“ Josias Welch, minister at Temple Patrick in the north of Ireland, commonly called the cock of the conscience by the people of that country, because of his extraordinary wakening and rouzing gift: he was one of the blest scociety of ministers, which wrought that unparralleled work in the north of Ireland, about the year 1636, but was himself a man most sadly exercised with doubts about his own salvation all his time, and would ordinarly say, That minister was much to be pitied, who was called to comfort weak saints and had no comfort himself. ”

“ And that blood which was offered to thee, O Scotland, in so plentious a manner, that the like thereof, hath not been offered to any nation, therefore thy judgment shall be greater; but the sanctuary must be begun at, and the measure is not fulfilled, till the blood of the saints be shed; then the cries will be great, and will not stay till they bring the Lord down from heaven's throne to see if the sins of Scotland be according to the cry thereof; neither shall there be any subject in the land, from the greatest to the meanest, guiltless. ”

“ Now let it be so, that I have fought my fight, and run my race, and now from henceforth is laid up for me that crown of righteousness, which the Lord that righteous God will give, and not to me only, but to all that love his appearance, and choose to witness this, that Jesus Christ is the king of saints, and that his church is a most free kingdom, yea as free as any kingdom under heaven, not only to convocate, hold and keep her meetings, and conventions assemblies ”

“ Welch he behoved to go with him to the king, which Mr. Welch willingly did. When the duke came to the king, the king asked him why he brought not the minister with him and why he did not interrupt him. The duke answered, Never man spake like this man but that he had brought him with him. Whereupon Mr. Welch is called, and when he entered the king's room, he kneeled upon his knees, and silently prayed for wisdom and assistance. Thereafter the king challenged him, how he durst preach where he was, since it was against the laws of France, that any man should preach within the verge of his court? ”

“ Let the bride rejoice, let all the saints rejoice, for the day of the marriage with the bridegroom, even the Lamb of God, is at hand, and his fair white robes shall be given her, she shall be arrayed with the golden vestry and the needle work of his manifold graces that shall be put under her; he who is her life, shall quickly appear, and fire shall quickly appear with him, in the glory and happiness of a consummate marriage. ”

“ When shall I be filled with his love? Surely if a man knew how precious it were, he would count all things dross and dung to gain it, truly I would long for that scaffold, or that ax, or, that cord, that might be to me the last step of this my wearisome journey, to go to thee my Lord. ”

“ Welch answered him, Sir, if you did right you would come and hear me preach, and make all France hear me likewise. For said he, I preach not as those men you use to hear preach; my preaching differs from theirs in these two points. First, I preach that you must be saved by the death and merits of Jesus Christ, and not your own. Next, I preach, said he, that as you are king of France, you are under the authority and command of no man on earth ”

“ There was in Ayr, before he came to it, an aged man a minister of the town called Porterfield, the man was judged no bad man, for his personal inclinations, but so easy a disposition, that he used many times to go too great lenght with his neighbours in many dangerous parctices: and amongst the rest, he used to go to the bow-butts and archery, on Sabbath afternoon, to Mr. Welch's great dissatisfaction. ”

“ And as to the rest of our brethren, who either by silence approve, or by crying peace, peace, strengthen the arm of the wicked, that they cannot return, in the mean time make the hearts of the righteous sad, they shall all in like manner be guilty of high treason against the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, his crown and kingdom.
Next unto them, all our commissioners, chancellor, president, comptroller, advocate, and next unto them, all that first or last sat in council, and did not bear plain testimony for Jesus Christ and his kingdom, for which we do suffer. ”

“ The light of the Gentiles, the glory of the Jews, the life of the dead, the joy of angels and saints, my soul painteth to be with thee, I will put my spirit into thy hands, and thou wilt not put me out of thy presence, I will come unto thee, for thou casteth none away that cometh unto thee, O thou delight of mankind? ”

“ He was sometime prisoner in Edinburgh castle before he went into exile, where one night sitting at supper with the lord Ochiltry, who was an uncle to Mr. Welch's wife, as his manner was, he entertained the company with godly and edifying discourse, which was well relived be all the company save only one debauched posh young gentleman, who sometimes laughed, and sometimes mocked and made faces: whereupon Mr. Welch brake out in a sad abrupt charge upon all the company to be silent, and observe the work of the Lord upon that prophane mocker, which they should presently behold ”

“ Welch's Armagaddoo, printed I suppose, in France, wherein he gives his meditations upon the enemies of the church, and their destruction but the piece itself is rarely to be found.
Sometimes before he went to sermon, he would send for his elders, and tell them, he was afraid to go to pulpit because he found himself sore deferred; and thereafter desire one or more to pray, and then he would venture to pulpet. But, it was observed, this humbling exercise used ordinarily to be followed, with a flame of extraordinary assistance: so near neighbours are many times contraoy dispositions and frames. ”

“ What is ther under the old vault of the heavens, and in this old worn earth, which is under the bondage of corruption, groaning and travelling in pain, and shooting out the head, looking, waiting, and longing for the redemption of the sons of God ”

“ He died in his youth, and left for his successor, Mr. John Welch minister at Iron Gray in Galloway, the place of his grandfather's nativity. What business this made in Scotland, in the time of the late Episcopal persecution, for the space of twenty years, is known to all Scotland. He maintained his dangerous post of preaching the gospel upon the mountains of Scotland, not withstanding of the threatnings of the state, the hatred of the bishops, the price set upon his head, and all the fierce industry of his cruel enemies. ”

“ John Welch was to be found at some lurking place at forty miles distance. would make all that long journey in one winter's night, that he might catch him, but when he came he always missed his prey. I never heard of a man that endured more toil, adventured upon more hazards, escaped so much hazard, not in the world. ”

“ He continued the course of his ministry in Ayr, till king James's purpose of destroying the church of Scotland by establishing bishops was ripe, and then it fell to be his duty to edify the church by his sufferings, as formerly he had done by his doctrine.
The reason why king James was so violent for bishops was neither their devine institution, which he denied they had, nor yet the profit the church should reap by them for he knew well both the men and their commnuications. ”

“ We Sir, if the lord will, are yet ready to do more in onr calling, and to suffer more for the same, if so be it will please our God to call us to it, and strengthen us in it, for ourselves we dare promise nothing, but in our God all things. ”

“ And for that insturment Spotswood, we are sure the Lord will never bless that man, but a malediction lies upon him, and shall accompany all his doings: and it may be, Sir, your eyes shall see as great comfusion covering him, ere he go to his grave, as ever did his predecessors. ”

“ Robert Glendoning: new come home from travels, and much surprized the young man by telling him, he behoved to change his garb, and way of life, and betake himself to the study of the scriptures, which at that time was not his business, for he should be his successor in the ministry at Kirkcudbright, which accordingly came to pass sometime thereafter.
Mr. Welch was transported to Ayr in the year 1590, and there he continued till he was banished, there he had a very hard beginning, but a very sweet end ”

“ Then as soon as ever he heard he might preach, he greedily embraced this liberty, and having access to lecturer's pulpit, he went and preached both long and fervently: which was the last performance of his life for afer he had ended his sermon, he returned to his chamber, and within two hour quietly and without pain, he resigned his spirit into his Maker's hands, and was buried near Mr. Deering, the famous English divine he had lived little more than fifty two years. ”

“ Livingston Minister at Ancrum, and from him I had it.
After his flock in France was scatered, he obtained liberty to come to England, and his friends made hard suit, that he might be permitted to return to Scotland because the physicians declared there was no other way to preserve his life but by the freedom he might have in his native air. But to this king James would never yield, protesting he should never be able to establish his beloved bishops in Scotland, if Mr. Welch were permitted to return thither ”

“ Upon this they were forced to sorfake the wall in great terror, and though they had several guns planted upon the wall, no man durst undertake to mannage them. This being told Mr. Welch with great affrightment, he notwithstanding encouraged them still to hold out, and running to the wall himself, found the cannonier, who was a Burgundian, near the wall, him he entreated to mount the wall, promising to assist him, in person, so to the wall they got. ”

“ But if his diligence was great, so it is doubted whether hissowing in painfulness, or his harvest in his success was greatest; for if either his spiritual experience in seeking the Lord, or his fruitfulness in converting souls be considered, they will be found unparalleled in Scotland: and many years after Mr. Welch's death, Mr David Dickson, at that time a flourishing minister at Irvine, was frequently heard to say, when people talked to him of the success of his ministry, That the grape (illegible text) gleanings in Ayr, in Mr. ”

“ Now the time is come he must leave Scotland, and never to see it again, so upon the seventh of November 1606 in the morning, he with his neighbours took ship at Leith, and though it was but two o'clock tn the morning, many were waiting on with their afflicted families, to bid them farewell. After prayer, they sung the xxiii psalm, and so with the great grief of the spectators, set sail for the south of France, and landed in the river of Bourdeaux. ”

“ Welch gave him his blessing, and a piece of gold for a token, exhorting him to fear God, and promised he should never want, which promise, providence made good through the whole course of his llife, as was observed by all his neighbours. ”

“ Secondly, That she is free in her government from all other jurisdiction except Christ's, these two points, I say, are the special cause of our imprisonment, being now convict as traitors for the mantaining thereof; we have been ever waiting with joyfulness to give the last testimony of our blood in confirmation thereof if it should please our God to be so favourabl as to honour us with that dignity ”

“ Mr. Welch together with John Stewart, and uHtgh Kennedy, his two intimate friends, used to spend the Sabbath afternoon, in religious conference an prayer, and to this exercise they invited Mr. Porterfield, which he could not refuse, by which means he was not only diverted form his former sinful practice, but likewise brought to a more watchful, and edifying behaviour in his course of life.
He married Elizabeth Knox, daughter to the famous Mr. John Knox, minister at Edinburgh, the apostle of Scotland, and she lived with him from his youth till his death. ”

“ However, many of the godly ministers of Scotland, knowing well, if once the hedge of the government was broken, the corruption of the doctrine would soon follow, resolved not to quit their assemblies so And therefore a number of them conveened at Aberdeen, upon the last Tuesday of July 1605, being the last day that was distinctly appointed by authority ”