of this amongst many who are enemies to the cross of Christ, and inind earthly things. And yet, I dare not say, but that there are many faithful and precious to him in Scotland, both of ministers and professors, whom I hope, God will keep stedfast, and who will study to be faithful to their Lord and Master, and whom I hope, he will make as brazen walls, and as iron pillars, and as defenced cities in the following of their duty, in these sad and evil times; but it were to be wished, that there were not too many who strengthen the hands of evil-doers, and making themselves transgressors, by studying to build up again, that which formerly they had destroyed; let such take heed of that flying roll in Zech, v. And let all the Lord's servants and ministers take heed, that they watch and be stedfast in the faith, and quit themselves like men, and be strong:' and that they set the trumpets to their mouths, and give a seasonable and faithful warning to all ranks, concerning sin and duty, especially against the sins of this sinful time. It is to be lamented, and is sadly regretted by many of the Lord's people, that there hath been so much silence and fainting, even amongst ministers. Oh! how great a concernment is it now in this sad juncture! Let ministers consider well, what it is that God calleth for at their hands; to be silent now, especially when so horrid and cruel things are acted, when they are so much called, and ought to be concerned to speak, even upon the peril of life, is certainly a dreadful sin in the sight of God. I shall only desire, that God may open the mouths of his faithful servants, that with all boldness they may speak out the mind of their Master, and so the work, interest, crown, and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ may not be destroyed; and that the souls of his poor people, which are precious to God, may not without testimony be ruined. I shall but say two or three words more. 1. All that are profane,-I would seriously exhort you, that ye would return to the Lord by serious repentance, which if ye do, iniquity shall not be your ruin; if not, know, that the day of the Lord's vengeance is near, and it hasteneth on. O know for your comfort, there is a door of mercy yet open, if ye be not despisers of the day of salvation. And ye that have been and yet are reproachers and persecutors of godliness, and of such as live godly, take heed; sad will your day be when God ariseth to scatter his enemies, if ye repent not of all your ungodly deeds. 2. All those that are Gallios,-if their own private interest prosper, and go well, they care the less for the interest of Christ; take heed, be zealous and repent, lest the Lord pass that sentence, I will spew you out of my mouth.' 3. For the truly godly, and such as are lamenting after the Lord, and mourning for all the abominations done in the city and in the land, and are taking pleasure in the rubbish and stones of Zion,-be of good courage, and cast not away your confidence. I dare not say any thing to future things, but surely the Lord hath a handful that are precious to him, whom he will be gracious unto. This is a dark night, how long it may last, the Lord knoweth: and let none of the sad disasters his people are trysted with, though very astonishing, terrify you; beware of sin that abounds; cleave fast to your covenanted, reformed religion; do not shift the cross of Christ, if ye be called unto it, it is better to suffer

than sin; account the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world.

6

"VII. In the last place, let not my death be grievous to any of you;-I hope it will be more profitable both for you and me, and for the church and interest of God, than my life could have been. I bless the Lord, I can freely and frankly forgive all men the guilt of it, even as I desire to be forgiven of God. Pray for them that persecute you, and bless them that curse you.' As to the cross of Jesus Christ the Lord, I never had cause, nor have this day, to rue for any thing I have suffered, or can now suffer for his name. I thank the Lord, who hath showed mercy to such a vile sinner as I am, and that ever he should have advanced me to such a high dignity, as to be made a minister of the blessed and everlasting gospel, or that ever I should have had a seal set to my ministry upon the hearts of some in several places of this land. The Lord visit Scotland with more and more faithful pastors, and send a reviving day to the work and people of God. In the meantime, Be patient, be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; and live in love and peace one with another, and the Lord be with his afflicted, groaning people that are behind.

"Now I bid farewell with all my friends and dear relations; farewell my poor wife and child, whom I leave on the good hand of Him, who is better than seven husbands, and will be a father to the fatherless.' Farewell all creature comforts, and welcome everlasting life, everlasting glory, everlasting love, and everlasting praise. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.'

"Edinburgh,

"August 14th, 1679."

Sic Sub.-JOHN KING.”*

Naphtali, pp. 435-444.-In this and the preceding testimony it will be observed, that whilst the strongest general professions of loyalty to the king are set forth, there is also a firm and faithful vindication, from the charge of rebellion of the rising in arms at Bothwell. Nor can it, in justice, be held as inconsistent with this, that the two martyrs in their petition to the council for the privilege of an exculpatory proof, and also in their judicial confession,speak of that enterprise under this odious title :-For, in reference to the first of these papers, (which are both to be seen in Wodrow) "The style," says he, "is evidently that of their lawyers, and when people are under their management, it must be expected their petition will run in their phrases, as a patient must follow a physician's prescription." And with respect to the other-it would, of course, be written by the clerk of court, and would probably be sigued by our Worthies under the excruciating torture of the boot.-Notwithstanding all the abuse that was heaped upon them at the time, and notwithstanding such apparent discrepancies, as may still appear in their testimonies-they seem to have been faithful and enlightened witnesses to the principles of the presbyterian church of Scotland.

XXVII. THOMAS BROWN AND OTHERS.

SECT. I. THEIR JOINT TESTIMONY.

[It may be perceived, that the arrangement of this, and the three succeeding articles, is somewhat peculiar. This is owing to the number and variety of their respective contents.-Thomas Brown was one of Five men, who, on the 25th of November, 1679, were executed and hung in chains, at Magus Muir, in Fifeshire, the scene of the Archbishop's death. This was not because of their having had any hand in that deed, for they were not even charged with it in the indictment; but having refused, when called upon, to declare it murder, and being found guilty of the Bothwell insurrection, it was determined they should suffer on that spot, as marking “the king's detestation" of the event which had there taken place.*—The papers containing their views as to the cause in which they suffered, are here arranged under four general heads, and for the sake of distinction, designated as follows:-Their joint or general Testimony; their respective or particular Testimonies; their Dying

"A letter from the king, dated July 26th, to the Council, bears' his detestation of the murder of the late Archbishop of St. Andrews; and being desirous to vindicate that innocent blood and show his detestation of the murder, he commands them to cause process criminally, nine of those who were in the late rebellion, with this additional consideration of having owned these murderers-who are hereby excepted from any indemnity; and that, besides the persons who are to be excepted therein-those nine being to be executed merely upon that account. They, being convicted, are to be hanged in chains upon the place where the horrid murder was committed.'-No reflections are necessary upon this; it probably was a proposal sent up from Edinburgh. At the same time, Lauderdale, in his letter, signifies to the council, that the king wonders he hath no account of the trial of the prisoners who were eminently ringleaders and active in the rebellion; and that it is his express pleasure that the justicecourt proceed immediately to the trial of them.' The council in answer to both, acquaint the king, that the Justiciary had already sentenced Messrs. King and Kid; and had appointed a committee to consider the most proper methods for proceeding against others who have been ringleaders in the rebellion.' Wodrow, vol. ii.

·

6

This committee, it appears, on the 6th of August following, gave in a report, containing the names of about thirty individuals who refused to call the insurrection, rebellion, and the Archbishop's death, murder,—and in consequence of this, nine individuals, of whom Thomas Brown was one, were impannelled on the 26th of that month. This trial, however, was not proceeded with, and nothing farther was done in the matter till November 10th, when some of the nine with a great many others, including the five persons, whose Testimonies are here given, were indicted for being in the rebellion and owning the Archbishop's murderers. Their indictment was full of the most false and odious misrepresentations, which have been well refuted by Wodrow. It was, nevertheless, read and sustained. All the rest, except the five whose death was determined on, were remitted to another diet; but the prosecution against them does not seem to have been resumed. These five were condemned upon their own confession of having been at Bothwell. They were sentenced to be executed on the 18th November. But whether the council respited them till the 25th, or that the Editor of Naphtali has been mistaken as to this date, cannot be ascertained.

Speech; and their Last Words. The first of these is a paper of considerable length, and constitutes the present Section.]

"Men and Brethren :-Although the most part of this generation, not only be wicked and declared enemies of our Lord, but also too many professors and ministers* may, and do look upon us as fools, because of our suffering unto death, for that which too many either account not duty, or at least, look upon it as a light and indifferent thing: yet we assure you, it is not so with us, nor can we see how all these cunning and far-fetched distinctions would be able to clear and cover us from a flat denying of our Lord and Master, and a plain going out from under his banner and protection, to make peace with, and seek quiet and safety from those who have lifted themselves up against him and his cause. For Isaiah said, chap. lvii. 21. No peace unto the wicked, saith my God;' how can we expect peace under them, who are in open war with our Lord, and have robbed him of his glory; and have the ark in captivity, under their hand? It is vain to think that any can have peace under them, who have God for their party against them, Obad. ver. 6, 7. "How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hid things sought up! All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border; the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee, there is no understanding in him." Now, however we be looked upon as fools, both because so many have left us, and so many appear and speak against us; yet we are confident, it shall be found for Christ's sake and the gospel's, and that yet there is a remnant in this land that cordially join and sympathize with us, and will adhere unto that which we are called to seal with our blood. We confess, we are not learned men, and have not that wisdom and policy that is so much approved and followed in the world, yet we shall find it our mercy to follow that wisdom that is from above, which is first pure and then peaceable, and that understanding which is from above, and that to depart from all evil, is and hath been our surest rule,—when the Searcher of all hearts shall bring forth the hidden things of dishonesty, and when that scripture, Luke xvi. 15. by after providence, is applied and seen upon them, and their practices, that now condemn us, "Ye are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your

There is here an allusion to what is afterwards discussed more fully, namely, the unlawfulness of accepting their liberty by signing the proposed bond. It would appear from what is here stated, and indeed we know it to be the fact, that many, to whose Christian profession there could be no valid exception, and some even who were invested with the sacred office, and otherwise good and faithful men, were induced to look upon the signing of the bond as not inconsistent with their duty to the Saviour, and offered many reasonings to that effect. And perhaps to them, and to many others, the firmness of those who refused it, might seem to be the merest obstinacy; whilst their death, in such circumstances, might appear to resemble the fool's. It is enough, however, to

say, that the sufferers themselves thought otherwise, and surely it must be allowed, that they had the deepest interest in deciding aright.

hearts, for that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is an abomina tion in the sight of God."

Now to satisfy you a little further, we shall tell you, that it is the fear of offending, and losing the peace and favour of our good Lord, who is this day an angry and jealous God, that makes us we dare not take this wicked and hell-hatched bond.* For in our baptism, our fathers devoted, and gave us unto the Lord, and afterward, when we came to desire an interest in him, and close the bargain with him, we took him for our Lord and King, as well as our Saviour and Priest, and upon his own terms; and so to follow and walk in him, even though it should cost us our lives. And now, since he is calling for our lives, we dare not take our word again, and break the bargain with so kind a Master, for all the bounties and baits that is promised by, or can be gotten from men. Ye see, by the first part of the bond, they would make us acknowledge our appearance at Bothwell-bridge to be rebellion, which we cannot: but were then, and still are of the mind, we were only appearing for our Lord and his truths, by dissenting from, and testifying against both the appearing of open and stated enemies, 'that have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling places,' and also, all those, though professing friends, that have sided with, and strengthened their hands, and offended and made sad the hearts of his poor people; that so, if there shall be not only a further usurping, as hath been already, but a giving up by consent by the most part, the glory of the Lord, and submitting to the supremacy,

With respect to the bond here spoken of, it may be proper to note a few particulars.-Upon the fatal issue of the battle of Bothwell, about twelve or thirteen hundred prisoners were taken, and carried to Edinburgh. These, with about two hundred more, who had been apprehended at Glasgow, Stirling, and other places in that neighbourhood, after enduring many and great hardships, in their progress, were, with the exception of a few individuals who were put into the Prison, lodged in the Grayfriars' church yard, as the place of their confinement. In about a fortnight thereafter, the lords of his majesty's privy council in obedience to a letter received from his majesty on the subject, ordained that all the less distinguished of thein might be set at liberty on their subscribing the following bond :

"I being apprehended for being at the late Rebellion; and whereas the lords of his majesty's privy council in pursuance of his majesty's command, have ordained me to be set at liberty, I enacting myself to the effect underwritten :-Therefore, I bind, oblige, and enact myself in the books of the privy council, that hereafter I shall not take up arms, without or against his majesty or his authority. As witness my hand," &c.

The exact number of those who took and of those who refused this obligation, cannot be ascertained. It appears that the greater part fell in with it: and it was said that many who did so, signed it under the impression that their rising was not against his majesty's authority, and consequently that it did not bind them up from any such appearance when occasion offered again. About four hundred, it seems, refused, and consequently were continued in their confinement, in the church-yard: but to many the bond was not in the first instance, offered. Of these four hundred, it was reckoned that about a hundred got out, in one way or another, without any compliance. With those who remained, every means was resorted to, in order to induce them to subscribe. But they continued unshaken in their purpose; and "as their troubles grew, so did their firmness and resolution."