HE INTERROGATIONS proposed to JOHN NISBET, younger, who lived in the parish of Loudon, and suf fered at Kilmarnock [April 14, 1863]. Sent by him in a letter to some friends.

"DEAR FRIENDS,-The manner of my examination (as I remember) was this:

Q. "When saw ye John Nisbet ? [i.e., of Hardhill.] A. "I did not see him this good while.

Q. "But when did you see him, and where did you see him? A. "Although I could, I would not answer, to discover my neighbours.

"The Major said he would make me to tell, or he would gar me [i.e., make me] sit three hours in hell. I answered, That was not in his power.

Q. "Are ye under an oath, that ye will not tell of the rest of you?

A. "I am under no oath but what the Covenant binds us to.

Q. "Took ye ever the communion?

A. "No.

Q. "Did you ever preach or expone [i.e., explain] the Scriptures? A. "I could never read the first of the Rudiments [i.e., of Latin]. "Yet (said they) there were men who did preach that were not learned.

"I told them, I knew none, but the Quakers, whose principles I disown.

"Then they said, 'Say, God save the king?'

"I answered, It was not in my power to save or condemn him.

Q. "Would you not say, God save your beast if it were fallen into a hole?

A. "No: because it is taking of His name in vain.

е "Were you at Bothwell at the rebellion?

A. "Seeing you count it rebellion, it is criminal; witness of it.

Q. "Is the Bishop's death murder?

A. "I am not a judge to cognosce [i.e., pronounce] upon it. And being asked again my opinion of it; I answered, I had said all that I could say of it already.

"Then they said jeeringly, I was a grammarian. Q. "Own ye a law?

A. "Yes.

Q. "Own ye the law as it is now established?

A. "Since ye make your questions matters of life and death, ye ought to give time to consider upon them.

Q. "Own ye the king in all matters civil and ecclesiastic, and to be the head of the Church?

A. "I will acknowledge none to be head of the Church but Christ. Q. "Who is lawgiver?

A.

Christ.

Q. "Is the king the king or not?

A "He was once a covenanted king.

Q. "Is he the king now?

A. "I refer it to his obligations in his coronation-oath, to be considered.

Q. "Is he your king or not?

"I told them I would not answer any more such questions at this time. This is all that passed for the most part, except a number of senseless questions.

"No more at present, but have my love remembered to all friends in Christ. I am very well borne through, blessed be the

Lord for it.

"Sic subscribitur,

"JOHN NISBET."

HE LAST TESTIMONY of JOHN NISBET [the Younger].

"DEAR FRIENDS, and true lovers of Zion's righteous cause,-If I could speak or write anything to the commendation of the covenanted God of the Church and kingdom of Scotland, surely I have many things to do it for.

"1. That He hath trysted [i.e., appointed] my lot to be in a nation where He hath set up His pure worship, discipline,

and government, whereas He might justly have ordered it to have been among those that are worshipping Antichrist, that whore of Rome, that monstrous beast that sitteth upon many waters, whose sentence may be read-' And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name' (Rev. xiv. 9-12).

"2. He might have ordered it [my lot] to have been among the corrupt Protestant Churches abroad, Lutherans, and other corruptions, and abounding errors; but [He has ordered it] in the Reformed Church of Scotland, which was fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners; the day was, when we could have sung that song, 'We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks' (Isa. xxvi. 1).

3. I bless the holy name of my God that I am not this day carrying arms against Him, His work and interest; for there is no more in me as of myself, than in these that are deeply imbruing their hands in the blood of the saints.

"4. I bless and magnify His holy name that ever He brought me out of the estate of nature, and brought me into an estate of grace and salvation, through the virtue of the blood of Christ; and exalted be His holy name, that He hath given me a sight of my own weakness, and also a sight of the deceitfulness of my own evil heart, and the mystery of iniquity abounding there, and also a sight of the remedy of the blood of Christ, with His Spirit engaging me to Himself, and letting me see Himself altogether lovely and precious, so that I may safely say, that there is none in heaven or in earth, that I desire besides Him (Ps. lxxiii. 25).

"5. I bless and magnify the holy name of my God who hath given me a sight of His controverted truths, now, when it is come in question, whether Christ be head of His own house or not, whereas there is no truth clearer in all the Scripture; yet it must not be spoken of, if resolve not to suffer for it.

ye

"6. I bless His name that ever He counted me worthy to suffer

for Him, counting it not my shame, but an high privilege, and dignifying of me, when many famous in their generation have been denied of it, and are endeavouring by their practice to render the cross of Christ of none effect.

"7. I bless and magnify His holy name that He hath kept me from denying of His name, in His titles and attributes; for that is the thing which the enemy and usurpers of my lovely Lord's crown are seeking, to have me to deny allegiance to Him, who is given of the Father, to be a leader and commander of His people. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place' (Isa. xxviii. 16, 17). But this may be our complaint, 'The tongue of the suckling child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them' (Lam. iv. 4). And in the third verse of the same chapter, 'The daughter of my people is become cruel as the ostriches in the wilderness.' 'But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law' (Mal. ii. 8, 9). For now it is not with the land, as it is in Ezek. xxiv. 7, 9, ' For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.' For the iniquities of a land, many are the judgments thereof; therefore we had need to mourn, for we will all be found guilty of the sins of the land in less or more. It makes me to tremble to think of Scotland's unfaithfulness in all ranks, for as it is with the people, so with the priest, for all have wandered out of the way, and followed their idols, especially the sins of the corrupt rulers. For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing therefore, ye shall bear the reproach of my people' (Micah vi. 16). 'The Lord hath accomplished His fury; He hath poured

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out His fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. They have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments' (Lam. iv. 11, 14). Now His glory is trampled under foot; but He hath said, 'I am the Lord: that is my name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images' (Isa. xlii. 8).

Now, is it not His declarative glory which that usurper hath taken to himself? Yea, but He that leadeth captivity captive, and giveth gifts unto men, will reclaim His own glory, for the government is laid upon His shoulder (Isa. ix. 6). And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church' (Eph. i. 22). Now, I being a free-born member of the Church and kingdom of Scotland, and joining with all the fundamental laws thereof; and they refuse to judge and sentence me, according to that law; that must, without doubt, be murder; further, they refuse to judge according to the Scriptures, which is an higher wickedness.

"Oh! what will come upon Scotland for the high abominations committed therein? Surely it cannot but meet with odious judgments. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment' (Isa. xxxiv. 5). For I see nothing appearing in this land but defection from the way of truth; for there is no public power now in the land but what is founded upon perjury, sacrilege, and tyranny. 'Behold, the princes of Israel, every one wete in thee to their power to shed blood' (Ezek. xxii. 6). And compare Scotland's sins with Israel's sins, in that of Ezekiel, and see if they be not parallel. And seeing they are so, what can be expected, but that their punishments and plagues shall be parallel also? For there are few mourning for all the abominations done in the land.

Now, these that are charging me with self-murder, which is a breach of the sixth commandment, are very false; for self-preservation must stoop to truth's preservation. And further, I have that much of humanity, that I love my life, but cannot redeem it with the loss of my integrity; but I prove such as do these things which they would have me to do, are actually guilty of the breach of the second commandment, which is, 'Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image; for I cannot say, but it is a worshipping of images to yield to them in these things, now when they have seated themselves in Christ's room. Therefore I exhort you all, to beware of