the year 1638, when the arm of the Lord was gloriously revealed in
the revival of the work of reformation, and the influences of his grace
poured out upon many through the nation: and yet still his conversation
was strictly moral, and he frequented societies, conversed and prayed
with them, was in the diligent use of means, and in reference to the
public state of religion and reformation, was found, bold and resolute;
in his straits acknowledging the Lord, bringing these his difficulties
before him, to which he thought he got some notable returns; yet upon
all these he himself declared, That if he was then in a state of grace
and salvation, he was not in that state afterwards, for that the whole
of the following work, which, by the Spirit and Word of God, was wrought
on his heart, was founded upon a strong and clear conviction of his
having been at that time out of Christ, notwithstanding all the
forementioned lengths.

What the manner and means of his saving conversion were, we are at a
loss to describe; only we find he was under a very deep and severe
law-work, and that his convictions were very close, particular and
pointed, setting his sin before him; and that during this work, which
was of long continuance, whole clouds of sin were charged home upon him
without end or measure, so that he was brought well nigh to despair,
being then chaplain to the earl of Sutherland, where the work of God
flourished in several souls about that house; and amongst whom the
butler was at the same time under the same law-exercise, and yet the one
did not know of the other; notwithstanding the countess (who was an
eminent Christian), wanted not some discerning of what was a-working
with them both, and particularly with Mr. Hog; as will appear by what
follows:

One time Mr. Hog, sitting alone in his chamber in extreme anguish,
nothing but wrath in his view, a horrible temptation was thrown in like
a thunderbolt, _viz._ Why do you continue under such intolerable
extremity of distress? Put rather an end to a miserable life
immediately. Upon this suggestion, he resented the temptation and the
tempter with indignation; his pen-knife (at which the enemy pointed)
lying well sharpened upon the table, lest the assault should have been
renewed, he rose up and threw it over the window, after which he sat
down and fell a-musing upon the intricacies of this his complicated
distress, and while in the midst of this his terrible whirlpool, the
counte