wherein he abounded and excelled moſt was prayer, ſo his greateſt attainments fell that way. He uſed to say, He wondered how a Chriſtian could ly in bed all night, and not to riſe to pray, and many times he roſe and many times he watched. One night he roſe from his wife, and went into the next room, where he ſtayed ſo long at ſecret prayer, that his wife fearing he might catch cold, was conſtrained to riſe and follow him, and as ſhe hearkned, ſhe heard him ſpeak as by interupted ſentences, Lord wilt thou not grant me Scotland, and after a pauſe, Enough, Lord, enough, and ſo ſhe returned to her bed, and he followed her, not knowing ſhe had heard him, but when he was by her, ſhe asked him what he meant by ſaying Enough, Lord, enough. he ſhewed himſelf diſſtisfied with her curioſity, but told her, he had been wreſtling with the Lord for Scotland, and found there was ⟨a⟩ ſad time at hand, but that the Lord would be gracious to a remnat. This was about the time when biſhops firſt overſpread the land, and corrupted the church. This was more wonderful I am to relate, I heard once an honeſt miniſter, who was a pariſhioner of Mr. Welch many ⟨a⟩ day, ſay, That one night as he watched in his garden very late, and ſome friends waiting upon him in his houſe and wearying becauſe of his long ſtay, one of the ⟨chanced⟩ to open a window toward the place where he walked, and ſaw clearly a ſtrange light ſurround him and heard him ſpeak ſtrange words about his ſpiritual joy. I do neither add nor alter, I am the more induced to believe this that I have heard from as good a hand as any in Scotland, that a very godly man, though not a miniſter, after he had ſpent a whole night in a country houſe, at the houſe ⟨on⟩ the muir, declared confidently, he ſaw ſuch an extraordinary light as this himſelf, which was to him both matter ⟨of⟩ wonder and aſtonishment. But though Mr. Welch ⟨held⟩ upon the account of his holineſs, abilities and ſuceſs, yet was he never in ſuch admiration, as after the great plague which raged in Scotland in his time.
And one cauſe was this: The magiſtrates of Ayr, forasmuch as this town alone was free, and the country
