Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/32

( 32 ) drink, nor could reach no coaſt:, and my wife had then a child ſucking her breaſt, yet it pleaſed the Lord, we came ſafe to Lochryan.

Some of our friends came out of Ireland, and dwelt in Stranrawer, and at the communions twice in the year, great numbers uſed to come; at one time 500 perſons. At one time I baptiſed 28 children brought out of Ireland.

Providence ſo ordered, that I was a member of the General Aſſembly at Glaſgow, in November 1638. which eſtabliſhed the reformation of religion, and of the reſt of the General Aſſemblies, even till that in the year 1650; except that of Aberdeen in the year 1640. When I came first to Stranrawer, ſome of the folks of the town deſired to come to our houſe, to be preſent at our family exerciſes Therefore I propounded, that I would rather chooſe every morning to go to the church, and ſo each morning the bell was rung, and we conveened, and after two or three verſes of a pſalm ſung, and a ſhort prayer, ſome portion of Scripture was read and explained, only ſo long as an half-hour glaſs ran, and then cloſed with prayer. The whole pariſh was within the bounds of a little town. The people were very tractable and reſpectful, and no doubt had I taken pains, and believed as I ought to have done, more fruit would have appeared among them. I was ſometimes well ſatisfied and refreſhed being with ſome of them on their death-bed.

I was ſent out by the Presbytery in the year 1640. to go with the earl of Caſſils’s regiment, when our army went to Newcaſtle. Our army lay a while at Chusely-wood, a mile or two from Dunſe, till the reſt of the army came up. I had there a little trench tent, and a bed hung between two leager cheſts, and having lain ſeveral nights with my cloaths on, I being wearied with want of deep, did ty one night with my cloaths off; that night was very cold, and while I ſlept all the cloaths went off me; ſo that in the morning I was not able to ſtir any part of my body, and I had much ado, with the help of my man and a baggage-man to get on my cloaths. I cauſed them to put me on my