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; for when he came firſt to the town, the country was ſo wicked, and the hatred of godlineſs ſo great, that there could not one in all the town be found, that would let him a houſe to dwell in, ſo he was conſrained to accommodate himſelf in the beſt he might, in a part of a gentleman's houſe for a time, the gentleman's name was John Stewart merchant, and ſometimes provoſt of Ayr, an eminent Chriſtian, and a great aſſiſtant of Mr. Welch.
And when he had firſt taken up his reſidence in that town, the place was ſo divided into factions, and filled with bloody conflicts, a man could hardly walk the ſtreets with ſafety; wherefore Mr Welch made it his firſt undertaking to remove the bloody quarrelings, but he found it a very difficult work; yet ſuch was his earneſtneſs to purſue his deſign, that many times he would ruſh betwixt two parties of men fighting, even in the midſt of blood and wounds. He uſed to cover his head with a ⟨head⟩ piece, before he went to ſeperate theſe bloody ⟨enemies⟩, but would never uſe aſword, that they might ſee ⟨he⟩ came for peace and not for war, and ſo by little and little he made the town a peaceable habitation.
His manner was, after he had ended a ſkirmiſh amongſt his neighbours, and reconciled theſe bitter enemies, to (illegible text)uſe cover a table upon the ſtreet, and there brought the enemies together, and beginning with prayer he perſuaded them to profeſs themſelves friends, and then to eat and drink together, then laſt of all, he ended the work with ſinging a pſalm: for after the rude people began to obſerve his example, and liſten to his heavenly doctrine, he came quickly to that reſpect amongſt them, (illegible text) he became not only a neceſſary counſellor, without whoſe advice they would do nothing.
