Kingdome of God, and bring them all under a successive Consideration.

5. G. D. Thinking, what shall be done, relating to the evangelical Affayr, wherein I am concerned as one of the Indian Commissioners, I resolve, not only to promote Prayer for the Success of the Gospel among the Indians, every Time we hold a Meeting, but also more than ever to make it an Article of Prayer in the public Assemblies of Zion, my Omission of it has been blameable.

6. G. D. A Family in my Neighbourhood, are in great Affliction, by a Daughter violently sett upon a Match, to which the Parents are as violently indisposed. They all cast themselves into my Hands to help them; and I will gladly give what Help I can unto them.

7. G. D. There are with me, in common with all the Children of Men, the usual Evacuations of Nature, to be daily attended. I would not only improve the Time which these call for, to form some Thoughts of Piety, wherein I may differ from the Brutes, (which in the Actions themselves I do very little) and this I have usually already done; but I would now more particularly study that the Thoughts I form on these Occasions, may be of some abasing Tendency. The Actions themselves carry Humiliations in them; and a Christian ought alwayes to think humbly of himself, and be full of self-abasing and self-abhorring Reflections. By loathing of himself continually, and Being very sensible of what are his own loathsome Circumstances, a Christian does what is very pleasing to Heaven. My Life (above any Man's) ought to be filled with such Things: and now I contrive certain Spotts of Time, in which I shall be by Nature itself invited unto them.

1. [May 6.] G. D. There is among the Communicants of our church, a Number of exceeding wicked People, and yett such as cannot easily be reached by our Discipline. My Flesh trembles for Fear of God, and I am afraid lest

His Judgments break forth againt the Flock. I will with all possible Agony plead the great Sacrifice for the Congregation; and plead in such a Manner at the Lord's-Table, as may affect the Minds of the whole Church, but especially touch the Consciences of the guilty Sinners in Zion. But I must not ly still. I will study the best Wayes I can, to recover the Wicked out of their Miscarriages, or to remove the accursed Things.

2. G. D. Questions of this Importance putt unto the children every Night; when we are parting from one another with the concluding Devotions; Child, have you sought the Face of God, and read His word, this Day? How have you spent your Time to Day? What Good have you done today? These might produce happy Effects upon the Children.

1

3. G. D. I find a new Kinsman, (Mr. ‘Eμyyvai)1 a Minister of the Gospel in Dublin. I would entertain a serviceable Correspondence with him, and send him such Letters and Packets as may do Services for the Kingdome of God in those Parts of the World.

4. G. D. The Colledge at Connecticut, languishes for Want of a President. I have a Gentleman in my Eye, who, I hope, would prove a Blessing to them. And by my Letters to the Government there, I endeavour to recomend him unto such a Station.

5. G. D. In Conversation with the Representatives of the Town, lett me project and putt them upon projecting, what Services may be done for the Public, in the General Assembly.

6. G. D. Among other Objects of Charity, for whose Releef I am daily contriving, I would particularly be thoughtful on one at Wenham; a Woman under great Necessities, (with her sickly Husband) related unto a wealthy Gentlewoman, who lately died in this Place, and left her Wealth unto Children that are willing to do for the Poor.

1 Hemmingway.

7. G. D. Sometimes I have kind Presents made unto me. I must therein see the Kindness of God. But I would thereby alwayes be drawn to more particular Acknowledgments and Resolutions; and such as may be most agreeably awakened by the Quality of the Presents. I would think, What good Thing should that Man wish, and what good Thing should he do, whom God obliges, by bestowing such Things upon him? And I would alwayes add a Reflection on the Humiliation of my dear JESUS, who wanted such Things, and mett with barbarous Ingratitude from an evil World.

I was willing to make a good Use of much Evil occurring in the World, and especially of the strange Punishments inflicted by God on many Sinners in the World, and most especially of the Things befalling the Sea-farring Tribe; and to warn this Tribe of men in a singular Manner; as also to stir up all Men in their several Capacities to bear due Testimonies against prevailing and outrageous Wickedness. Upon such Intentions, about this Time, I published a Book under this Title; COMPASSIONS CALLED FOR. An Essay, of profitable Reflections on miserable Spectacles. To which is added, A faithful Relation of some late but strange occurrences, that call for an awful and useful Consideration. Especially, the surprising Distresses and Deliverances of a company Lately Shipwreck'd, on a desolate Rock, on the Coast of N. E.1

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12/13 d. 3 m. [May.] Satureday/Lords-Day. This Night I visited Heaven, in a comfortable Vigil.

Herein I beleeved and received the pardoning Mercy of God, and the Blood of my Saviour purchasing my Pardon. I proceeded then to mention certain Desires before the Lord. I pleaded that Word of my admirable Saviour; If yee abide in me, and my Words abide in you, yee shall

1 Printed by B. Green for Eleazer Phillips, 1711. The vessel was the Nottingham Galley, wrecked on Boone Island. The narrative of the shipwreck, obtained from Captain John Dean, a survivor, is appended.

ask what yee will, and it shall be done unto you. I considered the Articles of my Abiding in my dear JESUS, and having his Words abiding in me, and my Heart closed with them. Then I declared, that His Will should be my Will; I would have no Will of my own; I entirely left unto Him, as my Advocate, the Prosecution of what He will, on my behalf. Yett I proceeded then to mention some Things that I should be glad of. Particularly, my Defence from the Floods of the Ungodly that make me afraid. I mention'd several other Desires; and especially this; that the Holy Spirit may fall on my poor Flock, and may do wondrously!

The most agreeable Psalms in the world, are strangely brought unto me in these my Vigils, at my first Opening of the Psalter. The LXXI Psalm this Night, so occurring, afforded me Songs in the Night.

1. [May 13.] G. D. This would I do for my Flock. I would in extraordinary Prayers, and particularly in Vigils, cry to the Lord for a powerful and wonderful Effusion of His Holy Spirit, on my poor People, especially on the young People; that He would breath upon them, with a mighty Operation in His Ordinances, and not withdraw from His Institutions. When they are all asleep, thus would I be watching and praying and weeping to Heaven for them.

2. G. D. When any one of my Children is touched with any Illness, I would make that an Occasion for Admonitions unto all the rest; that they should be thankful to God for their Health, and serve him in the Time of their Health; And that they should be sensible of their being obnoxious to the early Stroke of Death, and pray for Life, but prepare for Death. Who can tell, how far the Lord may sanctify such Admonitions!

3. G. D. There is one become a Preacher in this Town, who has been a false, base, mischievous Tale-bearer and Slanderer. And tho' he has ow'd his Improvement and

Subsistence very much to me, yett he has ingratefully made me an Object of his Calumnies and Injuries. I will endeavour still to treat him with Goodness, and the Wrongs I have suffered from him, shall but suppress and restrain the Character which else I should give of him unto the Neighbourhood.

4. G. D. By writing some agreeable Things to some considerable Men in Holland, particularly in the Universities there, and by sending some Treatises thither, many good Ends may be accomplished, and Services done for the Kingdome of God.

Yea, I would send my Orphano-trophium and some other such Things, with a present of Gold, as far as the lower Saxony, for the use of the University, and the Orphanhouse there.

5. G. D. In the General Society for Reformation, I would move, that a Master of good Pen, would still Note, what is on each Point of Consideration proposed and purposed; and that it be still read over at the next Meeting, and enquired how far tis proceeded in.

6. G. D. Here are some Families, in Pain and Fear (and with extream Reason,) that their Friends abroad are miscarried. I would visit them and comfort them, with pure Religion and undefiled.

7. G. D. Every Present that is made unto me, or mine, I would look upon it, as coming from the Hand of God; immediately pay some Acknowledgment unto Him; and consider, To what special Duty or Service of Religion, should I be by this awakened?

1. [May 20.] G. D. So many Losses abroad at Sea, are multiplied unto my Neighbours, that I must use a fresh Contrivance and Endeavour, to suit their Case in my public Ministry, and make them Gainers by what has befallen them.

2. G. D. My little Son Samuel, has lain all the last