Patrick Walker

“ Peden stood still and said, Let us pray here; for, if the Lord hear not our prayers, and save us, we are dead men, and our blood will run like water: If we die, let the enemy kill us, let our blood fill up their cup, that the day of vengeance that is coming on them may be hastened. ”

“ Coming near the coast one morning, John Muirhead came to him lying within a hedge: He said, Have ye any news, John? John said, There is great fear of the Irish rising. He said, No no, John; the time of their rising is not yet; but they will rise and dreadful will it be at last. He was long detained waiting for a lark, not daring to go to public ports, but to some remote creek of the sea. Alexander Gordon of Kinstuir, in Galloway, had agreed with one, but Mr. Peden would not sail the sea with him, having some foresight of what he did prove afterwards. ”

“ Shortly after that sad stroke at Bothwel, he went to Ireland, but did not stay long at that time; in his travels through Galloway, he came to a house, and looking in the goodman's face, he said, "They call you an honest man, but if you be so you look not like it, you will not long keep that name, but will discover yourself to be what you are." ”

“ He wished that the Lord's people might ly hid in their caves, as if they were not in the world; for nothing would do it, until God appeared with his judgments, and they that wan through the bitter and sharp, short storm, by the sword of the Frenches, and a set of unhappy men, taking part with them, then there would be a spring-tide day of plenty, purity and power of the gospel ”

“ He will not let one sentence fall to the ground, but they will have a sad accomplishment, to the sad experience of many." In his prayer after sermon, he said, "Lord, thou hast been both good and kind to auld Sandy, through a long tract of time, and given him many years in thy service, which has been but as so many months; but now he is tired of thy world, and hath done all the good in it that he will do; let him win away with the honesty he has, for he will gather no more." ”

“ It is easy for Christ to be holden busy in dividing the fulness of his Father's house to his poor friends: He delights not to keep mercy over-night. Every day brings new mercies to the people of God: He is the easiest merchant ever the people of God yoked with: If ye be pleased with the wares, what of his graces makes best for you, he and you will soon sort on the price ”

“ Only he remembered, he was once sent from the Societies in Galloway to Carrick, to call Mr. Peden to preach: When he told him for what end he was come, Mr. Peden went for some time alone; and when he came back, he said, I am sorry, Earlstoun, you are come so far in vain, for I cannot answer your desire; I can get nothing to say to your people: Nothing will convince this generation but judgments, and a surprising lump of them upon the West of Scotland. Earlstoun said, Sir, you was once legally ordained and authorised to preach the gospel, and the Lord's people's call is sufficient ”

“ When he told Mr Peden, he said, "Rejoice John, that you are cast out of the devil's count-book." After this, he was preaching privately in John's house; in his preface he said, "Our Lord has been taking great pains on you in Ireland, to get you to learn your lesson per quire; and few of you have been brought to say your lesson off the book. He has got a goodly company in Scotland, that he is learning to say their lesson off the book; and they are brave scholars: But ere long he will try some of you with it also. ”

“ There is an old Christian gentlewoman yet alive in Edinburgh, a daughter of the said Laird's, who told me of late, that she had several times heard her father give an account of this. She also told me, that since Bothwel-bridge fight, she heard him preach in the fields, in the foresaid parish; and a woman sitting before the tent, looking up to him, he said, "How have you the confidence to look up? Look down to hell, where you are going; the devil has a fast grip of you, and will not lose it." That woman lived and died under the mala fama of a witch, and presumptions of the same. ”

“ Oh! let Brown's blood be precious in thy sight! and hasten the day when thou wilt avenge it, with Cameron's Cargil's, and many others of our Martyrs' names: And oh! for that day, when the Lord will avenge all their blood." When ended, John Muirhead enquired what he meant by Brown's blood? He said twice over, "What do I mean! Claverhouse has been at the Preshill this morning, and has cruelly murdered John Brown, his corpse is lying at the end of his house, and his poor wife sitting weeping by his corpse, and not a soul to speak comfortably to her. ”

“ Good Lord, spread the lap of thy cloak and cover the poor lad. And in this he was heard and answered, in that there was a dark misty cloud parted him and them.
26. About this time there was an honest poor wife brought him and them some bread and milk; When seeking a blessing, he said, Now, in this bloody land, this poor Woman has endangered her life in bringing bread to support ours; we cannot pay her for it, but Lord, it is for thy sake she has brought it; and there is no need that she should be a looser at thy hand: Thou givest plenty of bread to many that are not so worthy of it. ”

“ About this time, he and John Clark, who ordinarily was called Little John, were in a cave in Galloway, and had wanted meat and drink long: He said, John, better be thrust through with the sword, than pine away with hunger; the earth and the fulness thereof, belongs to my Master, and I have a right to as much of it as will keep me from fainting under his service; go to such a house, and tell them plainly that I have wanted meat so long, and they will willingly give it. Said John, Sir, I am not willing to leave you in this place alone, for some have been frighted by the devil in this cave. ”

“ One John Simpson, a godly man, enquired what the matter was that made him weep? He said, I have been wrestling all night with God, for our friends that are in the West but cannot prevail———I gave an account in the former passages, about the middle of that day many people were waiting for Sermon; when some told him he said, Let the people go to their prayers for I can preach none; our friends are all fled and fallen before the enemy, and they are hagging and hashing them down, and their blood is running like water! ”

“ After this, two days before Argyle was broken and taken, he was near Wigtown in Galloway; a considerable number of men were gathered together in arms, to go for his assistance; they pressed him to preach, but he positively refused, laying, he would souls pray with them where he continued long, and spent some part of that time in praying for Ireland, pleading that the Lord would spare a remnant, and not make a full end in the day of his anger; and would put it in the hearts of his own to flee over to this bloody land, where they would find safety for a time. ”

“ And now Alexander Gordon is away with my prayer wind; but it were good for the remnant in Scotland, he never saw it; for as the Lord lives, he shall wound that interest ere he go off the stage. This sadly came to pass in his life, and was a reproach to it at his death. A little before they came off, he baptised a child to John Maxwell, a Glasgow-man, who was fled over from the persecution: In his discourse before baptism, he burst out into a rapture, foretelling that black day that was to come upon Ireland, and sad days to Scotland, and after all this was to come good days. ”

“ Vernor's house, where several of our Scots sufferers were, he said, Why are ye so discouraged? I know ye have got ill news of the dreadful murder of our friends in Scotland; but I will tell you good news, that unhappy, treacherous, lecherous man, who has made the Lord's people in Scotland tremble these several years bygone, has got his last glut in a lordly dish from his brother, and he is lying with his tongue cold in his mouth. The news of this came not to Ireland for 24 hours thereafter. ”

“ The enemies came upon them the same day, and fired upon the people, and there was none of then either wounded or killed, save one man, and he was shot dead. Another time he was preaching, and giving a very large offer of Christ, in the gospel terms; an old woman being sitting before him, he laid his hands on each side of her head, and rocked her from side to side, and said, Thou witch-wife, thou witch-wife, thou witch-wife, I offer Christ to thee! Quit the devil's service, thou hast a bad master ”

“ When the news of it came to Ireland, our Scots sufferers their acquaintance were glad of the news especially that Kinstuir had escaped. He said, What mean all this Kinstuiring? There is some of them relieved there, that one of them is worth many of him; for all will be ashamed of him ere all be done. Being in this strait, he said to Robert Wark, an old worthy Christian, worthy of credit, Robert, go and take such a man with you, and the first bark ye can find, compel them, for they will be like the dogs in Egypt, not one of them will move their tongue against you. ”

“ When the day of his 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; and caused dig a cave, with a saughen bush covering the mouth of it, near to his brother's house: and the enemies came and searched the house narrowly many times. In the time that he was in this cave, he said to some friends, 1. That God shall make Scotland a desolation. 2. There shall be a remnant in the land, whom God should spare and hide. ”

“ Go home, you have neither art nor part with us; there will be a black account heard of you ere long. Accordingly, very shortly thereafter he went to Edinburgh, and took the black Test. That night he lectured upon Amos vii. "And I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel." He cried out, Oh! how few of the ministers of Scotland will answer the plumb-line? Lord, send us a Welwood, a Cargill, and a Cameron, and such as they, and make us quit of the rest. "And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." ”

“ When our Lord looks upon the bloody clout, he will keep the sword of his avenging justice in the sheath for a time, but if Scotland shall not consider the merciful day of their visitation, nor his long suffering, patience, and forbearance lead them to repentance, as we fear it will not, but harden them in their sin, and the greater part turn gospel-proof and judgment-proof, and wax worse and worse, then will the Lord accomplish all that he has threatened ”

“ At night he was put to the barn to bed, with the servant lad in the morning, the lad said to his mistress, This man sleeps none, but groans and prays all night; I get no sleep for him. He threshes very well, and is not sparing of himself, though I think he has not been used with it; for he can do nothing to the botteling and ordering of the barn; and when I put the barn in order, he goes to such a place, and there he prays for the afflicted Church of Scotland, and names so many people in the furnace. ”

“ Then, John, there shall be brave days, such as the Church of Scotland never saw the like! But I shall not see them, but you may."
41. In the same year 1685, he was preaching in the night-time in a barn at Carrick, on that text, Psal. lxviii. 1. "Let God arise! and let his enemies be scattered! Let them that hate him flee before him! As smoke is driven, so drive thou them! So insisting how the enemies and haters of God and goodness were tossed and driven as smoke or chaff by the wind of God's vengeance, while on earth; and that wind would blow them all to hell in the end. ”

“ After this, he was preaching in Galloway: in the forenoon he prayed earnestly for the prisoners taken at and about Bothwell; but in the afternoon, when he began to pray for them, he halted and said, "Our friends at Edinburgh, the prisoners, have done something to save their lives that shall not do with them, for the sea-billows shall be many of their winding-sheets; and the few of them that escape, shall not be useful to God in their generation." ”

“ If thou hast any more work for us in the world, allow us the lap of thy cloak this day again: And if this be the day of our going off the stage, let us win comfortably through, and honestly off, and our souls will sing forth thy praises thro' eternity, for what thou hast done to us and for us. ”

“ Mr Peden said, after musing a little, "Let alone, you will 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 very shortly thereafter; the man standing before the fire, smocking his pipe, dropt down dead, and that without speaking more
13. In the month of June 1682, he was in the house of James Brown, in Paddockholm, above Douglas, John Wilson in Lanark was with him, who suffered martyrdom in the Grass-market of Edinburgh the next year, May 1683. ”

“ In that bloody year 1685, he came to a house in the shire of Ayr, Captain John Matthison and other 12. of our wanderers being in the house, he said, "Lads, ye must go to the fields and seek your beds, for the enemy will be here this night, and I'll go to my cave." They said, "Some of us will stay with you, for you will weary alone."—"No, said he, I will not weary. For a sign that the enemy will be here this night, a godly eminent Christian man, whom I have often heard of, but never saw, will come and lie with me this night." ”

“ When the lad came to the house, the good wife hasted and gave him meat to them, saying, Lad, run hard, and tell them, that the enemies are spread; and we are looking for them here every minute. As the lad was going from the house, eighteen of the enemies foot appeared, who cried to him, Stand dog! But the lad ran, and six of them pursued half a mile, and fired hard upon him; the ball went close by his head: All that time Mr. Peden continued in prayer for him alone, and with the rest, being twelve men. ”