He gave himſelf wholly to miniſterial exerciſes, he preached once every day, he prayed the third part of his time, was unwearied in his ſtudies, and for a proof of this, it was found among his papers, that he had abridged Suarez's metaphyſics, when they came firſt to his hand, even when he was ſtricken in years. By all which, it appears, that he had not only been a man of great diligence, but alſo of a ſtrong and robuſt natural conſtitution, otherwiſe he had never endured the fatigues.
But if his diligence was great, ſo it is doubted whether hisſowing in painfulneſs, or his harveſt in his ſucceſs was greateſt; for if either his ſpiritual experience in ſeeking the Lord, or his fruitfulneſs in converting ſouls be conſidered, they will be found unparalleled in Scotland: and many years after Mr. Welch's death, Mr David Dickſon, at that time a flouriſhing miniſter at Irvine, was frequently heard to ſay, when people talked to him of the ſucceſs of his miniſtry, That the grape(illegible text) gleanings in Ayr, in Mr. Welche's time, were far above the vintage of Irvine in his own. Mr. Welch in his preaching, was ſpiritual and ſearching, his utterance tender and moving; he did not much inſtill upon ſcolaſtic purpoſes, he made no ſhew of his learning. I heard once one of his hearers (who was afterwards miniſter at Moor kirk in kyle) ſay, That no man could hardly bear him, and forbear weeping, his conveyance was ſo affecting, There is a large volume of his ſermons, now in Scotland but never any of them came to the preſs, nor did he ever appear in print, except in his diſpute with Abbot Brown the papiſt, wherein hi makes it appear his learning was not behind his other virtues: and in another piece called Dr. Welch's Armagaddoo, printed I ſuppoſe, in France, wherein he gives his meditations upon the enemies of the church, and their deſtruction but the piece itſelf is rarely to be found.
Sometimes before he went to ſermon, he would ſend for his elders, and tell them, he was afraid to go to pulpit becauſe he found himſelf ſore deferred; and thereafter deſire one or more to pray, and then he would venture to pulpet. But, it was obſerved, this humbling
