his lot of fuffering, "For this I blefs the Lord, for I could 66 never have ventured upon the cross, especially upon death

itfelf, unless that he had helped me to it." They died all with a forgiving fpirit, imitating their Lord and Mafter, and his holy Apoftles, in praying for forgiveness to their perfecuters, though withal affuring them, that their blood would be.. required at their hands, if they did not repent, for what they had done against the image of God in them.

The laft Testimony of JOHN RICHMOND, who lived in the Parifb of Gaufton, and juffered at the cross of Glasgow, upon

NOW

I am brought here this day, to lay down my life for the teftimony of Jefus Chrift, and the hope of Ifrael, which, hope I am not afhamed of, and for owning that Chrift is king, and head of his own Church, for which I do this day willingly lay down my life, and not by constraint; for if I would have acknowledged a mortal man to be fupreme, I might have rdeemed my life. viz. Charles Stewart, to be a fupreme over all caufes, civil and ecclefiaftical, which belongs to no mortal man upon earth, but to our bleffed Lord and Saviour, who is given of the Father to be king and head of his own Church, which I prove by his own word, Col. i. 8. "And he is the head of.

the body, the Church. Eph. i. 22. And hath put all things "under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things *C to the Church." And alfo the fecond Pfalm. Now, 1 fay, it is for the hope of Ifracl, and a witness of Jefus Chrift,of whom, I am not afhamed, but defires with heart and foul to praise him and my foul fall praife him throughout the ages of eternity, and defires to invite all the creation to praise him, for he has taken me as a brand pluckt out of the fire, who was an heir of hell and wrath, and I alfo confirmed that heirfhip to myself, by my actual tranfgreffion; but now my fweet and lovely Lord and Redeemer, through his blogd and fufferings, has redeemed me from the devil the world, and the fleth, and has sealed to me by his Spirit, bearing witness with my fpirit, and confirm. jag me by his holy word, which word is truth; and the true word of God, that he has redeemed me, and I fhall be clothed with his righteoufnefs, which is fpotlefs and clean, and will, make my foul as clean as I had never finned.

Now I fhall give you a fhort hint, as the Lord fhall affift me of my principles, what I am to adhere, to; and alfo, what I am clear to difown and teftifie againit, as a dying wituels of Chrift Fift, I tweetly fet to my feal to the covenant of free grace,

made betwixt the Father and the Son, before the foundation of the world, for the redemption of poor loft mankind; I fay, of thefe who are elected, called the chofen, fanctified and juftified for which my foul bleffes the Lord, that ever I heard tell of the fame, and of a Redeemer. 2dly, I leave my teftimony to the facred word of God, viz The Old and New Teftaments, that they are the true word of God, and that there is life everlasting to be had in perufing thereof, with the noble defire of the foul through a Redeemer, and without perufings and fincerely endea vouring to make it your rule of life and manners, there is no life for our bleffed Lord fays, "He came not to deftroy the "law but to fulfill it." 3dly, I leave my teftimony to the work of reformation, in all the feveral teps thereof as it was reformed from Popery, Prelacy, Eraftianifm, and all other errors, not agreeable to the word of God. 4thly, I leave my teftimony to the confeflion of faith, the fum of faving knowlege, directory for worship, the Catechifms larger and shorter. 5thly, I leave my teftimony to the covenants national and folemn league and covenant, that thefe lands were engaged in to the Lord, which Scotland may blefs the Lord for, that he brought them in covenant with himself. I fay to you that defires to own the fame, I mean the poor wrestling remnant, make it to plead with the Lord, that he may come back your fo ground to thefe lands again; and alfo, my teftimony to the acknow ledgement of fin, and engagement to duty, and the caufes of God's wrath. 6thly I leave my teftimony to the gofpet of our Lord Jefus Chrift, faithfully preached by the faithful ambaffadors, called and commiffioned from himself, in all faithfulnels and boldness, in fhewing Jocob his tranfgreffions, and Ifrael his fin, both before Bothwel, and fince; but few found faithful fince. It may be faid of the most part from that time forth, many went backward and walked no more with him; their names may be written in very little bounds, that were, found faithful, only thefe two I defire to record, Mr. Donald, Cargil, and Mr. Richard Cameron, which I desire to fet to my feal, to the faithfulness of these two mens doctrine, and all their procedure in the work they were called in, and my foul bleffes the Lord, that ever I heard them preach. 7thly, I leave my teltimony to all appearances in arms for the defence of the gol pel both before Bothwel and fince. and alfo my teftimony to the carrying of arms for felf defence, and the defency of my brethren. 8thly, I leave my teftimony to the excommunication at the Torwood, drawn out by Mr. Donald Cargil, othly, I leave my teftimony to the teftimony given at Rutherglen, up on the 29th day of May, the year 1079. cthly, I leave my teftimony to the declaration given at Sanquhair in the year

rathly, I leave my teftimony to the teftimony given at Lanerk, the 11th of January, 1082 by a party who was ftirred up by the Lord, to witnefs faithfully for him againgft the bloody acts and laws of men, and efpecially the dreadful fnare, land deftroying, the foul-ruining thing, called the teft. 12thly, I leave my teftimony against that declaration drawn at Hamilton, by a #party of men, who loved the praise of men, and the intereft of men, more than the intereft of our Lord and King, who will, not give his glory and honour to any mortal man upon earth, because it took in the tyrant's intereft, and was carried on by then over the belly of a poor faithful remnant that was amongit them; but if God be God, ferve him; and if Baal be God ferve him. 13thly, I leave my teftimony to the eight articles, called the new covenant, drawn by Mr. Donald Cargil, and was taken off worthy Henry Hall at the Queens-ferry. 14thly, I leave my teftimony to the fellowship and meetings of the Lord's people, for reading and finging of Pfalms, and praying to the Lord, and wreftling for the poor Church, and other duties incumbent to them in their place and ftation, and to all their proceedings for the keeping up the remembrance of Ifrael. Go on and flack not your hands, feeing it is fo warrantably, by your Mafter's royal word, viz. Mal. iii and many more. For my foul bleffes the Lord, that ever he counted me worthy in among the fellowship meeting of his people. I fay, flack not your hands for the Lord has accepted of your endeavours in keeping up the remembrance of Ifrael, making way to get poor young, infants brought within his vifible Church, which the Lord made me a fharer of, and an offering of himself to poor treacherous Scotland, if they will embrace him. 15thly, I heartily with all my heart and foul, leave my teftimony to all the faithful teftimonies of the cloud of witneffes, that has been martyred for Chrift and his truths.

Now I defire before I quit the lift of thefe that I have owned, here through grace to lay down my life, and the lift of them is of more value than many lives. Now I hall give a fhort hint as the Lord fhall affift, what I difown that is done of men, against the Majefty of heaven Firft, I leave my teftimony against Popery and Prelacy, and Eraftian Supremacy, and all that hierar chy 2dly, I leave my teftimony against Quakerism, Indepen dency, Anabaptifm, and all other erroneous fects, that is contrary to the word of God. 3dly, I leave my teftimony againft that tyrant upon the throne of Britain, and his prefent authori ty, for his breach of the covenants, the covenants being the coronation-oath, that he got the crown upon, and for his overturning the whole work of God in the land, by taking upon him to be fupreme over Christ's Church, and to rule the law

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and not the law to rule him, and for burning thefe covenants, and for putting the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift out of the land, and for killing, plundering of the Lord's people in the fields, on fcaffolds, drowning in the fea, banishing, plundering, oppreffing both in body and confcience. 4thly, I leave my teftimony against all the upholders of that tyrant, directly by aiding, affifting, or pleading for him, or for his intereft, for he has openly and avowedly feated himself against King Christ, and thefe that plead for him, who has taken the crown off our bleffed Lord's head; I fay, they will be found pleading against Chrift, Pfal. 1. 18. When thou faweft a thief, then thou "confentedft with him, and haft been partaker with the adul"terers." 5thly, I leave my teftimony against the oath of fupremacy. 6thly, I leave my teftimony against that bond that was taken in the Gray-friar's church-yard. 7thly, I leave my testimony against that bond, called the bond of regulation, and againft that bond and engagement to keep the kirk, as they call it; which is a binding to keep a place, put in it what they like, and it were even Popery the next day, and I warn you of it, that you shall have it ere long, except the Lord wonderfully prevent it: I fay, it is a binding to the kirk, and not a following of our Lord Jefus Chrift; " For where is the houfe

ye build to me? faith the Lord." 8thly, I leave my tettimony againft that bond, preft by the highland hoft, on the west country. 9thly, I leave my teftimony againft that dreadful abominable thing called the teft. 10thly, I leave my teftimony against all coming out of prifon, upon bond and caution, being a fhifting of the cross of Chrift, and making themfelves the prifoners of men, and not the prifoners of Chrift, and yielding unto men, while we are called to another thing, as it is faid in the vi. of the Romans, 16. ver. "To whom ye yield yourfelves fervants to obey, his fervants ye are." thly, I leave my testimony against all compearances at their courts, because they are unjust judges, and have forfeited their right, and their judgment, and fentence is contrary to the word of God, and is ftated for the ruin of the Church of God, and for oppreffing the confciences of men, to'fin against God. 12thly, I leave my teftimony against all cefs and locality, for the maintaining of the enemies of God, to kill and murder God's people, and bear down the gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Ifa lxv. it." But ye are they that forfake the Lord, that forget my holy moun"tain, that prepare a table for that troop, and a drink-offer"ing to that number." 13thly, I leave my teftimony against hearing of Curates, becaufe they are the minifters of men; yea, I may fay, rather of Satan, for the flourishing of his kingdom; for they are thieves and robbers, and not the true ministers of

Chrift, for they are not entred by him, and are fet there for the maintaining of damnable herefy, viz. they preach another head of the church, than our bleffed Lord Jefus Chrift 14thly I leave my teftimony against all iddulgencies firft and laft, becaufe they have rent the bowels of Chrift's church, by exerciting their power and liberty, under that fupremacy, vea, and exereifing the very function of their miniftry by the directions of men, by receiving their inftructions from men; and fo are no and there is

more the Minifters of God, but minifters of men fo are no

this black effect that has followed, and been the fruit of their miniftry and preaching, that never one according to my knowledge, that was indulged in their judgment, that wan the length of a fcaffold for the caufe of Chrift, but did yield and go on with the abominations of the times. 15thly, I leave my teftimony against thefe Minifters, who once appeared fair. and went a good length in bearing up the ftandard, and banner of our bleffed Lord; but when the perfecution rofe fomewhat hot, then biding by Chrift, and declaring of his meffage, became out of feafon to them, they quitted the Lord's commiffion and precept by Paul, to preach the word in feafon and out of feafon, and fo foon as ever they faw the Wolf coming, they ran and hid themselves, and fuffered the poor Sheep of Chrift to be fcattered, torn and destroyed, both in body and confcience. This I dare affert, they cannot fay with Paul, They are free from the blood of all men, and have declared the whole counfel of God.'

Now, as I faid before, I am to lay down my life this day, for the defence of the gospel at Drumclog, and for the defence of the gospel at Hamilton, and for hearing of Mr. John King preach upon the Green-hill end, being the east end of Gauftounmuir, and for being in company with John Nifbet, and of all the four articles, I am not ashamed of this day, these counted criminal by the enemies of my Lord, whofe gofpel-standard I defire to defend with life and fortune. I fay, thefe being count ed criminal, witnefs being led, proved the fame, and witneffed me to death; if these had been enemies, I could have borne it; but it was they, mine acquaintance, mine equals, my guide, and we took fweet council together, and went into the house of God together. Pfal. lv. 12, 13. So it was these that went a good length, and were alfo as deeply engaged as I was, yea, to defend my life, and not to have witneffed me to death, for what they have witneffed, I am not afhamed of but this I leave behind me, my teftimony against them, and my blood will be charged home upon them, and without repentance prevent it, both upon them and their pofterity; and I fet down their names, that they may ftand on record, and their names be known to aftercoming generations, their names