168 QuARRELwooD Church and its Ministers. 



And although they were not all good Christians who mingled in 

 such scenes, yet I would not exchange the fervour of hillside 

 piety for anything I have seen in the noblest cathedral. I lately 

 met an old Cameronian lady near Cape Sable. I asked her 

 what she thought of a Sabbath in Nova Scotia. She said she 

 had " never seen a Sabbath evening kept since she left her father's 

 house." 



For seven years the whole ministerial charge of the 

 societies rested upon Mr Courtass and Mr M'Millan. 

 In 1763 Mr Fairley was associated with Mr Courtass as 

 colleague over the southern congregation. Tradition tells of the 

 great communion seasons held at Quarrelwood, just behind the 

 walls of the old church, when the "Four Johns " ministered to 

 the large crowds that came from far and near. His sphere of 

 labour was gradually narrowed by setlements both on the east 

 and west, but to the last his special charge extended from the 

 Water of Urr to the eastern border of Annandale. The memory 

 of his devoted service lingered long in the district where his 

 dwelling was. He died in 1795, having faithfully served the 

 Church for forty years. He is buried in Tinwald Churchyard. 



We find from the minutes of Presbytery that it sometimes 

 met at Quarrelwood, usually at communion seasons. At one of 

 these meetings Mr Courtass acted as Presbytery clerk pro tem., 

 when there was a reply sent to a petition from brethren in 

 America, asking for light on the question which was causing some 

 division, whether public worship should begin with prayer or 

 praise. The Presbytery decided in favour of praise, and there is 

 no appearance of a division among them. A son, also called 

 John Courtass, is mentioned as an elder in Quarrelwood, and was 

 the author of a pamphlet, called forth by some agitation through- 

 out the body, on the subject of the more frequent observation of 

 the Lord's Supper. 



The Reformed Presbyterians had to make known the 

 grounds of their faith. In 1761 they published "An Act, Declara- 

 tion, and Testimony for the whole of our Covenanted Reforma- 

 tion." This is the authoritative statement of the principles of 

 the Reformed Presbyterian Church for more than 75 years. The 

 work consists of three parts, historical, controversial, and 

 doctrinal. The first two parts are believed, says their historian. 



