1 against the faid Charles Stewart, and his unlawful council and parliaments, and all their proceedings! The Lord in the fe cond commandment threatens his wrath against the children, for the father's iniquity, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate him and if the Lord vifit not the fucceffors of this generation aforenamed, with dreadful judgments, I am mistaken; yea, and all thefe, that join and comply with them, either Minifters, or Profeffors, I mean, the indulged, and all thefe that bond with the enemies, or give them clats of gear for their liberations, when they are brought to prifon, upon the account of owning the truth; or in any manner of way acknowledge them as magiftrates; I fay, (without repentance) I fee no way that they can mifs God's wrath. But I think, I need not infift much on these fubjects; for all the wrongings they have gotten (which are many) by Minifters and Profeffors, one way or other, efpecially on fcaffolds, fince Mr. James Guthry, to this day, have not been effectual; their actings prove them to be more hardened in their fin than when they began. Therefore I think it feems, that the Lord will either give them no more warnings, or elfe take them fhortly away, or both: indeed he may give them more warnings, but if ever they do the moft part of this generation any good, I greatly queftion, I mean thefe, whom I have named; for I think, with feveral others who are gone before me, and are going off the stage by death, That there will be dreadful judgments to follow on this generation, for breach of covenant with God, and open rebellion against him, by their iniquitous laws of theirs, in taking away the lives, liberties and priviledges of the people of God, and not only fo, but in making Charles Stewart head of the church, which becomes not him, nor any mortal; for Jefus Chrift is head of his own Church, and Lord over the confciences of men. And as for me, I would not have my confcience tied by Charles Stewart's belt, nor any who are called his fubjects, though I were to live an hundred years: No, though I could have the whole world for my pains; for I might as well tie my confcience to the devil and my own corruptions, as do it, by yielding fubmiffion to his iniquitous laws; by either bond or cefs, or any relating thereto. Now, I blefs the Lord, I hope, that he who hath led me hitherto, will lead me away from him, and his, and my own corruptions, and the devil ere the tenth day of this month pass over. -And as for my own particular intereft, I blefs the Lord, I am in fome measure, as clear of my intereft in Chrift, as I am that my pen is writing on this paper; for I hope, that the Lord will carry me honourably through, and give me that which he hath promifed; ay when I asked him faith, he gave me faith, life, light, and a heart to believe, and love to him, and his glory, intereft, caufe, covenant and work of reforma tion, and ftrength to ftand, and withftand my enemies, inward and outward, who many a time have affaulted and tempted me, ftriving to drive me away to fin. Indeed, it is true, I lived moft lewdly, ay till within a little more nor these four years. O! if I could go to the ftage, bleffing and magnifying the Lord, that it hath pleased him to bring me from the devil's fire-fide, as it were, and draw me out to hear the gofpel of Chrift. I biefs the Lord, the first field-preaching that ever i heard, I entered in covenant with him, to follow him, though it fhould cost me my life; and at a communion in Irongray in Galloway, I had the clear manifeftation of my interest. O free grace! O free love! O free mercy! O what am I, that he hath been fo kind to me! O me! O poor me! and not only fo, but also when he difcovered the evils of the woful indulgence, from the fupremacy, that he made it known to me, and also made me to ftand, and withstand that woful evil, and to join with that party, by the bond found upon Mr. Richard Cameron, whom he honoured to witnefs against it; And for this, I defire to blefs him. O! I think, it is Scotland's mercy, this day, that he hath opened the eyes of the blind, to see these abominations, efpecially among the Minifters, I mean, the indulged, and these who plead for them! O! Scotland's mercy hath been great, that notwithstanding of their rebellion, and joining with rebels, by that fupremacy, the Lord opened the eyes of the blind, to see these abominations, and to testify against them: O! I fay, This is Scotland's mercy; though fome may think otherwife; for if the Lord had not opened up that evil to poor things, it had been a token that he would have his way, and not owned his covenanted land any more; but it is a token for good yet to the land, that notwithstanding of all our rebellions against him by breach of covenant, he continues yet to difcover to his people, what is fin and duty. And this alfo is a token, that the Lord will not leave Scotland, though he may chaftife it very fore; his taking the blood and lives of the faints, on fields, feas and fcaffolds, to witnefs for his covenants; for the blood of the Martyrs, is the feed of the church. And this is another token for good to the church, that there is a remnant (though small) that is weeping and lamenting over the broken caufe of the church, and over the unconcernedness of the people of God, or of thefe, who fay, They are the people of God, and that there are fo few to keep clean garments, and to wrefle, and witness against the fins of this generation of covenant breakers and ufurpers. O firs! is not this a fweet cordial yet, for all that is come upon us? O fue). take courage, and plead with the Lord, and alfo, through his ftrength, plead with your whorish mother, viz. the indulged, and their deeds, which they have done, and thofe that plead for them O plead, and plead in patience: let not felf rife, let not paffion rife and vex you; "Be fober, be not foon an gry;" fear not reproaches; but beware of giving the ene mies, or profeffed friends, juft ground of reproach; walk in the fight of God and man both, without offence or reproach; and then, if men will be offended, let it be for your duty, and not for your fin. But O! be tender for the glory of God: let there be no vain janglings, or foolish and unlearned questions among you, knowing that they gender ftrife. Be tender one of another. Do not reprove every fall circumftance, till ye have God with you in your reproof, and the thing be a known fin. Avoid evil company, and rather draw yourselves to pray er your alone, and with company, when ye can have the occa fion, and mifs no occafion; for it will be the ready way to cause the Lord leave you and the land; and then "Wo to you, if he depart from "O invite one another to pray you er, efpecially young folks; for I think if the Lord do good to this generation, it will be to young folk ( babes and fucklings fet to the work;" for the Lord hath promifed, that," out of the mouth of babes and fucklings he will per "fect praife;" Who knows, if ye be at your duty, but the Lord will yet fend teachers, who will ftand in the gap, to hold away wrath; but till the Lord fend them, ftand in the gap yourselves and when ye have got them, lay nt all the firefs upon them, left the laft plague be worfe than the firft O keep warfare againft corruptions, and the devil, in very thing. O do not make an idol of the godly, though they be really godly, zealous, judicious and prudent: I do not mean the prudence that the deniers of Chrift and his kingly office mean. Let God be your only God, and not another, Ufe all things to the ufe of edifying, and strengthning one an others hands. Own and maintain your brother's juft caufe, when it comes to an hearing, especially in the matters of God And receive one another, but not to doubtful difputations. Join with and own the godly who are penitent, though there be faults and failing, providing they be fenfible of their guilt; for the Lord maketh more of one prodigal, or of one loft Theep, that is come home, or is found than he doth of ninty nine, who went not aftray. So ought ye to do among your felves: but beware of any finful union Do not grip after Minifters they at least come to take up the work, where Mr. Donald Cargil left it. Ye will not find them honeft till ye find them fo, for I know, there is none who will venture all for Chrift and his caufe, I mean their lives, liberties and fortunes till they be fuch; and there are none, but fuch, who can be counted faithful, for he hath faid, "He that loveth father or mother, wife, or children, houfes or lands, better than me, " is not worthy of me:" And that they who do fo," cannot be my difciples:" Therefore you muft of neceffity look to thefe things among yourselves, till the Lord fend thepherds, who will fearch for the flock; and not leave, nor tear the flock in delivering them into the hand of their enemies, as we have the fad experience of it this day. OI would not be in the cafe of the Minifters of Scotland this day, for the world. Confider Luke xvii. 10. "So likewife when we have done all these "things, fay, we are unprofitable fervants." Let the Law of God be your rule; and when ye have done all to keep the law yet confider, that it cannot merit any good thing, but you muft lean only to the merits and fuffering of Jefus Chrift: bur yet the law must be obferved and obeyed. 'Tis true no meer man is able perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but let not this be your fnáre, for it is the fnare of many of this generation. * O Sirs! Study the fcripture; walk by the ftrictness of the law of God, and the liberty of the golpel of peace; but do not abufe your liberty, to cause the way of God be evil spoken of I fpeak as a dying man, that which I have learned from the word of God, and the turnings of difpenfations. O! he hath taught me by his word and gofpel, and the teaching of his fpifit many things that I cannot exprefs, not one of a thousand, O! he hath filled my mouth many a time with arguments, till I could go no further. I defire to fpeak it to the commendation of free grace. O if the enemies knew what true grace were, they would not do as they do: But truly I think, the judgment fhall be terrible that they fhall be tryfted with. O it hath been weighty to me, to think on their deftruction and mifery, which I have thought upon many a time to be eternal; and yet I have thought upon the other hand, that it was my duty, when God's juftice paffed the fentence, to fay, Amen, (as it were) and fo have defired that the Lord would let his determination be execute upon them. Now, there needs nope of the fuffering remnant be difcouraged, for God is God, and his word is his word; and there is no change of times, nor alteration of difpenfations, but the word will clear all, in fome place of it, and there is no fin that can be committed, but there is a reproof in the word of God to fuit it; nor one objection in the heart, but there is an answer for it from the word: fo ftudy the word of God, and implore the prefence in reading of it. 1 1 Make much ufe of the confeffion of faith, the larger and fhorter Catechifms, mind our covenants national and folemn league. Be not drawn away with the tyranny and perjury of the time. Know that God is God, and that he will not fit with the wrongs he hath gotten by the tyranny and perjury of these men; I mean him whom they call fupreme Magiftrate Charles Stewart, and thefe under him. God be thanked, his Church is well quit of him, though a gallows be fet up for the Church, and all the Jews; vet it is like, Haman muft have a fwing of his own weight on the gallows he hath prepared, or else fome difgracefuller death. Mind Rutherglen teftimony, and Sanqu hair declaration, and the papers found' at the Ferry. Do not think that thefe will, fall to the ground. Mind our Martyrs teftimonies, and every thing consistent with the of God. Do not think, but God will be about with this generation, for letting fo light of fuch things, and cafting them behind their backs. For I declare, I adhere to every found writing, that is according to the word of God, be the author who will; I fay I declare it as a dying man. Indeed this generation think no better fport, than to take any perfon and caft him into prison, and if they but find, (when they have fearched them most barbaroufly) a paper that there is any religion in, be they man or women, lad or lafs, prefently they impeach them with treafon; yea, but I am fure of this, that God will not fit with fuch things, but he will be about with them, be who they will. O but it is fad, to fee fuch things; this land dóubtlefs is ripening for a ftroke, and a judgment will purfue it. O! who would have thought that Scotland would have quit with their covenanted God, and have trode upon all who have the image Of God, in any manner, to be feen in them. It is true, all things work to the good of them that love him," 'Tis this that makes a prifon a banishment, a gallows (where none ufes to be hanged but murderers) fweet indeed. They think it will be for our difgrace, ignominy and fhame, to take us to the Gallowlee to be execute; but they are all beguiled, it will be for our honour; our God is wife enough for all that. They think it is the difgrace of the Prefbyterians in Scotland, to have our heads hanging, and to be hanged up before the fun. Nay, but they are all beguiled; for it will be recorded from one generation to another, "That there was a party of Minifters and people, who fealed the covenant with their "blood, and their heads were fet up for a token of the Lord's kindness to the land;" But for my part, I think my felf unworthy, to be reckoned among fuch, yet I hope that it fhall be faid amongst them, in thefe days, that if there had not been A a |