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me to say, who of them will not come to heaven; but this I may say, if they come, it will be more than ordinary humiliation they must have: as it is said of Manasseh; that he humbled himself greatly before the Lord God of his fathers.' Friends, give our Lord credit; he is always good; but O he is good in a day of trial, and he will be sweet company through the ages of eternity. There is none like the God of Jeshurun, that rides upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. And underneath are the everlasting arms, and he will save his people.' And secondly, I have a word to say to you that are godly; but alas, you have wronged the cause; for which, I fear, ye have lost the countenance of God, and will not get it again in haste; ye have waxed fat and kicked;' ye have flung at God (so to speak), ye have said a confederacy' with enemies, for a false peace; ye have been crying peace and union with the indulged, because they are godly men. I say before the Lord, that ye, and these godly men, have most basely betrayed the kirk of Scotland; ye shall go to heaven in a fiery chariot, ye shall hardly get leave to suffer but go away in a stink, for your complying and shunning the cross. Thirdly, a word to the ungodly. O ye atheists and ungodly magistrates, full of perjury and bloodshed, ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. The blood of the Lord's martyrs, that has been shed these eighteen or nineteen years within this city, will be charged home upon you, as well as upon the assizers. Ye counsellors, your work will be rewarded. Ye criminal lords, remember, the saints shall judge the earth,' and shall shortly be in equal terms with you; and they shall stand upon mount Zion with the Lamb, and give their consents against you; and shall shortly cry, Hallelujah, hallelujah,' to your condemnation. And therefore I obtest you, in the bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye will desist from your wicked courses, and lie in the dust, and mourn for all your abominations; Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' Ye ignorant and profane drunkards, swearers, and sabbath breakers, repent, or else ye shall likewise perish. And now, I take my farewell of all the serious seekers of God for a short time: and you that are calm, prudent professors, I leave you under process till you repent, for casting off Christ and his cross, and for bringing up an evil report on the good land,' and for your wronging of the cause. And ye rulers, farewell for evermore, without repentance and deep humiliation for wronging of Christ and his people. Return my soul unto thy quiet rest! Farewell all created comforts in time: and welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, into thy hands I commit my spirit.

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"Sic sub-ARCHIBALD ALISON."*

⚫ Cloud of Witnesses, pp. 78-84

III. JOHN MALCOM.

[JOHN MALCOM, was the other of the Two, who, along with Mr. Hackston, were taken at Airsmoss. He was by trade a weaver, and belonged to the parish of Dalry, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Along with his companion, he was charged with having been at Bothwell-bridge and Airsmoss, in arms, which they judicially confessed, and were sentenced accordingly. "They died," says Wodrow, "in great assurance, and with comfortable hopes of well being." He left a Testimony to the cause for which he suffered, and it is as follows:]

"I desire the audience of you, who are here spectators and auditors, to hear some words of a dying man, ready to offer up this tabernacle in your sight, who would have it among my last wishes, that you would consider your ways and your doings, that are not good, and not harden your hearts as in the provocation; for, ye have to do with a holy God, who is quickly about to come in flaming fire, to take vengeance on all the ungodly profane persons, who are living at ease in Zion, and rejoicing in the afflictions of the people of God. I would obtest you, in the bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you would break off your pernicious ways, and make peace with God while he would make peace with you, lest ye be destroyed in the overflowing flood of his wrath. There has been flockings and gatherings to see others, who are gone before me, that have been wonderfully countenanced and owned with the evident presence of God, convincingly helping some to go through the jaws of death, rejoicing and looking profane on-lookers out of countenance,-and have given their testimonies against the abominations committed in the land. And I am come hither, who am the unworthiest of any that have gone before me. Now, before I come further, I would you, what think of religion? you What think you can it be, that makes men go to death with so great peace and sweetness? Ye have heard what malefactors have had to say. Think ye not it strange, that a rational man can enter upon eternity, leaving such a testimony as ye have heard? And, I hope the Lord will help me in less or more to be faithful and free in leaving my testimony in the sight and presence of him, who is the sovereign Judge of all the earth, before whom I must stand in a short time.

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"The cause of my coming here this day is, because I was found with that poor persecuted handful, who are the people that were singly adhering to the honour and glory of God,-now when he is threatening to bring in his sore plagues upon this apostate church, that has played the harlot with many lovers;'-for which he will bring on indignation, wrath and pain, upon many. But this is ground of encouragement to the seekers of God, (1.) That he is keeping up party in the land, that see it their duty to contend for his cause and interest, and shall overcome through the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, who are not loving their lives unto the death;' to contend for his cause and interest. For, he hath

said, Ezek. vii. 16. But they that escape of them shall escape, and be like the doves upon the mountains, mourning every one of them for his iniquities.' Now, I seeing and considering upon the one band, what treacherous dealings are hatched up among the ministers and professors in this poor church, and on the other hand considering what the Lord had done formerly, I thought, I was convinced in conscience, and from respect to the honour of God, which I had before mine eyes,—and the good of my own soul. I was constrained by an influence of the Spirit, bearing in that word upon my heart, which we have, 1 Kings xviii. 21. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, then follow him; but if Baal be God, then follow him.' The Lord determined me to join myself with that party, and I do not repent it this day. I count it my duty, and no sin nor rebellion. I think it my credit to serve such a noble master: and indeed I wonder at his condescendency, that ever he sought service from such a wretched sinner as I have been, who lived a stranger to him all my days; but O wonderful love! O wonder at the matchless acts of the Lord's condescendency, and incomprehensible ways with me that he has made choice of such a poor, weak, frail, pickle of dust as I am; and has led me out and in, and has brought me to this place of execution, to give my testimony to his work, cause and interest; and has passed by the eminent, wise, and prudent in the land, and has made choice of such a feckless nothing as I am; but blessed be his glorious name, that will have his word made out, that 'out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, he can perfect his praise.' (2.) And this likewise is ground of hope to you that are weak, and cannot venture on suffering, being sensible of your own weakness; to the weak he increaseth strength.' And this is another ground of hope, that he takes the blood and wounds of poor weak things to seal his truths.

"It cannot be expected that I shall be very formal in what I say, I being no scholar, nor yet old in experience. And besides, after I had received my sentence, I was taken out of a private room, and put in the irons among bad company, except two days before this. The ground of my indictment was, 1st, that I am against the king's forces, and fired upon them under the command of Earlshall. I declare, I intended not to resist, but being put to it, in defence of the gospel, and my own defence, I did resist them to my power. 2dly That I had been with that party in the months of April, May, and June. I was but two days with them, intending no other thing, but to hear the gospel, and for this I suffer, I bless the Lord, not as an evil-doer,' but for my duty: for ye know we are all bound in covenant, both kirk and state, according to the coronation oath the covenants were owned and sworn, both by the supreme magistrate, the nobles, gentry, and commons of all sorts. The Lord did wonderfully shine upon this land, so that it became the glory of the whole world; the fame of it went abroad, and was renowned through the nations. I have heard that if a stranger of another kingdom had come into a church of this land, there was such a frame

of spirit among the people, that the stranger would have thought that they had been all saints. The church, then, was fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.' But we have not been content with these days: then the swearer was bound up from oaths, and the drunkard's throat ran dry, iniquity stopped her mouth.' The Lord was with his people in those days: the gospel was successful: and yet I can say, there have been as great days of the gospel in the west of Scotland, in the foresaid months, in the fields, as were in Scotland, since it was Scotland. I am sure, the gospel preached by Mr. Richard Cameron, especially, was backed with the power and presence of Christ; as much of Christ and heaven were found, as finite creatures on earth were able to hold, yea, and more than they could hold; the streams of the living waters ran through among his people at these meetings, like a flood upon the souls of many, who can witness, if they were called to it, that they would not have been afraid of ten thousands: the shout of a king was heard among them; the fruits of it, I am hopeful, shall appear after this. All the troopers and dragoons in the three kingdoms will never get that fire of love that is kindled in the breasts of some in that country quenched; it will never be quenched; it will not rot. The fathers will be telling the children of it, when they are old men, who are not taken away from the wrath that is coming on, to avenge the quarrel of a broken covenant; they will be telling, that in the year 1680, there were as great days as there are now, (when there were prelates through these lands) upon the mountains up and down this west: it was then that I got the zeal of God upon my soul.' And they shall say, 'who were they that preached in mosses and mountains, and not in the kirks or houses? did not all the godly ministers, when the apostate prelates were in the land, go out and witness and testify against them, with their lives in their hands?' And the fathers will say, 'Know, my children, they had run well for a season, but they wearied, and yielded up the church's liberties to a tyrant king, of the name of Charles: and he set up the prelates, and they made the land full of curates under them; and after that, some that stayed off a while, then turned council curates, and these council curates beguiled the rest of them, and Erastianism was universal; but the moderate-indulged in judgment, would have silenced Mr. Richard Cameron from preaching, but the Lord had said to him, 'go, and I will go with thee; and so he was wonderfully helped. Indeed the Lord countenanced him after that, and deserted them, and he died a martyr, and had his head set up upon a port, beside other three of his brethren; and many that wrote against him, and had him in derision, went away with a stink.' They will have this to say, and tell to the young ones yet unborn; the righteous man shall be had in everlasting remembrance.' Indeed, my friends, if any such be hearing me, I may say, truly a great man in our Israel fell at Airsmoss the 22d of July, 1680. And now, if I were set at liberty, with a provision that I were not found with Mr. Donald Cargill, whom I pray the Lord may keep from sinning, I would yet

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again join with that persecuted party, although they should use me, as they did that eminently worthy gentleman that suffered before us. So I am not in the dark how and for what I suffer. I am clear that I was in my duty, and I have peace in it since, and I grow still clearer in it, glory to his name: for it is true that after I got my indictment, and received my sentence, I wanted the countenance of God; for I never knew that the Lord loved me, but since that time; but I was never in the dark about the righteousness of the cause: I knew it would bear a suffering unto blood and death. And now, I am clear of my interest, and clear as to the grounds that I am laying down my life for this day. I could wish that every hair of my head were a life for his sake, and his persecuted cause. I die in the faith of the true protestant religion, in doctrine, discipline, and worship, as it was received in the year 1638, and in the year 1649. I join my adherence to the government of this church, as it was reformed from popery, prelacy, Erastianism, and supremacy. And I join my cordial testimony to the church's laws and statutes at that time, as she was governed by general assemblies, synods, presbyteries, visitations and sessions; and to days of humiliation for sin, solemn days of thanksgiving in receipt of mercies bestowed, and censures for trying out persons of erroneous principles, either ministers or private persons. I adhere to the Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Solemn Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagements to duties, the National and Solemn League and Covenant, and the Protestation at St. Johnstoun. I join my testimony to and approbation of these papers at Queensferry, the 3d of June 1680. I adhere to that faithful testimony at Rutherglen the 29th of May, 1679. I join my testimony to that last testimony or declaration affixed upon the market cross of Sanquhar the 22d of June, 1680. I witness my testimony to the late appearance at Airsmoss the 22d of July, 1680, where the Lord's worthies fell. Likewise I witness my testimony, and set to my seal against that horrid murder of that eminently worthy and famous, godly gentleman, David Hackston of Rathillet. Likewise, against all the blood shed in the fields, scaffolds, and the sea, these nineteen years. I enter my protestation against popery, quakerism, supremacy, Erastianism, indulgences first and last; and against arbitrary power over civil and ecclesiastical matters, further than the bounds appointed by the word of God. Likewise, I witness my testimony against the pleaders for union, siding, joining, halfing with usurpers of Christ's crown, sileuce in watchmen, and all their contrivances, impositions, instructions, or limitations, they put upon the young men to be licensed, prescribing a rule to them, to order their ministry so and so, their papers and pamphlets they have put on lately, to lead men over to that woful indulgence, under the fair pretext of union, which is dreadful underhand dealing, to bring the people under the shadow of the Lord's adversaries. I enter my protestation against the national declaration put forth in the year 1661, and all their declarations since, and all their bonds and oaths imposed upon the Lord's people. Likewise, against the paying of cess and militia money; and against their imprisonments, stigmatizing,

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