and will speak unto them, for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God; but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.' Ver. 6. Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evening shall spoil them. Ver. 9. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?' Ver. 10. Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy: but make not a full end take away her battlements, for they are not the Lord's.' Ver. 12. They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword nor famine.' Ver. 13. And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.' Ver. 30. A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land.' Ver. 31. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof?' Like unto the former courses of our fathers, first departing from the Lord, when the resolution party of the church so far complied with the malignant designs of the court, that they turned persecutors, which now is, and ere it be long, may be more the case of the church than now: but we can assure you it will be in vain; for his purpose shall stand; and he hath hitherto, and yet shall keep up a party, and remnant, how small and contemptible soever, that shall declare and protest against all such courses, whether in the enemies, or pretended friends of our Lord, who accepts their will for their deed, and will work his own work in them and for them, to the glory of his great name; and in the confidence of this, and of his faithfulness, which is engaged, we cast our burden, and the burden of all ours upon him, and the burden of all his work and people upon him; we being cordially willing and free to leave, quit and forsake, all for the gaining and enjoying of Christ, and therefore shall only entreat, and exhort all that love and desire to see his appearance in peace, and to be made like to him in glory, that they may not now scar so much at his cross; but in such a sinning and declining time, to be made like him in suffering. Be valiant and steadfast in the faith, cast not out with truth because of our suffering; for it behoved so to be, that we five seal that with our blood, to obtain which our Lord suffered, and our worthy forefathers before us; and ye know not how soon any of you, to whom this our testimony may come, may be called, either to suffer for the same truths, or deny them; therefore seek of him to believe, and also to suffer for his sake: for by what is past, any body may see, it must be given of the Lord: and be sure to consult more the law and the testimony, (Isa. viii. 20.) and your former obligations more than to consult flesh and blood, and not to follow men more than God, which one day will not be approven of God, which if we had done, we had not suffered this day. Mistake us not, we are not against your taking counsel of those that be faithful ministers and professors, that fear God, and seek to please him more than men, Micah-like, as Mic. iii. 8. Surely I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sins.' Ver. 9. Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the

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house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment and pervert all equity.' Ver. 10. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.' Ver. 11. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say Is not the Lord amongst us; no evil can come upon us.' Ver. 12. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house, as the high places of the forest.' And these that are like Jeremiah, Lam. iii. 48. Mine eyes run down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.' Ver. 49. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission:' ver. 50. Till the Lord look down and behold from heaven.' And all such as do like Daniel, chap. vi. 10. and the three children, Dan. iii. 16-18., who said to the king, We are not careful to answer thee in this matter: if it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine band, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.' And like Nehemiah, chap. i. read it all throughout, and chap. vi. 11. who said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.' And all such as are like Uriah, Job, and Joseph, that was separated from his brethren. And all the other apostles and prophets, who were valiant for the truth. And on the other hand, be always jealous of such as are holden forth. Mal. ii. 8, 9. But ye are departed out of the way, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts; therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.' As also, all such, as in Ezek. xiii. 10. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace, and there was no peace: and one built up a wall, and lo, another daubed it with untempered mortar.' And read also, ver. 18, to 23, yea, the whole chap. Such also, as in Mic. vi. 16.; observe the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and walk in their counsels. Yea, in short, beware of every one that is in favour with the wicked, who seek or accept favours from them, not according to his word, and wink at them, and much more those that are approven by them; and any body may see, who are in favour with them, and for that ye may read Lam. ii. 14. and the former scriptures, and that in Neh. vi. 10-15. But the good Lord who hath preserved us poor weak things from fainting; lead and guide all these that look unto him, and keep their feet free from the snares of the time; as he hath done it, he will do it, if ye depend upon him. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Into whose hands we commend our spirits.

Sic Sub :

THOMAS BROWN, JAMES WOOD, ANDREW SWORD, JOHN WADDEL, JOHN CLYDE."

XXVIII. THOMAS BROWN AND OTHERS.

SECT. II. THeir respectiVE TESTIMONIES.

[In addition to their general attestation, conveyed in the foregoing paper, to the principles for which they suffered, these five martyrs seem to have thought it necessary or proper, to leave behind them the following individual Testimonies, in favour of the same cause. These Testimonies, as might be expected, are in substance very nearly the same. That of Thomas Brown, which comes first it order, and that of John Waddel, which is the fourth, are considerably longer than any of the rest; but each of them seems to be characterized by varieties both in the sentiment and expression, corresponding to the character and views of the different individuals by whom they are subscribed. Of each of these individuals we subjoin a few particulars, in the form of a note to their several Testimonies.]

1. THOMAS BROWN.*

"Men and Brethren :-I am come here this day, in your audience, to lay down this life, which God hath given me, for my being in the defence of myself, and in the defence of the gospel of Christ Jesus,— which ye know we are solemnly engaged to defend with our lives and liberty, and all that we have in our station; and being conscious to myself that I was concerned to appear at Bothwell-bridge, and was willing to cast in my poor mite amongst the people of God. And although, I be now called to lay down my life, upon the account of rebellion, as they call it; yet the Lord is my witness, and my conscience bears me witness, that I never intended rebellion against the king at all, but I thought it was grievous to me to see the work of God so trode down by a generation that have been stated enemies to the cross of Christ these many years bygone, by their shutting up his faithful ministers, part of them in tolbooths, and part of them in the rocks of the sea, and part of them banished out of the land, and part expelled to corners, and likewise private persons put out of their families, expelled to the mountains and rocks, dens and caves of the earth, and put out of all capacity to provide for their families and little ones. And I thought it was not a time for me to lie at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountains of Samaria, lest I had brought that curse of Meroz upon me, because I would not go out to help the Lord against the mighty; which I hope none will deny, and much

• Of this person, as indeed of all the five, very little information can now be obtained. He is designated in Naphtali, "Thomas Brown, shoemaker in Edinburgh.' It is probable, we think, that he was respectable, in his rank of life; and it is evident from his Testimony that he must have been a man of good sense and considerable decision of character. He was with other eight, as already remarked, first indicted on the 26th of August, but the diet was in that instance adjourned till the 1st of September, and then ultimately deserted. With some more of the eight he was again impannelled on the 10th of November-and being selected from the rest, together with the four persons who were his companions in death, he was condemned and sentenced as we hav already stated.

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you,

less Christians. Therefore, my friends, let none of you put any reflection upon any that appeared at Bothwell-bridge, lest ye state God an enemy against you, since we are sworn in the National Covenant, and Solemn League and Covenant, and Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the work of reformation, and the Solemn Acknowledgment of Sins, against Popery, Prelacy, and Quakerism, and all manner of profanity, which is carried on by all ranks and degrees of people in this land. We are bound to defend our covenanted religion, with our lives and liberties in our station, when none calleth for justice, nor any pleads for the truth,' Isa. lix. 4. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord,' Ezek. xiii. 5. And as for my part, I could not take any bond which was presented unto me, when I considered the bonds of the covenants that I was solemnly engaged unto; although I never sware the covenant, yet I am engaged to maintain it, for whose sake it is named the covenant of God, who hath said, Lev. xxvi. 25. I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant.' So I desire my friends, for the Lord's sake, to mind your vows, ties and engagements, that ye are tied and obliged to perform, so far as in you lies, to the Lord, for ye know what is said, Ezek. xvii. 15. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that hath done such things? Shall he break the covenant and be delivered?' Ver. 18. Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, (when lo he had given his hand) and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.' Ver. 19. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.' Therefore, my friends, mind your engagements unto him, and mourn for sin, and lie in the dust before him, and give him no rest, until he arise and plead Zion's cause, and that he may restore the waste places of poor Scotland, and take away the deluge of wrath, that is hanging over the heads of these lands, for the breach of covenant in them. And as for my part, I have reason again and again to bless the Lord, that ever he set his love upon me, and hath condescended so far, as to single out the like of me, (who am but a poor wretched sinner of myself, and worthy of nothing but eternal damnation, by reason of original and actual transgressions) as to be a witness of his despised and borne down work in these lands. As ye will find written in 1 Tim. i. 15, 16. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.' And Isa. li. 12. I, even I am he that comforteth you; who art thou that shouldest be afraid of man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass?' Ver. 13. And forgettest the Lord thy Maker, that hath stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually every day, because of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy; and where is the fury of the oppressor ?' Likewise that of Isa xli. 10. "Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my

righteousness. Likewise Isa. xlix. 25. I will contend with him that contendeth with thee.' Isa. xxvii. 8. He stayeth his rough wind in the day of his east wind.' Isa. xxxiii. 16. His bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure.' Ver. 17. Thy eyes shall see the King in his beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off. Psal. cxl. 7. Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.'

These scriptures have been very sweet and refreshful to me in my experience. Therefore, I desire not to scare at the cross of Jesus Christ, because of my suffering, for I can assure you from my experience, that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light, for he hath well made out, that he sends none a warfare upon their own charges. Therefore, my dear friends, give him much credit, and trust much in him, for he is well worth all the pains ye can be at for him. Psal. xxxiv. 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.' As for my part, I durst not comply with that party in any terms which was sinful in the sight of God, for the saving of my life, since he hath said in his word, He that seeks to save his life, shall lose it.' And if I had taken that bond, I would have subscribed that to be a sin, which I acknowledge to be my duty. I am persuaded in my conscience from the word of God, he that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much, and he that is not faithful in that which is least, will never be faithful in that which is much; and he that denies me before men, him will I deny before my Father which is in heaven; and him that confesseth me before men, will I confess before my Father which is in heaven.' I give my testimony to the cross of Christ. Likewise I bless the Lord, that it hath pleased him to fall on such a method with the like of me, as to put it into my heart to appear at Bothwell-bridge for his cause and interest, which was so much trodden under foot by men. And I die in the faith of it, that the seed sown at Bothwell-bridge shall have a glorious spring and harvest, which shall be renowned in the eyes of all the beholders of it. Likewise, I adhere to the National Covenant, the Solemn League and Covenant, the Solemn Acknowledgment of Sins, the Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the work of reformation, &c. as aforesaid, which was once far advanced in our land against popery, prelacy, quakerism, and all manner of error and profanity, which are now abounding in these loose times, by the usurpation of that to the crown, which belongs only to Jesus Christ, as Head of his church, and not to any mortal man; for all kings and princes are, but in subordination to him, Mat. xxii. 22. And he said unto them, Render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's.' Therefore, my dear friends, give the king all obedience, in so far as ye are commanded from the word of God, Eccl. viii. 2. 'I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God,'-in so far as ye are engaged solemnly in your covenant; but do not take any evil course to shun the cross of Christ, for the saving of your life, and of your means, lest ye state God an enemy against you; and do not let the fear of men prevail with you, but contend for the faith that was once