire to maintain a cordial sympathy with you in all your trials; being yours very affectionately.
No. XVIII
A letter from an eminent Dissenting Minister in Essex, to the Author's grandson
[As this letter contains a minute and circumstantial narrative of Mr. Boston's appearance before the General Assembly in Professor Simson's process, and records some circumstances omitted in the Memoirs, it justly deserves a place here.]
March 26, 1776.
MY VERY DEAR SIR,—Since the receipt of your last, I have been thinking of what I hinted to you relating to the appearance your worthy grandfather made at the Assembly, 1729, when Professor Simson's affair was concluded. I could have wished, indeed, that the account I wrote of it to Mr. Davidson had been preserved; for I wrote it immediately after it happened, when it was fresh in my memory, and had made great impression on me; for it was the most solemn and affecting scene I ever was witness to before any judicatory. It is not to be supposed, that now, at the distance of near forty-seven years, I can remember every particular; but, to the best of my remembrance, when the act was read, and the Moderator asked if the Assembly acquiesced in it; there was profound silence all over the house for the space of a minute or so, and then your grandfather rose, and spoke to this effect: "Moderator, I find myself laid under a necessity of declaring my dissent from this decision of the Assembly, as I think the censure inflicted by it on Professor Simson, is not adequate to the offence he has given, as to the points of doctrine that have been proved he taught the students under his care, and have been found relevant to infer censure. I cannot help thinking, Sir, that the cause of Jesus Christ, as to the great and essential point of his supreme deity, has been at the bar of this Assembly requiring justice; and, as I am shortly to answer at his bar for all I do or say, I dare not give my assent to the decision of this act; on the contrary, I find myself obliged on this occasion to offer a protest against it; and therefore, in my own name, and in the name of all that shall adhere to me, and if none here will, (and when he pronounced these words, he looked round the house with an air of majesty and importance that I shall never forget), for myself alone, I crave leave to enter my protest against the decision of this act."
The Moderator, who was himself a very solemn, grave man, seemed to be much moved, and addressed him thus:—"Brother, I hope, in this matter, where you see such an appearance of unanimity, you will not do any thing that may have a tendency to rent and divide this church, and tear out the bowels of your mother?" Answer:—"Rather, Sir, than what I am now offering should have that effect, I would wish that I and my protest should be buried under a mountain. There are many in this Assembly whom I never saw in the face before, nor know; but such of them as I know, and differ from me in this matter, I not only have the utmost charity for them notwithstanding, but I could willingly sit at their feet and learn Christ. However, I cannot see there should be any danger of a breach in this church on this occasion, to permit one member who is grieved and gravelled by this decision, to enter his protest against it." Reply:—"Second thoughts, Sir, are always best; may not Mr. Boston, before he insists on this, lay the matter before the throne of grace, and consult praying ministers and Christians, and attend to their counsel and advice, before you come to a positive determination as to this your protest?" Had the Moderator thought ever so long on something that would weigh with Mr. Boston in such a case, he could not have fallen on any thing that would sooner have done it than this; for he immediately, in a submissive manner, said he would take it under further consideration, providing the matter was left open to him to enter his protest at any subsequent meeting of the Assembly; and so the matter ended at that sederunt. I was present that same evening, where there were several ministers and elders, members of the Assembly, who met with Mr. Boston, who all advised his not insisting of his protest at that time, providing it was left open for him to do it at any future occasion, if this decision of the Assembly was attended with such consequences as he was afraid of. And when the minutes of the Assembly were read next sederunt, this was declared, and acquiesced in; and so the matter ended.
This, I can well remember, was reckoned at that time one of the strongest bars in the way of Mr. Simson's ever being restored to the privilege of teaching and preaching any more; and even his warmest
friends never attempted it, because he was hereby secured in his salary, which the sentence of deposition would have deprived him of. Thus, what was then called mercy to the man, mixed perhaps with a little worldly policy, put an end to the most important point, in respect of doctrine and discipline, that ever came before any judicatory of the Church of Scotland, or, I hope, ever will come again.
I am, very dear Sir, your affectionate friend and brother in the work and bonds of the gospel, &c.
The Reverend Mr. Thomas Boston's Letter to the Presbytery of Selkirk
ETTRICK MANSE, Feb. 22, 1732.
REV. DEAR BRETHREN,—I had the favour of yours, acquainting me of the meeting of the Presbytery of Selkirk, on the last Tuesday of this month; from which meeting my growing indisposition and frailty bar me. Meanwhile, apprehending that the Presbytery will then have under their consideration the act by way of overture, transmitted to Presbyteries, as to the planting of congregations, 1731; of the which I have by me a just double, I crave leave to declare my mind thereanent.
I do believe, as I have all along from my youth, that the Christian people have, of divine right, the power of choosing their own pastors; and therefore, I judge that it is altogether to be avoided, that any man be thrust violently upon the congregation, or intruded in any of the offices of the kirk, contrary to the will of the congregation, as the Books of Discipline and policy of this church do express it. And this being the known principle of this I church, I dare not be so unjust as, by offering the reasons thereof, to insinuate that you, my brethren, are of a contrary mind. But I am fully convinced that, by the transmitted act aforesaid, the body of the Christian people is robbed of that their sacred right; inasmuch, as thereby the power of electing and calling of ministers is appropriated to heritors, being
protestants, and to elders; and in royal burghs, to the magistrates, town-council, and kirksession, and is cut off from the rest of the Christian people, who are not so dignified; no comparative judgment of candidates, or choice of such, being left to these last, who are, in case they disapprove of the choice made, allowed only to offer their reasons to the Presbytery, to be judged of by them; by which means they are staked down to the choice made for them, unless they can advance something against the life or doctrine of the called; the I which strangers, as well as they of the congregation, have access to. I own there has all along been too much of this, in the way of settling ministers in this church; but judge, there is a wide difference betwixt labouring under hardships imposed through iniquity of times, making the best of bad, and men's wreathing a yoke about their own necks, binding themselves to an iniquitous way.
This church hath now groaned long under the yoke of patronages; but who can, without breaking sorrow of heart, stand and see the poor remains, in that point, left her by the laws, disposed of in the house of her friends, in manner proposed by the said act, to the utter enslaving of the body of the Christian people, in that their spiritual concern of calling their ministers? How naked is that quality of heritors being protestants! 'Tis obvious, that under it, the people may have men brought in to choose their ministers for them, who are known enemies to the government both in church and state; are none of our communion, yea, excommunicate for their notorious wickedness, are Arians, Socinians, Deists, and what not, except papists. So that I cannot help thinking, but the method proposed in the foresaid overture for planting of congregations, hath a native tendency to sap our constitution, break this church in pieces, fill their pulpits with naughty ministers, and to mar the success of the glorious gospel, and ruin the interests of true religion among us. For which causes, I declare myself altogether against passing of the said act or overture into a standing act, and durst not, in Presbytery or Assembly, vote in favour of it, for a thousand worlds.
I desire and hope the Reverend Presbytery will do me, their afflicted brother, not having access to meet with them, the justice to record their receiving of this my letter, and its bearing my not consenting to, but being altogether against, the passing of the said transmitted act or overture, into a standing act.
May the Lord himself countenance your meeting with his own presence, guide you by his spirit into all truth, and preserve you from every evil thing.
I am, Rev. Dear Brethren, your affectionate brother, and humble servant,
T. BOSTON.
Part of the Latter Will of Mr. Boston
In the name of the three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, one undivided, self-existent and eternal Jehovah, Amen. I, Thomas Boston, of Ettrick, being, through rich mercy and free grace, enabled to sit at the feet of Jesus Christ, clothed with his righteousness, in my right mind and memory, and of sound judgment respecting my eternal state, and those truths which are essential to salvation; considering the mortality of this life, knowing it is appointed for men once to die, and not knowing how soon it may be my heavenly Father's will to remove me out of this time-state, and rank my immortal spirit among the spirits of just men made perfect, do hereby make this my last will and testament, in manner and in form following. That is to say, first, I commit my immortal soul to him, (with humility and reverence be it spoken), to him who is my everlasting light, my God, and my glory; to him who is my head, guardian, and has promised to be my guide even unto death; to him who ordained me to eternal life, from before the foundation of the world; to him who has shined into my heart, and has given me the light of the knowledge of the glory of himself in the
face of Jesus Christ; to him who hath caused me to pass from death to life, and promised I shall never more come into condemnation; to him who has promised never more to leave me nor forsake me, and to this end has implanted his fear in my heart, and will not let me depart from him; to him who hath loved me with an everlasting love, and with loving-kindness hath drawn me; to him who passed by me when I lay in the open field, (a state of nature), exposed to the just vengeance of a broken law, polluted in my sins, and in my blood; who, when he saw me in this ruined state and condition, said unto me, live! Yea, he said unto me, live; to him who hath promised my bread shall be given me and my water made sure; and that, as my day is my strength shall be; to him who will not suffer me to be tempted above what I am able to bear; but, blessed be his holy name, has promised, with every temptation, to make a way for my escape, and that all things shall work together for my good, and has given me a full persuasion, that neither life nor death, principalities nor powers, things present nor things to come, shall ever separate me from his eternal love in Christ Jesus; this is my God, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my buckler, the born of my salvation, and my high tower, and this is the God whom I adore. And secondly, I commit my body to him who is the resurrection and the life, knowing, that at the last day he will raise it up and fashion it like unto his own most glorious body, and re-unite it to my glorified soul, and will condescend to take me into a more close union with himself, than I have ever yet experienced, where I shall behold him as he is, and see him face to face; for the arrival of which most glorious time, my soul often pants, as do the harts for the water brooks, and am ready to say, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. To this glorious personage, I desire to ascribe equal honour, power, and praise, with him who ordained me to eternal life before the foundation of the world; for, blessed be his glorious name, he has paid my ransom price, and become my surety of the better covenant, and fulfilled the law, which I, through sin, had broken. He has magnified the law and made it honourable, and brought in an everlasting righteousness to me, and taken all my iniquities upon himself, by which means, I stand as complete, before the throne of his glory, as if I had never
sinned; for which I humbly pray I may be kept humble, while in this time-state; knowing that a man's pride shall bring him low, but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit, &c. &c.
EPITAPHS
Epitaph drawn up by the Rev. Ralph Erskine
Thomam Bostonum, nuper pastorem Atricensim.
Dotibus illustris nitiut Bostonus opimis,
Haud perperere virum, tempora nostra parem;
Ornarunt nee c radiis, tot eum pulcherrima juretis,
Ut caluere, omnes ejus, amore pii.
On the Death of the Rev. Thomas Boston.
The great, the grave, judicious, Boston's gone,
Who once,* like Athanasius bold, stood firm alone;
Whose golden pen, to future times, will bear
His fame, till in the clouds his Lord appear.
RALPH ERSKINE.
The following is a copy of the Inscription on Mr. Boston's Monument:—
AS A TESTIMONY OF ESTEEM,
FOR THE
REV. THOMAS BOSTON, SEN,
WHOSE PUBLIC CHARACTER WAS HIGHLY RESPECTABLE,
WHOSE PUBLIC LABOURS WERE BLESSED TO MANY,
AND WHOSE VALUABLE WRITINGS
HAVE CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF VITAL CHRISTIANITY,
The monument,
(BY THE PERMISSION OF RELATIVES),
WAS ERECTED BY A RELIGIOUS AND GRATEFUL PUBLIC,
A. D. 1806.
HE WAS BORN AT DUNSE, MARCH 17, 1676,
ORDAINED TO THE PASTORAL CHARGE OF SIMPRIN, MAY 19TH 1699,
REMOVED FROM THENCE TO ETTRICK, SEPT. 1, 1707.
AND DIED, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1732, AGED FIFTY-SIX YEARS,
LEAVING A WIDOW AND FOUR CHILDREN.
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