militia, and uplifting of money for his fervice. I leave my tef timony against every thing that may ftrengthen his hands. weaken the hands of the people of the Lord.

Now I defire you, as a dying man, who am within forty eight hours, or little more of eternity, to difown Charles Stew art to be your king and fovereign. I charge you so to do, as you would have peace with God; for I never knew what true peace was, till did it, and took Jefus Chrift for my king and law-giver This is not, that I difown kings or kingly gor vernment, for I own both; but when their actions are fuch as his are, and a covenanted king as he was, we cannot in confcience yield to him; for he hath murdered the Lord's people our brethren, and when we acknowledge even his civil autho rity, I cannot see what way we are clean of their blood, it be ing by a fhadow of law and authority, that he takes away their lives, and fo we cannot own him in that; and to own him in ecclefiaftic matters, I think there will be none fo abfurd, as to fay, We fhould do that, he having nothing to do in church matters; he only received the fceptre in his hand, to be a hedge about, and to defend her against all oppofition: And now ye may fee, how he hath deftroyed her instead of defending her. I give you it in short, and defire you to ponder and confider it; and ye will not find me fo mad, as many of you fay I am; for I am not prodigal of my life, neither have I a hand in my own death; for I love my life as well as my neighbours, and it is as dear to me as any of yours is to you: But when it comes in competion with my Lord's truths, I dare not seek to fave my life with prejudice thereunto. Neither am I wearied of my life, though it is true indeed, there is nothing here to be coveted, that is not enough to weary one, neither am I wearied of it; therefore I charge you, that ye do not brand me with afperfions, when I am gone. I leave my blood on all the aflizers, who after we had given in our proteftation against all their proceedings, both in their council and justiciary, and told them, That it was for no action that we were fuffering, but only on the mattter of confcience and judgment that we were pannelled; yet notwithstanding of our charging them with our blood, they moft unjustly take away our lives: Do not think, that this flows from a fpirit of malice, fpite, bitternels, or revenge; for I defire to blefs the Lord, I am free of the spirit of bitterness, or revenge: But they take away my life without, and against any juft law, I cannot get it paffed. Do not think that I am an enthufiaftic, and take on me a bare impulfe of the fpirit, for a call to fuffer on, or the word as it lyes litterally, for a call; for it is not fo, I have defired and used some endeavours, though it has been in great weakness,

I confefs; yet, I dare fay, in fome refpect, my defire to the I ord bout it hath been fincere, that he would help me to get his word and my own confcience confulted, and to try the word by the fpirit, and the Spirit by the word; for it is but a dead-letter without the fpitit. And likewife my blood is lying, and will be heavy on that Popish Duke. And I will not fay, but the Lord will permit him to ufurp the crown of Scotland, but the blood that he hath got to welcome him home to it, and to fatisfy his own luft, will weight him down from the throne; but indeed, I fear, that he get his defign drawn to a great length, and got the ark carried away, even to your apprehenfion, out of Scotland; but remember the Philistines carrying away the ark, and the men of Beththemeth looking into it, how the Lord fmote them and fo I think, when they have got the kirk banished and destroyed, and the witneffes all killed, when they will look on the church, as carried clean away and thereupon fhall turn fecure, will not the Lord be avenged on them, and charge them with all the blood they have fo hainoufly thed? But indeed, we have deserved no lefs, than the Lord's leaving of this land, and to give them into the hands of their enemies but as long as there is no appearance of a better Church, in the whole world, ye need not fear, that the Lord will enhance Scotland's right of a church to any other. He fuffered the children of Ifrael many a time to fall into, and ly under the hands of their enemies; but he never forfook them altogether, until there came a better in their place. Likewife my blood is on all these parliamenters and councillors, and thefe of the jufticiary, as they call it.

Now, dear friends, I am going to eternity, ere it be long, from whence I cannot return, and as a dying man, I give you warning, and bid you take heed what you are doing. Be tender of the glory of God, and take no unlawful gate to fhun fuffering, nor finful fhifts to come by the crofs. But when there is a crofs lying in the way, fee that ye about leek not to go it; and venture upon fuffering before finning; for he never fent any a warfare, upon their own charges. If any knew the sweetness of a prifon, they would not be afraid to enter upon fuffering; ye would not join with the Lord's enemies, as ye are doing. O dear friends, take warning now, for it is a queftion if ever ye get any more warnings of this kind. For it is a fad juncture, or circumftance of time, that your lot and mine is fallen into; but now I am going away home, O! the Lord is kind to me, who hath honoured me fo highly, and is alfo taking me away from the evil that is to come: For, indeed I think, there are fad days abiding poor Scotland. O firs! be bufy and venture all upon him, and put all in his hand; and

whatever you have been, let not that feare you; if you have Been a great finner, I fay, let not that hinder you from coming to him, and cloting with him; for the greater finner you be the more free grace is maginified in' reclaiming you. I may fpeak this from my own experience; for I was as a brand plucked out of the fire; and he hath brought me through many difficulties, temptations and.fnares, and made my foul efcaps as a bird, out of the cunning fowler's net, and brought me to a prifon at length, to fuffer bonds for him. He made all things feet to me, the company fweet to me, even bad company; he made reproaches fweet. I have been made to wonder at his kindness and love to me-ward; and now he hath brought me this length, without being "feared what enemies can do to "me," and that is a great confirmation, to me of true love, that perfect love cafts out fear. Now he is faithful into whofe hand, I commit my spirit and foul, and he will keep it against that day.

"

Now when I am going, farewel all friends and chriftian acquaintances. Farewel fweet and holy Scriptures, wherewith my foul hath been refrelhed Farewel reading, finging, and praving. Farewel fweet meditation. Farewel fun, moon and ftars. Farewell all created comforts. Welcome death, wel come fweer gallows, for my fweet and lovely Lord. Welcome angels. Welcome fpirits of juft men made perfect. Welcome eternity. Welcome praifes. Welcome immediate vifion of the fun of righteoufnels."

Sic fubfcribitur

JAMES STEWART.

HERE fuffered alfo at the fame time and place, one Alex

1

ander Ruffel, whofe Testimony differing nothing in fubftance from the reft, and being in fome things not very conve niently expreft, it is not thought neceffary to be publifhed at, large; only thefe heads of it are remarkable. First, He de-, clares, That for the fpace of fourteen years, while he heard the Curates, he was a perfon given to all manner of licentiouf nefs, keeping company with the profane, drinking fwearing, Sabbath breaking, and reproaching the people of God. 2dly, That the firft field preaching ever he heard, to which he went meerly out of curiouty, it pleafed the Lord to convert him. 3dly, That the means of his being called out to the help of the Lord's people at Bothwel, was the death of three of his children within ten days fpace, which extraordinary providence impreffed his heart fo, that he durit not fit God's call to that work, 4thly, He confeffeth his having taken the bond for livBb

ing orderly (as it was called) and with great remorfe acknow, ledges his failings, in that he took no opportunity to confefs that fin publicly. All the other heads do coincide with the tef timonies of the other four who fuffered with him.

The laft Teftimony of ROBERT GRAY, in Northumberland, who fuffered for the truth, in the Grafs market of Edinburgh, May 19 1682.

His Interrogations by a Commitee of the Council, May 13.

OBERT GRAY being called before the Chancellor, and. á commitee of council, appointed for public affairs, and interrogate, If he knew John Anderson prifoner at Dumfries? He declared he did not know him, but had writ a letter to him and that letter being produced to him, he owned the fame, as he teftified under his hand write and fubfcription, at the end thereof. And being afked, If he thought of the king and government, as is expreffed in that latter? He faid, he did, and he owned that in his judgment. And being asked, if he thought the king a tyrant? He faid, he had written fo, and owned it, and that he wrote this letter to John Anderfon, as his duty to. his brother.

Follows the forefaid letter, which was all the ground of his Indictment.

I

Dear Friends,

Received yours, and am much refreshed to hear of any in this day, that is holden by the truth, and is helped to witness against the wrongs done to our Lord and Master, which is the main thing that we are called to at this time, by. which God is glorified, and which fhall bring peace to us at the end of the day. As in anfwer to that, about owning this tyrant in ecclefiaftic matters. I hope, it is without all doubt and debate, with all the zealous xercised Chriftians in Scotland, that he should not be owned at all in it, whatever the time servers, that will fail with any wind that blows, do, we are not concerned; who are like Efau, who fold his birth right for a mefs of Pottage. And as for owning him in civil things, to me it is very clear, now as matters are stated, that he thould not be owned: In a word, for his breach of the civil law, his pardoning and fetting free murderers and bougerers, and murdering of poor innocents, and making his will a law, and placing none in public truft, but these that have taken that

black teft, utterly to difown the whole work of reformation with which way I cannot meddle directly or indirectly, with out faying a confedracy with them.

There might be more faid upon this head, if time would permit; but I think this, with what our late worthies did in cafting this tyrant off, and out of the church. might give full fatisfaction not to own them in any thing, feeing they have acted for the devil more than ever; and it has profpered more in their hands then tormerly. Indeed if we confult men at this. tine in the matters of godlinefs, no wonder we be in the dark; but O beware of that and fly to the holy word of God Beware of looking out at any back door, or halting betwixt two opinions; for of a truth there is a halttng this day, that will not be approven of God, in meddling with this malignant party directly, or indirectly. It is a thousand to one if they

fee it.

As anent Barfcob, and Major Lermont, they got their fen tence on Friday lait, to die on the 28 of this inftant, and other two, Hugh Micklewraith and Robert Fleming, got their fentence on that day too, and thould have died on this Wednesday last, but they nave got a remiffion to the 28. day, and it is reported that Barfcob and the rett have offered to take the test, and they have fent up to the tyrant on that account, to fave their lives, and as for John Mclurg and R. N. there is no word yet what they will do with them; I fhall give you an account afterwards My foul is grieved to fee the treachery, that is uted in the matters of God among the prisoners, and their feeking fintul thifts to thun the crofs of Chrift. O dear friends, teek to be kept ftedfatt in the day of trial. Now, I can tay no more; but leaves you in his hand, who hath brought you to the trial, and can carry you cleanly through it. I reft,. Your fellow-prifoner and friend,

ROBERT GRAY

The laft Teftimony of ROBERT GRAY.

Men and Brethren,

Having got my fentence of death from men who are upjustly taking away my life, meerly for adhering to my principies, and have no matter of fact to prove againit me; but only adhering to the truths of Jefus Chrift, and teftifying a gainst their finful laws and actions, which my indictment will tettify. They take away my life for declining their authorie ty, and calling Charles Stewart a tyrant, and fpeaking againt