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About sixty years ago there
departed this life an old man, who, for sixty years previous to that,
was known only by the name of Wat the Prophet. I am even uncertain what
his real surname was, though he was familiarly known to the most of my
relatives of that day, and I was intimately acquainted with his nephew
and heir, whose name was Paterson, yet I hardly think that it was the
prophet’s surname, but that the man I knew was a maternal nephew. So
far, I am shortcoming at the very outset of my tale, for in truth I
never heard him distinguished by any other name than Wat the Prophet.
He must have been a very singular person in every respect, In his youth
he was so much more clever and acute than his fellows, that he was
viewed as a sort of phenomenon, or rather "a kind of being that had mair
airt than his ain.” It was no matter what Wat tried, for either at
mental or manual exertion he excelled; and his gifts were so
miscellaneous, that it was no wonder his most intimate acquaintances
rather stood in awe of him. At the sports of the field, at the
exposition of any part of Scripture, at prayer, and at mathematics, he
was altogether unequalled. By this, I mean in the sphere of his
acquaintance in the circle in which he moved, for he was the son of a
respectable farmer who had a small property. In the last-mentioned art
his comprehension is said to have been truly wonderful. He seemed to
have an intuitive knowledge of the science of figures from beginning to
end, and needed but a glance at the rules to outgo his masters.
But this was not all. In all the labours of the field his progress was
equally unaccountable. He could with perfect ease have mown as much hay
as two of the best men, sown as much, reaped as much, shorn as many
sheep, and smeared as many, and with a little extra exertion could have
equalled the efforts of three ordinary men at any time. As for
ploughing, or any work with horses, he would never put a hand to it, for
he then said he had not the power of the labour himself. How ever
unaccountable all this may be, it is no fabrication; I have myself heard
several men tell, who were wont to shear and smear sheep with him, when
he was a much older man than they, that even though he would have been
engaged in some fervent demonstration. in spite of all they could do,"he
was aye popping off twa sheep, or maybe three, for their ane."
I could multiply anecdotes of this kind without number, but these were
mere atoms of the prophet’s character a sort of excrescences, which were
nevertheless in keeping with the rest, being matchless of their kind. He
was in tended by his parents for the Church that is the Church of the
Covenant, to which they belonged. I know not if Wat had consented
thereto, but his education tended that way. However, as he said himself,
he was born for a higher destiny, which was to reveal the future will of
God to mankind for ever and ever. I have been told that he committed
many of his prophecies to writing; and I believe it, for he was a
scholar, and a man of rather supernatural abilities; but I have never
been able to find any of them. I have often heard fragments of them, but
they were recited by ignorant country people, who, never having
understood them themselves, could not make them comprehensible to
others. But the history of his call to the prophecy I have so often
heard, that I think I can state the particulars, although a little
confused in my recollection of them.
This event occurred about this time one hundred years, on an evening in
spring, as Wat was going down a wild glen, which I know full well."I was
in a contemplative mood, he said (for he told it to any that asked him),
and was meditating on the mysteries of redemption, and doubting,
grievously doubting, the merits of an atonement by blood; when, to my
astonishment in such a place, there was one spoke to me close behind,
saying, in the Greek language, ‘Is it indeed so? Is thy faith no better
rooted?’
"I looked behind me, but, perceiving no one, my hair stood all on end,
for I thought it was a voice from heaven; and, after gazing into the
firmament, and all around me, I said fear fully, in the same language,
‘Who art thou that speakest?’ And the voice answered me again,‘ I am one
who laid down my life, witnessing for the glorious salvation which thou
art about to deny; turn, and behold me!’
"And I turned about, for the voice seemed still behind me, turn as I
would, and at length I perceived dimly the figure of an old man, of
singular aspect and dimensions, close by me. His form was exceedingly
large and broad, and his face shone with benignity; his beard hung down
to his girdle, and he had sandals on his feet, which covered his ankles.
His right arm and his breast were bare, but he had a crimson mantle over
his right shoulder, part of which covered his head, and came round his
waist. Having never seen such a figure or dress, or countenance before,
I took him for an angel, sent from above to rebuke me; so I fell at his
feet to worship him, or rather to entreat forgiveness for a sin which I
had not power to withstand. But he answered me in these words: ‘Rise up,
and bow not to me, for I am thy fellow-servant, and a messenger from Him
whom thou hast in thy heart denied. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and Him only shalt thou serve. Come, I am commissioned to take thee into
the presence of thy Maker and Redeemer.’
"And I said, ‘Sir, how speakest thou in this wise? God is in heaven, and
we are upon the earth; and it is not given to mortal man to scale the
heavenly regions, or come into the presence of the Almighty. And he
said, ‘Have thy learning and thy knowledge carried thee no higher than
this? Knowest thou not that God is present in this wild glen, the same
as in the palaces of light and glory that His presence surrounds us at
this moment and that He sees all our actions, hears our words, and knows
the inmost thoughts of our hearts?’
"And I said, ‘Yes, I know it.’
"‘Then, are you ready and willing at this moment,’ said he,‘to step into
His presence, and avow the sentiments which you have of late been
cherishing?’
"And I said, ‘I would rather have time to think the matter over again.’
"‘Alack! poor man!’ said he, ‘so you have never been considering that
you have all this while been in His immediate presence, and have even
been uttering thy blasphemous sentiments aloud to His face, when there
was none to hear but He and thyself.’
"And I said, ‘Sir, a man cannot force his belief.’
"And he said, ‘Thou sayest truly; but I will endeavour to convince
thee.’
Here a long colloquy ensued about the external and internal evidences of
the Christian religion, which took Wat nearly half a day to relate; but
he still maintained his point. He asked his visitant twice who he was,
but he declined telling him, saying he wanted his reason convinced, and
not to take his word for anything.
Their conversation ended by this mysterious sage leading Wat away by a
path which he did not know, which was all covered with a cloud of
exceeding brightness. At length they came to a house like a common
pavilion, which they entered, but all was solemn silence, and they heard
nobody moving in it, and Wat asked his guide where they were now.
"This is the place where heavenly gifts are distributed to humanity,"
said the reverend apostle; "but they are now no more required, being of
no repute. No one asks for them, nor will they accept of them when
offered, for worldly wisdom is all in all with the men of this age.
Their preaching is a mere farce—an ostentatious parade, to show off
great and shining qualifications, one third of the professors not
believing one word of what they assert. The gift of prophecy is denied
and laughed at; and all revelation made to man by dreams or visions
utterly disclaimed, as if the almighty’s power of communicating with his
creatures were not only shortened, but cut off for ever. This fountain
of inspiration, once so crowded, now, you see, a dreary solitude.”
"It was, in truth, a dismal looking place, for in every chamber, as we
pass along, there were benches and seats judgment, but none to occupy
them; the green grass was peeping through the seams of the flooring and
chinks of the wall, and never was there a more appalling picture of
desolation.
"At length, in the very innermost chamber, we came to three men sitting
a row, the middle one elevated above the others; but they were all
sleeping their posts, and looked as if they had slept there for a
thousand years, for their garments were mouldy, and their faces ghastly
and withered.
"I did not know what to do or say, for I looked at my guide, and he
seemed overcome with sorrow; but thinking it as ill-manners for an
intruder not to speak, I said, ‘Sirs, I think you are drowsily
inclined?’ but none of them moved. At length my guide said; in a loud
voice, ‘Awake, ye servants of the Most High! Or is your sleep to be
everlasting?’
"On that they all opened their eyes once, and stared at me, but their
eyes were like the eyes of dead men, and no one of them moved a muscle,
save the middlemost, who pointed with pale haggard hand to three small
books, or scrolls, that lay on the bench before them.
"Then my guide said, ‘Put forth thine hand and choose one from these.
They are all divine gifts, and in these latter days rarely granted to
any of the human race.’ One was red as blood, the other pale, and the
third green; the latter was farthest from me, and my guide said, ‘Ponder
well before you take your choice. It is a sacred mystery, and from the
choice you make, our destiny is fixed through time and eternity.’ I then
stretched out my hand, and took the one farthest from me, and he said,
‘It is the will of the Lord; so let it be! That which you have chosen is
the gift of the spirit of prophecy. From henceforth you must live a life
of sufferance and tribulation, but your life shall be given you for a
proof, in order that you may reveal to mankind all that is to befall
them in the latter days. And I opened the book, and it was all written
in mystic characters, which I could not decipher nor comprehend; and he
said, ‘Put up the book in thy bosom, and preserve it as thou wouldst do
the heart within thy breast; for as long as thou keepest that book,
shall thy natural life remain, and the spirit of God remain with thee,
and whatsoever thou sayest in the spirit, shall come to pass. But beware
that thou deceive not thyself; for, if thou endeavour to pass off
studied speeches, and words of the flesh for those of the spirit, woe be
unto thee! It had been better for thee that thou never hadst been born.
Put up the hook; thou canst not understand it now, but it shall be given
thee to understand it, for it is an oracle of the most high God, and its
words and signs fail not. Go thy ways, and return to the house of thy
fathers and thy kinsfolk.’
"And I said, ‘Sir, I know not where to go, for I cannot tell by what
path you brought me hither.’ And he took me by the hand, and led me out
by a back-door of the pavilion; and we entered a great valley, which was
all in utter darkness, and I could perceive through the gloom that many
people were passing the same way with ourselves; and I said, ‘Sir, this
is dreadful! What place is this?’ And he said, ‘This is the Valley of
the Shadow of Death. Many of those you see will grope on here for ever,
and never get over, for they know not whether they go, or what is before
them. But seest thou nothing beside?
"And I said, ‘I see a bright and shining light beyond, whose rays reach
even to this place.’
‘That,’ said he, ‘is the light of the everlasting Gospel; and to those
to whom it is given to perceive that beacon of divine love, the passage
over this valley is easy. I have shown it to you; but if you keep that
intrusted to your care, you shall never enter this valley again, but
live and reveal the will of God to man till mortality shall no more
remain. You shall renew your age like the eagles, and be refreshed with
the dews of renovation from the presence of the Lord. Sleep on now, and
take your rest, for I must leave you again in this world of sin and
sorrow. Be you strong, and overcome it, for men will hold you up to
reproach and ridicule, and speak all manner of evil of you; but see that
you join them not in their voluptuousness and iniquity, and the Lord be
with you!’”
There is no doubt that this is a confused account of the prophet’s
sublime vision, it being from second hands that I had it; and, for one
thing, I know that one-half of his relation is not contained in it. For
the consequences I can avouch. From that time forth he announced his
mission, and began prophesying to such families as he was sent to. But I
forgot to mention a very extraordinary fact, that this vision of his
actually lasted nine days and nine nights, and at the end of hat time he
found himself on the very ‘individual spot in the glen where the voice
first spoke to him, and so much were his looks changed, that, when he
went in, none of the family knew him.
He mixed no more with the men of the world, but wandered about in wilds
and solitudes, and when in the spirit, he prophesied with a sublimity
and grandeur never equalled. He had plenty of money, and some property
to boot, which his father left him; but these he never regarded, but
held on his course of severe abstemiousness, often subsisting on bread
and water, and sometimes for days on water alone, from some motive known
only to himself. He had a small black pony on which he rode many years,
and which he kept always plump and fat. 'This little animal waited upon
him in all his fastings and prayings with unwearied patience and
affection. There is a well, situated on the south side of a burn, called
the Earny Cleuch, on the very boundary between the shires of Dumfries
and Selkirk. It is situated in a most sequestered and lonely place, and
is called to this day the Prophet`s Well, from the many pilgrimages that
he made to it; for it had been revealed to him in one of his visions
that this water had some divine virtue, partaking of the nature of the
Water of Life. At one time he lay beside this well for nine days and
nights, the pony feeding beside him all that time, and though there is
little doubt that he had some food with him, no body knew of any that he
had; and it was believed that he fasted all that time, or at least
subsisted, on the water of that divine well.
Some men with whom he was familiar - for indeed he was respected and
liked by everybody, the whole tenor of his life having been so
inoffensive;- some of his friends, I say, tried to reason him into a
belief of his mortality, and that he would taste of death like other
men; but that he treated as altogether chimerical, and not worth
answering; when he did answer, it was by assuring them, that as long as
he kept his mystic scroll, and could drink of his well, his body was
proof against all the thousand shafts of death. His unearthly monitor
appeared to him very frequently, and revealed many secrets to him, and
at length disclosed to him that he was STEPHEN, the first martyr for the
Gospel of Christ. Our prophet, in the course of time, grew so familiar
with him, that he called him by the friendly name of Auld Steenie, and
told his friends when he had seen him, and part of what he had told him,
but never the whole. When not in his visionary and prophetic moods, he
sometimes indulged in a little relaxation, such as draught playing and
fishing; but in these, like other things, he quite excelled all
compeers. He was particularly noted for killing salmon, by throwing the
spear at a great distance. He gave all his fish away to poor people, or
such as he favoured that were nearest to him at the time; so that,
either for his prophetic gifts, or natural bounty, the prophet was
always a welcome guest, whether to poor or rich.
He prophesied for the space of forty years, foretelling many things that
came to pass in his lifetime, and many which have come to pass since his
death. I have heard of a parable of his, to which I can do no justice,
of a certain woman who had four sons, three of whom were legitimate, and
the other not. The latter being rather uncultivated in his manners, and
not so well educated as his brethren, his mother took for him ample
possessions at a great distance from the rest of the family. The young
blade succeeded in his farming speculations amazingly, and was grateful
to his parent, and friendly with his brethren in all their interchanges
of visits. But when the mother perceived his success, she sent and
demanded a tenth from him of all he possessed. This rather astounded the
young man, and he hesitated about compliance in parting with so much, at
any rate. But the parent insisted on her right to demand that or any sum
which she chose, and the teind she would have. The lad, not wishing to
break with his parent and benefactor, bade her say no more about it, and
he would give her the full value of that she demanded as of his own
accord; but she would have it in no other way than as her own proper
right. On this the headstrong and powerful knave took the law on his
mother; won, and ruined her; so that she and her three remaining sons
were reduced to beggary. Wat then continued—-"And now it is to
yourselves I speak this, ye children of my people, for this evil is nigh
you, even at your doors. There are some here who will not see it, but
there are seven here who will see the end of it, and then they shall
know that there has been a prophet among them.
"It having been in a private family where this prophecy was delivered,
they looked always forward with fear for some contention breaking out
among them. But after the American war and its consequences, the whole
of Wat’s parable was attributed thereto, and the good people relieved
from the horrors of their impending and ruinous law-suit.
One day he was prophesying about the judgment, when a young gentleman
said to him, "O, sir, I wish you could tell us when the judgment will
be." "Alas! my man," returned he, "that is what I cannot do; for of that
day and of that hour knoweth no man; no, not the angels which are in
heaven, but the Almighty Father alone. But there will be many judgments
before the great and general one. In seven years there will be a
judgment on Scotland. In seven times seven there will be a great and
heavy judgment on all the nations of Europe; and in other seven times
seven there will be a greater one on all the nations of the world; but
whether or not that is to be the last judgment, God only knoweth."
These are dangerous and difficult sayings of our prophet. I wonder what
the Rev. Edward Irving would say about them, or if they approach in any
degree to his calculations. Not knowing the year when this prophecy was
delivered, it is impossible to reason on its fulfilment, but it is
evident that both the first eras must be overpast. He always predicted
ruin on the cause of Prince Charles Stuart, even when the plauses of his
bravery and conquests. Our prophet detested the politics of that house,
and announced ruin and desolation not only on the whole house, but on
all who supported it. The only prophecy which I have yet seen in writing
relates to that brave but unfortunate adventurer, and is contained in a
letter to a Mrs Johnston, Moffat, dated October 1st, 1745, which must
have been very shortly after the battle of Prestonpans. After some
religious consolation, he says, "As for that man, Charles Stuart, let no
spirit be cast down because of him, for he is only a meteor predicting a
sudden storm, which is destined to quench his baleful light for ever. He
is a broken pot; a vessel wherein God hath no pleasure. His boasting
shall be turned into dread, and his pride of heart into astonishment.
Terror shall make him afraid on every side; he shall look on his right
hand, and there shall be none to know him; and on his left hand, and lo!
destruction shall be ready at his side—even the first-born of death
shall open his jaws to devour him. His confidence shall pass away for
ever, even until the king of terrors arrive and scatter brimstone upon
his habitation. His roots shall be dried up beneath, and the foliage of
his boughs stripped off above, until his remembrance shall perish from
the face of the earth. He shall be thrown into the deep waters, and the
billows of God’s wrath shall pass over him. He shall fly to the
mountains, but they shall not hide him; and to the islands, but they
shall cast him out. Then shall he be driven from light into darkness,
and chased out of the land.
"Knowest thou not this of old time, that the triumph of the wicked is of
short duration, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though
his excellency mount up into the heavens, and his pride reach the stars,
yet shall he perish for ever, like a shadow that passeth away and is no
more. They who have seen him in the pride of his might shall say, Where
is he? Where now is the man that made the nations to tremble? Is he
indeed passed away as a dream, and chased away as a vision of the night?
Yea, the Lord, who sent him as a scourge on the wicked of the land,
shall ordain the hand of the wicked to scourge him till his Flesh and
his soul shall depart, and his name be blotted out of the world.
Therefore, my friend in the Lord, let none despond because of this man,
but lay these things up in thy heart, and ponder on them, and when they
are fulfilled, then shalt thou believe that the Lord sent me."
From the tenor of this prophecy, it would appear that he has borrowed,
largely from some of the most sublime passages of Scripture, which could
not fail of giving a tincture of sublimity to many of his sayings, so
much admired by the country people. It strikes me there are some of
these expressions literally from the Book of Job; but, notwithstanding,
it must be acknowledged that some parts of it are peculiarly applicable
to the after-fate of Charles Edward.
When old age began to steal on him, and his beloved friends to drop out
of the world, one after another, he became extremely heavy-hearted at
being obliged to continue for ever in the flesh. He never had any
trouble; but he felt a great change take place in his constitution,
which he did not expect, and it was then he became greatly concerned at
being obliged to bear a body of fading flesh about until the end of
time, often saying, that the flesh of man was never made to be immortal.
In this dejected state he continued about two years, often entreating
the Lord to resume that which He had given him, and leave him to the
mercy of his Redeemer, like other men. Accordingly, his heavenly monitor
appeared to him once more, and demanded the scroll of the spirit of
prophecy, which was delivered up to him at the well in the wilderness;
and then, with a holy admonition, he left him for ever on earth. Wat
lived three years after this, cheerful and happy, and died in peace,
old, and full of days, leaving a good worldly substance behind him. |
