Glimpses of Christian History Presents Pastwords #112: Memoirs of the Life, Time and Writings of the Reverend and Learned Thomas Boston ©2007

BOSTON, THOMAS. Memoirs of the Life, Time, and Writing, of The Reverend and Learned Thomas Boston, A.M. Sometime Minister at Simpkin, afterwards at Etterick. Divided into Twelve Periods. Written by Himself, and addressed to his Children. Now first published from his own Manuscripts. To which are added, Some Original Papers, and Letters to and from the Author. (8 lines) Edinburgh,: J. Bryce, and P. Tait, Glasgow; and G. Keith: J. Buckland, and J. Donaldson, London. MDCCLXXVI. (1776)

Thomas Boston (1677-1732) Scotch Presbyterian divine and voluminous writer. By circulating the Marrow of Modern Divinity among his friends he started the Marrow Controversy. He wrote much and exercised great influence in the Presbyterian Churches of both of Scotland and England. We offer the first edition of Boston's Memoirs, written by himself.

his humour of deserting my ministry, and breaking off from under it, continued from time to time, without any notable stop, till the affair of Closeburn brought it about nine years after. Since that time there has been a remarkable settling among them, in that point: howbeit, even since that time I have had as much of that treatment as will not suffer me to forget where I am. This deserting of my ministry was the more heavy to me, that ordinarily I knew nothing about it from any hand, till after a while, that the parties were gone off, and confirmed in their way; and that few had any consideration of me, in hiring such into their service. This last continues in some measure to this day; though the occasion is not so much now, as before: insomuch that among the first servants my own elder son had, and that by advice or approbation of an elder or elders, was one who would have gone out of the house if I had come into it to visit the family.

Meanwhile Satan raged in stirring up to the sin of uncleanness; so that, by the spring 1709, besides several fornications, there were two adulteries in the parish discovered: and I had heavy work with both. These things often made me look, with a sorrowful heart, on the congregation, as is in case of the church of Corinth, burnt up with the fire of division, and drenched in fleshy abominations.

Feb. 15. My discouragements increase daily among this people, by reason of the divisive temper inflamed by the late fast, so that there are several of them whose face I have not seen since that time. My circumstances are extremely heavy: they seem to have little desire for the gospel: the most weighty truths look as nauseous to them; though if any thing relating to the public fall in, they use to prick up their ears. Some have never come to the ordinance since I came, being led by mere laziness and profane neglect; besides those that were always dissenters from the established church. Those that come, many of them think nothing of staying away several Sabbaths; and when they come, they are generally very uncomfortable. My wonted exercise of conversing with exercised souls is gone; there is no converse but about the division; the practice of godliness is thereby stifled, and burnt up with the fire. The crown is fallen from my head, and I am brought very low! The approaching Sabbath, that sometimes was my delight, is now a terror to me; so that it is my business now, to get my forehead steeled against brass and iron. On Sabbath was fourteen days, I felt the sad effects of giving way to discouragement, and this has put me on my guard. I have sometimes asked myself, Whether, if I had known all that has befallen me here, I would have accepted the call, or not? And I cannot say, I durst have refused. Two things are supporting to me: 1. My clearness as to my call from the Lord, which has not been perplexed by all that I have met with, but still remained as a ground of comfort. 2. An amazing conduct of Providence in preaching the word, whereby I am guided in my ordinary to speak in their case. As, particularly, these two last Sabbaths it fell in my ordinary to lecture the 7th and 8th chapters of the Revelation, where I had occasion to speak largely of schism and division, with the effects thereof. And in this very time Mr. Macmillan was preaching in the bounds. And in my ordinary sermons I find the same conduct of Providence.

On the 22nd of February this year 1708, the first of the aforementioned adulteries was delated [accused]: but the parties were not got convicted, till May 14. During which time, I was with some elders four times on the spot, at Buc-cleugh-shiels; the adulteress alledging a rape by an unknown person. One of these times I preached in the house, on Rev. xx. 12. "And the books were opened," having occasion to baptize a child, but in vain as to her. Her brother, who had deserted on account of the fast aforesaid, left the house in time of the sermon; but returning after, caused set down meat to me, and the elders with me, and urged me to eat, the which also the elders urged: but, though we did need it, I peremptorily refused to eat; so the elders ate not either, and the meat was set up again untasted. As I was about to go away, being alone with him, I told him, it was religion to me, not to eat there, where I had come with my master's message, and he had turned his back on it; and that I caused his meat to be set up again, without being tasted, for a testimony: and so I left him. The man returned afterward, to wait on the ordinances; and some time after, occassionally told me, that that had stuck with him. This is the only instance I remember, of a conviction in that point of deserting the ordinances, made by means of any thing said or done by me for that end, where the party was not some way inclining, before, to return.

After the woman was brought to a confession, the adulterer stiffly denied. Dealing with his conscience, I took one of the twins she had brought forth, and holding it before his face, posed him with his being the father of it. Nevertheless he persisted in the denial, though evidently under consternation, his moisture visibly dried up in the struggle with his conscience. He being removed, I went out, and dealt with him privately: and having observed, that two of his children he had by his wife, had been removed by death, soon after, or about the time, in which, as was alledged, he begot those two adulterous ones, I told him, that it seemed to me, God had written his sin in that his punishment. To which he answered, That indeed he himself thought so; and so confessed. Being called in again, he judicially confessed his guilt of adultery with that woman, and that he was the father of her twins.

That spring, being the first I had in the place, the change of the air appeared, on my body's breaking out in sore boils. For great was the cold and moistness of the air in Etterick, in comparison of that in Simprin.

In April I was a member of the General Assembly. And the oath of abjuration being then imposed by law on those in office in the civil government, there were applications made to ministers, by several persons whom it reached, for their judgement in the point of the lawfulness or unlawfulness thereof: and ministers on that occasion coming in to Edinburgh to the assembly, it was earnestly desired, that the assembly might consider that matter, and give their resolution of the case. But it was waved, and men were left to their own light. This was heavy to me; and thereupon I could not but observe the justice of the dispensation, whereby about four years after, it was brought to ministers own doors. While I was yet at Simprin, I had conversed with a minister from Ireland, who had left that country upon his scrupling to take it: and whereas a neighbouring minister in the English border, having missed the time of taking that oath, and therefore shifting to preach in his own congregation till another occasion of it should offer, wrote to me to preach a day for him, I had no freedom to exchange pulpits for a day with him on that occasion, and so declined it. Now it was brought into Scotland by means of the Union, as several other snares have been.

Having hitherto had a sorry habitation in the old manse, it was this summer razed, and a new one built: I and my family, in the mean time, living in the stable and barn; in the former of which were made a chimney and partition. And there, on Wednesday Aug. 4 about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, was born to me a son, whom, baptized on the 9th day by Mr. John Rutherford minister of Yarrow, I did, after no small struggle with myself, adventure to call Eben-ezer. But it pleased the Lord, that he also was removed from me, dying on the 1st of October. If fell seasonable in our ordinary, that morning he was born, at family-duties, to sing Psal. 1xxii. 11.-14. How to call him, was no small exercise to me. I went to God, and was laid open to his determination in that point. I say it was no small exercise: for when I considered, how that, after the death of Ebeneezer, my soul had often said to the Lord, How will this loss be made up? and my prayer had still been, that God would do so, give me another pillar to set up, and if he would do so, he would determine me thereto by his call; for I always thought I durst not do it without a particular call thereto; and now that God had so far heard my prayer, in giving me another boy, this seemed to call me to set up my pillar again. On the other hand, it racked me to think, What if he die too? To this, the experience I had at the second winter-sacrament, gave a hopeful answer. Then I remembered how this had been reasoned in my own mind after the death of Ebeneezer, and was this same way answered. His mother fell very ill after she was delivered; and my perplexity in this point continued; besides my trouble about her case, which being so very bad, I could not yet send for one to baptize the child. On Friday night, I earnestly entreated of the Lord a token, whereby I might know my duty; and I thought I would take it as a token if his mother recovered; and she did recover on the morrow: and the same day I sent to Yarrow to Mr. Rutherford to come and baptize the child. This recovery, so seasonable, seemed to be speaking, as to the point I was concerned about; yet did my perplexity not remove thereby. Wherefore I asked my own conscience, as before the Lord, whether I durst not, seeing God had so answered my prayers, lest it should be found a mocking of God. Wherefore Eben-ezer I called him; and when I was holding him up, I thought I saw my action was a struggle of faith, against sense, and the stream of Providence, that had run so cross to me and impetuously here. But the clouds did so return after the rain for a long time after that, that I endeavoured to keep loose gripes of him.

Oct. 1. Friday. About two hours before day he died. On the Monday after he fell sick, I thought to spend some time in prayer for his case; but it went not well with me at all. Sitting down, I heavily thought with myself, This would not do. Presently I was called on, and he was very ill. I found at that time his case altered just according to my frame. My wife being scarce of milk, I endeavoured to get a nurse in the Merse, when I was at the sacrament of Simprin the latter end of August; but got none; but had hope of one of two there. That week we should have sent back for that end, was very stormy; so we were diverted, and got one near hand, about seven days before he died. On the Monday before he died, I resolved to spend some time in prayer about his case, which I did in the barn. At first I was very dull, and it was like to go ill with me; but I protested in my heart, that I would not quit it so: and this resoluteness was not without success; for the Lord did indeed loose my bands; and there I renewed my covenant with God, and did solemnly and explicitly covenant for Ebenezer, and in his name accept of the covenant, and of Christ offered in the gospel; and gave him away to the Lord, before angels, and the stones of that house, as witnesses. I cried also for his life, that Ebenezer might live before him, if it were his will. But when, after that exercise, I came into the house, I found, that instead of being better, he was worse. The last two days of his life, the Lord struck him with sore sickness, which at length made me less peremptory for his life. But in the day of distress the solemn covenant was sweet, and my heart was thankful to the Lord that helped me to it. At length the Lord called him away; and while he was drawing his last breaths, he so smiled, that the fight of it made my heart to loup [leap?]. I have read of other instances of this, but never saw another. On the Tuesday or Wednesday before, his sister fell sick of the measles whereof he died, but she escaped. I believe the Lord sent that, as for further trial, so to moderate our sorrow in his case. That the nurse came was good providence; for by her he was supported in his sickness; and that she was got so near hand, and not from the Merse, seemed a design of mercy. When the child was laid in the coffin, his mother kissed his dust. I only lifted the cloth off his face, looked on it, and covered it again, in confidence of seeing that body rise a glorious body. When the nails were driving, I was moved for that I had not kissed that precious dust, which I believed was united to Jesus Christ, as if I had despised it; and I would fain have caused draw the nail again, but, because of one that was present, I restrained, and violented myself. So far as I remember, I was never so much straightened to know why the Lord contended with me, as in this. I could not say, that I was secure as to his life since he was born. I know many things in my heart and life offensive to the Lord; but to pitch on any one thing, so as to say of it, This is the cause, was what I could not get done. Often in that distress, my soul has said to the Lord, 'Thou knowest that I am wicked.' I remember I had more than ordinary freedom with God, to refuse process according to the covenant of works, but that it should be according to the covenant of grace. But I see most plainly, that sovereignty challenges a latitude, to which I must stoop, and be content to follow the Lord in an untrodden path: and this made me with more ease to bury my second Ebenezer than I could do the first. That scripture was very useful to me, "It was in my heart to build a house to the Lord." I learned not to cry, How will the loss be made up? but being now in that matter as a weaned child, desired the loss to be made up by the preference of the Lord. I had ground to think, that I had been too peremptory as to his life in seeking it.

Upon public reading of the act of the commission of the General Assembly, against Mr. John Macmillan and Mr John Macneill, the two preachers of the separation, on the Lord's day, Dec. 12. I preached a sermon from 1 Cor. 1. 10. "Now I beseech you brethren,--that there be no divisions among you," &c. Copies of the sermon, which was directly precisely against the separation, being desired, I having transcribed it, allowed to be given out: and it was one of some use for a time. The original notes, and transcript, are both of them in retentis among my notes.

The year 1709 was to me a year remarkable among many. In the latter end of March, the second adultery was delated [accused], and confessed by the adulteress: but the adulterer was not convicted till September following. Mean while my circumstances in the parish were brought to a pitch of hopefulness, by the Lord's withdrawing supporters from me; that "I might trust in the living God, who raiseth the dead, and calleth things that are not to be as if they were."