PAGE 152
although she was for personall enduements beyond many of her equalls,
and I got it not till I obtained it by prayer; but thereafter I had
greater1
difficulty to moderat it.
In summer 1635, her mother and she went to Scotland, and I followed,
because on both sides we were to have the consent of friends. In Scotland
we were married in the West Church of Edinburgh by my father, June 23, 1635;
and although some told me some few dayes before that Spotswood, who was then
Chancelor of Scotland, had given order to macers to apprehend me,
our marriage was very solemn, and countenanced with the presence of
ane good number of religious friends, among whom was also the
Earle of Wigton and his son, my Lord Fleeming, in the house of her uncle,
John Fleeming, who did as great ane
duty2
as if she had been his own daughter;
and providences so ordered it, that thereafter at severall times
I was present with him and his eight daughters on their death-bed,
and clearly discerned in them all full evidences of the grace of God.
I was also at the gracious death of her uncle, Mr James, minister at Bathons.
From Edinburgh we went over to Ireland, and remained in her mother s house,
being at the iron-furnace of
Milton,3
some twelve myles from Killinshie,
because there was so little appearance I
might4
continue in my ministrie there; for in November 1635
I was again deposed by Mr Henry Leslie, called Bishop of Doun,
and some while thereafter was excommunicated by his order by one
Mr John Melvine, minister at Doun, and for any
thing5
I know that sentence stands of
theirs,6
in such force as it can have, to this day. But I bless the Lord
the curse causeless hath not light on me; but I have found since
the Lord's blessing on soul and body, on family name and goods.
Yea, when after the rebellion I was sent to Ireland in the year 1642,
that Mr John Melvill was among the first that welcomed me a shoare, and
professed his grief that he had an hand in such an wicked act. Notwithstanding
of the censure of the Bishops, I continued still preaching every Sabbath in my mother's
**************
1
"More."
2
"To her."
3
"Being."
4
"Should."
5
"For ought."
6
"That sentence of theirs stands."
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PAGE 153
house, whether severall resorted, where Mr Blair preached, for he and his wife came and remained also at my mother's house.
This winter, perceiving no appearance of liberty either to preachers
or professors from the bondage of the
prelats,1
ane number of the north of Ireland, and some few out of Scotland,
resolved to transport ourselves to New England:
others of our friends thereafter minded to follow us.
We had got letters from the governour and councill full
of kind invitation and large promises of good accommodation.
We built an ship near Belfast, called The Eagle Wing, of about
150 tunn burden, and were minded to have set out in the spring 1636;
but through the difficulties that use to arise in such undertakings
in preparing the ship and our other accommodations, it was the
September following before we sett sail. We were in all to
goe passengers at that time, the matter of 140 persons,
of whom the chief were Mr Blair, John Stewart, proveist of Aire,
Mr Robert Hamilton, after minister at Ballantrie, Mr John M'Clellan,
after minister at Kirkcudbright, Charles Campbell, John Sommerveill,
Hugh Brown, and severall other single persons and families, among
whom was one Andrew Brown of the paroch of Lern, born deaf and
dumb,2
who had been an very vitious loose man; but when it pleased
the Lord to work an change on severall in that paroch,
an very sensible change was observed in him, not only in
forsaking his former loose courses and company,
but joyning himself to religious people, and all the exercises of
God's worship3
in publick and private; and ordinarly, morn and even,
used to goe alone to prayer, and would weep at sermons,
and by such signs as these that were acquainted with him
understood, would express many things of the
work of God upon his heart; so that, upon his
earnest desire, by the consent of all the
ministers who used to meet at Antrum,
he was at last admitted to the ordinance of the Lord's Supper.
**************
1
"Of prelacie."
2
In reference to this person, Wodrow has the following rubric on the MS.: -
Andrew Brown, deaf and dumb, a Christian.
3
"Both."
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