stranger to true religion. He told them he heard one Mr Blair preach, [at] Saint Andreus; and, describing his features, and the stature of his body, he said, That man sheued me the majesty of God,' which was Mr Robert Blair's peculiar talent: Then added he, 'I afterward heard a litle fair man preach,' (Mr Rutherford,) and that man sheued me the lovelynes of Christ: Then I came and heard, at Irwine, a well-favoured, proper old man, with a long beard,' (which was famouse Mr Dickson,) ' and that man sheued me all my heart !'-for he was most famed of any man in his time to speak to cases of conscience. And they say that Englishman became an excellent Christian. The whole General Assembly of the Church of Scotland could not have given a better character of these three men than that man gave. Mr James Hutcheson, Minister at Killellan, [informs me?] that meeting with Mr Dickson he enquired at him, What way a person should conceive of God when they addressed him immediatly by prayer? He answered, Mr James, ye knou we are commanded to call upon His name, and that is enough! No man fully knoues that name. Like a poor man coming to a great and rich man's house, to seek some alms, the poor man does not sufficiently knou hou to give the rich great man his stiles and titles; but he kuoues well that there is rich supply to be had in that great house!' If Mr Dickson had been riding, had it been forty or fifty miles, with young students, he would most chearfully and pleasantly have enterteaned them with excellent discourse, by answering all the difficult questions they propounded. He would have said, Come forward, lads, have ye any more to say?'

"I remember I have heard my father, Mr John Stirling, tell me severall things anent worthy Mr Dickson, for he was at the school in Irwine when Mr Dickson was Minister there. He began to understand that my father was a young man much exercised in true religion. My father told him that his learning Latine did not go well with him, and he thought it did ill to his spirituall exercise; and so he thought he was called to quitt it. Mr Dickson presently perceived the Divil working with him in that affair; and he said to him, Do you think, John, that there is religion and serving of God in nothing but prayer, reading, meditation, [and] hearing of preaching? Dost thou not think that when a webster is sitting on his loom, and working bussy at his trade, that he may be serving

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God as well as when praying and reading?' My father could not answer him, but the temptation was still strong, and wrought with him; so that one day he was fully resolved to leave the school, and go to his father, Alexander Stirling's house, in Clarkland, in the parish of Steuartoun. Accordingly, he goes away some litle peice out of Irwin; and, by a special Providence, he meets with Mr Dickson by the way, who had been at some part of his work in the country parish. The youth endeavoured to hide himself from Mr Dickson; but he soon found him out, and said, 'Where are you going, Sir?' He told him that he could stay no longer at school, for it did ill to his spirituall exercise, and he did not profit by it. Mr Dickson only put him [in] mind of that one sentence, Luke ix. 62, No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fitt for the kingdom of heaven;' adding, John, if you can answer that, you may go your way where you please !'-and left him. This did so move and affect my father, that he went presently back to the school, and never left it till he was through the Colledge, and laureat; and then Mr Dickson recomended him to my Lady Ramsay, a worthy good woman, to be her chaiplain, for she had written to Mr Dickson to get her a Westcountry young man to her family. Accordingly, he went and stayed some time there, and therafter went to Sir Arthur Erskin of Scotscraig, and was his chaiplain; and came West, and passed his tryals at Paislay.

"When he had passed his tryalls, Mr Dickson gave him many excellent admonitions with respect to his publick preaching and prayer: That he should be as short and succinct as possible, that he might never weary the people: He told him that after he was ordeaned, he would have him to live, if he could do it conveniently, unmarried four years; which my father exactly observed. When he had spoken much to him about his preaching and administrating the two Sacraments, he closed up all with this, 'O! study God well, and your oun heart!' I have heard that Mr Dickson was travailing in the way with a young man, who proved a robber, and took his money from him. Mr Dickson said, 'This is a very bad way of living you are nou follouing: Take my advice; if you will needs take my money from me, go and trade with it; follou some laufull tread of merchandizing, and leave off this woefull course of yours!'

What he said made such impression on the man, that he forsook that way, went and merchandized with the money he took from Mr Dickson, till he came to be considerably ritch, and came in to Leith, and enquired for Mr Dickson, (my father told me it was at Glasgou,) and found he was both Professor and Minister of Edinburgh; and he ordered a hogshead of wine to be sent up to Mr Dickson's house, in the Colledge. Mr Dickson and his family wer astonished at [it,] and supposed there was a mistake in [it.] Houever, it was taken in, till they should knou whose it was, and whence it came. The gentlman himself came to visit the Professor, who was extremly civil to him, being a perfect stranger to him; and [a] glass of his best ale came. The gentlman commended it, but asked, 'If ther was any wine in the house?' Mr Dickson said ther was a hogshead of it come that day, he supposed in a mistake, and asked him if he kneu any thing about it? He told him he had sent it, and asked him if he minded since a gentlman had taken his purse from him of four or five hundred merks, and had advised him as above? Mr Dickson minded it, and the gentlman told he was the man, and he had folloued his advice, and nou he was come to a considerable stock, and he brought him his money with interest-my father called it double interest -and had sent the hogshead of wine to him.

"Sir Patrick Houstoun tells me that that great Christian, Thomas Hall, used to say to him, that Mr Dickson, of all the Ministers he ever kneu, was the best for bringing in the tails, or who brought up the tails best with him. I took the meaning of it to be, that of all men, he was the most gaining on weak sinners, and young beginners, to bring them to Christ. Mr Patrick Simson told me that Mr Dickson used to say, We that are Ministers should make the dore as wide and broad as we can, to get poor sinners, once gained and brought in, to Christ; and, when they are [in,] close the dore, and lay on them [as] good [a] load of dutys as we can ;' for, if I be a father, where is mine honour? if I be a master, where is my fear?' Mr Hugh Peebles, Minister of Lochwinnioch, said to me he never read that word, 'I caught you with guile,' but he remembered alwayes worthy Mr Dickson, he had such a strange and wonderful way of catching sinners. The good old Laird of Craigends,

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Alexander Cunningham, told me that when he was very young, and
maried about nineteen years of age, Mr Dickson, being in Houston,
heard there that the Laird of Craigends keeped family-exercise in his
house. Mr Dickson came over to Craigends to see him, and desired
him to let him see his garden and yeards. He told me he marked to
him hou such a trea or plant was budding nou, and blossoming, and after
some time it would fade; and so he would discourse to the young Laird
of the vanity of earthly things; so that he was made to admire the
way
Mr Dickson took with him, it was so pleasant and gaining. He told
him he heard a good report of him, that he was a seeker of God in his
family, and entreated him to hold on his way, for that would be his
greatest glory and renoun.

“Mr Dickson, when speaking to people about marks of an interest in
Christ, he alwise endeavoured to lead people to lay their greatest weight
on Christ's imputed rightiousnes, and not to rest on any thing wrought
within them. He used to take three or four verses for his text. He
was not for straitning people in the least: He used to say, 'God's bairns
should gett a good blade* of his oun bread; and, when the steuard, the
Minister, was distributing the food, he should sit doun and take part of
the meat to himself with the bairns!' I heard, that when he was speak-
ing of a man that was made Professor of Divinity, and was not a Mini-
ster, he said, 'He never loved a maiden midwife!' This was spoken
with respect to Mr John Young his being Professor. He was made
Moderator of the Assembly 1639. When he sau all things going well
with the work of God, he had that expression, "The work goes bonny-
lie on !' And, when the woefull Revolution, 1661 and 1662, came, the
cursed Malignants, for all the favour that worthy man had sheued them,
by follouing the Publick Resolutions, yet they made a ballad on worthy
Mr Dickson, and caused it to be cryed throu the streets of Edinburgh-

The work goes bonnily on!

'Good morrou to you, bleu (or gray) beard.'

Blad, a large slice of a loaf.

The Royalist Writers refer this expression

to the severities inflicted on the adherents to their party at a later period.

4

"Mr Hutchison of Killellan told me, that one of Sir Ludowick Houston's daughters went with her excellent mother, Dame Margarat Maxwell, to visite worthy Mr Dickson when a-dying, after he was put out by the prælates, and heard Mr Dickson say to her mother, Madam, I must confess the Protesters have been much truer Prophets than we wer!' "When some Ministers, in an Assembly, wer questioning much the King's sincerity in taking the Solemn League and Covenant, Mr Hutcheson heard that Mr Dickson rose up and told that remarkable passage about the stranger coming in to a man's house, and taking away a great pot, and being forced to come back again with it, in a great mist coming on, so that he kneu not whither he went. The man's wife did chide him for enterteaning such strangers as robbed his house. He told his wife, he had given him a very good and sufficient cautioner; for the theif said to the man, when questioning his honesty, that he would find God the burgh ;* which was the way they had then of expressing, that he would give God [for] his cautioner. So,' said Mr Dickson, 'the King has taken the Covenant, and so has given us a good and sufficient cautioner; but, alace, he took away a great pot, indeed, the gloriouse covenanted work of Reformation; but he never brought it back again!' Mr Dickson laboured to find Christ in every text that he preached on. I heard a strange passage anent people's flocking to hear him when he was going to preach at Edinburgh; and that he was presently struck dumb and could say nothing, but only that God was jealouse of his oun glory, and would not give it to any creature. I heard that worthy Mr John Carstaires, late Minister at Glasgou, said, that though he had been so many times with worthy Mr Rutherford at Saint Andreues, yet he never kneu, clearly and distinctly, what it was to belive in Christ, till he came and conversed with famouse Mr Dickson at Glasgou; for young men got more true edification and profit by conversing with him than by all his dictates and writings. He would say to Mr Carstairs, Johnie, will thou not come and help thy father, man?'

"I heard that when worthy Mr John Livingstoun, who was banished to Holland, with sixty or more, he was enquired at, whom he took to be

• Borgh, surety, cautioner.