Page:History of the life and sufferings, of the Reverend John Welch.pdf/5

 him, he behoved to change his garb, and way of life, and betake himelf to the tudy of the criptures, which at that time was not his buines, for he hould be his ucceor in the minitry at Kirkcudbright, which accordingly came to pas ometime thereafter.

Mr. Welch was tranported to Ayr in the year 1590, and there he continued till he was banihed, there he had a very hard beginning, but a very weet end; for when he came firt to the town, the country was o wicked, and the hatred of godlines o great, that there could not one in all the town be found, that would let him a houe to dwell in, o he was conrained to accommodate himelf in the bet he might, in a part of a gentleman's houe for a time, the gentleman's name was John Stewart merchant, and ometimes provot of Ayr, an eminent Chritian, and a great aitant of Mr. Welch.

And when he had firt taken up his reidence in that town, the place was o divided into factions, and filled with bloody conflicts, a man could hardly walk the treets with afety; wherefore Mr Welch made it his firt undertaking to remove the bloody quarrelings, but he found it a very difficult work; yet uch was his earnetnes to purue his deign, that many times he would ruh betwixt two parties of men fighting, even in the midt of blood and wounds. He ued to cover his head with a piece, before he went to eperate thee bloody, but would never ue aword, that they might ee  came for peace and not for war, and o by little and little he made the town a peaceable habitation.

His manner was, after he had ended a kirmih amongt his neighbours, and reconciled thee bitter enemies, to ue cover a table upon the treet, and there brought the enemies together, and beginning with prayer he peruaded them to profes themelves friends, and then to eat and drink together, then lat of all, he ended the work with inging a palm: for after the rude people began to oberve his example, and liten to his heavenly doctrine, he came quickly to that repect amongt them, he became not only a neceary counellor, without whoe advice they would do nothing.