Page:History of the life and sufferings, of the Reverend John Welch.pdf/3

 him to the college, and there to try his behaviour,  if ever thereafter he hould break, he aid he hould  content his father hould diclaim him for ever: o  father carried him home, and put him to the college, and there he became a diligent tudent, of great expectation, and hewed himelf a incere convert, and  he proceeded to the minitry.

His firt pot in the minitry was at Selkirk, while he was yet very young, and the country rude; while he was, his minitry was rather admired by ome, than by many; for he was always attended by the prophet's hadow, the hatered of the wicked; yes, even the miniters of the country, were more ready to pick a quarrel with his peron, than to follow his doctrine, as may appear to this day in their ynodal records, where we find he had many to cenure him, and only ome to defend him; yet it was thought his minitry in that place was not without fruit, though he tayed but hort time there. being a young man unmarried, he tabled himelf in the houe of one Mitchelhill, and took a young boy of his to be his bed-fellow, who to his dying day both a repect to Mr. Welch and his minitry, from the impreions Mr. Welch's behaviour made upon his apprehenion, though but a child. His Cutom was when he went to bed at night, to lay a Scots plaid above his bed-cloaths, and when he went to his night prayers, to it up and cover himelf negligently therewith; and to continue. For from the begining of his minitry his death, he reckoned the day ill pent if he tayed not even or eight hours in prayer; and this the boy would not forget even to hoary hairs.

I had once the curioity travelling through that town, call for an old man, his name was Ewait, who remembered upon Mr Welch his being in that place, and after other dicoures, enquired of him, what for a man Mr. Welch was, his anwer was, O Sir, he was a type of, an expreion more ignificant than proper, for his meaning was, that he was an example that imitated Chrit, as indeed in many things he did: he told me , that his cutom was to preach publickly once every