Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/15

( 15 ) the communion, their names, ſcandals and  were read out before the congregation, and  debarred from the communion; which proved ſuch a  that we found very few of that ſort. We needed to have the communion oftner, for there were nine  ten pariſhes within the bounds of twenty miles or little, wherein there were godly and able miniſters, that  a ſociety together, and every one of theſe had the  twice a year, at different times, and had two  three of the neighbouring miniſters to help thereat,  moſt part of the religious people uſed to reſort to  communions of the rest of the parishes. These were Meſſrs. Robert Blair at Bangor, Robert at Holywood, James Hamilton at Ballywater,  Ridge at Antrum, Henry Colwort at old Stow,  Dunbar at Lern, Josias Welſh at Temple-Patrick,  Stuart, at Dunagor; moſt of all theſe uſed  to meet the firſt Friday of every month at Antrum,  was a great and good congregation, and that day  ſpent in faſting and prayer, and publick preachings:  two preached every forenoon, and two in the : we uſed to come together the Thurſday’s night, and ſtayed the Friday’s night; after, and conſulted  ſuch things as concerned the carrying on of the  of God; and, theſe meetings amongst ourſelves,  ſometimes as profitable as either presbyteries or ſynods,  out of theſe parities now mentioned, and ſome others , ſuch as laid religion to heart, uſed to conveen to  meetings, eſpecially out of the Six-Mile-Water,  was neareſt hand; and where was the greateſt  of religious people, and frequently the Sabbath after  Friday's meeting, the communion was celebrated in  or other of theſe pariſhes. Among all theſe miniſters, was never any jar or jealouſy, yea nor amongſt the, the greateſt part of them being Scots, and  good number of very gracious Engliſh; all whoſe  was to prefer others to themſelves, and altho’  gifts of the miniſters were much different, yet it was  obſerved that the people followed any to the  valuing