Sun rose 4:40. in the valley between 2. hills. Set 7.32
Mr
Lunt’s morning text was from 1. Peter 3.4.—[“]the ornament
of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God, of great
price.”—part only of the last clause of the verse— Mr Lunt’s purpose was to bring the principle
pressure of his discourse to bear upon the idea of a meek and quiet
spirit as an ornament of great price in the sight
of God.— In the original Greek this word ornament is not in this verse—
The first six verses of the chapter are addressed espesially to
wives—commanding them in the most unqualified terms to be in subjection
to their husbands; and with out directly interdicting the natural
passion of the sex for ornament directs them to seek it in a meek and
quiet Spirit which he declares to be of great price in the sight of God—
Mr Lunt did not remark that the lesson
taught by the apostle in this case is addressed exclusively to married
women— The Spirit is no doubt equally precious in the sight of God, in
either sex; but as an ornament, is more peculiarly the glory of married
women— Mr Lunt took care not to confound
meekness with meanness or pusillanimity, but said it was perfectly
reconcileable with the spirit of command, of which he gave an example in
the case of Moses— He commented also
largely upon the Picture of the Madonna della
Seggia of Raphael, for the union of exquisite beauty, extreme
simplicity, destitute of all personal ornament, and maternal affection,
all tenderness and love— I have seen some of these sentiments and
opinions before, and Mr Lunt did not
entirely fail to give credit for them— His afternoon text was Luke
17.25. [“]But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this
generation.”— On the progress of Christianity, of the Kingdom of God.
There is variety of memorable matter in this chapter— Among them the
incident of the miraculous cleansing of then lepers, while on his way to
Jerusalem— Upon their appeal to him for Mercy, he only told them to go
and shew themselves unto the Priests. That was the direction of the
Levitical Law— They were all cleansed on their way to the Priests, but
nine out of the ten forgot their benefactor, and one only, and he a
Samaritan, alone returned to give glory to God— As I came out of Meeting
this afternoon, my Son told me
that Harvey Field had informed him
that my woods on Pine hill were on fire; and that the fire had already
covered about 30 acres of the ground— About Sunset, Fuller took Charles and me in the
Carryall, to Charles Spear’s
house. He was out at the Methodist meeting in his neighbourhood. We went
there, and had him called out, and he went with us to the place where we
were told that the fire had been—for it was said to be nearly or quite
extinct. It was not on pine hill but on the adjoining lot of Lawyers
common. I went upon the lot, but it was so dark that I could not trace
the path to the spot where the fire still burnt, but my Son and Charles
Spear did— They thought it confined to the low bough, and stumps of old
fallen trees, and was subdued. Before we returned however we saw the
flame rising from the tops of lofty trees— There is no water in the
woods and no fire engine can reach them. We came home leaving the sequel
to Providence