he Spirit. It was easy for his hearers to perceive that he had been
in the mount with God, and that indeed he had brought that God whom had
met in private, _unto his mother's house, and unto the chambers of her
that conceived him_.

Mr. Bruce was also a man who had somewhat of the spirit of discerning
future events, and did prophetically speak of several things that
afterward came to pass, yea, and divers persons distracted (says an
author[52]) and those who were past recovery with the epileptical
disease, or falling sickness, were brought to Mr. Bruce, and were, after
prayer by him in their behalf, fully restored from that malady. This may
seem strange (but true), for he was such a wrestler with God, and had
more than ordinary familiarity with him.

Some time before his death, being then at Edinburgh, where through
weakness he often kept his chamber, whither a meeting of godly
ministers, anent some matter of church-concernment, (hearing he was in
town), came and gave him an account of the prelates actings. After this,
Mr. Bruce prayed, in which he repeated over again to the Lord the very
substance of their discourse (which was a very sad representation of the
case of the church), all which time there was an extraordinary motion in
all present, and such a sensible down-pouring of the Spirit, that they
could hardly contain themselves. Mr. Weemes of Lathockar being
occasionally present, at departing said, O how strange a man is this,
for he knocketh down the Spirit of God upon us all; this he said,
because Mr. Bruce, in the time of that prayer, divers times knocked with
his fingers upon the table.

About this time he related a strange dream; how he had seen a long broad
book with black boards, flying in the air, with many black fowls like
Crows flying about it; and as it touched any of them, they fell down
dead; upon which he heard an audible voice speak to him, saying, _Haec
est ira Dei contra pastores ecclesiae Scoticanae_; upon which he fell
a-weeping and praying that he might be kept faithful, and not be one of
these who were thus struck down by a torch of his wrath, through
deserting the truth. He said, when he awakened, he found his pillow all
wet and drenched with tears.--The accomplishment of this dream, I need
not describe: all acquainted with our church-history, know, that soon
after that, prelacy was introduced into Scotland. Bishops set up, and
with them ushered in Popish and Arminian tenets, with all manner