the man that would not pray for the king in his perfon and government; to whom I faid, magiftrates ought to punith evil-doers: indeed fo he doth, faid he. 4thly, I leave my teftimony against the wrongers of my lovely Lord's crown, all in general. 5thly, I leave my teflimony against the hearers of thefe perjured curates, throughout the land, but especially in that corner of the land, to wit, Kilmarnock, for their going to kirks, 'fubfcribing of bonds, paying of fines, which includeth in it the acknowledgement of a fault, which I deny we have done, but they have done it to us, and yet never a watchman to teftify against it. 6thly, I leave my testimony · againft paying of the cefs, or any other thing that may ftrengthen the hands of evil-doers: Ifa. lxv. 11. "For ye are they that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish a drink-offering unto that number."

Now, I will speak a word to three forts of folk; 1, to you that are strangers, enemies to my lovely Lord, let your eftrangednefs be done away, fly to him, ere he break out in fury against you. O confider how near you are to the destroyer, if ye fly not unto him; and if you fly in unto him he will abundantly pardon. Therefore I entreat, that ye would turn from your evil ways, and leave off your perfecution, and flee to him, for there is mercy with him that he may be feared; and if ye will not turn, wrath will be upon you to all eternity. A fecond fort are thefe that formerly have known God, and now are fallen from their first love. O confider your former ways, and turn again to your first husband, left there be no fpace to repent; for all the ways that yehave taken to win by trouble will not hide you from him who is the great fin-revenging God; and he will bring all your fins, and your compliance, to ftand witness against you; therefore delay not repentance, for ye will find death have enough ado with itfelf. A third fort, are thefe who defire to walk in his way, and to keep themfelves from the crying wickedness of these times." O ftand faft in the faith; for there is no other burden laid upon you, but hold fat till he come. O for that

day when ye fhall be made one stick in his hand, and have fervent charity among yourselves, and "let him that standeth, take heed left he fall," for ye will find enough ado with it when death comes; therefore let the main thing be your study, and get once that made fire

that

that cannot be taken from you; for ye have many enemies to fight with, if ye win through, for the way to heaven is very ftrait; for it is no wonder Satan feeks to tempt poor Chriftians, when he effayed to tempt our bleffed Lord and Mafter. Let none of you think it ftrange, concerning what hath befallen me, for it is in his holy wisdom he hath carved out my lot fuch; and I have been made to blefs him for my lot. O! study to wrestle against your own corruptions, which are very heavy to me fometimes, but his love hath been great in bringing me out of the state of nature, and hath brought me to fee my own weakness, and alfo hath given me a fight of the remedy, for which my foul fhall be made to praise him throughout all eternity.

Now, my dear friends in Christ, study to walk blameless in all manner of converfation, as becometh the gofpel; let your light fo fhine before the world, that they may be ashamed that fhall accufe your good converfation in Chrift; for now ye need not think if ye keep the way of God, but ye will have many enemies, both within and without, therefore feek strength from him who is able to give it; ye need not think that all the stock of grace that a man hath, will be fufficient when the trial comes, if there be not fresh fupply given in the time of need. O wrestle with him, that ye may be hid in the day of his wrath, that feems to be poured out on this generation, for their great treachery and departure from God, the breach of his laws, and fubjecting to the laws of men; but my eyes fhall be closed, that I fhall not fee it; and I am well content, feeing I get my foul for a prey, then I fhall have no lofs.

Now I declare I am free of the blood of all men; and although men have no public fcandal to charge me with, yet by original and actual tranfgreffions, I am the chief of finners; but his love hath been great, the manifestations of his prefence hath been great alfo, for Satan hath not been wanting to affault, but yet glory to his name, who hath refifted him, and hath not permitted him to get his will. Now as my laft words, I recommend it to all, to be tender one of another without finning, and be in earnest with God, for ye will find death will have enough ado with itself, therefore delay not repentance, left he come when ye are not aware. Now as for thefe men that are unjustly taking away my life, only for ad

hering to the truth, and for no other end, now for what they do to me, as I am of myself, I freely forgive them, and all others, and efpecially thefe blinded foldiers, that do what they do ignorantly fome of them; but as they do it to the image of God in me, that is not mine to forgive, but leave it to him, to whom vengeance doth belong, that he may do with them what may most glorify himself.

Now my work is finifhed, I have fought the good fight; I have finished my courfe, henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs; but let fuch as will condemn me, read that fcripture, Rom. viii. 33. "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect, it is God that juftifieth, who is he that condemneth ?" For my lot is fallen to me in pleasant places, I have a goodly inheritance; for I would not change my lot with the greatest man's upon earth. Men and angels, praise · him for this; all the creation, praise him: O! my foul fhall praise him, through all the ages of eternity.

Now farewel all true friends in Chrift, farewel Christian relations, farewel fweet and holy fcriptures, farewel prayer and meditation, farewel finning and fuffering. Welcome heaven, welcome innumerable company of angels, and the church of the first-born, and the fpirits of juft men made perfect, welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, welcome praifes for evermore. Now dear Father, receive my fpirit, for it is thine, even fo come Lord Jefus.

Sic fubfcribitur,

JOHN NISBET.

The Teftimony of John Wilson, writer in Lanark, who fuffered at the Grafs-market of Edinburgh, May 16. 1683.

TH

i

HE chancellor faid, we having called James Laurie, produced to him a letter wrote by you to him, wherein you reprove him for calling Bothwel rebellion: He owned, That it had convinced his confcience, and faid, That he was forry for what he spoke, and we produced him a letter fuppofed to be writ in answer to yours, which he denied. Tell us, who wrote that letter? John Wilson answered, I will not tell by who only it was not wrote by James Laurie. 2 Who is the lady men.

tioned in the end of the letter? A. I dare not burden my confcience to tell. 2. Do you own authority? A. What authority? 2. What think you of Bothwel? Was it not unlawful to rife in arms? A. I dare not fay that it is unlawful; for the confeffion contained in your tell fays, Article 15. That it is a good work to defend the life of the harmlefs; and however God hath difpoted of thofe people, yet I fuppofe the Lord will own thefe, that hearing their neigbours had been worshipping God, (for defending themfelves against thofe that fought their life), were in jeopardy of their lives, thought it their duty to, rife for their relief. 2. Was Pentland rebellion? A. The oppreffion of thefe poor people was fuch, that the then rulers condemned Sir James Turner for his cruelty. Upon this, one anfwered, That he knew Sir James went not the length of his commiflion. 2. Was the bishop's death murder? A. Have me excufed, gentlemen, I will not answer to that. Being urged farther, he faid, It being nothing concerning my falvation, I do not pry into it. Upon this they faid, Did Bothwel concern your falvation? To which he replied, There are none that engage themselves in fervice to God, but it behoves them to be at his call, and it being for faving the life of the harmless, I durft not fit God's bidding. 2. Are you a minifter? 4. No. They here alledged fome of his letters importing fo much: and being defired to read the place, they read fomewhat about a call to fome ministry, nothing relating thereto. 2 Will ye not condemn the bishop's death as murder? A. 1 dare not, for fear God. having juftified fome of thefe actors, they fhould rife in judgment and condemn me. 2. Is there no other way but to rife in arms against the king? A. I fuppofe you have read bishop Honnyman's anfwer to Naphtali, wherein he fays, A king may be refifted, in cafe he fhould alienate the kingdom to ftrangers: And that being granted, religion being taken away, was as dear to us as any outward interelt. One replied, The bifhop got little thanks for that. 2 Think you it lawful to ride against a ftate that are not not of your opinion? Will you go to Bothwel again? Thefe questions they gave him not leave to answer, but ordered him to be taken away, afking, If he was a captain at Bothwel? Which he affented to.

A.

His answers before the council, April 17.

MITTING what he answered at his former appearance, which needs not be repeated, (their questions being always the fame), they afked, is Bothwel rebellion or not? A. No, It being for the defence of the harmless, who for hearing a preaching, and defending themselves; and the confeffion of faith contained in your teft, fays, It is a good work to defend the life of the harmless. 2 Then you approve of the test; will you take it? A. 1 am not speaking of the teft, but of the confeffion of faith therein contained. 2. Think you it lawful to rife againft magiftracy? A. Will you condemn the reformation from popery carried on by John Knox? We are not come here (faid they) to answer questions, but to afk: But (replied he) the anfwering of that to me would be a full anfwer by me to your queftion. Then faid the bishop, the reformation was good, but the way of carrying it on was ill. A. That is a marvellous thing, to think God would approve the actors in fuch actions, and yet the method be ill; and they to have a most folid peace in thefe actions, and to have fuch a mouth to de fend it, as all the wits in their days could not be able to withstand, as will be clear to any that reads the history of the reformation. O, faid they, he has read the hif tory of the reformation: Ay, but you will not find it in the fcripture, faid they, that the people may refift the prince, for then they take the magiftrate's part on them, and therein declare themfelves to be above their prince. A. The people refifted Saul, and would not let him kill Jonathan, (1 Sam. xiv. 45.) The bifhep faid, the people were in the wrong. 4. The fcripture never con demns the deed. 2. Do you own authority? A. Au thority may be taken feveral ways; 1. For the fimple command of the prince. 2. For the more public command of the prince and people.. 3. For a power a prince may be cloathed with by a people. 4. For a prince's right to govern. ' In all which ways Gouldman's diction ary, the ordinary expofitor of words, takes it. And in the first two fenfes, fince many both of the prince's edicts, and public acts of parliament, are directly against pref byterians and prefbyterian government, to own it in thefe fenfes, I fhould deny myfelf to be a prefbyterian. In the