Resolutions.

4. After private devotions in the evening, when going to bed, to ask myself wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better; how I have improved my time; how innocence has been secured, and duties discharged.

5. Never to trifle with a book with which I have no present concern. In applying myself to any book, let me first recollect what I may learn by it, and then beg suitable assistance from God, and let me continually endeavor to make all my studies subservient to practical, religious and ministerial usefulness.

6. To be very careful in the employment of my time, and never to incur unnecessary expenses.

7. Let me endeavor to render myself agreeable and useful to all about me, by a tender, compassionate, friendly behavior, avoiding all trifling stories, foolish jesting and idle chat, (that is unnecessary,) also to endeavor never to speak ill of any person, unless some particular good call for it.

8. To be strictly temperate at meals, to endeavor to see the hand of the Lord in all my comforts, and to exercise gratitude for the same.

9. To endeavor to lift up my heart often to God in the intervals of secret worship, repeating those petitions, which are of the greatest importance.

10. To endeavor to guard against pride and vain glory, remembering how unworthy my past sins have rendered me of the esteem of any good person, much more of God. 11. Never to do any thing out of revenge.

12. Never to speak in narration any thing but the pure and simple verity.

13. Never to speak any thing that is ridiculous or matter of laughter on the Lord's day.

14. Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be. 15. Never to laugh at the faults, follies, and infirmities of others.

16. To keep a catalogue of the particular mercies I may receive, of the sins and infirmities into which I may fall.

The above rules, with some alterations, are taken from those of Doddridge and Edwards."

Let the reader not lightly pass them over, though not

Humiliation.

Weakness.

strictly original, but like our departed friend, ponder them, and appropriate them to himself. Reader, are they not suited to thy case?

The following record seems to have been made on the evening of the same Sabbath :

"Sabbath-day, Dec. 29th, 1811.-I have cause for deep humiliation before God for the sins of this day, especially while at social prayer, so much vain glory and insincerity; was considerably affected, but it did not arise from repentance and sorrow for sin in fact I am not confident what was the cause, but it started tears from my eyes. This also was an occasion of sin. I hope to be enabled and shall endeavor in future to pray at social meetings with more sincerity, and be more solicitous to find acceptance with God than to please man, but my diffidence and corruptions are very disagreeable."

66

Monday, Dec. 30th, at night.—This evening prayed in Mr. Hoge's family; but Oh the coldness, the insincerity of my heart. Oh for a new creation unto holiness, and the shedding abroad of Christ's love in my soul, that I might be enabled to serve him in the beauty of holiness. cious Lord! my corruptions are great, but the work is thine. Oh grant that thy grace may be sufficient for me. I think I can discover my need of Divine assistance more plainly than usual.”

Gra

"Sabbath evening, Jan. 5th, 1812.-I find that my resolutions are as weak as water; without the assistance of God, I cannot lift up my soul to Him with that gratitude which his mercies deserve; in fact, I have not a deep sense of the greatness of his mercy. I find it difficult to exercise selfdenial. I also discover so much corruption and sinfulness in myself, (though I am not sufficiently sensible of it,) and my faith being weak at best, that it sometimes almost forsakes me, I cannot view in a proper light that fulness which is in Christ. Our praying society met this evening. I officiated, but my corruptions and diffidence combined to render me unable to pray with that fixedness of devotion that I ought. Oh for the invigorating and renewing influences of the Holy Spirit to enable me to offer to my God a more acceptable service through Jesus Christ. I think I have

Desire of Sanctification.

discovered more beauty in the Old Testament through the week past than heretofore, and trust that the Lord will enlighten my mind to understand the scriptures, and make them sweet to my soul."

"Sabbath evening, Jan. 19th.-What account shall I give of myself? When corrupt as I am, I discover so many sins and imperfections, how must I appear in the sight of God, and yet how little humbled! My heart is so insensible, so cold, so ungrateful, notwithstanding the distinguishing goodness of God to me! Our society met this evening― my endeavoring to prepare for officiating, together with my diffidence put me out of order; it seems that I cannot humbly rely on the assistance of God. Oh for the influences of the Spirit of grace, to enable me to exercise proper affections towards my God and Redeemer and to worship Him in Spirit and truth-to be enabled sensibly to realize my dependence on Christ and to approach the Father, relying on his merits alone. I was not called on this evening to pray. I think I plainly see that without the sanctifying and invigorating influences of the Holy Spirit, all my resolutions and attempts to live a holy life, are vain."

"Sabbath evening, Jan. 26th.-I think I have a greater desire than usual of being sanctified and enabled to live near the Lord, of being enabled to see the goodness of the Lord to me, and my unworthiness, and to exercise gratitude. Oh my pride, my corruptions and my weakness, how unable am I to do any thing meritorious; even my prayers in the society, and in the family are dreadfully corrupt; when I have a tolerable flow of words, this is an occasion of sin. Spiritual pride is excited and my diffidence, inexperience, and want of love and fear of God and warm affections towards him, render me very unable to perform this duty aright."

"Sabbath evening, Feb. 2d.-No material change has taken place this past week; still is my heart ungrateful, my affections cold, notwithstanding all the multiplied instances of the goodness of God to me. Oh, how hard it is for me to keep my heart in a proper frame throughout the day; when engaged at my studies, I am surrounded with temptations, and do sensibly feel that without the grace of God I shall never be enabled to live spiritually minded, without which there is neither life nor real peace.

Impressions produced by an Earthquake.

But I trust that I shall not despair, though the Lord may delay long, as it is his free mercy alone which I plead. I think I can discover that my diffidence is wearing off in some measure, as I was not so much intimidated this evening while praying in the society, as commonly-but believe there was not much alteration as it respects my heart's engagedness in worship. Oh, when shall I experience the love of Christ shed abroad in my heart."

"Sabbath evening, Feb. 9th.-On Friday morning last at about 4 o'clock, we experienced the shock of an earthquake so violent, that the shaking of the house and beds awoke and alarmed me so much that I rose hastily and ran down stairs-looked up to the heavens-the thought of one day seeing my Saviour come in the clouds immediately occurred to me. I scarcely knew my own feelings. I thought that if I should really see Him coming, that the idea of being separated from Him would be insupportable; yet felt and do feel so much unworthiness that it seems impossible for me to apply his promises to myself and rest upon them. I cannot come to God pleading and relying unreservedly on his atoning blood for pardon and acceptance, though I plead nothing but the free mercy of God, and to be enabled to come in this way. I do not perfectly know my own feelings concerning the matter. I think to-day I felt my inability to believe unreservedly in Christ, and to come in this way more sensibly than ever before, while reading Boston's Four-fold State. I feel my weakness more than my unworthiness. Oh pride, wilt thou never forsake me? What have I to be proud of? But alas! my past sins and present imperfections are or should be sufficient to humble me; but my heart seems insensible, so little delighting in devotion, so cold and ungrateful towards my God and Saviour, and so little concerned with the great interests of eternity. But I endeavor to put my trust in the promises of God, and to wait for the assistance of his grace. Dr. Hoge preached an excellent sermon to-day, and this evening in the society made some very edifying and comforting reflections, and I never saw any man pray equal to him. Oh happy man! he appears to possess the most meekness of any man I ever saw. There was one reflection particularly which appeared to comfort me. It was this: If any person really wishes to go to Heaven,

Boston's Four-fold State.

Scott's Treatise.

and makes use of proper means to get there, we have reason to believe that the mercy of God will be sufficient for him.'"

"Sabbath evening, Feb. 16th.-I think I have lately had a clearer view of the hardness of my heart and my inability to do anything to divine acceptance, and of my absolute dependence on grace to sanctify my nature, to give me a tender heart, heavenly affections, and to preserve me from final impenitency, than usual. My heart seems so surprisingly insensible and cold towards my Almighty Benefactor, so destitute of heavenly affections, so unable to meditate profitably, to realize eternal things; have not as yet been favored with any uncommon views of the fulness of Christ, and am so unable to apply his merits to myself and place all dependence on them; in short, I am completely dependent on the free grace of God to make me a Christian indeed."

"Sabbath evening, Feb. 23d, 1812.—In reading Boston's Four-fold State I have been led to doubt whether or not I have ever experienced a saving change; the hardness and ingratitude of my heart, ignorance of God, of the fulness that is in Jesus Christ, and of my guilt, all these things serve to disquiet me, (though I seem to be strangely inattentive and unimpressed with the vast concerns of eternity.) Though at times the difficulties that lie in the way of becoming a real Christian appear formidable when I feel my inability to do any thing good, yet I endeavor to commit my soul to the Lord, and to wait in the use of appointed means for the accomplishment of his promises to me."

"Tuesday, March 24th.-In reading a treatise of Scott's concerning the nature of repentance, regeneration, &c. my mind was considerably relieved of those disquieting doubts and fears about my spiritual state. The principal cause of my remaining doubts are, the scanty views I have of the odiousness of sin; little hatred of it and little love of holiness; and I fear that I have not sufficiently seen my need of Christ, nor the excellence of his character, and that he is not sufficiently precious to me, and it seems so difficult for me to rely as entirely as I ought on him for salvation and acceptance. On Sunday evening last I had an awful view of the danger of unconverted sinners, and feel very solicitous to be guided in the path of salvation, to be preserved 'from deceiving myself and from being hardened."