The general affembly, in the month of May this year, put an end to the process against Mr Wilfon, on the account of his fynodical fermon aforefaid. It came before them by a reference from our fynod; who being bent to find error in the fermon, were, in the fchool-houfe of Kelfo, upon the very point of giving the ftroke, but with great difficulty were got to ftop. In the morning before the reference there was a meeting of a few, whether as a committee of the fynod, or a private meeting for conference, which I rather fufpect, I cannot be pofitive. There proposals were made for ending the affair: and I made them one, tending to peace, without prejudice to truth; which, though coldly received, yet all hopes of its taking were not cut off, till we came to the fynod. But being read there, Mr James Ramfay, minifter of Kelfo, fired upon it; and, as I remember, offered to diffent in cafe it fhould pass: and, on the contrary, he propofed a fevere decifion; against which I was refolved to diffent, in case of its being gone into. So the fynod*, perceiving the affair would go before the general affembly, which way foever they should take, agreed to refer it to them, as it ftood before them ftill entire. At the general affembly, where the proceeding was more wary, Mr Wilfon came off honourably; not one error being fixed on his fermon, notwithstanding all the clamour had been made against it. For his peculiar zeal and faithfulness, his brethren had fhot at him particularly; but his bow abode in ftrength. And the truth is, he was never till that his trial known to them; but it fet him in a clear light, and exceedingly raised his reputation. The publifhing of his trial hath been much defired I was comforted, in feeing the affair brought to fuch an if fue. Howbeit, by my going in to Edinburgh to the af fembly on that account, my proceeding in the effay on the accentuation was again interrupted.

On June 9. I adminiftered the facrament of the fupper. I was much hurried by means of my neceffary abfence from the parish, in May, on account of Mr Wilfon's affair. My wife was in great diftrefs, and I had no help on the fast-day but kind Providence made my work cafy; fo that I got the faft-day's fermons on the Monday, and the action-fermon on Thurfday and Friday. On the

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* Mr Wilfon's fpeech delivered at this meeting is inferted in the Appendiz, No 4.

Friday's

Friday's night, by reafon of the scurvy ftruck out on me, I flept little; on the Saturday's night none at all; which made me very heavy on Sabbath morning. But I remember my great concern was for the efficacy of the word. God mercifully helped me; fo that I minded not my want of fleep during my work, till it was over. Thus my troubles and trials increased; but the hand that laid them on, helped. My wife with much difficulty got out to the table. It was at and after that communion the fermons were preached, which fince that time have been published, under the title of The mystery of Chrift in the form of a fervant. The notion of Chrift's ftate of fervitude, there advanced and improved, I had been led unto by my ftudy on the covenant of grace.

On the 30th, I entered on the fubject of the good fight of faith; being led thereto by my wife's cafe, and indeed much for her caufe. And this was not ended till October 20 *.

July 14. Mr Henry Davidson and I were at the facrament in Penpont. It was the fecond time to him, and but the third to me, though often defired. It was very much against my inclination to go thither, ever fince the first time in the year 1709; but I could not evite it, though I left my wife in great diftrefs. The conduct of holy Providence hath been very strange and myfterious, with refpect to my going to that place all along. All the three times the Lord was with me remarkably in my work there, efpecially on the Saturday the first time, and on the Sabbath afternoon the two laft times. Old notes have ftill been moft blessed, in my cafe, in that place. The first time I had but one fermon ftudied for it, and it was not delivered at all there. The fecond time I had two fermons ftudied, but one of them was new ftudied out of old notes; and that was it the Lord made moft fweet both to them and me. This laft time we had kept a presbyterial faft on the Wednesday before we went thither, on account of a drought altogether extraordinary: and the rain came on that Sabbath we were at Penpont. Several other prefbyteries kept it that fame week, and the Lord heard prayer. Forefecing what I thus had to do, having two free days the week before, I attempted to prepare for Pen

The excellent fermons on this fubject were printed, in 1756, in a volume with other fermons.

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pont;

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pont; but by no means could get any thing for it. Next week I had no time to prepare for it. I was brought to defire of God a meffage for that place, old or new as he pleased: and I was determined to ufe old fermons, and fully fatiffied and eafy therein, as I ufe not to be in fuch a café. My trials on all the three occafions of going thither have been remarkable. The first time, the elder that went with me died there, and I loft my horfe, as above narrated. The fecond time, I remember no notable thing that befel me there but out of my being there at that time rofe the bufinefs of Closeburn, which was a very confiderable trial to me. While I was busy about the notes on the Marrow, Mr Davidson went in my room; and the Lord was with him. But within a mile of Moffat, his horse was some way wounded in the foot, that he went in to Moffat bleeding all along; and with difficulty enough he got to Penpont. He was fo late a-returning next week, that I was in great pain about him, and thinking of going or fending to fee what was the matter. This was occafioned by his horfe's illness. At this time, juft as we were got into Moffat water, I difcerned my horfe crooking. Alighting, I ript his feet, but could fee nothing but a hurt on his heel, which feemed to be an old one, altogether unknown Mr Davidfon fell ill of the gravel at Craigfbeck. But we made forward, loft our way in the hills beyond Moffat, going through moffes, &c. till in our greatest extremity, not knowing what hand to turn to, by kind Providence we faw a lad who fet us on the way. Under night we loft the way again; but at length got to a house, where we were provided of a guide. My horse went crooking all along to Penpont. I industriously forbare to fpeak any thing of my horfe that night, and on the morrow I fpoke of him to a fervant only: and the fervant having taken him away fome miles in the morning, told me he faw nothing ailed him. When we came off on Tuefday, my horfe was perfectly right; but no fooner did Me Davidfon begin to move with his, but two perfons ftanding behind observed his horse to crook, and told him of it. Yet in a little the crook left him; and we arrived fafe at Etterick that night, with much thankfulness to the Lord. On the morrow Mr Davidfon went home, and fell ill of the gravel and I was indifpofed always till the Thursday was eight days after, by which time I had completed my ftudies for the facrament at Maxton, to which I went off

to me.

on the morrow: but notwithstanding of my toil, and a little of a fore throat I got there, I was very well after I came home. If there is any thing in this matter to be attributed to the agency of evil fpirits, or not, I cannot fay ; but be it as it will, I know that nothing can fall out without the fupreme management of my Father; and from his hand I take it, as a deep of holy Providence.

Sept. 5. The writing of the effay on the accentuation of the Hebrew Bible, interrupted by my going to the affembly in May, being again entered to on the 6th of August, was ended this day, being Thurfday, and laid before the Lord with thanksgiving.

Sept. 10. This day I fpent fome time in thanksgiving to the Lord, upon the account of the mercy of that book now ended; and prayer, for a bleffing on it, and that the Lord may find out means, whereby it may become of public ufe, for advancing of fcripture-knowledge; and for fome other particulars in my circumftances, particularly with refpect to my wife's affliction, &c. I had a heartmelting view of the conduct of holy Providence towards poor me, from my childhood even until now. O! how am I deeply indebted to a gracious God preventing me with kindness, and working about me for ends I knew nothing of in the time! I have had much sweetness in the original text and it made me this day to think, how in conceivably fweet muft the perfonal Original of the original text be! how fweet to fee, by the light of glory, the glory of God in the face of Jefus! When I got Crofs's Taghmical Art from Mr Macghie, I knew nothing of the matter: but the Lord gave me fome fweet difcoveries, by means of the accentuation, when he had fo led me to notice it. Holy and wife was that Providence, by which I in vain tried to understand and digeft in order Mr Cross's fyftem; and that kept Walmuth from me till I was begun to write; and that I had nothing of his character nor his books from any body: and Pfeiffer I had not till the year 1720. By this means I was kept free of being preoccupied and impreffed by any body's authority; I was led to truft nothing but as I faw it with my own eyes. While I was making my collections of materials, which I did by reading attentively, and obferving, the facred text, they made me many errands to the throne of grace, finding myfelf travelling as in a pathlefs way, especially in making the obfervations; and being often as in a thicket, where

when

when I had fet down one foot, I knew not where to fet down another. But God, the Father of lights, is in my experience the hearer of prayer. Oft-times was I afraid, that death fhould have prevented me but glory to his name for life continued, for time and opportunity for ftudy allowed, for ftrength to make ufe of that time, and for a blefling on my endeavours therewith made. It is the doing of the Lord, and it is wondrous in my eyes, that he has hid thefe things from many truly wife, and has revealed them to a babe: and I still find the fenfe of this humbles my foul within me, before him; as being thereby made a great debtor: and it fills my heart with love to himself. I fee there is one thing wanting in it, which I defire to wait on the Lord for, if fo be he may be pleafed to difcover it to me, namely, the reason of double accentuation, which I have not yet been able to reach to my fatisfaction. Whatever other wants there be in that effay, towards the perfecting of the knowledge of that fubject, this is a palpable one.

Having now of a long time had a great defire, to tranffate the Hebrew text agreeable to the accentuation, or facred ftigmatology, I fpent fome time in prayer, Oct. 30.. for direction and affiftance in that work; and on the morrow after I began it. Having dipt into that work, it proved at length quite another thing than I at firft defigned. Herein I was employed that winter, and the fpring fol lowing; wherein, having carried it to the 15th chapter of Genefis, tranflating, and writing notes on the tranflation, I left it in

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April 1724; at which time my daughter Alison was taken ill of a fever. That was but fmall progrefs made in fo long a time but afterwards it was much lefs. For my plan was by degrees brought on, ftill more difficult and laborious; and was but carried to its height on the 18th and 19th chapters: and this, in the regrefs on it, made me much new work, towards the beginning of the book. One will hardly have a just notion of the huge toil in toffing lexicons and the Hebrew concordance, for finding out the formal fignifications of the Hebrew words, fet down in the literal tranflation, without one make trial of it himself. But the more hard any thing was to reach, had ufually the greatest fatisfaction and plcafure in it when difcovered; and was in the whole abundantly rewarded.