returned to his native land; where the people in
the parishes of Oxnam, Creilland, Eckford, Linton, Marbottle and Harnam
gave him a call to preach to them at Whitton hall; unto which charge he
entered in April 1688. Here he continued that summer, and sometimes was
invited to preach at Reidsdale on the English side. But the prince of
Orange having landed in England, Nov. 4, 1688. the ministers of Scotland
who had been outed, thought it expedient to meet at Edinburgh, and
called all their brethren to attend there to consult of matters.

It fell out unexpectedly to Mr. Vetch, that the meeting voted him to
preach the next day after he came, in the new meeting-house over against
Libberton's wynd. This he was most averse to, being a stranger to the
transactions for the most part in Scotland for upwards of 30 years. But
his reasons not being heard, he was so perplexed what to do, that till 8
o'clock, he could not find a text: but at length falling upon Psal.
cxix. 18. _Thou hast trod down all that err from thy statutes_, &c. he
was taken up the whole night in thinking on it without going to bed.
When he came to the pulpit, seeing 16 of the old ministers sitting, and
the congregation greatly increasing, his fear increased also. However,
he delivered his thoughts upon the subject with respect to the then
circumstances with such freedom and plainness as offended the prelates,
who afterwards sent him a message, that ere long they resolved to be
even with him.--All the answer he returned them was, to put on their
spurs.--Upon the other hand, he seemed to give some offence to the godly
party by some free expressions he had with respect to the present
government, if presbytery was erected.

When the Presbyterian church was restored, he had calls from several
parishes, _viz._ one to Creilland, another to Melross, and a third to
Peebles; which he was persuaded by the earl of Crawford and others to
embrace: and yet he met with such opposition there, from the old duke of
Queensbury, that the church was so over-awed as to loose him from that
charge: and he having a call from Edinburgh, one from Paisley, and
another from Dumfries, the assembly, hearing his aversion to Edinburgh,
voted him to Dumfries, after he had been minister of Peebles full four
years from Sept. 1690 to 1694, when he was settled or admitted to his
ministry at Dumfries.

He left Peebles with great aversion, not only with respect to the
parish, but the country round abo