October. 29. This week the lord continued his mercy, and goodness to me, and mine in our peace, plenty, and health, my wife somewhat ill but only qualms, and the soreness of my navel not much, and being it becomes me to trust in god, and stay my soul on him unamazedly on him, in variety of conditions, it becomes me now not to distrust him, and indeed inward and outward troubles they are much for the trial of our faith; this week I bestowed some time in the study of Hebrew, vita brevis ars longa, and much time I have and do misspend, and find it hard to redeem the time; the lord good me in keeping me from sins and sorrows that my heart is subject to, and are in and upon others, oh keep my feet in uprightness; the lord in mercy lets me see the vanity of the creature, and in reference to death that gods time is best, and it is never too soon to be with christ, the lord was good and merciful to me in the Sabbath, in the word preached, oh that it might be practised of me and mine, in giving me strength, neither did I much feel the soreness of my belly, and truly lord I may say it was good it should be thus with me, for by this you have let me see my emptiness, and vanity, and made me to ruminate on, and mind my condition, and earnestly to long for thy grace and mercy, yet sins in particular discovered and stirred up indignation, and resolution and watchfulness against them, so that it was good I was afflicted, and trouble was light gentle, and shall be but for a time and this as a kind wind to drive me to god my haven, yet you stir up my faith by it oh I will love thee my god, for you deal mercifully with me,