to go that wry, but the lady of St. John's kirk was present, who had influence upon Mr. Smith and Mr. Boig, who prevailed with him: Notwithstanding of her great profession, he was always jealous of her, and would not go to her house, and several times said, "Whatever end she might make, there would be foul wide steps in her life." That lady not only followed the persecuted gospel, but also frequented private society meetings; particularly with these two old singular Christians, Thomas Johnstone in Grangehall in Pettinain, and Francis Liverance in Coventoun, who were both my acquaintances. She several times said to them and others, that if ever she turned from the way of the Lord, she knew not what she would make of these three Scriptures, viz Heb vi. "Being once enlightened," &c. Heb. x "Sinning wilfully," &c. and that in 2d Pet. second chapter, "It had been better for them," &c. Yet after that, when hard came to hard, in the two slaughter years of 1684 and 85, she turned so far out of the way, that she became a persecutor, and would suffer none to dwell in her land that would not hear the plagued curates, nor take the oath of abjuration. The two foresaid worthy Christians went together, to know what she made of her foresaid scriptures; but she would give them no access, by causing shut the gates upon them, it being about the middle of January 1687, Mr. Cargill went along with her the length of Covingtoun-mill, to the house of Andrew Fisher, and his spouse, Elizabeth Lindsay, my acquaintance, about a mile from her house, near Tinto-hill, but would go no further.
James Irvine, of Bonshaw, who formerly made a trade of fine horses, of outsang and insang betwixt the kingdoms, that being discovered, he came to the council and General Dalziel, and got a general commission, although he was no officer. All then knew that the wickedest and vilest of men were then employed, that wherever he was informed by the cursed intelligencers, that a any of the Lord's suffering people
