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Duke of York visited Linlithgow and Stirling, and was "entertained in the best manner the country could afford."-ED.]

"But we break off, having no more time; and request you to take these things to your consideration, and lay sin to heart, and mourn bitterly before the Lord for what you have done. We here obtest you to come off these ways of yours, and make conscience of duty, as in the sight of a holy God, before whom ye must shortly appear. Slight not time, for it is precious. Wrath is at the door. Oh! make haste, and lay these things to heart, and study to have a more tender respect to the honour of God. We desire to leave it on you now, when we are going into eternity, that you would mind your engagements and vows to God. And so we bid you farewell, and bid you mind the poor groaning Kirk that we are to leave behind us, which was dear to us.

"Now we bid farewell to poor desolate Zion, and pray the Lord may mind her case. Farewell all things in time, and welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

"Subscribed at the Iron House, a little before we went out to the scaffold, March 11, 1681.

"WILLIAM GOUGER.

"CHRISTOPHER MILLER.

"ROBERT SANGSTER."

T is remarkable that this martyr, William Gouger, had a little paper in his Bible, which he minded to throw over the scaf

fold; but when he was taken into the Council House with the other two, it was someway got by the murderers, who, having read it, commanded the executioner to tie him straighter nor [i.e., than] ordinary, so that he could scarce go up the ladder; and afterwards they stopped him from praying.

When he was upon the ladder, he began to speak, and said: "I am come here for owning Christ to be head and king in Zion." Whereupon they caused beat the drums, seeking to damp and astonish him, that they might trample upon his conscience; and when they offered him his life upon condition he would own the king, he replied, "I will own none but Christ to be king in Zion." Then they said, "Will ye not retract anything, sir?" He answered, "No, no; I own all; I adhere to all." Upon which they immediately called to the executioner to throw him over, which he did incontinent [i.e., immediately], not allowing him to recommend his spirit to the Lord.

There are extant particular testimonies of these three martyrs; but, because it is doubted that they may not be genuine, but vitiated by John Gib, or some of these that were tainted with his errors, therefore they are here omitted. And moreover, whereas some are suspicious that these three martyrs themselves, or at least the two last, were in some danger from the errors of John Gib, yet in regard that it was not upon any such account they suffered, but for testifying against the Ecclesiastical Supremacy, they ought to be recorded among the rest, as dying witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Laurence Hay.

AURENCE HAY and Andrew Pittilloch, whose testimonies immediately follow, and an Adam Philip, "three country

people in Fife," were brought before the Justiciary Court, July 11th, 1681. The three were members of a society in Fife for prayer and pious conference. The society had, in the preceding month of June, agreed to a paper entitled "a Testimony against the Evils of the Times." This paper, which seems to have testified against the king as false to his Covenant engagements, was produced at their trial, and is referred to in their testimonies. They were found guilty of treason, and sentenced to be hanged at the Grassmarket upon the 13th July, and "their heads to be severed from their body and affixed to the tolbooth of Cupar." Wodrow, valuable as his history otherwise is, had no liking to Cargill and his followers. Hence he says, "their paper is very wild, and seems to smell of Gib and his delusions." It will be seen, however, that both Hay and Pittilloch expressly condemn the principles of Gib. Crookshanks justly says their testimonies "breathe a spirit of true piety."-ED.]

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HE DYING TESTIMONY of LAURENCE HAY, Weaver, who lived in Fife, and suffered at Edinburgh, July 13, 1681.

"MEN AND BRETHREN,-Having by serious consideration, joined in giving a testimony against the enemies of God, and all that have joined with them in anything which has tended to the overthrow of the work of Reformation; for which I am come in your sight to lay down this life of mine, which I engaged to do in that testimony, through His strength, if He called me to it; because it was according to the word of God and the Covenanted Reformation; and seeing I engaged in the strength of the Lord to seal it with my blood (and now He in His holy and wise providence has put me to seal it; although I be the fecklessest [i.e., feeblest], and unworthiest of all that society), I here in your presence, with all my heart, set to my seal to it with my blood, as was promised at the end of the paper. And if all the hairs of my head were men having lives, I would think them all little enough, to seal the cause of my dearest and sweetest Lord Jesus, who has been sweet and kind to me, in carrying me through every step of the work, which He put in my hand.

"Oh! love Him, sirs! Oh! but He is worth the loving! Oh ! but He has been kind to me, since I was apprehended! for He told me then that Satan would cast some in prison, that they might be tried; and He bade me be faithful to the death; and He promised me a crown of life; and He hath helped me since to fulfil the conditions, and hath also given me a right to the promise. And this was all my desire; that the trial of my faith might be found precious to the praise of His sweet name; that His cause might not be wronged, nor His ark get a wrong touch by me: and herein He hath heard my desire, according to that Scripture, 'He will hear the desire of the humble, and the expectation of the poor shall not be lost.' For He keeps covenant with thousands of them that love Him, and keep His commandments; and 'His commandments are not grievous'; but His yoke is easy, and His burden light.' And He has said, 'He that forsaketh wife, or children, houses or lands for My name's sake, and the Gospel's, shall receive

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in this life an hundredfold, and in the world to come life everlasting ;' and, He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me.'

"Therefore, dear friends, give not over to contend for His bornedown truths, that this day are in debate betwixt Him and His enemies in Covenanted Scotland; according to the Scripture, 'Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.' Oh! contend, contend, and give not over; for He will arise for the oppression of the poor and for the sighings of the needy; for He will have an opportunity to be about with [i.e., avenged on] all His enemies, and He is weary with forbearing. Therefore, trust in the Lord; trust in Him at all times; for they that trust in Him shall not be ashamed; for they shall stand in the gate unashamed to speak unto their foes.

"Oh! sirs, give Him much credit; for He hath disappointed me of my fears--in that wherein I feared-appearing before men; and helped me to stand before them; so that I had no terror, nor amazement more than they had been the meanest of creatures. Although I cannot say that 'I have fought the good fight,' as that eminent Apostle said, yet I can say, praised be God, He hath given me the victory through Jesus Christ my Lord, over principalities, and hath confirmed to me, that neither death, nor life, nor any creature shall separate me from the love of my sweet Lord Jesus Christ, who is love-worthy, praise-worthy, worthy to be feared and honoured; who, in His absolute sovereignty, set apart poor me, to give a testimony for His glorious and honourable work of reformation, who am less than the least of all saints. But He is an absolute Lord, and shows mercy to whom He will show mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth and He keeps the souls of the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer.

"Therefore, I am called to suffer this day, in this place, for the following of my duty; and for that in particular, in giving a testimony against the dreadful defections of these times, by the means of these backsliding ministers, who have left our sweet Lord Jesus, with His back at the wall, and His poor flock scattered upon the mountains, as sheep having no shepherd. But, dear friends, comfort yourselves in this, that in His own time, He will search His sheep and find them out; although, alas! I fear lest they shall be sorer scattered than yet they are. But wait on Him; for He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. And His reward is with Him, and His

work is before Him. And the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant.

"But oh! dear friends, labour to be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. And give all diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if you do these things, you shall never fall. And commit the keeping of your souls to Him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator; for He is able to keep that which is committed to Him against that day, and to present it spotless before the Father. Although, alas! I was loath to adventure or to credit in His hand; but now He hath discovered to me that He is the best hand that I can venture on, and has gained my consent, and has become the surety for me of a better covenant, well ordered in all things and sure.

"Therefore, considering my engagements unto Him, I leave my testimony to the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and the version of the Psalms in metre, and to the work of Reformation, Covenants, National and Solemn League, the Solemn Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties, the Causes of God's Wrath, the Confession of Faith, as being conform to the Scriptures, and the Catechisms Larger and Shorter. I give my adherence to all the faithful testimonies given by the worthies, to the maintenance of the work of Reformation, from the year 1660, until this day, either by their appearances in the fields, or on scaffolds, or in the seas. I adhere to the Sanquhar Declaration, and the Torwood Excommunication, and the papers found at the Queensferry, and to that joint testimony given in the shire of Fife by that society whereof I was a member (though a worthless one), and I adhere to all things contained therein, because they are according to the Scriptures. And I give my testimony to the faithful preachings in the fields, and to the keeping up of societies and Christian fellowships commanded in the word of God; 'Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, and so much the more as you see the day approaching ;' especially now when His glory is at the stake, which is of more worth than our souls: and when men are seeking to get His work razed and the name of Israel blotted out, that it may be no more in remembrance.

"Likewise I leave my testimony against all these who have joined with the declared enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ, both ministers and professors; and against all these who maintain any principle contrary to the Word of God; especially these who deny the authority

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