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wanting on your behalf, and he begs a fhare in yours; for neither you, nor any in the world, needs that charity more than he does. Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I fay, on the Lord.

LETTER to the Heritors of the Parish of STRATON.

Worthy Gentlemen and Friends,

Being informed that it is my duty to prefent a person fit for the charge of the ministry now vacant with you, I have thought of one, whofe integrity and piety I am fo fully perfuaded of, that I dare confidently recommend him to you as one who, if the hand of God do bind that work upon him amongst you, is likely, through the bleffing of the fame hand, to be very serviceable to the building up of your fouls heavenwards, but is as far from fuffering himself to be obtruded, as I am for obtruding any upon you: So that unless you invite him to preach, and after hearing of him, declare your confent and defire towards his embracing of the call, you may be fecure from the trouble of hearing any further concerning him, either from himself or me; and if you please to let me know your mind, your reasonable fatisfaction fhall be to my utmoft power endeavoured by, Your affectionate Friend, and bumble Servant,

R. LEIGHTON.

The perfon's name is Mr James Aird; he was minifter at Ingram in Northumberland, and is lately removed from thence, and is now at Edinburgh. If you write to him, direct it to be delivered to Hugh Paterson, writer in Edinburgh, near the Crofs, on the north fide of the street.

This, if you please, may be communicated to fuch of the inhabitants of the parish as you fhall think fit.

This and the two following Letters were wrote to the Rev. Mr James Aird, Minifter at Torry.

Dear Friend,

I did receive your letter, which I would have known to be yours, though it had no other fign but the piety and affectionate kindness expreffed in it.

I will offer you no apology (nor I hope I need not) for not writing fince that; yea, I will confefs, that if the furprising and unexpected occafion of the bearer had not drawn it from me, I fhould hardly for a long time to come have done what I am now doing; and yet still love you, more than they do one another that interchange letters, even of kindness, as often as the gazettes come forth, and as long as they are too. And now I have begun, I would end just here; for I have nothing to fay, nothing of affairs (to be fure) private nor public; and to ftrike up to difcourfes of devotion, alas! what is there to be faid, but what you fufficiently know, and daily read, and daily think, and, I am confident, daily endeavour to do? And I am beaten back, if I had a great mind to fpeak of fuch things, by the sense of so great deficiency in doing those things, that the most ignorant among Chriftians cannot choofe but know. Instead of all fine notions, I fly to Κύριε ελέησον, Χριστε ελέησον. I think them the great heroes and excellent perfons of the world that attain to high degrees of pure contemplation and divine love; but next to those, them that, in afpiring to that, and falling fhort of it, fall down into deep humility and felf-contempt, and a real defire to be defpifed and trampled on by all the world. And I believe, that they that fink lowest into that depth, ftand nearest to advancement to those other heights: For the great King, who is the fountain of that honour, hath given us this character of himself, that be refifts the proud, and gives grace to

the

the humble. Farewell, my dear friend, and be fo charitable as fometimes, in your addreffes upwards, to remember a poor caitiff, who no day forgets you. 13th December 1676. R. L.

Dear Friend,

I trust you enjoy that fame calm of mind, touching your prefent concernment, that I do on your behalf. I dare not promise to see you at Edinburgh at this time, but it is poffible I may. I know you will endeavour to set yourself on as ftrong a guard as you can, against the affaults you may meet with there from divers well meaning perfons, but of weak understandings and ftrong paffions; and will maintain the liberty of your own mind both firmly and meekly. Our business is the study of fincerity and pure intention; and then, certainly, our bleffed guide will not fuffer us to lofe our way for want of light; we have his promife, that if in all our ways we acknowledge him, he will direct our paths. While we are confulting about the turns and new motions of life, it is fliding away, but if our great work in it be going on, all is well. Pray for

Dunblain, Jan. 13th.

My Dear Friend,

Your poor Friend,

R. L.

I have received from you the kindeft letter that ever you writ me; and, that you may know I take it fo, I return you the free and friendly advice, never to judge any man before you hear him, nor any bufinefs by one fide of it. Were you here to see the other, I am confident your thoughts and mine would be the fame. You have both too much knowledge of me, and too much charity to think, that either fuch little contemptible scraps of honour or riches fought in that part of the world, with fo much reproach, or any human complacency in the world, will be ad

mitted

mitted to decide fo grave a question, or that I would fell (to speak no higher) the very fenfual pleasure of my retirement for a rattle, far lefs deliberately do any thing that I judge offends God. For the offence of good people, in cafes indifferent in themselves, but not accounted fo by them; whatsoever you do or do not, you shall offend fome good people on the one fide or other: And for those with you, the great fallacy in this bufinefs is, that they have mifreckoned themselves in taking my filence and their zeals to have been confent and participation, which, how great a mistake it is, few know better or fo well as yourself; and the truth is, I did fee approaching an inevitable neceffity to ftrain with them in divers practices, in what ftation foever, remaining in Britain, and to have efcaped further off (which hath been in my thoughts) would have been the greatest fcandal of all. And what will you fay, if there be in this thing fomewhat of that you mention, and would allow, of reconciling the devout on different fides, and of enlarging those good fouls you meet with from their little fetters, though poffibly with little fuccefs? yet the defign is commendable, pardonable at least. However, one comfort I have, that in what is preffed on me, there is the leaft of my own choice, yea, on the contrary, the strongest averfion that ever I had in any thing in all my life; the difficulty, in fhort, lies in a neceffity, of either owning a fcruple which I have not, or the rudeft disobedience to authority that may be. The truth is, I am yet importuning and struggling for a liberation, and look upward for it*; but whatsoever be the iffue, I look beyond it, and this weary weary wretched life, through which the hand I have refigned to, I truft, will lead me in paths of his own choosing; and fo I may please him, I

* It is highly probable this has been wrote when he was deliberating about accepting a bishoprick.

I am fatisfied. I hope, if ever we meet, you shall find me in the love of folitude and a devout life.

Your unalter'd Brother and Friend,

R. L.

When I fet pen to paper, I intended not to exceed half-a-dozen lines, but flid on infenfibly thus far; but though I fhould fill the paper on all fides, ftill the right view of this bufinefs would be neceffarily suspended till meeting. Meanwhile, hope well of me, and pray for me. This word I will add, that as there hath been nothing of my choice in the thing, fo I undergo it (if it must be) as a mortification, and that greater than a cell and hair-cloth; and whether any will believe this or no, I am not careful.

RULES

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