Series 1 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (First volume)

SACRAMENT IN TRON CHURCH, EDINBURGH 369
23.—Alt sterlin lect. on psa. 91, and preacht on heb. 6, 19.
Twesday, 9.5th, being a fast day for the psent dearth, scarcity,
and bad threatning weather.1 lect. on psa. 91, and preacht on
psa. 59, 15.
9Qth.—Lect. on Eph. 2, and preacht on coll. 3, 5.
Septr. 6.—Lectured on ditto; preacht on coll. 3, 6, 7.
13.—Lectured on numb. 1; preacht on ditto.
20.—Lectured on numb. 2 ; preacht on coll. 3, 8.
27.—Lect. on numb. 3; preacht on ditto.
Odor. A:th.—Lect. on numb. 4; preacht on coll. 3, 9.
Wth.—Lect. on numb. 5; preacht on coll. 3, 10.
18tfA.—Lect. on numb. 6; preacht on coll. 3, 11.
95th.—Lect. on numb. 7 ; preacht on ditto, this day Mr.
chalmers att Killwinning 2 assisted me.
Novr. 1.—Mr. Gowrlay preacht for me.
Moonday, Odor. 26, I went to Linlithgaw, thence the next
day to Blackness to sie my mother and sisters, and on the
wedensday I went to Edenr, in order to assist at the sacrament
of the lords supper in the tron-church of Edenr, where I preacht
the sabbath morning on psa. 34, 8, and served thrie tables,
this was novr 1, and again, on moonday, novr 2, preacht on
psa. 85, 8.
I returned to alloa on Saturnday, Novr 7.
Novr. 8.—Preacht att alloa on coll. 3, 12; lectured on
numb. 8.
1 It did not pass unnoticed, that the period of the covenanting struggle was
one of general abundance. But not long after King William had brought days
of religious security, the seasons began to be bad, and much physical suffering
was endured. This, indeed, had been foretold, it is said, by Alexander Peden,
the so-called ‘ Prophet.’ ‘ As long,’ he said, ‘ as the lads are upon the hills, you
will have bannocks o’er night; but if once you were beneath the bield of the
brae, you will have clean teeth and many a black and pale face in Scotland.’—
Patrick Walker’s Life of Donald Cargill, Biog. Pres., vol. ii. p. 24. The first
bad season apparently was the autumn of 1695 ; and when the following summer
threatened to prove no better, the weather being of such a character ‘ as doth
sadly threaten,’ to quote from the Record of the Privy Council, ‘ the misgiving
and blasting of the present crop, to the increase of that distress whereby the
kingdom is already afflicted,’ at the request of the Church a fast was proclaimed
for the 25th of August in all churches south of the Tay, and on the 8th of Sep¬
tember in those elsewhere.
2 See note, p. 364.
2 A
1696