attack the doctrine of the perfon of Chrift, and to overthrow the foundations of Chriftianity. The faid affair being ended at one of the diets, in the following diet was taken in a propofition, calculated by the prefbytery of Auchterarder, for oppofing the erroneous doctrine of Profeffor Simfon, on the occafion of a fufpected young man on trials before them. This propofition, called in derifion the Auchterarder creed, was all at once at that diet judged and condemned; though fome small struggle was made in defence thereof. And poor I was not able to open a mouth before them in that caufe; although I believed the propofition to be truth, howbeit not well worded. It was as follows. It is not found and orthodox to teach, that we must forfake fin, in order to our coming to Christ, and inftating us in covenant with God.' For this, when I came to my chamber, my conscience fmote me grievously; for that I could fpeak in my own caufe, as faid is, but could not speak in the public caufe of truth. And I was obliged yet to speak upon it, and exoner my confcience, when it was out of feafon; that is, upon the reading over of the minute about it, in the following diet. But this was made an useful leffon to me afterward; and gave me fomething to balance my natural diffidence and bafhfulness, and to incite me to fpeak when I faw the caufe of truth call for it. And here, namely, in the condemnation of that propofition, was the beginning of the torrent, that for feveral years after ran, in the public actings of this church, against the doctrine of grace, under the name of Antinomianifm; and is unto this day overflowing. Mean while, at the fame time fitting in the affembly-houfe, and converfing with Mr John Drummond minifter of Crief, one of the brethren of that prefbytery above mentioned, I happened to give him my fenfe of the gofpel-offer, If.lv. 1. Matth. xi. 28. with the reafon thereof; and withal to tell him of the Marrow of modern divinity. Hereupon he, having inquired in the fhops for the faid book, at length got it; and from him Mr James Webfter getting it, was taken therewith; and afterward, Mr Drummond himself being hardly allowed time to read it through, it came into the hands of Mr James Hog minifter of Carnock; and in end was reprinted in the year 1718, with a preface by the faid Mr Hog, dated at Carnock, Dec. 3. 1717. The mentioning of that book in the faid converfation, I had quite forgot; and that these things followed thereupon, Í did not at all know, till about half a score of years after this, that Mr Wilfon my friend, having got the account from Mr Drummond occafionally, did relate it to me. But the publishing of that then obfcure book, at that time, having been fo remarkable in its confequences, and this to the fignal advantage of the truth of the gofpel in this church, I could not but rejoice from my heart in that relation, reckoning it a great honour the Lord had put upon me, that by fuch a beautiful step of providence I had been made the remote occafion thereof. At this time my daughter Alifon, having a trouble in her nofe, got by a fall when a child, for which, of a confiderable time that feason, we had, by advice of a furgeon, washed it by the help of a fyringe; I, in the time of the affembly, having been advised by my wife that the trouble had grown worfe, confulted two furgeons about it. And they, apprehending danger, moved that she should be brought in to Edinburgh to them, for cure. So coming away, I left my fon John in the town indifpofed, and returned home, looking on myfelf as a candle burning at both ends, confidering my fon's cafe behind me, and my daughter's before me; but labouring to encourage myself in the Lord. On the 26th of May, I had advice that my fon was fick of the measles. The 29th was prefixed for carrying in Alison, for the end forefaid: but the Lord mercifully broke that appointment, by my wife's becoming unfit for travel, the night before; and on the day appointed there was an extraordinary fall of rain. Then that day eight days was prefixed for the effect forefaid: but on the intervening Saturday, after fome time spent in prayer that morning, my wife and I fitting together in the garden, were furprised to hear by the fervant, that fomething had fallen out of the child's nofe. The fame being taken up, and brought to us, was found to be a piece of the cartilage, and to fmell very rank: but there was no rank fmell in the nofe any more, nor yet any wound; but as the deliverance came in an inftant, it was perfect too, and most seasonable. My fon, having been fent for, came home in health on the Wednesday after; which was the day that had been determined for carrying in my daughter. This was a furprising deliverance in a cafe appearing very hopeless, and was wonderful in our eyes. O the wifdom and goodness that appeared in it, and in timing it and and my wife's indifpofition, and in making the rain to come on that day, whereby our purpose was broken! This was a moft fignal piece of the conduct of Providence towards me, of a moft diffufive usefulness in point of practice, however it has been improved. Being called to exercife the laft Sabbath night I was in Edinburgh, I had prepared to fpeak on Gen. v. 24. "And "Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took "him." Betwixt fermons I got notice, that I behoved to have that exercise in another house than had been defigned, the family of that other house having received that morning the news of a fon dead abroad. The fuitablenefs of the text to that unexpected occafion, was worth obferving: he leads the blind in the way they knew not. The affair of Clofeburn coming again before the prefbytery, they refused the tranfportation. The purfuers appealed to the fynod, which met at Kelfo on the 18th of June, and fat but one day. I went thither, fecure that the fynod would refer it to the commiffion, and that I would not need to fpeak much on the bufinefs. When I came there, my meafures were quite altered by means of my best friends, who judged it neceffary that the fynod fhould come to a sentence, and that I fhould speak very fully. The purfuers were moft vigorous in their management, which obliged me to produce what I thought to have kept up till the commiffion. So I told the fynod plainly, that it was not only contrary to my inclination, but to my light; and that unless my confcience were con vinced, I could not comply, and mere human authority would not do it. The fynod refufed it alfo, and fo the purfuers appealed to the commiffion. I found myself at a great lofs, in point of confidence in prayer for light and furniture for fpeaking before the fynod: having thought there would be little need of fpeaking there, I had been very little concerned to prepare for it, and now there remained no competent time for it. But in the very little time I had, I endeavoured to fix my confidence in the Lord, notwithstanding my former fecurity, making free grace my refuge, labouring to believe his grace fhould be fufficient for my through bearing, as if I had been at all pains before. Here I faw the advantage of my heart's being impreffed with the doctrine of free grace; whereas had I been in fetters that way, I would here have had no way to have fettled my heart in the faith of the promise. After the fynod was over, fome of the members feemed to intimate intimate to me, that I would certainly be transported by the commiffion. This damped me exceedingly, judging them to be fuch as might know the minds of the leading men there and this damp continued long with me at home. July 13. This day having spent fome time in prayer about the affair of Closeburn, I found my heart was much quieted, in that I was conscious to myself, that, whatever my averfion thereto is, I would be ready to put the knife to the throat of my inclinations, if the Lord fhould difcover his mind in favour thereof, though no fuch thing as yet appears. I found also a serious concern in my fpirit to be guided of the Lord in it; even of him who leads the blind in the way they know not, and to whom all his works are known from the beginning; feeing myself in hazard of falling into fome piece of mifmanagement that afterwards may prove a fnare. And for this in particular I put myself in the Lord's hand. On Thurfday Aug. 15. the affair of Clofeburn came before the commiflion, for final decifion. Much dealing there was with the members, by both parties. The fpeat ran high for the transportation, when we came to town; but by dealing with members it was fomewhat abated. Advocates were employed on both fides: but after reading of papers, and hearing of parties and their counfel on both fides, when we were to be removed, I did with great affection, being in deep concern, deliver before them, from a paper I had prepared, befides my anfwers to the reafons of tranfportations, a fpeech, the tenor whereof, as setting my cafe and circumstances in due light, here follows. • Moderator, It is with the utmost concern I fee myself fifted before the Rev. Commiffion of the General Affembly, in a procefs for transporting me to the parish of Closeburn; having fometimes hoped, that fuch an obfcure person as I might have finished his courfe and ministry, without being heard, in fuch a judicatory, at leaft on fuch an occafion. But fince, by an excefs of charity towards me, in the Honourable perfons and Rev. ministers concerned in the call of Clofeburn, whofe undeferved refpect I fhall always be fenfible of, this appearance is forced upon me; my hearty concern for the good of the parish of Etterick, which is very dear to me, for the true intereft of the parish of Close burn, burn, and for my own welfare, obliges me, freely to speak, before you, the thoughts of my heart, in this affair; refolving rather to run the risk of being accounted imprudent, than to mince the matter fo as the cause may fuffer, wherein I judge the intereft of the gofpel, and my comfort, lie fo much at ftake. And if any thing fhall, in my difcourfe, be fet in the light which otherwife fhould have been veiled with filence, I humbly beg the Rev. Commiffion, thofe of mine own parith, and the purfuers, will only impute it, as it ought to be, to the extreme neceffity I am reduced to, for my own defence, in which I am not indifferent, but in earnest. Moderator, When I confider how hard my work has been, in the parish of Etterick, by reafon of the divifive temper which has prevailed in that place, it fills me with confufion and terror, to think I am in hazard of being thrown into a far hotter flame. I own God is just in it; but I hope for compaffion from him, to whom the quarrel is open and manifeft; and I expect it alfo from his fervants, to whom the caufe of this is not certainly known. I enjoyed the fruits of peace, for fome years, elsewhere; otherwife perhaps the want of it had not been fo bitter to me: but fince that time, my eyes have seen but little of it. I have stood as in a pafs, for the fpace of ten years; and poffibly if I had had lefs trouble, others had got more. Had I been fo happy as to have feen the breach in the parish of Etterick healed, there had been fome appearance of reafon, in putting me on new work of that kind; for then would I have had hope of fuccefs. But it is not fo. I have faid in my answers, that the breaches in the parish of Etterick are ftill as wide as they were that day I came first among them but, what is truth, now neceffary to be discovered, they are indeed far wider. The Old Diffenters whom I found there at my coming, continue as they were, having loft none of their number, but one, who, being educated in that way, left it about a year ago. But I have loft many, who, breaking off from under my miniftry, have separated themselves from the communion of this church. This deferting of my miniftry began, not long after I was fettled in that place and while I was grappling with these difficulties, it pleafed the Lord, in his holy, wife providence, for my further trial, to remove by death, and othewife, feveral of the elderfhip. And though, for feveral years, I made attempts again and again, to get the fef |