city of Glasgow presented
a call to him; but partly because of his own aversion, and the vigorous
appearance of the earl of Eglinton, and his loving people, and mostly
for the remarkable usefulness of his ministry in that corner, the
general assembly continued him still at Irvine.

Not long after this about 1641, he was transported to be professor in
the university of Glasgow, where he did great service to the church, by
training up young men for the holy ministry; and yet notwithstanding of
his laborious work, he preached on the forenoon of every sabbath, in the
high church there; where for some time he had the learned Mr. Patrick
Gillespie for his colleague.

_Anno_ 1643, the church laid a very great work upon him, together with
Mr. Calderwood and Mr. Henderson to form a draught of a directory for a
public worship, as appears by an act of the general assembly. When the
pestilence was raging at Glasgow in 1647, the masters and students, upon
Mr. Dickson's motion, removed to Irvine. There it was that the learned
Mr. Durham passed his trials, and was earnestly recommended by the
professor to the presbytery and magistrates of Glasgow. A very strict
friendship subsisted between those two great lights of the church, and,
among other effects of their religious conversation, we have the sum of
saving knowledge, which hath been so often printed with our confession
of faith and catechisms. This, after several conversations upon the
subject, and manner of handling it, so that it might be useful to vulgar
capacities, was, by Messrs. Dickson and Durham, dictated to a reverend
minister about the year 1650, and though never judicially approven by
this church, yet it deserves to be much more read and practised than
what it at present is.

About this time he was transported from the profession of divinity at
Glasgow, to the same work at Edinburgh. At which time he published his
_prelectiones in confessionem fidei_ (now published in English), which
he dictated in latin to his scholars. There he continued his laborious
care of students in divinity, the growing hopes of a church; and either
at Glasgow or at Edinburgh, the most part of the presbyterian ministers,
at least in the west, south and east parts of Scotland, from 1640, were
under his inspection; and from the forementioned book, we may perceive
his care to educate them in the form of sound words, and to ground them
in the excellent standards of doctrine agreed to by the once fa