Note 50 — The Life of Mr. John Welch.

The first was called Dr. Welch, a doctor of medicine, who was unhappily killed, upon an innocent mistake in the Low Countries.

Another son he had most lamentably lost at sea, for when the ship in which he was, was sunk, he swam to a rock in the sea, but starved there for want of necessary food and refreshment, and when sometime afterward his body was found upon the rock, they found him dead in a praying posture upon his bended knees, with his hands stretched out, and this was all the satisfaction his friends and the world had upon his lamentable death.

Another he had who was heir to his father's graces and blessings, and this was Mr. 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 awakening and rouzing gift: He was one of that blest society of ministers, which wrought that unparallelled 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 ordinarily say, That minister was much to be pitied, who was called to comfort weak saints, and had no comfort himself. He died in his youth, and left for his successor, Mr. John Welch minister in Irongray 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 notwithstanding of the threatenings of the state, the hatred of the bishops, the price set upon his head, and all the fierce industry of his cruel enemies. It is well known that bloody Claverhouse upon secret information from his spies, that Mr. John Welch was to be found in 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 missed always his prey. I never heard of a man that endured more toil, adventured upon more, or escaped to much hazard, not in the world. He used to tell his friends who counselled him to be more cautious, and not to hazard himself so much, That he firmly believed dangerous undertakings would be his security, and that whenever he should give over that course and retire himself, his ministry should come to an end; which accordingly came to pass, for when, after the battle of Bothwel bridge, he retired to London, the Lord called him by death, and there he was honourably interred, not far from the king's palace.