Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/6

( 6 ) diſtribution, there came ſuch a trembling upon me that all my body ſhook, yet thereafter the fear and trembling departed, and I got ſome comfort and aſſurance. I had no inclination to the miniſtry, till a year or more after I had paſſed my degrees in the college, and that upon this occaſion; I had a bent deſire to give myſelf to the knowledge and practice of medicine, I was very earneſt to go to France for that purpoſe, and propounded it to my father, that I might obtain his conſent, but he refuſed the ſame.

Alſo about the ſame time, my father having before purchaſed ſome land in the pariſh of Monybroch, the rights whereof were taken in my name, and that land by ill neighbours being in a manner laid waste, and Sir William Livingſton of Kilfyth one of the lords of ſeſſion, being very deſirous to buy that land, that he might build a burgh of barony upon it at Burnſide, my father propounded that I ſhould go and dwell on that land and many; but finding that that courſe would divert me from all ſtudy of learning, I refuſed that offer, and rather agreed to the ſelling of it, altho' I was not yet major to ratify the ſale. Now being in thefe ſtraits I reſolved, that I would ſpend a day my alone before God, and knowing of a ſecret cave on the fouth-ſide of Mouſe-water, a little above the honſe of Jerviſwood, over againſt Clegorn-wood, I went thither, and after many to’s and fro’s, and much confusion, and fear about the ſtate of my ſoul, I thought it was made out to me, that I behoved to preach Chriſt Jeſus, which if I did not, I ſhould have no aſſurance of ſalvation. Upon this I laid aſide all thoughts of France, and medicine, and land, and betook me to the ſtudy of divinity.

I was from my infancy bred with an averſion to epiſcopacy and ceremonies. While I was in the college of Glaſgow in the year 1619, being as I think, the firſt year that kneeling at the communion was brought in there, I being with two or three more of the young men at the college ſet down among the people at the table, and Mr. James Law the pretended biſhop of Glaſgow coming to celebrate the communion, he urged all the people to fall down and kneel; ſome did ſo, we ſat ſtill; he came to us commanding us