at Maybole, where many thousands of people were
assembled together, it being the first time that the[171]sacrament of
the Lord's supper was then dispensed in the open fields. At this time he
used yet more freedom in testifying against the sinfulness of the
indulgences, for which he was also called before another meeting of the
indulged at Dinugh in Galloway; and a little after that, he was again
called before a presbytery of them, at Sundewal in Dunscore in
Nithsdale: And this was the third time they had designed to take his
licence from him. Here it was where Robert Gray a Northumberland man
(who suffered afterwards in the Grass-market in 1682.), Robert Neilson
and others protested against them for such a conduct. At this meeting
they prevailed with him to give his promise, That for some short time he
should forbear such an explicit way of preaching against the indulgence,
and separation from them who were indulged:----Which promise lay heavy
on him afterwards, as will appear in its own proper place.

After the giving of this promise, finding himself by virtue thereof
bound up from declaring the whole counsel of God, he turned a little
melancholy; and, to get the definite time of that unhappy promise
exhausted, in the end of the year 1678, he went over to Holland (not
knowing what work the Lord had for him there,); where he conversed with
Mr. M'Ward and others of our banished worthies. In his private
conversation and exercise in families, but especially in his public
sermon in the Scots kirk of Rotterdam, he was most refreshing unto many
souls, where he was most close upon conversion work from that text,
_Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden_, &c.; and most
satisfying and agreeable to Mr. M'Ward, Mr. Brown and others, who were
sadly misinformed by the indulged, and those of their persuasion, that
he could preach nothing but babble against the indulgence, cess-paying,
&c. But here he touched upon none of these things, except in prayer,
when lamenting over the deplorable case of Scotland by defection and
tyranny.

About this time Mr. M'Ward said to him, "Richard, the public standard is
now fallen in Scotland, and, if, I know any thing of the mind of the
Lord, you are called to undergo your trials before us; and go home, and
lift the fallen standard, and display it publicly before the world; but
before ye put your hand to it, ye shall go to as many of the
field-ministers (for so they were yet called) as y