remitted this to God that he may giv me light, and ordour the matter in his wisdom for his glori and ther good.

12. I desird grace to consider rightli my dealing with the E. of Murray in the litl meddow of Kinedward, and in my slounes about the kirk building: if ther was ani iniquity in me, which the Lord is now punishing, or if ther was only right dealing in the one, and his prouidenc in the other. Oh keep from self justifying quhen I should condemn, and from ignorant condemning quher thou doest not!

I purposd to expostulat with Cromartie anent his dealing with me. I remarked my instancie for him, my ingadging myself for extricating him out of his troubls, nay and stretching myself (oh that it may not be sin to me!); and now how he requits me.

13.-I was again disquieted anent fynning, hearing they wer about it, and trying men's rents. Oh! so litl as I could submit unto, and see God in thes things. I heard the Chancellor was unfriendli, and said he would oppos the remission, and would declar that we onli opposd him.

I did see the Ladi Balcarras, and saw something of her straits, and desird to sympathiz as I could, and to be instructed by it. I did speak with Moortoun anent the patronag of Kinlos; and I acknowledgd the Lord in it, that had guided me in an open singl way, thogh it displeas and prosper not.

14.-I writ to London to La", Lorn, Sir R. M., and heard to my greif that my -. We did mention about the fields, the consideration of the Lord's dealing with this kirk and with this land, and with our selvs. 1. What God cald for at this tym. 2. Why he humbld and brok us, as he is doing. 3. Our unsensiblnes of what concerns his glori, people, truth, worship. . . . 4. Too great aversnes from the croc and suffering. 5. Not laying to hart other men's distress. . . . 14. To be exercisd under our own guiltines and provocations, as weill as our afflictions and straits. Mani ar they that ar against us, and would swalow us up, M. Ch. R. Tarb.,a &c. quhom we hav not maliciousli wrongd. That if it seim good to him he would assuage their violence. 2. Or withstand it and defend us against it. 3. Or uphold us under it, until he gav an ishue in his mercie.

a

Referring to the heavy fines which were arbitralily imposed by Middleton in the Scottish Parliament, in 1662.

b Sir Robert Murray.

• Short-hand in MS.

These letters evidently refer to Middleton, the Chancellor, Rothes, and Tarbet.

Leathin stayed with me to supper. We soght God together.

15.-Die Dom. This day, Leathin, D. F. &c., and I set ourselvs apart to lie in the dust befor the Lord, for the causes mentiond yesterday, and others. Oh! for grace to see our oun wickedness, and to abhor ourselvs.

Among other things I am desiring this day to lay to hart the prevailing of the Devil by witchcraft. Oh! that's a sadd token of displeasur, quhen Thou permitts him to deceav, tempt, and to prosper, and that his visibl kingdom taks issue expressli. As if thou hadst given up that place wher I had my residenc, and the inhabitants of it, to be the Devel's propertie and possession, what comfort can I hav in it? Shall I not bemoan . . . Sathan's success, the spreding of sin, the destroying so mani immortal souls? And even in that place quhair I live, what does this say to me? Oh teach, teach for thy nam's sak! Discover in the mean tym mor, and destroy as thou discovers his works. Let the land be purgd and not given over, for thy nam; nor doe thou charg this sin on my, or on my father's hous, nor the causes of it, nor our accession to it.

16.-I did see L. Coupar, efternoon, Balmerinoch, &c.

17.—I read the depositions of Park's witches; the Deuil's deluding of silli wretches, working on their imaginations, making them aprehend, and beleeu fals things, deceaving with fals pleasur and profit, and cann mak nothing good that he promises; and yet tho' they see he cannot giv a counter or a sexpence, but bits of stons or brass, yet poor wretches beleev in him. I desird to look into this mysterie of wickednes and to be instructed.

18.-I did see the E. of Morton and his Ladie, and did see him litl capabl of buisines, and could look for litl from him. Yesterday Andro Gileans cam to me, and I aknouledgd the Lord in it that should ridd me of that troubl or snare. I did writ for my Son to com heir, and remitted it to himself. The ishue, ordouring, and blessing of the counsell I put over on God, and desir to rest on him in the use of evri means.

I receavd a lyn from Lorn, showing that the K. [King] had been prest for recalling Leathin's remission, but took it ill to be urg'd to it. I desire to aknowledg God in this, and committs to His wisdom, car, power and faithfulnes, to finish what concerns them or me, for we have no power.

19. I heard that the E. of Morton durst not speak of me to the Comissioner. This troubld me; but oh! that it may not driv me from God, either from his ways, dependance on him, beleeving in him, following him, trusting

and hoping in him, his word, direction and injoyment of him. Oh! I found Crom[artie] his ficlnes, professions, unsoundness, so litl is man to be trusted in. I perceav'd what overturning is lyk to com on ther resolution of excys, and considerd. He said, som look on the Comissioner as a blazing meteor, that would disappeir in a short tym.a Lord! Thou art God.

Dr. Yong din'd with me. I did see the Ladie Kenmoor efternoon, and found much bitternes, passion, and heat in her against the tyms, defection, prelats, and courses. Oh! I want much of that zeal, vehemencie in her. 1. I desird of that spirit of fortitud, courage, love to God, his truth and servants that seim to be in her. But 2. I suspect that miclb of it was carnaly mixd wtih natural heat and passion, and therfor desird to examin and eschew that. Both sinful lukwarmnes and complying with evel, and sinful hastines, violenc, and perturbation of spirit, working unwarrantabli and blindli were, I know, not consistent with His Word.

21.—I heard letters wer intercepted, and I suspected myself of rashnes and imprudenc, which God might mak a snare to me. . . . I was exercisd in ordouring the depositions of witches, and saw how grossli the Deuel fooled thes poor wretches.

22.—Die Dom. . . . I met with Mr. Alex" Coluill, and conferrd anent witches. He told me, 1. A deposition that they saw persons ther, [which] cannot without other euidenc prou them present, becaus the deuel can mak appeirances fals. 2. He said the mark is not infallible, becaus phisicians think by natural means the flesh may be deadned and feeling taken away. 3. That they could not realli transport themselves whither they pleased, for they would be oft at that sam instant in other places visiblie lying on ther back or faces, quhil they seim'd in ther imaginations to be caried to other places farr off. 3. Lykways as to shap[e]s. But what to say as to shapes I cannot tell. He said, he would hav me on a particular commission. But I desird not; nor will I put myself on anie employment, albeit as to seruing God in this, if cald, I would desir grace to glorifi him, and to follow his

a John, Earl of Middleton, Lord High Commissioner to Parliament, in 1661 and 1662, and also an Extraordinary Lord of Session, but two years later, in November, 1664, he fell into disgrace, and was deprived of his offices, to the great joy of the Scottish people.

b Micl,' or meikle, much.

• Mr. Alexander Colville of Blair in Fife, a zealous Presbyterian, and a correspondent of Rutherford's. His name appears on the roll of the Members of the General Assemblies of 1645, 1646, 1648, and 1649, as an elder of the Church.

call. But 2. The men of the tymes hav me in that dislyk that they will not think fit to hav me made use of in ani thing. So I reverenc the Lord's providenc. But my hand shall still be lifted up to God for mercie to the land in this particular, and that he would glorifi himself in discovering and destroying all thes and other works of the Devel; may rais up zealous and able men, and with inlarged and of good understanding for this end; and that he would not giv over the land to be posest by devels; for the land is his, he has set up His nam and tabernacl in it, and we ar cald by Him Oh ! giv not over as thou art threatening, but recover for thy nam's sak. Destroy this dragon; for he fights against our Michaell, he and his angels, his wicked angels. His natur, operations, working, subtilti, is remot from our sens and reason; nor can we get it learned without thou open our eys, and tak away the veil that's on our mind's and on thy word. He knows what we ar about; but we know not what he is about, or when, or how he works. Al that we doe or ar is obvious to him; but nothing that he does is obvious to us, nay, nor to the poor wretches quhom he deluds. This is ther disadvantag and his advantadg. But let this be made up in our head, Jesus Christ; for He has far mor odds of him then he has over us, being God, the Son of God, over al blessed for ever, to quhom is committed al power in earth and heaven; quhom devels ar fored to acknowledg and obey; who has conquerd them alreadi in our nature, spoild, disarmd, vanquishd and triumphd over him; the blest Seed that should bruis the head of the serpent; in quhom al the nations of the earth ar blest; who has redeemd lost mankind by his blood, and deliverd us from Sathan his rag, dominion, power, temptations, wyls, violenc, that we may serv the living God al our lyfe. Sathan is that evel spirit which fell from his place, the father of lies, a murtherer from the begining, the serpent, old crooked, the dragon, accuser, tempter, the leviathan, Lucifer, enemi to mankind and our salvation, the roring lion, the adversarie, head of his members and instruments, quhom he helps and strenthens to work all ungodliness and unrighteousnes, opposit to God and his natur purelie and perfectlie, the destroyer, keeper of the bottomless pitt, prince of darkness. But our head and Lord is by natur the Son of God as weil as man, so that God is Sathan's parti when he has to doe with us; the Saviour of mankind; Jehova our righteousnes; the holy One of God; ful of grac and ful of truth; in whom the Godheid dwels bodilie; who has reaceavd the Spirit without measur.

23.-24. I did hear Mr. Tho. Garvie." Crom [artie,] Cesn[ock,] and others told me of the intercepting of Lorn's letters which containd dangerous reflections on the Parliament and Chancellor of England; and mentiond L. B. that they minded to writ up anent this to the King. I desird to lay this to hart, and to be duli affected with the troubl that the young man (throgh God's permission and providenc) had broght himself into: could not so much bless myself that had not fallen into the lyk, for I might hav don it, and yet may doe it.

This sam day, my uncl Francis was troubld about his horning.

I was hoping that the bitternes of death was over, and was looking for an end of our troubls, expecting a fair outgate and ishue, and behold new clouds overspread the skie.

...

26. I heard som expressions of the Chancellor against us. They did aprehend plotts. Now let the Lord clear the innocent. . . . I reaceavd a letter from Cassils, chiding my faintnes and discouradgment, and stirring up to look beyond tym and present things. Oh! sanctifi this warning.

I was troubld with the troubl of my poor uncl Francis and his famili; but desird to hav my will subdud to God, and his wys providenc. . . . I spread befor God ther end, if F[rancis] be pure, and honest, and just. 2. His innocencie. 3. Ther oun law. 4. The ground of obtaining it, and without limiting the Lord, I put it over on Him. . . . I read some part of Mr. Jefray's papers and desird light to discern.

27.—I heard how the Lord Duffus, by his imprudenci, had discouerd quher Lorn's writs wer in Innes, and so wer all seizd upon. The fataliti seims irrecouerabl. Oh! I cannot get the understanding of this contrari providene of God, how He walks contrari to that familie; and it seems the lot of others also.

I desir to be touchd with Lorn, La", and others ther estat and distress, thogh I cannot help them. Oh! that the Lord would mak ane outgate, and rid of snares.

28. I read Mr. Jafray's discours of forms, and why God contends, and

a Mr. Thomas Garvan, one of the ministers of Edinburgh. He was ejected by the Privy Council for nonconformity in October this year.

Sir Hugh Campbell of Cesnock.

noch.

6

John Elphinston, third Lord Balmeri

Put to the horn,' a law phrase in Scotland, used when letters are directed to a Messenger to inforce payment by a debtor.