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and deserted of friends. What was I and my father's house? A poor insufficient creature, taken up with nothing but vanities of all sorts. O what moved a holy God ever to condescend to look upon me, and pass by so many much more worthy than poor undeserving me? O praises be unto thee, O Most High! O that my tongue were employed thro' time in magnifying the holy name of so merciful a God! May not I say that his mereies are over all his other works to me! May not I sit and admire his free love, first in inclining my heart to love him and his people, and in casting my lot amongst the godly, and in bestowing a godly and kind husband upon me when left destitute of father or mother and that he did so care for me, as not to suffer me to enjoy the desires of my heart, but was at pains to hedge in my way with thorns; and his in finite love suffered me not to fit at my ease, enjoying my pleasure in the day of Zion's calamity.
And preparing the way by smaller trials for greater, thou didst, in thine infinite love and wisdom, not at first cast me into the hot test flames of the furnace, left I should not have been able to stand, but in fright faint ed and turned back: but, O praise, praise be to him that inhabits eternity! that con descended so far to me a worm, as sweetly to
