Page:Johnsonian Miscellanies I.djvu/116

 98 Prayers and Meditations.

grant that the life which thou hast so long continued may be no longer wasted in idleness or corrupted by wickedness. Let my future purposes be good, and let not my good purposes be vain. Free me O Lord from vain terrours, and strengthen me in diligent obedience to thy laws. Take not from me thy Holy Spirit, but enable me so to commemorate the death of my Saviour Jesus Christ, that I may be made partaker of his merits, and may finally, for his sake obtain everlasting happiness. Amen.

142.

EASTER SUNDAY, 1781.

I rose after eight, and breakfasted, then went early to church, and before service read the prayer for the Church Militant. I commended my z friends as I have formerly done. I was one of the last that communicated. When I came home I was hindred by Visitants 2, but found time to pray before dinner. God send thy Blessing upon me.

143.

Monday, Apr. 16.

Yesterday at dinner was Mrs. Hall, Mr. Levet, Macbean, Boswel, Allen 3. Time passed in talk after dinner. At seven I went with Mrs. Hall to Church, and came back to tea. At night I had some mental vellications, or revulsions 4. I prayed in my chamber with Frank, and read the first Sunday in the Duty of Man, in which I had till then only looked by com pulsion or by chance 5.

I paid the Pewkeepers.

This day I repeated my prayer, and hope to be heard.

I have, I thank God, received the Sacrament every year at Easter since the death of my poor dear Tetty. I once felt

1 Ante, p. 89. ings, stimulation ; and revulsion as

2 He a second time (post, p. 105) the act of revolving or drawing uses visitants where we should use humours from a remote part of the visitors. >\\.\.post, p. 107, he speaks body. See ante, p. 95, for his 'old of visitors. disease of mind.'

3 For an account of this dinner, see 5 See ante, p. 17, n. i. The Whole Life, iv. 92. Duty of Man is divided into seven-

4 Vellication he defines as twitch- teen Sundays.

some

�� �