Peter Walker

“ And exhorted us to pray for faithful ministers to ourselves, and never content ourselves without them; for we would not continue long sound in the faith, and straight in the way, if we wanted faithful guides. And, for all the respect that these divided parties of dissenters, or rather schismaticks and separatists, pretend to Messrs. Cargill. Cameron, Shiels and Renwiek, to be their successors, and maintaining the testimony which they sealed with their blood; how little do they notice the sententious writings and sayings of these worthies? ”

“ But, lo! in a very few years, he and his were begging from door to door, whom I have served at my door, and to whom I said, "Who should have pity and sympathy with you, who kept your victual spoiling waiting for a greater price, and would spare nothing of your fulness to the poor, and was so cruel to the two starving lasses, that you took prisoners for four stocks of kail to save their lives? You may read your sin in your judgement, if ye be not blind in the eyes of your soul, as ye are of one in your body, and may be a warning to all that come after you." ”

“ I have seen, when the meal was all sold in the markets, woman clapping their hands, and tearing the clothes off their heads, crying "How shall we go home and see our children die with hunger? They have got no meat these two days, and we have nothing to give them."
Through the long continuance of these manifold judgements, deaths and burials were so many and common, that the living were wearied in the burying of the dead. I have seen corpses drawn in sleds, and many neither got coffin nor winding-sheet. ”

“ This man, John Gibb, is an incarnate devil, and there are many devils in him: Wo to him, his name will stink while the world stands. I bless God, who preserved me; he might have cut my throat this night, but I got warning of my danger. As for David Jamie, there is a good scholar lost, and a minister spilt; I have no hope of him. I am afraid that Walter Kerr and John Young and others will go a greater length, but I hope the Lord will reclaim many of them. And now go all home, and pray that this snare may be broke ”

“ Thus died the noble Earl of Argyle, a martyr not only to the Protestant Religion, but also bearing his last testimony against Prelacy as well as Popery. His too great compliances with the managers previous to the affair of the Test lay heavy upon him to the last; but nothing grieved him so much as the unhappy vote he gave against Mr. Cargill. ”

“ His first note was, That these who know themselves best, would fear themselves most; and that, as it was hard to determine what a length a hypocrite may go in the profession of religion, it was as hard to determine what a length a child of God may go in defection, having grace, but wanting the exercise thereof; and that a Christian might go through nineteen trials, and carry honestly in them, and fall in the twentieth. While in the body, Be not high-minded, but fear. ”

“ I have received a letter just now from Scotland that Argyle has escaped out of the Castle, of which I am very glad, if it be certain, Mr. Veitch said, he doubted not the certainty of it. They insisted both at expressing their joy at the news: Mrs. Bitleston being present, said, I cannot be so much taken up with that news as you are; I know that the house of Argyle was a good house for our reformation, and his father suffered for it; but, for himself, he hath been a member of that wicked bloody Council these eighteen years, where many a wicked thing hath been acted and done ”

“ And what would all wicked law inventors, enactors, and executors do? And all iniquitous law-obeyers and keepers do? Where would they flee for help? And where will they leave their ill-gotten glory?
From the Bendry-bridge he went to Fife, and baptized many children; and preached only one Sabbath at the Lomond-hills, and hasted back to Clydesdale, and came to Bentyrig in Cambusnethen parish, where two friends were sent from the Societies in Galloway to call him back to preach and baptize there. ”

“ Thus they continued from the beginning of the year until April; then all with one consent, that they might be free from all these foresaid things, left their houses, warm soft beds, covered tables; some of them their husbands, and children weeping upon them to stay with them; some women taking their sucking children in their arms to desart places, to be free from all snares and sins, and communion with all others, and mourn for their own sins the land's tyranny and defections, and there to be safe from the land's utter ruin and desolation by judgements ”

“ Bonshaw hasted to Edinburgh with his prisoners, and when Mr. Cargill came before the Council, Chancellor Rothes raged against him being one of the seven whom he had excommunicated at the Torwood the preceding year, and gave them over to their father the devil whose works they did. and to whose service they had devoted themselves. Rothes threatened him with extraordinary torture, and a violent death. He said, My Lord Rothes, forbear to threaten me, for die what death I may, your eyes will not see it. ”

“ I have seen some walking about sun-setting, and next day about six o’clock in a summer morning found dead in their houses, without making any stir at their death, their head lying upon their hand, with as great smell as if they had been four days dead, the mice or rats having eaten a great part of their hands and arms. ”

“ When we enter into our closets, we may hear ourselves, but no other. If that loud way of praying in secret had been practised by our sufferers is throng prisons, especially in Dunnotar-Castle, there would have been a frightful confused noise amongst them and exposed them to the mockage of the world as mad men. ”

“ King William's kindness is not to be forgotten, who not only relieved us from tyranny, but had such a sympathy for Scotland when in distress of famine, that he offered all who would transport victual to Scotland that they might do it custom free, and have twenty-pence for each boll. ”

“ For sufferings for the same, though they were duties, in themselves, yet, whoever rested upon them, would have a cauld coal to blow at in the end: Nothing is ours but sin, nor due to us but the wages of it. ”

“ For the Lord's sake look not to these, I mean John Gibb and his company
The nezt Sabbath-day he preached at the Bendry-bridge betwixt Clydesdale and Lothian. He lectured in Zecheriah on Joshua standing before the Angel; and preached in the forenoon upon these words, Gird thy sword upon thy thigh and ride prosperously. His first note was, That no sooner Christ became all and all to a soul, but the next wish of that soul is, O that he were thus to all the world! And let never none think that they are in a right exercise of true religion, that want zeal for God's public glory. ”

“ That which was the occasion of our banished being carried to so many different places in the world was, in these days there were Scots regiments in France, Flanders, and Holland; and when their men decayed, officers came home seeking recruits; hearing of prisoners that were under banishment, they got gifts of them from the wicked, bloody Counsellors and carried them to these places. Then merchants, such as Gibson in Glasgow, and Malloch in Edinburgh, Pitlochie, a laird in Fife, and many others, got gifts of them (and as the old saying is, Cocks are free of other folks corn.) ”

“ Johnston was praying, several noblemen and bishops being in the next room, some of them said to the bishops He is a Presbyterian minister that is praying; the devil ane of you can pray as they do though your prayers would keep a soul out of hell. Rothes roaring so loud under horror of conscience, for his active wicked life in persecuting, made these noblemen leave him weeping. ”

“ Shiels say, when he spoke of his travels through the world, That the ill of Scotland he found every-where, but the good of Scotland he found no where.— When the sermon was ended and children baptized, there came up more children: Friends prest him to preach in the afternoon, contrary to his inclination; which he did, upon that text, Weep not for me. When praying, there came a herd lad, crying. The enemies are coming upon you! ”

“ But, lo! in the year 1673, there was such a crop, that the Lothian barley was sold at four pounds the boll, and the pease at forty pence: and for that we got ten thousand Highlanders, five hundred English Dragoons the whole Militia of the kingdom and all the standing forces cast in upon the West of Scotland, at Bothwell-bridge: And as they said, they came to destroy, and destroy they would; and yet there was abundance for them all, and the inhabitants also.
After Mr. Cargill left the Under-bank Wood, he preached at Loudoun hill upon a week-day, the 5th of May. ”

“ These unheard-of manifold judgements continued for seven years, not always alike but the seasons, summer and winter, so cold and barren, and the wonted heat of the sun so much with-holden, that it was discernable on the cattle, flying fowls and insects decaying, that seldom a fly or gleg was to be seen: our harvests not in the ordinary months many shearing in November and December yea, some in January and February; and the names of the places I can instruct; many contracting their deaths, and losing the use of their feet and hands, shearing and working amongst it in frost and snow ”

“ Cargill, to any that would apprehend him either quick or dead, being 6000 merks.
They marched hard to Lanark, and put the prisoners in the Tolbooth, until the soldiers got meat and drink. They got horses brought them out in haste, and set them on their bare backs. Bonshaw, with his own hands, tied Mr Cargill's feet below the horse's belly very hard, he looked down to him and said, Why do you tie me so hard? Your wickedness is great, you will not long escape the just judgment of God ”

“ Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. His atheistical drolling on the Scriptures of God, scoffing at religion, and religious persons; his apostacy from the Covenant and work of reformation, and his persecuting thereof, after he had been a professor pleader, and presser thereof. For his perjury in the business of Mr. James Mitchel who being in Council gave public faith that he should be indemnified and that to life and limb, if he should confess his attempt upon the Prelate ”

“ Mr. Cargill, after that, was never heard to pray for him in public. His unhappy birth and restoration day, May 29th 1660 which was enacted to be an universal Thanksgiving day, became a trial to some, and a land-sin and snare to many, and observed to this day, by castle-guns roaring, though even upon the Sabbath, at twelve of the clock; which day was Mr. Cargill's ordinary weekly sermon-day. His kirk being very throng with tears he said, Do you expect more or better preaching this day than other days? Or, is it upon account of your king? It is like that is many of your errands ”

“ Since the rebellion 1715, and since the stock-jobbing a foolish haste to be rich hath made many poor; and many other ways and things, such as living above their stations and incomes, spending their money on gaming, wine and women, have brought it to pass. ”

“ These lamentable things, together with the cruel tyranny, sheding so much innocent, precious, dear blood, made them split with zeal, not only to cast off all that did not agree with them in every thing; but also to utter strange antigospel imprecations, disdaining and reproaching all others as backsliders, stating their testimony against all crowndues, excise and customs ”

“ And this was not to be imputed to had unwholesome victual for several who had plenty of old victual did send to Glasgow for Irish meal, and yet (illegible text) with fluxes and fevers in a more violent and infectious nature and manner than the poorest in the land, whose names, and places where they dwelt, I could instance. ”

“ M'Ward, Cargill, and others, who were of one heart and soul, seeing with one eye, thinking with one mind, and speaking with one breath, met at Glasgow to compare notes, and set a day apart for prayer together, to be more and more confirmed in their duty of giving warning of the sin and danger of the malignant courses driven on in that day by fraud and force, especially calling home their head, Charles II. Mr. ”

“ They have dipt their hands in the persecution and deep compliance, but few of them have had a fur of land to spare for the interest of Christ, and it will go a worse gate, and their inheritances will vomit out their names. ”

“ The nearer and sorer these plagues seized, the sader were their effects, that took away all natural and relative affections, so that husbands had no sympathy with their wives, nor wives with their husbands, parents with their children, nor children with their parents. ”

“ And these that cast off all ministers this day in Scotland, if they had been living through all the periods of this church, would never have embraced any as their ministers, nor none in other churches this day through the world. It was one of the sententious sayings of the Rev. Mr. James Kirktoun, in his pulpit in Edinburgh, insisting upon Scotland's singular privileges above all other churches for a long time. "That there had been ministers in Scotland that had the gift of working miracles, and prophesying, which he could instruct ”