dwindle and die, and their very life becomes a burden to them. This day, the Lord was pleased, I hope in mercy to my soul, to open the said Scripture to me; and, in some measure, a desire [prevailed], to sit down contentedly under the want of all the aforesaid "great things," if I may but attain to have a daily increase of this good thing, my "life for a prey;"-a more distinct knowledge and observation of, and conformity to the presence and power of Christ, who is the true Life within me.

CHAPTER XII.

1661: ALEXANDER JAFFRAY VISITS SOME PRISONERS IN THE TOLBOOTH; AS, ROBERT TRAIL, JOHN STIRLING, GILBERT HALL, AND ALEXANDER MONCRIEF-HE HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES GUTHRIE, ON “THE CAUSES OF THE LORD'S CONTROVERSY WITH THE LAND"-HIS DESIRES ON BEHALF OF HIS WIFE CHRIST'S VOICE IN THE HEART-THE DUTY AND BENEFIT OF BEING "QUIET," AND NOT REPINING, OR BEING DISMAYED AT THE LORD'S WAY OF EXERCISING THE SOUL-HE OBTAINS ACCESS TO ROBERT MACQUARE, THEN A CLOSE PRISONER FOR HIGH TREASON: HIS CONFERENCES WITH HIM AND OTHER PRISONERS-ON CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD-"3rd JULY, 1661:" THE DANGER OF SETTING UP " DUTIES" IN THE PLACE OF CHRIST-ON KEEPING CLOSE TO CHRIST, THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE, &c.

THE 8th of March, 1661, having been, divers days before this, some way moved and pressed in spirit, to visit some of the prisoners now in the town, I did, at divers times, visit Mr. Robert Traill, and Mr. John Sterling, ministers of Edinburgh, Mr. Gilbert Hall, and Mr. Alexander Moncreife, minister at [Scoonie]; minding, as occasion should offer, to have communicated with them my thoughts of the dangers and duties of this time, and to have heard theirs. But, partly through want of opportunity, and by reason of much darkness, that both they and [I lay un]der, nothing worthy the mentioning, to any purpose, was amongst us. [SEE APPENDIX, NN.]

That day, I went to visit Mr. James Guthrie in the Tolbooth; and resolved, to be more free and plain with him, than I thought safe or convenient to be with any other, which at last I [ventured] to do, laying [open] further my thoughts freely to him. And,

lest he might have been jealous of me, as being under a temptation, because of these times, (seeing my present thoughts of the Lord's controversy with his people, seems to fall in and suit with what the men that are now in power, for their own ends, are acting,) I desired him not so to judge of me, as favouring them or their ends, in what they do: for, I am very confident, God is highly displeased herewith, and will overturn them, and their doings and ends both, if they repent not. But, I desired him to mind a paper, he did see me give in to a meeting of ministers and professors here, in Edinburgh, in October, 1651; containing my judgment and thoughts, of what might be the occasion and cause of the Lord's controversy with his people. The which paper he did well remember. And I told him, that my present thoughts were much the same, that then they were. And the Lord had been ever since, and now was more plainly, making it appear to be so; by having, in a great measure, shaken loose and overturned the national way of [church] government, in its method and way, and all the dependencies of it, as they were formerly, and [as they were] later, in these times, framed and carried on, by the will and inventions of men-as the uttermost height and pitch of reformation, to which the Lord was to have his work brought, in these latter days. In like manner, the national Covenant, and League and Covenant,-which were the great idols of our invention, for carrying on of these things,—the Lord had, these divers years by-gone, in a great measure [shaken ;] by this, testifying so eminently against them, after solemn appealations,-likewise his so dividing and renting them among themselves about them; thereby, as I suppose, very clearly calling to

lay them by, as means not of his appointment, but of their own invention, and that he would no more bless for carrying on [his work]

[Here, at the 103rd page of the second pocket volume, the manuscript once more breaks off:-the only remaining fragment of the Diary, that was discovered, is as follows.] and exercising me with various and manifold dispensations, both of mercy and judgment ;-especially at such a time, I should be thus assaulted and brought sometimes well near to the gates of hell; so that hell itself should not be more terrible and loathsome to me, than some fits of distemper and sad exercise, that it pleased Him to suffer me frequently to be under: [my desire was,] that the Lord would show me, why it is thus, and what he would have me to do in this case. To this purpose, was the desire of my soul laid out to him; with expectation and some hope, that he will make way for my escape from this sad, distressed, and miserable condition, or else enable me to bear it, as becomes a soldier of Jesus Christ, with courage and confidence; knowing that his grace is sufficient for me, and that his strength is made perfect in weakness.

The 17th day of June, 1661, I received a line from my wife; wherein I perceived, and was desiring much to pity, her confused and dark condition, being nothing comforted and less edified by her letter. As I could, I was desiring of the Lord on her behalf, that she may be helped to improve the dispensation, and saved from the sad stroke of being deprived of the right use of it, which would look more sad and judgment-like than any thing she or I have ever yet met with.

The 18th day. Having been, for many days, sadly

M

exercised, by reason of the abounding corruption of a carnal, light, and unstayed mind; this morning, I found the Lord speaking to me, and telling me, that without him, I could do nothing for the helping of myself out of this sad, deserted frame of spirit, that now I am in, and have most frequently been under from my youth up unto this day; which is shortly this-Satan, and his suggestions and allurements to sin, familiarly and frequently admitted into the heart, at his pleasure; so that I could but very little, if at all, in any measure, essay to resist him with success; and, on the other hand, Christ, and all He brings with him, kept at the door, without entry or entertainment, though sometimes longed for and in some sort inquired after. Now, I thought, the Lord's voice was to me this morning, that, as He alone could help me, so his help was only to be found by me, as his voice (being attended to) should be found speaking in the conscience; and that all noises and voices else, speaking there, behoved to be silenced, or his could not be heard.

For clearing up this truth, these particulars were thus made out to me; that there, and only there, he is to be found effectually speaking to and determining every case, and the cure of it.

He is to be seen in his works of creation, in his works of providence, and by the judgments that he executes, and in the Scriptures there is much of him to be seen and learned by a diligent perusal of them; but no life is to be found [merely] by what may be learned from any or all of these. "Search the Scriptures;"-that is a duty, "for they testify of me," says Christ; "but ye MUST come to ME" to get life,—your life is there, even "hid with Christ in God." See John,