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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	witness_v	work_n	worthy_a	12	3	5.8901	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61639	Naphtali, or, The wrestlings of the Church of Scotland for the kingdom of Christ contained in a true and short deduction thereof, from the beginning of the reformation of religion, until the year 1667 : together with the last speeches and testimonies of some who have died for the truth since the year 1660 : whereunto are also subjoyned, a relation of the sufferings and death of Mr. Hew McKail ...	Stewart, James, Sir, 1635-1713.; Stirling, James, 1631-1672?	1667 (1667)	Wing S5683; ESTC R3435	226,444	388

and Prelacy and all that was done or ensued in the sincere and upright prosecution thereof was and is the Work of God which though Men fight against yet shall they never be able to prevail And as this is our Faith so it is our Hope to all that wait for the Salvation of God that Our God will surely appear for his own Glory and vindicate his Cause and persecuted People and render vengeance to his Adversaries even the vengeance of his Holy Temple and broken Covenent O be not then moved with our Sufferings with are but Light and Momentany for they Work for us a far more execeding and Eternal weight of Glory and for you also a strong Confirmation and abounding Consolation against the like trial that possibly may befal you O then save your selves from this Wicked and Apostat Generation and be ye stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the Work and Cause of the Lord Waiting for the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ which in his Times he shall shew who only hath Immortality dwelling in the Light which no man can approach whom no man hath seen or can see to whom be honour and Power everlasting AMEN The Testimony of CAPT. ANDREW ARNOT one of the former ten who died Decem. 7. DEar Friends and Spectators I am brought by the good providence of God to this publick place of execution which is no dishonour for points of Treason as is alleadged but God knoweth who knoweth the secrets of hearts whether in Rebellion or not I cam forth He is my witness wil be my Judge And whoever they be that any way have been instrumentall or incensed against me to procure this Sentence against me God forgive them I forgive them I am not now purposed to disput the matter of my being in company with these worthy Christians who are now defeat and broken their blood shed and they despitfully mocked by many I acknowledge and declare that I was with them As to the cause of my being with them whither in Rebellion or not God knoweth and all Israel shall know And for me I say the Cause is the Lords who made the Heaven and the Earth though now it be hated And I desire to bear witness with the rest of the worthy witnesses who are gone before and are now staged to that glorious Work of Reformation in Britain and Ireland and to Gospel-Ordinances in their Purity as they have been taught and administrated these 30 Years last by past And I adhere to the Presbyterial way of Doctrin Worship Discipline and Government by General Assemblies Synods Presbyteries and Sessions according to the Patern of the holy Scriptures Jesus Christ himself being the head Corner-stone the Confession of faith Cathechismes Shorter and Larger Directory for Worship National Covenant Solemne League Covenant every Paper tending to the good of the true Religion And this I think fit to Testify Declare under my hand not knowing if I shall have any Liberty to speak intend God willing to Seal with my Blood shortly I confess that unexpectedly I am come to this place though some times I have had some small thoughts of it And I do account my self highly honoured to be reckoned amongst the witnesses of Jesus Christ to suffer for his Name Truth and Cause and this day I esteem it my Glory Garland Crown royall dignity to fill up a part of His sufferings And now I take my leave of you all my dear and worthy Friends and acquaintances The Blessings of the Eternall God be multiplied upon yow and your seed and upon all the suffering Friends of Christ this day upon my dear and loving Wife who hath been a faithful sympathizer with me and upon my dear Children The work of God is now at under but Christ shall carry the Day Blessed is he that believeth and seeth not for there shall be a performance Now the Eternall God who brought again the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead the great sheepherd of the flock strengthen and establish you and all the Lord's people So pray ye and so prayeth your Friend ANDREW ARNOT The Testimony of JOHN SHIELDS Yeoman one of the former ten who died at Edinburgh the 7 day of Decemb. 1666. I Am a man unlearned and not accustomed to speak in publick yet being now called to witness and suffer for the Lord in publick I cannot be altogether silent of that which Religion and Reason hath taught me anent the cause of my suffering I bless the Lord I suffer not as an evil doer especially not for any Rebellion against his Majesties lawful Authority I attest him who is the searcher of hearts that was never my intention in the least and it is as litle the nature and intention of what I have done But for renewing of the Covenant with the Lord and following the ends thereof as to the suppressing of abjured Prelats and Intruders upon the Lords flock and the restoring of the Government of the House of God by Presbyteries as He himself hath appointed in his Word with a faithful Godly Called and Sent Ministery And together with pure Ordinances the Power of Godliness For this I am condemned and to suffer this day This I acknowledged freely before our Judges This I still acknowledg and am persuaded that herein I witness a faithful Confession This Cause and Covenant I commend to all the Lord's People It is not free for you to forsake if You are inviolably ingaged in it It is not safe to desert it because of the Curse of the perjurer and false swearer There is unspeakable blessedness in the pursuance of it whereof I can bear witness to the Lord by my rich Experience since we began to Do and Suffer at this time for him Whereupon I cheerfully lay doun my Life for this his Cause He it is who Justifieth it what man or Authority under heaven can condemn it Arise O Lord let not man prevaill against Thee plead and Iudg this Cause which is thine own for thine own names sake The Testimony of another of the former ten Persons left subscribed with a Friend I designed no Rebellion against lawful Authority but the suppressing of Prelacy and of Profanity and advancing of Holiness in Gods World In a Word I adhere to all the Articles of the good Covenant and did intend the restoring of our good and Soul-refreshing Ministers and the casting out of the dumb greedy Dogs that cannot bark In this Cause I was a free Voluntier pressed by none thinking it my duty to appear for helping the Lord against the Mighty This I testify under my hand from the Tolbooth of Edinburgh the 6 of December 1666. The Testimony of M R ALEXANDER ROBERTSON Preacher of the Gospel and Probationer for the Ministry who died at Edinburgh Decemb. 14. 1666. FEaring that after the example of others I should not be permitted to speak openly to the People I thought fit beside my adherence to what my brethren who have

Adversary to reproach and blaspheme and did withall not a litle obscure and darken the beauty of severall former Actings about His blessed and glorious Work of Reformation happily begun and far advanced in these Lands wherein He was graciously pleased to Employ and by Employing to Honour me to be an Instrument though the least and unworthiest of many whereof I am not ashamed this day but account it my Glory how ever that Work be now cried down opposed laid in the dust and trod upon And my turning aside to comply with these men was the more aggravated in my person that I had so frequently and seriously made profession of my Aversness from and Abhorrence of that way and had shown much Dissatisfaction with these that had not gone so great a length for which as I seek God's mercy in Christ Jesus so I desire that all the Lord's People from my example may be more stirred up to watch and pray that they enter not into temptation 2. I do not deny on the other hand but must Testify in the second place to the Glory of His Free-grace that the Lord my God hath often shewed and engraven upon my Conscience the Testimony of His Reconciling and Reconciled Mercy through the Merits of Jesus Christ pardoning all my iniquities and assuring me that He would deliver me also by the graces of His Holy Spirit from the spait tyranny and dominion thereof And hath often drawn out my spirit to the exercise of Repentance and Faith and after engraven upon my heart in legible characters His merciful pardon and gracious begun cure thereof to be perfected thereafter to the Glory of His Name the Salvation of my Soul and Edification of His Church 3. I am pressed in conscience to leave here at my death my true honest Testimony in the sight of God and Man to and for the Nationall Covenant the Solemn League Covenant the Solemn Acknowledgement of our Sins Engagement to our duties to all the grounds Causes of Fasts and humiliations of the Lords displeasure contending with the Land And to the several Testimonies given to His Interests by Generall Assemblies Commissioners of the Kirk Presbyteries and by other honest and faithful Ministers and Professors 4. I am pressed also to encourage His Doing Suffering Witnessing People and Sympathizing ones with these that suffer that they would continue in the duties of Mourning Praying Witnessing and Symparthizing with these that suffer and humbly to assure them in the Name of the Lord our God the God of His own Word and Work of His own Cause Covenant and People that He will be Seen Found and Felt in His own gracious Way and Time by His own Means Instruments for His own Glory Honor to return to His own Truths and Interests and Servants and revive His Name His Covenant His Word His Work His Sanctuary and His Saints in these Nations even in the three Covenanted Nations which were by so Solemn Bonds Covenants Subscriptions and Oaths given away and devoted unto Himself 5. I exhort all these that have been or are Enemies or unfreinds to the Lord's Name Covenant or Cause Word Work or People in Britain and Ireland to Repent and Amend before these sad judgements that are posting fast come upon them for their sinning so highly against the Lord because of any temptation of the Time on the right or left hand by Baits or Straits whatsoever and that after so many Professions and Engagements to the contrary 6. I dare not conceal from yow that are Friendly to all the Lord's Interests that the Lord to the commendation of His Grace be it humbly spoken hath severall times in the exercise of my Repentance and Faith during my trouble and after groans and tears upon these three notable chapters to wit the 9 of Ezra the 9 of Nehemiah and the 9 of Daniel with other such sutable Scriptures and in the very nick of fervent and humble Supplication to Him for the Reviving again of His Name Cause Covenant Word and Work of Reformation in these Covenanted Nations and particularly in poor Scotland which first solemnly engaged to Him to the good Example and Encouragement of His People in the other two Nations to do the same also That the Lord I say hath several times given to me good ground of hope and lively expectations of His Mercifull Gracious Powerful and Wonderful Renewing and Reviving again of His fore-mentioned great Interests in these Covenanted Nations And that in such a Way by such Means and Instruments with such Antecedents Concurrents Consequents and Effects as shall wonderfully rejoyce His Mourning Friends and astonish His Contradicting and counter-acting Enemies 7. I do earnestly recommend my poor Wife and Children and 〈◊〉 posterity to the choicest Blessings of God an●●o the Prayers and Favour of all the Lord's Children an● Servants in their earnest dealing with God and Men ●n their behalf That they may not be ruined for ●y Cause but for the Lord my God's sake they 〈◊〉 be favoured assisted supplyed and comforted 〈◊〉 so may be fitted by the Lord for His Fellowship and Service whom God Himself hath moved me often in their own Presence and. with their own Consent to dedicate devote and resign alike and as well as I devote and resign my own Soul and Body to Him for all Time and Eternity 8. I beg the Lord to open the eyes of all the Instruments of my Trouble that are not deadly Irreconcileable Enemies to Himself and His People that they may see the wrong done by them to His Interests and People and to Me and Mine and may repent thereof and return to the Lord and may more cordially own and adhere to all His Interests in time coming The good Lord give unto them Repentance Remission and Amendement and that is the worst wish I wish them and the best wish I can wish unto them 9. I do earnestly beg the fervent prayers of all His Praying People Servants and Instruments whether absent or present wherever they be in behalf of His Name Cause and Covenant Work and People and in behalf of my Wife Children and their Posterity And that the Lord would glorify Himself edify His Church encourage His Saints further His Work accomplish His good Word by all His Doings and Dealings in Substance and Circumstance toward all His own 10. Whereas I have heard that some of my unfreinds have slandered and defamed my Name as if I had been accessary to his late Majestie 's death and to the making of the Change of the Government thereupon the great God of Heaven be witness and Judge between Me and my Accusers in this for I am free as I shall now answer before his Tribunal from any Accession by Counsel or Contrivance or any other way to his late Majestie 's death or to their making that change of Government And I pray the Lord to preserve our present King his Majesty and to pour out His best blessings

the Ascendent Power of His own Spirit and Glorious Presence did bring the whole Land under these great convictions mentioned in the conclusion of the League and Covenant of our not valueing the inestimable Benefit of the Gospel nor endeauouring to receave Christ in our hearts and walk worthy of Him in our lives the only Duty and end of all our Covenants and Engagements which is in effect God's greatest Delight and Glory in the World and all our Felicity And unto these unfained resolutions there annexed of Repentance and Amendment And lastly though the Lord from Heaven had both plagued us for and purged us from these fearful Apostacies and Defections whereby men of corrupt minds not holding the Head and End of all things even our Lord Jesus Christ were both in the Years 1645. and 1648. soon turned aside from their stedfastness in the Covenant and became Enemies unto God's own Work and Cause and had therefore stirred us up to the Renewing of our Covenant with God in the Year 1648 with and after a most Solemn Acknowledgement both of the Causes and Evills of these Defections and a most serious detestation of and resolution against both Notwithstanding we say of all these things Yet the great Sin and Evil of not valueing receaving and walking worthy of our Lord Jesus and the not directing and improving the great Blessings of His Gospel Ordinances Covenants Victories and all other Benefits and Enjoyments bestowed on us for the promoving of the Pleasure of our Lord and the Establishing of His Kingdom for the Salvation of Sinners did still remain Thence was it that the generall and great Zeall which then appeared was so suddenly contracted to a very few and much remitted in all And that mens corruptions turning former Professions into feigned pretensions and causing many in place of the great and only end proposed to minde Selfish Designes and Worldly advantages the Lord was provoked to give up some to the prosecution of these base desires 〈◊〉 which they had so quickly backsliden And to abandon others to the delusion of an over-credulous Charity which two Evills did so far prevail in all the Transactions of these Times that though the Over-ruling Providence of the Most High did bring forth thereof the Advantages which we have al-ready mentioned yet were Men thereby acted to pursue Treaties over the belly of most signal Warnings and most pregnant Disswasives to the contrary and to conclude Agreements and accept of Securities in the great Matters of God and of His Work so long contended for and far advanced which no rational man not preferring airy words and professions and Ink-subscriptions to plain refusal visible reluctancies manifest resilings open counter-actings and strong and continued prejudices would be satisfyed with in his own private matters of almost the meanest concernment But though the Lord from heaven did at Dumbar testify against both this evil and sinful course and the great Sin and wickedness that had procured it and thereafter by many of His faithful Servants did give express Testimony Warning against the same yet it is stil persisted in And notwithstanding that by a new discovery after all the assurance contained in the Declaration at Dumfermling that could be imagined the Lord did make it evident at Clova that all these condescensions were only the constraints of Policy the Backsliding and Delusion of these times did proceed until that under a pretence of Necessity preferring the Arm of Flesh to the Almighty Power and Favour of the Most High and through the perswasion of a Mock-Repentance only agreable unto that Mock-Treaty whereon it depended we were induced again to break the Lord's Commandement and our own Engagement in joyning with the People of these Abominations to provoke the Lord to be angry until He should consume us utterly without a remnant or escaping and by partaking of their Sins became apt and ready to partake of their judgements which the Lord by the hand of the TREACHEROUS did suddenly inflict upon us for all our treachery And thereby according to His Righteousness and Great Faithfulness as he had brought upon us the blessing so He also brought upon us the curse of His Holy Covenant and the fears of our own Acknowledgement These were our Forsakings Backslidings which provoked the Lord also to forsake us and at length to give us over unto and leave us in the hands of our enemies and to lay on our necks that long and heavy yoke of forraign Usurpation under which from the Year 1651. unto the Year 1660. we did so grevously groan The remembrance of which things doth necessarily oblidge us to the Declaration of these things 1. That as we desire heartily to resume these professions of unfeigned Humiliation for the undervaluing of the Precious Gospel and slighting of our Lord Jesus Christ contained in our Holy Covenant wherein all the Land without exception are and were so deeply concerned so although in the Narration of the procedure of our sinful and Wofull Defection the particular passages of Self-seeking and Over-credulous Delusion may import a narrower restricton Yet the Lord is our witness that the pure motive of His Glory and the Honor and Truth of His Work and Covenant without prejudice to the persons of any far less of such whom we are perswaded the Lord both did and yet doth honor to be instrumental in His Work and faithfull in His Covenant though neither in the former practice or this present perswasion we do agree have induced us to this reflection which we earnestly obtest may be looked upon by all rather as the matter of our mourning then of our censure 2. That whatever love and sincere respect we retain for such of the Faithful who through the Holy and Wise Permission of the Soveraign Lord by the influence of particular temptations or of that general and powerful snare of an Evil Time were carried on to a Sinful Complyance with the Evil Courses thereof Yet we are perswaded that the remitting of that Zeal sincerity and stedfastness whereunto in our Solemn Acknowledgement upon the most powerful motives we had then lately so seriously engaged our selves and the more Politick then Pious management of these Treaties and Transactions wherein the advancement of the Work of God and prosecution of the Ends of the Covenant so highly pretended could not sincerely and zealously be intended by any imaginary security or sinful assistance thereby obtained but especially the relapsing unto that most sinful Conjunction with the People of these Abominations so solemnly and lately repented for and resolved against which in stead of being salved was by the Constrained Politick Dissembled and Formall Repentance then used to the mocking of the God of Truth and scorn of all our Holy Engagements on all hands mostly aggravated and exaggerated these evils we say were the very foundations of this present Apostacy and the grounds of the Lords controversy which hath so long and yet doth so greivously pursue

upon his royall Posterity and to give unto them good and faithfull Counsellors holy and wise Counsels and prosperous successes to God's Glory and to the good and interest of His people and to Their own Honour and Happiness 11. I do here now submit and commit my Soul and Body Wife and Children and Childrens Children from generation to generation for ever with all others his Friends and Followers all His Doing and Suffering Witnessing and Sympathizing ones in the present and subsequent Generations unto the Lord's choice Mercies Graces Favours Services Employments Impowerments Enjoyments Improvements and Inheritments on Earth and in Heaven in Time and Eternity All which suits with all others which He hath at any time by His Spirit moved and assisted me to make and put up according to His will I leave before and upon the Father's Mercifull Bowels and the Son's Mediating Merits and the Holy Spirit 's Compassionate Groans for now and evermore Amen The Joint Testimony of these who died together in Edinburgh Dec 7. 1666. subscribed by them in prison the same day of their death Men and Brethren THis is a great and important work both for us who are now to render up our spirits to Him that gave them And for yow who are not a litle concerned in the Cause and in our blood by justifying or condemning our sentence And therefore as we speak to yow as Dying men who dare not dissemble with God or man nor flatter our selves So ye should not be idle curious or unconcerned Spectators We are condemned by men and esteemed by many as Rebels against the King whose Authority we acknowledge But this is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience that we suffer not as Evill doers but for Righteousness for the Word of God and Testimony of Jesus Christ And particularly for our renewing the Covenant and in pursuance thereof for Preserving and Defending of our selves by Armes against the Usurpation and insupportable Tyranny of the Prelats And against the most unchristian and inhumane Oppression and Persecution that ever was enjoyned and practised by just Rulers upon Free Innocent and Peaceable Subjects The Covenant and Cause being so just in themselves and the duties of Self-preservation and mutual Defence in maintenance thereof being to Judicious and unbyassed men so clear we need to say the less for vindication of our Practice Only the Lawes establishing Prelacy and the Acts Orders and Proclamations made for Complyance therewith being executed against us by Military Force and Violence And we with others for our simple Forbearance being Fined Confined Imprisoned Exiled Scourged Stigmatized Beaten Bound as beasts and Driven unto the mountains for our lives And thereby hundreds of Families being beggared several Parishes and some whole Country-sides exceedingly impoverished And all this either Arbitrarily and without any Law or respect had to guilt or innocency Or Unjustly contrary to all Conscience Justice and Reason though under the Pretence of iniquous Laws and without regard had to the penalty specifyed in the Law And all Remonstrating of Grievances were they never so just and many and Petitions for Redress being restrained by Laws condemning all former Remonstrances and Petitions in the like cases There was no other remedy left to us but that last of necessary Self-preservation and Defence And this being one of the greatest Principles of Nature warranted by the Law or God Scriptural Instances and the consent and Practices of all Reformed Churches and Christian States abroad and of our own famous Predecessors at home It cannot in reason or Justice be reputed a Crime nor condemned as Rebellion by any humane Authority Though we be not the first that have suffered for the Cause or God within the Land yet we are among the first that have been Legally condemned and put to Death Expresly for taking the Covenant And we are so far from being ashamed thereof that we account it our honour to be reckoned worthy to suffer for such a Cause And cannot but bless the Lord that we have such a cloud of Witnesses in this and other Reformed Churches going before us in the same duty for Substance and in Suffering therefore We cannot but regret if we could with tears o● blood the Nationall and Authorized Backsliding of the Land by Perjury and breach of Covenant The overturning of the Work of Reformation The great Desolation of the House of the Lord by smiting of the Shepherds and scattering of the Flocks The Intrusion of so many mercenary Hirelings into the Ministry who because of Apostacy Perjury Ignorance and Profanness can neither be acknowledged as God's mouth to the People in Preaching nor employed as their mouth to Him in Prayer The abounding of Popery Superstition and Profanness by unheard-of Oaths Blasphemies Uncleannesss and Drinking even in some whose Office and Place requireth them to be more Examplary And the shedding of the Blood of the Saints by the rage of Persecution And therefore we cannot but disown all these abominable Laws Courses Practices declare our abhorrence of the same dissent therefrom Protesting before Angels and Men that we be not interpreted as consenters thereto and beseeching the Hearer of prayer that we be not involved in the guilt thereof nor partake of the plagues which follow thereupon As this Land was happy above all Nations for the purity and plenty of the Gospel and for a Form of Church Government more conform to the Patern in the Scriptures then in others of the Reformed Churches So we acknowledge His great goodness to us in speciall that gave us our lines in such pleasant places For we have such full perswasion of the Truth of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland And have felt so much of the Power and Sweetness thereof that we do here declare our firm belief and perswasion of and adherence to the same in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Nationall Covenant the Solemn League and Covenant the Confession of Faith Catechisms Directory of worship and Propositions for Government Accounting it our honor and happiness to have been born in it to have lived in Communion with it and now to die through Grace Members Witnesses and Asserters thereof And further as Christians and as Members of the same Church and Common-wealth in the Fear and zeal of our God in Love to our Brethren in desire of the Perservation of Church and Kingdom and for our own Exoneration now when we take our leave of the World We do seriously and in the bowels of Christ Supplicate Warn Exhort and Obtest yow all the Inhabitants of the Kingdom from the King to the meanest of the Subjects according to your old Principles Professions Promises Declarations Oaths and Covenants faithfully to Own Maintain preserve and Defend the said Religion And after the example of our Noble and Renowned Ancestors to quit your selves like Men Christians in endeavouring by all just Means according to your Places and Powers to shake off this heavy

is not for evill doing that I now suffer although I be charged with Rebellion against the Kings Authority yet 1 declare before God and you all that in all this matter I never intended to wrong his Majestie 's just Power and greatness but for conscience sake did respect Authority as the Ordinance of God appointed for the punishment of evill doers and that I wish his Ma all welfare both in this life and the world to come and that it may be his happiness to consider his Obligations to God and Perform the same that so it may be well with him and his Posterity to many generations and I pray God make him a friend to His Cause and the truly Godly who own the same though falsly called Phanaticks or turbulent persons I declare I have such persuasion of the Interest of Religion Reformed and sworn unto in the Covenant that I dare venture not only to lay down my own life but if every hair of my head were a man they should all be put to venture for this cause I would not have the world to stumble at the Cause because of my death after this manner for I rejoyce greatly in it and I desire every good Christian as they tender their own souls that they would grip fast lay hold on and cleave to Jesus Christ and His way My coming out at this time I say was not against his Majesty but for the Covenant which is now troden under foot my intention was for the Cause of Christ I take God to witness it was nothing else I came out for and for that I am free to lay down my life I bless God I am much encouraged in this and not at all afraid to die for so good and clear a Cause and I hope He will bring me thorow all my difficulties in this dark shadow of death I hope I have the peace of a good conscience and have had some glimpses from Jesus Christ of His countenance and reconciled Face since I came into this prison for which I desire to bless His Name with all my soul heart and spirit And I rejoyce that He hes made use of me to suffer for His Cause And I think it too litle not only to lay down my body but if it were possible even my very soul at the stake for that Cause and for Jesus Christ my good and kind Master who hath loved me and given Himself for me I give the Lord thanks that I had some of His Presence since I came into this condition and again I say I am much encouraged and not afraid to die and bless Him that I die not as a murtherer or evill door or Rebel to Authority but for such a cause as this O that it were the happiness of my Nation of England once to subiect themselves unto the sweet yoke of Christs Reformed Government under which this Nation of Scotland hath enjoyed so much of the Power and life of the Gospel by a faithful Ministry according to the Covenant sworn by them both And now my dear Friends in Christ and fellow-Covenanters though I be a stranger in this Land being an English-man but trifted by providence in the prosecution of my calling to have my residence for a time here in Scotland which I look upon as a singulare evidence of God's special love to me though I be a stranger I say to many of you yet I must be bold as a dying friend to beseech you by the mercy of God and by your appearance before Jesus Christ when we shall have to do with none but Him as our Judge that ye be faithfull and stedfast in the Cause of God and Covenant which ye have sworn with hands lifted up to the most high God which no Power on earth can loose you from and that ye keep you from snares unto the contrary and not suffer your selves to fall into a detestable Neutrality and Indifferency in that Cause of God And especially that ye keep your selves free of any Engagements by word or write that may wrong your Oath of the Covenant I commit my Wife and Children to His care who careth for them that put their trust in Him before the Sons of men not doubting but they shall be eyed with goodwil and favor by the Godly after I am gone And now I render up my Spirit to Him who gave it me and for whose sake I now lay down my life To this God my Covenanted God be glory blessing and praise for now and ever Amen That this is my mind and Testimony which I leave behind me I witness by my ordinary subscription R. SHIELDS The Testimony of HUMPREY COLHOUNE At his Death in Edinburgh Decemb 22. 1666. Dear Friends and Spectators I am come here this Day to this Place to die this Death for crimes for which I thank God my Conscience doth not condemn me My crime as is alleaged is for Disloyalty against the King's Majesty Yet I thank God that my appearing lately with the Lord's People was from my sense of my obligation in the Covenant and the sense of the wrongs done in the Land and the crying oppressions committed therein This was the end of my appearing for the Lord against His enemies to bear witness against the same The which obligation of the Oath of God I judge that none on earth can loose the Conscience from I bless the Lord again and again I die for this Oath and Covenant And I thank God also that I have by the great mercy of the Almighty God in Christ Jesus obtained mercy and forgiveness for all my transgressions both against the first and second Table of the Law And that through that Ocean of grace which is in the Lord Jesus Christ I believe that I am justified and sanctified and believe now to be glorified with Him by that blessed blood of His which hath purchased this Salvation to me through faith in the same made application of according to the good Covenant of grace He hath performed this out of his vvonderfull and incomparable free-grace And this is my joy and exceeding great rejoycing and consolation and all my salvation for vvhich I am Grace's debtor throughout all Eternity I die vvith this my Testimony my adherence to the National Covenant to the Solemn League and Covenant to the Work of Reformation a great length carried on and now overthrown most sinfully by ungodly Men vvho have established their Apostacy by Law which no just Power on earth could ever do Also I adhere to the Presbyterial Government the Confession of Faith Cathechisms Larger and Shorter And to the Solemn Acknovvledgement of the Church of Scotland And Publick Testimonies thereof against the sins of the time This day I rejoyce that He hath counted me vvorthy to lay dovvn my life for Him as one that beareth vvitness against the breach of all the Sacred Oaths and Ties that were established in this Land yea by the just Laws both of God and Man which never could