Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/35

( 35 ) to a young daughter I had, and as the Lord hath lately been pleaſed to take my daughter to himſelf, I thought I would give him her portion alſo."

In Summer 1641. the General Aſſembly was kept, and after that the Parliament, where the king was preſent, and ratified all the preceeding work of reformation. When I was coming home from that Aſſembly, I ſtayed with my father in Lanerk, till it pleaſed the Lord to call him home to himſelf. He was worn with ſore pains of the gravel, but had great peace of mind. He died on the Saturday morning, and was to be buried on the Monday following. The night before the burial, I had a ſore fit of the gravel, which now and then for five years had taken me, and continued but with long intermiſſions for eight or nine years thereafter. This put me in fear that it might continue the time of the burial; therefore I besought the Lord, if he ſo pleaſed to free me of the pain, till I might perform that duty to my father, to ſee him buried, altho’ it ſhould come ſorer on me thereafter. About eight o’clock I was fully freed of the pain, and ſo continued till all was done, and was making account it would not return at that time; but within an hour after I was come into the houſe, my pain came again, and continued a day or two.

In October 1641. The rebellion broke out in Ireland, many of the religious people in the north of Ireland had left it in the year 1637. when the depoſed miniſters were forced out of it by Purſevants, ſent out to apprehend them. Others left it in the year 1639. when the Deputy urged upon all the Scots in Ireland, an oath abjuring the national covenant of Scotland, and ſo they were free of that ſtroke of the rebellion, while many of theſe that took the oath were murdered by the rebels. Such as lived near the coaſt, over-againſt Scotland, for moſt part eſcaped, and ſundry fled from other parts of the country to them. It was obſerved that the ſtroke on the people in the north of Ireland, increaſed by degrees. At firſt they thought it a hard caſe, that they were not ſure to enjoy their miniſters, but thereafter their miniſters were depoſed. When that was found yet harder to be born, the miniſters were forced Rh