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cloaths till I was up ftairs in the school. Thus my natural temper of fpirit appeared, being timorous and hard to enter on, but eager in the purfuit when once entered.

By the time I was feven years old, I read the Bible, and had delight in reading it; would have read with my fchoolmittress in the winter-nights, when the rest of the children were not prefent; yea, and got the Bible fometimes to the bed with me, and read there. Meanwhile I know nothing induced me to it, but the natural vanity of my mind; and curiofity, as about fome fcripture-histories. However, I am thankful, that it was at all made my choice early; and that it hath been the study of my ripeft years, with which I would fain clofe my life, if it were his will.

Sometime in the year 1684, or at fartheft 1685, I was put to the grammer-fchool, under Mr James Bullerwall fchoolmaster in the town, and continued at it till the harveft 1689, fave that one fummer I was kept at home, while the rest of my clafs were going on in the grammar.

When I was very young, going to a neighbour's houfe, with a halfpenny, or fome fuch reward of divination, in my hand, to a fortune-teller; after entering the outer door, I was fuddenly ftruck in my mind, ftood mufing a little between the doors, durft not go forward, but came ftealing away again. Thus the unfeen Counfellor preferved me from that fnare.

I remember fome things which I was, by hearing or feeing, in perfons come to years, witnefs to, in thefe days, leaving an impreffion on me to their difadvantage. Wherefore care fhould be taken, that nothing fhould be done or said, finful or indecent, before children; for their memory may retain the fame, till they are capable to form a right judgement of it, to the ftaining of the character of the party with them afterward.

By means of my education, and natural difpofition, I was of a fober and harmlefs deportment, and preferved from the common vices of children in towns. I was at no time what they call a vitious or a roguifh boy; neither was I fo addicted to play as to forget my bufinefs; though I was a dexterous player at fuch games as required art and nimblenefs and towards the latter end of this period, having had frequent occafion to fee foldiers exercifed, I had a peculiar faculty at muftering and exercifing my fchoolfellows

fellows accordingly, by the feveral words and motions of the exercise of the mufket; they being formed into a body, under a captain. The which exercise I have managed, to as much weariness and pain of my breaft, as fometimes I have preached.

During the first years of my being at the grammarschool, I kept the kirk punctually, where I heard those of the Epifcopal way; that being then the national establishment: but I knew nothing of the matter, fave to give fuit and prefence within the walls of the house; living without God in the world, unconcerned about the state of my foul, till the year 1687. Toward the latter end of fummer that year, the liberty of confcience being then newly given by King James, my father took me away with him to a Presbyterian meeting, in the Newton of Whitfome. There I heard the worthy Mr Henry Erskine *, minister of Cornhill before the restoration, mentioned in Calamy's Account of the ejected minifters, vol. 2. p. 518. and in the Continuation of that Account, vol. 2. p. 678. et feqq.; by whofe means it pleased the Lord to awaken me, and bring me under exercise about my foul's state; being then going in the twelfth year of my age. After that, I went back to the kirk no more, till the Epifcopalians were turned out and it was the common obfervation in these days, That whenever one turned ferious about his foul's ftate and cafe, he left them. The which experience in my own cafe, founded my averfion to that way, which hath continued with me all along to this day.

But how blameless and harmlefs foever my life was before the world during my childhood, and while I was a boy, whether before or after I was enlightened, the corruption of my nature began very early to fhew and spread forth itfelf in me, as the genuine offspring of fallen Adamı. And this, not only in the vanity and ungodliness of the general courfe of my life before I was enlightened, living without God; but in particular branches thereof, which I remember to this day with fhame and confusion before the Lord. And indeed in this period were some fuch things as I have ever fince looked upon as fpecial blots in my efcutcheon; the which, with others of a later date, I have been wont, in my fecret fafts all along, still

This Mr Henry Erskine was father to the late Meff. Ebenezer and Ralph Erfkines, whofe praife is in all the churches.

to fet before mine own eyes, for my humiliation, and lay before the Lord, that he may not remember them against me; though I hope they are pardoned, being washed away by the blood of Chrift my Saviour. I remember my grofs and unbecoming thoughts of the glorious, incomprehenfible God; keen hatred of my neighbour, upon difobligations received; and divers loathfome sproutings of the fin which all along hath "moft eafily befet me," as the particular bias of my corrupt nature. Two fnares I fell into in that period, which have been in a special manner heavy to me, and have occationed me many bitter reflections; and, I think, they have been after the Lord had begun to deal with my foul, and enlightened me. The one I was caught in, being enticed by another boy to go to Dunfe-law with him on a Lord's day, and, when on the head of the hill, to play pins with him. The other I narrowly efcaped, being put into the fnare by the indifcretion of one who then had the management of me: all circumstances favouring the temptation, God alone, by his Spirit, working on my confcience, delivered me as a bird out of the fnare of the fowler. The particular place I well remember, whither after the efcape I went, and wept bitterly, under the defilement I had contracted, in tampering with that temptation. Such is the danger of ill company for young-ones, and of indiscreet management of them. However, that they were the genuine fruits of my corrupt nature I do evidently fee; in that, however bitter both of thefe had been to me, I did fome years after run, of my own accord, into two fnares much of the fame kinds, narrowly alfo efcaping one of them, but fo as it occafioned to me great bitternels.

"Be

"O

Two of Mr Erfkine's firft texts were, John i. 29. "hold the Lamb of God," &c.; and Matth. iii. 7, "generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee," &c. I diftinctly remember, that from this last he oft-times forewarned of judgements to come on thefe nations, which I ftill apprehend will come. By thefe, I judge, God spake to me; however, I know I was touched quickly after the first hearing, wherein I was like one amazed with fome new and ftrange thing.

My loft ftate by nature, and my abfolute need of Chrift, being thus difcovered to me, I was fet to pray in carneft; but remember nothing of that kind I did before, fave what was done at meals, and in my bed. I also care

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fully

fully attended for ordinary the preaching of the word at Revelaw, where Mr Erskine had his meeting-house, near about four miles from Dunfe. In'the fummer-time, company could hardly be miffed; and with them fomething to be heard, especially in the returning, that was for edification, to which I liftened; but in the winter, fometimes it was my lot to go alone, without fo much as the benefit of a horse to carry me through Blackadder water, the wading whereof in tharp frofty weather I very well remember. But fuch things were then eafy, for the benefit of the word, which came with power.

The school-doctor's fon having, in his childish folly, put a pipe-stopple in each of his noftrils, I defigning to pull them out, happened fo to put them up that he bled. Whereupon his father, in great wrath, upbraided_me; and particularly faid, Is that what you learned at Revelaw? which cut me to the heart, finding religion to fuffer by me.

In these days I had a great glowing of affections in religion, even to a zeal for suffering in the cause of it, which I am very fure was not according to knowledge; but I was ready to think, as Zebedee's children faid, Matth. xx. 22. "We are able." I was raw and unexperienced, had much weakness and ignorance, and much of a legal difpofition and way, then, and for a good time after, undifcerned. Howbeit I would fain hope, there was, under a heap of rubbish of that kind, "fome good thing toward "the God of Ifrael" wrought in me. Sure I am, I was in good earnest concerned for a faving intereft in Jefus Chrift; my foul went out after him, and the place of his feet was glorious in mine eyes.

Having read of the fealing of the tribes, Rev. vii. Satan wove a fnare for me out of it, viz. That the whole number of the elect, or those who were to be faved, was already made up; and therefore there was no room for me. How that fnare was broken, I do not remember; but thereby one may fee, what eafy work Satan, brooding on ignorance, hath to hatch things which may perplex and keep the party from Chrift.

At that time there was another boy at the school, Thomas Trotter of Catchilraw, whofe heart the Lord had alfo touched and there came to the school a third, one Patrick Gillies, a ferious lad, and elder than either of us; but thefon of a father and mother, ignorant and carnal to a

pitch; which made the grace of God in him the more remarkable. Upon his motion, we three met frequently in a chamber in my father's houfe, for prayer, reading the fcriptures, and fpiritual conference; whereby we had fome advantage, both in point of knowledge and tendernefs. It was remarkable concerning the faid Thomas, that being taken to the first Prefbyterian meeting that was in the country after the liberty; where I fuppofe, the worthy and famous Mr James Webfter, afterwards a minifter in Edinburgh, preached; he, upon his return from it, giving an account in the fchool concerning his being there, ridiculed the Whigs; the which I, who nevertheless was not there, was very forry for, on no other account, I reckon, but that my father was one of that fort of people. But going afterward to the like meetings, he turned a very devout boy.

To bind myself to diligence in feeking the Lord, and to ftir me up thereto, I made a vow, to pray fo many times a-day: how many times, I cannot be pofitive; but it was at leaft thrice. It was the good nefs of God to me, that it was made only for a certain definite space of time; but I found it fo far from being a help, that it was really a hinderance to my devotion, making me more heartless in, and averfe to duty, through the corruption of my nature. I got the time of it driven out accordingly: but I never durft make another of that nature fince, nor fo bind up myfelf, where God had left me at liberty. And it hath been of fome good use to me, in the courfe of my after life.

The school-houfe being within the church-yard, I was providentially made to fee there, within an open coffin, in an unripe grave opened, the confuming body just brought to the confiftence of thin mortar, and blackith: the which made an impreflion on me, remaining to this day; whereby I perceive, what a loathfome thing my body muft at length become before it be reduced to duft; not to be beheld with the eye but with horror.

In the course of years spent at the grammar-fchool, I learned the Latin rudiments, Defpauter's grammar, and all the authors, in verfe or profe, then ufually read in fchools; and profited above the rest of my own clafs, by means of whom my progrefs was the more flow. And before I left the fchool, I, generally, faw no Roman author, but what I found myfelf in fome capacity to turn

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