The day was clear and pleasant. The morning hour is now so short as to make it difficult for me to do much, but I still effected something on my work. Attended divine service all day and heard Mr. Lunt preach from Hebrews 2. 9. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory 324and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” A discussion of the mystery of the atonement which I cannot exactly understand. Afternoon. Isaiah 40. 18 “To whom then will we liken God? What likeness will ye compare unto him.” I did not feel my usual interest in these discourses and can therefore give little account of them.

Read a Sermon of Sterne’s, a very short one upon the text of 1. Philippians 3. 20. “For our conversation is in Heaven.” The justification of Paul in leaving the Jewish faith to embrace Christianity, by drawing a contrast between the spirit of the doctrines of the latter with those of all false religions. Without holiness no man shall see God, hence is drawn an application to the necessity of a pure heart and good works. I finished today the draft of what I design as the first of my proposed Lectures. Mr. Beale and his son were in this evening for an hour.

A lovely day as I ever knew at this season of the year. I did not spend it very usefully for I was all the morning at the wharf fishing with my Mother and all the afternoon at my House. We had very good sport catching smelts notwithstanding the uncommon mildness of the air. Miss E. C. Adams, Eliz. Dewint and Hannah Miller dined and spent the day here. In the evening, I accompanied some of the ladies to Mr. Beale’s to see them after their loss and on my return sat down to my second Lecture.

Morning pleasant but cool. I went to town and found myself much enveloped in business. Obliged to call at the Athenaeum for books, then to go to the south part of the town for Dividends, then to my House and then to my office to keep Accounts, I had no great leisure to amuse myself in. Indeed as it was I was obliged to leave much undone by the arrival of the usual hour for departure.

Home. Afternoon passed in preparing for the last coating of gravel for my road at the House. This has been hastened by the notice of the departure of one of the men. The weather was growing cooler towards evening. At home where I made some progress in my laborious work. But I begin to feel very little confidence in the success of the labour. Read over much of Parry’s first voyage.1