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No date. "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee :-in a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee.' Isai. liv. 7, &c.

"O Thou, who knowest I desire to be thy servant, fulfil these gracious promises to me.

"Bless me, even me, O my Father!

"This is the inheritance (or heritage) of the servants of the Lord; and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."

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"Sunday Night, 1732. Read with great comfort the 2nd chapter of St. Peter, 1st epistle: 'Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.' I return with all my soul to thee, O my Saviour! O accept me, and keep me thine for ever, O my God."

[Then follows a discourse on meditation, a paraphrase on the Lord's Prayer, and miscellaneous observations.]

"May 25, 1734. I have renewed my covenant with my God, through his great mercy. O help me, Saviour, to keep it, for thy mercy's sake!"

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Aug. 3, 1734. God has once more brought me to this place, where there are many opportunities of serving him, which there was not at Oh, may I never return without a double portion of his blessed grace! "I have dedicated myself anew to thee, O my God!

I have given thee my soul and body. O claim me for thine own! O let none take me again out of thine hand. I have resolved to make my conversion more useful; at least to endeavour it. To avoid all fierceness, and uncharitable truths. I have resolved, likewise, to spend some time in meditating on what I read."

"Feb. 26, 1737-8. Renewed again my covenant solemnly at the holy table. Resolved to consider every day how I may best serve my master; what he requires of me. O Saviour, help me to keep it so long as thou pleasest to command my service in this world!"

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Sept. 29. Combe. I have renewed my covenant several times here. Resolved to seek more carefully after God! O Saviour, be thou found of me! Perhaps I was therefore sent to this place. Particularly renewed that resolution, to consider every day what my master requires of me."

"London, Sept. 30, 1740. How many resolutions have I made, and how poorly kept them; which was indeed no wonder, for I knew not that thou, O my Saviour, wouldst justify the ungodly! Oh! blessed love! that nothing but misery and vileness should recommend us to thy mercy! With all my soul I believe and embrace this blessed truth. I come vile and ungodly, pleading nothing but the promise; but thou hast died that I might live for ever! Amen! 'Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief."

"London, Jan. 25, 1741. Oh, how wise! Good are all the ways of providence! Surely it plainly says to you: 'See here the good you have chosen! the joy of your heart, the desire of your eyes! has it made you amends for forgetting me or no?' Oh, why should man take such

fatal pains to hew out to himself such broken cisterns, cisterns that can hold no water! But, O Lord, behold, I return unto thee! O receive me. Yes, I know thou wilt thou dost! even though it may, perhaps, be the eleventh hour. Though I have been far from faithful to the grace lately received, yet leave not the blessed work unfinished. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' The small spark I have is thy gift. Thy hand is not shortened. Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.' O let me not forget thee. O let me not hold the truth in unrighteousness. Amen, Lord Jesus."

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"Salisbury, Good Friday, April 12, 1744. Of what infinite importance it is for every Christian to be continually watching! praying against a Laodicean state! What infinite mercy has the blessed Saviour shown to me! How gently has he called me, when I slumbered and slept. It is now about four years since I had such a sense of the remission of sins as delivered me from all fear. I believed in a little measure on the Lord Jesus! He gave me to believe that because he lived I should live also! He came that his sheep might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Since I received this blessed sense first, I never had any painful fear of my state, nor yet any doubt that I had deceived myself, except for a few moments, even though never believed my testimony; never, that I know of, in any degree, strengthened my hands in God! Yet, notwithstanding this great goodness of my blessed Redeemer, I insensibly grew lukewarm. I did not earnestly cry for the second gift, as I had for the first. But he that had begun his work would not leave it unfinished. All love, all glory be unto thee, O my blessed Redeemer, forever. Amen. Hallelujah!

Near a year ago, I was one evening retired into my chamber, with a design to spend some time in private prayer; but before I kneeled down, all at once (without a thought of mine) I had a full clear sense that the Lamb of God had made an atonement for me; that he had made full satisfaction for my sins; so that, were he that moment to appear to judgment, I could stand before him: I saw, I felt (for I know not any better words to use), that the justice of the Almighty Father was satisfied, and that I could even appeal to it! for I could say, 'There is my surety! He hath paid my whole debt!' Hallelujah!”

"Monmouth, Feb. 16, 1751-2. By what a series of strange providences am I at last come hither! Wonderful are thy counsels, O God! Infinite still is thy mercy towards thy unworthy servant; else I should sink all at once; no longer could I possibly bear up under such a weight of sorrow.-Never, in all my afflictions, have my spirits sunk so before, insomuch that I had well nigh given up all my hope. The enemy had very near torn away my shield. But, blessed for ever be the infinite mercy of God! he hath once more lifted up my head! Indeed, he has given me to see, that as I have not been faithful to the grace he gave me before my trial, so neither have I sought to him as I ought in the time of my distress. Yet, notwithstanding all, I humbly trust he has multiplied to pardon. Glory be to thee, O God!

"I have this day renewed my covenant with my blessed Redeemer at his holy table. I hope he will accept my soul and body, to be from this day a holy sacrifice to him. O that thou wouldst bless me with thy love! O give me the power of watching unto prayer! O praise the Lord, my soul, who hath once more raised thee up to taste of his goodness! Trust in him who

hath pardoned thy iniquity. He will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

"Salisbury, Aug. 1754. O how unfaithful have I been -what unsuitable returns have I made to my Saviour's love! Shall I complain of ingratitude from a fellowworm? No, let me rather admire the goodness of God in suffering any of his creatures to show any kindness to me. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled. I am utterly ignorant how it will please God to dispose of me; but O that I may be more faithful to thee, my Saviour, the remainder of my life. O let me not waste my precious time any more in trifles. Lord, save me from my want of love!"

"Salisbury, Aug. 1, 1756. I am utterly astonished at my own amazing ingratitude; at my unparalleled negligence. Once in about three or four years I commence with my own heart! O may I never entertain one thought of any neglect I have met with from a fellowworm, without deeply considering how far more guilty I am myself! Surely the Lord hath spared, when I deserved punishment, and instead of wrath hath shown me great mercy! Indeed, he hath at present called me to give up every friend; for though they are, in the common sense of the word, what we call friends, yet in respect to the cordial tenderness of friendship, they are far from it! My breath is become strange to them! My company they desire not, the less of it the better! Yet this is only the kind desire and gracious voice of my Father, that calls me this way to him. O Lord, I come! I come with all my strength; O receive me, vile as I am! O Saviour, let me lay down the burden of my sin at thy blessed feet!

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