third fenfe, fince the people have eloathed the king with the headship of the church, I cannot own that; because the eleventh article of the Confeffion of Faith, contained in the teft, fays, That office belongs properly to Chrift alone, and that it is not lawful for man, or angel, to intrude therein. As for the laft fenfe of authority, His right to govern, I have not feen through it. 2. Will you venture your life on thefe things?. My life is in God's hand. After thefe queftions they fet down, That he was a captain at Bothwel, and an imperfect recital of his words, which they defired him to fubfcribe; but he refufed. At his laft appearance before the criminal court, the advocate accolted him thus, Though, Sir, you have been a rebel, and though you have studied to draw, that poor man Laurie to the gallows; yet you fee how merciful the king is to these men, (which were four who swore the teft), and there is place left to you for mercy, if you will not obftinately perfift in your opinion. He answered, I have neither done any deed, nor given you an account of any opinion, but what I have juftified from the confeffion of faith, which you have lately fworn'; from the ancient reformation, which ye cannot condemn; and, from the conceffions of your own doctor. What' (fays Perth) will you justify your taking arms at Bothwel? A. Your own teft juftifies the defence of the life of the harmlefs. The advocate fays, all the indulged, yea, almoft - all prefbyterians condemn it. Then fays he, will ye bond before sentence, for there is no place left for the king's mercy after fentence. 4. I will not ;' but remember, that one day, all fentences will be canvaffed before the great judge of heaven and earth. Follow fome reafons of his anfwers, and reflections made there-upon by himself. W! HEN I was on my journey betwixt Edinburgh and Lanark, and feveral times before, having confidered the bold teftimony of Stephen, Acts vii. 51, 52. Ye ftiff necked and uncircumcifed in heart, &c. And Peter's teftimony, A&ts v. 35. Whom ye flew, and hanged on a tree: And his defire that with all boldness they might make mention of the name of Jefus : And lastly that promife, Phil. i. 28. In nothing terrified by your adverfaries, T 2 adverfaries, &c. I fay, confidering thefe, I refolved to ufe the utmost of freedom with the council; but being come to this town, and having confidered, that the council defired to pick fuch quarrels with any in cur condition, as might give the leaft umbrage to the world of the juftice of their dealing. 2. Confidering that by many profeffed friends we are judged imprudent; yea, so far condemned, that they stick not to fay, that we have a hand in our own death. 3. Their own public procla mations still bearing, that our defign was not religion, but covetousness to poffefs ourselves of the government. For eviting of thefe, I refolved to be as cautious as I could, without prejudice to truth. So that taking my anfwers for defenfive arms out of the teft, which they had fworn; from the conceffions of their greatest doctors; and from the deed of their predeceffor council, whereof fome prefent were members, I thought it had been a ridiculous thing to make me condemn that which they had ratified by an oath, their great doctor had yielded, and their predeceffor council had approven. But that I might have God's approbation in demeaning myself so, and do what I did therein in faith; I took that rule, 1. Pet. iii. 15. Be ready always to give a reafon of the hope that is in you with meeknefs and fear. And as I thought I had reafon to blefs God, that had guided my tongue fo, that I was not a whit concerned either with fhame or fear, so I came back to prifon with a heart forry that should have left thefe two questions of the chancellor's unanswered, viz. Thought I it duty to rise in arms against a state not of my opinion? In answer to which question, I thought, if ever I had occafion, I would have been punctual in telling them, the question was wrong ftated; for the right state of the question was, when a ftate deftroys the true profeffion of godlinefs fworn to by the land, and perfecutes the owners thereof. The fecond question; If I'would have gone to Bothwel again; I thought if fuch a queftion ca me in my way, I would have told them, that I behoved to be at God's call. And likewife I was Torry that I had not been nimble enough to have taken opportunity, when the question anent authority was moved, to have teftified against the ecclefiaftical bealfhip and finful acts against God's church; I fay, my emiffion, occafioned through their confufed confused asking, bred me humiliation after I returned to prison. As to my fecond examination, as I defired opportunity to teftify against the headship of the church, and other finful acts deftroying God's work, fo I got opportu nity, and fo I difcharged my confcience: But yet there was fomething left to exercife me with; and that was 1. When the bishop faid, that it were a distracted act for the king to alienate the kingdom to strangers, that I said not, it was an act of more distraction to destroy religion. 2. That in citing the words of the eleventh article of the confeffion against the headship, I fhould have faid fimply, it was unlawful to prefume to intrude on that office; whereas the confeffion itself calls them blafphemers, and thereby mincing his word. 3. When the bishop faid, it were a Turkish way to carry on reformation by the fword, I had not opened their prefent practice and violence in preffing men's confciences; and have said, fince they looked upon confcience as fo tender a thing, to beware of fqueezing it fo by oppreffion. I know I have an infirmity in anfwering off hand, anent which, I hope all God's people will obferve the rule of bearing one another's infirmities: Next, I am fure that the Lord hath not fupplied me as to these anfwers, for my further exercife. As to the reafon why I faid, I could not fee through the denial of authority in the laft fenfe, (for though I could not fee through it, yet it being fuch an abominable stating of themselves, in a continual oppofition unto God and godliness, I fcunnered to own it), the reason that moved me to fay, that I could not fee through it, was, I defire to tread the paths of our old reformers, who delayed the cafting off authority, till they had a probable power to back it; yet afterwards confidering his breach of covenant to us, and thefe deeds done by that authority, that in any well guided commonwealth, would annul his right; I thought I had worded authority ill in the latt fenfe, and that it had been more proper, I had faid, I could not fee through the denying of obedience to fuch commands as were indiferent, or according to God's word: And indeed till God had furnished us with a probable power, I could never see through this; and I am verily of that opinion, that we having lufted for a king, got him in God's wrath; and that fince we have entered into covenant with him, God will take his own way to take him away in his displeafure, and will not let it be by our hand; though I grant that his breach of paction to us loofeth us, our paction being ftill conditional, to own him in defence of religion; and my earnest defire is, there may be no difference among prefbyterians anent this, for I have a ftrong opinion, that God will take that question out of the way fhortly. As for the bishop's death, I could not call it murder, because of Jael, Ehud, and Phinehas, their facts; Jael ufing that expreffion, turn in thither; and that there was peace between Heber the Kenite and Jabin; Jael being of that family, and whatever may be alledged against their extraordinary acts, and that to do fuch deeds is to take the magiftrate's power; I am fure Phinehas was a prieft, and it was none of his office to kill any man, and yet his fact is commended. Next, Knox, his preaching to, and abiding with the killers of Cardinal Beaton; and Calderwood's history, which was approven by the affembly, calling them men of courage and refolution, whom God flirred up: Next, the Lord Ruthven and others killing a companion that abused Queen Mary by his ill counfel, and yet approven in Knox's hiftory: Therefore if the killers of the Bishop having a zeal against the blood-thirstiness of that wretch, and being deeply affected therewith, and with love to the brethren, whom he like a wolf, was feeking to have devoured, and had devoured, flew him, I durft not call it murder: But if the actors were touched with any thing of particular prejudice or other by-ends, I am very confident that scripture of avenging the blood of Jezebel upon the house of Je hu, would not fuffer me to juftify it: So not knowing the actors hearts therein, I could neither fay yea, nor nay But Chriftians fhould judge charitably. I forgot likewife to tell them, that the Bofhop of Glasgow's laying down his gown, upon making the act explanatory, might be an aggravation of my fin, if I fhould own the king's headship over the church, which I had really refolved to fay, but forgot. Follow Follow the reafons why he refufed at first to fupplicate the council for a reprieve, being importuned by his relations to do it. PON the 7th of May 1683, being defired to peti UPON tion, I answered, I could think upon no petition, nor arguments, that could be acceptable with them, but fuch as were either directly or indirectly a receding from what I had profeffed. The reafon of my petition was moved thus, to feek a longer time till I was better advised anent my answers given to the council. To which I answered, that would fay to all the world, that for as tenacious as we were of our principles, yet we might feem to call them in question; and it might say, that I was preffing with others to die on these principles, that death put me to a stand anent myfelf; and fo I fhould give ground of hardening to enemies. 2. It was moved, that through my confufions fince I came to prison, I fhould feek a reprival. To this I answered, I durft not flander Chrift's crofs, wherein every ftep to me hath been mercy and truth; and my rebellious flesh needed no lefs (conform to my own acknowledgement to God) nor what was come to fubdue it: and that I could not well fee through that, fearing it would be bad company fo near my death; that I firmly trufted all fhould work for my well; and to fay that, were to contradict my confcience and God's goodness, and make me contradict my own prayer, viz. Let neither flesh nor fpirit be moved and failed, left enemies rejoice. 3. That I fhould petition, that I might have a longer time, fimply to prepare for eternity. To which I faid, I could not do it in faith; for ever fince I came to prifon, God has made me believe, that he who has begun a good work in me, would alfo finifh it; and that he would perfect that which concerned me, according to his own word; and however little a business this may feem in the eyes of the world, yet to me it imports my going to another airth, for perfecting and finishing of this work begun by God: Then if they refused it, they might taunt and fay, whatever confidence he had at his death, yet it is gotten of a very fhort space; and if a reprival fhould be given, they might at my fentence fay, I was their debtor for it. And befides all this, I fear, when I come back to God for prefervation, he fhould fend me to the broken ciftern I had been |