Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/23

( 23 ) ſuch darkneſs, except the Lord had preſented me an occaſion of our conferring together; for in November 1634, when I was going to the Friday-meeting at Antrum, I met with her and ſome others going thither, and propounded to them by the way, to confer on a text whereupon I was to preach the day after at Antrum, wherein I found her conference ſo judicious and ſpiritual that I took that for ſome anſwer of my prayer to have my mind cleared, and blamed myſelf that I had not before taken occaſion to confer with her. Four or five days after I propounded the matter to her, and deſired her to think upon it; and after a week or two I went to her mother’s houſe, and being alone with her deſiring her anſwer, I went to prayer, and urged her to pray, which at laſt ſhe did; and in that time, I got abundance of clearneſs, that it was the Lord’s mind, that I ſhould marry her, and then propounded the matter more fully to her mother. And altho’ I was fully cleared, I may truly ſay it was above a month before I got marriage affection to her, altho’ ſhe was for perſonal endowments beyond many of her equals, and I got it not till I obtained it by prayer. But thereafter I had a great difficulty to moderate it. In Summer 1635 her mother and ſhe went to Scotland, and I followed, becauſe on both ſides we were to have the conſent of friends in Scotland. We were married by my father in the Weſt-kirk of Edinburgh, June 23d, 1635. and altho’ ſome told me ſome days before, that Spotiſwood, who was then Chancellour of Scotland, had given orders, to a Macer to apprehend me, our marriage was very ſolemn and countenanced with the preſence of a good number of religious friends, among whom was alſo the earl of Wigtoun and his ſon my lord Fleeming, in the houſe of her uncle John Fleeming, who did as great a duty as if ſhe had been his own daughter, and providence ſo ordered, that thereafter I was preſent with him, and his eight daughters on their death-bed, and clearly diſcerned in them all, full evidence of the grace of God. I was alſo at the death of her gracious uncle Mr. James, miniſter at Bathans. From Edinburgh we went over to Ireland, and I remained in her mother’s houſe, being at the Iron-furnace of Miloore, twelve miles from