PAGE 028: CHAPTER I
deposed. The effect of this arbitrary and cruel
measure was, to induce him and a number of his
friends, to think seriously of emigrating to New
England. A vessel was built for the purpose; and
they actually set sail for America: but encountering from the moment of their departure, violent
adverse winds, and being driven back at last, after
a lapse of nearly two months, to the port whence
they had loosed, the design was altogether abandoned. In 1638, he settled in a place called Stranrawer, in Scotland; and for ten years he exercised
his ministry here with great comfort, and some
measure of success. He had not been long in this
place, before some of his parishioners expressed a
wish to be present at his morning family exercises.
To gratify them, as his house could not conveniently
accommodate all who might desire to attend, he
assembled them every morning, in the Church, by
the ringing of the bell, and spent about half an hour
with them in singing, expounding the word of God,
and prayers.
While he retained this interesting charge, he was
several times sent by the General Assembly of the
church of Scotland to visit some vacant parishes
in the North of Ireland, Each missionary tour
occupied three months; and, "for the most part
of all these three months," he says, "I preached
|
PAGE 029: CHAPTER I
every day once, and twice on the Sabbath: the
destitute parishes were many: the hunger of the
people was become great; and the Lord was pleased to furnish otherwise than usually I was wont to
get at home. I came ordinarily the night before to
the place where I was to preach, and commonly
lodged in some religious person's house, where
we were often well refreshed at family exercise:
usually I desired no more before I went to bed,
but to make sure the place of Scripture I was to
preach on the next day. And rising in the morning, I had four or five hours myself alone, either in
a chamber or in the fields; after that we went to
church and then dined, and then rode some five or
six miles more or less to another parish."
From Stranrawer he removed in 1648, to Ancrum,
in Tiviotdale. With the people of this place, he
continued, a number of years, beloved and useful;
but that intolerant spirit of the time, which could
brook no mode of worship — no ministerial services,
not conformed to prelatical rule, at length, procured his banishment, with that of several other eminent ministers, from the kingdom of Great Britain.
In April 1663, he fled to Holland, and settled in
Rotterdam. His wife and two of the children followed him toward the close of the year, but five
children remained in Scotland.
|