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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 thankfulnefs 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-school.

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 feven children, four brothers and three fifters, procreated betwixt John Bofton, 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 gofpel. Being a nonconformist during the time of Prelacy, he fuffered upon that head, to imprisonment, and spoiling of his goods. When 1 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 earnest of what might be abiding me; but hitherto I have not had that trial. My mother once paying, to one Alexander Martin fheriff-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 standing on the table, therewith broke in pieces a part of a tobacco-pipe lying thereon; bidding the devil beat him as small as that pipe-stopple, if there fhould be ought abated of the fum. And once walking through the ftrect, 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. Neverthelefs 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 schoolmiftrefs 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 expreffing her hope of feeing me in the pulpit. Nevertheless, for a confiderable time, I wept inceffantly from the time they began to put on my cloaths

cloaths till I was up ftairs in the school. Thus my natu ral temper of fpirit appeared, being timorous and hard to enter on, but eager in the purfuit when once entered.

By the time I was feven years old, I read the Bible, and had delight in reading it; would have read with my fchoolmiftrefs in the winter-nights, when the rest of the children were not prefent; yea, and got the Bible fometimes to the bed with me, and read there. Meanwhile I know nothing induced me to it, but the natural vanity of my mind; and curiofity, as about fome feripture-histories. However, I am thankful, that it was at all made my choice early; and that it hath been the study of my ripeft years, with which I would fain close my life, if it were his will.

Sometime in the year 1684, or at fartheft 1685, I was put to the grammer-fchool, under Mr James Bullerwall fchoolmafter in the town, and continued at it till the harveft 1689, fave that one fummer I was kept at home, while the reft of my clafs were going on in the grammar. When I was very young, going to a neighbour's house, with a halfpenny, or fome fuch reward of divination, in my hand, to a fortune-teller; after entering the outer door, I was fuddenly ftruck in my mind, ftood mufing a little between the doors, durft not go forward, but came ftealing away again. Thus the unfeen Counfellor preferved me from that fnare.

I remember fome things which I was, by hearing or keeing, in perfons come to years, witnefs to, in thefe days, leaving an impreffion on meheir difadvantage. Wherefore care fhould be taken nothing fhould be done or faid, finful or indecent before children; for their memory may retain the fame till they are capable to form a right judgement of it, to the ftaining of the character of the party with them afterward.

By means of my education, and natural difpofition, I was of a fober and harmlefs deportment, and preferved. from the common vices of children in towns. I was at no time what they call a vitious or a roguish boy; neither was I fo addicted to play as to forget my bufinefs; though I was a dexterous player at fuch games as required art and nimblenefs and towards the latter end of this period, having had frequent occafion to fee foldiers exercifed, I had a peculiar faculty at mustering and exercifing my schoolfellows

fellows accordingly, by the feveral words and motions of the exercife of the mufket; they being formed into a body, under a captain. The which exercise I have managed, to as much wearinefs and pain of my breaft, as fometimes I have preached.

During the first years of my being at the grammarfchool, I kept the kirk punctually, where I heard those of the Epifcopal way; that being then the national establishment: but I knew nothing of the matter, fave to give fuit and prefence within the walls of the houfe; living without God in the world, unconcerned about the ftate of my foul, till the year 1687. Toward the latter end of fummer that year, the liberty of confcience being then newly given by King James, my father took me away with him to a Prefbyterian meeting, in the Newton of Whitfome. There I heard the worthy Mr Henry Erskine *, minister of Cornhill before the restoration, mentioned in Calamy's Account of the ejected minifters, vol. 2. p. 518. and in the Continuation of that Account, vol. 2. p. 678. et feqq.; by whofe means it pleased the Lord to awaken me, and bring me under exercise about my foul's ftate; being then going in the twelfth year of my age. After that, I went back to the kirk no more, till the Epifcopalians were turned out and it was the common obfervation in these days, That whenever one turned ferious about his foul's state and cafe, he left them. The which experience in my own cafe, founded my averfion to that way, which hath continued with me all along to this day.

But how blameless and

mlefs foever my life was before the world during my thood, and while I was a boy, whether before or after I was enlightened, the corruption of my nature began very early to fhew and fpread forth itself in me, as the genuine offspring' of fallen Adam. And this, not only in the vanity and ungodliness of the general courfe of my life before I was enlightened, living without God; but in particular branches thereof, which I remember to this day with fhame and confufion before the Lord. And indeed in this period were fome fuch things as I have ever fince looked upon as special blots in my efcutchcon; the which, with others of a later date, I have been wont, in my fecret fafts all along, ftill

This Mr Henry Erskine was father to the late Meff. Ebenezer and Ralph Erkines, whofe praife is in all the churches.

to fet before mine own eyes, for my humiliation, and lay before the Lord, that he may not remember them against ine; though I hope they are pardoned, being wafhed away by the blood of Chrift my Saviour. I remember my grofs and unbecoming thoughts of the glorious, incomprehenfible God; keen hatred of my neighbour, upon difobligations received; and divers loathfome fproutings of the fin which all along hath "moft eafily befet me,' as the particular bias of my corrupt nature. Two fnares I fell into in that period, which have been in a fpecial manner heavy to me, and have occafioned me many bitter reflections; and, I think, they have been after the Lord had begun to deal with my foul, and enlightened me. The one I was caught in, being enticed by another boy to go to Dunfe-law with him on a Lord's day, and, when on the head of the hill, to play pins with him. The other I narrowly escaped, being put into the fnare by the indifcretion of one who then had the management of me: all circumstances favouring the temptation, God alone, by his Spirit, working on my confcience, delivered me as a bird out of the fnare of the fowler. The particular place I well remember, whither after the efcape I went, and wept bitterly, under the defilement I had contracted, in tampering with that temptation. Such is the danger of ill company for young-ones, and of indifcreet management of them. However, that they were the genuine fruits of my corrupt nature I do evidently fee; in that, however bitter both of thefe had been to me, I did fome years after run, of my own accord, into two fnares much of the fame kinds, narrowly alfo efcaping one of them, but fo as it occafioned to me great bitternels.

"Be

"O

Two of Mr Ertkine's firft texts were, John i. 29. "hold the Lamb of God," &c.; and Matth. iii. 7. "generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee," &c. I diftinctly remember, that from this laft he oft-times forewarned of judgements to come on these nations, which E ftill apprehend will come. By thefe, I judge, God fpake to me; however, I know I was touched quickly after the first hearing, wherein I was like one amazed with fome new and ftrange thing.

My loft ftate by nature, and my abfolute need of Chrift, being thus difcovered to me, I was fet to pray in earneft; but remember nothing of that kind I did before, fave what was done at meals, and in my bed. I alfo care

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fully

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