nifters in private houses, were feiz'd, dragged to prisons, and elofe kept there in great hard@hip, and that of every age and fect.

Thefe were their tender mercies, and but the beginnings of forrows: for after the defeat at Pentland-hills, befide what were killed upon the fpot, fuch as furrendered upon quarter and folemn 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 Minifter, had his leg fqueezed to pieces in the Boots, and was afterwards hanged, tho' he was not in the fight, but had only a fword about him..

Soldiers were ordered to take free quarters in the country. to examine men by tortures, to compel women and children to difcover their husbands and fathers, by threatning death, wounding, ftripping torturing by fire-matches, etc.. Crouding into prifons fo thick, that they could fcarce ftand together, in cold, hunger, and nakedness; and all this, becaufe. they would not. or could not discover who were at that expedition Likewife many enfnaring bonds, oaths and tests were framed, and impofed with rigour and horrid feverity; people obliged to have paffes declaring they had taken them, or Iwear before common foldiers, under pain of being prefently thot dead Severe laws were made against Minifters that came to Edinburgh for fhelter, they and their wives were fearched for, by public fearch, crouded into prifons, fent to foreign plantations to be fold as flaves. Dragoons were fent to purfue people that attended field-preachings, to fearch them out in moffes, moors mountains and dens of the earth. Savage hofts of Highlanders were fent down to depopulate the western fhires, to the number of ten or eleven thousand, who acted most outragious barbarities, even almoft to the laying fome countries defolate.

After the overthrowing of the Lord's people at Bothwel, they doubled their feverities, iffued out more foldiers, impofed cefs, localities, and other new exactions, forced people to fwear fuper inquirendis, and delate upon oath all that went to field preachings, to fet up extraordinary circuit courts, enlarged their Porteous rolls, preffed bonds of compearance to keep the peace, to attend the church, refrain from field-meetings, etc. Examining country people upon several queftions which they had no occafion to understand, as concerning the death of King Charles I. and the Archbishop of St Andrews. And condemning them to death for not anfwering, quartering fome alive, cropping their ears, cutting off the hands of tome, 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 cities, beating drums at their exécutions, that they might not be heard fpeak, detaining others long in prifon, loaden with chains and fetters of iron, and exposed to greater tortures than death itself, and after all fent to be fold as flaves, to empty the prisons, exercifing all these bloody deaths and cruelties upon poor country people, which had no influence to do hurt to their government, tho' they had been willing; yea, upon women of tender age, whom they hanged and drowned, for refufing their oaths and bonds, and resetting the Lord's suffering people.

It would be endless to enumerate all the barbarities, exercifed upon particular perfons, only for a fwatch, take thefe inflicted on that excellent gentleman, David Hackstoun 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 fcaffold prepared for the purpose, thereafter being drawn up by a palley to the top of the high gallows, by the rope which was about his neck, and fuffered to fall down a very confiderable way upon the lower fcaffold 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 breaft, pulled out his heart, while he was yet alive, as appeared both by the body's contracting itfelf, when it was pulled out, and by the violent motion of the heart when it dropt upon the fcaffold, which the executioner taking up upon the knife, fhewed it to the people upon the feveral 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 alfo with his other inwards and noble parts; and having quartered his body, fixed his head and hands on a port at Edinburgh, and the other quarters at Leith Coupar of Fife and other places: Such was the fize and proportion of their perfecutions, while yet they pretended to bring them to the knowledge of affizes and colour of law.

But being now weary with thefe perfecutions, according to the tenor of their own laws; The councellors, to rid them❤ felves of this trouble, gave out an edict for killing them, where-ever they might be found, immediately upon the fpot, unless they would take the oaths, and fhew their pass, which they behoved to fwear, that it was not forged and if they found any arms or ammunition upon them of any fort: By means of which edict, many were suddenly surprised and fhot dead, by the brutish and merciless foldiers, who were either

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peaceably living at home, following their lawful employments for wandering in mountains, to hide them felves from the bloody enemies, not being allowed time to recommend their fouls 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 thefe burriors. The chief eontrivers and frames of this horid murdering edict, were the earl of Perth chancellor, duke of Queensberry, marquis of Athol, and particularly the viscount of Tarbet, now earl of Cromerty, who invented this murdering device, wherein yet he carried fo cunning ly, that he procured the difpatch of the act to the king with fuch fuddennefs, that he found a way to thift his own fubfcribing it; and tho' he wants power now to practife fuch bloody mischief yet it's evident, he has not repented thereof; but is, as yet a contriver of the present encroachments made upon the establifhed church, by the late mifchievous acts of parliament.

But I must not launch any farther into the relation of these cruelties, the true hiftory of which would commence into a volume. I own indeed that a fuller narration of these things with pertinent obfervations thereupon, would have been proper enough for the intended work; but hoping that the Lord may yet raife up fome of better abilities for fuch an undertaking, to let thele fufferings in a true light, and give an impartial recital thereof; this short hint, together with fome account of the fe cold blood murderers in the appendix mayfuffice at prefent Let us next view a little, with fome attention and concern with what undaunted courage, holy refolution and greatness of mind, with what unfhaken ftedfaftnefs and conftancy thefe worthy fufferers underwent all thefe bloody feverities. Thofe Difciples of Jefus had been fo trained up in his school, and learned the great Christian doctrinesof bearing the cross, mortifying the flesh, and contemning the world, they had been fo throughly inftructed by this great mafter of affemblies, who teach to profit, and leads the blind in a way they know not, to difcern the exceeding precioufnefs of truth, and excellency of the knowledge of Chrift, that they were made willing; yea, chearfully willing to forego riches, honours, pleafures, liberty and life itself, when they came in competition, with a fready adherence to the truth, and honour of their lovely Lord. Love to Jefus Chrift, was the great fpring which fet all the wheels of their affections in motion, to do and fuffer for him whatever he called them to. Every one of them could fay to their perfecutors, what Chryfoftom faid to the Empress Eudoxia, who fent him a threatning meffage, "Nil nifi pecca"um timeo," I fear nothing but fin. They faw fo much of The evil of fin, and beauty of holiness, that they would rather

undergo the fevereft of fuffering than ftain their confciences with the leaft fin, or lofe the fmalleft filing of this tine gold of truth. Many of the things for which they fuffered, were reckoned fmall by the indifferent world, but to them they appeared in their juft magnitude. Tertullian in his book, “ De Corona Militis," tells us, That when a certain Chriftian Soldier in the Emperor's army, refused to wear a crown of Bays upon his head, as all the rest of the foldiers did upon a day facred to one of the heathen idols, he was not only mockel at by the infidels for his nicety, but even by many of the Chriftians, conceiving it a folly that this one man, for fuch a fmall and indifferent thing, fhould, endanger both hinteif, and other Chriftians; but Tertullian defends hin, and fays, This foldier was more God's foldier, and more conftant than the rest of his brethren, who prelured they might ferve two Lord's, and for avoiding periecution, comply with the heathen in their fuperftitious rites" And when fome Chriftians 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 fhould not wear "bays upon our heads?". Tertullian aufwers, "Where is "it written that we may do it? We must look into the Scrip❝tures, to see what we ma do; and not think it enough "that the Scripture doth not forbid di ectly this or that very "particular,". They knew with the fame 1ertulian, in the forecited book. "That the fate of Chriftianity doth not

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admit the excufe of neceffity. There is no neceffity of "finning to them, to whom it is only neceffary not to fin " And hence they would not fo much as feem to call in question any of the truths of Chrift: when the enemies would have given them time to deliberate and advife anent them, they were fo confirmed in the prefent truth, that they anfwered their adverfaries, as Cyprian once did his, "In Materia tam "Juita non eft Deliberandum," in fo jutt a caufe there needs no deliberation. When they were urged with the example of other Prefbyterians, Minifters and Profeffors, who had com plied, and were far wifer and better than they; this did not thake them, but rather heighten their zeal. As Chryfoftom tells us, thele two holy Martyrs, Juventius and Maximus, when they were urged by their perfecutors with this argument "Do not you fee others of your rank do thus? Anfwered, "for this very reafon we will manfully ftand and offer our "felves as a facrifice for the beach that they have made :””, So the fad defections of their brethren, made them the more emulous to witnefs for Chrift when fo many Demas like had forlaken him, having loved this present world.

These Martyrs had fuch large difcoveries of Chrift's love, especially under the cross, that their hardest trials were accounted light. As Stephen the Protomartyr got the fulleft view of Chrift, while before the council, fo thefe had most lively fights of him under their fharpeft fufferings; and hence they could not find in their heart to deny fo kind a Mriter. As Polycarp that holy Minifter of Chrift at Smyrna, answered the proconful, bidding him defie Chrift, and he should be discharged, Fourfcore and fix years (fays he) have I been his fervant, yet all this time he hath not fo much as once hurt me, how then may I fpeak evil of my king and fovereign who hath thus preferved me? They where under a lively fenfe of their vows and obligations to Chrift, perfonal and national, and therefore durft not, could not deny his name, nor break his bonds, and caft away his cords, as the wicked hath done; They were of the refolute difpofition of Victorianus, who being follicite dby the Emperor' to turn Arian, told him, "You may try all extremities, torture me, expofe me to "wild beafts, burn me to afhes, I had rather fuffer any thing " than falfifié my promife made to Chrift my Saviour in Bap"tifm." And as Chrift had been very kind to them, fo they trufted much to him, and depended on him for ftrengthning influence, being very fenfible of their own weaknefs; and they durft promife much on Chrift's head; they could fay as Vicentius to the tyrant Darius, "Rage, and do the utmost, "that the Spirit of Malignity can fet on work to do: You "fhall fee God's Spirit ftrengthen the tormented more "than the devil can do the tormentors "And as Zuinglius to the Bishop of Conftance, Truth is a thing invincible, " and cannot be refifted!"

As they were well inftructed in the neceffity, fo in the ufefulness and benefit of the cross, they knew that as the church and nation had defigned to be chaftned and punished of God," fo it was far more eligible to be chaftned by fore adversities, inflicted by a loving father, than by fevere impunities of an incenfed and juff judge. They knew that the grief they fuffered, 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 adverfity, to fcour off the rust they had contracted in profperity. Nay,they were not only content to undergo thefe fatherly corrections, but accounted it a fingular kindefsand condefcenfion thatwhatthey deferved fhouldbetheir punishment, was made their glory, crown and honour: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 gofpel, thould be gathered in