Passages in the lives of Helen Alexander and James Currie of Pentland, and other papers

74 Appendix.
Brown, the wife of James Umpherston] nor Mrs. McMillan could speak much
for some days before their deaths. My father was born in March, 1679, and
near lived out 86. His mother, Anable Cleghorn, about the time of his child-
hood, was persecuted and hunted for her steadfastness to Covenanted Reforma-
tion. His father, James Brown, died soon after my father's birth. His only
sister, Marion Brown, died about six years ago, and was much about my
father's age when she died. My father was married before he married my
mother. He had a son called John to her, who was eminent for religion, and
who died about 1738 or '39 at Loanhead, and was buried in Pentland burying-
place, near the spot where my father is laid. He has left behind him of
children two daughters, Isb. and Marion, and myself, the youngest, who am
against the 16th of May first, if I be spared till that time, entered into my 30th
year. My younger sister is married a year past in December last, and has a
child named Mary, after my mother, whose name was Mary Scot, born like-
wise of religious parents. Arthur Taket, who suffered in the Grassmarket,
was a relation of her forefathers. I 've heard my father frequently tell that
Messrs. Cargill, and Smith, and Boig were lodged in his mother's house the
night before they were taken, and that Mr. Cargill lectured on the I ith chapter
of Zechariah, and, when at the 4th and 5th verses, expressed, by way of pro-
phecy, that the time sh<? soon be when there sh<? be no faithful shepherds left
to feed the flock of slaughter, which came to pass ; for, from the death of the
eminent Mr. J. Renwick till Mr. John M'Millan came off from the present
Revolution Church, the poor wasted handfull had no public teacher for 18
years. [Dated Thursday March Jth, 1765.]
VI. — Anabel Umpherston, daughter of James Umpherston
and Marion Brown.
A personal Covenant by Anabel Umpherston.
(From the original in Mr. F. Umpherston 's possession ■).
O most gracious and holy Lord God, I, Thy poor unworthy creature, do
here most solemnly prostrate myself at the footstool of Thy mercy, humbly be-
seeching Thee to accept of me for the sake and merits of the dear Son of Thy
love, and to pardon my so long delay of this duty of solemn personal covenant-
ing with Thee, although I have often verbally done it ; and I, being convinced
from Thy Word, that it is a bound duty not only to say with the mouth, but
also to subscribe with the hand, to be the Lord's, and having for a long time
had some resolutions to set about the duty, yet still neglecting it, for which