From Loudon hill he took a tour through Ayrshire to Carrick and Galloway, preaching, baptizing, and marrying some people; but staid not long until he returned to Clydesdale. He designed, after his return, to have preached one day at Tinto-hill, but the Lady of St John’s Kirk gave it out to be at Home Common. He being in the house of John Liddel, near Tinto, went out to spend the Sabbath morning by himself; and seeing the people all passing by, he inquired the reason; which being told, he rose and followed them five miles. The morning being warm, (about the 1st of June,) and the heights steep, he was very much fatigued before he got to the place, where a man gave him a drink of water out of his bonnet, and another between sermons; this being the best entertainment he got that day, for he had tasted nothing in the morning. Here he lectured on the 6th of Isaiah, and preached on these words, “Be not high minded, but fear, &c.” From thence he went to Fyfe, and baptised many children, and preached one day at Daven common, and then returned to the Benry-bridge in Cambusnethan, where he received a call from the hands of two men, to come back to Galloway, but got it not answered.
Mr Cargill in that short time, had run very fast towards his end, which now hastens apace. Having left the Benry-bridge, he preached one day at Auchingilloch, and then came to preach his last sermon on Dunsyre common, between Clydesdale and Lothian, upon the text Is. xxvi. 20. “Come my people and enter into your chambers, &c.”
Some time that night, through the persuasion of Mr Smith and Mr Boig, he went with the Lady of St. John’s Kirk, as far as Covington mill, to the house of one Andrew Fisher. In the mean time, James Irvine of Bonshaw, having got a general commission, marched with a party of dragoons from Kilbride, and next morning, by sun-rising, came to St John’s Kirk, and having searched it, he searched also the house of one Thomson, and then came to Covington-mill, and there apprehended him, Mr Smith, and Mr Boig. Bonshaw, when he found them, cried out, O blessed Bonshaw! and blessed day that ever I was born! that has found such a prize! a prize of 5000 merks for apprehending him this morning! They marched hard to Lanark and put them in jail, until they got some refreshment and then brought them out in haste, got horses and set the prisoners on their bare backs. Bonshaw tied Mr Cargill’s feet below the horse’s belly, with his own hand, very hard; at which this man looked down to him, and said, “Why do you tie me so hard, your wickedness is great. You will not long escape the just judgement of God; and, if I be not mistaken it will seize you in this very place.” Which accordingly next year came to pass: for having got this price of blood, one of his comrades, in a rage ran him through with a sword at Lanark: and his last words were, “G—d d——n my soul eternally, for I am gone.” Mischief shall hunt the violent man.
They came to Glasgow in haste, fearing a rescue of the prisoners: and while waiting at the tolbooth, till the magistrates came to receive them, one John Nisbet, the Archbishop’s factor, said to Mr Cargill in ridicule, three times over, Will you give us one word more? (alluding to an expression he used sometimes when preaching); to whom Mr Cargill said with regret, “Mock not, lest your lands be made strong. The day is coming, when you shall not have one word to say though you would.” This also came quickly to pass; for, not many days after, he fell suddenly ill, and for three days his tongue swelled, and though he was most earnest to speak, yet he could not command one word, and died in great torment, and seeming terror.
From Glasgow they were taken to Edinburgh, and, July 15th, were brought before the Council. Chancellor Rothes (being one of those whom he excommunicated at Torwood) raged against him, threatening him with torture and a violent death. To whom he said, “My Lord Rothes, forbear to threaten me, for die what death I will, your eyes shall not see it.”—Which accordingly came to pass; for he died the morning of that day, in the afternoon of which Mr Cargill was executed.
When before the Council, he was asked, if he acknowledged the King’s authority, &c. he answered as the magistrate’s authority is now established by act of parliament, and explanatory act, that he denied the same. Being also examined anent the excommunication at Torwood, he declined to answer, as being an ecclesiastical matter, and they a civil judicatory. He owned the lawfulness of defensive arms, in cases of necessity, and denied that those that rose at Bothwell, &c. were rebels: and being interrogated anent the Sanquhar declaration, he declined to give his judgment until he had more time to consider the contents thereof. He further declared, he could not give his sense of the killing of the Bishop; but that the scriptures say, upon the Lord’s giving a call to a private man to kill, he might do it lawfully; and gave the instances of Jael and Phinehas. These were the most material points on which he was examined.
While he was in prison, a gentlewoman who came to visit him, told him, weeping, “That these Heaven daring enemies were contriving a most violent death for him; some, a barrel with pikes to roll him in; others an iron-chair, red-hot, to roll him in,” &c. But he said, “Let you nor none of the Lord’s people be troubled for these things, for all that they will get liberty to do to me, will be to knit me up, cut me down, and chop off my old head, and then fare them well; they have done with me, and with them for ever.”
He was again before the Council on the 19th, but refusing to answer their questions, except anent the excommunication. There was some motion made to spare him, as he was an old man, and send him prisoner to the Bass during life; which motion being put to a vote, was, by the casting vote of the Earl of Rothes, rejected; who doomed him to the gallows, there to die like a traitor.
Upon the 26th he was brought before the justiciary, and indicted in common form. His confession being produced in evidence against him, he was brought in guilty of high treason, and condemned, with the rest, to be hanged at the cross of Edinburgh, and his head placed on the Nether Bow. When they came to these words in his indictment, viz. having cast off all fear of God, &c. he caused the clerk to stop, and, pointing to the Advocate, Sir George M’Kenzie, said, “The man that hath caused that paper to be drawn up hath done it contrary to the light of his own conscience, for he knoweth that I have been a fearer of God from mine infancy; but that man, I say, who took the Holy Bible in his hand, and said, It would never be well with the land, until that book was destroyed, &c. I say, he is the man that hath cast off all fear of God.” The Advocate stormed at this, but could not deny the truth thereof.
When they got their sentence announced by sound of trumpet he said, “That is a weary sound, but the sound of the last trumpet will be a joyful sound to me, and all that will be found having on Christ’s righteousness.”