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take pleasure in the stones and dust of Zion, cast not away your confidence, but be comforted and encouraged in the Lord. He will yet appear to your joy; God hath not cast away his people nor work in Britain and Ireland: I hope it shall once more revive by the power of his Spirit, and take root downward, and bear fruit upward. There is yet a holy seed and precious remnant, whom God will preserve and bring forth: but how long or dark our night may be, I do not know; the Lord shorten it for the sake of his chosen. In the meanwhile, be ye patient and stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and in love one to another: beware of snares which are strawed thick; cleave to the covenant and work of reformation; do not decline the cross of Jesus Christ; choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;' and account the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasure of the world. Let my death grieve none of you, it will be more profitable and advantageous both for me, and for you, and for the church of God, and for Christ's interest and honour, than my life could have been. I forgive all men the guilt of it, and I desire you to do so also: Pray for them that persecute you, and bless them that curse you, bless, I say, and curse not.' I die in the faith of the apostles and primitive Christians, and protestant reformed churches, particularly of the church of Scotland, whereof I am a member and minister. I bear my witness and testimony to the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government of the church of Scotland, by kirk sessions, presbyteries, synods, and general assemblies. Popery and prelacy, and all the trumpery of service and ceremonies that wait upon them, I do abhor. I do bear witness unto the national covenant of Scotland, and the solemn league and covenant betwixt the three kingdems of Scotland, England, and Ireland: these sacred, solemn, public oaths of God, I believe, can be loosed nor dispensed with, by no person, or party, or power upon earth; but are still binding upon these kingdoms, and will be for ever hereafter; and are ratified and sealed by the conversion of many thousand souls, since our entering thereinto. I bear my witness to the protestation against the controverted assemblies, and the public resolutions; to the testimonies given against the sectaries; against the course of backsliding and defection that is now on foot in the land, and all the branches and parts thereof, under whatsoever name or notion, or acted by whatsoever party or person. And in the last place, I bear my witness to the cross of Jesus Christ; and that I never had cause, nor have cause this day, to repent because of any thing I have suffered, or can now suffer for his name: I take God to record upon my soul, I would not exchange this scaffold, with the palace or mitre of the greatest prelate in Britain. Blessed be God, who hath showed mercy to such a wretch, and hath revealed his Son in me, and made me a minister of the everlasting gospel; and that he hath deigned, in the midst of much contradiction from Satan and the world, to seal my ministry upon the hearts of not a few of his people, and especially in the station wherein I was last, I mean the congregation and presbytery of Stirling. God forgive the poor empty man, that did there intrude upon my labours, and hath made n

prey of many poor souls, and exposed others to reproach, and oppression, and a famine of the word of the Lord. God forgive the misleaders of that part of the poor people, who tempted them to reject their own pastor, and to admit of intruders, and the Father of mercies pity that poor misled people: and the Lord visit the congregation and presbytery of Stirling once more with faithful pastors, and grant that the work and people of God may be revived through all Britain, and over all the world. Jesus Christ is my light, and my life, my righteousness, my strength, and my salvation: He is all my salvation, and all my desire.' Him, oh, him, I do with all the strength of my soul commend unto you. Blessed are they that are not offended in him :' blessed are they that trust in him. Bless him, O my soul, from henceforth, even for ever.' Rejoice, rejoice all ye that love him; be patient and rejoice in tribulation: blessed are you, and blessed shall you be for ever and ever. Everlasting righteousness and eternal salvation is yours: All are yours, and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's. 'Remember me, O Lord, with the favour thou bearest to thy people; visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation; that I may glory with thine inheritance. Now let thy servant depart in peace, since mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' "*

Sic Sub.-JAMES GUTHRIE."

He gave a copy of this his last speech and testimony, subscribed and sealed, to a friend to keep, which he was to deliver to his son, then a child, when he came to age. When on the scaffold, he lifted the napkin off his face, just before he was turned over, and cried, "The covenants, the covenants, shall yet be Scotland's reviving."

IV. WILLIAM GOVAN.

[Of this person, who suffered along with Mr. Guthrie, little informa tion has been transmitted. He is in some papers styled Captain Govan.' At all events, it is evident he was a soldier, and that as the chief offence charged against him, he had deserted the king's standard at Hamilton, in company with many others, when the protector's successes had rendered farther resistance useless. It was also alleged against him, that he was present on the scaffold when Charles I. was beheaded; but to the satisfaction of all, he proved himself alibi. He was reckoned a pious good man, and was evidently an adherent of the presbyterian interest. His speech, which he delivered immediately after Mr. Guthrie's execution and just before his own, contains almost all the account that now remains of his life and character.]

"Gentlemen and countrymen,-I am here to suffer this day; and that I may declare to you the cause-it is for laying down my arms

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at Hamilton, as did all the rest of the company that was there. What was I, that king and parliament should have taken notice of me, being a private boy thrust forth into the fields, who was not worthy to be noticed by any? For as I was obscure in myself, so my actions were not conspicuous. Yet it pleased the Lord to employ me as a mean and instrument (unworthy as I was) for carrying on a part of the late reformation; which I did faithfully endeavour in my station, not going beyond it,-for which I am to suffer this day.

"Licentious people have taken occasion to calumniate me this time past, in saying I was an instrument in his late majesty's death, and that I should have said I was on the scaffold at the time of his execution :—all which I do here deny, in the presence of Almighty God, to whom I must shortly answer. And, before you all, I do here protest, as I hope for salvation, that I was not instrumental in that, either in word or deed. But on the contrary, it was sore against my heart, who was still a well wisher of his majesty, and even wished he might be to these lands as David, Solomon, and Josiah. But what could a simple protestation of one who is the least among men do? I do indeed remember I was honoured to bring up Montrose's standard through these streets, and deliver it to the parliament; in which I glory, as thousands more than I did at that time, for I was then but an executioner, but now I am a sufferer for these things.

"Let me now speak a word to some sorts of people. First of all you that are profane, leave off your profanity, forbear sin and seek mercy; otherwise you will undoubtedly repent it when too late. For ere long you must answer, as I am shortly to do, before a just God. Again, to you civilians and indifferent folks, who, if your own private earthly interest prosper, do not care how the affairs of Christ and his church go,-know that that will not do your turn; you must bear a testimony for God, be zealous for his cause, and repent now of your sins so shall you avoid that curse pronounced against the lukewarm Laodiceans,—I will spue them out of my mouth. As to the really godly, I would say this: be not afraid nor astonished to bear testimony and suffer for his truth.

"As for myself, it pleased the Lord, in the fourteenth year of my age, to manifest his love to me, and now it is about twenty-four years since; all which time I professed the truth which I suffer for, and bear testimony to at this day, and am not afraid of the cross upon that account: it is sweet, it is sweet-otherwise how durst I look upon the corpse of him who hangs there, with courage, and smile upon those sticks and that gibbet as the gates of heaven! I die confident in the faith of the prophets and apostles, bearing my testimony to the gospel as it is now preached by an honest ministry in this city: though, alas! there be a corrupt generation among the ministry.

"I bear witness with my blood to the persecuted government of this church, in general assemblies, synods, and presbyteries, and also to the protestation against the public resolutions. I bear witness to the covenants, national and solemn league, and now am to seal these with my blood. I likewise testify against all popery, prelacy, idolatry, superstition, and the service-book, for I have taken not a little

pains in searching out those things, and have found them to be but the relics of the Romish superstition and idolatry left in king Henry VIII's time; who, though it pleased the Lord to make use of him for beginning the work of reformation, yet he was no good man."

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After having thus spoken, he took a ring from his finger and gave it to a friend upon the scaffold, desiring him to take it to his wife, and say that "he died in humble confidence, and found the cross o Christ sweet." He declared that "Christ had done all for him, and it was by him alone he was justified;" and being desired to look up to Christ, he answered, "He looketh down and smileth upon me.' Then mounting up some steps of the ladder, he said, "Dear friends, pledge this cup of suffering before you sin, as I have done; for sin and suffering have been presented to me, and I have chosen the suffering part." Then the cord being put about his neck, he said, "Now I am near my last, and I desire to reflect on no man; I would only acquaint you of one thing: the commissioner and I went out to the fields together for one cause; I have now the cord about my neck, and he is promoted to be his majesty's commissioner; yet for a thousand worlds I would not change lots with him!!-Praise and glory be to Christ for ever." After having again prayed for a little, he gave the sign, and was forthwith turned over.*

V. SIR ARCHIBALD JOHNSTON, LORD WARRISTON.

[This truly eminent and excellent person was bred to the profession of the law; and having given unequivocal proofs of his zeal in favour of the reformation then going forward, was chosen clerk to the General Assembly in 1638, and afterwards procurator for the church. In these offices, and in the various matters which they led him to undertake, he conducted himself in a manner which secured to him the respect of both the church and state; and in 1641, he was knighted by his majesty, and appointed a lord of session. Afterwards, in 1643, he was sent as a commissioner to the Westminster Assembly, an appointment which lasted till 1648. In 1650 the act of classes being repealed, he took a prominent part with those who protested against it; and in 1657, repaired to London with some others, to plead the cause of that party. This appointment, honourable as it was, proved fatal to him. He was won over by the insinuating arts of Cromwell, and prevailed on to accept the office of Clerk-register at his hands. And this, together with his zeal for the protesting cause, was, after the restoration, turned into a charge against him, upon which he was condemned. The following speech he read at his execution, on the 22d of July, 1663.] Right honourable, much honoured, and beloved auditors and spectators, that which I intended and prepared to have spoken at this

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time, and in this condition, immediately before my death (if it should be so ordered that it should be my lot) is not at present in my power, having been taken from me: but I hope the Lord shall preserve it to bear my testimony more fully and clearly, than now I can in this condition, having my memory much destroyed, through much sore and long sickness, melancholy, and excessive drawing of my blood;* though I bless the Lord my God, that notwithstanding the forementioned distempers, I am in some capacity to leave this short and weak testimony.

"1st, I desire in the first place to confess my sins, so far as is proper to this place and case, and to acknowledge God's mercies; and to express my repentance of the one, and my faith of the other, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ our gracious Redeemer and Mediator. I confess that my natural temper (or rather distemper) hath been hasty and passionate, and that in my manner of going about and prosecuting of the best pieces of work and service, to the Lord, and to my generation, I have been subject to many excesses of heat, and thereby to some precipitations, which hath no doubt offended standers-by and lookers-on, and hath exposed both me, and the work, to their mistakes; whereby, the beauty of the work hath been obscured: neither have I, in following the Lord's work, his good work, been without my own self-seeking; which hath several ways vented itself, to the offence of both God and man, and to the grief thereafter of my own conscience, and which hath often made me groan, and cry out with the apostle, 'O miserable man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death;' and to lie low in the dust mourning and lamenting over the same, deprecating God's wrath, and begging his tender mercies to pardon, and his powerful grace to cure all these evils. I must withal confess, that it doth not a little trouble me, and lie heavy upon my spirit, and will bring me down with sorrow to the grave (though I was not alone in this offence, but had the body of the nation going before me, and the example of persons of all ranks to in

There are two things in this sentence which it may be proper to explain. When, in the year 1661, the order to apprehend him reached Edinburgh, Warriston happened to be from home; and being informed of it, before entering the town, he turned his horse and escaped out of the kingdom, in the disguise of a merchant. He was immediately after declared a fugitive, and, notwithstanding his absence, sentenced to forfeiture and death. It was natural in these circumstances, and even proper, that with such a fate awaiting him, he should prepare the testimony which he had in view to seal with his blood. As yet, his powerful mind, though for some time depressed by melancholy, was unimpaired in its energies; and would no doubt enable him to do ample justice to views with which he was familiar, and which he had long and often advanced and promoted. During his stay at Hamburgh, however, where he chiefly resided during his exile, he was taken ill, and being attended by Dr. Bates, is said to have suffered by his treat ment. The character of this man, who allowed his friends to boast of his having shortened the days of Cromwell, renders the allegation not improbable. It Is said that he gave Warriston poison in his physic, and took from him about 60 ounces of blood, thus weakening his mind, by destroying his bodily vigour. Now, it is not unlikely that the testimony which previous to this he might have prepared, would at his apprehension shortly after, be found upon him, and with his other papers would be seized and taken away.

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