Series 6 > McCulloch examinations of the Cambuslang revival (1742) > Volume 6

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EXAMINATIONS OF PERSONS UNDER SPIRITUAL CONCERN II
[SS?/1] A. C. A Married Woman, aged 32 years.1
I was only taught to read the Catechism2 when I was a Child: and I was
careless about []3 till last year (1742) when it pleased the Lord to take some
dealing with my heart: And then I was much grieved that I had so long
neglected to learn to read, & would have given never so much that I had
learned to read the Bible: And by applying carefully to learn to read, I bless
the Lord, tho I cannot pretend to read it perfectly, yet I can read much of
it: when I take it up in my hand to read, I know not how to part with it or
lay it aside again. And by reading much & oft in it, when I hear passages of
it cited, as I am hearing Sermons, I can now turn to them in my Bible, &
find many of them there, tho’ the particular Book Chapter and verse be not
mentioned by the Mint. And O how wonderful is the change now with me
from what was the Case before, in this & almost every other respect! For tho’
I was never given to things outwardly gross before the World; yet I liv’d all
along till last year without the fear of God in my heart. Formerly I did not
use to pray, but sometimes when I was dragged to it by natural Conscience &
fears of Hell: and tho’ I usd to go to the Kirk on Sabbath days for ordinary,
[558/2] because others went & it was the Custom of the Place where I livd, yet
when I came there, tho I took heed to what was said, yet the Word just died
away as I was hearing of it: And when the Mint would have been speaking of
particular Cases, I would have said in my heart, Let them take that to them to
whom it belongs: I have nothing to do with it; and it would have been just
my case for all that: but I had no delight to pray or hear the word preached,
or in any thing that was like good: only because I could not read my self, I
would sometimes have drawn near when I heard a person read the Bible, or
a Preaching—Book, & listened with some kind of pleasure.
About 9 years ago, a Minr (26)4 coming thro the Parish visiting, took me
aside by my self, & among other things told me Except you be born again,
you can never see the kingdom of heaven: that word for a long time after
haunted me often, & came frequently into my mind, but I knew not what to
make of it. On the last Sabbath of Deer. 1741, hearing a Minr (26) preach, I felt
a great sweetness []5 in that Sermon than ever I had found in any Sermon
Janat Struthers - the shorthand text in McCulloch’s ‘Index of persons’ names who gave the
foregoing accounts to Mr. McC’ states: possibly from Shawfield, lived with spouse George
Darling in Cambuslang.
Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly (1647).
Insertion [‘learning to read more’]: McCulloch.
William McCulloch (1691-1771) - minister, Cambuslang.
Initial insertion: [‘more desireableness’]; subsequently replaced with: [‘more sweetness and
delight’].