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or ſufferer; and your bits of paper and drops of blood will be ſhut to the door, and never a word more of them; and ye and the like of you, will get their backſide." He gave him another ſore clap upon the ſhoulder, ſaying, "Keep mind of this, James Wilſon! for, as the Lord lives, it will ſurely come to paſs." James Wilſon told me this ſhortly thereafter, and repeated it again the firſt General Aſſembly, when he and I, and many others, ſaw the accompliſhment of this, in every particular, to our great grief.
37 In the beginning of May, 1685, he came to the houſe of John Brown and Marion Weir, whom he married before he went to Ireland, where he ſtayed all night; and in the morning, when he took farewel, he came out at the door, ſaying to himſelf, "Poor woman, a fearful morning!" twice over: "A dark miſty morning.". The next morning, between five and ſix, the ſaid John Brown, having gone about the worſhip of God in his family, was going with a ſpade in his hand; to make ready ſome peat-ground; the miſt being very dark, he knew not until cruel and bloody Claverhouſe compaſſed him with three troops of horſe, and brought him to his houſe, and there examined him; who, though he was a man of a ſtammering ſpeech, yet anſwered him diſtinctly and ſolidly; which made Claverhouſe to aſk thoſe whom he had taken to be his guides through the muirs, if ever they heard him preach? They anſwered, "No, no, he was never a preacher." He ſaid, "If he has never preached meikle, he has prayed in his time." He ſaid to John, "Go to your prayers, for you ſhall immediately die." When he was praying, Claverhouſe interrupted him three times: One time that he ſtopt him, he was pleading that the Lord would ſpare a remnant, and not make a full end in the day of his anger: Claverhouſe ſaid,"I gave you time to pray, and ye are begun to preach:" He turned about upon his knees and ſaid, "Sir, you know neither the nature of praying nor preaching, that calls this preaching!" then