anlawful exercife, or rather tyranny of authority At this the drums were again beat; and fo he fung a part of the cii Pfal. from the beginning and prayed; which done he turned his face to the cross, and faid, I blefs the Lord, I am not furprifed neither terrified with this death, or the manner of it. I cou fefs the thoughts of death have been fometimes very terrible to me, when I have been reflecting upon my mifpending of precious time, yea, fometimes the ffrength of temptation, and my own weakness, have made me herein to raze the very foun dition of my intereft; but my God builds faster, than he permits. the devil and my fale heart to cat dow, I have hal fone clouds even fince I came to pruon, but bleffea be God, these are all removed: For my God hath faid to my foul. Be of "good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee:" And the faith of this makes me not to fear grim death: Tho' it be called the King of terroirs: yetit is not fo to me: For this that you think a cruel and fudden death, is but an inlet, to life, which hall be eternal. Let none be offended at Chritt and his way, becaule' of fuffering; for I can perfwade you there is more of Chrift's help, and supporting grace, and ftrength in a fuffering lot, than all that ever I heard of by the hearing of the ear: Eut now I am made to find it in my own experience; and I can say, “He ❝ is altogether lovely

But a fecond thing that I promised to speak to is, That I detest and abhor all Popery, Prelacy, Eraftianifm, and all other steps of defection from the truths of God, and turning afide to the right and left hand. Alfo I testifie against all errors, s qeakerifm, Arminianifm etc. and all that is contrary to found doctrine, who walk not according to the Scriptures, and make not the word and Spirit of God their rule to walk by Ihne lived, and now am ready to die, a Chriftian, a Proteftant, and a Prefbyterian in my judgment; therefore let none hereafter say. That we walk not by the Scriptures; For once Britain and Ireland, and efpecially Scotland, were deeply fworn to maintain, what now they difown; therefore beware of standing in the way of others, feeing ye will not go in yourfelves. 3dly, I exhort all you that are the poor remnant, to be ferious in getting your intereft cleared, you that are in the dark with your cafe, take not flathes for converfion: ftudy a holy converfation: Be at more pains to know the Scriptures, and believe them: Be ferious in prayer flight not time: Take Chrift in his own terms, and refolve to meet with trials, and that shortly: flight not known duties: commit not known fins, whatever fuffering ye may meet with, for your cleaving to duty. Lippen to God and you will not be difappointed. Confruct well of him under all difpenfations; weary not of fuffers

ing: Ly not at eafe in a day of Jacob's trouble. I have one word more to speak, to all that are going on in the perfecuting way, and friends of Christ, and that is the very words of our Lord, Remember, "whatever ye do to one of these little ones, 66 ye do it unto me." I pray the Lord, that he may open the eyes of all the elect, who are yet strangers to regeneration; and also convince fuch of them as are fallen from their first love. Now, my friends, I have this to fay in my own vindication, that (however I have been branded by fome, and mifconftrued by others, yet) I can fay in the fight of the Lord, before whom I am now to appear, that I am free of any public fcandals; I fay, I am free of drunkennefs, I am free of whoredom, theft or murder, therefore let none fay, that we are murderers, or would kill any, but in felf-defence, and in defence of the gofpel. I truly forgive all men the wrongs they have done to me, as I defire to be forgiven of the Lord; but as for the wrongs done to a holy God, 1 leave thefe to him, who is the avenger of blood, let him do to them as he may be glorified. Now I fay no more, but pray that all who are in his way, may be kept from finning under iuffering, and that every one may prepare for a ftorm, which I do verily believe is not far off.

Then ftooping down, he faluted fome friends, and faid, Farewel all relations and acquaintances, farewl ali ye that are lovers of Chrift and his righteous caufe. And beckning to the multitude, he faid farewel also. And fo he went up the ladder with the greateft difcoveries of alacrity, and magnanimity, and feating himself upon it, he faid, now this death of mine I fear not; for my fins are freely pardoned: yea, and I fhall fin no more, for I am made through my God, to look hell, wrath, devils, and fin eternally out of countenance. Therefore farewel all created enjoyments, pleafures and delights: Farewel finning and fuffering: Farewel praying and believing, and welcome heaven and finging. Welcome joy in the holy Ghost. Welcome Father, Son and Holy Ghost, into thy hands I commit my spirit. When the executioner was about to untie his gravate, he thrust him away, and untied it himself, and calling" for his brother, threw it down, faying, This is the latt token you will get from me: After the Napkin was drawn over his face; he uncovered it again, and faid, I have one word more to fay, and that is, to all that have any love to God, and his righteous caufe, that they will fer time apart, and fing a fong of praife to the Lord, for what he has done to my foul, and my foul fays To him be praife) Then letting down the napkin he prayed a little within himfelf, and the exccutioner doing his office, threw him over."

The laft Teftimony of Mr. JAMES BOIG, Student of Theology, who fuffered at the Crufs of Edinburgh, July 17. 1681. written in a letter to his brother.

D

EAR Brother, I have not now time to write that which

I would, but to fatisfy your defire, and the defire of others, who are concerned in the caufe and work of God, that is now at this time trampled upon; I have given out my indictment to a friend of yours, and now I fhall give you an account of the enemies profecution thercof against us. My Indictment did run upon three heads. First, That I had dif owned the king's authority. zdy. That I faid, The rifing in arms at Bothwel bridge, was lawful, and upon the defence of truth. 3dly, That i owned the Sanquhair Declaration, in the whole heads and articles thereof. And having again owned this before the jufticiary and affizers, I held my peace, and fpake no more; becaufe I faw what was fpoken by others, was not regarded, either by our unjuft judges, or mocking audi tors: all that our speaking did, was the expofing or us to the mockery of all prefent. But the reasons that were given in thus, for our defence in the firit head, were. That we could not own the authority, as now prefently ettablished untefs we fhould also own the (upremacy, which the king hath ufurped over the Church. By our doing of this, we thould rob Chrift of that which is his right; and give that unto a man, which is due to no mortal: The reason is, because the fupremacy is declared in their acts of parliament, to be effential to the crown; and that which is effential to any thing, is the fame with the thing itself; fo that in owning the authority, we are of neceffity obliged to justify them in their ufurpation also. But there is another argument, which to me is valid, tho' I spoke it not before them; and it does not a little trouble me, that I fhould have paffed it. The advocate, in his difcourfe to the affizers, among other things, faid, that we were overturning these acts and laws, which they (the affizers) had confented to, and were owning Now I fuppofe their confent to the present acts and laws was never formally required of them, but that which is taken for their confent, is their fimple filence, when thefe acts were made and publifhed, and owning these parliaments as their reprefentatives, fo that I may clearly argue from this, that even in their own fenfe, my owning of the prefent autho rity now established as lawful, and the prefent magiftrates as my magiftrates, is a giving my confent to the prefent acts and laws, and fo confequently to the robbing of Chrift of that which is his right. As to the fecond, it being but one part

cular fact, deduced from that principle of the lawfulness of felfaltence, and this principle being as pofitively afferted by all of us, I look upon the principle to be as exprefly fealed with our blood, as that particulae fact of ruling in arms at Bothwelbridge is. As to the third it being a deed confequential from the firit, I look dupon them both to ftand and fall together, and he that oweth the first must of neceffity own the last alio. And as to that of declaring of war, I did always look upon it to be one and the fame. tho' different'y expreffed, with that contained in the paper, found at the Ferry, and that the main defign of it, was to vindicate us before the world, in our repellin, unjust violence, and clearing as of thefe afperfions, that were cast upon us, viz The holding as a principle the law funefs of private Affiffinations, (which we difown) and murdering all thofe who are not of the fame judg nent with us. Thefe are the truths, which we are to feal with our blood, to• morrow in the afternoon, at the Cross of Edinburgh. other particular actions, we declined to answer politively a them as that of the Bishop's death, we told them, we could not be judges of other men's actions: As to the excommunica tion, because we declined them, as not competent judges, to cognofce upon an ecclefiaftick matter, they did not proceed upon it.

As to

And now dear brother, you may see our quarrel clearly ftated, to be the fame that Mr. James Guthery laid down his head for befide whose, mine and my other two friends heads are to be fet. There were many other things past in private betwixt me and Mr. William Paterfon, fometime my regent,' now council clerk, with some others who strongly affaulted me with their faares, but now I hope I may fay, that " my foul

hath efcaped like a bird out of the fnare of the fowler " And as to your fecond defire of knowing how it went with my foul; many and ftrong have been the affaults of Satan fince I came to prifon, but glory to God, who hath not been wanting to me in giving me affiftance, yea, many times unfought, and he is yet continuing. And I hope fhall do to the end, to carry me above the fear of death fo that I am in as fweet a calm, as if I were going to be married to one dearly beloved. Alas, my cold heart is not able to answer his burning love! but what is wanting in me, is and hal be made up in à Saviour compleat and well furnished in all things appointed of the Father for this end, to bring his ftraying children to their own ho ne, whereof (I think I may adventure to fay it) I am one, tho' fecklefs. Now I have no time to enlarge, elfe I would give you a more particular account of God's goodness and dealing with me; but fet this fuffice, that I am once faily on the way, and within

the view of Emmanuel's land, and in hopes to be received an inhabitant there within the space of 26 hours at most.. Farewel all earthly comforts, farewel all worldly vanities, farewel all carnal defires, welcome crofs, welcome gallows, welcome Chrift, welcome heaven and everlafting happiness. etc. I have no more spare time. Grace, mercy and peace, be with you. Amen.

From Edinburgh Tolboth, July 27. 1681.

Sie fubfcribitur

JAMES BOIG.

The Teftimony of that valiant and worthy Gentleman, DAVID HACKS TOUN, of Rathiller, who fuffered at the Grofs of Edinburgh, July 16. 1680.

His Interrogations, and Anfwers, before the Privy Council, Saturday, July 26. 1680.

Hether or not had you any hand in the murdering

(1.) Whether

of the late Bishop of St Andrews? Anfwered, he was not obliged to answer that question, nor be his own accufer. (2.) What he would declare as to the King's authori ty? Anfwered, That authority that difowns the intereft of God, and ftates itself in oppofition to Jefus Chrift, is no more to be owned; but fo it is, the King's authority is now fuch; therefore it ought not to be owned. (3) Whether the killing the Arch-bishop of St. Andrews was murder, yea, or not Anfwered, that he thought it no fin to difpatch a bloody monfter. (4) If he owned the new covenant, taken at the Queensferry, from Mr. Cargil one of their preachers? Anfwered that he did own it in every particular thereof, and would fain fee. the man that in confcience and reafon would debate the con◄ trary. (5.) If he were at liberty, and had the power to kill any of the King's council, and murder them as he did the Bishop of St. Andrews, whether he would do it, yea, or not? Anfwered. That he had no fpare time to answer fuch frivolous and childish questions,

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The Chancellor told him that if he were not more ingenuous in his answers, he would prefently be tortured. He an fwered, that is but a little addition to your former cruelties, and I have that comfort, that tho' you torture my wounded body, yet ye cannot reach my foul. The Chancellor urged him with feveral other queftions, which he refufed to antwer. But (faid he) I would gladly fpeak a little, if I could have li