But I suppose not or very little, for these I was borne immediatly afore day the 28 of January and was baptised the sunday was sennet after in the yere of our lord 16[0]9 conjectures are uncertaine for I have knowne those borne on the same day which have bene of con-trary dispotitions. besides it is a qustion whether the constellations or conjuntion of planets at the time of \my/ birth were good or ill or whether that planet did rainge them or no which might as well doe any other day, since this I reading of the nature of things, and of those borne under severall planets, I have \thought/ this to be the worst because some writ they be the end of the 15 yere 16[24] malancoly and evill condishoned, but whether I was borne under this planet or no I desire not to trouble my selfe with seekeing. seeing I have found a most sure refuge, \[with]/ my God who commandeth us to aske and wee shall have. I have often desired that the evill which I am borne to by nature, thou wouldest reforme by thy grace: for thou makest them that conjecture fooles and turnest the wise men backward, and make there knowledge foolishnesse, \Isa 44.25/ Yea Lord thou doest many things which wee can give no reason for. thy wayes are past finding out. \Rom. 11.33/ neither is \it/ fitt for us to plead whether thou makest this vessell to honner or that to disshoner \Rom 9.21/ these tentations which I have bene trobled with I find it the safest way to resist in the conseption but *as for me*it is good for me to or to put my trusthold me fast cleve fast to the Lord my God and to trust in him: \psal 73.28/

I have \[ofte]/ considered \of/ those I suppose the child[ren] of beleeving parents being holy cor. 1.7.14. are the more apt to retaine goodnes when they come to understan it, even as the body with all the orgins thereof are fi[tt]ed to retaine the soule so with an honest and good hart they first heare [thy] word and then keepe it and bring foorth fruite with patiance, first wee have a knowing faith and then an edifying faith which after worketh by love {...} children of beleeving parents (which give them good example) and how through thy grace my God so sanctifying them from the wombe that afterwards when they come to ripper yeares may be illuminated that cleaving to thee they may receve the fruits of thy Spirit which is all joy and peace in beleving. those which have receved this ernest. I asure my selfe are never hartily sad (as David saith) God is my strength and my salvation, and my defence: therefore I shall not much be moved and although some say that the conditions of the soule follow the temper of the body yet it is not alwayes so. for I found by my \selfe/ that mallancholy hath never don me much harme or wrot those strong efects in me as in some of lightsomer dispositions. and yet in respect of those which are without thee my God they have not bine sad for thou doast manifest thin owne worke divers waies as pleaseth \thee/ contrary to nature, for the good and triall of thy Children seeming sometimes to leave \them/ that they may with the more ferventnesse call upon thee, and that they see there owne weaknes and not be proud; as likewise for triall of there faith and obedience, and that there love \to thee/ may be proved. which is best knowne by opposition of tentation which is a greater affliction then any worldly crosse can be to them, though many times they have triall of both, which are oppressions of nature, or as they rightly called sufferings, which for the most part are rather contrary to there nature then proseeding of there nature. considering that when they are for [thou] hast said thou wilt not faile neither for sake us [heb. 13.5] first thine they have that joy which none shall take from them. \john 26.22/*

as I take it in the 18 and 20 [or? 21?] yere Some yeeres after this (as I take it) one or 2 would have told me my fortune as good but I would not know it. though I douted not but they might lawfully tell me yet I feared I should not be the better but rather the worse to know. for I cared not for that superfictiall knowledge but onely for that which might make mee the better for thine owne selfe my God. for I thought none was so happy but have aflictions in this life I therefore feared to heare of that evill which might be as bad or doe me as much hurt in expectation as if it were presant. for I should have been loth to have heard if it could have bene exprest those straits which sence my soule hath bene in. yet through thy mercie my God I count not my selfe the worse but rather much the better. neither did I desire to heare my fortune as altogether good, or prosperous in this world. for then I should have feared to have bene exclued out of the number of thy children or whose lot it is to suffer who have there portion of