of the Lord; and at this very time I know nothing about Craig darroch that maketh me ashamed of the hope I had of his happiness when he was a child.

After it pleased Zion's God to bring back our captivity, and Presbytery was established in this Church, I had great difficulty about my joining in communion with her, and that because I thought our covenants were not renewed, and all guilty of sad defection not duly censured; it was difficult to me what to determine, therefore I set apart a day to ask counsel of the Lord, and went at some distance to the fields both to pray and think on what I should do; having entreated that God would send forth his light and truth, that they might be guides to me, and so lead me to his holy hill, that I might go to the altar of God, of God my exceeding joy. I consulted my Bible, to see what had been the practice of the Church of God in the like case, both under the Old and New Testament dispensation: I found under the Old Testament dispensation, that it had been frequently the approven practice of the Church and people of God to bind themselves to God by solemn and national covenants, and that in their covenanting they bound themselves against error, both in principle and practice, as we have done by our national and solemn league and covenants, and am persuaded that these covenants are always binding, not only as they contain nothing but what every good Christian is obliged to, namely, to do all that lies in his power, in every station, in appearing for God, and against sin and error; but they are also binding, because of the oath of God. If Zedekiah should not escape, who had despised the oath, when, lo! he had given the hand to Nebuchadnezzar, how shall these lands escape, if we shall trample on our national and solemn league and covenant, when, lo! we have given our hand to the Most High God? May we not tremble lest our offended God should send a sword, or some other judgment, to avenge the quarrel of his broken covenant? I observed, however, from the Old Testament, that some reformations came a greater length than others; that in some of them they renewed the covenant, and in others not-in some, the high places were pulled

down, in others they were not. I observed that whatever reformations they had, all who had been guilty of defection were not punished-the idolater deserved death by God's Law. I found also that in these reformations, which came not all the length that could have been wished, and might have been expected, yet Old Testament believers joined in communion with the Church in such

a case.

I came again to consider the Church, when Christ, our great pattern and example, came into the world. I found a great many things wrong at that time. They taught for doctrine the commandments of men; were more fond of their unwritten traditions than they were of the Divine Law. Their teachers very formal and corrupt, and the Church very much subject to a heathen magistrate, who had too great influence in changing the High Priesthood from one to another; yet, for all this, our Lord Christ, the true Prophet, owned her for a true Church, though many things were wrong, and spoke honourably of that Church, when he told the woman of Samaria, "We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." Yea, he himself joined in communion with her, as did Joseph and Mary, Zacharias and Elisabeth, Simeon and Anna, who were eminent believers; yea, our Lord exhorted others to join in communion with her, as in the 23d of Matthew; from all which I concluded, that it was my unquestionable duty to join in communion with the Church of Scotland, though our covenants were not renewed, seeing she had all the essentials of a true Church, her doctrine pure and uncorrupt, her government, discipline, and worship, according to the word of God, and the sacraments administered according to the pattern shown in the mount; seeing she had appointed also a national fast, as the Jews did of old, after their return from their captivity, to bewail all the defections that all ranks had been guilty of under Prelacy; so that, in a national way, high and low had occasion to condemn themselves for trampling on God's holy laws, yea, for despising the oath and breaking the covenant, after we had lifted up our hand to the Most High. As such like considerations as these cleared up my

way in joining in communion with this Church since the Revolution, so I have ever since loved the habitation of his house, "the place where his honour dwells," and do adore his holy name, that ever he gave me counsel, for I must own to his praise, that he has helped me to draw water out of these "wells of salvation" with great joy; and has frequently satisfied me "with the fatness of his house, even of his holy place;" and has frequently made all his garments, all his ordinances, smell to me of aloes, myrrh, and cassia; and to this day makes me joyful when it is said unto us, "Let us go up to the house of the Lord;" and whilst I live shall ever pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for my friends' and brethren's sake, and for the house of the Lord, and for my own sake and posterity's too, I will ever seek her good, and still shall wish that peace be within her walls, and prosperity within her palaces; and that a seed may be raised up here in this Church and elsewhere that will do him service while sun and moon do endure.

After this some time, my wife finding herself with child, acquainted me therewith, and the Lord bore it in my mind that my wife would be in imminent danger before she were delivered, and that the child would die. In prayer and out of prayer, by night and day, this haunted me. I kept it from my wife as long as I could; but at length was obliged to let her know it. When she told me she was with child, even before the time of life, I reckoned it my duty to be concerned, that God would clothe with skin and flesh, and fence with bones and sinews, and that he would in due time grant life and favour. I thought it duty, I say, to desire earnestly that God would write all its members in his book, and show kindness in the forming of that piece of his workmanship, whilst it was in the womb, as in the lowest parts of the earth, far from, and out of the reach of, human eyes or hands; but my impression still continuing that it should have life, but soon lose it, I desired my wife to let me know when she quickened, which accordingly she did; and then I prayed more directly for the fruit of the womb, and gave it away to God by the bond of that everlasting covenant, which I had taken for myself and all mine. I thus

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continued my concern for it, never begging life, or that it should come living out of the womb. I was so persuaded that it would not be granted, that I only cried for everlasting salvation to it; and in doing so, was much enlarged, and had near access to God. I was still under the impression that my wife's life would be in the greatest hazard, before she was delivered of the child; and accordingly, within ten days of her reckoning, she took a violent head fever, and in the fifth day of her fever, her pains came on her, and was delivered of a dead child: the child was living till about an hour before the delivery. My wife had such a complication of dangerous troubles, that her life was given over by all sorts, and those of good skill. This they kept quiet a little from me, till one day I was conveying our minister home, when he had been seeing my wife. He was much skilled in the study of physic, having made it his study in the times of our late troubles. I asked him what he thought of her? He told me it was proper now to be free with me, and he behoved to let me know, that no life could be expected for her; on which I returned home and went to prayer, and continued for the most part in prayer, every now and then for the space of forty-eight hours. I still came in after prayer to see how she was, but minded no other thing but how to get near to God for her salvation. In the last of the forty-eight hours, I got such manifestations of God, such intimate communion with him, such persuasion of her salvation, and I had such an uncommon gale of the Spirit, that I came from the duty, and my countenance no more sad. I came in to inquire, as before, how my wife was, and when she saw me, she took me by the hand, and asked what that meant which she saw in my countenance? She said she feared that people would mistake me, considering she was so low, to behold such an unusual joy, sparkling, as it were, in every part of my face. I told her what access I had to God, in wrestling for her salvation, and that the inward joy I felt could not be contained, but behoved to break out, for the light of God's countenance was the health and shining of mine. I told her the vision seemed to be for an appointed time, but it would speak; and though it should

tarry, I would wait for it. For eight days after this manifestation, which I got of God in the mount of prayer and meditation, it was remarked that an uncommon lustre appeared in my countenance, in the eyes even of those who knew not what was the occasion of it. After this, my wife was spared with me; and the desire of my eyes was not taken away by this threatened stroke; and all who knew the dangerous case she was in, could not but cry out on her recovery, "Behold, what has God wrought ?" it was indeed "the doing of the Lord, and marvellous in the eyes of all;" and good cause had I to cry out, "the right hand of Jehovah does ever valiantly," and "what shall I render to the Lord," who spared with me one that had been my sweet companion in the most of my tribulations, and the wife of my youth, yea, my great support and comfort in the house of my pilgrimage? For this I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, to that God who not only provided her as an help meet for me, but has for forty-seven years made her remarkably so. I acknowledge I got her as the fruit of many prayers, and will make him my song, even Jehovah, who made the match, and has made it so comfortable and so lasting.

Not long after this it pleased the Lord to afflict me with an universal Cruel, [or Scrofula,] which had broke out in many parts of my body, and taken my right hand off the joint, so that I had no power of it, and was laid aside from all work. I consulted a physician of the best skill in our country, who told me he could not do me any service, if it were not to apply some plasters to the wounds to ease my pain, and advised me not to trouble myself with physicians, for I would find them all physicians of no value. Having continued under this trouble for two years, I found an inclination to go to Moffat, though my circumstances were so low at the time, I knew not well how to get there; but having asked counsel of the Lord, I said I would go, and make use of the water in faith, as a mean appointed, and frequently made useful by God; and I would entirely depend on God for making it useful to me, and have all my expectations from him, who works by means, without means, and contrary to means, as seemeth good in his sight, Accordingly,