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⟨us⟩ to kneel or to depart: ſomewhat I ſpoke to him, but to not remember perfectly what I ſaid, it was to this ⟨purpoſe⟩; That there was no warrant for kneeling, and for ⟨want⟩ of it, we ought not to be excommunicated from the ⟨table⟩ of the Lord. He cauſed ſome of the people about ⟨us⟩ to riſe that we might have place to remove, which we ⟨did⟩; The next day the Principal Mr, Robert Boyd called ⟨me⟩ to him, and ſaid, within two or three weeks, he would ⟨celebrate⟩ the communion at Govan, for he was miniſter at Govan, and deſired me that whom I knew to be well ⟨affected⟩ of the young men of the college, I would bring with ⟨me⟩ to him; altho’ he was a man of a sour-like diſpoſition ⟨and⟩ carriage, I always found him so kind and ſamiliar as ⟨made⟩ me wonder: ſometimes he would call me with other ⟨three⟩ or four, and lay down books before us, and have us ⟨sing⟩ tunes of muſick, wherein he took great delight. The ⟨firſt⟩ Chriſtian acquaintance and ſociety whereby I got any ⟨benefit⟩, was with a religious gentleman William Cunningham ⟨tutor⟩ of Bonytown, who uſed to be oft at my father’s houſe; ⟨several⟩ times he and John Wier of Stockbridges, Alexander Tenant, James Wier , George Matthew, and David Matthew, who were Packmen, would meet in my chamber ⟨in⟩ Lanerk, where we uſed to ſpend ſome time in conference ⟨and⟩ prayer.
PERIOD IId.
The ſecond period of my life, I reckon from the time I reached in publick, till the time I was settled in the ministry ⟨in⟩ Killinchie in Ireland, for having begun to preach in ⟨January⟩ 1625, I continued in my father’s houſe in Lanerk, ⟨and⟩ for the ſpace of an year and an half or ſome more, I ⟨studied⟩ there, and preached ſometimes there, and ſometimes ⟨in⟩ neighbouring kirks, during which time I wrote all my ⟨ſerrmons⟩ before I preached them word by word, till one day ⟨being⟩ to preach after the communion of Quodquan, and ⟨having⟩ in readineſs only a ſermon which I had preached ono ⟨day⟩ before in another kirk, and perceiving ſeverals to be (illegible text) Quodquan, who had been at the other kirk, I reſolved ⟨to⟩ chuſe a new text, and having but little time, wrote only ⟨some⟩ notes of the heads I was to deliver, yet I found at
