Page:History of the life and sufferings, of the Reverend John Welch.pdf/6

 He gave himelf wholly to miniterial exercies, he preached once every day, he prayed the third part of his time, was unwearied in his tudies, and for a proof of this, it was found among his papers, that he had abridged Suarez's metaphyics, when they came firt to his hand, even when he was tricken in years. By all which, it appears, that he had not only been a man of great diligence, but alo of a trong and robut natural contitution, otherwie he had never endured the fatigues.

But if his diligence was great, o it is doubted whether hisowing in painfulnes, or his harvet in his ucces was greatet; for if either his piritual experience in eeking the Lord, or his fruitfulnes in converting ouls be conidered, they will be found unparalleled in Scotland: and many years after Mr. Welch's death, Mr David Dickon, at that time a flourihing miniter at Irvine, was frequently heard to ay, when people talked to him of the ucces of his minitry, That the grape gleanings in Ayr, in Mr. Welche's time, were far above the vintage of Irvine in his own. Mr. Welch in his preaching, was piritual and earching, his utterance tender and moving; he did not much intill upon colatic purpoes, he made no hew of his learning. I heard once one of his hearers (who was afterwards miniter at Moor kirk in kyle) ay, That no man could hardly bear him, and forbear weeping, his conveyance was o affecting, There is a large volume of his ermons, now in Scotland but never any of them came to the pres, nor did he ever appear in print, except in his dipute with Abbot Brown the papit, wherein hi makes it appear his learning was not behind his other virtues: and in another piece called Dr. Welch's Armagaddoo, printed I uppoe, in France, wherein he gives his meditations upon the enemies of the church, and their detruction but the piece itelf is rarely to be found.

Sometimes before he went to ermon, he would end for his elders, and tell them, he was afraid to go to pulpit becaue he found himelf ore deferred; and thereafter deire one or more to pray, and then he would venture to pulpet. But, it was oberved, this humbling