by the sovereign love-act of my God and Father in election, and that I was as safe on earth as the Church in heaven, for the Lord preserved me from all evil, yea, it is he that shall keep my soul; and I believed that "the Lord would preserve me in my going out and coming in, from this time forth and even for evermore" (Ps. cxxi. 7, 8). Now, the glorious Jehovah unfurled the banner of everlasting love, and waved it over my soul in its beauties and blessedness, and the whole appeared to me as dyed in the blood of Emanuel, God with us (Matt. i. 23). Now election by grace (Rom. xi. 5), salvation by grace (Eph. ii. 8), effectual calling by grace (1 Tim. i. 15), and being preserved in Jesus Christ (Jude 1), constituted my blessedness and the theme of my song; and no man shall stop me of this boasting (2 Cor. xi. 10), while I have the articulation of the tongue.

As this abundant mercy was shown me from the Lord, the fire was kindled in my heart, and I spake with my tongue (Ps. xxxix. 3). I began to blaze abroad the matter (Mark i. 45), and to tell what great things God had done for me (Luke viii. 39); and I will now tell my reader how these things operated on some. There was one of the Arminian class that I had walked with; and we had joined to speak evil of election. I met him one day, and said, that since he and I last met, the Lord had established my soul in the doctrine of election. I saw by his countenance what effect it had ; and he replied quickly, "Then you and I shall never walk together again;" and so it came to pass, for we never have unto this day; and twenty years have since passed, and he still remains in his Arminian God-dishonouring system. It was soon noised abroad in their community that I believed in election; and as I had been at times at their prayermeetings, the governor of the band came one night to oppose me, and said, no such heresies should creep into their church. The poor mason was, in their eyes, a bad fellow ever afterwards; but none of these

things moved me (Acts xx. 24), for I had the Lord's testimony in my heart that he had chosen me (John xv. 16, 19). Bless the Lord, O my soul, that he hath made thee to differ (1 Cor. iv. 7). The Lord shall have all the glory, for the purpose of God according to election will stand (Rom. ix. 11).

I little thought then, the Lord was preparing me by these sore conflicts, to speak forth from experience the words of truth and soberness (Acts xiii. 52), as I had felt them in my own heart, with the joy and consolations of the same. I now went on for some time, filled with joy in the Holy Ghost (Acts xxvi. 24), blessing and thanking God for his unspeakable gift (2 Cor. ix. 15).

These were precious days to me; all was well, all was right between the Lord and my soul, and the words of my ever dear Lord Jesus were very precious to me: "Upon this rock will I build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. xvi. 18). I said with David, "Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong" (Ps. xxx. 7): and the Lord is my witness, that I firmly believed I never should be troubled and tried about soulmatters, for I thought my faith in the truth so firm and strong, that nothing could move me or make me doubt; but in this I was mistaken, for I had much to be tried about, which I then knew not.

My poverty was still great, although Satan had not made use of that in the preceding trial; and my enemies were lively, strong, and many; but my faith must be tried my confidence be shaken-unbelief prevail awhile, and the devil loosed for a little season (Rev. xx. 3), that I might know my own weakness, also "the depths of Satan" (Rev. ii. 24), and the power and grace of God. For it came to pass, that a lethargic spirit came upon me; I now call it a sleepy devil, so that I could not read, pray, or hear, without falling asleep; this was a sore trial unto me; I thought my prayers were cold and lifeless; and such a reluctance

I felt towards every thing that was good, that I was like a restive horse, whipped to everything; then, my poverty, wife, and children, so gained the ascendancy in my mind and affections, that I could think of nothing else. At last my heart began to fret against the Lord, and I, fool-like, thought he dealt hardly with me. Now was Satan's time to work with all his subtilty; he did not tempt me to deny the truth of election, which the Lord had made so precious to my soul; but he endeavoured to make me, what is called by some, an Antinomian, by making me presumptuous and careless, and to trifle with the mercies of my Lord. One day as I was at my work, thinking upon my state and circumstances, and envying "the prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. lxxiii. 3), “the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. ii. 2) paid me a visit. I was ignorant of his device, and consequently I did not think it was from him. He said, "You believe that you are elected?" I said, "Yes, I do." "You have enjoyed much blessedness and comfort from it, and you believe that you are safe?" I said, "Yes." "You believe that Jesus Christ hath redeemed you, and saved you?" I said, "Yes." "You believe in effectual calling, and that the Lord hath quickened your soul?" I said, "Yes." "You believe in the final perseverance of the saints?" I answered, "Yes." "And you therefore believe that those that are elected, redeemed, and quickened, are safe and secure, and nothing can separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus'?" (Rom. viii. 39). I said, "I believe all this." Then he said, "You see how poor you are, and for the sake of your religion you have brought it upon yourself, and as you believe all things are sure, you may now certainly go back, and enjoy your former pleasures, join with your old companions, and they will be your friends; you will then have bread to eat, and clothes to wear, and money in your pocket; and you will again appear respectable in the world, which is much better than

walking about in rags as you now are; and as you confess that you are safe and secure, it is no matter what you do; election secures you, grace hath saved you, and you are made alive, and Jesus hath said they cannot die any more (Luke xx. 36); therefore, you are sure to go to heaven, do what you will." I was now like a dumb man, my spirit sunk within me, my mind was bewildered, my thoughts confused, and I was at my wit's end. Το go back to my old friends I could not; the thoughts of indulging in the pleasures of sin rent my heart; and yet, to be living in such a state of poverty was very trying to me. In this strait, I knew not what to do; I endeavoured to spread it before the Lord, but all was confusion; when I cried unto the Lord, my cry "returned to mine own bosom❞ (Ps. xxxv. 13). Thus I went on mourning in prayer, and vexed in spirit. I walked in darkness and had no shining (Isa. 1.10). Satan was working with all his subtilty, persuading me it was the only way for me to get out of trouble, so that I had no rest day or night; my sleep forsook me, I forgot to eat my bread, and my strength began to fail. In this state I continued for several weeks, so that at last I was like one in "grief and desperate sorrow" (Isa. xvii. 11); and although the Lord had comforted my soul before, and delivered me out of my distresses, yet the present trouble shut them out of sight. But, to the praise of my ever blessed Lord, I have to record he knew the way that I took, and "when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold" (Job xxiii. 10). One day when I went home at the dinner hour, instead of sitting down to partake of the little we had, I went into the field opposite the house I lived in, and behind the linnay where I was tempted to hang myself: there stood some elm trees; under them I lay down in anguish of soul, and the struggle between flesh and spirit was strong; at last I felt my heart moving towards the Lord, and I prayed to him in the following words:" Dear Lord, thou knowest how I am

bowed down, and tried in my soul with the temptations of the devil; I cannot live under them, and none but thyself, O my God, can deliver me; therefore, O Lord, never let me rise from this place more, unless thou deliverest my soul; I cannot bear it, Lord; I cannot bear it, Lord." As I uttered these words, the Lord answered me to the joy of my soul, by bringing into my heart the following words, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid, how shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom. vi. 1,2). Blessed be the Lord my God, the devil was defeated and put to flight, the snare was broken, and my soul escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowler (Ps. cxxiv. 7). I felt such melting of heart before the Lord, and such humbleness of mind, that I wept and sang for joy, and praised my ever precious Lord for his wonderful loving-kindness to one so very unworthy; yea, I rejoiced in the God of my salvation, and with all my heart I crowned him Lord of all; for however trying these things are, they are among the "all things that work together for good to them that love God, and are the called according to his purpose" (Rom. viii. 28).

By these things he taught me my own weakness and nothingness; that I could not stand in my own strength against one temptation, whether great or small; "but his strength was made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. xii. 9); that he was "wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working" (Isa. xxviii. 29); which led me to adore my precious Lord, for his keeping and delivering power. Although "my feet had well nigh slipped, and I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. lxxiii. 2, 3), "yet the Lord sustained me" (Ps. iii. 5) in this sore conflict; and I have found, and do still find, that every conflict, trial, and temptation which I have experienced, and may endure, will ultimately end in good, and for the Lord's glory.