The poor Man's Cup of cold Water Ministred To the Saints and Sufferers for Christ. IN SCOTLAND Who are admidst the scorching flames of the fiery Trial. I. JOH III 13. Marvel not my Brethren if the World hate you I. PET. IV 12 13. Behold think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as if some strange thing hapned unto you But rejoice c. II. THESS I 6. Seing it is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us c. LUK. XVIII 7 I tel you that he will avenge them speedily PSAL. II 3 4 6 Let us breake their bands asunder He that sitteth in Heavens shall laugh Yet I have set my King upon my holy hill Zion PSAL. CXXXII 18. His Enemies will I clothe with shame But upon himself shall his Crown flourish Printed in the Year 1678. For the now truely honorable and really happy that little Flock and lovely Company in Scotland who are in great tribulation for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Iesus Christ and more particularly for his specially endeared Friends the Sufferers in the West OF SCOTLAND MUch honoured dearly beloved and longed for in our Lord Jesus Christ Grace from the God of all grace mercy from the Father of mercies who is rich in mercy peace from the God of peace whose it is to speake that peace and to give that peace which passeth all understanding together with joy in the Holy Ghost be multiplied upon you Though I am unable to do any thing for you or say any thing to you which can cannot to the equivalency of a releife now when you are overwhelmed with such an inundation and deludge of calamities as every one who looks on yea the very Authors and Instruments of these miseries and mischeifes must say if they speake their soul or sense you are pressed out of measure and beyond strength yet your sufferings are such for kinde and qualitie such for measure and weight such for substance and circumstances as might through a transport of griefe and compassion make the tongue of the dumb if he have bâ—t eyes or eares to break prison and cry out behold O Lord and consider to whom these things are done and for what and for whose sake I dare not Alas say that I fill up the just measure of that sorrow for you and that sympathy with you which is debt upon my part and an indispensible duty in this day of trouble and of treading down and of great perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision yet I desire to be amongst the company of those who doe not who dare not allow themselves to carry as inconcerned now when his precious interests lye a bleeding his poor remnant under their pressures as breathing out their last and such who endeavour to retain their integrity and to hold fall what they have that no man take their crown and to depart fâ—om that inquity which is the inquity of our time a departing from God and an opposition to Jesus Christ in nature and degree in height and hainousnesse of a tincture and elevation beyond and above what the departings from God and oppositions to his Son Jesus Christ have been or were capable of in former times make themselves a prey as is manifest in your case not to be paralleled if weighed in an even ballance I am so much straitned how to give my shallow and confused thoughts a vent while I essay to contribute my poor mite for alleying the bitternesse of your cup and mitigating the greatnesse of your griefe knowing well how little proportion what ever I am able to say keeps to the anguish of your soul because of what you are put to suffer as the sight of this indignation wherewith you are filled puts me to struggle with my inclination and staggers me in my resolution to speake as seeming rather to perswade me because of the heavienesse of his hand upon you to sit alone and keep silence then to open my mouth since the moving of my lips cannot asswage your griefe yet affection which easily procures a pardon when it misseth the marke it aimed to hit hath in the present clamant emergent emboldened me out of my poverty and penury to offer such as I have and besides I hope both from the conviction of duety and knowledge how much the depth of your distresse is beyond the supplies I can contribute for your ease and the supportings of my feeble feeklesse pen to acconnt it m mercy while you are in that Paroxisme agony of misery through the madnesse of such as are incensed against your Lord and Master to cry as I can on your behalfe Arise o Lord and rescue the soul of thy turtle from the rage of these men of cruelty and do not give up the beloved of thâ— soul into the hand of such an enemy whose way thy soul hateth You have often heard my deare and distressed friends and you have professed also to be in the faith of this That men may be more then conquerours when killed all the day long and that there is an hundred fold to be reaped in this life even with persecution Now set your selves when killed and crushed to put the crown upon your Profession now adorne that Doctrine of God the Saviour which you Professe by such a carriage as will witnesse you know in the midst of what flesh can do unto you how to be conforted in God how to endure the worlds hatred and harme as those whom no affliction can make miserable O that he may put you in case to seale from your own experience the sweetnesse of suffering for Christ And to say now we know there is a river that refresheth the whole City of God because he hath made us drink of this river of his pleasure whereof since we drank we have forgotten our Poverty remember our Misery no more now we can affirme from what we finde whereby our souls are fortified that as the sufferings of Christ have abounded in us so our consolation also hath abounded by Christ for whom we have suffered the loss of these things and in that loss are so great gainers as now we know what we have lost is but dung but what is left us or rather what we have found in these begun fruitions of Jesus Christ hath begun our heaven amidst all we suffer Yea I am hopeful it shall be with you in your huntings harassings and hideings as it was with Moses in the mount never so neer God as when at the remotest distance from all creature-converse and comfort And that even while you lye as among the pots and are black with the smoak of that fiery furnace heated seven times beyond what you or your Fathers have found or could have feared if Satan whose element is fire had not set the Instruments of your calamity on fire
zeal for God witnessed by their faithful forwardnesse while with my self and others there was scarce the smoaking of a flaxe Though yet he may graciously condescend even to make our hair grow againe so make use of oâ—r hâ—nds aboâ—t his work and put us in case to shake ourselves as his Servants have done at other times Yet Thirdly to the end the poor People of the Lord may not be frighted nor fainted into a despondency let me adde this That deliverance to the people of God in his own time way and manner which I leave vvholly to Himself and that a great and glorious one shall come And this is no lesse cerâ—ain than that Iâ—hoâ—ah cannot fail to establish the Throne of his Anointed Nay if all the Kings of â—he Earth should agree amongst themselves to set up one Monarch invest him with the power of our Supremacy yet all the povver they could make managed vvith all the Policy in hell or out of â—ell shâ—uld not be able to setle that Crovvn upon the Head of that Mortal But tâ—e Immorâ—al God should with the omnipotent Power of his right arme shake that Usurper out of his seat and setle the Throne of his Anointed upon the ruine of his Adversaries Hath he said it hath he sworne it and shâ—ll not the Zeal of Iehovah performe it Hath Christ bought his Crown aâ—d Scepter with his Blood and hath he such a tittle and right to it And hath he all power in Heaven and in Earth for securing himself in the possession of his purchase And shall any mortal oâ—ter to mount his Throne Shall any mortal offer to stripe him of this Glory pull the Crown from his Head and cloth himâ—elf with the spoils of the Mediator's honour and be able to keep himself in possession of what he hath taken from the Son of God O vain attempt Let them answer these Questions put unto them Psal. 2 vers 1 2. and read â—heâ—r doom Vâ—râ— 4 5. O! the Mediator's Iron rod put in his hand for securing to him his royal Scepter shall make the potsheads of the Earth by dashing them in pieces know whaâ— it is â—o strive with hâ—m for state And here let me adde these things shortly Fiâ—st Aâ— in the way he shall take to aâ—complâ—sh our delivery his holy and hot Indignation againâ—t breach of Covenant with God shall be witnessed to the conviction even of sucâ— who decâ—eâ—d it for the breach oâ— Covenaâ—t with him shall either breack Brittaâ—'s Heart or Head so Secondly It shall be seen to have a most convincingly closs connexion with the vengeanceâ— wherewith our Supâ—â—mâ—cy shall be pursued The Mediators Zeâ—l against this idol of indâ—â—nation shall be written on the revenges he will take for it And in the day when he raiâ—eth up a paâ—tie to state the quarrel upon this Head how despicable and contemptible so ever they may appeare thâ—n it shall appeare he is about rescinding of our Supremacy for rescinded it shall be and if they will not he will Nay because they will not he shall For his Crown must flowrish on his own Head and all his Enemies must be clothed with shame setting that Crown with pure gold upon his Head from whose Head it is taken by our Law And Thirdly Let me adde this and so I have done that as their rage and violence in this late invasion made upon you in pursueance of the designe of a full and final setlement of themselves in the possession of what they have taken from Jesus Christ by the ruine and overthrow of all whose way speakes the least of resistance even to a non-complianceâ— hath been an high transport of rage whereby they have been carried beyond all the Boundaries of Law and Reason So I have as little doubt but God shall make the connexion betwixt his arising to deliver his People their having risen up thus to delete and destroy them at once so closs and so cleare how long so ever he delay it as it shall be no matter of difâ—icultie for any who wisely considers these things to observe what dependance upon connexion with the deliverance of the People of the Lord hath as to it 's visible rise with this their horrid and inhumane violence He is the Lord whâ— will hasten these things in his time Do not therefore beloved Sufferers for Christ suffer your hearts to sink into a despondency The cause is His and he will plead yea thorowly plead that cause which is his own And this shall be your Crown and Comfort to continue contending for him for so the cause that is so purely his becomes the cause of your Soul and if you should fall in this conflict and die suffering Besides that you fall in the bed of honour fall asleep in the blessed expectation of the conquerours Crown this your cause will out live all it's Enemies and have a glorious Resurrection and your wrestlings and witnessings and sufferings as they will be rewarded in Heaven so they shall be recorded on Earth Therefore lift up the hands that hang dovvn and strengthen the freeble knees The sâ—me yea greater afflictions have been accomplished in your Brethren which have been in the World and as the God of all Grace after they had suffered a vvhile made them perfect and put them in possession of that eternal Glory to vvhich they vvere called by Jesus Christâ— so shall he stablish strengthen settle and keep you â—rom falling and after all your sorrovves and sufferings present you faultlesse before the presence of his Glory vvith exceeding joy Pray for Your poor Welwisher and Companion in Tribulation
great goodnesse to them who went before you you need not in order to your establishment run so far backward as to the records and experiences of former generations but I may say as you have heard so have you seen in the Ciâ—ie of our God Call to remembrance what you have been witnesses to what not a few of you have seen with joy and all of you have heard with gladnesse yea your enemies have beheld it with confusion of â—ace shame griefe and astonishment to wit that singular heart solacing and shining presence of God under which these your martyred Brethren were at their death It was evident he did not so much leave them into the hands of them who hated them to take away their lives as because he was so well pleased with their zealous fervour their fidelitie and fixednesse in his way which made them in Testimony of their love to him not to love their lives unto the death he therefore brought them forth to Crown them in the sight of these who killed them and in that Crucified their Master againe while they with a keen crueltie killed he crowned with loving kindnesse and kissed their souls out of them kepped them as they fell carried them off the scaffold in embraces to present them to his Father and set the Martyrs Crown upon their head I â—eed noâ— insist in a matter so manifest as it is beyond the hidings or denyings of those who put them to death and hath also caused so many thanksgiving unto God amongst the Saints so that I may aske you what do you feare Do you feare fruition Do you feare that they who cast you in the fiery furnace shall see the Son of God walking with you in the midst of the flames Do you feare to be seen made more then Conquerours through him who hath loved you Do you feare that when the incensed world hath yoked a fiery Chariot for you to cary out of the world that the world who hate you and hurry you thus off the stage shall see the King come and pave the bottome thereof for you with love Do you feare that while they stretch out their hand against you to take away your life he manifest his love in putting his left hand under your head and in embracing you with his right do you feare that while your blood is shed he give convincing significations to all that look on of his she ding abroad his love in your heart and that your blood is precious in his sight Are these things to be feared which have been the ambition of many righteous men yea and a piece of so great honour as they durst scarce even themselves to a sharing in it Or hath he deserted one of all the sufferers see if you can say it why then are you daunted with danger why do you doubt but he who hath glorified his name in others will glorifie it again in you Nay did he not most signally defeat the expectation of advâ—rsaries and out-do the hope of his poor servants by the remarkablenesse of his assistances given to some who were looked upon as such weake wriglings as they could noâ— stand it out but how by standing by them and strengthning them did he still the enemy and avenger and how did he by the marvellous supporting of his Grace perfect praise out of the mouth of such babes and sucklings I may appeale to the conscience of any present at these executions who savoure the things of God and saw under what a shining presence and with what joy uâ—speakeable and full of glory these dying men went out of the world and these murthered martyrs mounted their triumphant charriot if they would not at that time upon assuâ—ance to be carried off the stage under the same sun-shine and sweetnesse have left all they had in this world and gone with gladenesse in their company in to the other world If any one of all that now glorified company had been deserted you might be discouraged and shrink away and say what is our strength that we should hope But since everlasting armes underneath have been so visibly seen supporting every one whom he called to suffer it saith nothing if it say not this â—eare none of those things which you shall suffer For my grace shall be sufficient for yâ—u And my strength shall be made perfect in your weakenesse Therefore be not affraid but approach your duetie with humble confidence and courage even when death it self is in the way and you shall â—inde it with you as it was with the Priests beâ—ore whom Jordan recoiled not till their feet were within the brink Waite for your assistances and supports in the hour of conflâ—ct and in that very hourâ— it shall be given you and you put in case to say when we are weake â—hen are we strong And to compleat this account and make it appeare that the most daring and desperat enemy cannot ease his own soul by giving one instance to the contrair I can not here passe the death of Mr Miâ—chel which the Lord hath so excellently ordered both as to time and circumstances for whereas they who put him to death did hope to give thereby a daâ—h to the people oâ— God at this time and by their severitie exercised upon him to make them shrink into a fearefull compliance with their iniquous Contrivances but the supporting presence of God with him was such as no man needs for feare to forsake the way of the Lord because of what befell him I mentione not here the cause but leave the world to the account himself hath given thereof with what his Advocats had to plead on his behalfe And shall onely without making a parallel or instituting a comparison between the two allude to Samson's death in this execution Not that I mâ—y take occasion to tell the world that he who was aimed at may passe any day in the yeer for a Lord amongst the uncircumcised Philistims For that is no newes nay the world may judge I do these Lords wrong and him too in not associating him with But First Sampson was a rackel and rough-handed saint ready to peâ—t the Philistims upon all occasions yet secondly the Holy Ghost for all the faults that followed him hath recorded his name and enrolled him in thâ— number even while the names of many other are left out of these eminent worthies Hâ—b 11. And so he hath made the name of Mr Mitchell savovrie and as he tooke many Testimonies from him at all his appearances to the cause so he owned him in the end and honoâ—red him to die witnessing a good confession which will be on record to posâ—eritieâ— Thirdly as Sampson did more mischeâ—fe to the enemies of the people of God at his death than in all his life for when they sent for him to make themselves mirry with a sight of his misery the Lord helped him to spil â—heir sport so I judge it is beyond question with every sober man