to be caft at for all that, feeing they keep the truth: We know there are many of you, that fay, That we do not keep by the Scriptures; but we declare the contrary; for with all our heart, we fet to our feal, and teftimony to the holy Scriptures, which have been sweet to us; and our teftimony to the national and folemn league and covenant, and to the Confeffion of Faith, as agreeable to the word of God, and to the Catechifms larger and horter, and to all that our worthies have done in the defence of the gofpel: We join our hearty teftimony to all their appearances in the fields, both firft and laft. " 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 things that they have done against our worthies, when they were in defence of the gofpel: and we abhor and teftifie against Popery, Prelacy, Quakerifm, Eraftianifin, Indulgency, and all the connivers with them, be who they will; and against Jefuitish principles, which you fay we hold, which fect we most bafely abhor, and give our testimony against all fuch erroneous fects and principles; we give our testimony a gainst all you that fay we have fuch principles, and that we have got new principles, and new light; but we do fay the contrary, and declare that we hold by thefe principles, which minifters did teach both you and us to ftand to in the defence. of, until we had loft our lives and all in that quarrel Now you that fay fuch things of us, we exhort you to repent, or elfe you will meet with a fore day of wrath, for it is not a light thing to fpeak of fufferers, as you do; therefore we obteft. you in the bowels of Jefus Chrift, to be fober in your fpeeches againft that party, and make a right choice, and fairly fide yourfelves, and come out from among the tents of the wicked, and be separated from among them, and join yourselves to the poor fuffering remnant, and be not at eale now in the day of Zion's trouble. Do not think, that you will enjoy your ceiled houses, and your warm fire fides in fuch a day as this. If you be fingle for God, he will have you out from all these things, and denied to them all, for wo to him that is at eafe, when Zion is in trouble, and is not concerned in all the afflictions of Joseph; you must either now get a wakening, or elle you will get a wakening, when then wrath of an angry God comes on the land for fins. Indeed Sirs, we think, that religion has not coft you much heart work. We think you have not been at much pains in feeking of God, for as fair a fhew as ye feem to have. Indeed when the gofpel was in its purity, and many feeking to preach ings, the Lord feemed to be kind to you, and you seemed to have much love to him, and his defpifed way and you feemed as if you would have ventured your life in the defence of the gofpel; but when we would have looked through you at preachings, and going to them, and in coming from them, it would have made fome of us a fore heart to fee your unconcernedness and unfuitable carriage, even among you that feemed to be the heads of them: And when we would have been in fome of your companies, either coming or going, your talk did always fmell of the world, and fo is come of it it. O repent and con e out from among your lufts and idols, that you are fo wedded to. and take hold of a Mediator and feek the Lord with all your heart. O! you town of Stirling, and the fhire, repent, for fentence is paft against you, for what you have done, although it be not put in execution yet. But it will be put in execution e'er long, if you repent not: though the Lord is feeing it fit to take us away from the evils, which are coming on this land, for breach of covenant, and a flighted gofpel. 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, then 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 fpirits, be who they will, Minifters or Profeffors, indulged, or not indulged; for if they be not taken up and concerned with the cafe of the church of God, this day as it is stated, he will come and reckon with them all, and count them all turhers afide," and will lead them forth with the workers of iniquiry, when peace fhall be on Ifrael." Therefore we would defire you to have a care, and look well about you what are doing, and beware of fpeaking against that party you There are fome of you that fay. They are of bloody principles, you should beware of speaking these things, for the contrary is know, that they are not murderers, nor have any fuch intention, as fome of your felves know, although you be fpeaking the contrary, for you never heard of their killing any, except it was in the defence of the gofpel, and their own defence. A Likewife you fay, That we are curfers and criers for vend geance on the land; now we must not ftay to argue this out, we being this day to lay down our lives, but we think, anyt that has tender love to the Son of God, and his caufe, cannot but be grieved to fee Minifters and Profeffors fo avowedly betray the truth, that is sweet and dear to us. yea, dearer than our lives; and when we think on what ye have done to the fweet truths of God, we cannot but pray against your curfes; And as for any thing ye can do to us, we heartily forgive you; but the wrongs you have done to a holy God, we can not 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, firs, we think, ye will embrace Popery ere it be long; your entertaining of that excommunicate Duke of York, a profeft Papift, fays, That you would do more yet: There was not one of you all in town, or hire, that moved your tongue against him, but as if you had all been profeft Papifts, you let him come in among you, and kindly entertained him; we leave our teftimony against your fo doing. But we break off, having no more time, and require you to take these things to your confi leration, and lay fin to heart, and mourn bitterly before the Lord, for what you have done. We here obteft you to come off thefe ways of yours, and make confcience of duty, as in the fight of a holy God, before who ye muft fhortly appear. Slight not time, for it is precious, wrath is at the door; O! make hate, and lay these things to heart, and ftudy to have a more tender refpect to the honour of God. We defire to leave it on you now, when we are going into eternity, that you would mind your engagements and vows to God. And fo we bid you farewel, and bid you mind the poor groaning kirk that we are to leave behind us, which was dear to us. Now we bid farewel to poor defolate Zion, and pray the Lord may mind her cafe. Firewel all things in time, and welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. Subscribed at the Iron house, a little before we went out to the fcaffold, March 11. 1681. WILLIAM GOUGER. It is remarkable, that this martyr, William Gouger, had a little paper in his Bible, which he minded to throw over the fcaffold; but when he was taken into the council-houfe with the other two, it was fomeway got by the murderers, who having read it, commanded the executioner to tie him ftraiter than ordinary, fo that he could fcarce go up the ladder, and afterwards they stopped him from praying. When he was upon the ladder, he began to fpeak, and faid, I am come here for owning Chrift to be head and king in Zion, whereupon they caused beat the drums, feeking to damp and astonish him, that they might trample upon his confcience, and when they offered him his life upon condition he would own the King; be replied, I will own none but Chrift to be King in Zion. Then they faid, Will ye not retract any thing, Sir? He an fwered, No, no, I own all, I adhere to all. Upon which they Immediately called to the executioner to throw him over, which he did incontinent, not allowing him to recommend his fpirit to the Lord. There are extant particular teftimonies of thefe three Martyrs, but because it is doubted, that they may not be genuine, but vitiated by John Gib, or some of thefe that were tainted with his errors; therefore they are here omitted. And moreover, whereas fome are fufpicious, that these three Martyrs themselves, or at least the two laft, were in fome danger from the errors of John Gib, yet in regard that it was not upon any fuch account they fuffered, but for teftifying against the ecclefiaftical fupremacy, they ought to be recorded among the rest, as dying witneffes for Jefus Christ. The dying Teftimony of LAURENCE HAY, Weaver, who lived in Fife, and juffered at Edinburgh, July 13. 1681. Men and Brethren, HA AVING by serious confideration, joined in giving a teftimony against the enemies of God, and all that have joined with them in any thing which tended to the overthrow of the work of reformation; for which I am come in your fight to lay down this life of mine, which I engaged to do in that teftimony, through his ftrength, if he called me to it; because it was according to the word of God, and the covenanted reformation; and feeing I engaged in the ftrength of the Lord to feal it with my blood, and now he in his holy and wife providence has put me to feal it; although I be the feckleffeft and unworthiest of all that fociety. I here in your prefence, with all my heart, fet to my feal to it with my blood, as was promifed at the end of the paper. And if all the hairs of my head were men, having lives, I would think them all little enough, to feal the cause of my dearest and fweetest Lord Jefus, who has been fweet and kind to me, in carrying me through every step of the work, which he put in my hand. O love him, Sirs! O but he is worth the loving! O but he has been kind to me, fince I was apprehended! for he told me then that Satan would caft fome in prifon, that they might be tried; and he bade me be faithful to the death, and he promised me a crown of life, and he hath helped me fince, to fulfil the conditions, and hath alfo given me a right to the promise. And this was all my defire, "That the trial of my faith might be found precious to the "praife of his fweet name:" that his caufe might not be wrong ed, nor his ark get a wrong touch by me: and herein he hath heard my defire, according to that Scripture," He will hear the defire of the humble, and the expectation of the poor "fhall not be loft." For he keeps covenant with thousands of ❝ them that love him, and keeps his commandments. And his "commandments are not grievous; but his yoke is cafie, and "his burden light." And he faid, "He that forfaketh wife, or children, houfes, or lands for my names fake, and the gofpels, fhall receive in this life an hundred fold, and in the "world to come life everlafting: And he that loveth father or "mother more than me, is not worthy of me." Therefore dear friends, give not over to contend for his borne down truths, that this day are in debate betwixt him. and his enemies in covenanted Scotland; according to the Scripture," Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to "the faints." O contend, contend, and give not over; for "he will arife for the oppreffion of the poor, and to the figh"ings of the needy; " for he will have an opportunity to be about with all his enemies, and he is weary with forbering. Therefore truft in the Lord, truft in him at all times; for "they that truft in him, fhall not be afhamed; for they fhall "stand in the gate unafhamed to speak unto their foes." O firs give him much credit; for he hath disappointed me of my fears, in that wherein I feared appearing before men, and helped me to ftand before them; fo that I had no rerror, or amazement, more than they had been the meaneft of creatures: although I cannot fay, "That I have fought the good fight, as that eminent Apostle faid; yet I can fay (praised be God) He hath given me "The victory through Jefus Chrift my "Lord," over principalities; and hath confirmed me, that "neither death, nor life, nor any creature thall feparate me ." from the love of my fweet Lord Jefus Chrift," who is loveworthy, praife-worthy, whorthy to be feared and honoured, who in his abfolute fovereignty, fet apart poor me, to give a teltimony for his glorious and honourable work of reformation "who am lefs than the least of all faints;" but he is an abfolute Lord, and "fhews mercy to whom he will fhew 'mer"cy, and whom he will he hardneth: And he keeps the "fouls of the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud. ❝ doer." Therefore being called to fuffer this day, in this place, for the following of my duty, and for that in particular, in giving a teftimony against the dreadful defections of thefe times, by the means of thefe backfliding Minifters, who have left our fweet Lord Jefus, with his back at the wall, and his poor flock fcattered upon the mountains, "as fheep having on thepherd." T |