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great and high privileges formerly enjoyed: But be not discouraged, nor sinfully anxious, neither about the church nor the remnant, but wait on God in his own way, and commit all to him, and he shall bring it to pass: It may come in a way least expected (I have no doubt about it) that his power, infiniteness, and sovereignty may yet appear. "Now, I declare I am free of the blood of all men, and though man had never public scandal to charge me with, yet I am one of the chief of saved sinners. And in respect of original, actual, and omissional sin, there hath been as much guiltiness in me, as might and would have weighed down to the pit, the whole world; but my lovely Lord hath shewed me warm blinks of his love. O for love to give to this lovely Lord Jesus, according to that scripture, ⚫ Come and I will tell you what the Lord hath done for my soul.' Upon the day before I received my sentence, I met with a great measure, and a full gale of the Spirit, wherein my heart was both melted and enlarged, winning near to him, both alone and with the rest; but a little thereafter going to him alone, I found him hiding, and being sensible of it, my heart, in some measure, panted after him, yet absent; so going to the word, I was directed to 1 John v. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.' Ver. 15. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him :'-which did in no small measure settle and comfort my spirit; so meditating a little, and considering how these two could consist together, was answered thus; because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.' And since, I bless his holy name, I have had great composure

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"Now, according to my blessed Lord's command, I am not prepossessed with malice, or a spirit of revenge, but can bless when cursed: As for these men that are unjustly taking away my life, not only contrary to the law of God, and the ancient and fundamental laws of the land, but even contrary to their own law; for what they are doing against me as I am in myself, I can freely forgive them and all others; but as they do it against the image of God in me, and upon his truth's account, and so against himself, that is not mine to forgive, but I leave it to him to whom vengeance belongeth, to deal with them as may best glorify himself. Now, I rejoice in my lot, for it hath fallen to me in pleasant places, and I have a goodly inheritance; I would not exchange it with the greatest monarch upon earth. O! let heaven and earth praise him, sun and moon praise him! O all the creation praise him, angels and glorified saints praise him, and my soul shall praise him through all the ages of eternity. Now, farewell all things in time, farewell holy Scriptures, farewell prayer, meditation, faith, hope; farewell all true friends. Welcome heaven; welcome Father. Son, and Holy Spirit; welcome angels, and spirits of just men made oerfect; welcome praises for evermore!

Sic sub. JAMES ROBERTSON."*

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XXII. JOHN FINLAY

[This was the second in order, of the three individuals who were ex ecuted together on the 15th December, 1682. He seems to have belonged to Kilmarnock or its neighbourhood, and was a prisoner in that town when visited by his friend Robertson; on which occa sion the latter was apprehended. He was tried and condemned for mere matters of opinion, as the following account of his examination will evince. "Being interrogated, whether it be lawful to rise in arms against the king, refuses to answer. Refuses to say God save the king, but says he loves the king as well as any personconfesses he was present at Drumclog, but without arms. Being asked if he conversed with Mr. Cargill within these two yearsrefuses to answer, otherwise than that a man is neither by the law of God nor man bound to have a hand in shedding his own blood." Such indeed were the several grounds of condemnation in the period in question. For the reasons on which he held these opinions, the reader is referred to the following testimony.]

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“MEN AND BRETHREN,-Showing you that I am condemned unjustly by a generation of bloody men, who are thirsting after the blood of the saints of God, and upon no other account, but for my being found in the way of my duty in the sight of God, (glory to his holy name for it, though gone about with many failings, much imperfections,) for adhering to Christ in all his offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King; and for my following him in all his persecuted gospel truths;-the articles of my indictment were, Ist, My keeping company with the persecuted people of God, ministers and others, for which, with my whole soul, I bless him that ever he honoured me with such company; in token of his countenance he hath kept me in that company. 2dly, My being in company and converse with Mr. Donald Cargill; (for which with my whole soul, I desire to bless and magnify the riches of his grace, that ever he conferred such company upon such a sinful wretch) and Mr. King, Mr. Richard Cameron, Mr. Kid, in particular. 3dly, My refusing to call the bishop's death murder, which I durst not do, it being God's righteous judgment upon him. 4thly, My not calling Bothwell-bridge rebellion; it being in defence of themselves and of the gospel, which is lawful in God's sight; and therefore I durst not call it rebellion. 5thly, My giving meat, drink, and com fort to the persecuted people of God: which I did willingly and with my whole heart; and herein I have sweet peace this day; as in Matt. x. 43. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, be shall in no wise lose his reward:' which he hath made out to me abundantly to the full. 6thly, My being commanded to say, 'God save the king!' which I durst not do for my very soul; their bidding us to do it in the test of our loyalty, to save him in his person and government, and authority, which is a perfect owning of him in all that he hath done, in his usurpation upon Christ's preroga

tives, and privileges, they having made him supreme head in all matters and causes, civil and ecclesiastic; which if I had done, it had been a flat denying of Christ, and a joining with him and them, I mean Charles Stuart, in all that they have done in overturning the glorious work of reformation in these lands, and all the wrongs done to the gospel and people of God in this day, which would have made me odious in the sight of God, and before the world; from which I bless him, that he hath kept me; as the scripture saith, He that is not faithful in little, will not be faithful in that which is much. 7thly, eing asked, if I would not pray for the king? I said, Yes. Do it then, they said. I said, according to the scripture. They said, he will pray for him as he is a man, but not as he is king, which is high treason and rebellion. Now, my friends, I being conscious to myself that my owning him as my king, was a casting off Christ Jesus who is head and King of Zion, and taking on with him, and so would have incurred the wrath of God, and homologated all the bloodshed, and all the horrid bloody abominations they have committed in the land, with avowed defying of the great God,-O who dare join with such avowed enemies of our God, and so cast off the society of the saints, and give the hand of fellowship to such bloody and man-sworn wretches, that is making it their whole work to root out godliness out of this covenanted land, that the name of Israel shall no more be made mention of: but they will be all beguiled, for Christ will reign till all his enemies be made his footstool.

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1st, I give my testimony to the sure word of God, which is the Scriptures of truth. 2dly, I give my testimony to the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, and that by his satisfaction. 3dly, I bear my testimony to the work of reformation, as it was reformed from Popery, Prelacy, Erastianism, and other errors, as it is contained in the Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms. 4thly, I give my testimony to the Covenants National and Solemn League, and solemn Acknowledgment of Sins, and Engagement to Duties, Sum of Saving Knowledge, Directory for Worship; and to the Causes of God's Wrath, drawn up by the general assembly of the church, after their meeting with the rotten-hearted malignant Charles Stuart. 5thly, I bear my testimony to the faithful actings of the remonstrants against the malignant interest, that is the very thing contended for by the true Presbyterians of the church of Scotland. 6thly, I give my testimony, not to go farther back, seeing it homologates the rest, to that notable testimony given at Lanark, against that tyrant, and the test intimated by the late parliament, on which I could not but look, in the time of carrying it on and yet do, that the remnant was owned of the Lord. 7thly, I bear my testimony to all the faithful testimonies of the martyrs, that have gone before us, whether on scaffolds, or on the fields, or in the seas. 8thly, I bear my testimony to all appearances in arms, for defence of the gospel. 9thly, I bear my testimony to the faithful preaching of the gospel that hath been in the fields by the faithful and sent messengers of Jesus Christ, according to his own mission, preaching days, communion days, and fast days, by Messrs. Cargill, King, Kid, Cameron, and Douglas. 10thly and lastly, I bear my testimony

have thus used their power to a wrong end, in such a measure and manner; so much less, when they have set him up as an idol, in the room of God Incarnate. And shall I pray, To bless that man in his person and government, whom God hath cursed? for it cannot be expected, but that he shall be cursed, that thus ventureth upon the thick bosses of the buckler of God Almighty.

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Now, I shall here give in short, an account of my principles, which I shall do, as in the sight of an all-seeing God, viz. I am a true Christian, truly anti-popish, anti-prelatic, anti-sectarian, anti-schismatic, antierastian; a true presbyterian, owning the true protestant religion, now owned and professed by the poor wrestling and suffering remnant in Scotland: and whatever men have said, or may say of me, I have lived, and now I die thus.

"Wherefore, in the first place, I give testimony to the truth, fulness, and authority of the Scriptures; and to all the truths contained therein, and warrantable therefrom. 2dly, I bear my testimony to the way of salvation through Jesus Christ; and that by his satisfaction the moral law was not abrogated, but fulfilled: and that the moral law is as binding on the Christian truly interested in him, this day, as it was that day when it was given to the children of Israel; only the condemnatory sentence thereof loosed to all such as are believers indeed. 3dly, I bear my testimony to the work of reformation, as it was reformation, as it was reformed from Popery, Prelacy, Erastianism, and other errors; as it is contained in the Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Covenants National and Solemn League, Solemn Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties, the Sum of Saving Knowledge, Directory for Worship, the Causes of God's Wrath, drawn up by the General Assembly of this church, after the evil in meddling with that rotten-hearted malignant Charles Stuart, was seen. 4thly, I bear my testimony to the faithful actings of the remonstrants against malignants and the malignant interests, which are the very things this day contended for, by the true Presbyterians of the Church of Scotland. 5thly, I bear my testimony (not to go further back, seeing it homologates the rest) to that noble testimony given at Lanark, against that tyrant, and the test enacted by the late parliament; which I could not but look upon, in the time of the carrying on of it, and yet doth, that the remnant was therein owned of the Lord. 6thly, I bear my testimony to all the faithful testimonies of the martyrs that have gone before us, on scaffolds, in the fields, or in the seas. 7thly, I bear my testimony to all the appearances in arms, for the defence of the gospel. 8thly, I bear my testimony to the faithful manner of the delivery of the gospel, that hath been in the open fields, by the faithful and sent servants of Jesus Christ, exercising according to his own commission; preaching days, communion days, and fasts; particularly one holden at Auchingilloch by three ministers, two of them now glorified, viz. Mr. Donald Cargill and Mr. Richard Cameron; where the land's guilt was freely and faithfully discovered. 9thly and lastly, I bear my testimony to the fellowship-meetings of the Lord's people, particular and general, and my soul hath many a time been refreshed in them.

"Likewise, on the other hand, I leave my testimony against the public resolutions for taking in that malignant interest; for which this poor church is this day smarting, and feeling the weight of that tyrant's hand, for such eager lusting after a king. 2dly, I leave my testimony against Hamilton Declaration, which is one and the same thing with the Resolutions. (1.) For taking in the foresaid interest, contrary to the land's engagements in covenant. (2.) For corrupting the army. But my mind of this, with several other things, such as the excommunication, tyrant's interest, cess and locality, is more fully expressed in a paper, entitled, Some few grievances, set down by way of query which was occasioned by a minister preaching near the place of my residence, and some falsely accusing me for casting at ministers, and so at ministry: and to show that my hearing was not from any schismatical design, but of conscience of duty, judging him deficient and faulty, in not being faithful,-I therefore drew my grievances to be presented; and refer to this and the forementioned paper, as a part of my testimony against the wrongs done to a holy God in this backsliding age. 3dly, I leave my testimony against all unfaithfulness in ministers. (1.) For their dark and ambiguous manner of preaching, in not giving free, full, and faithful warning of the duty and dangers of our day. (2.) They either altogether leave off preaching, as if seeming and apparent hazard loosed them from that command, which is to preach in season and out of season, &c. Or turning the edge of their doctrine against the most faithful in the land, and taking the faults and failings of the saints in Scripture, to defend them in their sinful, defective, conniving and complying courses; which is a wresting of the Scripture, for these are set down for our admonition, not to split upon such rocks. And O! how many professors are guilty also in this matter, they cannot deny it to be a fault, viz. such and such things; yet they cannot state their sufferings on them. Now undeniably, this is a presumptuous sinning, venturing upon it, because God is merciful; this is a daring of him to his face. Surely David was not of this mind of it, Psal. xix. 12. Who can understand his errors, cleanse thou me from secret faults.' ver. 13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me,' &c. Numb. xv. 30. But the soul that doth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.' 4thly, I give my testimony against that erastian indulgence, and such as join with them, because they entered not by the right door, but by the order of the usurper, whereas Christ is the only door. John x. 1. But this I will say, that those who will not, and dare not take that usurper's portion, lest they be defiled thereby, their countenance shall outshine the other, and be fatter and fairer in the day when they are to be proved before the king,' Dan. i. 15. 5thly, I give my testimony against all the hearers of these abominable tested curates throughout the land; so in particular against the corner of that land, viz. Kilmarnock and the country thereabout, where I was apprehended, which I was then persuaded of, and yet am, that it was so ordered, that I might in particular witness against them

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