372 MEMOIRS' OF PERIOD xr. hands of Dr Ridgley, an independent minifter there, aóting as a profeffor of theology, and Mr Earns his colleague, training up diffenting ftudents in the languages and liberal arts, and a fellow of the royal fociety ; that they were much pleafed with the defign, and wifned, that as there might be fomething faid by way of reface, for the divine authority of the accents, as to which point they thernfelves were entirely fatisfied ; fo the rules concerning them might be illuftrated and exemplified from particular pairages of original fcripture, to thew the ufefulnefs of the elTy, for underftanding the mind of the Spirit in the original Hebrew ; having obferved, that Wafinuth and Ledhe burius had marred the ufefulnefs of their otherwife valuable works, by contenting themfelves with a recital of aheap of rules without a fuitable illuftration and exemplification ; and further advifing that Mr Bradbury, a famous diffentiag rninifter there, liked the account he had given him about it ; and promifed to gó with him, on that fcore, to Dr Knight and Dr Waterland, both of the church of England. It was comfortable to me to find the two diffenters aforefaid fpeak on the matter like men who had confidered it, and the true Hate thereof as it ftands in the world this day. Providence having thus awakened the af- fair again, yet keeping it ftill in a ftate of uncertainty, it was . my exercife to be refigned to the Lord, and to be cbnduéted óf himfelf therein. I wrote to Profeffor Gordon again, allowing him to keep the MSS. for the end aforefaid, until the time of the meeting of the General Affembly in May this year. I had. written an to the worthy Mr David Anderfon profeffor of theo- logy in the college of Aberdeen, defining his reviling of both the MSS. viz. that on the accentuation, and that on the text ; they being both there for the time. It had been my manner for a long time, befides the catechifing the parifh already mentioned, to have diets of catechifing thole of the younger fort ; and they met in the kirk, fometiwes in my houfe. What time I began this courfe, I donot remember : but I think it has been early ; for I learned it fromMr.Çharles Gordon minifter of Afhkirk, whom I found fo employed in his bottle when I went at a time to vifrt him ; and he died, at fur- theft, in the year 1710. By this courfe I got feveral young people of both fexes, trained up to a good meafure of knowledge ; forne of whom unto this day are folid and knowing Chriftians ; but it futfered Come interruptions: The time I found fittelt for it, on their `part, was from January to the beginning of May ; and the whole youth of the parifh, who were difpofed, and had accefs to wait on, came together, and were welcome ; as were others alib, who inclined to hear. The intimation of their firft diet was made from the pulpit; and then from time to time I tèt, and fignified to them, their next diet: ordinarily they niet once a fortnight ; fometirnes once in twenty days only ; forne- times once a week, as occafion required. Several times thelè
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