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of the English nobility came to my chamber to be informed how
matters went. I had been but ane few dayes there, when Mr
Borthwick came to me,1
and told that the Marqueis of Hamilton
had sent him to me to shew he had overheard the king saying
I was come, but he would endeavour to put a pair of fetters about
my feet. Wherefore, fearing to be waylaid on the post-way, I
bought ane horse, and came home by St Albiins and the Westerway.
I was present at Lanerk and at severall other paroches, when
on ane Sabbath after the forenoon sermon, the Covenant was read
and sworn, and may truely say that in all my life, except one day
in the church2
of Shotts, I never saw such motions from the
Spirit of God; all the people generally and most willingly concurring,
where I have seen above 1000 persons all at once lifting
up their hands, and the tears dropping down from their eyes; so
that through the whole land, except the professed Papists, and
some few, who for base ends adhered to the Prelates, the people
universally entered into the Covenant of God for reformation of
religion, against prelacie and the ceremonies.
Period IV.
The fourth period of my life I reckon from the time I entered
to the ministrie at Stranrawer, till I was transported to Ancrum.
In the end of May 1638, I got letters from the Earle of Cassills
to come to his house of Cassills in reference to ane call to
ane paroch, wherein he had some interest. When I came there,
there came both at one time commissioners from the town of
Stranrawer in Galloway, and from the paroch of Straiton in Carrick,
with ane call to me. I desyred some time to advise, and
because both equally urged me, I proponed we should referr the
matter to the determination of3
six ministers, Mr Blair, Mr Dicksone
**************
1
"My chamber."
2
"At the kirk."
3
"Refer the determination of the matter to."
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Mr Andrew Cant, Mr Alexander Henderson, Mr Samuel
Rutherfoord, and my father; who, by occasion of another meeting,
were all to be in Edinburgh within ane few dayes. My own mind
inclined most to Straiton, because it was an obscure place, and
the people being landwart simple people, were more likely to be
wrought upon by the gospell. But they all having heard both
parties, advised me to hearken to the call of Stranrawer, being ane
throw-fair within four myles of Portpatrick; and so nearer for the
advantage of our people in Ireland. So I was there received by
the Presbytrie the 5th of July 1638, and shortly after transported
my family thither, and I remained in the ministrie of that place
untill harvest 1648, when, by the sentence of the Generall Assembly,
I was transported to Ancrum in Teviotdale. Because I
had some houshold furniture to carry, and the way was far, I put
my family in a boat at Irvine, and put in ane tolerable quantity of
meat and drink. The wind being the first day very fair, and so
we likely to come soon to our port, the boat's company consumed
most of all our provision, so that by ane calme and ane litle contrary wind,
being three dayes at sea, we were ane whole day we
had neither meat nor drink, nor could reach no coast, and my wife
had then an child sucking her breast. Yet it pleased the Lord
we came safe to Lochryen. Some of our friends out of Ireland
came and dwelt at Stranrawer, and at our communions twice in
the year great numbers used to come; at one time 500 persons;
and at one time I baptized towards twenty-eight children brought
out of Ireland.
Providence so ordered it, that I was ane member of the Generall
Assembly of Glasgow in November 1638, which established
the reformation of religion, and of all the rest of the Generall
Assemblies, even till that in the year 1650, except only that of
Aberdeen, 1640. When I came first to Stranrawer, some of the
folk in the town desyred to come to our house to be present at our
family exercise. Therefore I proponed that I would chuse rather
every morning to goe to the church, and so each morning at nine
a'clock the bell rang. We conveened, and after two or three
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