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felf, and much valuing the tolerable performances of his ftudents.

Mr James Murray, minister of Penpont, whose schoolfellow I had been at Dunfe a little while, having engaged me to embrace the grammar-fchool of Penpont, came to the Merse about the harveft, and invited me to go with him, fhewing confiderable encouragement. I could not then go along; but afterwards I made ready for it, and exhausted what remained of my burfe, which was in all L. 80 Scots, in fitting out myfelf. Upon this view, fhewing a minister of the prefbytery, a wife man, that I minded not to defire the burfe again, he bid me faften one foot before I loofed the other: An advice which I had frequent occafion of minding thereafter.

In September, Mr Murray having fent his horfe for me, but withal in a letter fignified his fears of the mifcarrying of that project, but that in that cafe I might have another school; I, not a little troubled at the fudden change, did notwithstanding go to Penpont, in company with the worthy Mr Henry Erikine aforementioned.

There I continued with Mr Murray about a quarter of a year, in fufpenfe with reference to that project: in which time, Mr G. B. minifter of Glencairn, defired me to take the school of that parifh; which I was unwilling to accept. All hope of the fchool of Penpont being at length cut off, and I afhamed to return home, Mr Bwas wrote to, for what was before refufed; and he made return, that he could not be pofitive as to the matter. Under this trial, which I was brought into by precipitant conduct, I was helped in fome meafure to truft God.

After this, Mr Murray being in Edinburgh, Mr B fent for me, and agreed with me to teach the fchool there for 100 merks of falary. Thereafter came to my hand a letter from Mr Murray, defiring me to come in to Edinburgh for a pedagogy provided for me. Whereupon I carneftly dealt with Mr B to quit me, while I was not yet entered; which nevertheless he would by no means agree to.

1696. On the firft day of the new year 1696, being in his houfe, his manner was moft grievous and loathfome to me; fo that I feared I might there come to be hardened from God's fear. On the 9th, much against the grain, I took up the fchool, having never inclined much to that employment, but being quite averfe to it there. I was

kindly and liberally entertained in Mr B-'s houfe, and that freely; but the vanity and untendernefs of his carriage, and of his wife's, I was not able to digeft. He was wont, among other pieces of conduct very unacceptable to me, to go to an alehoufe, taking me along with him, much against my inclination, under pretence of difcourfing with an old gentleman. There we were entertained with warm ale and brandy mixed, and with idle stories; I obtaining by his character not to be preffed to drink. Thefe things made me earneftly to cry unto the Lord, that he would rid and deliver me, and difpofe of me fo as I might be freed from them and their fociety. He was a young man, his wife an old woman: they had no children; and there, I think, was their fnare. Being funk in debt, they left the country at length.

After I had kept the fchool a little while, the Lady Merfington wrote a preffing letter to Mr Murray, that I fhould take the charge of her grandchild Aberlady, as his governor. Whereupon Mr B- was again addreffed to quit me; but could not be prevailed with. I committed the caufe to God, to be by him determined what to do. And confidering that no time of my continuance there had been condefcended on, that the scholars were but few, and that the prefbytery was clear for my going away; and above all contidering that God, according to my earnest prayer, had opened an outgate from the heavy fituation I found myself in, as above faid, I began to queftion, if I could, without fin, let fuch an occafion of riddance from it flip: fo being at length fully determined, I gave up the fchool on the 8th of February, much against Mr B-'s will, having kept it a month. At Candlemas the boys had gifted me about 10 s. Sterling, which I took from them with the ufual civilities, but immediately returned each one his own: so that I had nothing by them.

While I was in that country, I had advantage of converfe with Mr Murray, a learned and holy man; the meeting of which two in a character was not very frequent there; as alfo of Janet Maclaunie, an old, exercifed, godly woman. She obliged me to take from her about half a dollar; which, as a token of that woman's Christian love, I do to this day value more than gold. I remember not but another inftance of that nature, which I thall alfo mention in the due place. I blefs the Lord, who

gave me counsel then and afterwards, to feek and value converfation with ferious Chriftians, in the places where my lot was caft; being confident, I had much advantage thereby towards my preaching of the gospel. But the fmall number of hearers I often faw in the kirk of Penpont, and the thronging away to feparate meetings, kept, I think, by Mr Hepburn, with other things refpecting minifters and people, made a lasting bad impreffion of that country on me. Mean time it was my endeavour to live near God, and I was helped, while there, in fome measure to live by faith. And there it was, that I first of all began to record paffages of my life; the which I did on loofe papers.

Having gone to Edinburgh, in purfuance of the propofal above mentioned, I did on February 18. take the charge of my pupil, Andrew Fletcher of Aberlady, a boy of about nine years of age; whofe father having died young, his mother was married again to Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce of Kennet, in the parish of Clackmannan. The boy being at the high school, with a fervant waiting on him, I waited on the fchool of divinity; which advantageous occafion propofed, had been a great inducement to me to engage in that bufinefs. And there I had a homily on Mark x. 27. delivered March 6. which is in retentis; but to my great difappointment we were removed from Edinburgh to Kennet, whither we came on the morrow after, viz. March 7. and where we continued all along till I parted with him.

At Kennet, my pupil going to the grammar-fchool at Clackmannan, with the fervant attending him, and being of a towardly and tractable difpofition, my business with him was no burden; taking notice of him at home, and fometimes vifiting him in the school. But my business was increased toward the latter end of the year, teaching two boys of Kennet's to read. My pupil died afterward in his youth, while I was at Simprin.

I gave myfelf to my study, kept a correfpondence with the neighbouring minifters, there being an Epifcopal incumbent in the parish when I went thither, and converfed much with fome ferious Chriftians about the place.

Though I was not properly the chaplain of the family, nor had, that I remember, any particular order from the mafter of the family, and neither laird nor lady were at home for a confiderable time after I went thither; yet

finding

finding myself providentially fettled there, in the character I bore, I judged myfelf obliged in confcience to feek the fpiritual good of the family, and to watch over them, and fee to their manners. Accordingly I kept up family-worship, catechised the fervants, preffed the careless to secret prayer, reproved and warned against finful practices, and earneftly endeavoured the reformation of the vitious.

This courfe not having the defired effect on fome, created me a great deal of uneafiness for the most part of the time I was there: the which arofe efpecially from an ill-disposed and incorrigible woman, who was fteward, and fo did of courfe fometimes extend itself to my entertainment; which I bore with, that I might not mix quarrels on my private intereft with thofe I was engaged in for the honour of God. And this principle I have all along, in the course of my miniftry, aimed to walk by.

Mean while the united prefbyteries of Stirling and Dumblane meeting at Tulliallan, a neighbouring parish, June 22. a motion was made to give me a piece of trial; which I refufed: but afterward Mr George Turnbull, a grave learned man, then minister at Alloa, now at Tinninghame, gave me a text, John viii. 32. which I received, declaring it to be without view unto my entering on trials before the prefbytery, being convinced I was not ripe for it. On that text I wrote a difcourfe, and gave it him. Afterward he thewed me, by a letter, what he judged amifs in it; but was pleafed to add, that he obferved a very promifing gift in it. Thereafter Mr Thomas Buchanan, then minifter at Tulliallan, afterward at Dunfermline, gave me another text, viz. Acts xx. 28. on which alfo I wrote a difcourfe, not unfatisfying to him. Both thefe difcourfes are in retentis.

My circumstances continuing uneafy through the means aforefaid, Mr Turnbull did, on the 7th of September, by appointment of the prefbytery, defire me to wait on them, bringing my teftimonials along with me, on defign to enter me on trials. He alfo fpoke to Kennet about my removing out of his family; an opportunity of my going into the family of Colonel Erikine, then governor of Stirling caftie, offering at that time: but Kennet fhewed an unwillingness to part with me; in which I believe he was very ingenuous, being a man that had fome good thing rooted in him. Wherefore, though I inclined to, I could not infift for the removal: but the entering on

trials I was not clear for, and fo could not promise to go to the prefbytery. Howbeit, being afterward perfuaded to go to their meeting, I was minded to do it; but was providentially ftopt.

But on the 23d I waited on them at Stirling, leaving my testimonials at home, of fet purpose. Notwithstanding they appointed me to give in my thoughts on Phil. ii. 12. the following prefbytery-day, producing my testimonials. This I could not undertake, having no freedom to enter on trials as yet; and, I think, I faw them no more till I was going out of the country. But thefe things obliged me to lay that matter to heart, for light from the Lord therein, to know what I was called of him unto.

I had in the fummer reprefented to the lady the carelefs and ungodly lives, curfing and fwearing, of the steward and another fervant, perfifted in after many admonitions; and hinted to her, that it was her duty to reform them; and if they would not be reformed, to difmifs them from her fervice. The anfwer was favourable: but the term drawing near, the gave over the only two common fervants who had any fhew of religion, keeping the reft. This was very grievous to me; I told her the evil, and at large teftified my diflike of that manner of management; and it was received civilly, but prevailed nothing. Mean while I was ftill acceptable to Kennet; who, when again I had an occafion of entering into Colonel Erfkine's family, ftill refused to part with me. But by reafon of his post in the military he was not much at home.

I held on, as new occafions offered, to difcharge my confcience, until I left the family. And though it prevailed not according to my defire; yet, by the good hand of God fencing me, my ftruggle had an awe with it, and was not openly treated with contempt: though their words of me were like fharp fwords, yet to me they were fmooth as butter. I remember, that one Saturday's night they had fet on a fire in the hall for drying their cloaths they had been wafhing, not to be removed till the fabbath was over. Grieved with this as a profanation of the Lord's day, I fpoke to the gentlewoman; who infinuating, that the had not done without orders what she had done, refufed to remove them: whereupon I spoke to the lady, who foon caufed remove the cloaths, and dispose of them otherwife. In like manner, on a Lord's day, word being fent me that my pupil was not going to church that

day,

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