land cannot be cleanfed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Such as are owning and pleading for this prefent power, let the end of magiftracy be confidered, Rom. xiii. 3. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil; wilt thou not then be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the fame. Ver. 6. For this cause pay you tribute alfo ; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 1 Pet. ii. 14. Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well.

Now, it is undeniably evident from what is aforefaid, that piety is fuppreffed, and iniquity nourished, and the fword in their hand used against these that do most entirely cleave to the fcripture rule, and the fworn principles of the church of Scotland, and the ancient fundamental laws thereof. Prov. xx. 8. A king that fitteth on the throne of judgment, fcattereth away all iniquity with his eyes, &c. Now I dare herein appeal to the fentence of all fingle, unbiaffed, and judicious perfons, whether or not the prefent exercife of their power be not both injustice and tyranny, for their is no public power in the land, but what is founded on perjury, facrilege and tyranny, and exercised according thereto. And feeing it is fo, ye that are owners of fuch a power, ye must needs be upon the matter, owners of all these; compearing before their courts, and paying them tribute, placing advocates, and pleading your caufe before such unjuft judges and more efpecially fuch as are prisoners for the truths of the gospel, and fo ought to witness a good confeffion for his trampled-upon truths, who was not ashamed to witness a good confeffion before Pontius Pilate, to wit, that he was a King; John xviii. 37. Pilate therefore faid unto him, art thou a king_then? Jefus answered, Thou fayeft that I am a king. To this end was I born, &c.

:

This generation feems to be a generation, in a great measure, given up to work all manner of wickedness with greedinefs, confidering what profanity and robbing of God, mocking him and religion, inftability, and the giving away his and the church's due: Mal. iii. 7. Even from the days of your fathers, ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them: return unto

me,

and I will return unto you, faith the Lord of hofts: But ye faid, wherein fhall we return? ver. 8. Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me : But ye fay, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ver. 9. Ye are curfed with a curfe; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation, &c. I am not to take upon me to speak any thing for future times, but this generation feems to have the marks and evidences of a generation of his wrath fitted for judgment and deftruction. . Take these fcriptures as an evidence, Micah vi. 16. For the statutes of Omri are kept. Ifa. xxiv. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty, &c.

Now, as to the articles of my indictment, whereon my fentence of death is founded, is firft, the owning and maintaining, that it was lawful to rife in arms at Pentland and Bothwel bridge; which I did with great cheerfulness and boldness, they being in their own defence, and of the gofpel, and took that article for proof in the confeffion of faith, that they have given out to be the confeffion of their own faith, profeffing to build that abominable and ridiculous teft upon; which fhews, that they are ill builders, the building being fo far off the foundation. But I refer you to the draught of a paper, which I drew as my teftimony against that teft; which with the confent and advice of others, was affixed on the parish kirk-door of Stonehouse. And I am of the mind, that this proof, as it did enrage them, being like a wild bull caught in their own net; fo it did give them no fmall damp.

A fecond was, fpeaking treafon (as they call it) and declining their authority, which confifteth in this. First, when asked if their king, or rather their idol were a tyrant? I referred it to his obligations in his coronation oath, to be confidered with his present actings and practices with his ufurpations upon the privileges of the church and prerogatives royal of Jefus Chrift, who is the anointed of the Father; and the refufing to fay, (God fave the king), which we find was the order that was used in and among the children of Ifrael, at the king's anointing to that office, and used in our own nation at the coronation. Now, this being only due to a lawful king, ought not to be given but to a lawful king, and fo not to him, being a degenerate tyrant; for if I fhould, I thereby had faid amen to all that he hath done against

the church and liberties thereof, and to all his oppreffion by unlawful exactions, and raising of armies, for no o ther effect but to deprive us of the hearing of the gospel, and troubling or molefting the fubjects, both in their confciences and external liberties, and alfo their bloodfhed and murders made upon the people of God, and free fubjects of the kingdom; and fo bid him God speed, contrary to that in the fecond epistle of John, verfe 10. And feeing it cannot be given to any that have thus ufed their power to a wrong end, in fuch a measure and manner; fo much lefs when they have fet him up as an idol in the room of God incarnate. And fhall I pray to blefs that man in his perfon and government, which God hath curfed? For it cannot be expected but that he shall be curfed, that thus ventureth upon the thick boffes of the buckler of God Almighty.

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Now, I fhall here give in fhort an account of my principles, which I fhall do as in the fight of an all-seeing God. Viz. I am a true Christian, truly anti-popifh, anti-prelatic, anti-fectarian, anti-fchifmatic, anti-erastian, a true Presbyterian, owning the true proteftant religion, now owned and profeffed by the poor wrestling and fuffering remnant in Scotland; and whatever men have faid, or may fay of me, I have lived, and now I die

thus.

Wherefore, in the first place, I give my teftimony to the truth, fulness and authority of the fcriptures; and to all the truths contained therein, and warrantable therefrom 2dly, I bear my teftimony to the way of falvation through Jefus Chrift; and that by his fatisfaction the moral law was not abrogated, but fulfilled; and that the moral law is as binding on the Chriftian truly interested in him, this day, as it was that day that it was given to the children of Ifrael; only the condemnatory fentence thereof loofed to all fuch as are believers indeed, 3dly, I bear my teftimony to the work of reformation, as it was reformed from popery, prelacy, eraftianism, and other errors; as it is contained in the confefsion of faith, larger and fhorter catechifms, covenants national and folemn league, folemn acknowledgement of fins and engagement to duties, the fum of faving knowledge, directory for worship, the caufes of God's wrath, drawn up by the general affembly of this church, after the evil in meddling with that rotten-hearted malignant Charles

e

Stuart

Stuart was feen. 4thly, I bear my teftimony to the faithful actings of the remonftrators against malignants and the malignant interefts, which are the very things this day contended for by the prefbyterians of the church of Scotland. 5thly, I bear my teftimony (not to go further back, feeing it homologates the reft) to that noble teftimony given at Lanek, against that tyrant, and the test enacted by the late parliament; which I could not but look upon, in the time of the carrying on of it, and yet doth, that the remnant was therein owned of the Lord. 6thly, I bear my teftimony to all the faithful teftimonies of the martyrs, that have gone before us, on fcaffolds, in the fields, or in the feas. 7thly, I hear my testimony to all the appearances in arms, for the defence of the gofpel. 8thly, I bear my teftimony to the faithful manner of the delivery of the gofpel, that hath been in the open fields, by the faithful and fent fervants of Jefus Chrift, exercifing according to his own commiffion preaching days, communion days, and fafts, particularyone holden at Auchingilloch by three minifters, two of them now glorified, viz. Mr Donald Cargil and Mr Richard Cameron, where the land's guilt was freely and faithfully discovered. 9thy, and laftly, 1 bear my teftimony to the fellowship-meetings of the Lord's people particular and general, and my foul hath many a time been refreshed in them.

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Now I would fpeak in fhort to three forts; 1ft, You that are ftrangers and enemies to this lovely Lord, let your eftrangement be done away, break off your fins by repentance, confider the hazard you are in, even of eternal wrath and fcorching hell fire for ever. O this con

defcending love of God, that is laid out in this manner! O ye that are enemies to his intereft and people, mind that justice, even wrathful juftice, is ready to be poured out upon you! O therefore come off! repent and turn in unto this fo favourable and merciful a God: leave off your perfecution, come unto him, there is mercy with him that he may be feared; and if ye will not return, thren his wrath will be upon you to all eternity. 2dly, Ye that have fometimes known what it was to be in God's favour, and had much love and tenderness for him, his work and intereft, cause and covenant, as it was reform. ed in this land, and now are fallen from your first love; endeavour to have in mind the love of your efpoufals,

when

when ye and Christ were hand-fafted: O confider aright what a great difference there is between your love, faith, zeal, tenderness now, in regard of what it was. There

fore take a right look of matters, and weigh them aright in the balance of the fanctuary, both as to your own particular cafe, and the cafe of his church; and turn to him with speedy and unfeigned repentance; for he that turns afide to crooked ways, fhall be led forth with the workers of iniquity. O therefore turn in time, leaft repentance be hid from your eyes. O! as ye love the glory of God, the good of your own fouls, and the advantage of the church, if fuch an one as I may be fo bold as to invite you, now going out of time into eternity; as ye would not be partakers of the plagues that are. to come upon fuch a generation, come off with speed. 3dly, You that are in good terms with God, and helped to keep by his way, break not your peace by turning afide to crooked ways, entertain love, keep and hold fast your integrity, in this day, when many have broke the bargain with him, now when the language of many is this, thefe are hard fayings, who can hear them? And now, that is his language to you, will ye alfo leave me? O! let this be the language of every ingenuous foul, to whom fhall we go? For thou haft the words of eternal life. Make fure falvation to yourfelves, thereby ye shall be the more fit to follow him in this day, when he is cafting forth his red flag, and marching. Many follow him when the white flag of peace is flourishing; but they are ill worthy of the fweet, who will not take part with him in the bittereft and harpeft fufferings; for what is the greatest of fufferings that can come from man, coming upon his account, in regard of what he suffered for us, even the heavy wrath of God, which would have preft us down to the pit through all eternity; and may not the confideration of this oblige you? I can fpeak it to his commendation, that he can make the crofs light and eafy, for he will bear it and you both. And fecing everlafting arms are underneath, have ye not ground to expect that he will not let his own arm be crufhed. He can firaw the cross all with rofes. I dare not fay that ever I met with a crofs; for when the strait hath been greateft, then he kythed his kindness moft. O the rich manifestations that he giveth to the foul under the cross Yea, it is all paved with love. Who

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would