are bound as well to relieve one another out of prison, when there is a probability seen.

"But I need not stand much in making this out, it being the way that the Lord took to bring me to my suffering. And I am heartily content with my lot, and desire with my soul to bless Him for it. Though I was dreadfully aspersed, when that Bond of liberation was offered to us; for though some had clearness to take it, yet I could never have thoughts of taking it in peace; and I bless the Lord who kept my hand from it. It was neither strength nor sharpsightedness in me, that withheld me from yielding to the temptation; but the Lord hath showed Himself graciously favourable and kind unto me now, when I am set up like a beacon upon the top of an hill, and the eyes of many being upon me, and all are wondering at me, and calling me distracted, and saying I am a fool; but, the Lord be thanked! I have all the senses that ever I had; though distressed, yet I despair not.

"Neither am I suffering as a fool; for I know assuredly this is the way to obtain the promise. There is nothing in it meritorious, I confess; for all my suffering He may put me into hell. But I say, the suffering of reproaches, and the scourge of tongues, is a symptom or mark of His way when it is for His sake: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake' (Matt. v. 11). It is for His name's sake that I am suffering, and this confirms me of it: 'Ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved' (Matt. x. 22).

"Now, it is for Christ's kingly office that I am suffering; and this being the main head on which my suffering is stated, even that great truth, viz., that Jesus Christ is king and head of Zion; I desire and charge you to beware of misconstructing my sufferings, and saying, that I was suffering for disowning of authority, and declining of judges; for it is not so, I being a Presbyterian in my judgment, and owning both magistracy and ministry, according to the word of God, and as He hath ordained them. But if Charles Stuart's authority be according to the word of God, I am mistaken. If he be exercising his power to the terrifying of evil doers, and the encouraging of them that do well, I die in an error. I say, beware of your judging; for I am a Presbyterian in my judgment, and a member of the Church of Scotland, and am to seal it with my blood.

"I adhere to that blessed transaction, between the Father and the

Son, that holy device devised from all eternity, the Father to send His Son, and the Son to come and satisfy Divine justice, and so redeem lost man.

"I adhere to all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, which are all standing in force until this day, and obligatory upon us, except the ceremonial law, with a part of the judicial, which is now abrogated and abolished by our Lord's coming, He being the end of the law.

"I adhere to our glorious work of Reformation, Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties; though they be abused and misconstructed by many. And I adhere to the Sum of Saving Knowledge, wherein is held forth the life and marrow of religion.

"I adhere to all the testimonies that have been given; Mr [James] Guthrie, Argyle, and Warriston. They gave in their testimony according to the light that the Lord gave them; and I do not condemn their testimony (as some say), for, at some times the Lord gives more light than at other times; and so it cannot be said, that we contradict or disown their testimony, though it hath pleased the Lord, through continuance of time, to give more light of the abounding abominations that are still growing and abounding in this generation; and so, whatever they omitted through want of that light, which it hath pleased the Lord to let us see, makes no contradiction.

I

"I adhere to the Rutherglen and Sanquhar Declarations. adhere to the paper found upon Mr Richard Cameron at Airsmoss, July 22, 1680. I adhere to the papers that were found at the Queensferry upon Henry Hall. I adhere to any writings that are according to the Word of God, for truth is truth, come by whom it will.

Now, as a dying man, I adhere to all these things. And, I having received an unjust sentence from men, for owning and adhering to the same, and for protesting against the inbringing of Popery to defile the land, and likewise upon these accounts, I disown Charles Stuart to be my king and sovereign. First, Because of that hellish Act of Supremacy, and that Act Rescissory, whereby they have overturned and wrested all the laws, acts, and constitutions of the land; for in the foresaid act, he assumeth that unto himself, which belongs properly to our Lord and Master, and says that he rules over all things, both spiritual and temporal; and then, when he hath made himself

supreme over all things, he rescinds the laws that are of God, and sets up other laws, to satisfy his own lusts, in murdering, killing, and destroying the Lord's people; and this is the reason why I disown him; and likewise his dreadful prejury and blasphemy in his Covenantbreaking. I decline them as judges, for the opening a door there to Popery, which they have done, by receiving that popish Duke in among them, which I protest and leave my testimony against; it being contrary to our engagements, to suffer Papists to dwell amongst us, and to have a professed Papist to usurp over us; it being repugnant to our principles.

"I leave my testimony against Prelacy, it being a limb of that antichristian whore of Rome. I leave my testimony against all the abominations of this generation, as blaspheming of the holy name of the Lord, drunkenness, stealing, whoring, sodomy, and all manner of uncleanness. I leave my testimony against all indifferency and lukewarm neutrality in our Lord's matters. I leave my testimony against the Indulgences first and last, as having a greater hand in the breaking of the Church of Scotland, nor [i.e., than] all the enemies living in it could have done; for they sold their Master's truths, and did give away their pleasant things with their own hands, and so came in under Charles Stuart, and took him for their head, and have cast off their rightful head Jesus Christ; and have put all things under his [Charles Stuart's] feet, and have given him to be head over all things to the Church. Woe will be unto them, for what they have done to the poor Kirk of Scotland.

"I leave my testimony against silent and unwatchful ministers. Remember, there are many taken away, and, it is to be feared, in their iniquity; and do ye think that ye are free of their blood? Ye may look what warning ye have given, and if it be faithful, then ye may say, that ye are not guilty. But there is not a minister this day, who dares say he is at his duty. They refuse to give counsel when asked at, as I myself can witness; for when that liberation was granted, I sent to one of them, and charged him, as I judged him faithful, to tell me his mind, which he refused; and said, 'Silence might serve for an answer, I was not suffering for truth.' But I heartily forgive him, and all men, what they have done to me, as for my own particular; but how they have reproached Christ and His way, it is not mine to forgive them.

"Oh! the ministers of Scotland are become light and treacherous

persons, as well as revolters. They are become ravening wolves; so I cannot see how they have not unministered themselves. If Abiathar was turned out of the priest's office for leaving David, and following Adonijah, how much more ought the ministers of Scotland, for leaving of Him who is the true head of the Church, and choosing Charles Stuart for their head? It is not long since they were preaching that to be sin which they are now practising.

"I have no doubt, but ere long, there shall come out fire from Abimelech, and destroy the men of Shechem, and fire from them, and devour him. And ere long, Mr Donald Cargill and Mr Richard Cameron, their names, that now stink among ministers and professors, shall have a sweet smell; and these that calumniate and asperse them, their names shall go away with a stink, and flee away with a smoke. But I am sure, that the now glorified martyr, Mr Donald Cargill, his name shall last from generation to generations; and he shall have cause to rejoice in his King, Head, and Master, who is Jesus Christ, when those who condemned him shall not know where to flee for shelter, and shall be weary of their head, king, and master, who is Charles Stuart. And what brethren (disaffected as they were) did cast upon him as a shame, was his glory and decorment. He was of a high heroic spirit, and was free of a base and Simonian carriage. He was a man hated of his brethren; but the great Elijah in his time was so. Time and tongue would fail me, to speak to his commendation. He was the man who carried the standard, without the help of any visible; but he had the help and assistance of his Master, at whose command he was aye [i.e., always] wandering here without residence; yet knew of one above, and had full assurance of his dwelling-place.

"I leave my testimony against uplifting, or causing uplift, cess or excise, or anything for the maintaining that tyrant, or any of his emissaries; it being for nothing but maintaining these ruffian troopers and soldiers, who are kept for nothing but to suppress and bear down the Gospel, and banish it out of the land. I leave my testimony against all declaration takers and bonders, especially the taking that Bond of Liberation, as they call it, of the date of August 5, 1680, as far as they were convinced it was sin, as some of themselves said it was. I leave my testimony against that Test, and all the rest of their proceedings, and Acts of Parliament.

"I leave my testimony against jailor-fee paying; it being an acknowledgment of their tyranny to be lawful, which, how unjust it is.

I have a proof among others; for that night that I was before York and the rest, being October 1st, 1681 (I being examined by Sir George Mackenzie), York and Mr William Paterson coming unto me, when I was silent, and would not answer to some things they asked at me; he threatened to take out my tongue with a pair of pincers, if I would not; and he held him as a witness against me. And though I told him, that he was a judge the other night, and would ye hold him as a witness against us before your Justiciary? yet they did it; which was neither according to law nor reason. If there were no more but that one passage, it proves them to be unjust judges, as there are many worse than that is.

"I leave my testimony against the mounting of militia, and uplifting of money for his service. I leave my testimony against everything that may strengthen his hands, or weaken the hands of the people of the Lord.

"Now, I desire you, as a dying man, who am within forty-eight hours, or little more, of eternity, to disown Charles Stuart to be your king and sovereign. I charge you so to do, as you would have peace with God; for I never knew what true peace was, till I did it, and took Jesus Christ for my king and lawgiver. This is not that I disown kings or kingly government, for I own both; but when their actions are such as his are, and a covenanted king as he was, we cannot in conscience yield to him. For he hath murdered the Lord's people our brethren; and when we acknowledge even his civil authority, I cannot see in what way we are clean of their blood, it being by a shadow of law and authority that he takes away their lives, and so we cannot own him in that; and to own him in ecclesiastic matters, I think there will be none so absurd as to say we should do that, he having nothing to do in Church matters; he only received the sceptre in his hand, to be a hedge about, and to defend her against all opposition; and now ye may see how he hath destroyed her instead of defending her.

"I give you it in short, and desire you to ponder and consider it, and ye will not find me so mad, as many of you say I am; for I am not prodigal of my life, neither have I a hand in my own death, for I love my life as well as my neighbours, and it is as dear to me as any of yours is to you. But when it comes in competition with my Lord's truths, I dare not seek to save my life with prejudice thereunto. Neither am I wearied of my life, though it is true, indeed, there is nothing here to be coveted, that is not enough to weary one.