Reformation! Reformation! Reformation!
No King But CHRIST!
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A
CLOUD OF
WITNESSES
FOR THE
ROYAL PREROGATIVES OF JESUS
CHRIST;
BEING
THE LAST SPEECHES AND
TESTIMONIES
OF THOSE
WHO HAVE SUFFERED FOR THE TRUTH IN
SCOTLAND.
SINCE THE YEAR 1680.
(With historical and explanatory notes by John H. Thomson, 1871.) |
Conclusions of the General Meeting at Crawfordjohn, April 21, 1697. "That a true and exact account of all the persecutors within the several quarters; of the remarkable judgments and deaths, or what hath befallen to their families or estates; be made up and brought to the next general meeting."
CRAWFORDJOHN, April 5, 1699. "That all the respective Societies send an index of all the late martyrs' testimonies, not in 'Naphtali,' to the next general meeting."
CRAWFORDJOHN, Oct. 29, 1701.
"First concluded, that all the correspondences provide and make ready stones
as signs of honor to be set upon the graves of our late martyrs has soon
as possible; and all the names of the foresaid martyrs, with their speeches
and testimonies, and by whom they were martyred or killed in house or fields,
country or city, as far as possible to be brought to the next general meeting,
in order for the epitaphs; and likewise an account of those martyrs' carriage
and behavior in the time of their martyrdom."
"Secondly concluded, a review of the former conclusions concerning the remarkable
judgments of the persecutors, and the diligence of the correspondences and
Societies to be diligently brought to the next general meeting."
CRAWFORDJOHN, Oct. 21, 1710.
"That an index of all the martyrs' testimonies that are not in 'Naphtali,' who were martyred in Scotland, be had from all quarters against the next general meeting; likewise an account of all the martyrs' names that suffered in this kingdom."
CRAWFORDJOHN, February 23, 1711
"The martyrs' testimonies were given into Mr. Alexander Marshall and Hugh Clark their hands, to be by them compared, and the correctest transcribed for the general meeting, and the copies to be returned to the several correspondences from whom they were collected, and the said persons were appointed to go to the [Rev.] Mr. Linning [of Lesmahagow], and require a sight of the testimonies that he had from Mr. Alexander Shields, belonging to the general meeting, and their diligence to be returned to the next general meeting."
CRAWFORDJOHN, Oct. 6, 1711
"The several correspondences were appointed to take a copy of the epitaphs engraven upon the martyrs' gravestones in their several bounds, to be brought to the next General meeting, and that they be inquisitive what account can be had of any remarkable instances of God's judgments upon persecutors in their several bounds, and to have an account as well warranted as can be."
CRAWFORDJOHN, June, 1713.
"It is enjoined to the several correspondences to be careful to see what money may be advanced for printing the martyrs' testimonies, and an account, to be brought from each, of the quotas they think they can advance."
CRAWFORDJOHN, Oct. 26, 1713.
"The several correspondences are appointed to take care to get a true list of the martyrs who were shot or otherwise killed without process of law, their names, abodes, time and place of their deaths, who killed them, and any other particulars about them, with a true duplicate of the elegies on all the gravestones, against the 1st of January, to be sent to Edinburgh."
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
An Econium on the Following Martyrs
William Gouger, Christopher Miller, and Robert Sangster
Thomas Harkness, Andrew Clark, Samuel M'Ewen
Margaret Lauchlane and Margaret Wilson
Appendix, containing some particulars relating to the foregoing testimonies, and other sufferings of that time:
A [partial] list of the banished
A [partial] list of those killed in the fields
A [partial] short account of oppresive exactions
Some epitaphs and inscriptions related to the presbyterian martyr graves of that era
PREFACE
CHRISTIAN READER, the glorious frame and contrivance of religion, revealed
by the ever-blessed Jehovah in the face or person of Jesus Christ, for the
recovery of lost mankind into a state of favor and reconcilement with Himself,
is so excellently ordered in the counsels of Infinite Wisdom, and exactly
adjusted to the real delight, contentment, and happiness of the rational
world; that it might justly be wondered why so many men in all ages, otherwise
of good intellectuals, have not only had a secret disgust thereat themselves,
but labored to rob others of the comfort and benefit of it, and make the
world a chaos of confusion by persecutions raised against it; had not the
Holy Spirit in the Scriptures laid open the hidden springs of this malice
and enmity, which exerts itself in so many of the children of men.
We are told in these Divinely inspired writings, that the first source of
this opposition that the true religion meets with in the world, flows originally
from Satan, that inveterate enemy of God's glow and man's happiness; who,
having himself left his original state of obedience to, and enjoyment of
God his creator, hath no other levamen of his inevitable miseries, but to
draw the race of mankind into the like ruin, which is the only satisfaction
that malicious spirit is capable of. This restless adversary perceiving that,
through the grace and love of God manifested in Christ, a great number of
these whom he thought he bad secured to his slavery are redeemed, and called
by the Gospel out of that intolerable servitude into a glorious liberty,
and secured by faith to salvation, labors, by two great engines, open force
and secret fraud, to keep them in, or regain them to his obedience; hence
the sacred Scriptures describe him both as a dragon for cruelty and a serpent
for subtlety.
But because he either cannot, or thinks not fit, to do this visibly in person;
therefore he does it more invisibly, and so more successfully, by his agents
in whom he works, who, because of their unreasonable unbelief, are called
children of impersuasion. These he acts and animates, as it were so many
machines, to endeavor by crafty seduction, or violent persecution, to draw
or drive the followers of the Lamb from their subjection, obedience, and
loyalty to the Captain of their salvation, that he may drown them in perdition
and destruction. This is the latent origin of all persecution, the mint where
all the other more visible causes of the bloody violence which the people
of God meet withal, are struck and framed. This is the grand design to which
they tend to root out the obedience of faith out of the world, and deprive
the Son of God of His rightful dominion over His subjects, whom He hath chosen,
redeemed, and sanctified for Himself. As this holds true of all the persecutions
raised against the Church and truths of God, whether in the persons of the
Jews or Christians, by whatever hands, Pagan or Anti-Christian, so it is
eminently verified of the persecutions of the Church of Scotland, prosecuted
by a profane, wicked generation of malignant Prelatists, during the reigns
of the late King Charles II and James VII. For, as the other persecutions
were all leveled against some point of truth or other wherein the obedience
of faith was concerned, respecting either the existence and worship of the
true God, or the person, natures, or offices of Jesus Christ, etc.; so this
persecution was directly bended against that office and authority of Jesus
Christ, whereupon His formal claim to the obedience of His Church is founded,
viz., His headship over His Church. This was the peculiar depositum concredited
to the Church of Christ in Scotland, and her distinguishing dignity, to have
the royal supremacy of the King of Zion to defend against the kings of the
earth, who, not content with the princely authority of ruling the persons
of their subjects, according to the laws of God and the realm, would needs
usurp a blasphemous sacrilegious prerogative of ruling the Church and consciences
of men in room of the Mediator, by what laws and statutes they pleased, and
found most subservient to their lust, for advancement of Popery and arbitrary
government.
JESUS CHRIST, the only begotten of the Father, having received the Church
of Scotland, as one of the utmost isles of the earth, for His possession,
by solemn grant from Jehovah, was pleased, as to call her from the deplorable
state of Pagan, and reform her from the ruinous condition of anti-Christian
darkness, so to dignify her, in a peculiar manner, to contend and suffer
for that truth, "that He is a King and Lawgiver to His Church;" having power
to institute her form of government, to give her laws, officers, and censures,
whereby she should be governed; and hath not left it ambulatory and uncertain,
what government He will have in force for the ordering of His house, but
hath expressly determined in His Word every necessary part thereof, and hath
not put any power into the hands of any mortal, whether Pope, Prelate, prince,
or potentate, as a vicarious head in His personal absence, whereby they may
alter the form of government at their pleasure, and make what kind of officers,
canons, and censures they please; but all the power that this King hath left
in His Church, concerning her government, is purely and properly ministerial,
under the direction and regulation of His sovereign pleasure, revealed in
His written Word. This, this is the most radiant pearl in the Church of
Scotland's garland; that she hath been honored valiantly to stand up for
the headship and royal prerogative of her King and Husband, Jesus Christ,
in all the periods of her Reformation. For no sooner had she thrown off the
yoke of the Pope's pretended jurisdiction and authority, but presently, while
she was laboring, by means of these censures which Christ had instituted,
to root out the damnable heretics which that enemy had sown, all on a sudden
King James VI., naturally ambitious, and instigated by interested and projecting
counselors, attempts a rape upon her chastity and loyalty to her Husband
and Lord, and by his royal order stops her freedom of sitting, voting, and
acting in her Supreme Courts, imprisons some of her most zealous and faithful
ministers, calls them before his Council, indicts them of treason and lese
majesty for their making use of the freedom Christ had given them, and, after
their declining his and his Council's usurped authority in spiritual matters,
and so witnessing a good confession for the royal dignity of their Master,
banishes them their native country; See "Calderwood's History," from page
491 to page 536, and downward. [Wadrow Society Edition, vol. 6., p. 590.]
Upon the same bottom of a pretended royal jurisdiction over the Church, he
attempted, and in a great measure effected, the establishment of a Popish
hierarchy and Romish ceremonies, by setting up Prelates, and bringing in
the Perth articles, flattering some, and overawing others of the ministry
into a compliance therewith, persecuting the zealous and faithful contenders
for Christ's headship, and the government of His Divine institution, with
vexatious prosecutions before High Commission Courts, suspensions from their
office, wanderings, confinements, etc.
And in like manner, Charles I, following his father's example and instructions,
endeavored, upon pretense of the same prerogative, to improve upon what his
father had begun, and complete the Church's slavery, by obtruding upon her
a liturgy and canons, formed a la made d' Angleterre, collected out of the
Romish mass-book and canon law, which put the faithful sons of the Church
of Scotland to much wrestling and contending, partly by humble and submissive,
yet zealous and faithful addresses, supplications, remonstrances, and
representations, partly by more bold and daring protestations and associations
for mutual defense, even till they were forced to take arms for defense of
religion and the liberties of their country. Which contendings for Christ's
royal authority, and His Church's liberties, at length, by the blessing of
God, issued in a glorious Work of Reformation through Britain and Ireland,
wherein the Churches of Christ in these lands not only revived their former
beautiful order, shining purity, and precious liberty, but also had several
degrees of new attainments in purity and uniformity of religion added thereto.
But the Church's sun of prosperity is soon at the tropic. Scarce was that
spring-time well begun to blossom and bud, when, behold, a world of malignant
vapors, arising out of the earth, clouded all her sky again, and turned her
spring to a deplorable winter. Various heresies in England, growing Popery
in Ireland, public resolutions for advancing malignants to places of power
and trust in Scotland, like so many inundations breaking in upon the Church
of Christ, laid all her pleasant things waste. And no sooner was Charles
II advanced to the exercise of the royal authority, but, drowning the sense
of all sacred obligations with a glut of sensual pleasures, he authorized
a malignant crew of statesmen to persecute and destroy the people of God
for their adherence to the Covenants which himself had entered into as the
fundamental stipulation of government, and to that Reformation which he had
sworn to maintain and practice, and for their bearing witness against the
grand principle and foundation upon which he built his power of overthrowing
religion, and setting up a new frame thereof in Britain, namely, the blasphemous
headship of Ecclesiastical Supremacy.
Hence it is evident to a demonstration, that the grand state of the quarrel
upon which the martyrs laid down their lives during the late tyrannical reigns,
was really one and the same with that for which the zealous and faithful
ministers suffered such hardships in the time of King James VI, and afterwards;
this being the precise foundation upon which all the other acts and oaths
were built, which the enemies made a handle of to involve honest people into
the crime of treason and rebellion against the State, as it was then determined
by their iniquitous laws. For, as this was still the principal question put
to them, "Own ye the king's authority?" and the chief article of indictment
if they either answered in the negative or kept silence, so it is evident
that, by this question, they really meant not his civil authority only, but
also his pretended claim to supreme headship over the Church.
For no sooner had he authorized a Parliament to meet at Edinburgh, under
the inspection of that malignant wretch, John Earl of Middleton, anno 1661,
but that generation of enemies to the work of God, intending the utter ruining
thereof, set up this Dagon of the Royal Prerogative, not only with respect
to things civil, as "in the choice of his officers of State, counsellors
and judges" (Act 2), in "the calling and dissolving of Parliaments, and making
laws" (Act 3) in "the militia, and in making peace and war" (Act 5); which
were great invasions upon the national liberties of the subjects; but also
in things sacred, "in making of leagues, and the conventions of the subjects"
(Act 4), wherein all the former work of Reformation is condemned, and the
Covenants made for its defense are declared treasonable and rebellious actions
against the royal prerogative; and in consequence hereof, it is declared
that the League and Covenant is not obligatory upon this kingdom, nor doth
infer any obligation on the subjects thereof, to meddle or interpose in anything
concerning the religion and government of the Churches of England and Ireland;
and all the subjects are discharged "to renew the same, as they will answer
at their highest peril" (Act 7); and in the oath of allegiance and acknowledgment
of his majesty's royal prerogative (Act 11 of the said Parliament), all persons,
of whatsoever trust, post, office, or employment, are obliged to swear, that
they "acknowledge the king only supreme governor of this kingdom, over all
persons and in all causes;" and that they "do with all humble duty acknowledge
his majesty's royal prerogative, in all the particulars, and in the manner
aforementioned." And to make the matter clearer, what they meant by the King's
authority, in the preamble of the first Act of the second session of the
same first Parliament, they assert, that "the ordering and disposal of the
external government and policy of this Church doth properly belong unto his
majesty, as an inherent right of the crown, by virtue of his royal prerogative
and supremacy in causes ecclesiastical." And upon this bottom, he, with advice
and consent of the estates of Parliament, sets up the Episcopal form of
Church-government, the jurisdiction of bishops and archbishops over the inferior
clergy with their concomitant of patronages, and "doth rescind, cass, and
annul all Acts of Parliament, by which the sole and only power and jurisdiction
within this Church doth stand in the Church, and in the general, provincial,
and presbyterial Assemblies, and Kirk Sessions, and all Acts of Parliament
or Council, which may be interpreted to have given any church power, jurisdiction
or government, to the office-bearers of the Church their respective meetings,
other than that which acknowledgeth a dependence upon, and subordination
to, the sovereign power of the king as supreme." And in pursuance hereof,
in the second Act of the foresaid session, entitled, "Act for preservation
of his majesty's person, authority, and government," he doth, with the advice
of his estates of Parliament, declare, "That the assembly kept at Glasgow
in the year 1638, was in itself (after the same was by his majesty discharged,
under the pain of treason), an unlawful and seditious meeting;" and "that
all these gatherings, convocations, petitions, protestations, and erecting
and keeping of Council Tables, that were used in the beginning, and for carrying
on of the late troubles (thus they call the work of Reformation) were unlawful
and seditious; and particularly that these oaths, whereof the one was commonly
called the National Covenant, and the other a Solemn League and Covenant,
were, and are in themselves unlawful oaths;" and therefore declares their
obligations void and null, and "annuls all acts or constitutions, ecclesiastic
or civil, approving them." Nor does it suffice them to rescind these covenants
and other proceedings for carrying on the work of Reformation, as contrary
to this royal prerogative of ecclesiastic supremacy, and to inhibit all persons
to speak, write, or act anything in defense of the same, and against the
said prerogative; but likewise, in the fifth Act of the foresaid session,
all persons in any place, office, or trust, are obliged to swear all the
particulars contained in the foresaid Acts, in that most impious oath, commonly
called the Declaration. And again, in the fifth Act of the third session
of the foresaid Parliament, entitled "Act for the establishment and constitution
of a National Synod," it is declared, that "the ordering and disposal of
the external government of the Church, and the nomination of the persons
by whose advice matters relating to the same are to be settled, doth belong
to his' majesty, as an inherent right of the crown, by virtue of his prerogative
royal, and supreme authority in causes ecclesiastical." And in the first
Act of the second Parliament, holden by that apostate, John Earl of Lauderdale,
entitled, "Act asserting his majesty's supremacy over all persons, and in
all causes ecclesiastical," commonly called the Act Explanatory, it is expressly
declared, "that his majesty hath the supreme authority and supremacy over
all persons, and in all causes ecclesiastical within this kingdom; and that,
by virtue thereof, the ordering and disposal of the external government and
policy of the church, doth properly belong to his majesty and his successors
as an inherent right to the crown; and that his majesty and his successors
may settle, enact, and emit such constitutions, acts, and orders, concerning
the administration of the external government of the church, and the persons
employed in the same, and concerning all ecclesiastical meetings, and matters
to be proposed and determined therein, as they in their royal wisdom shall
think fit." FROM all which Acts, it plainly appears, that the true sense
of that authority, which they would have their private thoughts about, was
really, as the martyrs understood it, his ecclesiastic supremacy, and that
no less than a recognition hereof would serve their turn; and though some
of the martyrs offered a distinction between the two, professing to own his
civil authority abstract from the ecclesiastical (as for instance, Mr. John
Dick), yet they were not absolved, because they would not own his authority
in gross. And besides their including the supremacy over church matters into
the formal notion of the king's authority, they could be pleased with no
less, from any that they called before them, than an owning the whole acts
and laws, and entire exercise and administration of things in Church and
State, which was an implicit condemning of all the preceding Reformation,
and consenting to the persecution and murder of the saints who stood up for
its defense.
It is true, indeed, these things were so impious and abominable, that, had
they been proposed without mask, they would presently have begot an horror
in the mind of any, who was not entirely lost to all conscience and goodness;
and therefore these children of the old serpent had so much of their father,
that they made it their work to hide these horrid hooks with some specious
baits, that they might the more easily entice simple people into that snare
they had laid for them; and hence, knowing how much it is the effect of true
religion to make men loyal, and that the Presbyterians were of all others
the readiest to yield all lawful subjection to their rightful princes, they
still made use of the specious title of authority as a blind to hide the
ecclesiastical supremacy and bloody exercise of their government, from these
whom they labored to ensnare. They saw the supremacy they intended to fix
in the king was such a "Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens, Hecate atque
Erebo ortum," that, without some veil of this nature, no man would be so
mad as to embrace it.
But when this would not do, but that still its ill-favored face appeared
through the vizor; and all good men saw, that the authority which sought
no other way to maintain itself, but by blood and rapine, was really degenerated
into tyranny; then they pretended to come some steps lower, and said, that
they required no more at the hands of people, in order to dismiss them, but
that they would at their desire pray for the king, in their prescribed form
of words, viz., "God save the king," or that they would drink the king's
good health. These were by them represented to be so very minute and easy
things, and by a great many professors looked upon as so trivial and indifferent,
that they were in the fair way either to ensnare, or with more opportunity
to expose such as refused to the contempt of indifferent spectators, as being
such scrupulous fools and brain-sick persons, as were transported with an
extravagant wild zeal without knowledge, who had rather have a hand in their
own death, than do so small and indifferent a thing in order to prevent it.
And hence not the persecutors only, but even a great many who professed
presbyterian principles, stood not to call them murderers instead of martyrs.
But all this notwithstanding, it is certain they had nothing else before
them, but to bring people to a tame submission and slavish compliance with
the whole course of their Christ-dethroning and land-enslaving constitutions
and administrations; for they intended the same thing, by urging people to
say "God save the king," as by the Oath of Allegiance, Declaration, or Test;
namely, an acknowledgment of that authority, wherewith they had vested him
in the forementioned articles and others of like nature. Less than this could
never serve their design, which was still the same, whatever alterations
might appear to be in their way of prosecuting it.
For either these things were so insignificant and indifferent as they gave
them out to be, and as others conceived of them; or they were not. If we
say the former, then what monsters of mankind were these persecutors, who
pursued poor innocent people to death, and inflicted such cruel tortures
upon them, for trifles and things of indifferency. This is, what themselves
(I suppose) would never admit, to be reckoned a degree further lost to humanity
than a Nero or Caligula, so as to torment and destroy men for sport. Nay,
they still pretended that all these persecutions were made upon weighty and
just causes. If then we say the latter, namely, that they were not so very
inconsiderable things as some conceived; wherein could the moment and weight
of them consist, but in this, that they were an owning of the authority as
it was contained in the laws, and what else was the scope of the most openly
impious Oaths, Tests, and Bonds, but this? And besides, when any yielded
this much, they were still urged further, till they had debauched them out
of all conscience and integrity as much as themselves. The rest of the questions
put to them, and made causes of their indictment, were all but so many branches
from this root, and rivulets from this spring. The chief was that about defensive
arms, which their laws had declared rebellion; which all the martyrs, without
the least jar or discord, did steadfastly maintain as being a thing so very
consonant, not only to the positive commands of God in His Word, but also
to the very law of nature stamped on the heart, and to the laws and practices
of all kingdoms, and undertaken upon so necessary grounds as the defense
of the Gospel and lives of the innocent in consequence of their Covenant
engagements; which, however, these wicked persecutors had declared void and
null, and the adhering to them capital; yet all such as had any love for
God and zeal for His cause believed to be perpetually obligatory upon them
and the nation, and therefore adhered to them with a steadfastness and courage
invincible, against the most bloody opposition. And it is observable, that,
whatever any of the martyrs had not so much light in as others, or differed
from others anent, or was silent when interrogated upon it, yet they all
agreed perfectly and were clear abundantly in owning, and bold, harmonious,
and courageous in asserting the lawfulness, and avouching the obligatory
force, of the Covenants. NATIONAL COVENANTS were the means that God had
constantly from the beginning of the Reformation made use of and blessed,
to cement and strengthen His people in Scotland in their adherence to the
truth. By means of these His church was as a strong city and incorporation,
all prosecuting the same common cause of religion and liberty, so that by
that common bond the injury offered to any one of her members was taken as
done to all; and beside the express command of the Word, this was a blessed
tie and engagement to every one in their place and station to stand up for
the purity of the doctrine, simplicity of the worship, beauty and order of
the government and discipline of Christ's house, and His royal supremacy
over the same. And hence malignant and disaffected persons, perceiving that
there was nothing so conducive to the advancement and preservation of national
reformation as these mutual bonds and sacred Covenants, set themselves chiefly
to destroy these, and in an ignominious manner burnt them, declared them
treasonable and seditious, made the owning of them criminal, and persecuted
such as adhered to them; and, on the other hand, God was pleased mightily
to animate His suffering saints both with light and zeal in the defense of
them against all the efforts of hellish violence, Wherefore, when this alone
was not like to effectuate their design, these persecutors betook themselves
to another stratagem, and fell upon more mild but more successful measures
of giving out indemnities and indulgences, so restricted and limited, as
the acceptors should be gained to a peaceable compliance with and submission
to their impious laws, and taken off from their zeal in maintaining the work
of Reformation, and divided from their Covenanted brethren. By this means
they weakened the remnant that had not complied with Prelacy, set them at
variance one against another, allured the one to sit quietly still till they
had made an end of their brethren, and in short, rent and almost quite ruined
the poor Presbyterian Church of Scotland; and hence, as the suffering remnant,
which was by far the smaller part, were much opposed and reproached by these
ministers and professors who accepted or made use of these pretended favors,
so it became a necessary head of testimony to witness against the Indulgence,
and acceptance thereof, or sinful connivance thereat. The particular disposition
of this affair is not consistent with the narrow limits of a preface. Wherefore
the reader may see for his satisfaction therein, "The History of the Indulgence,"
"Informatory Vindication," "Hind let Loose," etc.
Afterwards, when the persecution became sore and violent against the remnant
that refused these deceitful baits, and stood to their Covenanted religion
and liberty, and that both by the open violence of the enemies, and false
slanders and calumnies of pretended friends, they were obliged to emit several
Declarations of their principles, and to defend themselves from these unjust
slanders and calumnies; which Declarations so soon as the persecutors got
into their hands, thinking they had got a good handle therein for taking
away the lives of all such as should adhere to them, (in regard that therein
they had more explicitly and fully cast off the authority of the tyrant Charles
II and specified the reasons why they could not own his authority), they
never failed on all occasions to make that a part of their examinations.
"Own ye the Sanquhar Declaration, the papers found at Queensferry?" etc.
And many were indicted upon their adherence to these Declarations and other
papers. I conceive it is not necessary to swell this preface with a particular
defense of these Declarations, that being so well done by themselves in the
"Informatory Vindication," which the reader may have recourse to; and as
for the paper found upon Mr. Hall of Haughhead, when he was murdered at
Queensferry, the reader shall see it, with a short relation concerning that
worthy gentleman's death, in the Appendix to this book.
Another question commonly put to sufferers was, Whether they owned the
Excommunication at the Torwood? which they did with much freedom; as a necessary
duty, and lawfully performed, so far as that broken state of the Church would
permit, and upon most weighty and sufficient grounds. The form and order
of which Excommunication is also added by way of Appendix to this book.
But their finest topic, wherein they insulted and glorified most, was the
death of James Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrews, which they reckoned a cruel
murder, and therefore hoped that, if the sufferers should approve of the
same, they would have a color to destroy them, as being men of assassinating
and bloody principles, deserving to be exterminated out of any well-governed
commonwealth; and therefore it was still one of their questions - "Was the
Bishop's death murder?" To which question some answered directly that it
was a just and lawful execution of God's law upon him, for his perjurious
treachery and bloody cruelty; others were silent, or refused to answer anything
directly to the point, as, conceiving that it being no deed of theirs, they
were not obliged by any law, Divine or human, to give their judgment thereupon,
especially when they could not exactly know the circumstances of the matter
of fact, and saw that the question was proposed with a design to ensnare
them, or take away their life. Yet was their very silence or refusal to give
their opinion made a cause of their indictment, and ground of their sentence,
and some were put to torture to make them give their sentiments anent it.
If any would be further satisfied on this head, let him see "Hind let Loose,"
head 6 page 633.
[Edition 1744, page 646. - ED.]
But however these murderers of the servants and people of God made use of
such questions as these to entangle timre, yet still the grand state of the
quarrel was, "Whether Christ alone or King Charles should be owned as head
and lawgiver to the Church; and whether the Divine form of government and
discipline which Christ had instituted should continue in her; or if an usurper
should have leave to mould it, as he pleased, and conform it to the pompous
dress of the Romish whore?" And hence it is also evident, that the state
of the sufferings before the engagement at Bothwell was really one and the
same with that which was after it (as to the main, though things came to
be clearer after it), concerning the civil authority, when by that and many
other instances it was made evident, that the pretended rulers were setting
themselves directly to ruin the whole interests of the subjects, as well
civil as sacred, and that it was in vain to be any longer in suspense, waiting
for a satisfactory redress of grievances, or opportunity to represent the
same. So that the charge of rebellion, laid against them not only by our
Episcopal passive-obedience men, but also by the Indulged and such as tread
their steps, is a most groundless imputation; for King Charles had violated
all the conditions of government, and manifestly degenerated into a tyrant,
long before they rejected his authority; and had refused all claim to the
subjects' allegiance, upon the account of the contract which he entered into
at his coronation, and had no other pretense to authority but hereditary
right, and bloody force, with the consent of such profligate noblemen and
gentlemen as sat in these packed and pretended Parliaments; which could never,
in law or reason, oblige the honest and faithful subjects of the kingdom
to comply with these tyrannical courses, and submit to him, who had as really
forfeited his right to be king of Britain, as did his brother afterwards
by his abdication.
But it is no new thing for the followers of Christ to meet with this charge
of rebellion. If a Jezebel wants a Naboth's vineyard, and he stands up for
his property, she will not want sons of Belial to bear witness that he
"blasphemed God and the king." Do the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin intend
to stop the building of Jerusalem, they'll not want a Rehum the chancellor,
and Shimshai the scribe to write, "That this city is a rebellious city, and
hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within
the same of old time." Would Haman have all the Jews destroyed, because Mordecai
will not honor him, this is the charge he lays against them; as most likely
to effectuate his purpose, that "their laws are diverse from all people,
neither keep they the king's laws." Have the presidents a purpose to be rid
of Daniel, this is the engine, "that Daniel, which is of the children of
the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king! nor the decree that thou
hast signed." Is a Tertullus to employ his eloquence against Paul, here's
the artifice - "We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of
sedition among the Jews." Were the Romans desirous to have the Christians
exterminated out of the empire, what shift took they? Why, truly this was
it, "The Christians are rebellious and seditious; they won't swear by the
life of Caesar, nor adore his image!" and therefore Christianos ad Leones.
If we look through the whole ecclesiastic history, we shall scarce find a
persecution raised, but this is an article of the charge. But it is no paradox,
"the servant is not greater than his Lord;" even Christ himself was accused
and condemned as an enemy to Caesar, and a mover of sedition. But I shall
not enter into this argument; the sufferers for Christ in Scotland have been
frequently vindicated from the charge of rebellion by more learned pens,
and yet still we have a generation of absurd men, who will not fail to renew
it; nor can the strength of argument silence them, while they have brow enough
to return railing in the room of reason.
THE reader having thus briefly seen the causes upon which they laid down
their lives, it were necessary to proceed to a short delineation, both of
the cruelty of the persecutors inflicting, and of the courage, patience,
and cheerfulness of the martyrs suffering these severities; but as for the
former, what tongue can express, what pen can describe the barbarous cruelty
and hellish rage of these sons of wickedness? One might write a volume upon
their cruelties, and after all fall short of drawing them to the life, or
giving any just idea of them; they were so extremely inhuman and brutish.
At first they began with noblemen, gentlemen, and ministers, who had been
eminent for the cause of God; beheading some, and placing their heads on
the ports [i.e., gateways] of Edinburgh, in token of the highest contempt;
banishing others, ejecting all from their charges, but such as would subject
to Prelacy, and the blasphemous Supremacy; and vitiating all the springs
and seminaries of learning. Next, they fell to compel the common people to
hear curates, by vast and exorbitant fines, extorted by troops of soldiers,
plundering, quartering, beating, wounding, binding men like beasts; chasing
them away from their houses; compelling them, though sick, to go to church;
consuming and wasting their provisions with dogs; and promiscuously abusing,
as well those that conformed, as them that refused; and if any testified
their resentment at these vermin of ignorant and scandalous curates, or refused
to give them their titles, they were imprisoned, scourged, stigmatized [i.e.,
branded with a hot iron], and banished to Barbados or other foreign parts.
Any that were hearing their own ministers in private houses were seized,
dragged to prisons, and close kept there in great hardship; and that of every
age and sex. These were their tender mercies, and but the beginnings of sorrows;
for, after the defeat at Pentland Hills, beside what were killed upon the
spot, such as surrendered upon quarter and solemn parole to have their life,
were, contrary to the law of nature and nations, treacherously and bloodily
murdered, to the number of forty; one of them, a much reverenced young minister
[Hugh M'Kail] had his leg squeezed to pieces in the Boot, and was afterwards
hanged, though he was not in the fight, but had only a sword about him. Soldiers
were ordered to take free quarters in the country to examine men by tortures;
to compel women and children to discover their husbands and fathers, by
threatening death, wounding, stripping, torturing by fire-matches, etc.;
crowding into prisons so thick that they could scarce stand together, in
cold, hunger, and nakedness; and all this, because they would not or could
not discover who were at that expedition. Likewise many ensnaring bonds,
oaths, and tests were framed, and imposed with rigor and horrid severity;
people obliged, to have passes declaring they had taken them, or swear before
common soldiers, under pain of being presently shot dead. Severe laws were
made against ministers that came to Edinburgh for shelter; they and their
wives were searched for, by public search, crowded into prisons, and sent
to foreign plantations to be sold as slaves. Dragoons were sent to pursue
people that attended fieldpreachings, to search them out in mosses, moors,
mountains and dens of the earth. Savage hosts of Highlanders were sent down
to depopulate the western shires, to the number of ten or eleven thousand,
who acted most outrageous barbarities, even almost to the laying some countries
desolate. After the overthrow of the Lord's people at Bothwell they doubled
their severities; issued out more soldiers, imposed cess, localities, and
other new exactions, forced people to swear super inquirendis, and delate
upon oath all that went to field-preachings; they set up extraordinary circuit
courts, enlarged their Porteous rolls, [i.e., lists of persons summoned to
appear before the Justiciary Courts], pressed bonds of compearance to keep
the peace, to attend the church, refrain from field-meetings, etc.; examining
country people upon several questions which they had no occasion to understand,
concerning the death of King Charles I and the Archbishop of St. Andrews,
and condemning them to death for not answering; quartering some alive, cropping
their ears, cutting off the hands of some, and then hanging them, cutting
their bodies in pieces after they were dead, and fixing them upon poles in
chains, and upon steeples and ports of exiles, beating drums at their executions,
that they might not be heard speak; detaining others long in prison, laden
with chains and fetters of iron, and exposed to greater tortures than death
itself, and, after all, sent to be sold as slaves, to empty the prisons;
exercising all these bloody deaths and cruelties upon poor country people,
which had no influence to do hurt to their government, though they had been
willing; yea, upon women of tender age, whom they hanged and drowned, for
refusing their oaths and bonds, and resetting the Lord's suffering people.
It would be endless to enumerate all the barbarities exercised upon particular
persons, only for a swatch [i.e., specimen], take these inflicted upon that
excellent gentleman, David Hackston of Rathillet. He was taken out from the
place of judgment to his execution, and his body, which was already wounded,
was tortured while he was alive, by cutting off both his hands, which was
done upon a high scaffold prepared for the purpose; thereafter being drawn
up by a pulley to the top of the high gallows by the rope which was about
his neck, and suffered to fall down a considerable way upon the lower scaffold
three times with his whole weight; then he was fixed at the top of the gallows,
and the executioner, with a big knife, cutting open his breast, pulled out
his heart while he was yet alive (as appeared both by the body contracting
itself, when it was pulled out, and by the violent motion of the heart when
it dropped upon the scaffold), which the executioner, taking up upon the
knife, showed to the people upon the several corners of the stage, crying,
"Here is the heart of a traitor!" and then threw it in a fire prepared for
the purpose upon the stage, together also with his other inward and noble
parts; and having quartered his body, fixed his head and hands on a port
at Edinburgh, and the other quarters at Leith, Cupar of Fife, and other places.
Such was the size and proportion of their persecutions, while yet they pretended
to bring them to the knowledge of assizes and color of law. But being now
weary with these persecutions, according to the tenor of their own laws,
the Councilors, to rid themselves of this trouble, gave out an edict for
killing them, wherever they might be found, immediately upon the spot, unless
they would take the oaths, and show their pass (which they behooved to swear
that it was not forged), and if they found any arms or ammunition upon them
of any sort. By means of which edict, many were suddenly surprised and shot
dead by the brutish and merciless soldiers, who were either peaceably living
at home, following their lawful employments, or wandering in mountains to
hide themselves from their bloody enemies, not being allowed time to recommend
their souls to God; and the country was engaged by oath to raise the hue
and cry against them, in order to deliver them up to the hands of these burriors
[i.e., executioners.] The chief contrivers and framers of this horrid murdering
edict, were the Earl of Perth, chancellor, Duke of Queensberry, Marquis of
Athole, and, particularly, the Viscount of Tarbat, now Earl of Cromarty,
who invented this murdering device, wherein yet he carried so cunningly,
that he procured the despatch of the Act to the king with such suddenness,
that he found a way to shift his own subscribing it; and though he wants
power now to practice such bloody mischief, yet, it is evident, he has not
repented thereof; but is, as yet, a contriver of the present encroachments
made upon the Established Church, by the late mischievous Acts of Parliament
[i.e., the Act of Toleration, requiring the taking of the Oath of Abjuration,
the Act restoring Patronage, etc. - ED.] But I must not launch any further
into the relation of these cruelties, the true history of which would commence
into a volume. I own indeed, that a fuller narration of these things, with
pertinent observations thereupon, would have been proper enough for the intended
work; but, hoping that the Lord may yet raise up some of better abilities
for such an undertaking, to set these sufferings in a true light, and give
an impartial recital thereof, this short hint, together with some account
of these cold blood murderers in the Appendix, may suffice at present.
LET us next view a little, with some attention and concern, with what undaunted
courage, holy resolution, and greatness of mind, with what unshaken steadfastness
and constancy, those worthy sufferers underwent all these bloody severities.
Those disciples of Jesus had been so trained up in His school, and learned
the great Christian doctrines of bearing the cross, mortifying the flesh,
and contemning the world they had been so thoroughly instructed by this great
Master of assemblies, who teaches to profit, and leads the blind in a way
they know not, to discern the exceeding preciousness of truth, and excellency
of the knowledge of Christ that they were made willing, yea, cheerfully willing,
to forego riches, honors, pleasures, liberty, and life itself, when they
came in competition with a steady adherence to the truth and honor of their
lovely Lord. Love to Jesus Christ was the great spring which set all the
wheels of their affections in motion, to do and suffer for Him whatever He
called them to. Everyone of them could say to their persecutors, what Chrysostom
said to the Empress Eudoxia, who sent him a threatening message, "Nil nisi
peccatum timeo," I fear nothing but sin. They saw so much of the evil of
sin, and beauty of holiness, that they would rather undergo the severest
of suffering than stain their consciences with the least sin, or lose the
smallest filing of this fine gold of truth. Many of the things for which
they suffered were reckoned small by the indifferent world, but to them they
appeared in their just magnitude.
Tertullian, in his book, "De Corona Militis," tells us, that when a certain
Christian soldier in the emperor's army refused to wear a crown of bays upon
his head, as all the rest of the soldiers did upon a day sacred to one of
the heathen idols, he was not only mocked by the infidels for his nicety,
but even by many of the Christians; conceiving it a folly that this one man,
for such a small and indifferent thing, should endanger both himself and
other Christians; but Tertullian defends him, and says, "This soldier was
more God's soldier, and more constant than the rest of his brethren, who
presumed they might serve two Lords, and, for avoiding persecution, comply
with the heathen in their superstitious rites." And when some Christians,
who, like our Indulged people, would rather comply than endure the hazard,
objected, "Where is it written in all the Word of God, that we should not
wear bays upon our heads?" Tertullian answers, "Where is it written that
we may do it? We must look into the Scriptures to see what we may do; and
not think it enough that the Scripture doth not forbid directly this or that
very particular."
They knew, with the same Tertullian, in the forecited book, "that the state
of Christianity doth not admit the excuse of necessity. There is no necessity
of sinning to them, to whom it is only necessary not to sin." And hence they
would not so much as seem to call in question any of the truths of Christ;
when the enemies would have given them time to deliberate, and advise anent
them, they were so confirmed in the present truth, that they answered their
adversaries as Cyprian once did his, "In materia tam justa non est deliberandum,"
In so just a cause there needs no deliberation. When they were urged with
the example of other Presbyterians, ministers and professors, who had complied,
and were far wiser and better than they; this did not shake them, but rather
heightened their zeal. As Chrysostom tell us, these two holy martyrs, Juventius
and Maximus, when they were urged by their persecutors with this argument,
"Do not ye see others of your rank do thus?" answered, "for this very reason
we will manfully stand and offer ourselves as a sacrifice for the breach
that they have made." So the sad defections of their brethren made them the
more emulous to witness for Christ, when so many, Demas-like, had forsaken
Him, having loved this present world. These martyrs had such large discoveries
of Christ's love, especially under the cross, that their hardest trials were
accounted light. As Stephen the protomartyr got the fullest view of Christ
while before the council, so these had most lively sights of Him under their
sharpest sufferings; and hence they could not find in their heart to deny
so kind a Master. As Polycarp, that holy minister of Christ at Smyrna, answered
the proconsul bidding him defy Christ and he should be discharged: "Fourscore
and six years (said he) have I been His servant, yet all this time He hath
not so much as once hurt me; how then may I speak evil of my King and Sovereign
who hath thus preserved me?" so they were under a lively sense of their vows
and obligations to Christ, personal and national, and therefore durst not,
could not, deny His name, nor break His bonds, and east away His cords, as
the wicked had done. They were of the resolute disposition of Victorianus,
who, being solicited by the Emperor to turn Arian, told him, "You may try
all extremities, torture me, expose me to wild beasts, burn me to ashes;
I had rather suffer anything than falsify my promise made to Christ my Savior
in baptism." And as Christ had been very kind to them, so they trusted much
to Him, and depended on Him for strengthening influence, being very sensible
of their own weakness; and they durst promise much on Christ's head; they
could say, as Vincentius to the tyrant Decius, "Rage, and do the utmost that
the spirit of malignity can set you on work to do; you shall see God's Spirit
strengthen the tormented more than the devil can do the tormentors." And
as Zuinglius to the Bishop of Constance, "Truth is a thing invincible, and
cannot be resisted."
As they were well instructed in the necessity, so in the usefulness and benefit
of the cross; they knew that, as the church and nation had deserved to be
chastened and punished of God, so it was far more eligible to be chastened
by sore adversities, inflicted by a loving father, than by severe impunities
of an incensed and just judge. They knew that the grief they suffered was
medicinal, not penal; the correction of a father, not the indignation of
an enemy; and that they needed such merciful files and furnaces of adversity
to scour off the rust they had contracted in prosperity. Nay, they were not
only content to undergo these fatherly corrections, but accounted it a singular
kindness and condescension that what they deserved should be their punishment,
was made their glory, crown, and honor; that they, who had merited to be
scattered into corners, and have their remembrance made to cease from among
men, for their lightly prizing the precious and glorious Gospel, should be
gathered into such a cloud of witnesses, and have their remembrance made
everlasting as honored martyrs for Christ and the defense of His Gospel;
that when they had provoked God by their sinful lusting after a malignant
to be their king, they should be dignified to contend for the kingly prerogatives
of such a glorious and good sovereign as the King of Kings. And as they had
a good understanding in the doctrine of the cross, so likewise in the promise
of the crown that is upon the back of the cross; they had their eye at the
recompense of reward, and therefore endured, because by faith they saw Him
who is invisible. It was their looking unto Jesus, who endured such contradiction
of sinners against Himself, that made them bear all these reproaches, slanders,
scoffs, and jeers, from enemies and professed friends, with such invincible
patience.
THOU hast here, Christian reader, the dying speeches of some of these noble
heroes, and, as the speeches of dying men are remarkable, the speeches of
dying Christians more remarkable, how remarkable must the speeches of dying
witnesses for Christ be? It is reasonably expected that dying men, much more
dying Christians, and most of all, dying martyrs, should speak best at last.
They are immediately to give in their last account; they are disinterested
from all the worldly views that use to darken our understandings and bias
our affections, while living in health and prosperity; they are upon the
borders of eternity; and, as the motions of nature are the stronger the nearer
they are to the center, so saints are most lively and heavenly when nearest
heaven. Martyrs have a special promise "that it shall be given them in that
hour what they shall speak." The last speeches of Christ's dying witnesses
have extorted even from heathens acknowledgments to the honor of God; "Vere
magnus est Deus Christianorum," Truly great is the Christians' God! They
have been made the means of conversion to many thousands of sinners; as Justin
Martyr testifies of himself, that the dying words of the Christians made
him fall in love with the life of Christianity. [" Second Apology" chap.
12]. I own they are not bedecked with the embellishments of oratory and fine
language; who can expect that from people of so mean education? But they
are full of the language of heaven, which is many degrees more forcible than
all our artificial rhetoric. One will find several mistakes in grammar, no
doubt, in them; but they were never intended for the reflections of critics,
but for the instruction of Christians; and their plain rude discourses may,
through God's blessing, do more good to the latter, than the most elaborate
composures can do to the former. They may serve both as a comfort and
encouragement to sufferers, and as an instruction and example to saints.
Herein, as in a glass, we may both see our blemishes, wherein we come short
of them, and learn to dress ourselves with the like Christian ornaments of
zeal, holiness, steadfastness, meekness, patience, humility, and other graces.
But, alas! How can the best of us read these Testimonies, without blushing
for our low attainments and small proficiency in the school of Christ! How
unlike are we to them! how zealous were they for the honor of Christ! How
lukewarm are we of whatever profession or denomination! How burning was their
love to Him, His truths, ordinances and people! How cold is ours! How self-denied
and crucified to the world were they! How selfish and worldly are we! How
willing were they to part with all for Christ, and what an honor did they
esteem it to suffer for Him, to be chained, whipped, haltered, staked,
imprisoned, banished, wounded, killed for Him! How unwilling are we to part
with a very little for Him, much less to endure such hardships, and account
them our glory! Alas! are we not ashamed of what they accounted their ornament,
and account that our glory, which they looked upon as a disgrace! How easy
was it for them to choose the greatest sufferings rather than the least sin!
How hard is it for us not to choose the greatest sin, before the least suffering!
Oh that their Christian virtues could upbraid us out of our lethargy of supine
security, - that their humility, meekness, and patience could shame us out
of our pride, haughtiness, and impatience! They were sympathizing Christians,
active for the glory of God and good of souls, diligent to have their evidences
for heaven clear; and, having obtained assurance of God's love to their persons,
and approbation of their cause, they went cheerfully on their way, fearless
of men, who can only kill the body, and ready to die the most violent death
at God's call. But, oh! how little fellow-feeling is there now among Christians;
but instead thereof, bitterness, emulation, wrath, envy, contentions and
divisions! How little concern for the work and cause of Christ! how dark
are the most part, both as to their spiritual state, and their proper and
pertinent duty! And how much is the fear of man prevailing above zeal for
the glory of God!
I KNOW it is objected by some, that they much wanted that virtue which is
the greatest ornament of Christians, and truest character of martyrs, namely,
a forgiving disposition; because they lay their blood at the door of the
principal contrivers and executors of their death, which the objectors suppose
not to have been done by any of the former sufferers for Christ.
But to this I oppone:
1. Granting, for argument's sake, that they had expressed themselves with
some more fervency on that head, than others formerly have done, and that
this was a piece of their infirmity, it will not follow that we should presently
admit the invidious inference, that therefore they were no martyrs for Christ;
for as neither the many gross failings of the Old Testament saints, nor the
mistakes of the primitive Christians about the truths for which they suffered,
could deprive either of the honor of saintship or martyrdom, so neither ought
any infirmity of theirs to be improven against them for that end. Solomon
tells us, that oppression makes a wise man mad; and they met with it in the
highest degree, and that not from the hands of Pagans, Turks, or Papists,
but of those who had been their covenanted brethren by profession; and when
a holy selfresigned David had much ado to bear reproaches from the hand of
one that had been his equal, guide, and acquaintance, with whom he had formerly
sweet fellowship, it was not to be wondered, if they were put upon some vehemency
of expression by their severe sufferings from such hands; and should rather
be favorably constructed of.
- "Si quid,
Intumuit pietas, si quid flagrantius actum est."
But, 2. More directly, I am bold to deny the charge; for they everywhere
distinguish betwixt the injuries done to them, considered simply in themselves,
and the injuries done to Christ, and to His image in them. The former they
declare they forgive as they desire forgiveness of God themselves; the latter
they leave to God's sovereign disposal, withal wishing that God might give
them repentance. Nor is the thing unprecedented; for, beside the example
of Jeremiah, who laid his innocent blood at the door of the princes, if they
should take his life, there might be several more recent parallels adduced.
It shall suffice to instance one of our own nation, imprisoned for bearing
witness to the same truth, namely, worthy Mr. John Welch, who, in his letter
to Lady Fleming, hath these express words: "The guilt of our blood shall
lie upon bishops, councilors, and commissioners, who have stirred up our
prince against us, and so upon the rest of our brethren, who either by silence
approve, or by crying peace, peace, strengthen the arm of the wicked, that
they cannot return, and in the meantime make the heart of the righteous sad.
Next, upon all them that sat in council, and did not bear plain testimony
of Jesus Christ and His truth, for which we suffer. And next, upon these
that should have come and made open testimony of Christ faithfully, although
it had been to the hazard of their lives. Finally, all those that counsel,
command, consent, and allow, are guilty in the sight of God." Sure I am,
this is as full as anything they have on this head, and proves that what
they did was consistent with a Christian and forgiving temper of spirit.
And as they went off the stage both with magnanimity and meekness, so it
has been observed concerning many of their persecutors, that they departed
this world with visible symptoms of God's wrath and judgments, especially
with hell in their souls. I mean, the horror of an awakened conscience, under
the sense of God's indignation, than which there can be no greater torment
in this life.
"Siculi non invenere tyranni
Tormenturn rnajus." -
Well, these martyrs are now in heaven, in Abraham's warm bosom, enjoying
the crown laid up for them, confirmed in an unchangeable state of rest and
blessedness: we are yet in the stage of action and place of probation, we
have our trials before us; let us imitate the Cloud of Witnesses, and contend
for the faith once delivered to the saints. We know not what storms are abiding
us; the Canaanite and the Perizzite are yet in the land. A restless Popish
and Jacobite party, projecting a new revolution of affairs; as sanguinary
and cruel yet as ever, and retaining as much of the old malignity and enmity
against the Covenanted work of Reformation as ever, only waiting an opportunity
to exert it; [the Jacobite insurrection in favor of the Pretender took place
in 1715 - the year after these words were written. - ED.]; and many things
in the present aspect of affairs portending, that they may be our scourge
in the hand of our displeased Lord, for our misimproving mercies and
deliverances, satisfying ourselves with our own things, not minding the things
of Christ; chiefly for our undervaluing the offers of the blessed Son of
God in the Gospel, and visible breach of national obligations to be for Him
and His cause. Seeing then such clouds are gathering, and threatening a dismal
tempest, let us arm ourselves with the same mind, to stand up for the truth
upon all hazards, whether we be called of God to do, or to suffer, for the
joint interest of true religion and national liberty; for these, like
Hippocrates's twins, weep or laugh, live or die together. Righteousness exalteth
a nation, said the wise Solomon; and Theodosius the Emperor owned that the
establishment of a Christian state depends chiefly upon piety towards God.
On the other hand, civil liberty is an excellent bulwark to religion, without
which its purity cannot long be preserved; for, as the same Emperor said,
"Multa inter ecclesiam et rempublicam cognatio intercedere solet; ex se invicem
pendent, et utraque prosperis alterius successibus incrementa sumit;" there
is a great sibness [i.e., close relationship], betwixt the Church and the
Commonwealth; they depend the one upon the other, and either is advanced
by the prosperity and success of the other. It is to be feared, that this
time of ease and outward peace has so effeminated and softened our spirits,
that we'll find it hard to face a storm; we may complain with Eusebius, "Res
nostrae nimia libertate in mollitiem et segnitiem degenerarunt;" too much
liberty has made us soft and sluggish. The vigorous exercise of Christian
discipline has been much intermitted, and therefore we have ground to expect
severe correction from the hand of God. Cyprian observes, that this was the
procuring cause of God's correcting the Church in his time: "Quia traditam
nobis divinitus disciplinam pax longa corruperat, jacentem fidem, et pene
dixerim dormientem, censura coelestis erexit;" because long peace had corrupted
the divinely instituted discipline, therefore, there needed heavenly chastisement
to awaken the faith of the Church, which was lying low, and almost fast asleep.
All these dying witnesses assure us of judgments abiding this Church and
nation, and our present condition seems to say, that we are the people that
are to meet with them; how much need then had we of the Christian armor,
the divine panoplia, which made these Christians proof against all the fiery
darts of Satan and the wicked; and of the holy submission which made them
bear the indignation of the Lord patiently, because they had sinned against
Him?
HAVING thus briefly ushered thee into the following sheets, Christian and
candid reader, I shall detain thee no longer from perusing them, save only
by the way to take notice of these few advertisements:
1. It is not pretended that here are all the Speeches and Testimonies of
those that suffered in Scotland since the year 1680. For many of them, which
no doubt are extant, have not come into the hands of the publishers of this
collection, and some of them, that were in their hands, did so far coincide
with others in matter and phrase, that they left them unpublished, with some
remark upon them, to keep up the memory of these honorable sufferers; being
desirous that the book should not swell to such a bulk, as might make it
less useful to country people, who have not much money to buy, nor leisure
to read bulky volumes. And if encouragement be found in this attempt, there
may more of them come to be published afterwards. Only this the collectors
of these testimonies can say, that they have left out none which were in
their hands, that they conceived might be for the benefit of the public,
upon any sinistrous view or account. And if any shall find any alteration
in any of them from their own manuscripts (except it be in the grammar, wherein
they took some little freedom, where necessity required it), they are to
impute it to the variety of copies, whereof they had several, and chose that
which they conceived most genuine.
2. As for the Testimonies of the Banished, they being much the same as to
all material points with these of the dying witnesses, they are omitted,
and a list of their names added in the Appendix.
1 The Last Speeches of those who suffered on account of the Earl of Argyle's
attempt, in the year 1685, are advisedly pretermited, both because some of
them are already published in a book entitled, "The Western Martyrology,"
and likewise because it is the opinion of the encouragers of this work, that
their testimony was not so directly concerted, according to the true state
of the quarrel, for the Covenanted interest of the Church of Christ in Scotland,
as it ought to have been; though they intend not hereby to rob them of the
glory of martyrdom for the Protestant religion. Nor can this be any prejudice
to others, who may incline more fully to publish the transactions of these
times.
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who enabled His people to
witness so good a confession for His truth and cause, make these dying speeches
useful to animate all the lovers of the reformed religion, with the like
Christian magnanimity and resolution, to stand up for its defense against
a Popish, Prelatic, and Jacobitish faction, endeavoring its overthrow! May
He unite us in the way of truth and duty, to strive together for the valuable
interests of our religion and liberty!
AN ENCOMIUM ON THE FOLLOWING
MARTYRS.
LO! here of faithful Witnesses a Cloud,
For Christ their King resisting unto blood,
Lo! here upon their Pisgah top they stand,
Just on the confines of Emmanuel's Land:
Leaving the ungrateful world, longing to be
Possess'd of blessed immortality.
Lo! here they stand, accosting cruel death
With Christian braveness, to their latest breath;
The views they have of heav'n's eternal joys,
So far eclipse all sublunary toys,
Their souls are only charm'd with things above,
Exulting in their sweet Redeemer's love.
Lo! here they stand, and will not quit the field,
They'll die upon the spot, before they'll yield.
Lo! with what courage and brave resolution
They bear the shock of bloody persecution.
Hell's rage, Rome's fury, or the scorn of those
Pretending friendship, though the worst of foes,
Could never shake their steady loyalty
To Zion's King, for whose supremacy
Over His Church thus boldly they contend,
And by His grace endure unto the end;
Refusing e'er to make a base surrender
Of Christ's regalia to a vile pretender,
Who, swoll'n with more than Luciferian pride,
Could not in his own princely place abide,
But would usurp the spiritual pow'r and throne
By God JEHOVAH giv'n to Christ alone.
And having thus 'gainst heav'n display'd a banner,
The Covenant he swore in solemn manner
He broke and burnt; Divine and human laws
Trod under foot; and, to advance his cause,
Made bloody violence the only claim,
Whereby he wore the royal diadem:
Being serv'd with beasts devoid of human sense,
Much more of honor and of conscience;
Who slew God's dearest saints in field and city,
'Gainst law and reason, without sense of pity;
Whose sharpest sufferings could not assuage,
Nor death itself allay their hellish rage;
As if their bodies dead felt sense of pains,
Cut all in parts, they hung them up in chains;
Heads, legs, and arms, they plac'd on every port
Of burghs, or other places of resort,
As standing trophies of their victory
O'er Divine truth and human liberty.
Well, have they kill'd, and ta'en possession too?
Is this the utmost that their rage could do,
Only to send Chrises loving subjects home,
To their dear country where they long to come!
What matter where their dusty parts do ly,
Interr'd in earth, or lifted up on high,
While as their souls eternal anthems raise,
In sweet accents to their Redeemer's praise!
And will not Zion's King regain His crown?
Throwing such vain aspiring mortals down
Into that direful pit, from whence did flow
These mists of pride which did enchant them so.
Come, then, behold these noble Witnesses
Adorn'd with holy zeal and faithfulness;
Who like a Cloud do us environ round,
Viewing (as 'twere) what way we'll stand our ground.
Let's run our race with equal patience,
With eyes intent upon our recompense.
DONALD CARGILL
DONALD CARGILL was the fourth minister, in succession from the Reformation, of the Barony parish, Glasgow; his predecessor being Zachary Boyd, the author of the quaint poem, the "Last Battle of the Soul," and a metrical version of the Psalms. He was a native of the parish of Rattray in Perthshire, and received his early education in Aberdeen. From school he went to the University of St. Andrews, where he passed through the regular curriculum.
His father, a godly and religious gentleman, says Sir Robert Hamilton, in his "Relation of some Remarkable Passages in the Life of Mr. Donald Cargill" (given in the Appendix to this volume), was desirous that he should study for the ministry; but he declined, under the conviction that the responsibilities of the office were greater than he could bear. His father still continued to urge him, when he resolved to set apart a day for fasting, and prayer for Divine direction. The result was, that he yielded to his father's wishes.
Professor James Wodrow, the father of the historian, was a fellow-student, and was very intimate with him. The Professor says that he was shy and reserved, and for a time was troubled with grievous temptations, which drove him to such despair that he at length determined to put an end to his miserable life. Under the horrible fury of those fiery darts, he went out once or twice to the river Clyde, with a dreadful resolution to drown himself; but somebody or other coming by him, always stayed his purpose. The temptation still continued, and one day he was on the point of throwing himself into an old coal pit, when that word struck him in the mind, "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven." It put new life into him. His fears and doubts vanished, and his faith acquired the confidence that so strikingly appears in his after life.
He became minister of the Barony parish in 1654. Little, however, is known of him during his ministry, further than the general statement of Wodrow, that he was "a pious and zealous minister," and a "successful preacher of the Gospel." In 1662 he refused to keep the anniversary day of thanksgiving for the restoration of Charles II, and to accept a presentation from the archbishop of Glasgow; and in November he was banished north of the Tay.
He was at the battle of Bothwell Bridge - June 22, 1679 - when he was severely wounded and taken prisoner, but was set free by his two captors when they found who he was. As soon as his wounds healed he went over to Holland; but after a short residence there he returned to Scotland, and lived in retirement at Queensferry. The escape he here made when surprised by his enemies, through Haughhead's grappling with the governor of Blackness until he got safely away, is detailed in the Appendix, in the "Brief Relation," etc., of Henry Hall. After this deliverance he preached much in company with Richard Cameron, until the fatal encounter at Airsmoss - July 22, 1680 - left him well-nigh alone. In September, before a great assemblage at the Tonvood, half way between Laxbert and Stirling, he pronounced sentence of excommunication upon Charles II, and the Dukes of York, Monmouth, Lauderdale, Rothes, Sir G. M'Kenzie, and Dalziel of Binns. The sentence itself is in the Appendix. The Government was now stirred up more than ever against him. On November 22, he was declared to be "one of the most seditious preachers," and "a villainous and fanatical conspirator," and a reward of 5000 merks offered to any one who should bring him in, dead or alive. In December following he made a second narrow escape from the governor of Blackness. He spent the next three months in England, where, according to Patrick Walker, "the Lord blessed his labors in the ministry to the conviction and edification of many souls."
In April 1681 he came back to Scotland, and passed his few remaining weeks in almost constant preaching. His last sermon was preached, July 10th, at Dunsyre, a parish in Lanarkshire on the confines of Midlothian, and on the watershed between the east and west of Scotland. Next morning he was seized while in bed, and was immediately hurried on to Lanark, and thence to Glasgow; on the 15th he was brought before the Council in Edinburgh, and again on the 19th. His "interrogatories" and "answers" on both occasions are in Wodrow's History. During his imprisonment Professor Wodrow visited him. After some conversation, he asked how he found matters with him? Mr. Cargill answered, "as to the main point, my interest in Christ, and the pardon of my sins, I have no doubts there; neither have I been ever shaken since the Lord's condescension to me in my extremity about twenty-five years ago, which communicated to you a little after; and no thanks to me, for the evidence was so clear that I could, never since, once doubt."
He was tried on the 26th, along with Walter Smith, James Boig, William Thomson, and William Cuthill, martyrs whose testimonies are also in this volume. According to Patrick Walker, in "Some Remarkable Passages in the Life and Death of that singular Exemplary, holy in life, zealous and faithful unto the death, Mr. Cargill," when he was first brought before the Council, "they were very fierce and furious against him, especially Chancellor Rothes." But, in the interval, Cargills words at the examination, as well as the spectacle of Rothes, now in sore suffering upon his deathbed, [so remarkably in accordance with the martyr's answer to his threatenings: "My Lord Rothes, forbear to threaten me; for die what death I will, your eyes will not see it,"] had done much to allay their wrath; and it was proposed, that "as he was old, and had done all the ill he would do, to let him go to the Bass and be prisoner there during life." It was put to the vote, but by the casting vote of the Earl of Argyle, who said, "Let him go to the gallows and die like a traitor," it was carried that he be hanged next day.
Argyle's vote afterwards troubled him. His premature rising in 1685 against the Government with which he had been so long associated, brought him few followers. One morning, after his landing, he was walking at the waterside very sad, when he was accosted by a Thomas Urquhart. "I am sorry to see your Lordship so melancholy." "How can I be otherwise?" replied Argyle. "I see few coming to our assistance. I am persuaded I will be called Infatuate Argyle. But all does not trouble me so much as the unhappy, wicked vote I gave against that good man and minister, Mr. Cargill; and now I am persuaded I shall die a violent death in that same spot where he died," a persuasion unhappily soon verified. On the morning of his execution, it is said that Argyle again spoke of the vote to some of his friends, and declared, "That above all things in his life, it lay heaviest upon him."
The sentence passed upon Cargill and his fellow-sufferers was executed July 27th, 1681. "The hangman hashed and hagged off all their heads with an axe. Mr. Cargill's, Mr. Smith's, and Mr. Boig's heads were fixed upon the Netherbow Port; William Cuthill's and William Thomson's upon the West Port."
Donald Cargill's dying testimony, and the four letters that follow it, are all of the same character - earnest and evangelical, and written in nervous English. M'Millan's "Collection of Letters," Edinburgh, 1764, contains two by Cargill They are of the same nature as those in this volume. John Howie of Lochgoin, in his "Collection of Lectures and Sermons," etc., has given four lectures and seven sermons, from notes taken by hearers. But they are obviously imperfect, and by no means do justice to Donald Cargill. One of them is said to be his last sermon. Patrick Walker gives the close of the same discourse, and in a form much superior to that of Howie, which indeed justifies Wodrow's commendation, as well as his own, of Donald Cargill as a preacher:
"I had the happiness to hear blest Mr. Cargill preach his last public sermons (as I had several times before, for which, while I live, I desire to bless the Lord) in Dunsyre-Common, betwixt Clydesdale and Lothian, where he lectured upon the 1st chapter of Jeremiah, and preached upon that soul-refreshing text, Isaiah 26, two last verses, 'Come, my people, enter into your chambers,' etc. Wherein he was short, marrowy, and sententious, as his ordinary was in all his public sermons and prayers, with the greatest evidences of concernedness, exceeding all that ever I heard open a mouth, or saw open a Bible to preach the Gospel, with the greatest indignation at the unconcernedness of hearers. He preached from experience, and went to the experience of all that had any of the Lord's gracious dealing with their souls. It came from his heart, and went to the heart; as I have heard some of our common hearers say, that he spake as never man spake, for his words went through them. "He insisted what kind of chambers these were of protection and safety, and exhorted us all earnestly to dwell in the clefts of the rock, to hide ourselves in the wounds of Christ, and to wrap ourselves in the believing application of the promises flowing therefrom; and to make our refuge under the shadow of His wings, until these sad calamities pass over, and the dove come back with the olive-leaf in her mouth. These were the last words of his last sermon."
The following testimony, and those of Walter Smith and James Boig, are given first, because of their importance, and the high character and influence of Donald Cargill. With David Hackston a chronological arrangement begins which is strictly followed throughout the volume. - ED.]
THE LAST SPEECH AND TESTIMONY OF THE REV. MR. DONALD CARGILL,
Sometime Minister of the Gospel in the Barony Parish of Glasgow, delivered by him in Writing before his Execution at the Cross of Edinburgh, July 27, 1681: - "THIS is the most joyful day that ever I saw in my pilgrimage on earth. My joy is now begun, which I see shall never be interrupted. I see both my interest and His truth, and the sureness of the one, and the preciousness of the other. It is near thirty years since He made it sure; and since that time, though there has fallen out much sin, yet I was never out of an assurance of mine interest, nor long out of sight of His presence. He has dandled me, and kept me lively, and never left me behind, though I was ofttimes turning back. Oh! He has showed the wonderful preciousness of His grace, not only in the first receiving thereof, but in renewed and multiplied pardons!
"I have been a man of great sins, but He has been a God of great mercies; and now, through His mercies, I have a conscience as sound and quiet as if I had never sinned. It is long since I could have adventured on eternity, through God's mercy and Christ's merits; but death remained somewhat terrible, and that now is taken away; and now death is no more to me, but to cast myself into my husband's arms, and to lie down with Him. And however it be with me at the last, though I should be straitened by God or interrupted by men, yet all is sure, and shall be well. I have followed holiness, I have taught truth, and I have been most in the main things; not that I thought the things concerning our times little, but that I thought none could do anything to purpose in God's great and public matters, till they were fight in their conditions.
"And O that all had taken this method! for then there had been fewer apostasies. The religion of the land, and zeal for the land's engagements, are come to nothing but a supine, loathsome, and hateful formality; and there cannot be zeal, liveliness, and rightness, where people meet with persecution, and want heart-renovation. My soul trembles to think how little of regeneration there is amongst the ministers and professors of Scotland. O the ministers of Scotland, how have they betrayed Christ's interest and beguiled souls! 'They have not entered in themselves, and them that were entering in, they hindered.' They have sold the things of Christ and liberties of His Church for a short and cursed quiet to themselves, which is now near an end; and they are more one and at peace with God's enemies, after they have done all their mischiefs, nor [i.e., than] they were at first when they had but put hand to them. And I much fear, that though there were but one minister on all the earth, He will make no more use of them; but there wall be a dreadful judgment upon themselves, and a long curse upon their posterity! "As to our professors, my counsel to them is, that they would see well to their own regeneration, for the most part of them have that yet to do; and yet, let never one think that he is in the right exercise of true religion, that has not a zeal to God's public glory. There is a small remnant in Scotland that my soul has had its greatest comfort on earth from. I wish your increase in holiness, number, love, religion, and righteousness; and wait you, and cease to contend with these men that are gone from us, for there is nothing that shall convince them but judgment. Satisfy your consciences, and go forward; for the nearer you are to God, and the further from all others, whether stated [i.e., declared] enemies or lukewarm ministers and professors, it shall be the better.
"My preaching has occasioned persecution, but the want of it will, I fear, occasion worse. However, I have preached the truths of God to others, as it is written, 'I believed, and so I preached,' and I have not an ill conscience in preaching truth, whatever has followed; and this day I am to seal with my blood all the truths that ever I preached; and what is controverted of that which I have been professing, shall, ere long, be manifested by God's judgments in the consciences of men. I had a sweet calmness of spirit and great submission as to my taking, the providence of God was so eminent in it; and I could not but think that God judged it necessary for His glory to bring me to such an end, seeing He loosed me from such a work. My soul would be exceedingly troubled anent the remnant, were it not that I think the time will be short. Wherefore, hold fast, for this is the way that is now persecuted.
"As to the cause of my suffering, the main is, 'Not acknowledging the present authority, as it is established in the Supremacy and Explanatory Act.' This is the magistracy that I have rejected, that was invested with Christ's power. And seeing that this power, taken from Christ, which is His glory, made the essential of the crown, I thought it was as if I had seen one wearing my husband's garments after he had killed him; and seeing it is made the essential of the crown, there is no distinction we can make, that can free the conscience of the acknowledged from being a partaker of this sacrilegious robbing of God; and it is but to cheat our consciences to acknowledge the civil power; for it is not civil power only that is made of the essence of his crown. And seeing they are so express, we ought to be plain; for otherwise it is to deny our testimony and consent to His robbery."
AFTER Mr. Cargill was come to the scaffold, standing with his back towards the ladder, he fixed his eyes upon the multitude, and desired their attention; and after singing a part of the 118th Psalm, from the 16th verse to the close, he looked up to the windows on both sides of the scaffold with a smiling countenance, requesting the people to compose themselves and hear a few words that he had to say, which, said he, "I shall direct to three sorts of folk, and shall endeavor to be brief:" "First, All you that are going on in persecuting the work and people of God, O beware for the Lord's sake, and refrain from such courses, as you would escape wrath eternally, which will be a torment far beyond what we are to endure by the hands of cruel and bloody murderers."
Upon this the drums were beaten, at which he smilingly said, "Now ye see we have not liberty to speak, or at least to speak what we would; but God knoweth our hearts. But, O ye that are called ministers and professors in the Church of Scotland, who are wearied in waiting upon the Lord, and are turned out of His way, and run into a course of gross defection and backsliding, truly, for my part, I tremble to think what will become of you; for either you shall be punished with sore affliction (I mean in your consciences, because of sin), or else you shall be tormented eternally without remedy, which shall be shortly, if mercy prevent it not; which I pray God may be the mercy of all these to whom He has thoughts of peace. All ye that are the poor remnant, who fear sinning more than suffering, and are begging for His returning into Scotland, to wear His own crown and reign as King in Zion, in spite of all that will oppose Him, whether devils or men, I say to you that are thus waiting, wait on, and ye shall not be disappointed; for either your eyes shall see it, or else ye shall die in the faith of it, that He shall return, and 'if you suffer with Him, you shall also reign with Him,' which reign will be glorious and eternal.
"I come now to tell you for what I am brought here to die, and to give you an account of my faith, which I shall do as in the sight of the living God before whom I am shortly to stand. First, I declare I am a Christian, a Protestant, a Presbyterian in my judgment; and whatever hath been said of me, I die testifying against Popery, Prelacy, Erastianism, and all manner of defection from the truth of God, and against all who make not the Scriptures, which are the Word of God, their rule, that so they may commend Christ and His way to strangers by a holy and Gospel conversation. The cause for which I am sentenced to die here this day, is my disowning of authority in the unlawful exercise thereof, when they, instead of ruling for God, are fighting against Him, and encroaching upon His prerogatives, by that woeful supremacy which my soul abhors, and which I have testified against since I was apprehended; and now again I disown all supremacy over the consciences of men and liberties of Christ's Church."
Whereupon the drums were again beaten, and he kept silence a little, and then said: "Of this subject I shall say no more. Only I think the Lord's quarrel against this land is, because there has not been so much heart religion and soul exercise among either ministers or professors, as there seemed to be when the land owned Christ and His truth. I wish there were more true conversion, and then there would not be so much backsliding, and, for fear of suffering, living at ease, when there are so few to contend for Christ and His cause.
"Now for my own case, I bless the Lord that, for all that hath been said of me, my conscience doth not condemn me. I do not say I am free of sin, but I am at peace with God through a slain Mediator; and I believe that there is no salvation but only in Christ. And I abhor that superstitious way of worshipping of angels and saints contrary unto the Word of God; as also I abhor the leaning to selfrighteousness and Popish penances. I bless the Lord that these thirty years and more I have been at peace with God, and was never shaken loose of it; and now I am as sure of my interest in Christ and peace with God as all within this Bible and the Spirit of God can make me; and I am no more terrified at death, nor afraid of hell, because of sin, than if I had never had sin; for all my sins are freely pardoned and washen thoroughly away, through the precious blood and intercession of Jesus Christ. And I am fully persuaded that this is His way for which I suffer; and that He will return gloriously to Scotland, but it will be terrifying to many; therefore I entreat you, be not discouraged at the way of Christ and the cause for which I am to lay down my life, and step into eternity, where my soul shall be as full of Him as it can desire to be.
"And now, this is the sweetest and most glorious day that ever my eyes did see. Now I entreat you, study to know and believe the Scriptures, which are the truths of God; these I have preached, and do firmly believe them. Oh! prepare for judgments, for they shall be sore and sudden. Enemies are now enraged against the way and people of God, but erelong they shall be enraged one against another to their own confusion."
At this the drums were beaten a third time, and being taken to the north side of the scaffold, he stood a little during the space that one of the rest was singing; and then being carried to the south side of the scaffold, he prayed. Thence he was brought to the east side of the scaffold, and there he said, "I entreat you prepare you presently for a stroke, for God will not sit with [i.e., disregard] all the wrongs done to Him, but will suddenly come and make inquisition for the blood that has been shed in Scotland." Then he was commanded to go up the ladder, and as he set his foot on it, he said, "The Lord knows I go up this ladder with less fear and perturbation of mind than ever I entered the pulpit to preach."
And when he was up, he sat himself down, and said:
"Now I am near to the getting of my crown, which shall be sure; for I bless the Lord, and desire all of you to bless Him that He hath brought me here, and makes me triumph over devils, and men, and sin: they shall wound me no more. I forgive all men the wrongs they have done to me, and pray the Lord may forgive all the wrongs that any of the elect have done against Him. I pray that sufferers may be kept from sin, and helped to know their duty." Then having prayed a little within himself, he lifted up the napkin and said:
"Farewell all relations and friends in Christ; farewell acquaintances and all earthly enjoyments; farewell reading and preaching, praying and believing, wanderings, reproaches, and sufferings. Welcome joy unspeakable and full of glory. Welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! into Thy hands I commit my spirit."
Then he prayed a little, and the executioner turned him over praying.
BECAUSE this dying testimony and last speech are but short, which was occasioned through want of time and the persecutors' severity, who took his larger testimony from him the day before he died, paper and ink being conveyed to him secretly by a cord through the window the night before his death, it is thought proper to subjoin these following letters of his, they being all of public concern, to give a more full discovery of the testimony which he held; and particularly of his witnessing against the errors about that time broached by the infamous John Gib, ms the letter written to the prisoners in the Correction House manifests.
A LETTER FROM MR. DONALD CARGILL TO MR. JAMES SKENE, WHO SUFFERED MARTYRDOM AT EDINBURGH.
[A short notice of Mr. Skene, with his last Testimony, will be found in its proper place. - ED.] "DEAREST FRIEND, - There is now nothing upon earth that I am so concerned in, except the Lord's work, as in you and your fellows; that you may either be cleanly brought off, or honorably and rightly carried through. He is begun in part to answer me; though not in that which I most affected, yet in that which is best. "My soul was refreshed to see any that had so far overcome the fear and torture of death, and were so far denied to the affections of the flesh, as to give full liberty to the exoneration of conscience in the face of these bloody tyrants and vile apostates. And yet these, by our divines, must be acknowledged as magistrates! which very heathens, endued with the light of nature, would abominate, and would think it as inconsistent with reason to admit to or continue in magistracy; such perjured, bloody, dissolute, and flagitious men, as to make a wolf the keeper and feeder of the flock. But every step of their dealing with God, with the land, and with yourself and brethren, is a confirmation of your judgment anent them, and sufficient ground of your detestation and rejection of them; and it is the sin of the land, and of every person in it, that they have not gone along with you, and these few in that action. But since they have not done that, they shall not now meet with the like honor, if ever they meet with it, till vengeance be poured out upon them; and they and their king shall either be keeped together in wrath or divided in wrath, that they may be one another's destruction. "But go on, valiant champion; you die not as a fool, though the apostate, unfaithful, and lukewarm ministers and professors of this generation think and say so. They shall live traitors, and most part of them die fools. I say, traitors; as some men live upon the reward of treachery, for their quiet and liberty; if it may be called a liberty, as it is redeemed with the betraying of the interest of Christ, and the blood of His people. But He Himself hath sealed your sufferings, and their thus saying condemns God, and His sealing condemns them. But neither regard their voices, nor fear; for God will neither seal to folly nor iniquity. He then not only having sealed your sufferings, but your remission, go on to finish and perfect your testimony, not only against them, but against all that subject [i.e., yield] to them, side with them, or are silent at them. "And as for these men that will be our rulers, though they have nothing of worth or virtue in them; I am persuaded of this, that none can appear before them and acknowledge them as they have now invested themselves; standing on a foundation of perjury, which is an act recissory of their admission to the government, with Christ's crown on their head, and a scepter of iniquity and a sword of persecution in their hand; but must deny Christ. And in effect, the whole land generally hath denied Christ and desired a murderer; and as for that unsavory salt that lately appeared, acknowledged them, and was ashamed of this testimony, and in so doing gave the first vote to your condemnation, and proclaimed a lawfulness to the rest of assizers and murderers to follow in their condemnations, God shall require this, with his other doings, at his hands; and I am somewhat afraid, if he be not suddenly made the subject of serious repentance, that he shall be made the subject of great vengeance." [The reference here is to the Rev. John Carstairs, minister of the Inner High Church, Glasgow, from 1650 to 1662. In 1662 he declined to take the oath of allegiance without giving an explanation of the sense in which he thought it might be taken, and was imprisoned for several weeks until his health gave way. After the battle of Pentland, he went over to Holland, and preached in Rotterdam with great acceptance. In 1672 he returned to Scotland, when he was almost immediately summoned before the Council, but was set free on finding security for 2000 merks, i.e., 120 pounds. When Skene was apprehended, some papers were found on him that brought Carstairs into trouble. He was summoned before the Council, says Wodrow, where "he owned the king's authority and that of his courts. With a great deal of seriousness he disclaimed the follies and principles Mr. Skene and some others now advanced, and said he could not express his abominating their extremities with vehemency enough." Carstairs seemed to have lived in retirement. He edited several of the posthumous works of his former colleague, James Durham, and the one-volumed edition of Calderwood's History. His son was the well-known counselor of William III, Principal Carstairs. - ED.] "But forgive and forget all these private injuries, and labor to go to eternity and death with a heart destitute of private revenges, and filled with zeal to God's glory; and assign to Him the quarrel against His enemies, to be followed out by Himself in His own way against the indignities done to Him, and against the mocking perfidiousness, impieties, and lukewarmness of this generation. "And for yourself, whatever there has been either of sin or duty, remember the one and forget the other, and betake yourself wholly to the mercy of God and the merit of Christ. Ye know in whom ye have believed, and the acceptableness of your believing, and the more fully you henceforth believe, the greater shall be His glory, and the greater your peace and safety.
"Farewell, dearest friend, never to see one another any more till at the right hand of Christ. Fear not; and the God of mercies grant a full gale and a fair entry into His kingdom, which may carry sweetly and swiftly over the bar, that you find not the rub of death. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you.
"Yours in Christ,
"D. C."
A LETTER TO SOME FRIENDS
BEFORE MR. DONALD CARGILL WENT ABROAD. "DEAR FRIENDS, - I cannot but be grieved to go from my native land, and especially from that part of it for whom and with whom I desired only to live; yet the dreadful apprehensions I have of what is coming upon this land may help to make me submissive to this providence, though more bitter.
"You will have snares for a little, and then a deluge of judgments. I do not speak this to affright any, much less to rejoice over them, as if I were taken, and they left; or were studying by these thoughts to alleviate my own lot of banishment; though I am afraid that none shall bless themselves long upon the account that they are left behind; but my design is to have you making yourselves prepared for snares and judgments, that ye may have both the greatest readiness and the greatest shelters, for both shall be in one. "Clear accompts, [i.e., accounts] and put off the old; for it is like, that what is to come will be both sudden and surprising, that it will not give you time for this. Beware of taking on new debt. I am afraid, that these things which many are looking on as favors are but come to bind men together in bundles for a fire. "I am sure, if these things be embraced, there shall not belong time given for using of them; and this last of their favors and snares is sent to men, to show that they are that which otherwise they will not confess themselves to be. Tell all, that the shelter and benefit of this shall neither be great nor long, but the snare of it shall be great and prejudicial.
"And for myself, I think for the present He is calling me to another land; but how long shall be my abode, or what employment He has for me there, I know not, for I cannot think He is taking me there to live and lurk only.
"I rest,
"DONALD CARGILL."
A LETTER TO JOHN MALCOLM AND ARCRIBALD ALISON, PRISONERS.
[See Note prefixed to their testimonies
in a later part of the volume. - ED.]
"DEAR FRIENDS, - Death in Christ, and for Christ, is never much to be bemoaned, and less at this time than any other, when these that survive have nothing to live among but miseries, persecutions, snares, sorrows, and sinning; and where the only desirable sight, viz., Christ reigning in a free and flourishing Church, is wanting, and the greatly grieving and offensive object to devout souls, viz., devils and the worst of the wicked reigning and raging, is still before our eyes.
"And though we had greater things to leave and better times to live in, yet eternity does so far exceed and excel these things in their greatest perfection, that they who see and are sure (and we see, indeed, being made sure), will never let a tear fall, or a sigh go at the farewell, but would rather make a slip to get death nor [i.e., than] to shun it; if both were not equally detestable to them, upon the account of God's commandments, whom they neither dare nor are willing to offend, even to obtain Heaven itself. And there are none who are His, but they must see themselves infinitely advantaged in the exchange; and accordingly hasten, if sin, the flesh, and want of assurance did not withstand. And there is no doubt but these must be weak and poor spirits, that are bewitched or enchanted either with the fruition or hopes of the world; and as earth has nothing to hold a resolute and reconciled soul, so heaven wants nothing to draw it; and to some, to live here has been always wearisome, since their peace was made, Christ's sweetness known, and their own weakness and unusefulness experienced. But now it becomes hatefully loathsome; since devils and the worst of men are become the head, and dreadful, by their stupendous permissions, loosings, and lengthenings in their reigning; and friends are become uncomfortable; because they will neither Christianly bear and bide, nor rightly go forward to effectuate their own delivery. But for you there is nothing at this time (if you yourselves be sure with God, which I hope either you are or will be), which can make me bewail your death; though the cause of it doth both increase my affection to you and indignation against these enemies. Yet for you, notwithstanding of the unjustness of the sentence, go not to eternity with indignation against them upon your own account, neither let the goodness of the cause ye suffer for found [i.e., be the foundation of] your confidence in God and your hope of wellbeing; for were the action never so good, and performed without the least failing (which is not incident to human infirmity), it could never be a cause of obtaining mercy, nor yet commend us to that grace from which we are to obtain it. There is nothing now which is yours, when you are pleading and petitioning for mercy, that must be remembered, but your sins, for in effect there is nothing else ours. "Let your sins, then, be on your heart, as your sorrow; which we must bewail before we be parted with them, as the captive her father; not because she was to leave him, but because she had been so long with him; and let these mercies of God and merits of Christ be before your eyes as your hopes, and your winning to these as the only rock upon which we can be saved. If there be anything seen or looked to in ourselves but sin, we cannot expect remission and salvation allenarly [i.e., solely] through free grace, in which expectation only it can be obtained; neither can we earnestly beg, till we see ourselves destitute of all that procures favor, and full of all that merits and hastens vengeance and wrath. "And besides, it heightens the price of that precious blood, by which only we can have redemption from sin and wrath; it being the only sufficient in itself, and only acceptable to the Father; and so it must be, being the blessed and gracious device and result of infinite wisdom, which makes the eternal God to be admired in His graciousness and holiness; having found out the way of His own payment without our hurt; and which makes all return to their own desires, and there to rest in an eternal complacency; for this way returns to God His glory, to justice its satisfaction to disquieted consciences of men, frighted and awakened with the sight of sin and wrath, ease, peace and assurance; and to the souls of men, fellowship with God, and hope of eternal salvation. Now the righteousness of Christ being made sure to us, secures all this for us, and this truth is believed and apprehended by faith; it being the hand by which we grip this rock; and if it be true, it cannot but be strong, and we saved.
"Look well, then, to your faith, that it be a faith growing out of regeneration, and the new creature, and that it have Christ for its righteousness, hope, and rejoicing, and be sealed by the Spirit of God.
And what this sealing is, when it comes, it will abundantly show itself; and there can be no other full satisfaction to a soul than this. But seek till ye find, and, whatever ye find for the presen,t, let your last act be to lay and leave yourselves on the righteousness of His Son, expecting life through His name, according to the promise of the Father.
"Dear friends, your work is great, and time short; but this is a comfort, and the only comfort in your present condition, that you have a God infinite in mercy to deal with, who is ready at all times to forgive, but especially persons in your case, who have been jeoparding your lives upon the account of the Gospel; whatever failings or infirmities in you that action hath been accompanied with; for it is the action itself which is the duty of this whole covenanted kingdom, and not the failing, for which you are brought to suffering. Seek not then the favors of men, by making your duty your sin; but confess your failings to God, and look for His mercy through Jesus Christ, who has said, 'Whosoever loseth his life for my sake, shall keep it unto eternal life.' And though it will profit a reprobate nothing to die after this manner (for nothing can be profitable without love, which only is, or can be in a believer), yet it should be no disadvantage, but in a manner the best way of dying; for it would take some from his days that he might have lived, and so prevent many sins that he would have committed, and so the sin is lessened that is the cause of eternal sufferings. "And let not this discourage you, or lay you by [i.e., overcome you], that the work is great, and the time short; though this indeed should mind you of your sinful neglect, that you were not better provided for such a short and peremptory summons, which you should always have expected. It also shows the greatness of the sin of these enemies, who not only take away unjustly your bodily life, but also shorten your time of preparation, and so do their utmost to deprive you of eternal life. Yet, I say, let not this either discourage or lay you by, for God can perfect great works in a short time; and one of the greatest things that befall men shall be effectuate in the twinkling of an eye, which is one of the shortest. I assure you, He put the thief on the cross through all his desires; conviction, conversion, justification, sanctification, etc., in short time; and left nothing to bemoan, but that there did not remain time enough to glorify Him upon earth, who had done all these things for him.
"Go on, then, and let your intent be seriousness. The greatness of your sorrow, and the height of love, in a manner make a compensation for the shortness of time; and go on, though ye yourselves have gone short way; for where these things are, one hour will perform more than thousands where there were not either such enforcements or power; and be persuaded in this, you have Him as much and more hastening than yourselves; for you may know His motion by your own, they being both set forward by Him. And, dear friends, be not terrified at the manner of your death, which, to me, seems to be the easiest of all, where you come to it without pain, and in perfect judgment, and go through so speedily; before the pain be felt, the glory is come! But pray for a greater measure of His presence, which only can make a pass through the hardest things cheerful and pleasant. "I bid you farewell, expecting, though our parting be sad, our gathering shall be joyful again. Only our great advantage in the case you are in is, to credit Him much; for that is His glory, and engages Him to perform whatever ye have credited Him with. No more, but avow boldly to give a full testimony for His truths, as you desire to be avowed of Him. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you. "DONALD CARGILL."
A LETTER TO THE PRISONERS IN THE CORRECTION HOUSE OF EDINBURGH.
[These prisoners were twenty-six women, followers of John Gib, of
Borrowstounness. Cargill, when preaching at Darmead, heard that Gib and his
followers were in the neighborhood, and, sending for them, had a long conference
with them as to their opinions. Its sum and substance, according to Patrick
Walker, is contained in the following letter. Gib and about thirty adherents
had forsaken their homes, and had taken up their abode in the moors, under
the persuasion that they would thus be more free from all snares and sins.
Their extravagances attracted the notice of the government, and in the spring
of 1681, they were taken by a troop of dragoons, and carried to Edinburgh.
Gib and three male associates were imprisoned in the Canongate Tolbooth,
and the twenty-six women in the Correction House, usually filled with the
loose and abandoned of the city. Gib and his male adherents gave in a statement
of their opinions to the Council, which will be found in Wodrow; and Donald
Cargill seems to have come to the conclusion that they were so wedded to
their errors as to be irreclaimable. Of the women he entertained better hopes,
and hence sent them the following affectionate appeal. It says much for his
kindness of heart, and for his patient and earnest desire to reclaim them.
His efforts were not without success, for the greater part of them, according
to Patrick Walker, came to their right mind after they had tasted the bitter
fruits of these demented delusions. Gib himself was shortly after set at
liberty, but in 1684 was again apprehended, and banished to America. After
a Fife of much misery and wretchedness, he died in 1720. - ED.] "DEAR FRIENDS,
- I think ye cannot but know that I am both concerned and afflicted with
your condition, and I would have written sooner, and more, if I had not feared
that you might have been jealous, under your distempers, that I had been
seducing you to follow me, and not God and truth.
"It had been my earnest and frequent prayer to God, as He Himself knows,
to be led in all truth, and I judge I have been in this graciously answered;
but I desire none, if they themselves judge it not to be truth, to adhere
to anything that I have either preached, written, or done, to any hazard,
much more to the loss of life. "But I have been afflicted with your condition,
and could not but be more, if God's great graciousness in this begun discovery,
and your sincerity and singleness, gave me not hope that God's purpose is
to turn this to the great mercy of His poor Church and yours, if ye mar it
not; and yet the great sin, and pillar of Satan, that is in this snare, makes
me tremble. It was God's mercy to you, that gave you such convictions; that
made you, at least some of you, once to part with these men. And it was
undoubtedly your sin, that you continued not so; but after convictions, did
cast yourselves in new temptations; for convictions ought to be tenderly
guided, lest the Spirit be grieved, from whom they come; but this second
discovery, though it be with a sharper rebuke, as it makes God's mercy wonderful,
so it shall render your perseverance in that course sinful and utterly
inexcusable; for God has broken the snare; and it will be your great sin,
if you go not out with great haste, joy, and thankfulness, when God's wonderful
discove