whereof 100 had been borrowed money, the reft allotted by him for the portions of two brothers and two fifters ; my eldest brother having long before received another tenement for his portion, and difcharged my father and his heirs. They having alfo charged me with an account of his moveables, which I then poffeffed, or claimed, I took advice about it: and being convinced in my confcience, that their defign was quite befide the intention of the dead; and that, in law and juftice, I had a charge upon them, more than fufficient to balance the fame; I refolved to effay to fatisfy thefe my brothers and fifters, by advancing their money as foon as might be.

In purfuance of which project, I went to Barhill about the harveft; and the child having appeared to grow better at the quarter's end, took my wife along with me. There I received a part of her portion; for which I paid interest to my mother-in-law till the year 1709, at which time he was removed by death: the remains thereof, fome time after that, I received, being in Etterick. But that journey proved a very heavy one, for our trial. By the way thither, my wife fwooned at Danfkin; which feemed to be occafioned by ram's mutton afforded us there to dinner. She recovering, we accomplished our journey. And being in Inzevair [in the parish of Torryburn, Fifefhire], in her fifter's houfe, on a morning the lying abed after I was rifen, dreamed that the faw the child perfect, the natural defect being made up, and extraordinary beautiful. This making impreflion, as it could hardly mifs to do, we returned homeward as foon as conveniently wel could. Arriving at Blacks-mill, about eight or nine miles from home, in a little our hearts were pierced with an account, that our dear child was dead and buried. After which, we came home in great heavinefs; and found, that that very day, and hour of the day, as near as could be judged, wherein my wife had the dream aforefaid, the child had died. Thus it pleafed the Lord, to exercife us with one affliction on the neck of another: and, as i have often experienced, the world's laying their over-load above the burden from the holy fovereign hand; fo it was afterwards found, that one of our acquaintance had very unjustly spoke to the grief of us whom the Lord had wounded.

Being through the intereft of Mr James Ramfay afore faid, and other friends, chofen by the fynod to be their

clerk,

clerk, I entered on that office, at their meeting in October this year; and continued therein till the close of their meeting in April 1711, at which time I did demit. That work was a matter of great weight on several accounts. When I first took the feat among them, and ftood up for to read, being in great confufion, through my natural diffidence and timoroufnefs, I blundered: but recovering myself, with much ado made it out. Upon which occafion, Mr Ramfay did seasonably exprefs his confidence of me notwithstanding. The oath de fideli adminiftratione I declined and they were pleafed to accept of my promife, to ferve them faithfully, and keep their fecrets; which I strictly obferved. It was a work of great labour and painfulness: even the reading of papers was a business of great toil. In time of their federunts, I took short minutes of the substance of their actings, which in the interval of diets I extended the which occafioned my fitting up great part of the night. And their meetings falling in the times of the year wherein I was weakest, I could not have endured, but that they did not last long. After the two firft fynods, being always defirous to do the bufinefs to the beft advantage I could reach, I did of my own proper motion ordinarily make a third copy of the minutes; but this at home, at my leifure. Then the fynod-book was once a-year to be filled up, for the general affembly to vifit it. I often fat in my feat among them, as one wandering in a wilderness, while I obferved the fway of their opinions and reasonings, in order to take up the mind of the court: but, through the divine afliftance, I ordinarily took up, and expreffed, their affairs, fo as to pleafe, and to facilitate their work, And I had a very honourable teftimony, in that point, of my Lord Minto, who had been clerk to the council of Scotland, expreffed on occafion of his being present at the fynod; the which teftimony raised in my heart, admiration of the divine condefcenfion, and thankfulness to my God. When I entered on that office, the fees were 14 d. a-fynod by each minifter; afterward they were advanced to five groats: but, in the year 1703, they raised the fame to half a dollar, being 29 d. And during the time I continued in Simprin, thefe fees were paid very well. By an account of the gain, by that office, kept for the first five years, I find it was better than L. 100 Scots Communibus annis.

.

The fynod meeting at Jedburgh, on Tuesday April 24,

1702, I was obliged, upon that occafion, to leave my wife, having, I think, paffed her reckoning. And by the difpofal of holy Providence, for our farther trial, the fynod continued fitting even on the Thurfday afternoon. They being at length rifen, I took horse that evening; and riding all night, got home about the morning-light: where, by the mercy of God, I found my wife ftill well, though in perplexity. On the Wednesday after, April 29. about the going down of the fun, fhe brought forth her first fon, John, who was baptized on the 1ft day of May, by Mr John Pow minifter at Lennel. In his appearance our hearts were comforted, after the heavy trial in the cafe of his fifter; finding, that our God would "not chide continually, nor keep his anger for ever." And as he was always a proper child, fo he is this day a very stately and pretty man; the which I deem juft to remark, to the praife of our merciful and compaflionate God, who formerly had afflicted us.

Being invited, I affifted at the communion in Morbattle, in the month of June this year. And here began a parti cular friendship between the worthy Mr John Simfon minifter there and me; which lafted till he was removed by death in or about the year 1722. He was a ferious good man; a moft pathetic, zealous, and popular preacher, and withal fubftantial in his fermons; having a moft ready gift; always concerned to gain fouls to Jefus Chrift; bletfed with a great meafure of his Mafter's countenance; and most acceptable to the people. He had a fingular eafinefs and fweetnefs of temper, which continued with him to the laft. He was, in the end of his days, confined for a long time to his bed; in which time, vifiting him, in company with my two friends Meff. Wilfon and Davidson, we found him still lovely and pleafant as before.

The first time I administered the facrament of the Lord's fupper in Simprin, was on the 2d of Auguft that year; and it was done yearly thereafter, while I continued in that place. At that time it was administered in the kirk, there being fermon also without: but I think that was the only time, except in the winter, that it was not celebrated without doors. The Lord was very gracious to me in that work and I have a favoury remembrance of my delivering of that my firft action-fermon on Pfal. xl. 7. "Then faid I, Lo I come." Going out in time of ferving the tables, and finding the meeting without wanting

a minifter, I, under the impreffions of the Lord's goodnefs then upon me, stepped into the tent, and preached a while to them extempore, on Deut. xxxiii. 29. "Happy "art thou, O ifrael: who is like unto thee, O people "faved by the Lord, the fhield of thy help, and who is "the fword of thy excellency !" &c. Mr Simfon aforefaid was one of my affiftants at that time; and we continued our mutual affiftance thereafter for ordinary; only it was once interrupted a little, after the year 1709, as will be noticed in the proper place. And many a good day of that nature we had together, especially at Morbattle.

This was the first year of the reign of Queen Anne, the oath of allegiance to whom I took; but did thereafter often defiderate a due impreffion thereof on my fpirit. I endeavoured, while fhe lived, to keep the fenfe of it on my heart but unto this day I never took another, whether of a public or private nature.

Hitherto we lived in the houfe where I fettled when I 'came to the place: and while there, though I remember not the particular time, I began the evening-lecture in my family, on the chapter read in our ordinary, nightly. And that cuftom I have continued to this day; fave in the Sabbath-nights, of late years at least. When at any time there feemed to be fome occafion of intermitting it, I chofe rather to fay a very little, than quite to let it alone; fearing that one intermiflion thereof, at our ordinary times, might make way for dropping it altogether.

In the end of the year, the winter being begun, we removed into the new manfe, built for me from the foundation, and by that time covered: but little of the wright's work within it was then done; but was a-doing through the winter. The ground whereon it was built, being quite new, we were obliged at firft to ftraw the floor of our bed-chamber with fhavings, which was afterwards laid with deals. This hardship of entering the new houfe, we preferred to fuffering the inconveniencies of the old. Langton's eftate going then from hand to hand, it was not without confiderable difficulty, and expence too, that I got that houfe carried on. Afterward formed a large garden, and built the dike; the which was a work of fome time, trouble, and expence too. And herein alfo was the faying verified, "One foweth, and another reap"eth."

In the month of March following, met the first general affembly in the reign of Q. Anne; of the which affembly I was a member. Seafield being the Queen's Commiffioner, Mr George Meldrum was chofen Moderator, as the man who to him would be moft acceptable. The af ferting of the intrinfic power of the church, was then the great point that fome laboured for; but in vain : it was told them by their brethren, They had it, and what then needed the wafte of an act afferting it? The affembly having fat feveral days, were upon an overture for preventing Proteftants marrying with Papifts: in the time whereof, a whifper beginning about the throne, and a motion. being, I think, made for recommitting the overture; the Commiflioner, rifing from his feat, inftantly diffolved the affembly in her Majefty's name. This having come like a thunder-clap, there were, from all corners of the house, proteftations offered againft it, and for the intrinfic power of the church; with which I joined. But the Moderator, otherwife a moft grave and compofed man, being in as much confufion as a fchool boy when beaten, clofed with prayer; and got away, together with the clerk, fo that nothing was then got marked. This was one of the heaviest days that ever I faw, beholding a vain man trampling on the privileges of Chrift's houfe, and others couching under the burden. And I could not but observe, how Providence rebuked their fhifting the act to affert as above faid, and baffled their design in the choice of the Moderator; never a moderator fince the Revolution to this day, fo far as I can guefs, having been fo ill treated by a Commiffioner. The learned and pious Mr James Brisbane, late minifter of Stirling, a young man at that time as well as I, pulled me down, when offering to join the protesters and the fame very worthy man, many years after, joined not with the representers in the affair of the Marrow; though he had no freedom to go along with the affembly, but was obliged to declare himself in favour of truth, before they fhould close that affair. And I remember, that with respect to this laft cafe, he, in private converfation, faid in his pleafant manner, thereafter, he had fo done, but knew not if he would have full fatisfaction in it, when got home, and reflecting thereon in his clofet. Mean while, the diffolving of that affembly by Seafield, was the occafion of adjusting that matter betwixt the church and state, and fettling it in the manner wherein, I fuppofe, it hath

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