that covenant had a being; but it is as true that it hath been more glorious since that covenant, and it is a small thing for us to be judged of you in adhering to that covenant, who have so deeply corrupted your ways, and seem to reflect on the whole work of reformation from Popery these hundred years past, by intimating that the Church had need of pardon for the same.

"As for you, gentlemen," added he, directing himself to the soldiers, "I wish the Lord may pardon you for countenancing of this man in this business." One of them scoffingly replied, "I wish we never do a greater fault." "Well," said Mr Guthrie, "a little sin may damn a man's soul."

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MR GUTHRIE'S CIVILITIES TO THE SOLDIERS.

When this had passed, Mr Guthrie called for a glass of ale, and craving a blessing himself, drank to the commander of the soldiers, and after they had been civilly entertained by him, they left the house. I have it confidently reported, that Mr Guthrie at parting did signify to the curate, that he apprehended some evident mark of the Lord's displeasure was abiding him, for what he was now adoing, and seriously warned him to prepare for some stroke a-coming upon him very soon.

THE CURATE DIED A LITTLE AFTER.

Mr Guthrie's relations, and a worthy old minister yet alive when I write this, who was that day at Fenwick with him, from whom I have part of this account, do not mind to have heard any thing of this denunciation; but it might have been without their hearing, since none of them were present at parting. Whatever be in this, I am well assured the curate never preached more after he left Fenwick. He came into Glasgow, and whether he reached Calder, but four miles from it, I know not; but in a few days he died in great torment of an iliac passion, and his wife and children died all in a year, or thereby; and none belonging to him were left. So hazardous a thing it is to meddle with Christ's sent servants.

THE KIRK DECLARED VACANT.

When they left the manse, the curate went into the church of Fenwick with the soldiers his guard, and now his hearers, and preached to them not a quarter of an hour, and intimated from the pulpit the bishop's sentence against Mr Guthrie. Nobody came to hear him, but the party who came with him, and a few children and boys, who created him some disturbance, but were chased off by the soldiers.

MR GUTHRIE CONTINUES IN THE PARISH TILL OCTOBER 1665, WHEN HE DIED IN ANGUS.

Mr Guthrie continued in the parish, but preached no more in the church, where, as far as I can learn, there was no curate ever settled. Upon the 10th of October next year, this excellent person died in Angus, whither he went to settle some affairs relating to his estate of Pitforthy there. Thus, by the malice of the prelates, this bright and eminent light of the West of Scotland was put under a bushel, yea extinguished.

MR WILLIAM GUTHRIE DIES, OCTOBER 10.

By this time many of the old Presbyterian ministers, who had seen the glory of the former temple, were got to their rest. The 10th day of October this year brought the Reverend Mr William Guthrie to his Father's house. I shall only add the remark made upon his lamented death, by the worthy minister his contemporary, whom I cited before, when I spoke of him: "This year the Presbyterians in Scotland lost one of their pillars, Mr William Guthrie, minister of the gospel at Fenwick, one of the most eloquent, successful, popular preachers, that ever was in Scotland. He died a sufferer, for he was deposed by the bishop, but in hopes that one day the Lord would deliver Scotland from her thraldom." Many others of the old ministers of this Church died about this time in peace, being taken away from the evil to come, which was fast coming on in great measures, and departed under the solid and firm hope of a glorious deliverance coming to this poor Church.

SOME ACCOUNT OF MR WILLIAM GUTHRIE, BY REV. ROBERT TRAILL.

Mr William Guthrie was the eldest son of a country gentleman, in the shire of Angus in Scotland, of a good family, and of a competent estate. After he had past his course of philosophy at the University of St Andrews, he went to the New College there, where theology and Hebrew are taught by several professors. And it was then no rare thing for young gentlemen that had no design of engaging themselves in any of the three learned professions of law, physic, or divinity, to spend some time at that College. Then, and there, it pleased the Lord, who had separated him from his mother's womb, to call him by his grace, by the ministry of excellent Mr Samuel Rutherford, and this young gentleman became one of the first-fruits of his ministry at St Andrews. His conversion was begun with great terrors of God on his soul, and was completed with that joy and peace in believing that did accompany him through his life. Upon this blessed change wrought in him, he did immediately resolve to obey the call of God, to serve him in the ministry of the gospel, which was given him with the Lord's calling him effectually to grace and glory. And he did for this end so dispose of his outward estate (of which he was born heir) as not to be entangled with the affairs of this life. After some time spent in study, he was called to preach, and quickly after was settled in a congregation in the West of Scotland, and did shine in that place, till a few months before his death, that he was driven away by persecution, in 1665. In this place he laboured with great diligence, and with no less success, as himself owned to the Lord's praise, when he said that there was hardly any under his charge but were brought to make a fair profession of godliness, and had the worship of God in their families. And it was well known, that many of them were sincere, and not a few of them eminent Christians. The love he had to his people made him stiffly refuse all calls and invitations to Glasgow or Edinburgh, or Stirling, (where his own

cousin, grave Mr James Guthrie, was minister, afterwards Christ's faithful martyr, whom I saw die in and for the Lord, at Edinburgh, June 1st, 1661,) and pleaded much in a General Assembly, that he might have his ministry in that city, which was malignant and profane at that time. But all to no purpose; in this place, though an obscure one, but by his ministry, he spent all his few days. I have heard several judicious ministers and Christians observe this of him, that whereas many worthy ministers have outlived their zeal, the vigour of their gifts, and their acceptance with the godly, this blessed man rather increased in all these to the last.

His stature was tall and slender, his aspect grave. His natural temper was cheerful, witty, and facetious, yet tempered with gravity becoming a minister of Christ. I have seen somewhat of this rare mixture in him myself, and have heard from many who have had a great intimacy with him, that they have admired this in him, that immediately after his recreations, and singular sallies of wit and innocent mirth, when called to pray, he would speak to God with that holy awe, and faith, and love, and life, as if he had come down from the mount.

His gifts were great, strong natural parts, a clear head, and a sound heart. His voice was of the best sort; loud and yet managed with charming cadencies and elevations. His oratory singular, and by it he was master of the passions of his hearers. His action in preaching was more than ordinary; yet was it all decent and taking in him. I have oft thought him in this the likest to the famous Mr John Rogers of Dedham in Essex, by the character I had of him by many; and especially from his kinsman, Mr William Jenkin, who died Christ's prisoner in Newgate, 1684.

In preaching, praying, dealing with distressed consciences, and in pleading for the cause of God in the assemblies of ministers, he was eminent, and generally so esteemed in his day, which I do well remember.

I have heard many passages of God's presence with him, and of his blessing of his labours, which I forbear to mention; both because it is unfit to give a long preface to a short book, and because I am

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LIFE AND CHARACTER OF MR WILLIAM GUTHRIE.

not without hope, that some will think it fit to make this great man better known.

The main humbling thing that attended him (next to the apostacy in the land, and cruel persecution of the Church of Christ in it) was a crazy body, afflicted much with the stone, and at last with an ulcer in his kidneys, which brought him to his grave, in 1665, when he had lived little above forty-two years.'

This was the man that the rulers in Scotland could not then bear. But though the love and esteem that most of the neighbouring nobility and gentry bare to him did prevail, for a year or two, to preserve him in his place, after many of his brethren were cast out; yet at length, a party of the king's guards was sent to turn him out, and to put a stranger in his place. Unto which violence he gave way; and went on a visit to his friends, where he was quickly seized with a fit of his distemper, and died in 1665, in Angus. I have oft seen him, conversed with him, and have heard him preach; and if my youth then did make me an unfit judge of his real great worth, yet his name was so famous, his ministry so followed, especially in his last two or three years, by many ejected ministers, and so many desolate congregations, (and both were multiplied in fatal 1662,) that I do but declare what was then the common sense of thousands in Scotland, that Mr Guthrie was every way an eminent gospel minister. I had also a special advantage for knowing the spirit of this great man. My own honoured father and he kept for many years a constant weekly correspondence by letters; many of which from Mr Guthrie to my father I did peruse, and several of them I have still by me, wrote by his own hand.

Dunlop says he died in his forty-fifth year.