Patrick Walker

“ Walter Smith, to whom he imparted the thoughts of his heart: When he began, his best friends feared that same wicked person would shoot him: his landlord, in whose house he had been that night, cast his coat and ran for it. Some serious, solid Christians, yet alive, who were witnesses to it, when he ended the sentences of excommunication, he said, That, if these unhappy men die the ordinary death of men, God never spake by him. ”

“ He said, my thoughts are both bad and sad: This man, John Gibb, is an incarnate devil, and there are many devils in him; woe 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, 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 ”

“ He said, my Lord Rothes, forbear to threaten me; for, die what death I will, your eyes will not see it: And it is well known to some yet alive, that he died that morning that Mr Cargill, and these worthies with him, suffered in the afternoon. Shortly after this compearance of Mr. Cargill before the council, Rothes was seized with sickness and pains: And when he found the pangs of death turning sharp upon him, he cried out for some of his wife's ministers, (she being a favourer of Presbyterian ministers) for his ministers were good to live with, but not to die with. ”

“ Just when he had the experience of the foresaid things If all this were studied and practised, there would be fewer preachers, and shorter preaching, fewer and shorter prayers among professors; they would not sleep and wake people, gasping and gollering, and few understanding what they are saying, as if they were to be heard for much speaking, or as if God could not or would not hear them without they cry loud, and loving to hear themselves speak, and others to admire and adore them: But these who are long and loud in public for ordinary, will be seldom and short in secret ”

“ 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 the horror of conscience, for his active wicked life in persecuting, made these noblemen leave him weeping. ”

“ I have seen some walking about sun-setting, and to-morrow about six o'clock in the 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. ”

“ These lamentable things, together with the cruel tyranny, shedding so much innocent precious dear blood, made them split with zeal, not only to call off all that do not agree with them in every thing, but also to utter strange anti-gospel imprecations, disdaining and reproaching all others as backsliders, stating their testimony against all crown dues, excise and customs. ”

“ I have seen when meal was all sold in markets, women clapping their hands, and tearing the clothes off their heads, crying, "How shall we go home and see our children die in hunger? they have got no meat these two days, and we have nothing to give them." ”

“ In the meantime, of their lying in this sad pickle in desart places, the man of God, blest Cargill, came down from England, a happy tryst to many godly, zealous souls, who had a gale of zeal upon their spirits, and feared no danger upon the right hand, if they held off the left. Immediately he was called to preach in Darmade muirs, by some who retained their former zeal and faithfulness That Sabbath morning, John Gibb, David Jamie, Walter Kerr, John Young, and twenty-six women, were lying in the Deer-slunk, in midst of a great How of moss, betwixt Clydesdale and Lothian, about a mile distant. ”

“ 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 suffers in throng prisons, especially in Dunnotar castle, there would have been a frightful confused noise amongst them, to confuse one another, and to expose them to the mockage of the world as madmen. ”

“ And their own sad experience can testify, that since that time, being now forty-nine years since his death, more estates of hundred of years standing, have changed masters, than did for a hundred years before, almost in all corners of the land, Besides these lamentable holding reasons that he gave, several other reasons and ocurrences have fallen out since, to bring it to pass, such as, he always bear the name of the poor proud Scots, through the world; and, as our poverty increaseth, to our pride, vanity, prodigality, and ambition grow of airy fool stiles and titles. ”

“ Through the long continuance of these manifold judgments, 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, many neither got coffin nor winding sheet. ”

“ The great part turned more and more gospel proof, and judgement proof; and the success of the gospel took a stand at that time in many places of the land.
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 off each boll. ”

“ Cargill looked to him, and with concernedness, said, Wicked poor man, why do ye mock? Ere you die, you will desire one word, and will not get it. Shortly thereafter, he was struck dumb, his tongue swelling in his mouth. Robert Goodwin and John Hodge, two Glasgow men, who were witness to this, and went to visit him lying in that case, told me this when in prison, in the years 1684 and 85, in the Canongate of Edinburgh, Robert Goodwin desired him to write what stopt him from speaking, and if he had a great desire to speak. ”

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

“ Many had cleanness of teeth in our cities, and want of bread in our borders: and to some the stuff of bread was so utterly broken, (which makes complete famine) that they did eat and were neither satisfied nor nourished: And some of them said to me, that they could mind nothing but meat, and were nothing bettered by it; and that they were utterly unconcerned about their souls, whether they went to heaven or hell. ”

“ 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 the suckling children in their arms to desart places to be free of 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 desolations by judgments ”

“ They marched hard to Lanark, and put the prisoners in the tolbooth, until the soldiers got meat and drink; they got horses brought them but in haste, and set them on their bare backs Bonshaw with his own hand, 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 ”

“ MR. DONALD CARGILL was the eldest son of a singularly godly gentleman, and heritor in the parish of Rattery, some miles from Dunkeld. After he had passed his courses of learning, at Aberdeen, he was established minister in the Barony parish of Glasgow, before and at the unhappy restoration of Charles IId, May 29th 1660; and was publicly murdered, at the cross of Edinburgh, July 27th 1681, before many witnesses, in that never to be forgotten, unheard of twenty-eight years of reigning tyrants, and raging tyranny of prelatical protestants upon Presbyterian protestants. ”

“ Bonshaw hasted to Edinburgh with his prisoners. 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, whole works they did, and to whole service they had dedicated themselves. Rothes threatened him with extraordinary torture, and a violent death. ”

“ However, Argyle got together above 1500 men, and expected a great many more would have joined him, in order to oppose the King and Council in their bloody cruelties carried on in these days, but he was disappointed, and after several unsuccessful attempts, without ever coming to any total action, and his officers differing among themselves, the most of his men deserted, and finding it impracticable to do any thing to purpose, he dismissed the whole, and put himself in disguise but was soon taken by a few militia at the water of Inchinnan. ”

“ There is an old Christian woman (yet alive) who waited upon him all night, which was a weary night, he not being able to speak to her, passing all his brains at his nostrils, and died to-morrow by the way going to Edinburgh. None can give an account how they disposed of his corpse.
Mr, Cargill in that confusion escaped being forcefully wounded, and crept into some secret place in the south side of the town A very ordinary woman found him lying bleeding, took her head-clothes and tied up the wounds in his head, and conducted him to James Phunton's in Carlowrie ”

“ They so far complied with the enemy's design and desire to have their Rendezvous of Rebellion, the field conventicles (as then called) the devil's grand eye-sore, and great vexation to all his friends, the foes of reformation, that they would preach none without houses, even those who formerly were most zealous and forward that way, whose names might be mentioned, and who would not set their faces to doors when there were any people without. ”

“ After musing, a little, for that was his ordinary, especially when they inquired any thing concerning the times, he said, if I be not under a delusion, (for this was his ordinary also, when he spoke of things to come) the French, and other foreigners, with wicked unhappy men in his land, will be your stroke and it will come in such a nick of time, when one of these nations will not be in a capacity of help one another; for me I am to die shortly by the hands of these murderers, and who not see it, I know not how the Lord's people will endure it, that have it to meet with ”

“ What comes not from my heart, I have little hope that it will go to the heart of others." Then repeated these sentences of the li Psalm, "Then will I teach transgressors thy way, and sinners shall be concerted unto thee." ”

“ Cargill sent two men, whose names I could mention, to desire them to come and hear sermon, and that he might converse with them, severals of them being his acquaintance. John Gibb answered; He had left the land, and deserted the testimony; they did not want him nor no other minister; it was never better with them than since they had parted with all of them He came and stood upon a chair, and had nothing to rest upon, with his bible betwixt his hands, as his ordinary was at all times when I heard him. I well remember, he sang the first verse of the 37 Psalm. "For evil doers fret thou not" &c. ”

“ I say, he is the man that has cast off all fear of God." The advocate stormed at this; but did not deny the truth of it, knowing that he had thus expressed himself, in same of his wicked mad fits, There is yet alive, an old reverend minister in the south of Scotland, was witness to this, and can assert the truth of it, who several times since had said, that he admired the composedness and confidence of Mr. Cargill. ”

“ There 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,) who transported them to Carolina, New Jersey, Jamaica, and Barbadoes, to be their slaves ”

“ Have your friends now in Galloway any thoughts or fears of the French, or other Foreigners coming upon you? They said, No. He rose and went out, being a desart place, to a moss-hag, being the best chamber oft-times that he, Cameron, Renwick, and Shields had in those days, who displayed the public banner of the gospel, after Bothwell-bridge. It was but a short time that he staid in company and converse These two Galloway men said to other friends, in that bounds, who were my very dear acquaintance, who told me, why does the minister speir such a question at us? ”