August 4.-I heard from Edinburgh the divisions at Court, and that the cabal was broke and divided, and severals readi to quit ther charg.

11.—Mr. Tho. Hog cam heir on behalf of Al Chislm. My mind was greatly distracted in prayer. . . . Lord! guard against being puffed up with conceit of parts, wit, success; that I be not vain nor insult.

12.-I did visit Mr. James Urquhart, who had been at the door of death but recoverd a litl; and I desir to bless the Lord on his behalf.

This day 33 years my beloved wife was removd from me by death.a I desir to be humbld under the Lord's hand, and to aknowledg his holines and justice, and to bless Him that has prevented and kept me so mani years. Now "leav me not quhen I am old [and] grey headed, that I may shew Thy works to the generations to com."

16.-Efternoon, Sir Geo. Menzi cam heir, and others with him. He informd me that Latherdal was yet in credit: That the Hollanders had dround most of ther land, and made ther touns inaccessibl: Anent field meetings.

19.-Efter dinner good Mr. Th. Hogg cam to me, anent Alr. Chisholm ;Þ but did fal to expostulate with me for the favours which I bear to wicked men. I desird not to speak, but to hear. Yet he prest on me, and I said, I durst not tak on me to judg the estat of others, and I thoght it might consist with a seid of grac to fall in wicked acts frequentli, of drunkennes, lying, or the lyk. He, and one in the estat of grac may be frequentli, mor then one or twic, ouertaken with thes sinful acts. He said, That to be frequent in wicked acts of the lyk kind, he could not but judg them in the way to hell. I said, Ther actions I disalloud, so did they, perchanc, themselvs, and wer burthend with it. But for ther failing, so I durst not cal them, or rekon them amongst the wicked: grace may be smotherd with much and frequent corrnptions and weakneses. The holi man exprest so much indignation at my expression and opinion, and that he abhord it, and that I stumbld him greatlie; my woful heart kindl'd, and I said I did noe less dislyk his severiti in censuring the condition and estat of others, and that he took the keys, and judgd rashlie and rigidlie; and that I could not embrac the opinion becaus Mr. Tho. Hogg said it, and if he stumbld at me, he might

Here on the margin, Brodie draws the figure of a hand pointing with the finger.

Alexander Chisholme of Comermore. (Inquis. Retor., Inverness, no. 103.)

forbear me. He was sorri that my children should hear such doctrin. Lord! piti both my hastines, rashnes, and ignorance, and the want of reuerenc to that holi man, quhom I had in great esteem; and quherin I may be in an errour, the Lord discouer it to me, and convince, and let me not goe on in it, for Thy nam's sak. In speaking he shew a letter of Tho. Watson's; on which I took occasion to explain my poor opinion, and said, that man had a hop'd good in him: He lov'd thes that feard God. 2. He had God's worship in his hous. 3. He did shew chariti to honest folks in distress, and had other moral good qualities; yet he had a habit of drinking. I durst not seclud him from charitie, nor judg his estat towards God, nor reckon him as a wicked man, to quhom I should shew no favour, and with quhom I should hav noe familiariti.

He did chalendg me fora

I adduc'd, for my opinion of men that may fall in and continue in evel courses and frailties, and yet may hav God's seid under al that, Salomon, Jacob, Judah, som of the patriarchs.

I did afterward cal Mr. Tho. asid, and lovingli askd, why he kindld soe vehementli against me. I hopd we minded the sam thing, and had the sam object of our lov and hatred, albeit his was mor intens for good and against evel then min. But I desird unfeinedli to hate evel and lov good. Ani sin continud in, and fallen in, without repentanc, condemns; but how oft a child of God may fall, and ris, and repent, it is hard to define.

22.-I did visit Mr. Will. Falconar in his sickness. Alac! I apprehended my unusfulnes; which made me forbear. He exprest much sence and tendernes on the divisions and breaches in the Church of Scotland, agreing in the fundamentals and principles of religion and doctrin. 2. He quarreld with the expressions of som men, caling the present ministers curats, and contemptibl, thogh of weak gifts; yet that the contempt of the ministers maks the gospel contemptibl. He touched nothing of the faults of ministers, which made them contemptibl; ther negligenc, ignoranc, insufficienci, naghtines. He said, He did renoune Episcop[acy], in obedienc to an ecclesiastick ordinanc, not as contrari to the word of God. I saw matter both of hnmiliation, and off som thankfulness for ani affection to good in him. Lord! piti this mixtur.

26.- Mr. Tho. Hogg and Breyb cam heir, by quhom I heard of the estate

A Short-hand in MS.

b James Fraser of Brea.

of the afflicted servants of God, and that soldiers were made use of to tri conventicls that ther was much earnestnes efter thes men's ministrie in seueral places in the south. The persecution did encreas, and the desir and zeal of peopl encreasd. I heard ther complaint against Mr. Geo. Hutch [eson], that did not acquit himself befor the Counsel with that fortitude that they expected, and the instructions and cannons which they gav to the ministers.

27. I did goe to Penick, in order to Mr. Chisolm's business; but it did not hold. I visited Mr. Ja. Urquhart, and told him what Mr. Will. Falconar had said to me, anent the sens he enterd in the covenant. Mr. Ja. did expres the sin and evel of violating it, and spok of the bad shepheards; but I was not movd with it duli.

Sept. 5.-My harvest did begin. I was cald to Narn betwix Benedgfeild and Sir Geo. Men[z]i, and betwix Leathin and Sir George.

6. After Duffus went away I visited Mr. Wm. Falconar. He exprest som missing of Christ and assuranc. But his imployments and cares chokd this. He prest me to pray with him. I had reluctancie, yet obeyd. I desir to be heard for him, and to simpathiz with him.

13. Mr. Ja. Tailour cam heir. I did not mak use of compani as I oght... I heard of the great divisions of honest men in the south. I desir to be cast down under this. Mr. Ja. Tailour told me, that good old Mr. Blair desird him to tell me (ere he died), That he hopd the Lord would reviv his work in thes lands. But he trembled at the aprehension of the door it would enter in at, throgh much blood, confusion, and calamitie.

14.—Die Dom. . . . The gifts and graces of God ar not to be sett out for advantadg, or carnal ends, but modestlie to be kept in our breast, betuixt God and our souls, or to be told to Christian friends for experienc and edification.

15.-The Ladi Kilraok cam heir this night. Alac! we ar not the better for another's societie. Lord! help it.

The Ladi Kilraok went hence in the morning. I spok to her of her oun cace, and her familie, children, husband. But, alace! I com short in al things my self. She told me something of Mr. Will. Cuming's cariag, at which I greivd.

18.-This day I ended my shearing. Much of the corns wer grain. . Efternoon I went to Greiship to sie in what cace ther corus wer in, and met Mr. Rob. Martin. I heard from him, and from my brother, the troubls that

That Mr. Andro

honest peopl wer in at Edinburgh by the
Wedderburn was imprisond for having mor then 5 at his famili exercis.b

19.--The Ladie Westfeild cam heir, and I did efternoon hear from Sir G. Menzi, and met with young Benedgfeild; and I found the reflections of men for my dealing in ther affairs; and hearing that ther way was not right, I repented that I had medl'd betwix them, and found my weaknes in giving up Sir Geo. his disposition till al was cleard. Lord! imput not sin to me in this. Benedgfeild was here all night.

22.- Mr. Rob. Martin went thenc towards the south. I writ by him to my brother anent Laith[erdail.]

23. Sir George Men[z]i cam heir, and severals with him, and dind with me. He spok to me of Benedgfeild's buisiness. I found matter of humiliation in that matter: that poor yong man Benedgfeild fallen from great expectation to be veri low. I desir to sie the mutablnes of human effairs in him.

October 10.-I did goe to Leathin on Grant's effairs, and I feard to be an instrument or occasion of his oppression and injustic. . . . I staid al night at Leathin. Ja. Fraser prayd in the familie. Brey spok to me not to wryt against him to the Presid[ent], and I did promis it.

11.—I returnd from Leathin to the burial of Cath. Brodie at Fedden, and of a daughter of Esterbin's.

12. Die Dom. I read Jos. Allein on the Directions to Confession, and the Covenant, the personal Covenant to be enterd in.

14. This morning my daughter-in-law was deliuerd (efter sor labour) of another daughter. . . . I perceaud that my daughter-in-law had noe mind, as she said to me, to be hastie in baptizing the child; which makes me apprehend that she inclins not to hav her baptizd by any of the conform ministers. . . . I spread it befor God as I could. I allow, and love thes men's persons abou others farr. I giv them the testimoni of mor faithfulnes and abiliti to that function, then others, but cannot sie how I can consent to ther principls and opinion in this, That the conform ministers ar noe ministers, and the ordinances which they dispenc ar noe ordinances. Ther failing does not unminister them, nor tak away the blessing of God's ordinanc from us. The consequenc of this opinion does at once unchurch all the churches of thes 3 nations, nay, brings in question thes exercises of the ministri which our See Wodrow's History, vol. ii., P. 224.

a Short-hand in MS.

fathers, and ourselvs, and our children wer admitted to, and partakd of. I besoght the Lord for light.

15.—I heard a litl of my good-daughter's vewes, that the child should not be baptizd by the conform minister. I did spread it befor God as I could. . . . The Ladi Leathin spok of it to me, and said it was God's enterest not to withdraw from but to countenanc thes men that sufferd for ther dutie. I said, I desird to hav them in favour, and to countenanc them; but, I could not disclaim al thes that conformd as noe ministers, and that the ordinances which they dispened wer noe ordinances: I held them lawful. . . .

I spok to her also off the wicked Major Weera that was execut, and reprovd her for comparing him with Mr. Jhon Forbes. She cald him a hypocrit, albeit she acknowledgd God blessing his ministri. I said, I durst not cal him a hypocrit or unsound, albeit left to himself and to gross abominations; but to consider what may consist with free grac and mercie.

18.-I did find by my son, that his wyf had not inclination to hear any mor, or to mak use of the conform ministers to dispenc baptism to her child. I exprest my dislyk of it, and said, This child behoud to be mor holi and innocent then the rest, or then the parents. Ani sharpnes in this, Lord! pardon. I dar not look on thes men as unministerd. I said, I would not speak to her of it.

20.-Benedgfeild elder cam heir with his effairs with his son. I desir not to meddl in them. I sie litl appearanc of God's blessing among them.

22.—I heard my daughter-in-law would giv way to the baptizing of her child. Lord! let it be noe snar to it, nor us.

26. Die Dom. Mr. Col. Falconar preachd, I could not say but soundlie, yet truths so general that the soul was not wakned. But I desir to feed on the word.

27. This evening I was interrupted by Geo. Dunbar. He told me, that old Coulbin died on Friday last.

28. I did visit Mr. William Falconar. He did put me to worship. I did it with som reluctancie, but followd the Lord's cal, and mentiond what I could pointing at his condition.

29. This day, my Grandchild, Margaret Brodie, was presented and offered up to God, in the couenant of baptism, administred by Mr. Colin Falconar.

Thomas Weir, commonly called Major Weir, and his Sister, were convicted of

many horrible crimes, and executed 11th April, 1670.