men met together, and practised various athletic exercises, their shouts, which were within my hearing, would throw me into agitations which rendered me very unhappy. But my good friend the thrasher warned me tenderly and solemnly to keep out of the way of temptation, and I was enabled, though with some difficulty, to follow his counsel. As the spring of 1770 came on, the young people of the town, as usual, would meet every evening for youthful exercises. This was especially the case at the wake, or feast; and though I always kept at a distance, yet I found such times very ensnaring to my mind. To avoid this I began a practice, which I continued with great peace. and comfort for several years. Whenever a feast or holiday occurred, instead of sitting at home by myself, I went to a neighbouring village, to visit some Christian friends, and returned when all was over. By this step I was delivered from those mental participations in folly, which had given me so much uneasiness. Thus the seasons of temptation became to me times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.

"In March 1770, I witnessed the baptizing of two young persons, having never seen that ordinance administered before, and was considerably affected by what I saw and heard. The solemn immersion of a person on a profession of faith in Christ, carried such

conviction with it, that I wept like a child on the occasion. The words of the Psalmist, in Psa. cxi. 10. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments, left a deep and abiding impression on my mind. I was fully persuaded that this was the primitive way of baptizing, and that every Christian was bound to attend to this institution of our blessed Lord. About a month after this I was baptized myself, and joined the church at Soham, being then turned of sixteen years of age. "Within a day or two after I had been baptized, as I was riding through the fields, I met a company of young men. One of them especially, on my having passed them, called after me in very abusive language, and cursed me for having been 'dipped.' My heart instantly rose in a way of resentment; but though the fire burned, I held my peace; for before I uttered a word I was checked with this passage, which occurred to my mind, 'In the world ye shall have tribulation.' I wept, and intreated the Lord to pardon me feeling quite willing to bear the ridicule of the wicked, and to go even through great tribulation, if at last I might but enter the kingdom. In this tender frame of mind I rode some miles,

* Mr. John Eve was then pastor of the Baptist church, and Mr. Adam was pastor of the Independent church, in the same place.

thinking of the temptations I might have to encounter. Amongst others, I was aware of the danger of being drawn into any acquaintance with the other sex, which might prove injurious to my spiritual welfare. While poring over these things, and fearful of falling into the snares of youth, I was led to think of that passage, 'In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.' This made me weep for joy; and for forty-five years, I have scarcely entered on any serious engagement without thinking of these words, and entreating divine direction. I have been twice married, and twice settled as the pastor of a church; which were some of the leading ways in which I had to acknowledge the Lord: and in each, when over, I could say, as Psalm cxix. 26. My ways have I declared, and thou heardest me.'

"In reviewing the early years of my life, I see much ignorance, vanity, and folly. I feel the force of Paul's considering the terms carnal and babes in Christ as synonymous. But amidst all my youthful follies and sins, I bless God that I was always kept from any unbecoming freedom with the other sex, or attempting to engage the affections of any female, except with a view to marriage.

"The summer of 1770 was a time of great religious pleasure, I loved my pastor, and all my brethren in the church; and they ex

pressed great affection towards me in return. I esteemed the righteous as the excellent of the earth, in whom was all my delight. Those who knew not Christ, seemed to me almost another species, towards whom I was incapable of attachment. About this time 1 formed an intimacy with a Mr. Joseph Diver, a wise and good man, who had been baptized with me. He was about forty years of age, and had lived many years in a very recluse way, giving himself much to reading and reflection. He had a great delight in searching after truth, which rendered his conversation peculiarly interesting to me; nor was he less devoted to universal practical godliness. I account this connection one of the greatest blessings in my life. Notwithstanding the disparity as to years, we loved each other like David and Jonathan. My life this summer resembled the description given by Dr. Watts:

The day glides swiftly o'er their heads,

Made up of innocence and love;

And soft and silent as the shades,

Their nightly minutes gently move.'

But in the autumn of the same year an unhappy affair occurred in the church, which occasioned a breach between our pastor, Mr. Eve, and the people, which terminated in his leaving them; and what rendered it the more afflicting to me, I was much concerned in it. The case was this: one of the members having

been guilty of drinking to excess, I was oné of the first who knew of it. I immediately went and talked to him, as well as I could, on the evil of his conduct. His answer was, 'He could not keep himself: and that though I bore so hard on him, I was not my own keeper.' At this I felt indignant, considering it as a base excuse. I therefore told him that he could keep himself from such sins as these, and that his way of talking was merely to excuse what was inexcuseable. I knew not what else to say at that time; yet the idea of arrogating to be my own keeper seemed too much. He however, was offended, and told me that I was young, and did not know the deceitfulness of my own heart. Well, I went and told my pastor, who highly commended me, and said, 'We certainly could keep ourselves from open sins. We had no power, (he observed,) to do things spiritually good; but as to outward acts, we had power both to obey the will of God, and to disobey it.'

"The business soon came before the church, and the offender was unanimously excluded: the excuse which he had made, too, was considered by all, I believe, as an aggravation of his offence. But this affair being disposed of, the abstract question, of the power of sinful men to do the will of God, and to keep themselves from sin, was taken up by some of the leading members of the church, amongst whom