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the Lord was pleased by his word to work such change. I doe
not think1
there were more lively and experienced Christians any
where than were these at that time in Ireland, and that in good
numbers, and many2
of them persons of an good outward condition
in the world. Being but lately brought in, the lively edge was
not yet gone off them, and the perpetuall fear that the bishops
would put away their ministers, made them with great hunger wait
on the ordinances. I have known them that have come severall
myles from their own houses to communions, to the Saturnday
sermon, and spent the whole Saturnday night in severall companies,
sometimes an minister being with them, sometimes themselves
alone in conferrence and prayer, and waited on the publick
ordinances the whole Sabbath, and spent the Sabbath night likewise,
and yet at the Munday sermon3
not troubled with sleepiness, and so have not sleeped till they went home. Because of
their holy and righteous carriage they were generally reverenced
even by the graceles multitude4
they lived among. Some of them
had attained5
such a dexterity of expressing religious purposes by the resemblance of worldly things, that being at feasts in
common inns,6
where were ignorant profane persons, they would,
among themselves, intertain spirituall discourse for ane long time;
and the other professed, that although they spake good English,
they could not understand what they said. In these dayes it was
no great difficultie for ane minister to preach or pray in publick or
private, such was the hunger of the hearers; and it was hard to
judge whether there was more of the Lord's presence in the publick or private meetings.
In August 24, 1631, the Lord was pleased to deliver me from
ane great danger of fire. I lay in ane high chamber of7
ane John Stewart's house, in Ballemeroon; the room was strawed with an
great deall of dry8
sea-bent. I used never, after I was9
asleep, to awaken till the morning; yet that night, about one a cloack, all
**************
1
"That."
2
"Severalls."
3
"Was."
4
"That."
5
"Acquired."
6
"Being at feasts or meals."
7
"A high room in."
8
"Dryed."
9
"Fell."
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PAGE 145
the house being fast asleep, I awakened peaceably, and thought it
had been day, and for ane little space keeped my eyes shut, and
neither heard any noise, nor felt any smell. Within ane while, I
opened myne eyes, and saw the bent burning within two ells of the
bed where I lay: for ane great fire in the room below, the night
before, making ready the meat of the reapers, had fired the mantletree
of the chimney, the end whereof came to1
the room where I lay. The fire was between me and the door of the chamber. I
rose, and took with me my breeches, my Bible, and my watch,
giving my books and any thing else I had for gone, and got out of
the door, and called up those of the house. It pleased the Lord in
ane short space2
they got the fire quenched; whereas, in all
appearance, if I had sleeped ane quarter of ane hour longer, the
fire had seised on the roof of the house, covered only with straw,
and so not only house and goods, but our lives had been consumed.
I got not above ane year's quiet ministrie in Killinshie; for
in harvest 1631, Mr Robert Ecclin, Bishop of Doun, suspended
Mr3
Blair and me for unconformity. But the occasion was,
that the summer before we had both been in Scotland, and had
preached at severall parts, but especially at an communion at the
Shotts, which procured that the Bishops of Scotland, especially
James Law of Glasgow, sent informations against us by one Mr
Henrie Leslie, then Dean of Doun, afterward Bishop of Doun. He
and Sir Richard Boltoun, Lord Chief Barron of Ireland, who used
to come to the assise circuits in the North, stirred up the Bishop
against us; but we were shortly after restored; for we, with Mr
Dumbar, Mr Welsh, Mr Hamilton, and Mr Colwert, went to
Tradath, to Dr4
Usher, called Primat of Armangh, not only
ane learned, but ane godly man, although ane bishop. Thither
came also Sir Andrew Stewart, afterward made Lord Castle-Stewart,
to deal for us. The Primat very cheerfully dealt for us
with the bishop, so as we were at that time restored. But the
**************
1
"Came out in."
2
"Time."
3
"Robert."
4
"James."
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