⟨send⟩ him to the college, and there to try his behaviour, ⟨and⟩ if ever thereafter he ſhould break, he ſaid he ſhould ⟨be⟩ content his father ſhould diſclaim him for ever: ſo ⟨his⟩ father carried him home, and put him to the college, and there he became a diligent ſtudent, of great expectation, and ſhewed himſelf a ſincere convert, and ⟨so⟩ he proceeded to the miniſtry.
His firſt poſt in the miniſtry was at Selkirk, while he was yet very young, and the country rude; while he was ⟨there⟩, his miniſtry was rather admired by ſome, than ⟨received⟩ by many; for he was always attended by the prophet's ſhadow, the hatered of the wicked; yes, even the miniſters of the country, were more ready to pick a quarrel with his perſon, than to follow his doctrine, as may appear to this day in their ſynodal records, where we find he had many to cenſure him, and only ſome to defend him; yet it was thought his miniſtry in that place was not without fruit, though he ſtayed but ſhort time there. being a young man unmarried, he tabled himſelf in the houſe of one Mitchelhill, and took a young boy of his to be his bed-fellow, who to his dying day ⟨retained⟩ both a reſpect to Mr. Welch and his miniſtry, from the impreſſions Mr. Welch's behaviour made upon his apprehenſion, though but a child. His Cuſtom was when he went to bed at night, to lay a Scots plaid above his bed-cloaths, and when he went to his night prayers, to ſit up and cover himſelf negligently therewith; and ⟨so⟩ to continue. For from the begining of his miniſtry ⟨to⟩ his death, he reckoned the day ill ſpent if he ſtayed not ſeven or eight hours in prayer; and this the boy would not forget even to hoary hairs.
I had once the curioſity travelling through that town, ⟨to⟩ call for an old man, his name was Ewait, who remembered upon Mr Welch his being in that place, and after other diſcourſes, enquired of him, what for a man Mr. Welch was, his anſwer was, O Sir, he was a type of ⟨Chriſt⟩, an expreſſion more ſignificant than proper, for his meaning was, that he was an example that imitated Chriſt, as indeed in many things he did: he told me (illegible text), that his cuſtom was to preach publickly once every
