some time, having considered the same, I did offer to subscribe it; though I would willingly have declined the same; mainly, because of that clause in it, reflecting upon the carriage of many good Christians in the west, whose carriage, though I could not approve, yet I would not willingly have concurred in the severity, that was likely to be used in the censuring of them. And accordingly, the Lord was pleased to order my business, so as that I was no more put to it to subscribe the same.

Having, with too much earnestness, sought after my liberty from prison, it was still withheld from me; and all the means I could make use of, both in this place and at London, frustrate. At this, both myself, and some of my relations, did evidence too much impatience and want of submission. And yet, afterwards, the Lord brought about a great part of the thing I was seeking, in another and better way than I did imagine.

For the Lord Chancellor had been much stirred up to oppose me in every thing I sought after, though without a cause, so far as I yet knew; alleging, that he had written to the King's Majesty particularly about me, and until he should know his mind, he would not consent to my liberty, nor to allow me any favour; and so was I, by his means, continued prisoner in the Tolbooth four months, namely, from the 20th day of September to the 17th of January thereafter. And when all my endeavours had failed me, and my difficulties were increased by the coming of the King's Commissioner, who, as I supposed, had been by the Chancellor so fully informed to my prejudice; yet, by him, the Lord was pleased to order the means of my relief from the Tolbooth to the liberty of the city, and so to restrain the Chancellor's preju

dice against me, that when my liberty was moved for in Parliament, he did not oppose it, though, formerly, he would not suffer it to be mentioned in the Committee of Estates. In the consideration of which, I thought there was given to me a very lively check, warning me, not to be so earnest and anxiously perplexed, about the means of my out-get from my present trouble; but to wait on God, who will order what remains of it better than I could wish.

The 3rd of March, 1661, I was seeking of the Lord, for more stayedness of heart to rely on him, not only for the bodily out-get from my bodily restraint, but for the sanctified use of my present case, and that he would save me from making haste,-which the believer does not. Isai. xxviii. 16. For, having been by a [writ,] upon the 9th of February, cited to appear before the Parliament on the 5th of March, for divers matters of treason, as the summons bears; I was, this day, seeking to know the Lord's mind about my appearing, and challenging myself, for not seeking counsel of the Lord, before I made use of means to decline the said citation; with a desire, to submit to him as to the success of these means, and [also as to the success of the] promises made to me by some great men, to prevent my appearing that day;— hoping, if the Lord approve me in declining to appear, he will order it for my good, and, if otherwise, that he will direct and furnish me how to carry myself, and what to say, if I be called there; according to the promise, Matt. x. 18, &c. also see Mark and Luke. Thus, may I be helped to be less anxious and perplexed, in forethinking what to say then and there, if I be called; but wholly in that, to give up myself to God, who has and will order what concerns me here

and hereafter: glory, glory, and praise to his name! for he is faithful and true to all that patiently wait on him.

The 5th of March being come, and the Parliament not sitting that day, I thought it my duty to spend it in private, and, as the Lord would help me, to wait on him, for the having my heart more drawn near him and stayed on him for direction; being some way sensible of the great dulness and deadness of my heart, and of my little profiting under my present exercise: which makes me desire much to fear and tremble before him, lest I may be, through my negligence, in not stirring up myself rightly to improve this present opportunity, deprived of the advantage of laying in provision from the Lord, against the apparently increasing storm of this dreadful day, that seems coming on professors.

How sad has it, sometimes, been to my heart, that so little of the true sense of this is to be found, either with myself, or any else I meet with or can hear tell of! The case of the generality of professors of this time, (against whom, as I conceive, the Lord's controversy mainly is,) in many things, seems like unto that of God's people of old, as it is expressed in Isai. xlii. 24, 25, where he says, "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart." And again, li. 18, &c. "There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand, of all the sons

that she hath brought up. These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted," &c. Also Jer. xii. "I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage;" &c.-" no flesh shall have peace."

I think, sometimes, the words of Baruch, Jer. xlv. from verse 2 to the end, hold forth something like the case of the people of God in this time,-at least, what I find to be the unhappy frame of my own heart, which I fear may also be too much the case of others. Baruch, in a time much like this, when the Lord was so pulling up and casting down, (as he is also now doing,) was more taken up with his private and personal case, than with the public condition of the work and people of God; and therefore was he so sharply taken up and reproved of the Lord, for his thus preferring his private case to the public, and then,-in such a time of desolation and affliction, seeking for great things to himself,

Consider, how he is challenged for what he had said. "Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest." There are three or four things, for which he is here challenged.

First, His impatient bearing the common calamity of the time. To be impatient under affliction, at any time, is wrong; but, most especially, when the Lord's hand is out against his people, and he is overturning all, as it were; then, for any of the godly to be so far from being content to suffer with them, as to be more sensible of their particular case than that of the public; this is wrong, and that which the Lord will reprove.

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Secondly, Some of the great things he seeks here, be these. Freedom from having his sorrow augmented by the addition of grief. Freedom from fainting under his sad condition. And yet, many

times, the Lord will have the grief of his children so to be increased, as that the deliverance shall not come, until they be brought very near,-yea, sometimes, even unto fainting. Psal. xxvii. 13, Psal. Ixi. 2. And therefore, they are not, with Baruch here, too peremptorily to seek to decline this condition; but only to seek grace, so to be borne out, as not to dishonour God by fainting; especially, when the cause [and need] of it is so eminently held forth, as in his time it was, and now is in ours,-when all God's precious interests, yea, piety and religion itself, seems to be at stake.

Thirdly, "I find no rest," says he. He would have been in a quiet, peaceable condition, while God was intending no such thing to his people: this, God reproves him for, and counts it a great thing, sought for himself, which he would not give him, because it is not good for him. Neither must we seek it, or count greatly of it, in such a time. When the Lord intends a general stroke upon a people, as here,—“ I will bring evil upon all flesh,"-then, the godly may not promise themselves exemption; they may, yea, they must suffer with the rest, at least in sympathizing, with the godly especially.

But yet, observe,-" Thy life will I give to thee for a prey," &c.; that is, not only the preservation of his natural life, but a lively frame of spirit,-which is the very life of a believer's soul,-is here promised, in this time of calamity, in all places where he should go. Without this, especially in time of trouble, they