Patrick Walker

“ Mr Peden came on deck, and said, “Why are you discouraged? You need not fear, their will neither thumbkins nor bootkins come here. Lift up your hearts and heads, for the day of your redemption draweth near. If we were once at London, we will be all set at liberty.” And when sailing on their voyage, praying publicly, he said, “Lord, such is the enemies hatred at thee, and malice at us, for thy sake, that they will not let us stay in thy land of Scotland, to serve thee, though some of us have nothing but the canopy of thy heavens above us and thy earth to tread upon ”

“ One James Kay, a solid and grave Christian, one of the above prisoners who lives in or about the Water of Leith, told me, that Mr Peden said to him, “James, when your wife comes in let me see her;” which he did. After some discourse, he called for a drink, and when he sought a blessing, he said, Good Lord, let not James Kay’s wife miss her husband till thou return him to her in peace and saftey; which we are sure will be sooner than either he or she is looking for. Accordingly, the same day month that he parted with her at Leith, he came home to her at the Water of Leith. ”

“ When ended, John Muirhead inquired what he meant by Brown’s blood? He said, What do I mean? Claverhouse has been at the Preshil this morning, and has cruelly murdered John Brown; his corpse is lying at the end of his house and his poor wife sitting weeping beside them, and not a soul to speak comfortably to her. This morning, after the sun-rising, I saw a strange apparition in the firmament; the appearance of a very bright, clear-shining star fall from heaven to the earth ”

“ The safest way to shift the shower is to hold out of God’s gate and keep within his doors, until the violence of the storm begin to ebb, which is not yet full tide. Christ deals tenderly with his young plants, and waters them oft lest they go back; be painful, and lose not life for the seeking. ”

“ It is easy for Christ to be holden busy in dividing the fulness of his Father’ house to his poor friends; he delights not to keep mercy over-night. He is the easiest merchant ever the people of God yoked with; if he be pleased with the wares, what of his graces makes best for you, he and you will soon sort on the price; he will sell him goods cheap, that ye may speir for his shop again and he draws all the sale to himself. ”

“ Quit the devil’s service, thou hast a bad master, thou wilt never make thy plack a bawbee of him; but if thou wilt break off and renounce the devil’s service, I promise thee, in my master’s name, that he will give thee salvation. After this, there was a discernible change in her practice; and when she was a-dying, she confessed that she was either engaged in the devil's service, or was engaging: and expressed her thankfulness that she had the happiness of hearing Mr Peden at that time. ”

“ This diversity of opinion between the man and wife sometimes produced family discord: And while the lady believed the divine was little less than an angel from heaven, the husband considered him as no better than a thief or a pick-pocket, who, under false pretences, induced simple people to throw away upon others, the means that were necessary for the subsistence of their families: nor was he, when heated in the contest, and chagrined at times for want of money, at all times scrupulous in expressing without reserve his opinion of this supposed saint. ”

“ And now when it is come to your door, either to sin or suffer, I counsel you to lay your aceount with suffering; for an out-gate coming from any airth will be prejudicial to your soul’s interest. And for your encouragement, remember he sends none a warfare on their own charges, and blessed is the man that gives Christ all his money. ”

“ That night he went to bed; the next morning calling early to his landlord, said, “I have sad news to tell you; our friends that were together in arms, appearing for Christ’s interest, are now broken, killed, taken, and fled every man.”—He said, “Why do you speak so? There is a great part of our friends’ prisoners in Edinburgh.”—About 48 hours thereafter, they were fully confirmed in the truth of it. ”

“ But I am informed, that some other friends inquired at the said John, who owned that the 40th passage was all one, for substance, with what Mr Peden said to him. There are other two passages I have often heard, and doubt nothing of the truth of them, though the times and places be not mentioned, viz. One day preaching in the fields, in his prayer, he prayed earnestly for the preservation of the people; and again and again he prayed for that man that was to lose his life. ”

“ In the time that he was in this cave, he said to some friends—1st, That God shall make Scotland a desolation—2dly, There shall be a remnant in the land, whom God should spare and hide.—3dly, They should lie in holes and caves of the earth, and be supplied with meat and drink; and when they come out of their holes, they shall not have freedom to walk for stumbling on dead corpses.—4thly. A stone, cut out of a mountain, should come down, and God shall be avenged on the great ones of the earth, and the inhabitants of the land, for their wickedness ”

“ Christ knows well whether heaping or straiking agrees best with our narrow vessels, for both are alike to him; sparing will not enrich him, nor will spending impoverish him. He thinks it ill won that is holden of his people. ”

“ James Pride, who lived in Fife, an honest man, being one of them, said many times, he could assert the truth of this, for he came safely home; and, beside other things, he bought two cows; and before that he never had one. I had these accounts both from the foresaid James Kay and Robert Punton, a known public man, worthy of all credit, who was also under the same sentence, who lived in the parish of Dalmeny near the Queensferry.
11. When they arrived at London, the skipper who received them at Leith was to carry them no farther. ”

“ The paper, and recollecting that she had often heard him ealled a cheat and impostor, immediately suspected that he himself had put the halfpence in place of the gold, and made use of that pretext to extort more from her, fell upon him bloodily, telling him she had often heard him ealled a swindler and a rascal, but until now she had never believed it. ”

“ Mr Peden said, after musing a little, “Let alone, you’ll never be honoured with such a death: and for what you have said against these two worthy lasses, your death will” be both sudden and surprising;” which was shortly thereafter; the man standing before the fire, smoking his pipe, dropt down dead, without speaking more.
15. In the month of June, 1682, he was in the house of James Brown Douglas, John Wilson in Lanark was with him, who suffered martyrdom in the Grass-market of Edinburgh, the next year, May 1683. ”

“ A professor of some note, who had more carnal wit and poliey than to suffer him to be honest and faithful, after reasoning upon the grounds of their sufferings, affirmed that they would never be reekoned among the number of the martyrs. ”

“ When the time of Mr Peden's death drew near, and not being able to travel, he came to his brother’s house in the parish of Sorn, where he was born. He caused dig a cave, with a saughen bush covering the mouth of it, near to his brother's house. The enemies got notice ”

“ While prisoner in the Bass, one Sabbath morning, being about the public worship of God, a young lass, about 13 or 14 years of age, came to the chamber door, mocking with loud laughter; he said, “Poor thing, thou mocks and laughs at the worship of God ”

“ He having a wife and children, took a house in East Lothian, where he became a singular Christian. Mr Peden told these astonishing passages to the foresaid John Cubison and others, who informed me.
8. When brought from the Bass to Edinburgh, sentence of banishment was passed upon him in December 1678, and sixty more fellow prisoners, for the same cause, to go to America, never to be seen in Scotland again, under the pain of death. ”

“ She was eertain she had given him ten red guineas out of her hands, and now he pretended he had got only as many halfpence; nor did she lcave him until she had given him a very full eomplement of abuse. She then went home in a great hurry; and had a much better opinion of her husband’s diseernment and sagacity ever afterwards. He kept the secret; and until her dying day, she made a good wife to him; nor ever went after field-preachers of any sort.
FINIS
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. ”