PAGE 200
NOTE.
The following productions of Livingstone are laid before the Members
of the WODROW SOCIETY, either because they are referred to by himself
in his Life, and are needed to complete it, or because they tend to throw
light on his history and times. Some of them are already well known,
but others, we believe, are now printed for the first time. The title-page
of the "Discourse" will explain why it appears, in some places,
so imperfect.
In some cases, the MSS. were with difficulty decyphered; and in
others, the discrepancies discovered on collation were very considerable.
The chief of these are given in Notes. The various readings
from Mr M'CRIE's MS. are marked, as in the Life, with quotation
commas. Those from another MS. consulted are printed without
commas; while a few have been admitted into the text, distinguished
for the most part by the brackets which enclose them.
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PAGE 201
THE
SUBSTANCE OF A DISCOURSE
HAD
BY MR JOHN LIVINGSTONE,1
&c., &c.
IT may be thought it is not very fitting to detain
you longer, and, for my part, I have little to say
but wbat hath been said; yet because some apprehend
that there is some probability that possibly
this may be the last to us in this place, therefore
we would speak somewhat in reference to it.
We would not know well how to take our leave of you, we
would be sorry to doe it, if we knew how to doe otherwayes. It
may be it is not so near; for it is only in his hand. But some of
our brethren have gotten such peremptory
discharges,2
that they scarce have had leave to salute their people, if it could be gotten
done aright. There are some who have bussiness in the world
that have their testaments made before-hand. It may be we may
meet again, and it may be not. What shall we say to you? We
have been labouring (I speak for my own
particular,3
who am but
**************
1
Wodrow MSS. vol. xviii. 4to, No. 11, collated with Mr M'Crie's MS. and
another in vol. xxvii. 4to, No. 17. See the Life, p. 189
2
Have already gotten peremptory warning.
3
Part.
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