I3 MEMOIRS OP PERIOD III. prevailed with. Ì committed the caufe to God, to be by him de- termined what to do. And confidering that no time of my con- tinuance there had been condefcended on, that the fcholars were but few, and that the prefbytepy was clear for my going away ; and above all confidering that God, according to My earneft pray- er, had opened an outgate from the heavy flotation I found my- felf in, as above faid, I began to queflion, if I could, without fin, let filch an occafion of riddance from it flip : fo being at length fully determined, I gave up the fchool on the 8th of February, much againft Mr B 's will, having kept it a month. At Can- dlemas the boys had gifted me about 10s. Sterling, which I took from them with the uf'ual civilities, but immediately returned each one his own r fo that I had nothing by them.. While I was in that country, I had advantage of converfe with Mr Murray, a learned and holyman ; the meeting of which two in a charaóter was not very .frequent there ; as alfo of Janet Maclaunie, an old, exercifed, godly woman. She obliged me to take from her about halfa dollar ; which, as a token of that wo- man's Chriftian love, 1 do to this day value more than gold. I remember not but another inftance of that nature, which I {hall alfo mention in the due place. I biers the Lord,. who gave me counfel then and afterwards, to reek and value converfation with ferions Chriftians, in the places where my lot was caft; being confident, I.had much advantage thereby towards my preaching of the gofpel. But the fmall number of hearers I often faw in the kirk of Penpont, and the thronging away to feparate meet- ings, kept, I think, by Mr Hepburn, with other things reíiae&ing minifters and people, made a fatting bad imprefl'ion of that coun- try on me. Mean time it was my endeavour to live near God, and I was helped, while there, in force meafure to live by faith. And there it was, that I'firft of all began to record paffages of my life; the which I did on loofe papers. Having gone to Edinburgh, in purfuance of the propofal above mentioned, I did onFebruary 13. take the charge of my pupil, Andrew Fletcher of Aberlady, a boy of about nine years ofage ; whole father having died young, his mother was married again to Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce of Kennet, in the parifh of Clack- mannan. The boy beingat the high fchool, with a fervant wait- ingon him, I waited on the fchool of divinity ; which advanta- geous occafion propofed, had been a great inducement to me to engage in that bufinefs. And there I had a homily on Mark x. 27. delivered March 6. which is in retentis but to my.great dif- appointment we were removed from Edinburgh to Kennet, whi- ther we came on the morrow after, viz. March 7. and where we continued all along till I parted with him. At Kennet, my pupil going to the grammar-fchool at Clack- mannan, with the fervant attending him, and being ofa towardly and traétàble difpofition, my bufinefs with him was no burden ; taking noticeofhim at home, and fometimes vifiting him in the
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