Morning cloudy after the rain but it cleared away before night. I read Basil Hall’s visit to Loo Choo which I think is the most amusing of all his works.1 He has less of the pretension of authorship and more good will to his subject which renders him extremely disposed to flatter. This sooths the pettish irritability of his natural temper and thus puts out of sight all rough and unsightly points.

I attended divine service and heard Mr. Frothingham preach all day, though without the power of clearly fixing my attention. His Texts were first from 1. Thessalonians 5. 14. “Support the weak,” second from 2 Kings 2. 9. “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” I must candidly confess I can say little about the discourses beyond what the Texts suggest. My mind will wander into fancies which are perhaps of very little service to any body.

Read a Sermon of Atterbury 1. Acts 3. “To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” The points discussed were three. 1. Why the Saviour remained forty days with his disciples. 2. Why he appeared only to his friends. 3. What was the employment of his time and consequent purpose of his return. I do not see that Atterbury strengthens the argument materially. When you discuss the motives of the Deity in governing the world, it is very natural, that you should be set afloat upon an unknown Sea. It is sufficient to me that the facts are duly authenticated.

In the evening I went with my Wife to spend the evening at Mrs. Frothingham’s. Mr. and Mrs. Wales with their family were there and a Mr. and Mrs. Clement—She being one of the Phillipses of Andover.2 Dry talk and return home at ten. Wrote some letters.3