un. William Gordon, having thus the advantage of a very religious
education, began very early to follow Christ. As early as the year 1637,
Mr. Rutherford in a letter admonishes him thus: "Sir, lay the foundation
thus and ye shall not soon shrink nor be shaken: make tight work at the
bottom, and your ship shall ride against all storms; if withal your
anchor be fastened on good ground, I mean, within the vail, &c.[163]"
And indeed by the blessing of God, he began very early to distinguish
himself for piety and religion with a firm attachment to the
presbyterian interest and a covenanted work of reformation; in which he
continued stedfast and unmoveable until he lost his life in the
honourable cause.

What hand he had in the public affairs during Cromwel's usurpation, I
cannot so well say: we must suppose him upon the remonstrators' side.
But the first public testimony he gave after the restoration of Charles
II. recorded in history, was, about the year 1663, when some
commissioners were appointed by the council to go south and inquire
anent some opposition that was then made by the people to the settlement
of curates at Kirkendbright and Irongray: and the said commissioners,
knowing this worthy gentleman's firmness to the presbyterian principles,
and being designed either to make him comply in settling an episcopal
incumbent in the parish of Dalry in Galloway (where, by the once
established laws, he had some right in presenting) or, if he refused to
concur with the bishop, which they had all reason imaginable to suspect
he would, to bring him to further trouble. Accordingly they wrote him a
letter in the following tenor:--"Finding the church of Dalry to be one
of those that the bishop hath presented, an actual minister Mr. George
Henry fit and qualified for the charge, and that the gentleman is to
come to your parish this Sabbath next to preach to that people, and that
you are a person of special interest there,--we do require you to cause
his edict to be served, and the congregation to conveen and countenance
him so as to be encouraged to prosecute his ministry in that
place."--Your loving friends and servants,

LINLITHGOW, GALLOWAY,
ANNANDALE, DRUMLANERK.

To this letter Earlstoun give them a very respectful return, shewing,
upon solid reasons, why he could not comply with this their unjust
demand, as the following excerpt from that letter evidences:--"I ever
judged it safest to obey God, and stand at a distance from