*“Is not this the desire of my soul, O my Saviour? O, give me power; give grace and constancy. For unless thou helpest, all my longings and praying will prove fruitless. But if thou waterest these plants, of thine own right hand’s planting, this grain shall become a great tree, and my soul shall be swallowed up in thee my Lord God!” “Jesus was my comfort, and my joy, my life, and my strength. O, if I had not Jesus for my help, I should be miserable. But since I have thee I am happy in these my afflictions. The lovely smiles of thy countenance, which shine with glory, revive and raise me. O, divine love! What hast thou done for me, a poor sinner! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not his benefits. “O that my soul was loosened from this body, that I might ascend the holy hill of the Lord! My Jesus, when shall I behold Thee face to face! O that this separate wall was broken down, this partition taken away, and that I could even now enter into the celestial courts there to sing everlasting hallelujah’s to my Lord, God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, _Amen_!” CHAPTER X. _Of his temptations, conflicts and various exercises of soul._ IT is a point of wisdom, well worthy our ♦pursuit, to know what in the course of our experience we ought to ascribe to God, to angels, whether good or evil, and to ourselves. How greatly would it contribute to prevent many evil reasonings and self-tormenting consternations? And it is a point of knowledge to which _the children of the kingdom_ do actually attain through faith and prayer. ♦ “pusuit” replaced with “pursuit” The following few particulars, in the course of the experience of this man of God, which are ascribed to the agency of the power of darkness, are (among an infinity of other instances in the world) sufficient proofs of the attempts of those malicious spirits, to _steal and to destroy_, to rob us of the grace of God, and to destroy our souls. Concerning the variety of inward conflicts which he went through, he often took notice that they were greatest on the Lord’s day; and says on the occasion, “Lord I am more afflicted on thy day, than on any other. Thou knowest the cause. If it be the enemy that afflicts me, do thou rebuke him; let him have no power over my body or soul. And O give me thy meek, and long-suffering mind to bear whatsoever burden thou permittest to come upon me.” He observes likewise, When I have most life and power in preaching, then the devil and sin muster all their force, and thrust sore at me. But hitherto God has preserved me both from the great offence, and from misery and dejection.