gow, who maintained the lawfulness and justified
the conduct of that assembly, and the protestation given in to the
parliament in 1606, which did many things to the further establishment
of prelacy. This protestation[46] was wrote by him, and delivered out of
his own hands to the earl of Dunbar.

He was not more distinguished for zeal in the cause of Christ, than for
piety and an exemplary life, which had a happy effect upon the people
with whom he stood connected. He was in a very eminent degree blessed
with the spirit and return of prayer; the following fact attested by
old Mr. Row of Carnock, shews how much of the divine countenance he had
in his duty:--His wife, Martha Baron, a woman of singular piety, fell
sick, and, under her indisposition, was strongly assaulted by the
common enemy of salvation; suggesting to her, that she should be
delivered up to him, which soon brought her into a very distracted
condition, and continued, for some time, increasing; she broke forth
into very dreadful expressions:--She was in one of these fits of
despair, one Sabbath morning, when Mr. Simpson was going to preach; he
was exceedingly troubled at her condition, and went to prayer, which
she took no notice of. After he had done, he turned to the company
present, and said, That they who had been witnesses to that sad hour,
should yet see a gracious work of God on her, and that the devil's
malice against that poor woman, should have a shameful foil. Her
distraction continued for some days after. On a Tuesday morning, about
day-break, he went into his garden as private as possible, and one Helen
Gardiner, wife to one of the baillies of the town, a godly woman, who
had sate up that night with Mrs. Simpson, being concerned at the
melancholy condition he was in, climbed over the garden wall, to observe
him in this retirement, but, coming near the place where he was, she was
terrified with a noise which she heard, as of the rushing of multitudes
of people together, with a most melodious sound intermixed; she fell on
her knees and prayed that the Lord would pardon her rashness, which her
regard for his servant had caused. Afterwards, she went forward, and
found him lying on the ground; she intreated him to tell her what had
happened unto him, and, after many promises of secrecy, and an
obligation, that she should not reveal it in his life-time, but, if she
survived him, she should be at liberty, he then said, "O! what am I!
being but dust an