Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/54

( 54 ) great meeting declared how ſenfible I was, that being over-ruled by ſome others, had not made a perfect narration of the treaty in the general aſſembly. The Winter after the defeat of Dumbar, I ſtaid at home, as did moſt of the miniſters and gentry of the South, and ſo were in a far better condition than thoſe of ſome other parts, where the miniſters and gentry went to the North-side of Forth; for the Engliſh army deſtroyed almoſt all that they left. Sometimes ſome of the Engliſh quartered in my houſe, but neither many nor long. While they ſtaid, I did neither eat nor drink with any of them, nor hardly ſpoke with them, nor ever went on buſineſs to any of their officers. Yea, when general Cromwel wrote to me from Edinburgh, to come and ſpeak to him, I excuſed myſelf.

That Winter the unhappy buſineſs fell out about the public reſolutions. My light carried me to join with them that proteſted againſt theſe reſolutions, and the aſſembly that followed thereafter: and I was preſent at the firſt meeting of ſome of the proteſters in the Weſt at Kilmarnock, thereafter at ſeveral of their meetings; but indeed I was not ſatisfied in my mind, that the proteſters kept ſo many meetings, ſo numerous, and of ſo long continuance, which I thought made the diviſion wider, and more conſpicuous than otherwise it would have been, and therefore I ſtaid from many meetings

About two or three years after the Engliſh had in a manner ſubdued the land, there began ſome reviving of the work of God in the land. In ſeveral parts ſundry were brought in by the miniſtry of the word; amongſt which there were ſome alſo in the pariſh of Ancrum, and other parts of the South. In Tiviotdale and the Merſe, communions were very lively and much frequented. We had ſeveral monthly meetings in theſe two ſhires. The miniſters in that country with whom I kept moſt correſpondence, were in Jedburgh presbytery where I lived, Meſſrs. James Ker at Abotrule, John Scot at Oxnam, and my ſon-in-law John Scot at Harwick. In other presbyteries, Meffrs. James Guthrie at Lauder (who thereafter went to Stirling) Thomas Donaldſon at Smellom, John Veitch at Weſtruther, James