Page images
PDF
EPUB

as a bleffed opportunity to exercife patience; to truft in God, and divert my mind from the affliction, by fixing myself in religious exercifes. Alfo, let me comfort inyfelf, that it is the very nature of afflictions to make the heart better; and if I am made better by them, what need I be concerned, however grievous they seem for the prefent?

Friday Afternoon, July 26. To be particularly careful to keep up inviolably, a truft and reliance, ease and entire-reft in God, in all conditions, according to 57th Refolution; for this I have found to be wonderfully advantageous to me.

Monday, July 29. When I am concerned how I fhall perform any thing to public acceptance, to be very careful that I have it very clear to me, that I do what is duty and prudence in the matter.

Wednesday, July 31.-Never in the leaft to feek to hear farcaftical relations of others faults. Never to give credit to any thing faid against others, except there is very plain reason for it; nor to behave in any respect the otherwife for it.

Wednesday, Aug. 7. To efteem as fome advantage, that the duties of religion are difficult, and that many difficulties are fometimes to be gone through in the way. of duty. Religion is the fweeter; and what is gained by labour is abundantly more precious: as a woman loves her child the better for having brought it forth with travail. And even to Chrift Jefus himself, his mediatorial glory, his victory and triumph, his kingdom which he hath obtained; how much more glorious is it, how much more excellent and precious, for his having wrought it out by fuch agonies!

Friday, Aug. 9.-One thing that may be a good help towards thinking profitably in time of vacation is, when I light on a profitable thought, that I can fix my mind on, to follow it as far as poffibly I can to ad

vantage.

[ocr errors]

Sabbath-Day, after meeting, Aug. 11. Refolved always to do that which I fhall wish I had done when

I

I fee others do it. As for inftance, fometimes I argue with myself, that fuch an act of good nature, kindness, forbearance, or forgivenefs, &c. is not my duty, because it will have fuch and fuch confequences; yet, when I fee others do it, then it appears amiable to me, and I wish I had done it; and I fee that none of those feared inconveniencies follow.

Tuesday, Aug. 13. I find it would be very much. to advantage, to be thoroughly acquainted with the fcriptures. When I am reading doctrinal books, or books of controverfy, I can proceed with abundantly more confidence; can fee upon what footing and foundation I ftand.

Thursday, Aug. 29.-The objection my corruptions make against doing whatever my hand finds to do with my might is, that it is a conftant mortification. Let this objection by no means ever prevail.

Monday, Sept. 2.-There is much folly, when I am quite fure I am in the right, and others are pofitive in contradicting me, to enter into a vehement or long debate upon it.

Monday, Sept. 23. I obferve that old men feldom have any advantage of new difcoveries; because they are befide a way of thinking, they have been fo long ufed to. Refolved, if ever I live to years, that I will be impartial to hear the reasons of all pretended difcoveries, and receive them, if rational, how long foever I have been used to another way of thinking.

Thursday, Oct. 18. To follow the example of Mr B-, who, though he meets with great difficulties, yet undertakes them with a fmiling countenance, as though he thought them but little; and speaks of them as if they were very small.

Thursday, Nov. 26. It is a moft evil and pernicious practice in meditations on afflictions, to fit ruminating on the aggravations of the affliction, and reckoning up the evil, dark circumftances thereof, and dwelling long on the dark fide; it doubles and trebles the affliction. And fo when speaking of them together, to

make

make them as bad as we can, and use our eloquence to fet forth our own troubles, and are all the while making new trouble, and feeding and pampering the old ;whereas the contrary practice would ftarve our afflic-tions. If we dwelt on the light fide of things in our thoughts, and extenuated them all that poffibly we could, when fpeaking of them, we fhould think little of them ourfelves; and the affliction would really, in a great measure, vanish away.

Thurfday-Night, Dec. 12. If at any time I am forced to tell others of that wherein I think they are fomething to blame; for the avoiding the important evil that would otherwise enfue, not to tell it to them, fo that there fhall be a probability of their taking it as the effect of little fretting, angry emotions of mind.

Dec. 31. at night Concluded never to suffer nor、 exprefs any angry emotions of mind more or lefs except: the honour of God calls for it, in zeal for him, or to preferve myself from being trampled on.

Wednesday, Jan. 1. 1723-4. Not to spend too much time in thinking even of important and neceffary: worldly bufinefs. To allow every thing its proportion of thought, according to its urgency and importance.

Friday, Jan. 10. [After having wrote confiderable in a fhort-hand, which he ufed when he would have what he wrote, effectually concealed from every body but himself, he notes the following words in round hand], remember to act according to Prov. xii. 23. A prudent man concealeth knowledge."

[ocr errors]

Monday, Feb. 3. Let every thing have the value now, that it will have on a fick-bed: and frequently in my pursuits of whatever kind, let this come into my mind;" how much fhall I value this on my death"bed?"

Wednesday, Feb. 5. Have not in time paft, in my prayers, enough infifted upon the glorifying God in the world, and the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, the profperity of the church, and the good of men. Determined that this objection is without weight, viz.

That

That it is not likely that God will make great alterations in the whole world, and overturnings in kingdoms and nations, only for the prayers of one obfcure perfon, feeing fuch things used to be done in answer to the united, carneft prayers of the whole church and if my prayers fhould have fome influence, it would be but imperceptible and fmall..

Thursday, Feb. 6.. More convinced than ever of the usefulness of a free religious converfation. I find by converfing on natural philofophy, I gain knowledge abundantly faster, and see the reafons of things much clearer than in private ftudy.. Wherefore earneftly to seek at all times for religious converfation; for those that I can with profit and delight, and freedom so converse with.

Sabbath-Day, Feb. 23.-If I act according to my refolution, I fhall defire riches no otherwife than as they are helpful to religion. But this I determine, as what is really evident from many parts of fcripture, that to fallen man they have a greater tendency to hurt religion.

Saturday, May 23. How it comes about I know not; but I have remarked it hitherto, that at those times when I have read the fcripture moft, I have evermore been moft lively, and in the best frame.

Saturday-Night, June 6. This week has been a remarkable week with me with refpect to defpondencies, fears, perplexities, multitudes of cares, and diftraction of mind; being the week I came hither to New-Haven, in order to entrance upon the office of Tutor of the College. I have now abundant reason to · be convinced of the troublesomeness and vexation of the world, and that it never will be another kind of world.

Tuesday, July 7. When I am giving the relation of a thing, to abstain from altering either in the matter or manner of fpeaking, fo much, as that if every one afterward fhould alter as much, it would at last come to be properly falfe.

Tuesday,

Tuesday, Sept. 2. By a fparingnefs in diet, and eating, as much as may be, what is light and eafy of digeftion, I fhall doubtlefs be able to think clearer, and fhall gain time. 1ft, By lengthening out my life. 2dly, Shall need lefs time for digeftion after meals. 3dly, Shall be able to study clofer without wrong to my health. 4thly, Shall need lefs time for fleep. 5thly, Shall feldomer be troubled with the head ache..

Sabbath-Day, Nov. 22. Confidering that by-ftanders always efpy fome faults which we do not fee ourfelves, or at least are not so fully fenfible of: there are many fecret workings of corruption which efcape our fight, and others only are fenfible of: refolved therefore, that I will, if I can by any convenient means, learn what faults others find in me, or what things they fee in me, that appear any way blame-worthy, unlovely, or unbecoming.

SECTION III.

REFLECTION on the foregoing Extracts. ·

HE foregoing Extracts were wrote by Mr Ed

his age, as appears by the dates. This being kept in mind, the judicious reader will make proper allowance for fome things, which may appear a little juvenile, or like a young Chriftian, as to the matter or manner of expreffion; which would not have been found, had it not have been done in early life. Which, indeed, are no blemishes, the whole being taken together as by this it appears more natural, and the ftrength of his refolution and fervour of mind; and his fkill and difcerning in divine things, fo feldom found even in old age, are the more ftriking. And in this view, we fhall be led to admire his confcientious ftri&tnefs, his zeal and painfulness, his experience and judgment in true religion, at fo early an age. For here are not only the

most

« PreviousContinue »