great use to my own establishment; and if ever it should fall into the hands of any other Christian, it might not be useless, considering, that the work of the Lord in all is, as to the substance, the same and uniform and "as face answers to face," in a glass, so does one Christian's experience answer another's, and both to the word.

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This being the design of this narrative, to give some account of the Lord's work with me, and my way with him, so far as I remember it from my birth to this day, I shall proceed to it.

I CAME into this world, not only under the guilt of that offence, whereby many, nay," all were made sinners," and on account of which "judgment passed upon all men to condemnation;" but, moreover, I brought with me a nature wholly corrupted, a heart "wholly set in me to do evil.” Of this the testimony of God in his word satisfies me. And in this I am strongly confirmed by undoubted experience, which fully convinces me, that from the morning of my days, while under the advantage of gospel light, the inspection of godly parents, and not yet corrupted by custom, the imaginations of my heart, and the tenor of my life, were " evil, only evil, and that continually."

It cannot be expected, that, at so great a distance, I should remember the particulars of the first three or four years of my life: yet I may on the justest grounds presume, that they were filled up with those sins that cleave to children in their infancy. Many of which are not only evil, as they flow from a poi

soned root; "for a corrupt tree will bring forth corrupt fruit;" but do also bear the impress of, and an evident congruity to their corrupt source, and taste strong of that root of bitterness whereon they grow. While we are yet on the breasts, inbred corruption breaks forth; and before we give any tolerable evidence that we are rational, we give full evidence that we are corrupted. We show that we are inclined to evil, by pressing with impatience and eagerness for what is hurtful; and our aversion to good, by refusing with the greatest obstinacy what is fit, proper, and useful to us. At first we are only employed about sensible things; and about them we give the first evidences that our natures are corrupt. And with the first appearances of reason, the corruption of our spirit discovers itself. How early do our actions discover passion, pride, revenge, dissimulation, and sensuality, to be inlaid, as it were, in our very constitution! Any ordinary observer may discern instances innumerable of this sort, very early in children. With these, and the like evils, no doubt, were the first years of my life, of which I remember little, filled up: "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child"—" and we go aside as soon as born, speaking lies.”

In this first period of my life, I had advantages above most. My parents were eminently religious. I was, for the most part, trained up under their eye and inspection. I continually heard the sound of divine truths ringing in my ears, in their instructions; and I had the beauty of the practice of religion continually presented to mine eyes in their walk.

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was by their care kept from ill company that might infect me. By these means, I was restrained from those grosser outbreakings that children often run into, and habituated to a form of religion, and put upon the performance of such outward duties of religion as my years were capable of. Hence it appears, and I now am fully convinced, that the sin I indulged in during this tract of time, is not to be imputed, either as to inclination or actings, merely to contracted custom, or occasional temptations; but it really was the genuine fruit and result of that lamentable bias with which a man, since the fall, is born. Sure the spring must be within, when, notwithstanding all the care taken to keep me from them, I impetuously went on in sinful courses. The Holy Ghost hedged up my way by precepts, example, and discipline; but I broke through all. Surely the springs must be within; and they must be very strong that were able to bear down such powerful fences as were set in its way, by the providence of God, and run with so full a stream, notwithstanding all outward occasions of its increase were, as much as might be, cut off. In this I have a full evidence of a heart naturally estranged from, nay opposite to the Lord: and besides, this deeply aggravates my guilt: "And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early, and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.”

The care of my father during his life, which ended October 1682, and of my mother after his death, though very great, did not change, but only

hide nature, which is indeed often hid, sometimes overcome, but seldom extinguished. Although I cannot remember all the particulars from the fourth or fifth year of my life, yet so far do I remember what the general bent of my heart was from that time. Upon a review, I must confess that it was wholly set against the Lord: "The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to the law of God, nor can it indeed be."

To confirm this, when I now survey the decalogue, and, notwithstanding the great distance, review this portion of my time, I do distinctly remember, and, were it to edification, could condescend upon particular instances of the opposition of my heart to each of its precepts. Whatever influence education may have in moulding what is seen, yet surely "the imaginations of man's heart are evil from his youth up."

True it is, through the influence of the means before mentioned, I did all this while abominate the more gross breaches of all the commands, and dislike open sin. But meanwhile my heart was set upon the less discernible violations of God's holy law. My quarrel was not with sin, but the consequences of it; and the main thing I regarded was the world's opinion of it. Fear of punishment, pride that fears to be ill-thought of, or, at best a natural conscience, enlightened by education, were the only springs of my performances of duty, or abstinence from sin. Prone I was all this while to sin, even of all sorts to which that. age has a tendency, in secret, when I could say, that “no eye

shall see me." They who for credit, or such other inducements, may seem averse to sin, yet will make bold in the dark with the worst sins: "Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth."

Even those things which in my way seemed good and promising, such as a detestation of gross sins, performance of duties, &c. were either purely the effects of the force of custom, a bribe to a natural conscience to hold its peace, a sacrifice to self, a slavish performance of what I took no delight in, to avoid the whip, or sometimes a charm to keep me from danger, which I thought would befal me, and dreaded much if I neglected prayer. Thus my best things dreadfully increased my guilt, being, like the apples of Sodom, fair to look at, promising while untried, but within, full of ashes and noisome matter. “When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months, even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did ye not eat for yourselves?" "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to me; the new-moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting."

Thus the spring of corruption, restrained on the one side, I mean as to open profanity, by the mounds of education, breaks out on the other side in a form of religion, without, nay, plainly opposite to the power of it, which is no less hateful to the