Who was that Masked Prophet? IV
The Prophet in Prison
For ten years Peden evaded capture by government forces, roaming the hills dressed in grey, his sword by his side and his identity concealed by his famous mask. In June of 1673, however, while he was preaching at a house-meeting in Carrick, the house was raided and Peden was arrested. He was taken to Edinburgh for trial and, on 26th of June, he was condemned to "close imprisonment" on the Bass rock, an island-prison for political prisoners in the Firth of Forth from which there was no escape.
Because the Bass was escape-proof, prisoners were officially allowed a certain amount of freedom. This was not always respected in practice, and prisoners were kept shut up in cells cut into the rock for days at a time. Soldiers on the Bass tried to seduce the maid-servants who attended on the imprisoned ministers and blame the ministers for the resulting children. The result of this was that few women wanted to work on the Bass. (For the preceding paragraph my authority is the Memoirs of James Fraser of Brea, one of Alexander Whyte's favourite books)
Peden was kept a prisoner on the Bass for four and a half years. One day he saw the fourteen-year-old daughter of the governor of the Bass mocking and laughing as the prisoners conducted their public worship. With a solemn face he turned to the girl and said, "Poor thing, thou mockest and laughest at the worship of God; but ere long God shall write such a sudden, surprising judgement on thee, that shall stay thy laughing, and thou shalt not escape it." Shortly afterwards, while the girl was walking on the rock, a gust of wind blew her into the sea, where she was lost.
But Peden's prophetic reputation was also used to good. On another occasion Peden was walking on the rock, and a number of soldiers walked by. One said of Peden, "the devil take him."
"fy, fy, poor man, thou knowest not what thou art saying," Peden said to the man, "But thou wilt repent that."
The soldier was terrified, taking Peden's words as a prophect that the devil would take him. Convicted of his guilt in persecution, the soldier was converted and left the King's service, returning to his home, where he became a noted Christian.
There were some prisoners who died in the Bass, others remained in prison unil the end of the persecution. Peden regained his freedom - but that will be the subject of our next post (D.V.)
For ten years Peden evaded capture by government forces, roaming the hills dressed in grey, his sword by his side and his identity concealed by his famous mask. In June of 1673, however, while he was preaching at a house-meeting in Carrick, the house was raided and Peden was arrested. He was taken to Edinburgh for trial and, on 26th of June, he was condemned to "close imprisonment" on the Bass rock, an island-prison for political prisoners in the Firth of Forth from which there was no escape.
Because the Bass was escape-proof, prisoners were officially allowed a certain amount of freedom. This was not always respected in practice, and prisoners were kept shut up in cells cut into the rock for days at a time. Soldiers on the Bass tried to seduce the maid-servants who attended on the imprisoned ministers and blame the ministers for the resulting children. The result of this was that few women wanted to work on the Bass. (For the preceding paragraph my authority is the Memoirs of James Fraser of Brea, one of Alexander Whyte's favourite books)
Peden was kept a prisoner on the Bass for four and a half years. One day he saw the fourteen-year-old daughter of the governor of the Bass mocking and laughing as the prisoners conducted their public worship. With a solemn face he turned to the girl and said, "Poor thing, thou mockest and laughest at the worship of God; but ere long God shall write such a sudden, surprising judgement on thee, that shall stay thy laughing, and thou shalt not escape it." Shortly afterwards, while the girl was walking on the rock, a gust of wind blew her into the sea, where she was lost.
But Peden's prophetic reputation was also used to good. On another occasion Peden was walking on the rock, and a number of soldiers walked by. One said of Peden, "the devil take him."
"fy, fy, poor man, thou knowest not what thou art saying," Peden said to the man, "But thou wilt repent that."
The soldier was terrified, taking Peden's words as a prophect that the devil would take him. Convicted of his guilt in persecution, the soldier was converted and left the King's service, returning to his home, where he became a noted Christian.
There were some prisoners who died in the Bass, others remained in prison unil the end of the persecution. Peden regained his freedom - but that will be the subject of our next post (D.V.)
Labels: Alexander Peden
posted by Highland Host at 6:30 pm
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