the professors of Stirlingshire will get, for all the gold in Europe; there will be no excuse heard then; your wife and children, or lands, will be no excuse; for he hath told in express terms, that Whosoever will not forsake all, and follow him, cannot be his disciple.' Wife and children, houses and lands, must all go for him; and you must take up his cross daily, and wander through at his back,-it may be, hard bestead, with a borrowed bed, and a borrowed fire-side,—and live upor providence: we wot well, there are some of you that can say to you sweet experience, that you never lived better than on God's providence. although now ye have rejected and betaken yourselves to the world. Have you done so? well you may be doing; but ere long you will rue it. Remember, we told you it, when we were going into eternity, that you would meet with much wo and sorrow, for what you have done against the honour of God, if you repent not. 66 2dly, You say, It is not a Presbyterian principle to own the party that is jeoparding their lives for the honour of God, and witnessing for his despised truths, that this day is so abused and nicknamed by you and others: but we say, it is, and maintain it to be, a Presbyterian principle, to own that despised party, for they are the party that are only designing the glory and honour of God, and have no other view before them but his sweet truths, which are dear to them; and they will quit with life and liberty, before they quit with an hoof of truth; which has been made out by their valiant sufferings. O but truth has been sweet and dear to them! They have not counted their lives dear unto them on the account of it. They have cheerfully gone to the scaffold for truth, and have been honourably carried through, and the Lord's presence seen in their through-bearing; as we hope, shall be made out on us, ere it be long: also they study to spend their time and strength for God. When all other means have failed them, they study to keep up that mean of reading, singing, and praying, as the Lord will assist and help them; although the indulged and their consorts have a great envy at them, and do what they can to get them off the earth; for they are the main actors in taking of that poor party; and all is, because their practices condemn theirs ;-although they take the Scriptures for their rule, and study to walk, so as they may get God's approbation in the day of accounts. "3dly, You say, It is not a Presbyterian principle, to own these papers, that our worthies have set out, or the work that they have done, which many of them have sealed with their blood: but we say, that it is a Presbyterian principle; because all that they did was agreeable to the word of God, and our covenants. For, consider these papers when you please, you will find them consonant to the Scriptures, and just and lawful for Presbyterians to own; and say the contrary who will, we do not think them Presbyterians, nor yet covenanters, that will not own them, for there is nothing in them, but what we will with all our hearts seal with our blood as Presbyterians, and as having these principles. "4thly, You say, It is not a Presbyterian principle, to confess all these things: but we say, it is a Presbyterian principle, to confess and avouch him and His truths before this adulterous generation: now when the quarrel is thus stated, we should not put them to prove what is truth. Stephen made a free confession of his faith, and so have all our worthies. And now, seeing we own these things, and they being the controverted truths of the day, and the Lord calling us to own and maintain them; we never thought it our part to smother and hide them, but with courage to avouch them, to the losing of our lives in the quarrel; we seeing our dearest Lord's truths trampled on, and a pack of you that seemed to be fair before the wind, for owning of truth, and witnessing for him,-never so much as putting to your hand to help; but turning your back on truth, and the way of God. Indeed we fear, that ye shall never be honoured to witness for God any more; it is like, you care not for that honour; but we tell you, that you will rue it, when you will not get it mended; and remember we tell you it here, as dying witnesses for truth, you will meet with as sad a judgment as ever a shire met with ;-if you repent not, your judgment will be unparalleled for your denying him before men. "We are come here this day, to witness freely and faithfully against you, and all others, for their complying with the enemies against the word of God. And we say, as in the sight of a living God, you will count for it ere it be long. O! but we think it a sweet thing to be honoured this day to contend for truth, and to be 'overcomers by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony.' Indeed we are called to it, 'to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.' And we think, if we had not been free and faithful, before these bloody wretches, we would have held our life no more of God;-if we did not speak for his truths before them, when he bade us speak. For he sought a proof of our love to him, and his nicknamed despised way, and to poor Zion, whom no man is seeking after; and think you that we durst hold our tongue and not speak, when he bade us? Indeed, our life was not dear to us, when his truth came in question. We might have gone away with our life, and the broad curse of God upon it, to go with us; if we had denied him at this time, we would have held our life no more of him, of whom we held it all our days; and now that we might cheerfully lay it down at his command and bidding: for this we knew that devils or men could not stir a hair of our head, without our Lord's determination; and therefore we are the less afraid of what they could do. "And now, as dying men, we charge you not to speak of that poor party, that this day is so reproached and spoken against by a party of them that are called ministers and professors. O take shame to you altogether; and as you will be answerable, in the day of accounts, we tell you, not to have a wrong thought of them, for all the reproaches that can be said against them: for they are a godly people, and have much of His mind. And if you go on with enemies, and others that have turned their backs on the way of God, go your ways; but it were better that a millstone were hanged about your neck, and ye cast into the midst of the sea,' than that ye should speak at such a rate as ye do. For do you and others reproach as you will, they design nothing but the honour of God, and have the Scriptures to be their rule, and to walk as becomes the gospel. and they study a holy carriage although there be many among them that have an unsuitable carriage, by reason of whom, 'the way of God is evil spoken of:' yet the way of God is not a hair the worse to be liked. It may be there is a Judas among the twelve; and what of that? We say, the rest are not to be cast at for all that, seeing they keep the truth. We know there are many of you that say, that we do not keep by the Scriptures; but we declare the contrary; for with all our heart, we set to our seal and testimony to the Holy Scriptures, which have been sweet to us; and our testimony to the National and Solemn League and Covenant, and to the Confession of Faith, as agreeable to the word of God, and to the Catechisms Larger and Shorter, and to all that our worthies have done in the defence of the gospel: we join our hearty testimony to all their appearances in the fields, both first and last. "And we protest against all the actings of the enemies against the Lord's people in all their proceedings, both first and last, and every thing that they have done against our worthies, when they were in defence of the gospel and we abhor and testify against Popery, Prelacy Quakerism, Erastianism, Indulgency, and all the connivers with them, be they who they will; and against Jesuitish principles, which you say we hold, which sect we most basely abhor, and give our testimony against all such erroneous sects and principles; we give our testimony against all you that say we have such principles, and that we have got new principles and new light; and we say the contrary, and declare, that we hold by those principles which ministers did teach both you and us to stand to in the defence of, until we had lost our lives and all in that quarrel. Now, you that say such things of us, we exhort you to repent, or else you will meet with a sore day of wrath, for it is not a light thing to speak of sufferers as you do: therefore we obtest you, in the bowels of Jesus Christ, to be sober in your speeches against that party, and make a right choice, and fairly side yourselves, and come out from among the tents of the wicked, and be separated from among them, and join yourselves to the poor suffering remnant, and be not at ease now in the day of Zion's trouble. Do not think that you will enjoy your ceiled houses and your warm firesides in such a day as this. If you be single for God, he will have you out from all these things, and denied to them all, for wo to him that is at ease' when Zion is in trouble, and is not concerned in all the afflictions of Joseph; you must either now get a wakening, or else you will get a wakening when the wrath of an angry God comes on the land for sins. 66 Indeed, Sirs, we think, that religion has not cost you much heartwork. We think, you have not been at much pains in seeking God, for as fair a shew as you seem to have. Indeed when the gospel was in its purity, and many seeking to preachings, the Lord seemed to be kind to you, and you seemed to have much love to him, and his despised way, and you seemed as if you would have ventured your life in the defence of the gospel; but when we would have looked through you at preachings, and going to them, and coming from them, it would have made some of us a sore heart to see your unconcernedness and unsuitable carriage, even among you that seemed to be heads of them. And when we would have been in some of your companies, either coming or going, your talk did always smell of the world, and so is come of it. O! repent, and come out from among your lusts and idols, that you are so wedded to, and take hold of a Mediator, and seek the Lord with all your heart. O you, town of Stirling, and the shire, repent, for sentence is past against you for what you have done, although it be not put in execution yet; but it will be put in execution ere long, if you repent not. Though the Lord is seeing it fit to take us away from the evils which are coming on this land, for breach of covenant, and a slighted gospel; we tell you, it may be, you will find it when we are gone, it is better to endure all torments that devils and men can inflict on you here, than to endure one drop of the wrath of an angry God, that will be poured out without mixture on all ranks, that have not the work of the day upon their spirits, be they who they will, ministers or professors, indulged or not indulged; for if they be not taken up and concerned with the case of the church of God, this day, as it is stated, He will come and reckon with them all, and count them all turners aside, and will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, when peace shall be on Israel.' Therefore we would desire you to have a care, and look well about you what you are doing, and beware of speaking against that party. "There are some of you that say, they are of bloody principles. You should beware of speaking these things; for the contrary is known, that they are not murderers, nor have any such intentions, as some of yourselves know, although ye be speaking the contrary; for you never heard of their killing any, except it was in defence of the gospel, and their own defence. "Likewise you say, that we are cursers and criers for vengeance on the land. Now, we must not stay to argue this out, we being this day to lay down our lives, but we think any that has tender love to the Son of God, and his cause, cannot but be grieved to see ministers and professors so avowedly betray the truth, that is sweet and dear to us, yea, dearer than our lives; and when we think on what we have done to the sweet truths of God, we cannot but pray against your courses and as for any thing ye can do to us, we heartily forgive you; but the wrongs ye have done to a holy God, we cannot get them borne, for they are weighty to us. If it were our enemies, we would bear with it, but when it comes from the like of you, we cannot get it borne. Truly, Sirs, we think ye will embrace Popery ere it be long: your entertaining of that excommunicated Duke of York, a professed Papist, says, that you would do more yet. There was not one of you all in town, or shire, that moved your tongue against him, but, as if you had been all professed Papists, you let him come in among you, and kindly entertained him; we leave our testimony against your so doing. "But we break off, having no more time, and request you to take these things to your consideration, and lay sin to heart, and mourn bitterly before the Lord, for what you have done. We here obtest you to come off these ways of yours, and make conscience of duty, as in the sight of a holy God, before whom you must shortly appear. Slight not time, for it is precious; wrath is at the door: Oh! make haste, and lay these things to heart, and study to have a more tender respect to the honour of God. We desire to leave it on you now, when we are going into eternity, that you would mind your engagements and vows to God. And so we bid you farewell, and bid you mind the poor groaning kirk that we are to leave behind us, which was dear to us. Now, we bid farewell to poor desolate Zion, and pray the Lord may mind her case. Farewell all things in time, and welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. "Subscribed at the Iron-house, a WILLIAM GOUGAR. CHRISTOPHER MILLAR. It is remarkable, that this martyr, William Gougar, had a little paper in his Bible, which he minded to throw over the scaffold; but when he was taken into the council-house with the other two, it was someway got by the murderers, who having read it, commanded the executioner to tie him straiter than ordinary, so that he could scarcely go up the ladder, and afterwards they stopped him from praying. When he was upon the ladder, he began to speak, and said, "I am come here for owning Christ to be Head and King in Zion," whereupon they caused to beat the drums, seeking to damp and astonish him, that they might trample upon his conscience; and when they offered him his life, upon condition he would own the king, he replied, "I will own none but Christ to be King in Zion." Then they said, "Will ye not retract any thing, Sir ?" He answered, "No, no; I own all, I adhere to all." Upon which they immediately called the executioner to throw him over, which he did incontinent, not allowing him to recommend his spirit to the Lord.* X. LAURENCE HAY. This Martyr was one of three who were executed on the 13th of July 1681. He was by trade a weaver, and belonged to the shire of Fife. He was charged with no act of rebellion. But having, with his two companions, joined a society which had been instituted for prayer and conference-they were indicted for having signed and published a paper agreed upon by that society, and entitled, "A Testimony against the Evils of the Times." In this paper they disowned the king and all the ministers of the Church, except Mr. Cargill. Being found guilty of treason, they were condemned accordingly; and the following Testimony is said to have been left by the above named individual.] "MEN and Brethren,-Having by serious consideration, joined in giving a testimony against the enemies of God, and all that have joined with them in any thing which tended to the overthrow of the *Cloud of Witnesses. |