AS to Dear George Gray, my dear Friend and Brother in the Service of the Blessed Truth, and my fellow-Sufferer in Aberdene Prison; He was à man whom I greatly loved; for though he was a Poor Man in this World, yet he was rich in Faith; and though his Education was mean and low, he was endued with divine Wis­dom and Understanding in the [Page 9] things of God, and a good sound and Solid Testimony he had in the Meetings of the Lords Peo­ple; insomuch that many Con­sidering him in his place among Men, have taken notice of the Gift he had in Delivering his Testimony with that Soundness and Weight, as no Critical Ene­my did ever catch him in a Word, as ever I knew off; and I knew him at his first coming amongst us; and the Love of God in my Heart was towards him; For I never found him under Blame, nor ever heard of any that could Justly Blame him, either in his Testimony, Life or Conversation since he was restored into the Obe­dience of the Truth; but he was of a good Report.

And when I heard of his be­ing taken away from amongst us, I was satisfied in my self [Page 10] (having that Constant experience of him in his Life time) that it was well with him; and it came near me, the Consideration of the great loss and miss Friends in those parts would have of him: But I live in the Hope that the Lord will in his own time raise himself up Faithful Labourers in the room of those Worthy Men he hath been pleased to remove from us, and to take to himself of late in this Island of England and Scotland; and my Prayer to God is, through the Son of his Love, in the moving of his Holy Spirit, that all who remain behind, may so live and walk in Unity and Fellowship with the Lord God in the Spirit of his Son, and one with another, as that his Glory may shine forth thorow us all, to the reaching and gathering of [Page 11] many more; and that all who are gathered may grow up in the Spirit and Power of the Lord God Almighty; That over all Heaven and Earth he may have his Hon­our, Glory and Praise forever; Amen.

AMong the many Watch-Men and Proclaimers of the bles­sed Morning of the Everlasting Day of our God, this faithful In­strument was one, who was raised up to Visit, Salute and Comfort the Seed of God in this Nation of Scotland, and to be as a Nursing Father unto many Babes, and a [Page 13] Communicator of Spiritual Gifts as a Faithful Steward to the House­hold of God therein, Especially in the Northern parts thereof, where his Comfortable Labours and useful sweet Ministry most­ly was; and truely we can say, it is fulfilled as to him, that the Me­morial of the Just doth flourish and remain as a fresh sweet savour with many who know the Seals of his Ministry on our Hearts, and of Christ's speaking in [...] thorow him, to the refreshing, water­ing and building up of many in the Unity of the most pretious Faith and Love; which was the end of all the Gifts given by Christ Jesus, as saith the Scripture: And truly his Gifts for this end, not onely of a large understanding in the Word of God's Wisdom that dwelt richly in him, but also of utterance to express and bring forth [Page 14] the same abundantly, and with great and clear demonstration of the Spirit, were much the more remarkable, that he was a mean un­lettered Man, (except simply Read­ing and Writing) and of a very low condition in the outward; whereby his Masters Power and Spiritual Wisdom, and Furniture of Gospel Ministers (by which he doth immediately replenish them) did shine and evidence it self the more clearly through him, accor­ding to the Exhortation of the Apostle, who said, Let him that speaketh, Speak as the Oracles of God, and him that Ministers do it of the ability that God giveth him; So that he, being without any pre­tence of mixture or assistance of the acquired Learning and Sciences so much admired in the World, and pretended (though falsly) to be the most necessary accomplishment [Page 15] of Gospel Ministers; it hath been certainly known to some of us that very understanding Persons (not of the Profession he was of) have confessed their admiration at the utterance, excellent mat­ter, and pertinent Conexion they observed in his Testimony, whom they knew to be no learned Man, as to outward Learning, being very apt to Judg (ac­cording to their way) His Spiri­tual Accom­plishments be­yond▪ Mens natural reach. that the Testimonies of others among us (who they knew had some of that Learn­ing) were hepled or furnished there­by; but as to him they were at a stand, judging it, as indeed it was, somewhat beyond their na­tural Reach.

Now this Gospel Ministry which he freely received, & was not taught of man, or by man, he was ex­ceeding [Page 16] careful freely to give it forth for his Glory that gave it him, and to make it no wise chargeable to any; Yea, in this he might glory in his God, that his Hands ministred to his Ne­cessities His care not to make the Gospel charge­able. by very con­stant, diligent, hard Labour (at all the in­tervals of his Ministerial Services) in that outward Vocation and Trade he was off, being (as ma­ny of the Lords Servants were of old) of a manual and mechanick Trade, which he kept most dili­gently and assiduously to the ve­ry end of his Dayes: Yea, so stead­fastly unmoveable was he in this his Principle of not making the Gospel chargeable, and of being a good example in Laborious dili­gence with his Hands (being in­deed not sloathful in business, though [Page 17] fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord) that his care on that account can hardly be expressed. His Care and Zeal was great, not only to have his own Conversation well order­ed; but that the least appearance of evil might be abstained from by all Friends; and that all things that were truely Lovely, Come­ly, of good Report, and for the Honour of the Blessed Truth, might be Zealously followed, both by himself as an Example to the Flock, and by all others that were under the same Profession with him: He truely loved to spend and be spent in the unwearyed Labours and Services of the Gos­pel; His Zeal therein was so great that it seemed even to spend his natural Strength, so that he did swiftly run his Blessed Race and lay down his earthly Tabernacle, (wherein he had served the Lord [Page 18] with Cheerfulness) being about for­ty nine Years of Age.

A little before his departure, be­ing filled with the Power of the Lord, he gave weighty Exhorta­tion and Counsel to all that were present, especially to his Children. To some Friends that came to see him, he said, He had not kept back Weighty ex­pressions upon his Death-Bed. the Word and Coun­sel of the Lord from them, and now he could say, it was good Doctrine to leave nothing to do till a dying Bed.

He had been sometimes much exercised in Testimonies at Fairs or Markets, and in Speaking to People out at the Prison-Win­dows in the time of that long Im­prisonment at Aberdene, wherein he was a faithful Yoke-fellow in Suffering for Truth, to his own great comfort and advantage (as [Page 19] well as to the Honour of God) being ever after that Suffering to his dying-day, raised up in a pub­lick Ministry for the Lord, who had given him not only to be­lieve, but to suffer (with Joy) for his Name, both the imprisonment of his Person, and the spoiling of a great part of the mean outward Substance which he possessed.

Among many remarkable passa­ges which might be mentioned concerning him, this one thing was thought fit to be here inserted; That be­ing A Remark­able Pas­sage. once called to de­clare Truth in a pub­lick Fair (or Market) in Old Meldrum, one pretending some Authority there, did violently beat him, who fell quickly after into a heavy disease and sore pain, crying often out to some about him, that it was for beat­ing the Servant of the Lord.

[Page 20] He was little in writing out­wardly (but hath left living E­pistles written in the Hearts of many) yet these two following Letters being providentially found, may serve for some taste of his Spirit, being writ when he was but very Young in the Truth, and but entring in to his publick Ministry in the time of his Imprisonment.

This Testimony concerning our Dear Friend, aforementioned, was given forth at our Mens Meeting at Aberdene, in the first Month, 1692. And subscribed in behalf of the Meeting, by

• Thomas Mercer,
• John Robertson,
• Robert Gordon,
• Robert Burnet,
• Andrew Jaffrey,
• John Gleny,
• John Hall,
• John Forbes.

The Papers written by himself, are as followeth.