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His teftimony to religion.

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A SHORT

A C COUNT

OF THE

Birth, Parantage and Character of the Reverend Mr. THOMAS HALYBURTON, with fome other Circumftances of his Life.

Min the new college at St. Andrews, was born

R. Thomas Halyburton, profeffor of Divinity

at Duplin, in the parish of Aberdalgy December 25th. 1674, of worthy and godly parents, Mr. George Halyburton and Margaret Playfere. His father was defcended of the family of Pitcur, in the county of Angus; and was minifter of the parish of Aberdalgy in the prysbytery of Perth, out of which he was ejec ted by the then government, in the year 1662, as about 300 more minifters were alfo, fummarily without any legal process, fimply for non-comformity to prelacy.

Mr. George Halyburton, who was then bishop of Dunkeld, and had been a zealous covenanter, fuddenly became fo forward for the national defection and fo cruel a perfecutor of his once fellow prefbyters, that he would not fpare him more than others, tho' he was his near kinfman, but turned him out of his charge. And yet that prelate was fcarce well warm in his neft, when the Lord' fmote himfelf with fore fickness, of which he died, and went to his place.

. Immediately after he was thus perfecuted, that choice and pious gentleman, the fole heritor of the faid parish, who was one among a thousand in fuch an evil time, and afterward fuffered much for non-con

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formity, gave him a house to dwell in at Duplin, befide himself, was his ordinary hearer, and while he lived, fhewed no fmall kindness to him, which deferves a thankful remembrance from his relations.

His father never repented his faithfulness in adhering to the covenanted work of reformation, but rejoiced that he had been honoured to fuffer on that account; and when he fell asleep in, the Lord in the year 1682, in the 55, year of his age, he died in the faith of this that God would deliver this church from the then fore perfecution it was under.

His mother was daughter to Mr Andrew Playfere, the first minister of Aberdalgy parish after the reformation from popery,to whom her husband fucceeded a little before the reftoration of prelacy. She was allied to fome of the best families in the kingdom by the mother; of which here I shall forbear a particular account: But which was their far greater glory, both of them from their youth up, were truly religious.

His mother excelled many of her own fex, for knowlege of the principles of religion, and an uncommon memory of the fcriptures; fhe would have exactly repeated many of the choiceft chapters of the bible.

They had a numerous family, no less than eleven children, and very fickly; all of them died young, except their eldest daughter Janet, and this their fon Mr. Thomas; but to fweeten these trials, they had peculiar comfort in the death of their children; fome even of the youngest of them, gave fingular evidences of their dying in the Lord, which fome yet alive well mind.

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When his father died, he was happy to be under the care of fuch a mother: The epifcopal perfecution for non-conformity daily growing, the with her fon in law, and daughter, were forced for their fafety to withdraw to Holland, took him along with them, while he was very young: He quickly learned the Dutch

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Dutch, and went to Erafmus fchool to learn the latin: There they fojurned till August 1687, at which time they returned home, narrowly efcaping fhipwreck.

At their return he went to the school, and afterwards to the univerfity, where he made great proficiency beyond many of his equals. When he had finifhed his course there, he entered chaplain to a noble family, where one that had been his fchool fellow,and had drunk in the principles of the deifts, began to attack him on that fide, which obliged him in the be ginning of his ftudies to read that controverfy carefully; and what progrefs he made in this, will ap pear from his book against the deifts. He could not attend leffons of divinity in any of our colleges, while in that family; and tho' he had read divinity only two years the prefbytery of Kircaldy importun'd him to enter on trials, and he was licensed by them to preach, June 22, 1699.

He was fettled minifter in Ceres parish, May, 1, 1700" In 1701, he was married with Janet Watjon a virtuous and pious gentlewoman, daughter to Mr. David Watfon an heritor in the parish of St. Andrews a zealous good man, and one that fuffered much in the late times for non-conformity. Pis relict furvives with fix children, one fon, and five daughters, befide two fons and a daughter that died.

Some few years after his fettlement at Ceres, his "health broke, and his indifpofition daily increased, fo that he was hardly able to go through his minifterial work in that large parish.

In April 1710, having received a patent from her majefty, and an invitation from the prefbytery. he was tranfported by the fynod of Fife, to be profeffor of divinity in the new college of St Andrews.

In September, 23, at 7 in the morning 1712, flept in Jefus, and him will the Lord bring with him. He was of low ftature, his body but thin and finall

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his hair black,but his complexion pretty clear and fair, In April 1711, a dangerous ficknefs feized on him which obliged the phyficians, at feveral times, to take from him about 44 ounces of blood: he recovered and, went abroad again, but his wafted body never attained the fmall ftrength he had before his fickness; fhortly after his arms and legs became a little benum'd and infenfible, as alfo fwelled, which at his death increased greatly,

But O! How noble a fpirit, how great a foul dwelt in his weak and frail body.

He was naturally of a very pleafant and defireable temper. He had an equal and chearful fpirit, which he retained under furprizing viciffitudes. This evennefs of temper appeared much in his frequent and dangerous fickness. He had a calm, peaceable, healing difpofition, and yet bold as a lion in his mafter's caufe. He had a peculiar talent for compofing dif ferences: How afflicting the profpect of divifions was to him, the following fheets will teftifie: And had fome others been bleffed with more of this fpirit, his and our fears had been utterly disappointed.

He was master of a confiderable ftock of prudence, he ftudied to walk in wifdom toward them that are without, and them that are within, and to become all things to all men.

He was dextrous in obferving tempers, and in addreffing and managing perfons. How wifely he carried in church judicatories, whereof he was a member others can witness,

He abhorred that unedifying converfe, that is fpent In frequent and unfeasonable jesting and drollery, fo common with many; tho' he was abundantly face-· tious in company, when and where he faw it expedient, and this way fometimes he has dropt what tended to edifie. Thofe who converfed most with him, will own, they feldom enjoyed his company without fome profit by it. He oft was uneafy after

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