REV. THOMAS HOG’S MARVELLOUS RESTORATION TO HEALTH.

 REV. THOMAS HOG’S MARVELLOUS RESTORATION TO HEALTH. THE REV. THOMAS HOG was minister of Kiltearn, Ross, and was a remarkable man. He had much of the prophetic spirit, and the interpositions of the providence of God on his behalf, were very remarkable. An instance of this kind, which is authenticated, occurred about the year 1676, when he was apprehended for attending private conventicles. When put to trial, he joyfully submitted to a prison, rather than bind himself from preaching, and was therefore sent to the Bass Rock. The air of the place, and the close confinement, however, soon affected his health, which brought him into peculiar and great danger. In this situation, a physician was called from Edinburgh, who gave it as his opinion that, unless he was liberated, there was no hope of his recovery, and advised him to supplicate the Council for liberation for a short space of time, that means might be used for the recovering of his health. Mr. Hog hesitated to address them, for reasons of his own. The doctor, however, of his own accord, and without owning Mr. Hog in it, drew up a petition for him to the Council, in the strongest terms he could devise; and the better to ensure a hearing, the clerk’s dues were liberally paid. The petition was read, and some of the lay lords interceded for Mr. Hog, and said, while he was at liberty, he lived more quietly, and traversed not the country so much as other Presbyterians did. Upon which, Archbishop Sharp, taking up the argument, said that the prisoner did, and was in a capacity to do, more hurt to their interests, sitting in his elbow chair, than twenty others could do by travelling from this land to the other; and if the justice of God was pursuing him, to take him off the stage, the clemency of the government should not interpose to hinder it; and therefore it was his opinion, that if there were any place in the prison worse than another, he should be put there. This motion having been seconded by another of the prelates and their supports, was accordingly put to the test, and it carried. The order was, therefore, issued,—“The closest prison in the Bass for him,” which was speedily put in execution. When the keeper intimated the order, Mr. Hog raised himself up, with some difficulty, in his bed, to read the sentence, “which,” said he, “was as severe as if Satan himself had penned it.” William Balloch, his servant, being with him when he was carried down to a low nasty dungeon in the Bass, fell a-weeping, and cried, “Now, master, your death is unavoidable.’ Upon this, the good man’s eyes were directed to the Lord as his physician, and turning to his servant, with a countenance full of joy, he said, “Now that men have no mercy, the Lord will show himself merciful; from the moment of my entering this dungeon, I date my recovery.” So it fell out, for the very next day he recovered, to admiration, and was in a short space as well as ever. And yet, afterwards, when any would have been speaking of the archprelate Sharp in his hearing, he never showed any resentment, but sometimes would have said, somewhat merrily, “Commend him to me for a good physician!”