Page:Life and prophecies of the Reverend Mr Alexander Peden.pdf/8

 house, the enemy came and found him not in the Cave, searched the barn narrowly, casting the unthreshen corn, and searched the house, stabbing the beds, but entered not into the place where he lay. He told them, that bury him where they would he should be lifted again, and within 48 hours he died. He died in January 28, 1686, being past 60 years, and was buried in the laird of Afflect's isle. The enemies got notice of his death and burial, and sent a troop of dragoons, and lifted his corpse and carried him to Cumnock gallow's foot, and buried him there (after 40 days being in the grave) beside other Martyrs. His friends thereafter laid a grave-stone above him, with this inscription:

All the tyranny and cruelty of these times, by these enemies of God and godliness, that were exercised upon the bodies and consciences of the Lord’s people, was said, that it was all for rebellion: there was no ground to think or fear that the corpse of that servant of Christ, after six weeks lying in the grave, would rife in rebellion against them. This is somewhat like that which historians gave an account of, that the Popish party made search for the bones of John Wickliff, their opposer in his life, by his writings, forty two years after his death they found his bones, but were uncertain whether they were his or not, and took them up to the head of an hill, and burnt them, and gathered up the ashes in a pock, and threw them down a river. Mr Samuel Clark lives another instance of a Christian Jew in Italy, who after the Popish party had murdered him, laid his corpse in the open street of the city, prohibiting to bury him, where he lay nine days, and instead of stink, they had a sweet charming smell, which indeed many people to stand and wonders which, when the enemies found the sweet smell themselves they caused take them up and bury them.