lofe fight of their own profeffion *; but most easily be come a prey unto any whimsical notion, error and delufion whatfoever. And hence it is that fo many profeffors are tript, and carried off their feet at this time. Therefore if we can do no more, if we could, but honeftly hand down the faithful contendings of our reforming and fuffering ancestors as a teftimony to pofterity, it might be a piece of generation fervice, that would yield no finall comfort or peace of mind at last . Memorable for the purpofe are these words in the laft fpeech of the laft martyr that publicly fuffered on a fcaffold in Scotland; "Do not grow weary (fays he) to maintain, "in your place and ftations, the prefent teftimony; for "when Chrift goes forth to defeat antichrift, with that "name written on his vefture, King of Kings, and Lord ες of Lords, he will make it glorious in the earth; And "if ye can but tranfmit it to pofterity ye may count it "a great generation work: But beware of the minifters "that have accepted of this toleration, and all others "that bend that way; for the Sun hath gone down u pon them."

But I know, it is objected, and perhaps will be ob jected, after all that I have here faid, and even by fome judicious perfons, who, in charity, we muft fuppofe with well to the memory and contendings of thefe worthy men, That as they were mostly private men, and these tranf actions partly of a private nature, and fometimes not carried in fuch an agreeable way as they themselves could have wifhed, the publication of them must rather tend to expofę them and their weakness, than to exoner them or the tefti mony they contended for, before this lukewarm or ludibrions generation. Could I here advance any thing they would fuftain as an answer to this, I would just observe;

pn

i, That altho' thefe actors and tranfactions were moftly private men and private matters; yet in fo far aş both were connected in carrying on the public teftimony of the day, they behoved to be of a public nature alfo

The doubts and drifts of the voluble mind,
That here and there appear, turn judgment blind.

The man who confecrates his hours

By vigorous efforts and an honeft aim,

LITHW•

At once he draws the ftring of life and death:
He walks with nature, and her paths are peace.

The Complaint, night fecond

alfo: and would it be accounted fair play to omit the one, that the other might be concealed?

2dly, As feveral of these transactions are already hinted at in the Hind let loofe,-Informatory vindication, Renwick's large life and letters, this must rather be a publishing the original, than offering what is intirely new unto the public. And tho' we are not to judge of matters, nor fteer our courfe always by the needle of providence in the compass of actions; yet I might, afk for what end the original manufcript has been hitherto preferved, if for no ufe to the public?

3dly, Whatever divifions or things difagreeable fell in amongst them, it but only fhews they were but men fubject unto the like paffions with others; and tho' they were but private men, yet I might refer it to the unbi affed reader, whether any thing he finds here of this nature, be not less than what has fallen out in learned church judicatories particularly fince the revolution. And

Laftly, For their other faults and failings, they were but men and willing (at least to the year 1688) to have them corrected, and would it not bear hard upon any hiftory, nay on fcripture itself, to fay, it were better they had never been published, becaufe the faults and failings of the penman, or the perfons therein notified, are therein related or recorded.-Nay, bear with me, if I should fay, that this is one of the proper ufes of all hiftory, facred. or profane; for by this important leffon we may, for the conduct of life, learn what was imitable in the perfons and actions therein narrated, and at the fame time with caution avoid the rocks upon which they fplit or fuffer ed fhipwreck, and fo by guarding againft the errors, follies and mistakes of paft times, we may be rendered

wifer

For instance, the engagenient to fecrecy which they entered into on account of the publishing the Lanerk declaration; which was the molt exceptionable thing of a private nature, was by them laid afide as foon as they difcovered the evil conlequences thereof which was no more nor lefs than what our Refor mers did with feveral things fallen into at the beginning of the reformation, but laid afide afterwards. And for that word to be used by the wanderers mentioned, P 64. let none think it was in imitation of the Mafon word; no, it was only to be uted for a time to prevent their being circumveened by falfe friends or open enemies; a notable inftance we have of the taking of Mr. King, who was betrayed by two of the enemy in difguife of two of the fufferers. Had this word been then and there uted, his apprehending at that time (God willing) might happily have been prevented.

wifer by the experience, and at the expence of former ages. Very pertinent for this, are a few words near the end of the life of Robert Garnock, (wrote by himself while in prison, and yet in manufcript) who was executed at the Gallowlee of Edinburgh, O. ---, 1681."Now, for any thing I know, I will be tortured, and my life taken, and fo will get no more written. So,^ "any that read it, I beg of them, to fhun all that is evil "of my life, as they would fhun hell; and if there be 66 any thing in it that is for use, I request the Lord that "he may bear it home upon them when I am gone, and "make it thus ufeful for them that read it, &c." ALL I obferve in the last place, anent the way and manner of this publication, is, that as Mr. Shields broke off fomewhat abruptly with a paper that was to be given in by each perfon to their minifters at their acceffion to the revolution church, it was found neceffary to add a fhort appendix, fhewing upon what footing the more faithful party ftood their ground at and fince that time. As to the ftile of language, it is much the fame with the original copy: Only as there were fome words fuperfluous and fome papers of leffer note, fomewhat prolex: it was found proper to abridge them a little, as concifely as poffible; in lieu of which, fome letters and other papers more momentuous have been added, and put in their proper places, which had been at first omitted with a few foot notes for the explanation of the subject and all to render it as commodious to the reader, as pof fible and whoever fufpects the tranfcription either of the regifter or appendix to be otherways vitiated from the genuine copies, may be fatisfied with a fight of the autographs from which they wer: tranfcribed.

AND now for a final conclufion, may the angel of the covenant, he who guided his Ifrael of old with a pillar of cloud by day and a flaming fire by night, guide all his own profefling people in this dark and cloudy day, wherein the night of our defections grows darker and darker, and the Jordan of our difficulties deeper and deeper And as the church of Chrift in these Ifles, has now of a long time dwelt with the daughter of Babylon, with that cruel yoke of bondage wreathed about her neck, may the time to favour our Zion come, yea, the fet time, when antichrift that man of fin, and all the supporters and abettors of the kingdom of darkness, may be brought down and deftroyed, with a revival of the decayed power

of

of true practical religion and godliness, and a covena work of reformation, that our captivity may be retu as ftreams in the fouth.

AND if the following theets complexly, fhall, t the divine operation of the fpirit, prove conducive in least, to any of the forefaid purposes, that is, eithe the advantage of true and real religion, or the gainin friends unto, or confining them in the covenanted in eit, in a fubferviency to God's glory and the good o church; then I dare fay, the principal end is gaine For that God the Father and our Lord Jefus Christ himself before Pontius Pilate witneffed a good confe may ftir up and enable many to witnefs and conten the whole of his difputed truths in thefe once covena but now degenerate ifles of the fea, Britain and Irel that glory may dwell in our land, is, and ought to be earneft defire, judicious reader, of one who rem as formerly, thy well-wifher in the truth,

LOCHGOIN, Sept. 27th, 1780.

JOHN HOW

ERRAT A.

Page 16. Line 8. for General Meeeting, read a General ting. p. 218. laft line, for could fee, r. could not fee. pa 15 & 20. for Trierminion x. Frierminion, and foot pote fame page, for ordon v. Gordon, p. 241. foot note, latt lin crunt r. account. Perhaps there are tome others which we the reader will notice and excufe.

ERRATA of the SERMONS.

Page 2. of the preface in the foot note, l. 6. for 1687. r. Page 3 foor note, line 6. for requiring r, receiving, P 11. for his behalf r. bis and their behalf, p. 18, toot note for defore r. before, p. 40. 1. 5. from the foot tor wree 1P. 44. 1. 22, for ferved r, fowed, p. 66, 1. 1. for ife r. life, 1. 7. for them r. me, p. 112. last line, for xxiv r. xxii, p. 28. for faux. Efau.

INTRODUCTION.

As

S the Lord hath made his glorious attributes of mercy, power, and wisdom, to fhine brightly in the behalf, and for the good of his church and people in all ages, to his glory, and their comfort, and to the confounding of all his and their enemies; fo he hath made the fame to appear, in as eminent and fplendid a manner, in, and to, and for the church of Scotland, as to any other. Very early, not long after our Lord's afcenfion, he prevented this land with mercy, in making the light of his glorious gofpel to fhine in it, when many, and thefe far mightier and richer nations, remained in darkness, and in the fhadow of death. And when it was overfpread with grofs Antichriftian darknefs, and that for a long time, he manifefted his love to it, by making the light of the gofpel-again to arife, which as a clear fun-fhine day, after to long and fo dark a night, tended to the discovery of all the errors and idolatries of the man of fin, which were at the very beginning of the Reformation abandoned: So that it was among the first of the nations that did hate the whore, and fhake off her yoke. And many times fince, he hath remembred mercy in wrath, and hath evidenced his love to his people when they could expect nothing (looking upon their own deferts) but to feel the effects of his holy anger; alfo, when his people have been weak and ready to faint under the preffure of heavy burdens, and their enemies many, and strong, then hath he fhown his power, either in fupporting them under thefe burdens, or elfe removing the fame off their backs, and fcattering and overcoming their enemies: Likewife when they have been involved, or near to be involved in terrible-like difficulties, out of which they could fee no way to extricate themfelves, he hath made his wifdom to appear in their behalf, either in

A

leading