Diary of Ralph Josselin (Private Collection)

21.12.1651 (Tuesday 21 December 1651)

document 70006230

Dec: 21. This week the lord was good to us in all our outward mercies, the smallpox does continue very briefly in the town, yet god good in my preservation, our maid was very ill with fear of them, but gods truth was my shield, his faithfulness to preserve me, which I desire to hold out on all occasions. heard ill words of M C. of our society, I shall eye god for him, and call upon him to put on after god, the lord was good to me in preserving me from those evils my heart is prone to, for which I bless him, I trust he will preserve me from every evil work and present me without spot to his father and mine; this day was snowy my heart was very dead in preaching the word, shut up in prayer, the lord make me sensible of my daily deadness and straightness of spirit in calling upon him.