Page:Life and prophecies of that faithful minister of God's word, Mr. Donald Cargill.pdf/14

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THE LIFE AND PROPHESIES

8thly, After this remarkable eſcape, ſeeing nothing but the violent flames of treachery and tyranny againſt him above all others, he alone keeping up the public Standard of the goſpel at that time, went to England for about three months, where the Lord bleſt his labours in the miniſtry, to the conviction and edification of many poor ſouls. In this none-ſuch, melancholy, Egyptian darkneſs, Mr. King, Mr. Kid, and Mr. Cameron, being publicly murdered, Mr. Blackadder, and Mr. Dickſon, in the enemies hands, Mr. Cargill, Douglas, and Hepburn, gone of the kingdom; the reſt of the thirty Miniſters who preached in the fields before Bothwell-bridge, being fallen in deep ſilence and compliance with the enemy: in this time while men ſlept, the enemy ſowed his tares. In the beginning of the year 1681, the devil began a new project at Borrowſtounneſs upon a few of thoſe whom he could not drive to left-hand defections, by injecting into them demented enthuſiaſtical deluſions, driving them upon wild unheard of right-hand extremes, with a ſpirit of diviſion and unwarrantable ſeparation from all that would not or durſt not go up with them in every jot; which began in Holland a year before, which I have already given a true account of; and which remains rampant in Scotland to this day, and I ſadly fear will outlive me.

John Gibb, a ſailor in Borrowſtounneſs, a great profeſſor, (but ſtill ſome ſerious ſouls jealous of him) drew about twenty-ſix women and three men with him, the greater part of them ſerious, exerciſed, tender, zealous, gracious ſouls, who ſtumbled upon that ſtumbling-block laid in their way, of miniſters compliance, ſilence and unfaithfulneſs, who before the break of Bothwell-Bridge for about eleven years, had publicly preached the indiſpenſible duty of all the Lord's people to follow the goſpel, and defend the ſame: But a little thereafter, the enemy gave an indemnity, or third indulgence to all ministers who formerly preached in the fields, to preach in houſes with