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religious person's house, where we were often weel refreshed with
family exercise. Uswally I desyred no more but before I went
to bed to make sure of the place of Scripture I was to speak
on1
the next day; and rising in the morning, I had four or five hours
myself alone, either in ane chamber or in the fields. After that we
went to church, and then dyned, and then rode some four or six
myles, more or less, to ane other paroch. Sometimes there would
be four or five communions in severall parishes in the three
moneths time. I esteemed these visits in Ireland the far best
tyme of all the while I was in GaUoway. After the year 1647 or
1648, the Generall Assembly sent no more
any2
visits to Ireland,
because by that time several godly and able ministers were settled
in severall parts of the North of Ireland.
Dureing my abode in Stranrawer, the neighbouring ministers
with whom I keeped most society, and by whose counsell and company
I profited most, were my brother, M'Clellan at Kirkcudbright,
Mr Robert Hamilton at Ballantree, Mr George Hutcheson
at Calmonell; and in the Presbytery of Stranrawer, Mr Alexander
Turnbull at Kirkmaden, Mr John Dick at Inch, and Mr George
Dick at Glenluce; and in the Presbytrie of Wigton, Mr Andrew
Lauder at Whythorn, and Mr John Park at Mochrum, who also
succeeded at Stranrawer. With all these I have been at their
communions, and most of them have been at communions with us
at Stranrawer.
Period V.
The fifth period of my life I reckon from the time I was settled
in the ministrie at Ancrum to this present, February 1666.
In summer 1648, I had ane call from the paroch of Ancrum, and
ane invitation from the Presbytery of Jedburgh, and a presentation
from the Earle of Lothian, the patron; and, by act of the Generall
**************
1
"On which I was to speak."
2
"For."
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PAGE 169
Assembly that year, was transported thither. I went thither, and
was received by the presbytery. I the rather inclined, because I
found they were generally1
landwart simple people, who for sometime before had not had so much
of the gospell as to despise it. In
the harvest following, I transported my family thither. I found the
transporting very troublesome, being above one hundred myles,
and bad way, and ane numerous
family,2
six children,3
one of them sucking the breast, four or five servants, and some
baggage4
of books and houshold furniture; yet the Lord brought us all
safe5
thither. I dwelt a year or two in ane house of the Earle of
Lothian's till ane house was built for me. The people were tractable,
but very ignorant, and some of them loose in their carriage;
and it was ane long time before any competent number of them
was brought to such a condition as we might adventure to celebrate
the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. But within some time, some
of them began to lay religion to heart.
In the year 1649, the Parliament of Scotland, and the Church
also, had sent commissioners to treat with the king at the Hague
for security to religion and the liberties of the countrey, before his
admission to the exercise of the government. These had returned
without satisfaction, yet the Parliament sent again in the
summer6
1650 the Earle of Castles, the Earle of Lothian, Alexander Brodie
of that Ilk, one of the Lords of Session, Mr George Winram of
Liberton, ane other of the Lords of Session,
Mr7
John Smith,8
Alexander Japhray, to prosecute the foresaid treaty with the king
at Breda. The Commission of the
Church9
chose Mr James Wood
and me, and after that also by my Lord Castles' procurement Mr
George Hutcheson; to us was joyned Cassills and Brodie as ruleing
elders, that in name of the Church we should present and prosecute
their desyres; and because much depended upon that treaty,
I will, out of my own private observations, more fully set doun
the same.
**************
1
"A."
2
"Having."
3
"And."
4
"Loggage."
5
"Safely."
6
"The year."
7
"Sir."
8
"And."
9
"Kirk."
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