Page:Life and prophecies of that faithful minister of God's word, Mr. Donald Cargill.pdf/43

Rh died, before eight of the clock, that the doors were opened, and he was to ſuffer that day.

He and theſe worthies murdered with him, got their ſentences of death the day before, wherein theſe admirable and very rare ſentences are to be found, viz. That that day was the moſt joyful day in all his life, and that he had not been without an aſſurance of his intereſt in Chriſt theſe thirty years, not long out of his preſence; and, that he never durſt undertake to preach Chriſt and ſalvation to others until he was ſure of his own. Oh! if all our miniſters had taken this courſe, there had been leſs defection among us; and, That it was long ſince he durſt have ventured upon death and eternity, but death remained ſomewhat terrible, but now the terror of that was taken away, and by virtue of the mercies of God, and merits of Chriſt, he had a conſcience as quiet and calm as if he never had ſinned.

When he came to the ſcaffold and foot of the ladder, he bleſſed the Lord with uplifted hands, that he was thus near the crown; and when ſetting his foot upon the ladder to go up to embrace the bloody rope, he ſaid, The Lord knows, I go up this ladder with leſs fear, confuſion, or perturbation of mind, than ever I entered a pulpit to preach. He was firſt turned over, Mr. Smith did cleave to him in love and unity of life, ſo he died with his face upon his breaſt: Next Mr. Boig, then William Cuthill, and William Thomſon: Theſe five worthies hung all on one gibbet at the croſs of Edinburgh, on that never-to-be-forgotten bloody day, the 27th of July 1681. The enemies got this great glut of blood, the day before the down-fitting of the parliament, wherein the duke of York did preſide as commiſſioner. The hangman haſh'd and hagg'd off all their heads with an axe. Mr. Cargill's, Mr. Smith's, and Mr. Boig's heads were fixed upon the Netherbow-port, William Cup thill's and William Thomſon's upon the Weſt-port. The wicked, curſed of God, and hated of all