My corruption fometimes prevailed over me; but it put me to the ufing of fecret fafting and prayer; whereunto I was alfo moved by the cafe of the poor, it being one of the years of dearth and fcarcity that the Lord was then contending by year after year. And this I did not that on fuch an occa

without fome fuccefs. Then it was fion I drew up a catalogue of fins, which, with many unknown ones, I had to charge on myfelf; the which hath feveral times been of ufe to me fince: there I had fome Bethels, where I met with God, the remembrance whereof hath many times been useful and refreshful to me, particularly a place under a tree in Kennet orchard, where, Jan. 21. 1697, I vowed the vow, and anointed the pillar. That day was a public faft-day; and the night before, the family being called together, I laid before them the caufes of the faft, and thereto added the fins of the family, which I condefcended on particularly, defiring them to fearch their own hearts for other particulars, in order to our due humiliation. After fermons, going to the Garlet to vifit a fick woman, I was moved, as I paffed by the orchard, to go to prayer there; and being helped of the Lord, I did there folemnly covenant with God under a tree, with two great boughs coming from the root, a little north-weft from a kind of ditch in the eastern part of the orchard.

Though it was heavy to me that I was taken from the fchool of divinity, and fent to Kennet; yet I am convinced God fent me to another school there, in order to prepare me for the work of the gospel, for which he had defigned me for there I learned in fome meafure what it was to have the charge of fouls; and being naturally bathful, timorous, and much fubject to the fear of man, I attained, by what I met with there, to fome boldnefs, and not regarding the perfons of men when out of God's way. There I learned, that God will countenance one in the faithful discharge of his duty, though it be not attended with the defired fuccefs; and that plain dealing will imprefs an awe on the party's confcience, though their corruption ftill rages against him that fo deals with them. It was by means of converfation there that I arrived at a degree of a public fpirit which I had not before; and there I got a leffon of the need of prudent and cautious management, and abridging one's felf of one's liberty, that the weak be not ftumbled, and accefs to edify them be precluded;

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precluded; a leffon I have in my miniftry had a very particular and fingular occafion for.

On the Friday before I left Kennet, it was proposed to me by Meff Turnbull and Buchanan, that I should now enter on trials; and withal, that the elders of Clackmanan being unwilling I fhould go out of the country, it was defired, that I fhould take for myfelf, or allow to be taken for me, a chamber in the town of Clackmannan; and they defired me to give my answer on the Tuesday, and go along to the prefbytery on the Wednesday thereafter. Having taken these things under confideration, I was that fame night almoft refolved to comply with the call of that prefbytery for entering on trials before them. But juft next morning I received a letter from Mr Murray, defiring me to come with all speed, and pafs trials before the preibytery of Penpont; withal fhewing, that if I pleased I might in the mean time keep the fchool of Penpont, it being then vacant. Thus Providence opened a door for my entering into another ftation, and doubled the call thereto. But then I was in doubt, racked betwixt these two, whether to addrefs myfelf to the prefbytery of Stirling or Penpont; which I endeavoured to table before the great Counfellor for his determination. In this fufpenfe, I went, on Wednesday, Feb. 24. to the prefbytery at Stirling, where I obtained their teftimonial, having promifed to return to them if my circumftances would permit. Having spent fome days more in that country, I came to Edinburgh by fea on the 4th of March, having got an edge put on my fpirit for paffing my trials, by the difhonour I heard done to God on the fhore of Leith, where we landed. The cafe is as follows. Sailing by the fhore, I heard fuch curfing, fwearing, &c. as made me to wonder at the patience of God towards finners, and to think I would be very willing to do any thing I could for fuppreffing thefe horrid fins or the like. This was useful to clear me in that point, which was now, and had been, my exercife for a good time.

About this time twelvemonth there came a young gentlewoman to fee my pupil, with her face befpattered with patches; and drawing him to her to falute him, he endeavoured to pull off her patches. She put back his hand, that he could not reach her face: but he pulled a paper out of his pocket, giving an account how the devil. murdered

murdered a gentlewoman for pride, and gave it her; which did much confound her.

me.

While I was at Kennet it was a time of much trouble to me, but a time wherein the Lord was very kind to me. I was helped of God in fome measure to my duty, as has been obferved, and it was that which enraged them against The lady was my great enemy; but profeffed great kindness to me when the spoke to me, or to the ministers of me. One of thofe profane fervants whom I could not induce her to put away, fhe was afterwards obliged to difcharge with difgrace. I have often looked on the Lord's fending me thither, as done in defign to fit me for the work of the miniftry, to which it contributed many ways, as I have already noticed.

At Edinburgh I received my wages, being 100 merks; wrote a letter of excufe to Mr Murray, and another letter to the place whence I had come, bearing my defigu to return thither fhortly. And indeed, when I came to Edinburgh, I was not fully refolved to go home at all; and having writ to my father, I fignified the fame to him, who being, unknown to me, in terms of a fecond marriage, gave me an answer, advifing me to return to Stirling, as I had faid. Howbeit I afterwards faw a neceffity of going home, to procure money for my maintenance, during the time of paffing my trials before the prefbytery of Stirling, being unwilling to accept of the offer of the elders of Clackmannan aforefaid, and the money received not being fufficient for that and other neceflary uses. Accordingly, juft upon that defign, I went home to Dunfe, March 13.; but he who "leads the blind by a

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way they knew not," led me thither on two material defigns hidden to me; namely, the diverting of the marriage, which was unknown to me, and the paffing of my trials there, which I was far from having in view.

The week after I went home, being ftill bent to return to the prefbytery of Stirling, and there being no small hope of getting the money for which I had come, I received another letter from Mr Murray, wherein, having anfwered all my excufes, he ftill infifted on my coming to Penpont to pafs trials. Thus I was again put upon the rack between the two; and not knowing whither to go, I earnestly defired counfei of God, both as to the main thing, and the circumftance of place: and fhewing my fituation to Mr Alexander Colden, then minifter at

Dunfe,

Dunfe, now at Oxnam, he propofed, and perfuaded me, to enter on trials before the united prefbyteries of Dunfe and Churnfide. Confidering the courfe of Providence, and finding myfelf by his propofal freed from the former perplexity, which I could no otherwife get over, I yielded. And certainly it was a kind conduct of Providence that led me to pafs trials in the place of my nativity; though, for that very reafon, it would feem, that it was my native country, I had no thoughts of paffing there : for it was moft for my reputation to pass trials where I was known from my childhood; and befides, it was the more convenient for me in my then circumstances, having my father's houfe to remain in..

Accordingly, on the 23d of March 1697, I being, just the week before, twenty-one years of age complete, Mr Colden went to the prefbytery, fitting at Churnside; and having propofed their taking me on trials, they appointed me a piece of trial on James i. 5. "If any of you lack "wifdom, let him afk of God, that giveth to all men li"berally," &c. and that to be delivered at their next meeting in Dunfe. The which being reported to me by Mr Colden, I addreffed myfelf to that work, kind Providence having, on the Friday after, prepared me a private chamber in my father's houfe, which had been occupied by another when I came home.

On the 2d of April I fpent fome time in fafting and prayer, for the divine affiftance in what I was called to, and was going about; and in the time I found myself helped, in prayer, to particular truft and confidence, that God would actually grant what I fought. The prefbytery meeting at Dunfe on the 6th, I delivered before them a homily on the forefaid text, and was helped of God therein accordingly; and to this day I have a fenfe of the di vine indulgence, determining them to prefcribe me that text which was fo much fuited for my fupport in the difpofition I was in. They appointed me then a common head, De viribus liberi arbitrii circa bonum fpirituale.

I delivered an exegefis on that head, after prayer made, both in Latin, May 11. at Churnfide. Much time being spent ere they called for that piece of trial, I went out a little to revife it: but by the time I had come the length of what I reckoned myself leaft mafter of, I was called to deliver it; but withal, by the kind conduct of Providence, when I was coming on to that part of it, they stopped me..

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I distributed my thefis on that head, and was appointed to exercife and add next prefbytery-day on Jude 15.

On the 1ft of June they met at Dunfe. The day before it was the great fair in that place: but I was earnest with God for his afliftance in the work before me; and was helped of him to feek his help. In the morning before I went to the kirk, I renewed covenant with God in my chamber; and I had much encouragement from the help of the prayers of my godly friends in Clackmannan, who, I trufted, were concerned for me. By a peculiar kind difpofal of Providence, when I went to the pulpit, the precentor, who used to keep an ordinary, was not come : fo, according to my own defire, I pitched on Pfal. xviii. 25.-29. and precented myfelf; and was greatly ftrengthened by the finging thereof. I delivered the exercife and addition on the forefaid text, being well helped of the Lord therein. I have ftill a peculiar remembrance of that part of that pfalm, as occafionally it comes in my way. I admire the indulgence of Providence in that matter; for the precentor fhould have been finging when I went into the pulpit. And withal I have often wondered, how, confidering my temper, I got confidence to give out that pfalm on that occafion: but the obvious difficulty on that head was then, for any thing I know, hid from mine eyes, which were fixed depending on God alone, accor ding to his word. They appointed me a popular fermon on John i. 16. against their next meeting, with the rest of my trials, if I could get them ready.

At Churnfide, June 15. I delivered my popular fermon on the forefaid text, as alfo a chronological difcourfe in Latin; which, with the other difcourfes aforementioned, vare yet in retentis. The fame day, all the rest of my trials, viz. in the languages, and catechetics, were taken; the which laft are now, and have been for many years, taken firft, with more reafon. Thus all my trials being expeded, I was that day licenfed to preach the gofpel, as a probationer for the holy ministry, near about three years from my entering on the ftudy of divinity. And looking on myself as a child of Providence, and confidering the manner of my education, I cannot but obferve the kind conduct of that Providence in carrying me through fundry ftates of life, and parts of the country, in that thort time allotted for me, in the character of a student.

PE