nefs of him who hath it to give, and would do no more wicked. nels

Now I leave my fympathizing wife and fix small children unon the Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, who hath pro mifed to be" a Father to the fatherless, and a husband to the "widow and orphans ftay," be thou all in all unto them, Q Lord: Now the bleffing of God, and my poor bleffing be with: them. And my fuit to thee is, that thou wouldst give then thy falvation, And now farewel wife and children. Farewel all friends and relations Farewel all worldly enjoyments. Farewel fweet Scriptures, preaching, praying, reading, fing-: ing and all other duties. And welcome Father, Son and Holy Spirit I defire to commit my foul to thee in well-doing. Lord receive my fpirit.

Sic fubfcribitur

JOHN PATON,

The laft Testimony of JAMES NISBET, who lived in the Parife of Laudon, and fuffered in Glasgow, at the Howgate-head, Juue 5th. 1684.

NOW

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TOW I am brought hither this day, to lay down my life for the teftimony of Jefus Chrift, and for afferting him to be Head and King in his own house, and for no matter of fact, that they have against me Wherefore dear friends, and all true lovers of Zion's caufe, if I could either speak or write any thing to the praise and commendation of my lovely Lord and Princely Master, Jefus Chritt King and head over his own church and people; although the most part of this generation is counting it death to call him fo, yet I as a dying man live and die in the faith of it that he shall appear to their confufion, and for his own glory now trampled upon, and lying so low; for he has faid in Ifa. xli 8. "I am the Lord, that is my name, "and for my glory, I will not give to another, etc. Now I am to lay down my life, and indeed I do it willingly, and not by conftraint; and I blefs him, that ever he carved out my lo fuch, as to be a fufferer for him, who am fuch a poor unworthy thing: For if I would have acknowledged a mortal man to be fupreme, I might have redeemed my life, viz CS, to be fupreme over all causes civil and ecclefiaftic, as they have pow fet him up, which belongs to no mortal man upon earth and to have prayed for him. And fhall I pray for that man, in is perfon and government, who hath broken down the work

of the Lord, and has laid wafte the fanctuary of our Lord, whe was given of the Fher, as it is faid, Eph. i. 22. • And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church;. And in the fecond Pfalm. Now I fay, it is for the hope of Ifrael, and a witnefs for the name of Jefus Chrift, of which hope I am not afhaned. Now I invite all who love his Name, and the welfare of Zion, to praife him, for I may fet to my feal to it, that he is a good Mafter to all, who, will come to him; for I may fay, He hath been good to me, who has letten me see a fight of my fins, and a fight of the remedy that he has purchafed by his bloody and through his death to me, who was born an heir of hell and wrath by nature; but glory be to his great name, who has made me free from my fin, and made me as if I had never finned O glory and praise be to himself. But what fhall I fay? for heart cannot conceive hand cannot write, tongue cannot exprefs! for furely, if I could fay any thing to the praife and commendation of my lovely Lord Jefus Chrift, I have many things for which to do it. First, For that, That he has not letten me deny his truths and caufe, and his perfecuted work; for there is nothing in me, as I am of myself, but I might have been amongst these that have difplayed a banner against God, and have made the blood of his people to run in the streets, and have dyed their garments with their blood. And 2dly, That he has carved out my lot to be in a land, where he hath fet up his pure ordinances, both in doctrine, worship, difcipline and government; for indeed he might have tryfted it to be amongst these, that are worthipping Antichrift, that whore of Rome, whofe fentence may be read, Rev. xix. 12. And if C-Shas not overturned his work, and corrupted the whole land, by overturning the whole fundamental laws, both civil and ecclefiaftic. I leave it to any judici bus person, that is not byaffed and drawn away, by that woful Eraftian fupremacy, which is like to overspread the whole land. 2dly, That he hath given his word for a rule to walk by, which word is truth, and the true word of God. He has made me to. walk by it, and it to be my rule; and by his word and Spirit bearing witnefs with my fpirit, making me spotlefs and clean, and I thall be clothed with thefe robes of his righteoufnels, which are sporless and clean. a mid 8

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Now I fhall only give a fhort account of my principles, as the Lord thall affifi; and the Lord help me to get it done in truth and fincerity; for there are many eyes looking on me; the eyes of an all feeing God, who is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity, and the eyes of men who are thirsting for my blood.

First, I adhere and fweetly fet to my teftimony to the covenant of redemption, betwixt the Father and the Son, made before the foundation of the world, for the redemption of poor loft mankind, I mean of thefe who are elected, called, juftified and fanctified, for which my foul fhall blefs the Lord that ever I heard tell of the fame, and that ever i heard tell, that “he "s came into the world to fave inners," of whom I am ch ef. 2. To the facred Scriptures that they are the true word of God and that there is life everlasting to be had in them, if ye will apply your hearts to fearch diligently, and purfue after them with a fincere and diligent feeking, with all the foul and heart, and without fincere endeavouring to make it your rule, there is no life; for fays our bleffed Lord, I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it.' 2. To the work of reformation as it was reformed in all the feveral fteps thereof from under Popery, Pre lacy and Eraftianifm, and all other errors whatfomever, not agreeable to the Scriptures, the written word of God. 4 To the Confeffion of Faith, the Sum of Saving Knowledge, Directory for Worship and difcipline, and to our Catechifuis larger and fhorter. 5 To the Covenants National and Solemm League, whereby thefe lands were engaged unto the Lord; and Scotland may blefs the Lord, that ever he engaged them in a covenant with himself.

I fay to you that defire to own the fame, make it your ground to plead with the Lord, till he come back again to these lands 6. To the preaching of the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Christ, as it was faithfully preached by faithful Minifters, called and commiffionated, and dent by himfelf; and alfo my teftimony to the acknowledgment of fins and engagement to duties, and the caules of the Lord's wrath against this land this day; but alas! it may be faid, Many have gone backward, and not forward; the moft part of this generation have refused to walk any more with him, ever fince Bothwel, only thefe two, viz. Mr D.-C. and Mr. R.-C. which I defire to fet to my feal to the faithfulness of these two men's doctrines; for my foul has been refreshed by them. And I fet to my feal to all their proceedings and adlings in the work they were called to, and my foul bleffeth the Lord that ever I heard them preach. 7, To all the appearings in arms, in defence of the gospel, and felf defence, both before Bothwel and fince. 8. 1o the excommunication at the Torwood, by Mr. D.-C. as it is juft and lawful, and will stand in force and record, ay till repentance make it pull, of which there is little appearance. 9 To the testimony given at Rutherglen, May 19 159. the decla ration given at Lanerk, June 1082 by a pary, whom the Lord railed and firred up by his Spirit, and owned them in

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that work, to give a public teftimony against that foul destroying, and land ruining thing called the telt although many in this generation be pleading for the lawfulness of it, and difown-ing the covenant, which we are all bound to. O my heart Lembles to think, what will come on this generation, for this dreadful apoftacy and departing from the way of the Lord. 10. To all the tellowship meetings of the Lord's people, for reading, praying, and finging of Pfalms, and all the other duties proper for, and incumbent upon them I mean them that defire to wrestle and hold up the cafe' of his ruined work and his poor tuffering remnant." I. To the 8 Articles, called the new covenant, taken at the Queen's ferry off worthy H H. Now as I have left my teftimony in fhort to the truths of God; fo I defire to leave my teftimony against the defections of the time as the Lord fhall help and affift.

Therefore I, as a dying winefs, leave my teftimony against Popery and Prelacy, which is fo much countenanced and fet up in Scotland this day, efpecially by thofe who seemed to be most eminent, as it is in the Gal. i 6. 'I marvel that ye are fo foon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Chrift, unto another gofpel etc. 2. Againft Quakerifim, Independency, and all other errors, which are not according to the word of God, and our folemn covenants and confeffion of faith. 3. Against the tyrant upon the throne of Britain and Ireland, for the tyranny oppreffion and bloodshed, and for Overturning the laws, both civil and ecclefiaftic and not mak ing the law his rule to be ruled by, but he ruling the law, and not the law him; which is not according to the word of God, as it is in 2 Sam. xxiii. 3 He that ruleth over men, must be juft, ruling in the fear of God,' etc, Even against that tyrant, and all upholders, aiders, affitters and maintainers of him. O what will become of this generation for their apoftacy and departing from God? 5. Against the act of fupremacy, for the fetting up of perfons as fupreme, and following and mak ing them their rule, and not taking the word of God to be their rule. 5 Againft the bond taken in the Gray-friar's kirk-yard altho there be many that deny it, until that the Lord in his own due time made it appear, when the trial çame to a greater length; for he has faid in his word, that there is nothing • done in fecret, but he will have it manifested in the light 6. Against the bond called the bond of regulation, for their binding to walk according to the will of men, and not accor ding to the will of God. Surely it is not according to the practice of the apostles, Acts iv 19. But Peter and John anfwered, and faid unto them, Whether it be right in the fight ⚫ of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye

7. Against the bond preft by the highland hoft in the weft Country. O what may be faid of this generation? It may be faid, Ye have gone away backward from my ordinances, and ye have forfaken me the living God, and have, hewed you out broken cifterns that can hold no water. 8 Againft that land ruining and foul-deftroying thing called the teft. 9. Against all coming out of prison upon bond and caution; whatever men may fay of it, it is a complying with the avowed enemies, and a binding themfelves to be the prifoners of men, and not the pri foners of Jefus Chrift. 10 Against all compearing at courts and paying of fines; for it implies, that we have done a fault against them, and alfo it approves of thefe as just judges, that are impofing these things; but ye may fee what they are, for there is no fober man will get leave to plead an action there. And can thefe be called judges, and owned as judges, who are graffators and land judgments? 11. Against all cefs and locality, which is imposed for the down-bearing of the gospel, and for maintaining bloody and avowed enemies to banith Chrift and his gospel out of the land, and to hunt, plunder, rob, spoil and perfecute the poor people of God; for in the very narrative of the act, it is fet down for that end, and declared to the world; fee what is faid against it, Ifa lxv. 11. " But ye are they that forfake the Lord that forget my holy mountain, that "prepare a table for that troop, and furnish a drink-offering for that number. Therefore will I number you to the fword," etc. 12. Against hearing of Curates, because they are wolves and boars thruft in upon the Lord's people to kill and deftroy; and against the indulgence first and last; and against the bearing of them, and joining with them, or pleading for them; because they are not entered in by the right door, and teach for doctrine the commandments of men.

Therefore they are in fo far not the minifters of Jefus Chrift, but the minifters of men, as it is faid John x. 1. Verily I fay "unto you, He that entreth not in by the door into the fheep"fold, but climbeth up fome other way, the fame is a thief "and a robber." And against all minifters and profeffors, who are now lying at cafe, when Zion is in trouble, and are fhifting their duty for fear of hazard, and are sheltering themselves under the fhadow of thefe avowed enemies, pleading in their favours, and have broken the poor people of God, and rent the bowels of the Church; and efpecially these who appeared once in the fields, to hold up a banner for our lovely Lord and Mafter Jefus Chrift, I fhall be a witness against them, if repentance prevent it not.

Now, ye that are the poor wreftling remnant, weary not of the erofs of Chrift, for he is a good Maiter, and he fends none a