feventy-nine written pages *, beginning beginning from my birth, ending October 24. 1730, and figned. How I was led thereto, much contrary to my inclination, you will find in the manufcripts themfelves. But, now that it is done, I am obliged to fay, " The fool"ithness of God is wifer than men :" and I blefs the Lord, who gave me counfel. It was in obedience to his call that I did it: "Let the Lord do with it what "feemeth him good." Ye will not readily have meaner thoughts of that matter than I myself had.

I prefume, you will judge that it had been more natural to have made one continued history of both : and I, being of the fame mind, would indeed have fo done, had I thought it worth my pains, in this decline of my age and ftrength. But not feeing myfelf called thereto, I am fatisfied as to the defign of Providence, which hath modelled that matter as faid is t.

You will not therein find yourselves defcended, by me at least, from any ancient or honourable family in the fight of the world; which is a matter of fome fignificancy, I own, before men, for a few pafling years: but you will find yourselves children of the covenant, devoted unto the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, my God, by me having power over you for that effect: whom therefore I charge to ratify the fame with your own confent, and perfonal acceptance of the covenant; and to cleave to this God as your

*In the years 1720 and 1731 the author added a good many pages more. The firft MS. confilts in whole of 371 pages, and the latter of 342.

In preparing this work for the prefs, it was judged abfoJutely neceffary, in order to prevent repetitions, and references from the one volume to the other, to reduce both into one continued narrative or history, taking care all along to infert the paffages of his life in the general account, in their proper places, according to their respective dates and years, and as the nature of the fubje&ts treated of required.

God,

God, all the days of your lives, as being his only, wholly, and for ever: fo fhall that be to you a matter of eternal value and fignificancy, before the Lord; of value to you in this and the other world.

If fome things in thefe manufcripts appear trifling, bear with them. Had I thought it worth time and pains, to have written them over a fecond time, it is likely, feveral things now found in them had been dropped. Mean while it may reasonably be allowed, that fome things now appearing trifling to you, might have been of fome weight to me; and may be fo to you afterwards; and if never to you, yet fome one time or other to yours after you.

I hope you will find fome things in them worthy of your imitation: the which I was the more willing to record, that I did not think I ever had the art of education of children; but might thereby do fomewhat toward the repairing of the lofs you by that means fuftained. It is my defire and will, that, while the Lord is pleafed to preferve them, and that in the power of my offspring, any of them whofoever be allowed free accefs unto them: yet fo that the property thereof be vefted from time to time, in fuch an one of them, if any fuch there fhall be, as fhall addict himself to the holy miniftry. And in cafe I be allowed, by him in whofe hand is my life and breath, and all my ways, to make any continuation of the purpose of these manuscripts, the fame is to be reckoned as here included.

I hope you will ufe no indecent freedoms with them; confidering that, for ought you or I know, there is a jus tertii, a right of a third party, in the matter, whom alfo I have a view to, with an awful regard to the fovereign difpofal of holy Providence, to which I defire to fubmit all. Some few things which I faw meet to delete, I have fignified and figned on the margin.

And now, my dear children, your lot is fallen in a finning time, beyond the days of my fathers: and I am miftaken, if it iffue not in a time proportionally trying, by "the Lord's coming out of his place to punifh the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity." I obteft and befeech you, as you regard your eternal welfare," fave yourselves from this untoward

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generation. See the abfolute neceffity of regeneration, the change of your nature, by union with Jefus Chrift the fecond Adam; as it was corrupted by means of your relation to the firft Adam fallen. Labour for the experience of the power of religion in your own fouls, that you may have an argument for the reality of it, from your fpiritual fenfe and feeling: and cleave to the Lord, his way of holinefs, " (with"out which ye fhall not fee the Lord)," his work alfo, his interests, and people, on all hazards; being affured, that fuch only will be found wife in the end. If your mother, undoubtedly a daughter of Abraham, fhall furvive me, let your lofs of a father move you to carry the more kindly and affectionately to her, supporting her in her defolate condition. Let the fame likewife engage you the more to be peaceful, loving, and helpful, among yourselves.

The Lord blefs each one of you, and fave you, cause his gracious face fhine on you, and give you peace; fo as we may have a comfortable meeting in the other world! Farewell.

From my ftudy in Ettrick

Manfe, Oct. 28. 1730.

T. BOSTON,

MEMOIRS

OF THE

LIFE, TIME, and WRITINGS,

OF

Mr THOMAS BOSTON.

T

HAT my life may be more fully known unto my pofterity, for their humiliation on the one hand, and thankfulness on the other, upon my account; for their caution alfo in fome things, and their imitation in others; and that they may fet their hope in God, and not in the empty creation,-I have thought it meet to give the following general account of the days of my vanity, in the feveral periods thereof,

I

PERIOD I.

From my birth, till I left the grammar-fchool,

Was born of honeft parents, of good reputation among their neighbours, in the town of Dunfe, on the 17th, and baptized on the 21ft, of March, in the year 1676; being the youngest of seven children, four brothers and three fifters, procreated betwixt John Boston, and Alison Trotter, a woman prudent and virtuous. I was born at a time when my mother was thought to have left bearing; for which caufe a certain woman ufed ordinarily to call me God's fend. The youngest of my fifters I faw not: but the reft lived, and had all of them feveral children; many of whom have now children of their own. Meanwhile

my

my brothers and fifters are all of them gone, feveral years ago, into the other world, which I have now in view.

Andrew Bofton, my grandfather, came from Ayr to Dunfe, and poffeffed the tenement given afterward by my father to my eldest brother, and belonging to his heirs to this day. But before him had come William, his brother, as I fuppofe; whofe name the tenement next on the west fide, to that which my father gave me, bears. When I was a boy, I faw a grand-daughter of his from England, by his fon Mr William, a churchman there; a very devout woman in her way, and married to one Mr Peter Carwain, another churchman; but I fuppofe childless.

My father was a knowing man, having in his youth, I think, got good of the gospel. Being a nonconformit during the time of Prelacy, he fuffered upon that head, to imprifonment, and fpoiling of his goods. When I was a little boy, I lay in the prifon of Dunfe with him, to keep him company: the which I have often looked on as an carnest of what might be abiding me; but hitherto I have not had that trial. My mother once paying, to one Alexander Martin. theriff-depute, the fum of L. 50 as the fine of her imprisoned husband, for his nonconformity, defired of him an abatement; whereupon he, taking up a pint-ftoup ftanding on the table, therewith broke in picces a part of a tobacco-pipe lying thereon; bidding the devil beat him as fmall as that pipe-ftopple, if there should be ought abated of the fum. And once walking through. the ftreet, while my father was with the mafons that were building his houfe, he looked up, and faid to him, that he would make him fell that houfe yet. Nevertheless he and his pofterity were not long after rooted out of the place; and that houfe was not fold, until I, not for need of money, but for my own conveniency otherwife, fold it fome years ago. May all my offspring be faved from ever embarking with that party; of whom I fay from the heart, "O my foul, come not thou into their fecret; mine ho"nour, be not thou united with them."

The fchoolmiftrcfs having her chamber in my father's houfe, I was early put to fchool; and having a capacity for learning, and being of a towardly difpofition, was kindly treated by her; often exprefling her hope of feeing me in the pulpit. Neverthelefs, for a confiderable time, I wept incefiantly from the time they began to put on my

cloaths