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TESTIMONIES,

Of the SUFFERERS for the TRUTH in SCOTLAND, Since the Year 1680.

The Laft Speech and Testimony of the Rev. Mr. DONALD CARGIL, fometime Minister of the Gospel in the barony parish of Glafgow, delivered by bim in Writing before his Execution at the Grofs of Edinburgh July 27, 1680.

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HIS is the moft joyful day that ever I faw in my pilgri mage on earth; my joy is now begun, which I fee fhall never be interrupted. I fee both my interest, and his truth, and the furenefs of the one, and the preci oufnefs of the other. It is near thirty years fince he made it fure; and fince that time (tho' there has fallen out much fin, yet) I was never out of an affurance of mine intereft, nor long out of fight of his prefence. He has dandled me, and kept me lively, and never left me behind; tho' I was oft times turning back. O he has fhewed the wonderful precioufnefs of his grace, not only in the firft receiving thereof, but in renewed and multiplied pardons! I have been a man of great fins, but he has been a God of great mercies. And now, through his mercies, I have a confcience as found and quiet, as if I had never finned. It is long fince I could have adventured on eternity, through God's mercy and Chrift's merits; but death remained fomewhat terrible, and that now is taken away; and now death is no more to me, but to caft my felf into my hufband's arms, and to ly down with him. And however it be with me at the laft, tho' I fhould be ftraitned by God, or interrupted by men, yet all is fure and fhall be well. I have followed holiness, I have taught truth, and I have been moft in the main things; not that I thought the things concerning our times little; buc that I thought none could do any thing to purpose in God's great and publick matters, till they were right in their conditi And O that all had taken this method; for then there had been fewer apoftacies. The religion of the land, and zeal

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for the lands engagements are come to nothing, but a fupine, loathfome, and hateful formality'; and there cannot be zeal, liveliness and rightnefs, where people meet with perfecution, and want heart renovation. My foul trembles to think, how little of regeneration there is amongst the Minifters and profeffors of Scotland. O the Minifters of Scotland, how have they betrayed Chrift's intereft, and beguiled fouls! "they have "not entered in themfelves, and then that were entring in, "they hindred." They have fold the things of Christ, and liberties of his church, for a thort and cuifed quiet to themfelves, which is now near an end: And they are more one, and at peace with God's enemies, after they have done all their mifchiefs, nor they were at firft, when they had but put hand to them. And I much fear, that though there were but one Minister on all the earth, he will make no more use of them; but there will be a dreadful judgment upon themselves, and a long curfe upon their posterity.

As to our profeffors, my counsel to them is, that they would fee well to their own regeneration, for the most part of them has that yet to do; and yet let never one think, that he is in the right exercife of true religion, that has not a zeal to God's publick glory. There is a fmall remnant in Scotland, that my foul has had its greatest comfort on earth from. I wish your increase in holiness, number, love, religion, and righteoufnels: and wait you, and ceafe to contend with thefe men that are gone from us, for there is nothing that fhall convince them, but judgment. Satisfy your confciences, and go forward; for the nearer you are to God, and the further from all others, whether ftated enemies, or lukewarm minifters and profeffors, it thall be the better. My preaching has occafioned perfecution, but the want of it will (I fear) occafion worse. However, I have preached the truths of God to others; as it is written, "I believed, * and fo I preached," and I have not an ill confcience in preaching truth, whatever has followed: and this day I am to feal with my blood all the truths that ever I preached: And what is controverted of that which I have been profeffing, fhall, (e're long) be manifefted by God's judgments in the confciences of men. I had a fweet calmnefs of fpirit, and great fubmiffion as to my taking, the providence of God was fo eminent in it; and I could not but think, that God judged it neceffary for his glory, to bring me to fuch an end, feeing he loofed me from fuch a work. My foul would be exceedingly troubled anent the remnant, were it not that I think the time will be short. Wherefore hold faft, for this is the way that is now perfe cuted.

As to the cause of my fuffering: the main is, "Not ace

"knowledging the prefent authority, as it is eftablished in the "fupremacy and explanatory act.” This is the magistracy that I have rejected, that was invefted with Chrift's power. And feeing that power taken from Chrift, which is his glory, made the effential of the crown, I thought this was, as if I had feen one wearing my husbands garments, after he had killed him. And feeing it is made the effential of the crown, there is no diftinction we can make, that can free, the confcience of the acknowledger, from being a partaker of this facreligious robbing of God, and is but to cheat our confciences, to acknow ledge the civil power, for it is not civil power only that in made of the effence of his crown: And feeing they are fo exprefs, we ought to be plain, for otherwife it is to deny our teftimony, and confent to his robbery.

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After he was come to the fcaffold, ftanding with his back towards the ladder, he fixed his eyes upon the multitude, and defired their attention: and after finging a part of the cxviiith Palm, from the 16. ver, to the clofe, he looked up to the windows on both sides of the fcaffold with a fmilling countenance requesting the people to compofe themfelves, and hear a few words that he had to fay, which (faid he) I fhall direct to three forts of folk, and hall endeavour to be brief. Firft. All you that are going on in perfecuting the work and people of God, O beware for the Lord's fake, and refrain from fuch courses, as you would escape wrath eternally, which will be a torment far beyond what we are to endure by the hands of cruel and bloody murderers. Upon this the drums were beaten, at which he fmillingly faid, Now ye fee we have not liberty to peak, or at least to ipeak what we would; but God knoweth our hearts. But, Oye that are called Minifters, and profeffors in the church of Scotland, who are wearied in waiting upon the Lord, and are turned out of his into a courfe of grofs defection and for my part, I tremble to think what will become of you, for either you fall be punished with fore affliction I mean, in your confciences, becaufe of fin, or elfe you thall be tormented erernally without remedy, which hall be thortly, if mercy prevent it not, which I pray God may be the mercy of all thefe to whom he has thoughts of peace All ye that are the poor remnaut, who fear finning more than fuffering, and are begging for his returning into Scotland to wear his own crown, and reign as King in Zion, in fpite of all that will oppofe him, whether devils or men: I fay to you that are thus waiting, wait on, and ye thall not be difappointed; for either your eyes fhall fee it, or elfe ye fhall die in the faith of it that he fhall return, and "if you fuffer with him, you fhall "alfo reign with him," which reign will be glorious and e

Dackilidi Way, and rua

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ternal I come now to tell you for what I am brought here to die, and to give you an account of my faith, which I fhall do as in the fight of the living God before whom I am thortly, to ftand First, I declare I am a Chriftian, a Proteftant, a Prefbyterian in my judgment, and whatever hath been said of me, I die teftifying against Popery, Prelacy, Eraftianism, and all manner of defection from the truth of God, and against all who make not the fcriptures, which are the word of God, their rule, that fo they may commend Chrift and his way to ftrangers by a holy and gofpel converfation. The cause for which I am fentenced to die here this day, is my difowning of authority in the unlawful exercife thereof, when they instead of ruling for God, are fighting against him, and encroaching upon his prerogatives, by that woful fuprem acy which my foul abhores, and which I have teftified againft fince I was apprehended; and now again I difown all fupremacy over the confciences of men, and liberties of Chrift's church. Whereupon the drums were again beaten, and he kept filence a little, and then faid, of this fubject I fhall fay no more. Only I think the Lord's quarrel against this land is, because there has not been so much heart religion and foul exercife among either Minifters or profeffors, as there feemed to be, when the land owned Chrift and his truth', I with there were more true converfion, and then there would not be fo much back-fliding, and for fear of fuffering, living at eafe, when there are fo tew to contend for Chrift and his caufe.

Now for my own cafe, I blefs the Lord, that for all that hath been faid of me, my confscience doth not condemn me; I do not fay. I am free of fin, but I am at peace with God through a flain Mediator: And I believe that there is no falvation, but only in Chrift: And I abhor that fuperftitious way of worthipping of angels and faints, contrary unto the word of God: As alfo I abhor the leaning to felf-righteoufnefs, and Popish pennances. I blefs the Lord, that these thirty years, and more, I have been at peace with God, and was never fhaken loose of it: And now I am as fure of my interest in Chrift, and peace with God, as all within this bible, and the fpirit of God can make me: and I am no more terrified at death nor afraid of hell, because of fin, than if I had never had fin; for all my fins are freely pardoned, and wafhen throughly away, through the precious blood and interceffion of Jefus Chrift: And I am fully perfwaded. that this is his way for which I fuffer, and that he will return glorioufly to Scotland, but he will be terrifying to many; therefore I'entreat you, be not difcouraged at the way of Chrift, and the caufe for which I am to lay down my line, and liep into eternity, where my

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foul fhall be as full of him, as it ean defire to be. And now, this is the fweetest and most glorious day that ever my eyes did fee Now intreat you, ftudy to know and believe the feriptures, which are the truths of God, thefe I have preached and do firmly belive them. O! prepare for judgments, for they fhall be fore and fudden. Enemies are now enraged against the way and people of God, but e'er long they thall be enraged one again another to their own confufion. At this the drums were beaten a third time. And then being taken to the north fide of the feaffold, he stood a little, during the pace; that one of the reft was unging And then being carried to the fouth fide of the featol 1, he prayed: Thence he was brought to the eatt fide of the scaffold, and then he faid, I in reat you, prepare you presently for a stroke, for God will not fit with a all the wrongs done to him. but will fuddenly come and make inquifition for the blood that hath been thed in Scotland. Then he was commanded to go up the ladder, and as he fer his foot. on the ladder, he faid, The Lord knows I go up this ladder with lefs fear and perturbation of mind, than ever I entered the pulpit to preach. And when he was up, he far himself down and faid. Now I am near to the getting of my crown, which) fhall be fure, for 1 blefs the Lord, and defire all of you to biefs: him, that he hath brought me here, and makes me thumph over devils, and men, and fin; they fhall wound me no more forgive all men the wrongs they have done to me, and pray the Lord may forgive all the wrongs that any of the elect have, done against him." I pray, that fufferers may be kept from in, and helped to know their duty Then having prayed a little within himself, he lifted up the napkin and faid, Farewell all relations and friends in Chrift; farewel acquaintances, and all earthly enjoyment; farewel reading and preaching, praying and believing, wanderings, reproaches, and fufferings. Wel come jo unfpeakable, and full of glory. Welcome Father, Son and holy Ghoft, into thy hands I com nit my fpirit, Thea he prayed a little, and the executioner turned him over prays ing.

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[Because this dying teftimony and laft Speech are but short, which was occafioned through want of time, and the perfe cutors feverity; who took his larger teftimony from him the day before he died, paper and ink being conveyed to him fecretly by a cord through the window the night before his death, it is thought proper to fubjoin thefe following letters of his they being all of puplick concern) to give a more full difcovery of the teftimony which he held. And particu farly of his witneffing against the errors about that tiine

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