broached by the infamous John Gib, as the Letter writte to the prifoners in the Correction Houle manifefts.]

A Letter from Mr. DONALD CARGIL, to Mr. JAMES SKEEN, who fuffered Martyrdom at Edinburgh.

Dearest Friend.

T

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HERE is now nothing upon earth that I am so concerned in (except the Lord's work) as in you and your fellows: That you may either be cleanly brought off, or honourably and rightly carried through. He is begun in part to anfwer me, though not in that which I moft affected, yet in that which is beft. My foul was refreshed to fee any that had fo far overcome the fear and torture of death, and were fo far denied to the affections of the flesh, as to give full liberty to the exone ration of confcience in the face of thefe bloody tyrants and vile apoftates: And yet thefe by our divines muft be acknowledged as magiftrates; which very heathens, indued with the light of nature, would abominate, and would think it as inconfiftent with reafon, to admit to, or continue in magiftracy, fuch perjured, bloody, diffolute and flagitious men, as to make a Wolf the keeper and feeder of the flock. But every step of their dealing with God, with the land and with your felf, and brethren, is a confirmation of your judgment anent them, and fufficient ground of your deteftation, and rejection of them; and it is the fin of the land, and of every perfon in it, that they have not gone along with you, and thefe few in that action; but fince they have not done that, they fhall not now meet with the like honour, if ever they meet with it, till vengeance be poured out upon them: And they and their king fhall either be keeped together in wrath or divided in wrath, that they may be one anothers deftruction. But go on, valiant champion, you die 'not as a fool, though the apoftrte, unfaithful and luke warm Minifters and profeffors of this generation think and fly fo, they thall live traitors. and not part of them die fools I fay, traitors, as fome men live upon the reward of treachery, for their quiet an 1 liberty; if it may be called a liberty, as it is redce ned with the betraying of the intereft of Chritt, and blood of his people Bu he himself. hath fealed your futferings, and their thus faving condemus God and his fealing condems them! But neither regard their voices, nor fear, for G d will neither feil to foily nor iniqui ty: he then not only noving fealed vour futterings, but your remiffin, go on to finish and perfect your testimony not only again them, but against all' thar lubject to them, hide with them, or are fiicht at them. "And as for there men that will

be our rulers, though they have nothing of worth or virtue in them: Iam perfwaded of this, that none can appear before them, and acknowledge them as they have now invested them felves (ftanding on a foundation of perjury, which is an act of reciflory of their admiffion to the government) with Chrin's crown on their head, and a fceptre of iniquity, and a sword of perfecution in their hand, but must deny Chrift. And in etect, the whole land generally hath denied Chrift, and defired a murderer: And as for that unfavoury falt, that lately ap peared, acknowledged them, and was afhamed of this teftimony, and in fo doing, gave the firft vote to your condemnation; and proclaimed a lawfulness to the rest of affizers and murde rers, to follow in their condemnations: God fhad require this with his other doings at his hands; and I am fomewhat afraid, if he be not fuddenly made the subject of ferious repentance, he fhall be made the fubject of great vengeance. But forgive and forget all thefe private injuries, and labour to go to eternity and death, with a heart deftitute of private revenges, and filled with zeal to God's glory, and affign to him the quarrel against his enemies, to be followed out by himself in his own way, against the indignities done to God, and against the mocking perfidioufnefs, impieties and lukewarmness of this generation: And for your felf, whatever there has been either of in or duty. remember the one, and forget the other: and betake your felf wholly to the mercy of God, and the merits of Chritt, ye know in whom ye have believed, and the acceptablenefs of your believing; and the more fully you henceforth believe, the greater thall be his glory, and the, greater your peace and fafety. Farewel dearest friend, never to fee one ano ther any more, till at the right hand of Chrift. Fear not, and the God o mercies grant a full gale, and a fair entry into his kingdom that may carry fweetly and fwiftly over the bar, that you find not the rub of death. Grace, Mercy, and Peace be with you.

Yours in Chrift, D. Ca

A Letter to fome Friends before he went abroad.

EAR Friends, I cannot but be grieved to go from my

DEAR native land, an efpecially from that part of it, for

whom and with whom I defined only to live: Yer the dreadful apprchenfions I have of what is coming upon this land, may help to make me fubmiffive to this providence; though more butter. You will have foares for a little, and then a deluge of judgments, I do not peak this to affright any much lefs to rejoice over them, as if i were taken, and they left or were

studying by these thoughts, to alleviate my own lot of banishment; though Fam afraid, that none fhall blets themselves long upon the account that they are left behind: But my defign is, i have you making for fnares and judgments; that ye may have both the greatest readiness and the greatest shelters; for both fhalt be in one Clear accompts, and put off the old, for It is like, that what is to come, will be both fudden and furprizing that it will not give you time for this. Beware of king on new debt. I am afraid, that these things, that many are looking on as favours, are but come to bind men together in bundles for a fire. i am fure if thefe things be embraced, ther fhall not be long time given for ufing of them; and this laft of their favours and fnares is fent to men, to fhow that they are that, which otherwife they will not confefs themselves to be. Tell all, that the fhelter and benefit of this fhall neither be great nor long: But the fnare of it fhall be prejudicial. for my felf, I think

great and

hg me to another land. But how Or te prefent, he is cal

fhall be my abode, or what employment he has for me there, I know not: For I cannot think he is taking me there to live and lurk only. I Felt,

DONALD CARGIL

A Letter to JOHN MALCOM and ARCHBALD ALLISON

prifoners.

EAR friends, death in Chrift, and for Chrift, is never much to be bemoaned; and lefs at this time than any other, when thefe that furvive have nothing to live among but miferies, perfecution, fnares, forrows, and finning. And where the only defireable fight, viz. Chrift reigning in a free and flourishing Church, is wanting; and the greatly grieving and offenfive object to devote fouls, viz. Devils and the worst of the wicked reigning and raging, is ftill before our

s, and though we had greater things to leave, and better times to live in, yet eternity does fo far exceed and excel these things in their greatest perfection, that they who fee and are fure (and we fee indeed, being made fure), will never let a tear fall, or a figh go at the farewel, but would rather make a flip to get death, nor to fhun it if both were not equally de eftable to them, upon the account of God's commandments, whom they neither dare, nor are willing to offend, even to obtain Heaven itself And there are none who are his, but they must fee themfelves infinitely advantaged in the exchange. And accordingly haften, if fin, the fleth and want of affur ance, did not withstand; and there is no doubt, but thefe muft

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be weak and poor fpirits, that are bewitched or enchanted, either with the fruition or hopes of the world And as earth has nothing to hold a refolute and reconciled foul, fo heaven wants nothing to draw it; and to fome to live here, has been always wearifome, fince their peace was made, Chrift's fweetnefs known, and comes their own weakness and unufefulness experienced; but now it becomes hatefully loathfome, fince devils and the worft of nen are become the head and dreadful by their ftupendious permiffions, loofings and lengthnings in their reigning, and friends are become uncomfortable, because they will neither Chriftianly bear and bide, nor rightly go forward to effectuate their own delivery. But for you there is nothing at this time, (if you yourselves be fure with God, wh ch, I hope, either you are, or will be) which can make me bewail your death; tho' the cause of it doth both increase my affection to you, and indignation against thefe enemies. Yet for you, not withstanding of the unjuftnefs of the fentence, go not to eternity with indignation against them upon your own account. Neither let the goodness of the caufe ye fuffer for, found your confidence in God and your hope of well being; for were the action never fo good, and performed without the leaft failing, which is not incident to human infirmity it could never be a cause of obtaining mercy, nor yet commend us to that grace from which we are to obtain it, There is nothing now which is yours, when you are pleading and petitioning for mercy, that must be remembred, but your fins; for in effect, there is nothing else ours. Let your fins then be on your heart, as your forrow, which we must bewail, before we be parted with them, as the captive her father, not because he was to leave him, but because the had been fo long with him. And let thefe mercies of God, and merits of Chrift be before your eyes, as your hopes, and your winning to thefe as the only rock upon. which we can be faved; if there be any thing feen or looked to in our felves but fin, we cannot expect remiffion and falvation állenarly through free grace, in which expectation only it can be obtained: Neither can we carneftly beg, till we fee our felves deftitute of all that procures favour, and full of all that merits that haftens vengeance and wrath

And befides, it heightens the price of that precious blood, by which only we can have redemption from fin and wrath; it being the only fufficient in it felf, and only acceptable to the Father, and fo it mult be, being the bleffed and gracious device and refult of infinite wildom, which makes the eternal God to be admired in his graciousness and holiness, having found out the way of his own payment without our hurt, and which, makes all return to their own defires, and there to reit in an

The

eternal complacency, for this way returns God to his glory, juftice to its fatisfaction, difquieted confciences of men, frigh ted and awakened with the fight of fin and wrath, to eve, peace and affurance, and the fouls of men to fellowhp with God, and hope of eternal falvation Now the righteousness of thrift being made fure to us, fecures all this for us, and this both is believed and apprehended by faith, it being the hand by which we grip this rock, and if it be true, it cannot but be frong, and we faved. Look well then to your faith, that it be a faith growing out of regeneration, and the new creatu e and have Chrift for its righteousness, hope and rejoicing, and be fealed by the Spirit of God. And what this fealing is, when it comes, it will abundantly fhow itfelf; and there can be no other full fatisfaction to a foul than this: But feek till ye find, and whatever ye find for the prefent, let your last act be to lay and leave your felves on the righteoufnefs of his Son, expecting life through his name, according to the promife of the Father. Dear friends, your work is great, and time fhort but this is a comfort, and the only comfort in your prefent condition, that you have a God infinite in mercy to deal with, who is ready at all times to forgive, but efpecially perfons in your cafe, who have been jeoparding your lives upon the account of the gofpel, whatever failings or infirmities in you, that action hath been accompanied with; for it is the action itself, which is the duty of this whole covenanted kingdom, and not the failing, for which you are brought to fuffering. Seek not then the favours of men, by making your duty your fin: but confefs your failings to God, and look for his mercy through Jefus Chrift, wha has faid "Whofoever lofeth his life for my "fake, fhall keep it unto eternal life." And though it will profit a reprobate nothing to die after this manner; for nothing can be profitable without love, which only is, or can be in a believer; yee it fhould be no difadvantage, but in a manner, the best way of dying; for it would take fome from his days that he might have lived, and fo prevent many fins that he would have committed, and fo the fin is leffened that is the cause of eternal fufferings.

And let not this difcourage you, or lay you by, that the work is great, and the time fhort, tho' this indeed should mind you of yaur finful neglect, that were not batter provided for fuch a fhort and peremptory fummonds, which you fhould always have expected. It alfo fhews the greatnefs of the fin of thefe enemies, and not only take away unjustly your bodily life, but also fhorten your time of preparation, and fo do their utmost to deprive you of eternal life. Yet, I fay, let not this either difcourage, or lay you by, for God can perfect great