under no less Hazard then refusing Obedience to one of the last Precepts of our blessed Lord and Master Jesus Christ I hope none who owns my first Principle will yet say that any Mortal can invalidate this Commission or hinder the due performance of this so absolutely necessary and indispensible a Duty to which we are the more Encouraged to yeild Voluntare Obedience because of his Promised Presence therein to the end of World I say none will say so that Beleives there is a God if any say that this Satisfies not as to the gathering together in Multitudes and going to the Fields I hope this will have litttle Weight with any that Considers this was practice of our Blessed Master and his Apostles they being Acted by an Infallible Spirit and so their Example is a Sufficient Warrand and our Blessed Lord himself being God-man and so Essentially elevated above all Suspition of being Mistaken I say these Sufficiently Warrand this If it be further Obiected but why are you there in Arms I Answer first We have our Blessed Masters Precept for it in the 22 of Luke the 36 Verse in these Words But now he that hath a Purse let him take it and likewise his Scrip and he that hath no Sword let him Sell his Garment and Buy one Now having removed what has been offered by our Enemies against this we shall study in the Lords Strength to reinforce our Argument therefrom And first I would have you notice the Emphasis in the words but now as if he had said my time in the World here is to be as to us a peaceable time what I am to suffer here being Transacted betwixt me and my Father before the Foundation of the World and I being obliged in the Room of lost Mankind to take on me Flesh and Blood and all Human Frailties sin only Excepted that I may be a Compleat Saviour this being my free offering to my Father and consequently I being to perform all that is requisite herein not only freely but cheerfully therefore during this time there is no hurry to be made in the World upon my account and I attest your if in following of me even conform to this method you have found your at any Disadvantage in wanting either Purse Scrip or Sword But now now that I am going to leave you after that I have Performed that which was transacted betwixt the Father and me before the World was founded you are not to be so passive would he say as before that being contained in the Belly of the Fathers Transaction and mine and therefore I command him that wants a Sword to Sell his Garment and Buy one Now as to this Sword our Blessed Lord commands his Disciples to Buy and in them all that shall Succeed them to the end of the World for I suppose our Enemies will not say this Command was given them as Ministers least thereby they should wrong Coesar being commanded them as Christians I demand our Enemies what these Disciples were to do with their Swords for my part I know nothing if it were not either to offend or Defend or both I expect they will not readily say either to offend or both though I humbly conceive they should not err much in so saying especially if they consider aright the Penult Psalm then they must say to me that it was to defend and if to defend be in any case lawfull as I am sure it is then in our case I am confident none will refuse it who has read and considered what I have said before Secondly we have the Example of Abraham for this in the 14 of the Genesis where in a case nothing so favourable as ours he practises Self Defence and I hope the most daring of our Advesaries shall not dare to condemn him for it Thirdly that Scripture When you are Persecuted in one City flee to another Helps in this case to satisfie what we have said and in this I have the suffrage of the English Law made use of by Sir George M'kenzie in his Criminals whereby the Defendant is declared innocent if to evidence his Defence he have fled some few Steps and who doubts but when flight will not do the Defendant may resist by Force To all this if you add the practice of all Reformed Churches and the present practice of the Hungarians I hope I shall find you have not had the best Ground to question our going to the Fields to hear the Word of GOD preached in Arms especially considering that this was a practice we were forced to from absolute necessity seing that our being in Houses rendered us more lyable to be a prey to our Enemies Now I hope whoever seriously ponders what the Lord has given for Defence here will not think that we were serving God in these Meetings which I with all confidence averr we were and bless the Lord that not only I but not a few thousands in Scotland has it to say to the Commendation of his free Grace and commendation of this so much commended way that we have found our Lord as good as his Word in being with and Countenancing us and this being so I doubt as little to averr that the Assaulters upon this account coming in a Hostile manner without the least provocation upon our part were in that serving the Devil for who but the Devil would give Orders to fire upon a People in the actual Worship of GOD for no other reason but because they were so doing Among the other things that through the brittleness of my Memory I have omitted this which I have got from another hand is one That after Sentence I Attested the Lord that ever since I understood what Treason and Rebellion were I had ever abhorred both Treason and Traitors Rebellion and Rebells To which their Answer was that every word I spake was Treason To this I Replyed that I was sorry that what my blessed Lord and Master accepted off my hand as indispensible Duty should be by his Deputies and Servants reputed Rebellion I must add here also that in my Conference with Sir William Paterson against my Assertion of Christ's Headship of the Church he offered this Answer that he knew that Christ was Head of the Invisible Church insinuating that the King or any other they pleased might be Head to the Visible To this my Answer is I fear this Gentleman has wronged himself more than he is aware of for having renounced Christ Jesus my blessed Lord and Master to be Head of that Church of which he owns himself a Member he does more than faintly insinuate there are no Members of the Invisible Church amongst them for if they were they would hold Christ to be their Head and in so doing do nothing but what is their Duty But I would ask this Gentleman whether he looks upon our blessed Lord's Commission to his Disciples as a sufficient Warrand for them to manage all the Affairs of the Visible Church and
where he has his Warrand from the Magistrates medling further in Church Affairs than to see what is ordered by the God of Heaven exactly done to the Glory of the God of Heaven which I look upon as a Power Circa sacra and not in sacris Sure I am all that have any thing of the Exercise of their Reason will say he was bound to me in these But whatever his Sentiments be in these Matters I am confident that our blessed Lord and Master in this Commission to his Ministers to Preach and Baptize gave them Commission also to exercise Discipline and Government since the one cannot consist without the other and that aâ— to the Obedience to this Commission they are lyable to Answer to none even in their visible Estate But our blessed Lord Jesus Christ their and our blessed Lord and Master and Head anent which the Magistrates Power is only Cumulative not Privative For further clearing of this I hope Sir William Paterson will not refuse it that our blessed Lord was Head of that Church whereof Judas was a Member and if so his fancy of Christ's being only the Head of the Invisible Church will be found a meer Chimera For I doubt nothing to averr that under our blessed Lord and Master in his Visible Church there is no other Power granted to any Mortals but to his Ministers of his own Appointment whom he has cloathed with a Ministerial Power conjunctly under him to act in his Affairs as they shall answer to him their only Head and though amongst these his Ministers thus by him impowered there may and ought to be a Superiority of Order for Decency yet amongst them we find no Warrand in all the Word of God for a Superiority of Jurisdiction as is practised among the Prelatical Party who have to this Abomination added that other of the Renouncing of Christ to be their Head and with the same Breath to the astonishment of all that have the least impression of a Deity have sworn the contrary in their Test Now my Lords of Justiciary and you the Assizers here Sworn I hope no Man who hath any thing left of the Exercise of his reason will deny that you were bound in Conscience if you know there is any such thing and in all Law Equity and reason to have given me Satisfaction not only as to what I have hinted at by way of Defence for my self but also to have satisfied me with a Satisfactory Answer to what is standing on record lest by our Country Man Mr. Rutherfoord a very Eminent Light in his time and one much Countenanced of the Lord in his Books called Lex Rex due Right of Presbytery and his Peaceable Plea as also in that Book Entitled Jus divinum ministerij Evangelici Writen by our Faithfull and very Reverend and Dearly Beloved Brethren the Ministers of London and as Eminently worthy and Reverend Mr. George Gillespie his Assertion of Church Government with his Aarons Rod as also in the Apologie writen by the two Reverend and Worthy Divines Mr. Hugh Smith and Mr. Alexander Jamison and in the Apologetical Relation Naphtali Jus Populi and several others in all which you will find these Principles and Practices I have Asserted owned and offered my self in the strength of my Blessed Lord to Defend whether in my Principle or Additionall Declarations and Testimonies fully Solidly and Satisfactorily to all Unbyassed and unprejudicate Persons asserted Proven Vindicated and clearly made out from the word of God which I yet assert to be the Supream Law the Law of Nature and the Law of Nations sound reason and solid Sense and since it is so which all the World must grant and you especially who refuse me Satisfaction hereanent by your either Total silence or if speaking any thing at all against these things what you have said is either Blasphemy or Nonsense I say the whole Unbyassed World would acknowledge and firmly assent you were bound to give satisfaction as to these things especially considering any Answer has been given to any of these has been the burning of some of these Books by the hands of a Hangman in a Fire a very sorry Answer indeed but however of a peice with the rest of your sightings against the Almighty And how durst you for your Souls offer to Fire such Books to solidly diâ—gested by such preciously Worthy and Eminent Authors If it had not been to shew your despite to the Spirit of GOD and shew that you will still go on in Rebellion against Heaven and who knows not that the burners of Books founded on the Word of GOD have more than enough of Inclination to burn that Holy and Blessed Word it self And indeed I think it not strange to see Men posting hard to Rome as you are doing to vent your Inclinations that way since it is not a few Years since many of your sharpest Friars found you to be Men of the same Kidney with the Anti-Christ himself that Whore who sits upon the Head of many Waters whose Judgment lingers not And if any beside a Fire has been offered against any of these it has been by others so cleanly wiped off that these Books stands still in Vigour and so do all my Assertions and Principles for any thing I have seen or heard to the contrary Now I leave it to all the impartial in the World to judge what Affront is here offered to the Almighty in cutting off one of his Creatures To our King in cutting off one of his Subjects Who to this Hour never heard a Challenge for Disloyalty if it were not from such as makes Loyalty Disloyalty Sin Duty which Challenge I very chearfully bear being sufficiently perswaded of the unjustness thereof and to Nature in cutting off of their fellow Creatures and all this without so much as a Hearing of what he had to say for himself or any thing of an Answer to any of those who has sufficiently Vindicated all these Principles and Practices for whith he was upon the Pannal and yet in this matter are these poor Men more guilty in this respect that they refuse the Pannal the benefite of such Defences as he had very good ground to believe should have been offered by the Almighty himself conform to his Promise of giving in that Hour whatsoever should be necessary for any of his in my Case I mean standing before Rulers and great Men to bear Testimony to the Truth I say I being helped of my Blessed LORD to Act Faith on His Promise and finding my Blessed LORD and Master present by his Spirit to have performed the same and I having intimated so much to them as you may see above How durst these dispisers of GOD refuse me the benefite of these Defences if this be not to declare open Hostility against Heaven I know not what is and since it is so as I can with confidence assert it was and the very enemies themselves if they had not been dangerously hardened
of all our Reformed Churches both at Home and Abroad All these he past and Touches at that Sell your Coat and buy a Sword so soon as he Mentioned this I desired him to beware of the Rock Sir William Paterson in calling the Sword there the Sword of the Spirit whereby he did no less than upon the matter Charge my Blessed Lord and Masteâ— with Commanding Simon of this above I told him my Answer to Sir William was what Were these two Swords the Disciples produced two Swords of the Spirit To which I got no Answer and all that Sir John offered here for my Satisfaction was Mr. Dick do you think these two Swords were enough for all the Disciples To which I Answered for the time they were and the Commission was not concerned in what Swords were there or not but was generall and a Warrand to all Christains to make use of the same in their own innocent self Defence to the Worlds end Then sayes Mr. John Vass Mr Dick you know the word Buy is variously taken in Scripture sometimes Figuratively as in that of Isai Buy Wine and Milk c. I told him I knew that but durst he or any else say it was taken so in the place under Debate Adding could there be any thing more clear or less Figurative then Sell your Coat and as if he had said with the price thereof Buy a Sword Insinuating that after his Departure they should have more need of Swords then Cloaths Mr. Vass was offering somewhat else which I hindered by Charging him to beware of doing Violence to the Spirit of GOD which when I was saying I gave a Moderate chop upon the Table For which I could not pass without Andrew Youngs Check that I was of a too fiery Spirit To which I Answered I knew I had a Natural Infirmity in that but that the Lord had helped me in some Measure to strive against it gave me no small Satisfaction I told them also these Swords our Blessed Lord gave Commission to Buy were either for offence Defence or both of which above to this I got no Answer Only I Remember Sir John Lauder told me somewhat of Passive Obedience and Instanced Tertullian anent it what it was I Totally Disremember But what ever it were I must tell Sir John once for all that suffering simply comes under no Divine Precept and whatever he have else for it I matter the less since I have my Blessed Masters Precept for Active Resistance Innocent self Defence this Serves me and if he tell me I ought rather to suffer than Sin I shall readily grant it and yet in that give no Passive Obedience but suffer for Disobedience But of this enough considering what is upon this head contained in the abovementioned Authors particularly Jus Populi Now thereafter That modest and moderate Gentleman I suppose his Name be Sir John Maitland told me very meekly he was very glad I had been interrupted in opposing my self to the Laws of the Land in which I was a Subject least my case should have been worse I Answered him with as much meekness as my hot spurred Nature was capable of I knew no Laws I had opposed which were not Diametrically opposite to the express Texts of Scripture which I judged neither I nor any other Christian was obliged to own for Laws and that I had been hindered for to Defend my self from the Word of GOD and had gotten it denyed me by the Justice Clerk that the same was the Supream Law I judged a very great Injustice for which they were all to Answer to GOD with whom I knew that was standing on Record The Gentlemen said nothing but Sir John Lauder would have refused this but I told him chaping yet more eagerly upon the Table What Sir Ye refuse me that for which I have no fewer thaâ— Five Hundred Witnesses and which is yet more I am sure it stands Registrate in Heaven Now to return where we left to the Landlords in Landward and Towns to these Convoyers to Prisons and Scaffolds aâ—â— others we have classed with you What are you resolved to do in that great and terrible Day of our Lord Think not to shelter under these Laws for the very Inactors themselves as you have heard shall be as far to seek as to shelter as you nor ever dream that your Lands and Houses for preservation whereof you have sinned against my great Master shall hear you when ye cry upon them to hide you may ye not expect such an Answer from them as this Do you not remember how long not only we but the whole Creation groaned under the burden of your Sins As you Answered our Groans then so shall we Answer you now Consider then Friends in time where you will shelter and what will you do in that day But now to come yet nearer you all in Bullâ— let us make yet another Essay for though I can not say with Paul that I would be content to be Accursed for my Brethren nor yet with Moses Let my Name be Bloted out of the Book of Life Yet I assure you my heart Yearns for my Acceptation of this my Feckless endeavour and for a Blessing from my GOD to it it may be it has been in Mercy to not a few that GOD has put these things into my heart and I may say has had the Patience by his Spirit to Dictate these things to me and if any of you reap Profite thereby I obtest you to return the whole Praise to my Blessed Lord and Master Then to you all in cumulo let me again propose this Question what are you Resolved upon Are you yet undetermined Will ye not follow my simple Honest hearted Advice Or will you not apply your to our Honest Ministers up and down the Nations both Old and Young for Council whose it is more properly to deall in this Affair I say will ye not hear me in these things And do you not for all that is said in the Word of God nor that you have heard of others nor from what you have heard from me your Poor Friend believe that there is a God that there is a Hell that there is a Heaven that there is a day of Judgement coming I would fain hope it is not so with you for in this you should be worse as to your case and condition nor are the very Devils themselves for they believe all these things and Trimble And yet indeed it would be matter of comfort to us to know that some of you were come this length though we hope better things of others Believe Believe Dear Friends what we are telling you from that Unerring Word of GOD our Supream Law least you be forced Untimously so to do which yet will be so much the sadder unto you if you Reject this my Friendly Advice I say again unto you all What resolve you to do in that Great and Terrible Day of the LORD When Our Blessed Lord Jesus
that such of you as have Sworn the Test have as I Remember in the 15. Article of the Confession of Faith you have Sworn to therein Declared it to be a Good Work to Releive the Opprest Defend and Patronize the Harmless I say so much the rather that your present practice and that your Oath Clashes together are you not concerned to know what you will Answer in that Day And indeed for my part I can conceive no Answer you or any of you can have to these or any of these things therefore I yet Obtest you to take my Freindly Warning Now Dare I Flattter my self so far as to think that I have got any of you that Length as to Speir what shall we do And Oh that I were so however I shall out of Tenderness to the Glory of GOD the Good of your Souls and the well being of these Nations and the well of your Posterity Adventure in the Strength of my Blessed LORD to Advise you as follows And first Great Sir be Intreated to lay aside your Enmity at my Great Lord and Master and you under him to whom together with his Majesty I Address my self Be intreated and I obtest you in the Name of GOD so to do and to concur with me in Advising his Majesty thus with me and as that in Testimony of your doing so His Majesty with your Advice and Consent would call a free Parliament in his several Dominions which may meet without either Preâ—â—mitationâ— oâ— Restrictions in which let the first Act be the Appointment of a Fast to be keeped for many days by all the Faithfull Ministers Living in these Kingdoms who have been so much Discountenanced to the Dishonour of GOD these 22 or 23 Years till the Performance of which be ended Let this your Parliament be Adjourned then let your next Work be to Empty all the Prisons in the three Kingdoms of all the Honest Christians you have in Prison there for no other reason then that they are such And in the next place in their Room let these prisons be filled with all that have given his Majesty unfaithfull Council since his Restauration as formerly beginning with his Brother the Duke of York and so from him to all the rest in order forget not the Prelates and such of their Underlings as have been too too Active in driving on these Defections and that Damnable Apostacy and as to their Treasonable Practices let them all be brought and Arraigned before these Parliaments Then let there be an Act Emitted for the Presbyterian Ministers in the several Nations to meet in a General Assembly for considering what may be the most effectuall course for settling the Churches in these Nations and for Removing these Abominations and Abuses that have been introduced through want of the Hedge and over the Belly of Covenants Sworn to the Almighty standing still in Vigour to the great Dishonour of GOD and Utter Confusion of these Nations both as to Church and State If I get but these granted I hope it should be a very good beginning and bad Councils being once removed and better brought in their Room with Dependance on the Almighty for a Blessing I doubt not would ease me of the Travell of further Counciling for which I am sensible of my own insufficiency and yet I think this I have given none of the worst and I can assure one and all of you in following the same you shall not only do GOD good Service but your also and these Nations and your Posterity It's like some may think my advice here is the less solid that I advise some to act against themselves and some near Relations to act against on another But I hope such shall easily alter their opinion when they consider that sometimes it is better for the Body to have some of the Members cut off then to have all indangered together And though amongst Naturalists for persons to act seemingly contrary to themselves may not sound so well yet I hope amongst Divines it may who know it is no Disparragement to the best of Mortalls to come in time to our Blessed LORD with the Rope about their Neck and acknowledge their Guilt Submitting themselves to his holy Majesty for what of Punishment he shall see fit to inflict And as I advise his Majesty to do this in time as the best Council I can give him so do I advise all under him to do the same And not only so but as a Testimony of their Stupendious Loyalty they Crack so much of to our King that they would now come and give a proof thereof in coming to his Majesty and this free Parliament to offer themselves to Tryall Sure I am if they be consistent with their principals they are bound in Duty to do this and I know nothing they can object to the contrary that will not abundantly more serve our turn in our present case and come there when they like I am confident they shall never find Judges nor Advocats under such a Constitution as to grounds and reasons for their Procedure as we have found there in our cases I make no doubt but that they shall get it made out to their own conviction that they have one and all of them been not only most Horrid Traitors and Rebells against the Majesty of Heaven but even against our own King also and that these have been likewise guilty not only of all the Bloodshed since his Majesties Restauration but also since that of righteous Abel even to this Hour I mean here the Bloodshed of the Righteous Now having in some measure removed what might be objected against my Advice I shall leave you to consider whether you will embrace it or not and I dare here confidently averr there was no more intended by the Presbyterians in Scotland in these two risings at Pentland and Bothwell than this or something of this Nature our doing the same in Arms being constrained from that Monstrous Act Discharging any such Address under the pain of Treason and though I have not much hopes to prevail with you yet I doubt not but herein I have been in my duty and who knows but in part even for this end my GOD has set me at Liberty to tell you what you would not Suffer me to Speak when standing at the Bar before you The hearing and Embracing of this my Advise I am sure should be so far from prejudging any of you that I doubt not but the Embracers if any such shall be shall have our GOD to Bless for it and for the Refusers that shall yet still with Pharoh harden their Necks in Rebellion against my Blessed LORD and Master I can Assure them from our Unerring Law the Word of GOD that they shall not have Ground to Crack of it but that thereby their Judgement shall not only be more certainly Entailed upon them and their posterity but also I doubt not even the former also for indeed I think our Blessed
Restoration there has been no free nor Lawful Parliaments and he thinks by reason albeit the Members thereof were Elected in the ordinary way Yet when the Members Meet there was unlawful Oaths imposed upon them and there upon severals of them left the Parliament and so he understands that it is not a free nor lawful Parliament and thinks that Episcopacy and Erastianisme is established in that and subsequently Parliaments were contrary to the Word of God and that the Supremacy herein established is most horrid Blasphemy I added here to the Chancellor that I hoped his Lordship would not be offended at this seeing he had sworn the same in the Test but they refused to write this in my subscribed Declaration Being Interrogate if he owned the Proclamation and Declaration at Sanquhair and Hamilitoun Declares he does not own the Sanquhair Declaration as being inconsistent with his Principles such as the cutting off of the wicked and having himself read the Hamiltoun Declaration Declares he owns the same and that when they were invaded and assaulted by any Persons whatsoever in their Exercises of Reformed Religion and Worship they were obliged to stand to their own Defence and owns the Lawfullness of Field Conventicles and their being in Arms to Defend themselves in case of being Molested And he himself was ever ready to own and defend his Brethren in Arms when invaded for Religion And declares that the Invasion made against them at Pentland and Bothwell they being in the Exercise of his Religion was Service done to the Devil and Resistance made by them was Service done to GOD. Confesses that before Bothwell Bridge he had riden in Arms with Mr. Welsch through the Countrey and blesses God for it Confesses he was at a Meeting at Lesmehago before Bothwell when Lieutenant DalÈiel with a Party came upon them and was one of these that engaged against that Party Denies he was at Drumclogg But confesses he was at Bothwell and thinks that Mr. John Welsch stayed about half a year in the Countrey thereafter but he was only about eight days in Company with him after Bothwell in this Kingdom Confesses the King is lawful King Born and came Lawfully to the Crowns of these Kingdoms and that he is lawful King of this Kingdom and owns the Kings Authority conform to the Word of GOD that is to say That he is impowered to Govern for GOD's Glory and the good of his People and to be a Terror to evil doers and encourager to well and Declares that the Act of Supremacy as it is explained by the Act of Parliament that the turning out of Presbyterian Interest and overturning the Work of Reformation most unlawful Acts and being expresly contrary to the Word of God can not be Binding upon the Declarent and that Covenants are binding upon the Nations and shall be so while Sun and Moon endures and that that Oath called the Test is a most unlawful and horrid Oath and he is not obliged to take the same He Declares As to killing the Archbishop of St. Andrews he cannot give Judgment anâ—â—nt it it not being an Act of his own but that some of these that were called the Actors whom he knew and particularly one William Dingwal were Godly and Just Men. sic subscribitur John Dick. The last Day of August 1683 There being many Noblemen in the Court which day Mr. John Dick being present was Examined in presence of the Justices then sitting in Judgment and the abovewritten Confession â—mitted by him in presence of the Council being read he acknowledged the same and every particular of the same in presence of the said Justices Sic subscribitur John Dick Maitland James Fowls John Lockhart Alexander Seton Upon September 4 1683 I Mr. John Dick Son to David Dick Writer in Edinburgh being Called before the Lords of Justiciary being then present it was demanded if I had any thing to say for my self I answered Yes my Lord I have somewhat to add to my Lyble they asked what was that then I proceeded as follows I Mr. John Dick Prisoner in Name and by the Appointment of Our Blessed Lord and Master Jesus Christ Declare That the Blood of all the Presbyterians that have been Executed for their Principles is horrid Murder by whatsomever Law they have been judged and that in the Person of every Individual one who have suffered simply on this Account Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ hath been as really crucified as He was by Pilate and the Jews at Jerusalem And this I desire may be holden as a part of my former Declaration and Confession emitted before the Council and Justices This I called for and subscribed blessing the Lord that had given me a hand so to do They refused to add it to my Declaration judging they had too much already I required all that were present Witnesses that I had declared the same and Appealled them all to Christ's Bar at the Great Day to Answer for what they had done and were doing They asked if I would have an Advocat I said My Lords that is ordinarly denied to Persons in my condition they declared I should have as many as I pleased I said I would have none but my Blessed Lord Jesus Christ Blessed be His Holy Name for it He is both with me and in me The Justice Clerk asked if I was a Quaker or a Fifth Monarchry Man I told him I abhorred both yet my Affection was relevant being Blessed of my God with the Grace of Faith And then they read my Indictment and asked at every Article to which I answered affirmatively Then did the Justice Clerk ask if I had any thing to say for my self I said I Blessed the Lord I had they Desired me to proceed Answer I expect my Lords being a Free Born Scots Man I shall have the Priviledge allowed me that the Christians in former days had among the Heathens the Justice Clerk bids me proceed there are two things which I hope your Lordship will grant e're we proceed further first do you not Acknowledge that the Almighty God Jehovah is Supream Lord Governour of Heaven and Earth that all Kings in the Earth are but his Deputs Servants the Justice Clerk sayes yes The Second Do ye not Acknowledge that all the Law in the World among Christians must Strike Sail to the great Law the Law of God to which I got no Answer whereupon I took Witnesses and Protested that it might be Recorded in Heaven then they press'd me to proceed I told him the Advocat offering to follow his own method had drawn out my Declaration my Lords you have been at much pains to seek my Accusation I have been so Ingenuous to Exhibite it to you my self for which I Bless the Lord first Article that I own my self to a Presbyterian and to be bound to continue so conform to a Covenant that can not be Infringed by no Power under Heaven Now my Lords I being under such strong Impressions of those my
Obligations the least I can expect is to know by what Authority this is broken To this I got no Answer they declined further Questioning causing and commanding the Jury to be called and after they had asked if I had any thing to say against them they swore them desiring me that if I had any thing to say to the Jury to proceed I said my Lords its hard to devolve me upon a Jury before I be heard for which I charge you all to make ready to Answer before my Great Master at the Great Day and this Jurie also as to what ye do in this Affair Then they desired me to speak to the Jury for the Advocat was to have the last word then I thinking I should have occasion to have Reasoned with the Advocat anent my Lyble told the Jury That the Principle I held in my Declaration was of such a Nature as I durst not if I had as many Lives as there are Pickles of Sand on the Sea Shoar to redeem them all with the quitting of the least hair-breadth thereof Then I pressed the Obligation of the Covenant expecting the Advocat's Answer They asked if I had done I answered Yes as to this Then the Advocat began his Course wherein he did little more than Repeat my Declaration without offering any thing against any Article therein except against that of Defensive Arms his Defence against which was this that he had read of Defensive Arms betwixt two single Men But for multitudes he knew no Defensive Arms against standing Laws Then did I offer to Reply but they would not suffer me but recommended me to the Jury strictly Tying them that the Condemners should put it to after their Name and Assizers likewise Then I came conveyed to the Outter-House by the Guard where my Father came to me within a little and told me he had been dealing with the Lords for a Delay but had not got it so long as he expected I told him that whatever my good Lord's will was I was satisfied but I'le speak nothing of that my self He says well I knew that and so he leaves mâ— I am called in again within half an Hour and my Sentence intimated to be Hanged at the Grass-Mercat upon the 26th instant I said my Lords without a Hearing either before the Justices or Jurors this Practice was never parallel'd among Heathens and further my Lords and Jurors I declare and that upon good grounds that if upon this Sentence you Hang me you shall not be innocent of Crucifying the Lord afresh in me his poor and insignificant Member They called suffer him to speak no more This is the sâ—me so far as my brittle Memory will allow and I am confident there wants little or nothing of Moment Now for satisfaction both to Friends and Foes I have Judged it my Duty to add what follows My blessed Lord and Master hath determined mine Heart in all this my my Tryal next to his own Glory to have my Eye upon the Edification and Confirmation of his poor Distrest and Opprest People my Companions in Trâ—bulation as also to design as much as possible the Conviction of hâ—s and our profest and avowed Enemies moved me without any previous Deliberation to assert these Principles and â—ractices contained in my Indictment and to add that other assertion which I did before my Sentence before the Justices and Assize I say my blessed Lord having thus determined and moved me for which I bless his Name has not left me in the Dark as to Grounds and Warrants for what in and through such a poor and empty Reed as I am he hath done which Grounds while I offered to the Justices and Assizes for my Vindication I am contrare to all Law Equity and Reason refused that Privilege a Privilege granted even by the Heathens These Grounds I have thought fit to leave under my Hand for the comfort of the Lords People and if not the conviction the Terror of his and ours for his sake Proud insolent Enemies as follows You Remember that before I offered any Defence I Demanded of the Justices that they would grant me the these two Principles to wit First that the Almighty God Jehovah was Supreame Lord and Master over all in Heaven and in Earth and that all Kings and other Rulers in the Earth are his Deputes and Servants this they granted The second is that all Laws in the Earth must strike-Sail and Vail their Caps to the Supream Law the Word of God and be Regulate by it this they refuse to grant which I lookt upon as most Horrid Blasphemy and took Instruments on the Refusal thereof which I know stands Recorded in Heaven to be produced against the Denyers at the Great Day of the Lord I doubt not if that Young Noble Man who Refused me this had been present when Mr. John Paterson Proposed the Question to me if our King was Comptable to any to whom I Answered he was He asked to whom I said to these by whom he was Intrusted He Answered then he could not be Soveraign Intimating that there could be no Soveraign but one whom we Presbyterians hold to be the Almighty God Jehovah to whom alone indeed it is high Treason for any Mortall to say what doest thou It being lawful de jure to ask any Mortall King an Account of his doings as need Requires though de facto in the case of Cruel Tyrany this be Dangerous I say if this Noble Man had heard this he had not so rashly Refused my Assertion But whatever our Rulers do I do and I hope with me all that has the least Smattering of Religion will both grant and firmly in his strength hold both these Principles for to me to grant the former and refuse the Latter implys a Contradiction now laying these for two sure and inviolable Foundations I go on as if I were before the Justices and Jury to deliver my own grounds which my God laid to my Hand and answer any thing of Objections I meet with either before the Secret Council or Justices Now my Lords of Justicary and you Jurers taken these Principles for granted my first Assertion I have to Vindicate is this that I own the work of Reformation as the same is contained in the Confesion of Faith and Catechisms conform to the Covenant against Popery Prelacy and Erastianisme and am Resolved by the Lords Strength to bide by the same and seing that it is Lawful for any Man to Weild his Arms for his best Advantage to this I Subjoin the Involable Obligation of the Covenant to adhere to these Principles and Practices Now my Lords this work of Reformation these Principles and Practices being such as I find Warranted from the practice of Christ and his Apostles and not only I but his Majesty and all under him in theâ—â— Nations being by the Oath of God which shall never be Disolved by any Humane Power the least I can expect of your Lordships is that
easily be found Now my Lords if my Second Principle be sound as I hope your Lordships are perswaded it is for all you have said to the contrary I hope yoâ—r Lordships will find your concerned to satisfie me as to these e're you proceed to the Execution of this your Unparalleled Sentence As to the Second I think I shall need to be at less pains about it in respect not only your Lordships But I suspect the greater part if not all the Assizers have Sworn as to the same in your Test That it is Blasphemy for Man or Angel to presume to Intrude into the headship of the Church as being only peculiar to my Blessed Lord and Master Jesus Christ But for Confirmation I desire you to consider these Scriptures First the first Chapter of the Ephesians 22.23 Verses And he hath put all things under his Feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fullness of him that filleth all in all Isa 9. Chapter 6 7. Verses And the Second Psalm Now that any Law made against these express Scriptures is null with the consideration foresaid of your own Confession and the Consent of the greater part if not the whole so farr as I know Reformed Churches would seem to be sufficiently warranted The Third As to that of the Test that it is null will easily appear at the first reading thereof to any that will be so daring as to aver that to swear Nonsence and Contradictions is no Sin That it is Nonsence to swear to defend the Protestant Religion against Presbyterians and a Contradiction too I must assert ay and while you condescend upon a Protestant Church who have expunged us out of their Number except that Abominable Perjured Prelatical Party whom I cannot nor I trust in GOD ever shall own for any other thing than Emissaries from Hell sent through Rome for the Confounding of the Christian World And if to swear the King to be Head of the Church and with the same Breath that is horrid Blasphemy so to do if it be not a Contradiction I know not what is For confirmation hereof Let the Unfreeness of the Parliaments be considered and I hope none who love our Lord Jesus Christ will doubt that I had good ground to assert what I have through His Grace asserted and I bless His Name thereof I am no ways ashamed And if the Enemies will sure I am they must grant that they were all bound in Conscience Law Equity and Reason to have told so much which they nor none of them had the Confidence to do The Application I leave to the Impartial Reader The Third thing I have in task is to defend these Assertions following to wit That I own the Hamiltoun Declaration and when we were invaded or Assaulted by any person whatsoevr in the Exercise of our Reformed Religion and Worship upon that account we were obliged to stand to our own Defence That I own the Lawfulness of Field-Conventicles and our being in Arms to defend our in case of being Molested and that I my self was ever ready to Own and Defend my Brethren in Arms when invaded as said is And declaring that the Invasions made against the Lord's people at Pentland and Bothwell they being then in the Exercise of their Religion was service done to the Devil and the resistance made by them in their own Defence was Service done to GOD. Now the sume of all these Assertions is that it is the Duty of Protestant Reformed Churches to stand to the Defence of their Reformation and Religion Especially with this consideration that with their Religion they are also assaulted as to their Privileges as in the freedom of Parliaments and many other paarticulars which if time would allow I could enumerate Considering especially That this Church and Kingdom are obliged so to do by a most solemn Oath made to the ever living GOD they their Kings their Princes and Nobles and the whole Body of the Realm and that this Oath stands still unviolate as you may see above The case thus stated I hope our Adversaries will not deny that if the Turk or any Foreign Enemy should invade us and in his Declaration shew That he would not lay down his Arms till we should Renounce our Reformed Religion and quite with all our Civil Priviledges I hope none in his Right Wits will refuse that it were our Duty Man and Mother-Son from the highest to the lowest to draw to Arms in our own Self-defence But it is like some will say That though we were bound so to do against Foreigners yet we may not do so against our Lawful Princes To this I Answer First They are divided among themselves here Some granting that in some cases even their own Lawful Princes may be resisted and the Arms of Innocent Self-defence made use of against them Others say No! But whatever they say or think either this Position shall stand to the World's End That there was never a Power given of God to any Mortal to rugg and destroy the Souls of the Subjects and to ruine them in their Civil Interests or otherways there was never a Power given of GOD to any Mortal to enact iniquity by a Law and to force Obedience to these iniquious Laws by Fire and Sword as it is in our case And if any Monarch or any pretending Commission from him should arrogate a Power to do so the Subject beyond all contraversie is called to stand to his own Defence and vindicate the honour of his Great Supream Master seeing he is violented to the Denyal of Alledgeance to him by his pretended Depute or Servant I suppose this will not be refused by any that believes that there is a GOD. And for my self I think he who comes out with Armed force to compel me to sin should be in the self same way served as he who should with Violence come to drive me quick into Hell and I suppose the greatest of the pretended Loyalists amongst us if they heard and believed the Screichings of the Damned Souls there and saw no other way of escaping but either over or through their Soveraign they would vent are upon either rather than be driven into it And to say any Soveraign how Lawful so ever otherwise has such a power is to contradict that Scripture Kings are given to be a Terror to evil doers and encouragers of well doers If it be said these things should be in a civil manner Represented or Arms be taken I shall readily grant this but why were these Ministers and Gentlemen taken and incarcerate who were endeavouring thus And why was there an Act of Parliament if I may call it so made Dicharging any of the Subjects to meet and Consult in order to this And indeed I think he should be extruded the Society of Mankind who would make this assertion that our otherwise Lawful Prince may lawfully do any of these things abovementioned to
his Subjects and that the World may see I speak not here at random be pleased to consider these two Scriptures First the 14 Chap. of the first Book of Samuel Secondly the 12 chapter of the first Book of the Kings To this I add the 20 Chap. of the second Book of the Chron. 16. verse Now whosoever shall ponder and seriously consider these three places will find three Kings of the Lawfulness of whose coming to their Crowns I know none that doubt all three resisted by their Subjects the first in offering to perform a rash and sinful Oath the second for offering sinfully to oppress his people The third for dipping too far in the Matters of God for which he had no Commission Now with Submission to the more Judicious I humbly conceive the Ground of the Equity of this Resistance lyes here That Kings and Subjects are under a Twofold Relation one to another First in respect of the Almighty GOD who is the Only Absolute Sovereign and Great Lord both he and they are Fellow-Subjects and with him in sinning against the Laws of This Our Great Master none of his Fellow-Subjects dare under the pain of Eternal Damnation in the least symbolize but on the contrary adhering to our Allegiance to Our Great Liege Lord we are bound by Our Allegiance in our Stations to resist every thing offered to His Dishonour by whomsoever I hope this Truth is clear to any that knows that the Laws of GOD are equally binding upon Kings and Subjects The second Relation is That whereby the King under GOD is King and to Rule the People for GOD's Glory and the Good of the Kingdom and to be a Terror to Evil Doers and an Encourager to Well Doers in which Relation the People are his Subjects Now there is none of my Perswasion but are willing to give Caesar his due that is to obey all his Lawfull Commands and yeild him all Encouragement imaginable he Ruling in the Fear of GOD the People for GOD's Glory and his and their own Good But if a King shaking off all Fear of GOD will enter in Open Hostility against Heaven and force his People by Open Hostility to share with him in these Abominations I again say the People are obliged in pursuance of their Allegiance to their Supream Lord not only to refuse Obedience to this His Depute but also to resist him in pursuance of this his War against the Great LORD I hope I shall need to say nothing for clearing of this to any that knows that there is a GOD whose Holy Nature entitles Him to Absolute Sovereignty and to Whom Subjection is due from that His Blessed Nature and Natively our Subjection is due to Him for not only our Being but our Well-being Upon the other hand the King's Power the Government it self in general being of GOD yet the Application of it to this or that Person to this or that Modell of Government either by Election or Succession is of Man according to that Be subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake I say the case standing thus not only in pursuance of our Allegiance to our Great and Absolute Sovereign are we obliged to resist what is offered and carryed on to His Dishonour and this least we should partake of other Men's Sins but also the People who have conferred that power being Violented in all things that are precious to them and the Government appointed of GOD degenerating into Tyranny may Recall the power given and not only resist but turn out such a Tyrant for whose Tyranny he had no commission from them I hope none who will grant the Sixth Command Thou shalt not Kill to be Binding will refuse this The Reason is here he is beyond all doubt as guilty of Murder who impowers to do the same as he who actually does it Now I hope the case standing thus all Impartial Readers will see how unjustly we are condemned for owning the Lawfulness of Defensive Arms which I shall endeavour to make yet more clear in my Application of these Scriptures above cited and my Answer to what I heard from our Antagonists on this Head And first As to the People's resisting of Saul it being an Act of Loyalty to their Supream Sovereign in hindering his Depute to perform a Rash and Sinful Oath I wonder with what confidence that Man if he be one or rather Monstrous Jesuitical Atheist Bishop Paterson could say to my Glorified Brother John Wilson whose Murder is yet recent That he doubted if they did right in so doing Sure I am the Justice Clerk will not say so who has granted that the Almighty GOD is Supream and consequently that Subjects dare not without Sin suffer any thing to be done to His dishonour that is in their Power to hinder and that to Swear a Rash Oath obliging to Murder is of this Nature I hope I shall not need to prove And Secondly As to that of Rehoboam that Tyrannical Wretch shaking off all Fear of GOD and rejecting the Council of the Old Men to his own Ruine that the Subjects were in their Duty in casting him off I hope none will refuse who knows what Interest the People have in making of Kings and that none needs to be ignorant of who will be pleased to read the 17 Chapter of Deuteronomy from the 14th Verse to the End As also that the People are bound in their Stations to oppose the Tyranny of their Princes least they may share with them in their Judgments Tyranny and Oppression being a palpable Violation of the Laws of Our Blessed and Supream Lawgiver Thirdly As to that of Vzziah that he becoming strong and lifted up in meddling beyond his Sphere with the matters of GOD is given for the Ground of the Resistance he met with And sure in our case our King has yet been more strong and more lifted up I fear to his Destruction in so far as the former did only offer to perform some Office that was only peculiar to the Priests but never offered to overturn the Worship of GOD of his own Appointment and to introduce an other diametrically opposite to the Revealed Will of GOD as it is in our case Now I say our King having out done Vzziah in his affronted Rebellion against Heaven who can blame the People if in standing to their own defence they Endeavour to assert that our Bessed God is absolute Soveraign and Master and that nothing Commanded nor imposed expresly contrary to his will which we still hold to be our Supream Law can be binding upon them this will be yet more clear as what we Asserted a little above that Kings and Subjects are but Subjects to the Supream Majesty if you consider that after he is thrust out of the Temple he is put in a several House upon the account of his Leprosie that which was likewise done to the meanest Subject he had in the like case and what if the Ministery in the Church of
could not but have felt it to be for which my Soul shall ever bless his Name and I hope I shall not be left alone here expecting the assistance of not a few in these Nations in this matter who have in this particular to the refreshment of their Souls found a new Proof of our GOD's being the Hearer of Prayer I say again these things being so I hope none who are not engaged in the same rage against GOD with these his Enemies and ours upon his Account will doubt but their whole procedure against me in this matter has been a Decreed and intended Murder not only against me but also my Blessed LORD and Master in and through me And least any should mistake me here let them but consider these Three Scriptures First He that touches you touches the Aple of mine Eye Secondly In all their Afflictions he was Afflicted Thirdly Paul Paul Why persecutest thou me And I hope the mistake shall be rubbed off And now having through the Blessing and Assistance of the Almighty gotten my Testimony brought to this Pass that the case betwixt his People and them is clearly stated to evidence that not only I but such others of our perswasion all the Nations over are indeed Christians I resolve in the LORD'S strength as he shall assist to leave behind me a Testimony of my Tenderness both to the Souls and Bodies of such as has given no small Proof of their Thirsting after my blood in dealing with them as follows And now unto his Majesty our King must I Address my self and to all under him from his Brother the Duke of York to all the Counsellors whether Publick or Secret in the Three Kingdoms and under them to all the Sheriffs Justices with their Clerks and Pendicles of Court even to these of the meanest Office I mean the Dempsters and after these to the whole Magistrates of Burrows with their Pendicles to the lowest and then to all the Members of these Parliaments since his Majesty's Restauration whether such as did sit there by Birth or were Elected and as to these Elected even to their Electors and in a Word to all and sundry who have concurred with Homologate or Ratified your Unjust Sentences pronunced against the Almighty whether more directly or at least in his Members Now as to you all and sundry I declare in the Entry of my Address as in the sight of Jehovah whose I am and before whom both you and I e're long must stand naked and bare to answer for all we have done in the Flesh That my design in this my Address next to the Glory of GOD the Good and Edification of his People and consequently the advancement of his Work The Third thing which the LORD my GOD has held before my Eyes in all this my Trial has been your Conviction from the highest to the lowest if possible and that I may the better reach that end my Blessed LORD has determined my Heart to follow this Method First To deal more particularly with you in laying before your eyes the Egregiousness of your Sin Secondly To Expostulate with you to return from the same to GOD'S Glory and your own Souls Eternal well-being And Thirdly And if in this I prevail not to remonstrate the hazard of refusing this my Warning And Fourthly To take Instruments upon what the LORD by me the Unworthiest of his Servants has been doing for you and of your Refusal I mean as to so many as shall be so far left of the LORD as to refuse the same and Oh! that there might be few such then I am to leave my Companions in Tribulation and Brethren in our ever Blessed and Eldest Brother Christ Jesus the LORD of Glory with a word of Exhortation and so Conclude Now Great Sir for to you and all under you and who instigate you to and concurred with you in these Soul-destroying Practices I am in the strength of Jehovah to remonstrate I Address my self and in the first place must take the liberty to tell you in the Name of my great Lord and Master Jesus C rist that it is not unknown to your Majesty nor any of these to whom I Address my self jointly with you that not only at your Coronation your Majesty and all under you from the highest to the lowest but also before these whole Nations were and yet are engaged in a most Solemn Covenant with the Ever-Living GOD Party Contracter on the one hand and your Majesty and all under you in these Nations from the highest to the lowest on the other hand to the observance of which Covenant these Nations and all in them shall forever be bound and obliged from the highest to the lowest while Sun and Moon endures neither is there any imaginable way of Dissolving the same especially considering that therein our Obligation being only to Amend our Lives and to Worship the Almighty GOD conform to his own Appointment and to oppose our our Lives and Fortunes to all courses and ways inconsistent with these ends these being Moral Duties to which we were Antecedently bound as is the Nature also of all the Duties we are obliged to by these Covenants Now Great Sir the Case being thus I hope ye will not judge your self obliged to such as makes this Defence for breaking of these Covenants that your Majesty was forced thereto for indeed I look upon it as a great imputation upon your Majesty especially being Stiled Defender of the Faith to have been in any measure under either Necessity or Constraint to have joined in a Duty so absolutly necessary and if there was any thing of force where was the Intimation thereof sure I am there was nothing thereof publickly to be seen and yet giving but not granting it had been so your Majesty and all under you were unexpressibly more obliged to the performance therefore then were the People of Isreal to the performance of that made with the Gibeonites as may be seen above nor shall I think your Majesty will think your self obliged to them who should for Vindication of your Breach of these Covenants offer this Defence that your Majesty is under Covenant of a posterior date bound to the Pope and some of his Creatures to introduce Popery and to Emancipate these Territories to that Antichristian Yoke if any such thing be as the Carriage of the Court this considerable time too loudly insinuates Sure I am it were more for your Majesties Honour and the Glory of God and the good of your Nations to break that Covenant than to keep it it being a Covenant made against the Almighty which by no imaginable pretence can be justified but leaving these things to your Majesties consideration and to the consideration of such as may with you be concerned herein I must make bold to ask again by what Authority you came to Dissolve this Contract yea I may say and that upon good Grounds as Glorious a Contract as ever was made on Earth while
Adhered to of as Glorious effects I say I must make bold to ask by what Authority this is broken and unless you be so bold as to run your self upon Bosses of the Buckler of the Almighty in refusing that which the Justice Clerk but faintly granted which the Lord avert I mean unless you deny Jehovah to be Supreme Lord and Master of Heaven and Earth and all the Kings and Governors in the Earth to be his Deputies and Servants I shall defy you or any Mortal to satisfy me in this if you consider what is said before on this Subject and what is contained in the several Authors abovementioned on this Matter Now we shall take it for granted that these Covenants stands still binding and I am sure we have good ground so to do for any thing we have either read or heard to the contrary Then great Sir must I in the next place ask how it comes to pass that over the belly of these Covenants Episcopacy and Erastianisme against which as to the unlawfulness thereof and their inconsistency with the Word of God who have so many Testimonies standing in Record not only in the Word of God but in other Humane Writings drawn and founded thereupon without the least satisfaction offered by our Adversaries come to be introduced amongst us who beside the unlawfulness of the things themselves have this to say that we have Sworn with Hands lifted up to the Almighty not only never to join wâ—th but with our Lives and Fortunes to oppose either I say how comes these not only to be introduced but we by Armed force Hunted Harassed Plundered Tortured and Hailed to Scaffolds for no other Reason but our refusing Anenâ— which the unlawfulness of the things were to us sufficient Warrand though we had not been in Covenant but much more being under the same as for my part I can Dream of no Reason for introducing of these being strangers in the Church of Christ not only in his own blessed time and the time of the Apostles who survieved him But also for three hundred Years thereafter Nor do I ever hear or Read that any other use they were introduced but for that Antichrist that Man of Sin his Exaltation being made use of the one for his Advancement is that damnable absolute Supremacy of his in the Church and the other for the same and in the State and truely if this be the thing it does not a little confirm me in the Belief of that second Covenant you and your Brother have made with the Pope which I mentâ—â—â—â— a little above Bâ—â— I say How come the Subjects of Britain and Ireland to be forced to a Complyance with these Sure you say by your Principles that you allow not of the forcing of Mens Consciences by the Sword looking upon it as a Turkish way as Prelate Paterson said to my lately Martyred Brother John Wilson and why are you worse than Turks in this violently Practising contrary to your Principles In the next place I come to enquire at your Majesty why this Monstruous abominable Test which the Turk himself could not but Scunner at is not only Enacted to be taken by all his Majesties Subjects here in Sâ—otland but also by Violence and Force obtruded on many both Gentle and Semple Rich and Poor Why this is done I cannot Divine if it be not to let the World see you mind to out-do Prouâ— Pharoch in daring the Almighty And why Pray you is there a thing called An Act made Discharging People to Associâ—te togâ—ther upon any pretence whatsoever for their own innocent and necessary self Dâ—fence without your Majesties special Command and this also Sworn to in that horred Test It is not unknown to any that there may many Emergents fall out that may make this which is by that pretended Law made no less than Treason become a most necessar and indispensible Duty as in the case of a sudden Invasion by an Enemy your Majesty being at a great distance and who knows but the Alarm may be keeped from your Majesty by some keeped about Court for that end Who doubts but in such a Case absolute Necessity will become a Law to the People And who doubts but if for fear of this Law any should ly by but they might be arraigned as yet greater Traitors And if in this case this should be justifiable why not in ours being so in humanly Assaulted by a company of Murdering Papists Atheists or worse And for any thing we know his Majesty being all this while a great stranger to our Affairs through the industry of some disaffected to the way of GOD who are keeped about Court for that end I say this as also that by the Instigation of suth there is a pretended Law made Discharging any under the Pain of Treason to meet or Consult in order to the Remonstrating of our Case to his Majesty will to all unbyassed sufficiently Warrand our innocent self Defence as to what may be objected against this having hinted a little in the fore part of my Testimony and the whole of our business in these being sufficiently justified by the several Authors above-mentioned without any Answer as yet I say again Why are all these things done And now further let me ask at your Majesty Why are our Prisons keeped still throng with Prsoners some Aged some Infirm and Tender some out of Capacity to mantain themselves for no other cause but that they desire to keep a Conscience void of Offence towards GOD and towards Man and some Honourable Ladies also for no other Reason than for Resetting and hearing of some honest and faithfull Ministers in their Houses or Resetting or Refreshing some of the LORD'S People in their Necessities I am sure none who ever read the 25 Chapter of Matthew from the 31st Verse to the end will look upon this as a capital Crime but as an indispensible Duty I say it again why are all these things done is it to satisfie these Blood-thirsty Prelats of yours or some of the Popish Party whom your Brother has flocking about him in Swarms Great Sir all these small Sins And besides are these Inumerable other Sins have you and all these to whom with you I Address my self to answer for and that the Weight thereof may be a little better laid open to your Majesty and these others I pray be at the pains with me to Recapitulate the same yet once more it is no small Sin do you think to break the Covenant with GOD and to force your Subjects to do also Is it no small sin to cast off the way of GOD and to Banish that Religion of his own Appointment and introduce that amongst us which both your Majesty and all under you have Vomited up and thrown out by that Solemn Oath Is it no small Sin do you think to Impose Contradictory Oaths upon your People and so to force them to open Rebellion against the Almighty Is it no small thing
off a Serjeant or Lieutenant which a Commanded party of Halbardiers and possibly a few Sythes Discharging them to return till they have killed some of these Horse Sure I am in this case which is nothing impossible our Served Pikes behoved to stand still and so leave the Wings of Shot to advance alone which I think he would not do of choice or otherwise he must come over these Horses Tumbling before him and so indanger his falling in that Embarrass he is at so much pains to Guard his Disciples against and if this Shift of his can not secure him against Men and I am sure there are many Thousands in the Nation Sharper sighted in these Affairs then either he or I how does the Mad Creature Dream he should here secure himself against the Almighty And now having Touched these few particularly because such as I have Observed to be more Mad in Rage against the LORD and against his Anointed than many of their Brethren I insist to pose the rest anent this same Question and in a more General manner anent which e're I proceed I shall give them this Advice not to look upon their Sin as Specifically Different from the other but only in degrees and it may be some I have not Named be as far Benn in their Rage against their Maker as these I have Named I am under a Necessity here to mention â—hat Wretched Creature our Country Man the very Bane of the Country who if he be not as far advanced as any against our Lord he is not to be blamed for it since it is not want of Good-Will but Pith that keeps him back his Name is Sir John Whitefoord of Milton as to you with whom I am to deal more generally if ye be Conscious to your of less Activity in this Rebellion nor your Brethren your work of Repentance will be the more easie which I beg our good God may both facilitate and hasten I come then first to the Members of Parliament that have been under our King the great Agents in all this lamentable Catastrophe whether such as are so by Birth or Election and as to these who have been such by Election even to their Electors And at you I inquire where think you to shelter in the Great Day of the Lord I can not think you are so Mad as to Dream that his Majesties Letter will serve your Turn here I suppose you know your Privileges better that it is due right in conjunction with his Majesty to Enact Laws in this Realm and sure when these Laws against which I in the strength of my blessed Master have set my self came to be enacted you could not but know that these same were not only contrary directly contrary to the Will of God your and our Supream Lord and Master but also contrary to the very many then and still standing Laws notwithstanding these mock ones of yours to the contrary how then durst you in obedience to that Letter do any thing or meddle with any Oath that might import either a Resiling from our greatest Soveraign or a Counteracting of Laws by as good at least if not better Fellows than your I mean our own Predecessors who have had more of the Countenance of God one day than you can with the least shadow of Reason pretend to these twenty two or twenty three Years And for your Electors have you this to produce for your Vindication that you called the Members by you Elected to an Account for their Malversation If you have not this I hope I need not tell you that you must cover under the Short and Narrow Mantle of the Kings Letter with the rest and against you and these Elected by you and these sitting there by Birth shall the relinquishing of these Parliaments on these Terms of both Sorts not only be a standing Testimony but shall also quite Denude you of your poor short and Narrow Mantle can you Dream or think a Letter from our poor Clay King can not only Vindicate you from what just Resentment you may in our blessed Lords time and way meet with from succeeding free Parliaments but also from what our Glorious Lord himself may justly quarrel you with for such gross affronts against the Sacred Majesty of Heaven in these Hellish Acts and Actings I say can ye be so mad as to Dream these things If you be I can assure you in the blessed Name of my Blessed Lord and Master you shall find but a pitiful and empty Dream Next must I come to the Sheriffs Constables Bailies of Burrows and Regalitys with all others under his Majesty and free called Parliaments of whatsomer Rank quality or condition and ask at you where you mind to shelter iâ— that Day for your Executing of these GOD provocking Soul Destroying Church-Consounding Nation Dividing and only Devil pleasing Acts of theirs Thâ—nk ye to Shelter your either under these Acts themselves or the Authority of the the Person enacting the same Know you not that these Acts in their full vigour are against the Almighty and have for their teâ—dency next to his dishonour the confounding of his Church Oppression of his People both as to their Spiritual and Temporal Privileges and the pleasure of Belzebub only and his Agents And think you the Authority of these pitiful Servants and Deputes will shelter you from our great LORD himself whose displeasure in these affairs you could not be ignorant of if it were not wilfully which will never excuse you and if you will not believe me I hope ye will Sir George M'kenzie of Rosehaugh who says the same in his Treatise of Criminals and since I have here met with him I must anent him tell you a very sad Story I being at the Castle-hill of Edinburgh upon a Morning with two Commerads some 17 or 18 years ago he and Sir George Lockart and Sir Andrew Birnie if my Memory serve me standing by us looking upon some Companies of Foot who were Marching down the Long-Gate to Leith Links who were Levied a little after the Reintroduction of the Horrid Prelates I heard him distinctly say the Devil take me if ever I loved the Church that stood in need of such Ruling Elders as these I tell this the rather that the Reader with me may the better pass our Judgment anent this Man who has oftner than once or twice Raked Hell for Inventions to Vent his Love to that Church which he seemed then to loath and his rage against our GOD in that Church which he did at least tacitely then seem to be a favourer of Well may I ask at this Gentleman if he has Ratified this his so frank Resignation to the Devil O is it his struglings in this Matter that Occasions that Horror in his Conscience which some call Hypocondrick Fitts others Excercise If it be a Right Christian Exercise indeed I pray it may be through but his so frequent Relapses gives the more Ground than I desire to fear the
contrary In the next place I come to ask at the Soldiers of a lower degree for with the Officers I have met already and what I have said to one I expect they will be so favourable to themselves as to look upon said to all unless they have some particular Exceptions that I know not of the benefite of which I allow them desiring them rather to err in judging of themselves too much than too little And to you Soldiers I say where think you to shelter your in the great Day of our LORD Do ye Dream to shelter your under the Command of your Supream Officers If so I think you have a very pitiful Plea for in the first place hereby you denude your of the priviledge due to all Rational Creatures I mean of your Discretive Judgment and in the next place the commands of all created Powers is only in so far a Warrand to the Observant as that command Quadrats and agrees with the will of our Supream Lord and Master which I affirm still to be the Supream Law Now where are you Poor things if these Commands you have been obeying be Diametrically opposite to the Supream Law I mean the revealed will of our Supream Lawgiver which none who duely ponders what is here written with what is contained in the abovementioned Authors will easily get refused if this hold as surely it must for any thing we have heard to the contrary then you are still to seek for a shelter for your Officers Commands will no more secure you than their Superiors did them which is not at all as you may see above and I hope yet more afterward For my own part I must here Vent my Opinion which is I look upon no more as Lawfull but what is purely Defensive neither do I think the War gets the Denomination of Offensive or Defensive from the Priority or Posteriority of Parties contending in their Assaults or infalls upon one another so much as upon the Equity or Iniquity of the ground of the Quarrel he upon whose side Equity stands being still Defender and the other Offender and this in all the Revolutions of the War to the end whoever pursue whoever Fly whoever give the first whoever give the second blow I mean with the Sword for the War with me is determined as to its nature er'e it come to blows if it begin not by a blow which seldom falls out And now I hope my Lord Boyd as I remember is satisfied as to that Curious Question proponed by him to me by another who if I remember right was Mr. David Thores Advocate in the Outter House when I was Overseeing the Writing of my Subscribed Declaration proposed the same which was If the Infall upon Glasgow was in self Defence I am sure it was however pitifully managed by some there And now in the last Place fearing I have been too Tedious already I must Adress my self to a Mixt Multitude some upon one Account some upon another who may Possibly think they have not been so Active as the Rest as being as but they call it Passive in the thing if the Enacters and others above Spoken to have been Guilty in their Activity Dream not of Escaping under that Feg Tree Leaf of Passive Obedience a Perfect Chimera in the matter of Sin for there is nothing will Justify Sin whether Committed Active or Passive and to call a Mans Sufferings for not Sinning Passive Obedience is to make â—se of an Unproper Speech for it is indeed Disobedience and Suffering for the same and to Dream these have been Simply Passive to whom I am to Address my self because their Practice is Warranted by a Human Law their Transgression being against the Almighty GOD Jehovah yet more Unproper You shall know the Persons I intend here are such Masters of Ground in the Country as for fear of Mens Laws have Refused our Blessed Lord so much of their Ground as to meet with his People in for Preaching and Praying and the Rest of the Duties of Publick Worship though the Earth be the Lords and the Fullness thereof then such Masters of Houses whether in Burgh or Landwart as Refuse the Poor People of GOD either Shelter Meat or Drink then such as Concur with our more Active Enemies in putting us in Prison Convoying us to Scaffolds meeting us in Cross ways looking upon us with Satisfaction in the Day of Distress and Refusing for fear to Visit us in our Distress as they are called but Blessed be the Lord many of his Poor People have found them among their Chiefest Enlargements such I say as are Guilty of these and many others of that Nature these being Sirs all against GOD as you may see on the Margine of the Scriptures Cited there the Committing thereof can neither be Excused by the Commands or Laws of Men nor by that Distinction of Passive Obedience which I said in the matter of Sin is a Meer Chimera because I had this Passive Obedience offered to me by Sir John Lauder whom I did not know then to be Sir John and therefore called him only Mr. Lauder for which I hope he will readily Excuse me my Ignorance Being in some sort Invincible I shall first give an Account of that meeting and what past there then Endeavouring to Satisfy Sir John in that matter and afterward Return to the Persons I have in hand some three or four Days before my Escape being called down I knew not to whom nor for what End till I was Convoyed by one of the Keepers unto a little Room in the Hall where I sees Sir John and another Gentleman whom I knew not then but Understands since to have been a Brother of the Justice Clerks Andrew Young Writer to the Signet Mr. John Vass one of the Keepers and another Gentleman whom I knew neither then nor could learn since when I came in Sir John Lauder Saluted me telling me that partly out of Respect to my Father his Father and mine being Old Accquaintance and partly out of Respect to my self he had come to Pay me a Visite I told him there was no Civil Gentleman but should be Welcome to Visite me then they desired me to Sit down I am no sooner Sit down than Sir John tells me he did Compassionate my Condition I told him I was not sensible of any thing in my Condition that called for his Compassion for which I Blessed then and I hope shall ever Bless my GOD he says why are you so Tenacious in the matter of Defensive Arms I told him I had for me in that not only the Example of Abraham the Father of the Faithful but which was yet more two Precepts by my Blessed Lord and Master Jesus Christ the one that Sell your Coat and buy a Sword the other that when you are Persecute out of one City Fly to another and besides all these the Law of Nature the Law of Nations Generaly and Particularlly our own and the Practice
Christ the Lamb of GOD for Meekness and Pleasaâ—tness to His People but to all who shall be found Enemies in that Day The Lyon of the Tribe of Judah and a very Terrible Lyon shall he be What are you resolved to do Can it be possible that Men who were created reasonable Creatures can have fallen upon so Desperate a Cure as this I mean as to have Unanimously Resolved upon the first hearing of the Trumpet that day to Loup quick into Hell and there to hide themselves Sure if this be the thing intended it shall not only be a Desperately Mad but ineffectual Resolution also What Do you not know that thence also the Omnipotent Arm of Jehovah shall easily bring you out Dream not I say Dream not of any escape for the Interrogation here what shall you do imports a very strong Negation of all possible means of Shunning that great Appearance where will you will not every individual one of you appear before that Lyon however averse you may be from it and I dare not but tell you that to look upon his to you terrible Countenance shall be more afflicting more tormenting more astonishing more Soul and Conscience wounding than a thousand Years Torment in Hell this I can assure you of and this you shall never shun by no means imaginable So if you be resolved to refuse my friendly Exhortation and Advice I must here warn you bâ—fore him to make ready to answer for all you have done in the Flesh and though to some of you the slighting of this my Advice may be the last Yet it shall not be the least of the Challenges you shall meet with this day Now I hope I have prevailed with the most part if not all of you to Believe that before this Lyon you must come and look him in the Face also and before him answer for what you have done in the flesh and having told you who is to be your Judge for your further fitting for that Rancounter I shall also tell you by what Law you are to be Judged even by the written Word of GOD wherein is contained our Blessed LORD's revealed Will that self same Law that you refuse to be supream and when my Companion in Tribulation and fellow Sufferer for Christ Jesus George Lapsly called it the Acts of Parliament of Heaven pertinently enough yet some of your Number in rage against our great Law maker Disdainfully did Laugh I say by this self same Law are you all and every one of you to be Judged And however you may be so Diabolically bold as to Contemn it now you shall not then dare to whisper in the least against it Now having told who is to be Judges and what the Law by which you are to be Judged if you incline to know who are to be Witnesses we tell you even your own Consciences with that great Book of Remembrance the comparing of which together shall be as sufficient as Millions of Witnesses Then for your Assizers know you are to have the whole Generation of the Righteous and amongst the rest even these whom you in your rage against the Almighty have slain for the Testimony of our blessed Lord and Master Christ Jesus whom you have not only Renounced your as Head of his Church but also are raging in madness against all such as will not with you run into the same excess of Riot The Dyet of your Compearance we have told you before And now again I Obtest and Charge you as you shall Answer to the ever Living GOD that you either grant me my former Freindly Request and Christian Exhortation or otherwise make you ready to stand Naked and Bare before this our ever Blessed Judge and there to be in Readiness as to Answer for all you have done in the Flesh in General so to this our Particular Charge following to which we would very Gladly know what you shall be able to Answer Now again I Charge you all from the Highest to the Lowest that you Staging your in the Sight of our Blessed Lord whom to your Sad Experience you shall find in that Day to be to you a Lyon indeed may make ready to Answer these following Queries wherein because you are all Equally truely concerned though there be amongst you as to them some Gradual Difference we are to Pose you all in Cumulo being Resolved in the Lords Strength to Touch more Particularly at the Persons more Particularly concerned in the several Questions And first what will you Answer for that Unparalelled Act of Rebellion against Jehovah I mean your Overturning the whole Work of Reformation that so very Glorious Work and so Correspondent to the Revealed will of GOD as that Excercised and Practised by our Blessed LORD himself and his Holy Apostles and all the several Churches their Successors for not a few Hundreds of Years alter them as is clear from the Word of GOD and the Writings of our Divines founded thereon to which till this Hour we have never seen nor Heard of any thing looking like a Satisfactory Answer and this over the Belly of a most Solemn Covenant to the Observance whereof every Individual Soul of you stands yet firmly Obliged and I am sure you must give me leave to say so when you consider you Refused me an Answer to the Question by what Authority are these Covenants-Infringed or Loosed And shall be while Sun and Moon Endures And not only so but in the Room hereof Introducing that Abominable and GOD Displeasing Prelacy a Weed which our Blessed LORD never Planted yea which he was at no small Pains while in time to Guard his Disciples against in his several Exhortations to Study Humility and forbear Lording over their Brethren and over the LORD's Inheritance and several others to this Purpose as also his brisk Checks for any think of this Nature that offered to set up tis head in his Blessed time with his own Blessed Example in Girding himself with a Towel and Washing his Disciples Feet in which you are yet the more Inexcusable that by the same Covenant this Abominable Weed is forever thrown over the Hedges of the true Churches of Britain and Ireland I mean these Presbyterian I say what will you Answer for these things when before the Son of GOD that Day And further what will you yet Answer for not only Practising so your but also by Armed Force Compelling the Rest of the Nations to Concur with you in this so Abominable Combination and Rebellion against Jehovah of wich above what will you Answer I say Do you think that Blasphemous Maxim of your's no Bishop no King will Serve your turn No sure it will not May ye not Expect a Severe Check from your Judge for that when he shall tell you first that it is Expresly Contrary to his Revealed will 2dly That it is the same upon the matter with that Proponed by the Jews themselves to his ever Blessed self in saying the owners of our
Blessed LORD and Master were no Friends to Caesar or does our King think to Answer he was Counselled thereto will do his turn No sure he can not be so Mad. And what can these his Counsellors say Sure nothing this I am the rather to Believe that I find none of them have any thing to Answer here and Sure much less there My second Question is what will you answer to our ever blessed Lord and Master your Judge when that Question is proposed to the King how came it Sir that you were so insolently bold and daring as to Strive with me for State And though my ever blessed Father bequeathed that upon me as one of my Royal Prerogatives to be King and Head of all my Churches which as I was to lead and guide by my Spirit in their invisible Capacity so by my Spirit in my Servants according to my Commission to them in their visible Capacity for which these my Servants were to me only to answer and I having for their better encouragement and more distinct management of thesâ— their affairs left it on Record that the Spirits of the Prophets were subject tâ— the Prophets so that my Churches in themselves in the several Nations werâ— Judicatories totally separate in their Nature and distinct from the Civil they being spiritual and for which they as to their behaviour were only answerable to me as Kings and other Judges were for their carriage in Civil this you have fully made out in the abovementioned Authors and others our Divines as you may see in their Treatises what will our King have to answer for himself here I am sure he will stand Mâ—te as will all these who have Combined with him in this their rage against the Almighty in not only setting him upon our blessed Lords Chair over Mala part but also declairing this a Privilege Inherent to the Crown My third question shall be next What will one and all of you answer for Imposing in such a violent manner that horrid and Monstrous Oath the Test upon the Subjects of this Nation anent which by and attour the Nonsense and contradictions I have Hinted before you may from the Pen of a more Solid Judicious and Reverend Author learn yet more of the Abominations thereof which if it be not come to your Hands already I hope yet may come shortly in a small Treatise against the Hearing of these Soul-Murdering Curats I say what will you answer to your Judge in that day for this can it be possible that these Monstrous Curats with the rest of their cursed Clergy can think to shelter in that Mock Qualification they got added that the Oath to them is Restricted to the King's power in externals Now can these infrabrutal wretches think that a Qualification made posterior to and not contained in the Body of the Oath in which they Swear expresly to take the Oath in its true genuine Meaning without equivocation or mental reservation can do their turn here and though it were contained in their Oath the Clause being general And who knows not that fraus latet in generalibus which no Man of Conscience durst ever Venture upon in the Matter of an Oath And sure I am the sense of this his Majesty's power in externals could be no Unknown thing to them who know that the Practice of the Law Makers is the best Commentare upon the general Clauses in their Laws they can not but know that his Majesty his Council and other Civil Judicatories meddle in the Examination of Ministers Doctrine â—ut putting and in putting of Ministers and several others which time and the Nature of this my Testimony will not allow me to enumerate And this Prima instantia I am sure none who are not willfully Blind will call these Externals anent which I recommend the Reader the abovementioned Authors I say again what shall you all answer to these things My Fourth Question is what will you Answer that Day to your Judge for Pressing by Armed Force the Christians in Britain and Ireland to joyn in hearing with these Abominable Miscreants your Prelats and their Underlings in making of and Fighting against GOD in that Mock Worship of their's when you shall know that not only they be none of GOD's Appointing but against that Peoples Joyning with whom the Covenants made in these Nations with the Almighty stands yet Binding by which the People of GOD there are Bound not only not to Joine with them but to Endeavour in their several Capacities and Stations to use their Yond most Endeavour for their Extirpation and if to all this you add this consideration that having Renounced Christ for their head they have set up his Profest and Avowed Enemy by them others of their Kidney Instigate to be so in his Room may ye not conceive that beside the former Bars in the Lords Peoples way whereby they are Deterred from this Practice this may have no small Influence that a Tender Hearted Christian may be under such an Impression that to Join with such under the Notion of Christians as have Renounced Christ for their head may Involve them in that Fault called by Logicians Repugnantia in Adjecto and by us Scots Men Down right Nonsence and a Flet Contradiction and indeed to me a Christian Disclaiming Christ for his head is Flat Nonsense Now I say what will you Answer for that so Horrid Practice I hope if you will be at Pains to Read what has been Writen by severals upon this head you will not only find the Refusers in this Justifiable but that your Pressing the same with so much Vigour is of a Peice with the Rest of your Fightings against our Blessed LORD My Fifth Question is what do you one and all of you Resolve to Answer when our Blessed LORD and Master your Judge shall make Inquisition for all the Innocent Blood has been by you Sheâ— whither in Fields or upon Scaffolds or by drowning or whatsomever manner of way And to begin with the Eminently Worthy Nobleman the Late Marquis of Argyle against whom though your Invention Raked Hell for a Clock to cover it yet to all Unbyasted Spectators it is more then Evident that your great if not only Quarrel was his Befreinding the Cause of Christ and Precious Eminently worthy and Reverend Mr. James Guthriâ— whom in your Rage against the Almighty you Murdered for no other Cause but his Asserting Christ to be head over the Church in Refusing to Answer any of your Courts which were not of his and our Masters Appointment in Matters Spritual and Ecclesiastical Prima Instantia and all the Rest from these to mine which you are as really called to Charge your with as if you had been Permitted to put in Execution that Abominable Unjust Sentence of yours Pronounced against a Christian offering to Justify all his Principles and Practises from the Word of GOD and Requiring no more at your hands for that End but that ye would grant him the Almighty
to be the Supream Judge and his Word the Supream Law which both were Refused in that the Lâ—tter was not Granted and yet both by my Blessed Lord and Master in my Escape proâ—â—â— The first in this that though the Great one in the Earth Bad Decreed my Death upon the 26 of Sept. 1683 â—et now see my blessed Master having Decreed the contrary has proven himself Supream The latter in this that though the same was Enacted in a Law by you yet by his Word which is yet the Supream Law my GOD having moved me to cast mine Eye upon that Promise He that loseth his Life for my sake shall save it and upon the back of this on that Word in the Psalms According to thy Righteousness do thou deliver me I say my blessed Lord helping me to cast mine Eye and not a little to Confide in the Promise though I must confess by my too eager gripping thereto at first and in so doing limitting my blessed Lord I Bred my self not a little Disquiet yet I say my Lord according to this his Word having set me at Liberty though you had Enacted the contrary has ad hominem sufficiently proven my second Principle also I say are you at a Point what to answer when all this Blood comes to be inquired into Know you not that the Blood of Saints is precious in the Lord's sight Or will ye yet with Pharaoh harden your hearts possibly under this consideration that you live Remote from the Red-Sea But know you not that our Omnipotent Master can for you make a Sea of your own Blood if it be Red enough for you to Drown in And who knows but such a thing may come to pass Especially considering that it is an ordinary thing with the Lord in punishing either Friends or Enemies to do it so as their sin may be Reâ—d in their Judgement and I am indeed the rather inclined to think it shall be so when I remember the saying of that Worthy Man of GOD I mean Mr. Semple late Minister of Corsfairn in Galloway who fell under no small Eclipse in his Latter Days through his closing with that fatall Indulgence fatall indeed to the poor Churches in Britain and Ireland who in his better days had this Expression As the Lord lives for every Drop of the Saints Blood has been or shall be shed by these his Cruel Enemies speaking of the Malignant Prelatical Papistical and Atheistical Party in these Kingdoms there shall Tuns Tuns Tuns of their's fall to the Ground and I know few of this Great Seer Threatnings have fallen to the Ground What Dream you I say you shall have to Answer in that Day Dare ye whisper these things were done conform to your Laws which upon the Matter was all I got answered to me standing at your Bar here upon Earth for which I have no fewer than 500 Witnesses and upon which I have an Instrument standing Recorded in Heaven do you think you will dare to Mutter this then Sure if you knew what you were saying you would never do it here nor there for it is no less upon the Matter than to Ratifie the Sentence past upon our blessed Lord and Master himself by the Jews for which he got no other reason but we have a Law the same I get but what if our blessed Lord your Judge say but you know I had a Law to the contrary and your Law should have Ceded to mine dare you think you shall contradict this there as you have indeed done here upon Earth I know you dare not consider then what you will answer for I can assure you it is of your Concern May Sixth Question shall be what think you to Answer for your Mock Thanksgivings of which I shall Instance two one is for Gowries Conspiracy the other for this Pretended Deliverance from a Mock Plot these two Twins I bring in together the rather that they resemble other as much as ever Twins did and no wonder since they are of one Father I mean the Devil one Mother the Pope of Rome one Nurse the Jesuitical Papists who having brought up these Brats till they are able to walk alone send them over here to their Friends in Britain and Ireland and what day is pitched upon here for bringing them forth to publick View Even the Lords day in which these young Monsters must get on all their Gay Cloathes and of them must all the Churches in the Nations spend that day in speaking though to the mocking of GOD with abominable Lies yet to the admiration of this Monstrous Birth And then when all is done there must be Bonefires Ringing of Bells and fireing of Cannons and what not that this Monstrous Generation can devise for provocking of and fighting against Jehovah O Heaven shake Earth tremble and all flesh be astonished at such Hellish madding against our glorious Master and because contravia juxta se posita clarius elucescunt I would have you to take a glance of the industrie of that Limb of Antichrist the Duke of York in hindering the procedure of the Parliament of England in their so just and Legall procedure in inquiring into that Hell-hatched Popish Plot which is in no small measure now advanced by this last mock one of yours And I am sure none who are not altogether Strangers to the Constitutions of England will refuse that Treason of the Nature that a Popish Plot is really and this mock Plot of theirs as to its pretended Nature is pretended to be ought to come under Tryal by his Majesty and the two Houses of Parliament as only competent Judges thereto but there is no remedy for open and irresistible violence but patience I say what are you at a Point what to Answer for these things I fear not and I hope none who knows that I am a Presbyterian and Consequently whom I am concerned to Defend here I mean all such as are either indeed Presbyterians or longing for the time when the Nation shall be Universaly such which the LORD hasten and Pardon any who have been any way Instrumental in hindering when the matter was brought to a very hopefull pass will think I have been out of the Road in medling in matters wherein the Glory of GOD is so much concerned for to Charge any such Plotts upon such as are indeed of our Principles I dare Averr to be not only a wrong for us but of our Blessed LORD also in and though us Now I Pray you consider what you shall Answer for these things My Seventh Question is what you think to Answer who have Refused our Blessed LORD and his People a Spot of your Ground to meet together upon who have Refused his People a Nights Lodging who have Concurred in Dragging his People to Scaffolds and Prisons and others whom we have Classed together with you above when you shall meet that Day with your Particular Charges Is it not of your concern to consider this especialy the rather
LORD is saying nothing less by these Dispensations then this what will not these Stupendious Rebles come and hear Honest Ministers who are ready and willing to give them Warning that their Mouths may be for ever Stopped he'll send them a Warning another way which if they will Refuse then have at them so then I come to my last Task with you the Enemies of our GOD and our's upon his Account and it is to take Instruments upon all my Blessed Master has in and by me the Fectlessest of his Servants been doing with you in all my Tryals as follows Most Holy and Infinitly Glorious GOD the Father of my Blessed Lord Jesus Christ and my Father in and throw him I earnistly beg of thee for thy great Names Sake for thy Glorys Sake for the Son of thy Loves Sake and for the love thou bears to thy poor people in these Nations that what thou has in thy infinite Wisdome been doing in by and throw me to and with these thine Enemies be keept written in large Characters in the Book of Rememberance till the great Day of the Lord for a Testimony and Witness against all such of them as shall Contemptously refuse what I thy poor servant has been helped of thee with an Eye to thy Glory the good of thy people the Conviction of these thine Enemies and even the good of the Souls of such of them as shall give ear to what from thy word I have in thy strength offered And now again to you stiff Necked Rebeles against my ever Blessed Lord and Master must 〈◊〉 in the strength of my God intimate what you are to expect for your small Sentence in the Great Day if you continue in this your Rebellion even this which you will find written in the 25 Chapter of Matthew 41 Verse I â—ay depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and and his Angels and of the Reasons there and elsewhere in the Lords Word given for this your Sentence you have ground to expect your carriage to the rest of the Lords People and me amongst them shall not be the least afflicting and astonishing to you Now having ended with our blessed Lords Enemies I come to my last Task in this my Testimony which is to speak a short word by way of Advice and Exhortation to all my precious Friends under which Compellation I comprehend all that love our Lord Jesus Christ and wait for his coming all that have given themselves to him in a Covenant never to be forgotten all that are keeping up the Fight against their Corruptions and Strugling in the Strength of our Lord against a Body of Death and in short all that are sincerely Arting Heaven-ward whither such as are farder or shorter way advanced in their Journey and to these and all such of whatsomever Nation Countrey Tongue or Language they be whither at Home or Abroad of whatsomever perswasion consistent with the Foundations of Religion And particularly to all under the Cross whither Abroad in Hungary France Germany or any other elsewhere who are in the Furnace or at Home in these three Kingdoms and to you all and every one who in the Strength of our blessed Lord shall be helped to run that Race with patience and finish your Christian Course with Joy I hope I need not use Arguments to prove that the day of the Lord which we have been speaking of above which to the Wicked and to the Enemies of our blessed Lord shall be so terrible shall be to you the beginning of days or rather the beginning of a day which is never to have an end and that this day may be the more Joyful to one and all of us I shall obtest you all to join with me in the pursuance of these few Christian Exhortations following And first in general let there be a cordial endeavour in the Strength of our blessed Master the more this be imployed the better speed shall we come as to strive against every Sin without exception so to close with every Commanded Duty with delight the more Universal we be in either the more sincere in our Resolutions this way the more dependantly upon Christ Jesus we go on in this Course and the more self denial and denial to all other Airths we be blessed of the Lord with the better speed surely shall we come But secondly and more particularly let us all Unanimously Concurr in the endeavour after the cordial and sincere performance of these particular Duties following And first I would offer for your Exercise that indispensible necessary Duty of Repentance in exercising whereof I shall offer these few Christian Advices First Let us Digg deep in this Mâ—tter and never rest till we come to the Root I mean Original Sin and after we have Dwelt by Meditation upon the sadness thereof let us in the next place take a View of all our actuâ—l Transâ—ressions flowing therefrom of our Sins as well of Omission as Commission of our Younger as our Riper Age against the Law as against the Gospel these sins that thence cleaves to us in our best performances not forgetting these sins called our own and the sins that do easily beset us and all these and many others which you my find out by perusing great and Reverend Mr. Durham upon the Commands not only as to our every one of us for himself but all of us for each other and in a special manner be mindful of the publick National sins and that not only in the Land where you have your Residence but also all the World over In sum let every thing done to the Dishonour of GOD by whomsoever be the Object of your Mourning before him And I pray forget not these sins whereby our blessed GOD is not only diâ—honoured But also the Generation of the Wicked hardened and the Generation of the Righteous stumbled and offended I pass these the more generally that bâ—ing Interrogate by the Enemies anent a few of them I was by my blessâ—d Lord determined thâ—n to pass it with this Answer That I judged it noâ—e of mâ— Duty to publish any thing of that Nature to them with an Eve to that Prohibition Tell it not in Gath publish it not in Aâ—kelon which is indeed the Reason I medle not with these things here having intended this for publick View and being resolved in the Lords Strength either by a distinct Line to the several Parties offending the like freedom I expect also from them knowing that in many things not to say in every thing we offend all or by laying my self open to what my blessed Lord may offâ—r otherways to Communicate my Sentiments of thâ—se offered whither to these who have gone aside to the Right or Left 〈◊〉 2dly Let us in our Repentings study to have the Dishonour done to our bâ—essâ—â— Lord more weighty upon our Souls than the hazard our Souls lyes under 〈◊〉 thence though we may have an Eye to both yet let the former
very much pâ—eponderate 3dly Let there be much singleness and Heart honesty in the Business 4thly Let there be much Dependance on the Lord and prayer for Grace in order to a right Performance These and many others for which I Recomend you to our Faithful Ministers mâ—y be useful in this matter and for our farder Encouragement in performance of this so very Necessary a Duty let us consider that the Christian performance thereof will not only be Refreshful to us in that great day of the LORD but may be even so also in time as will be clear to any that will but Read over the 9th Chapter of Ezekiel and this not from any Vertue of the Duty as proceeding from us but of free Grace let this be Understood in Referrence to the Rest of the Duties also The Second duty I Propose for the Object of our Sincere Endeavours is the fear and Love of GOD I bring thir in together the rather that they are Selâ—om if ever Separate as it is also with all the other Graces of the Spirit though some of them may be at some times both more or less felt by the party himself and more or less Visible to others and for our help here let us Dwell much upon the consideration of that Mystery of Love Vented towards lost Mankind in that Transaction held by the Holy Trinity before the World had a Fundation I say let the Serious thoughts of that Fountain Love whereby GOD so Loved us so Loved us that GOD the Father was pleased to want the Refreshfull presence of the Son and GOD the Son not only to want the most Amiable and Desireable Company of the Father but also to take upon him our Nature and come down and Dwell amongst us in the World Rendering himself upon our Account Lyable to all the Miseries of this Liâ—e Sin only Excepted even to Death it self and all for us And GOD the Holy Ghost freely undertaking what was Cut out to him for Task by the Father and Son in Reference to the further Manifestation of this Mystery of Love in Applying the Favour so freely Bequeathed on Poor lost Mankind and us amongst the Rest and sure I am this Seriously Dwelt upon and Prayed over can hardly miss to take effect towards the Warâ—ing of our Hearts Godwards and begetting in our Souls a Filial fear of doing any thing to the Dishonour of that Glorious GOD who so Loved us and if to this Meditation we add that of considering the great pains our Blessed GOD has been and is at about us in his Holy Works of Providence Ordering and Overuling all the Various Revolutions in time as for his own Glory so for the Good of the Elect so that even these Dispensations that to Poor short Sighted us are looked upon Tending to our Ruine many times are by that Holy Providence of GOD Ordered for our yet greater Advantage so that there is no Serious Observer but shall be Forced e're all be done to set to his Seal to the truth of the Scripture all things shall Work together for Good to them that Love GOD I say Dwell upon these things till you and I get our Hearts wrought up not only to Cordial Loving of our ever Blessed GOD but also to a Filial fearing of doing any thing whereby his Glorious Name may be Dishonoured and for Asistance here let there be much Dependance for the outletting of the Spirit and if this Love and fear be within it will not Fail to Vent it self in effect I mean Strenuous Endeavours to live much to the Glory of GOD upon which I shall desire we lay no other stress then the Probation of these Graces being within The Third thing I offer for the Object of our Sincere and Cordial Endeavours is the Actual Excercise of the Grace the Noble and Fountain Grace of Faith as also of Patience thir can also hardly be Separate since he that Believes makes no haste I doubt not to say it that I hope there are not a few thousands in Britain and Ireland who have these Graces in the Root and Habite who are too too much Strangers to the Actual Exercise thereof at this present time and this is so much the Sadder that there has no Bitt of the short and Evil time I have had in this World Cryed more Loudly for the same And do ye not think that our Blessed even our Blessed LORD may very truly say to us what he said to others before in our Case that he can not do many Mighty Works amongst us because of our Unbeleif I Doubt nothing but that there are many Christians in Britain and Ireland and other Places all the World over that would willingly have our great LORD appearing in their Behalf why is it then that we look so like a People under a Combination to bind his holy hand to Speak so with holy Reverence for though indeed our Faith as it is our Act can not Merite at the Hands of our Blessed LORD that he should appear yet it being a mean of his Blessed appointment and a Gift of his own giving whereby in his Holy Providence he Disposes his People and puts them in Capacity to Receive his Favours the least we are called to do is to Importunate the Throne of Grace for the Exercise thereof and for our Encouragement herein let us not only Read but Seriously consider that 11 Chapter of the Hebrews where we shall meet with a Glorious Company of Believers and of the special and great Blessingâ— Attending that their Beleif and with this we have added Patience that by our Impatient Thristing even after that which may be the Object of our Faith we do not Marr the Work with our own Hands and though our Blessed LORD as to his comings and goings be nothing Determined thereto by any thing in us yet are we called to the Excercise of Commanded Duties as much as if thereby we were Meriting the thing Courted for and so as to see our Best Performance but Filthy Raggs I do the rather Urge the Pursuance of this Grace of Patience for this that I doubt not but the want thereof has been one of the great Sins in our Day whence have all these Dreadfull Acts of Compliance Flowed but even from this the LORD delayes his coming c. O Dreadfull Relation to leave the way of the LORD because he will not Indulge our Humour so far as to come at our Nod I say then let us Study Faith and Patience in wâ—iting for our Blâ—ssed LORD and Master who as he will come and will not Tâ—râ—y so the time of his coming he keeps in his own B â—ssed â—and being an Absoluâ—â—ly free Agent and well worthy is he to have it â—o upon many consiâ—â—â—ations â—mongst the Rest that hiâ— Blessâ—d timâ— is the I â—â—y aâ—â—iâ— trust in him for â—ure I am there was never one that through Grace has bâ—en Helped â—o to do have ever Repented it neithâ—r was there evâ—r
any put to Shâ—me thâ— put their trust in him go through all that are Râ—corded in Scripture sâ— Trusteâ—s in him and you shall find them all Hâ—rmoniously joining in this Surely it is not in Vain to trust in him for he is inâ—eed a present help in time of â—eed anâ— to confirm the matter yet more Dearest Freinds give me â—â—ve amongst the Rest to put to my Seâ—â— and say happy â—â—ppy hâ—ppy that Sâ—ul who through Grace is helped to trust him most and who will doubt but â—â—â—ve gooâ— Reason so to do when they consider how in his Holy Providence he 〈◊〉 toâ—â—ly brought me into the Furnace but also keeped me Wonderfully in it aâ—â— also in his own due time and way brought me out of it his Blessed self being tâ—e great Agent in the whole Work and indeed I must tell it to the Commâ—nâ—ation of the Freedom of his Grace that all the time of my Furnace I wâ—nted not Counting all the small and short lasting Clouds though my own Miscarriage I was into all that time his Comfortable and Refreshing presence for Eâ—ght or Nine Hours Counting all together the greatest Cloud I had all that time Flowing from my too Eager Gripping of my Promised Escape of which before and Limiting my GOD to that in my Eye which was yet that by which I Escaped this I say lasted longest and was indeed sorest but Blessed be his Holy Name hâ— no sooner let me see where the Fault lay but with the Discovery gâ—ve Grace to Amend it by laying Life and Death in the Ballance and keeping them stâ—ll in â—quilibrio not Daring so much as by a Raw Wish to Cast the Scales then câ—me I to as much Serenity Peace and Satisfaction of Spirit as any Mortal could be Capable of and in this Case am through Grace Preserved not only till the Perfecting of the Escape but even since for which I desire you may joyn with me in Blessing his ever Blessed Name so also in Praying that this our Preservatioâ— mâ—y be both for mâ— and the Rest that Escaped with me a Reservâ—tion for our being further Serviceable to our Good GOD in our Stations and Generatioâ—s and that we may be helped of him to Spend the Residue of our Days in Advancing the Glory of GOD On carrying of his Works and Edification of his People and Conviction if Possible or otherwise the Terror of his and our Proud and inâ—olent Enemies In the lâ—st place I come to propose for the object of our sincere and single endeavâ—ur that well fall effectualy about the preparing of our to meet our Blessed Lord and Master whither as to his coming for our Delivery in time or to Judgemâ—nt in that Great Day for my own part I am under a strong Impression of our Blessed Lords being upon his way and am not a little perswaded that his Sword is alreaâ—y drawen it's like I may have some Differing from me here this I cannot help There is another Impression I am now and have been under for a considerable time that his coming considered Complexly shall be very Terrible In this I expect I shall have very few Godly Differing from me I Incline the rather to Join this twofold Preparation together that the Duties Incumbent in Reference to both aâ—e one The Duty we would propose to our herein in General being to prepare to meet our GOD of which thâ—sâ— we hinted at before being no small part we shall for our further clearness here advise the lâ—ying asiâ—e of several things that may be Impediments in this Work And First let us lay aside Worldly Mindedness Secondly Carnall Fears Thirdly Our own sins and these sins that easily besettâ— us Fourtly Our Mixing with the people of these Abominations a case very Dangerous to be found in whither either of the ways our Blessed Lord came Fifâ—ly Let us lay aside these Unchristian Fires Satan has Kindled amongst us whereby forgeting that Charity and Brotherly Love so much Inculcate by our Blessed Lord and Master we are rendered mutually uncapable of Edifying one another reproving and Advising one another as of doing many other Christian Duties Incumbent that I be not mistaken here the Lord is my Witness I intend not that any should harden another in a sinfull course or that any should do any thing whereby he may become sharer with another in his Sins And I know I have Witnesses not a few in these Lands that can bear me Witness I have Guarded against this in no small measure in the Lords strength my self And whatever Challenges I have either had from within or from without in this matter have been rather for too much Keenness then too much Slackness in this matter for which in so far as it has been sinfull I refuse not Satisfaction in time and place convenient I say is it not sad that Satan has gotten so much Advantage in this matter that there are very few in the Land in Capacity to be Assistant to one another and all this through Slighting the method prescribed by our Blessed Lord in his Word in Reference to Offences have Men forgottâ—â— altogether that they are in the Body themselves Or have these persons who are clear for Separation upon every Account Reckoned what to Answer to our Blessed Lord and Master whose Answer to that Question how oft shall I forgive my Brother till seven times was I say not unto you Seven times but Seventy times Seven times And is it not yet sadder that a Nation solemnly given to God in Covenant that Party who in pursuance of these Covenants are desirous to follow the Lord's own way which all are equally obliged to and in which while we all walked there was not wanting much very much of the Countenance of the Almighty I say is it not sad that Party should not only have the Common Enemy waiting all Opportunities for their overthrow under which Notion I comprehend that Papistical Prelatical Party I have been dealing with above but also that of our own Brethren not a few should be pushing us with Side and Shoulder and upon the one hand if we will not remit a little of the Strictness of our Obligation to the Almighty and with them come and go in the matters of God and forsake Moses his Example in not quitting a hove we must run the hazard of their dissatisfaction And on the other hand if we will not yet be more mad than ever John of Leyden himself was by others of our Brethren must we be pusht at I say is it not sad that the Remnant of the poor Church of Scotland should be lying in such a sad condition as upon the one hand to be in the hazard of drowning so on the other of burning To you then my Dear Brethren I address my self with this Advice whatever these two Extreams do among themselves be sure first to do nothing that may strengthen either 2dly To make Conscience of Prayer for both 3dly When occasion offers to
intimate your hearty and earnest desire to them that they would again turn unto the Lord's way and not any longer either indanger themselves or wrong the cause of Christ 4thly Let your whole complex Carriage towards the Smell of God and of Tenderness towards both their Souls and Bodies I dare not advise to Reason with either for I have hitherto found that not only hardning to them but also indisposing to the Essayer A better help in this case I am sure will be the pursuance of my Sixth Advice in order to Preparation for our Blessed Lord's coming and that is let one and all of us stir up our Souls and all that is within us to wrestle for a speedy coming I am sure one Sight of his most Amiable Countenance among us would avail more in these matters and every thing else that is wrong among us in bulk than all the feckless Essays we can make though it be yet our Duty in our Stations to use our utmost Endeavours for reclaiming any that go astray I have been under a necessity to give this hint neither is there more discovered thereby than the Physicians know already having hinted so much in their Examination of me My Seventh Advice shall be O study study a Soul-hunger after our Lord and Master whose compassions could never suffer him yet to tarry long away from any that were at the point of Starving through his Absence I shall add this Caution here look that it be Himself principally if not only you hunger and Thrist after for though we may indeed have an eye upon the many precious things that attends his coming yet these all how precious soever they bear but the Shell his Blessed Self being the very Kernell and Soul of the Mercy yea it is Himself that makes Mercies such Now my Dearest Friends in the Exercise of these Duties we have shortly hinted at both before and here more particularly upon this head with what others Our Blessed Lord Himself may art us to whether immediatly by His Spirit or by His Servants of the Ministry I do nothing doubt but either of these Comings of Our Blessed Lord and Master shall be rendred the more Refreshfull unto us That this may be yet a little more clear we shall hint at a word in Reference to either And first You know that Mercies coming in the Covenant Channel are the sweetest and most Soul refreshing Mercies and as to either these mercies that come to us in the way of Duty these being contained in the Covenant tho' not from any Vertue in themselves yet by Our Blessed Lord's appointment in the Covenant and through Vertue transmitted by his Blessed Self to them in the Covenant I say Mercies coming that way are twice Mercies and Our Lord's coming to his in that way the Mercy is still the more refreshfull in this Respect that to that of his coming which is Mercy Mercy in it self yet to these it is yet more Mercy as coming to their Distinct Perception in the Covenant Channel whereas while coming to others His coming shall be to such as a Dream who while they be well wakened shall be out of case to feel the Sweetness of the Mercy Now let me again Obtest you Dearest Friends to make Conscience of these Duties as you have a Respect to the Glory of GOD the good of his Cause the good of your of your own Souls the Conviction and if not attainable the Confounding of Enemies And beside what of Advantages this shall afford you at his comings with Deliverance in time which shall yet neither be few nor small you shall undoubtedly find much Consolation therefrom at that his great and last coming To which this in a word you have heard before our Blessed Lords coming to Judgement shall be to the Wicked so very Terrible that they shall seek all possible means for shuning the appearance which yet they shall never get done and though they great and small shall cry to Hills and Mountains to fall upon them to cover and hide them from the Face of the Lamb yet shall all this Crying be in Vain But to you to you that are in Covenant with the Almighty in and through our Blessed Lord and have been helped with the wise Virgins To keep your Lamps Trimmed this appearance shall be so far from being a Surprizall that it shall be the most Joyfull Sound ever you heard in your time O how Soul Refreshing shall it be to you when at the call of the last Trumpet you have Raised up your heads through these Mooles and having Soul and Body Joyned together again at the very first Peep as you look up shall you see the Lamb of GOD Sitting on his Throne which shall so much take up all your Senses both Internall and Externall Spirituall and Bodily that you shall not be in hazard of being Frighted with the Screicks of the Reprobate and Wicked but the whole Motions of our Souls shall be O To be at him O To be at him O how Soul Ravishing shall the sight be And now must we halt here a little till the Elect be gathered together during which time let us vent our Meditation of the difference that will be betwixt the Elect and Reprobate the Reprobate saying Oh alace for ever yonder he is for the dishonour done to whom we could never shed a Tear the Elect says well's me yonder he is upon the account of the Dishonour done to whom I have had many a sore Heart and have shed many a Tear The Reprobate says Oh! he is yonder whom I could never either Love or Fear Says the Elect blessed for ever be the sight yonder he is who helped me both to Love and Fear him the Reprobate says Oh! for-ever yonder he is whom I could never be perswaded either to believe or patiently to wait for Says the Elect Rejoice O my Soul for ever yonder he is that helped me by his Spirit both to trust in and wait for him the Reprobate says Oh and alace yonder he is towards the Meeting of whom all the Exhortations in time could never move me to make preparation says the Elect Glory to his Name for ever he is there now for Meeting of whom he helped me many a day to be Trimming my Lamp Says the Reprobate Oh and undone for ever yonder he is whom in his Members I not only persecuted but Murdered many a time Says the Elect endless blessings on his ever Glorious Face for whose sake â—he helped me to suffer Persecution says one and to be Hanged on a Gibbet Beheaded or Drowned say others and so forth of all the rest of the Duties the Elect have been helped to perform and against the performance whereof the Reprobate have been hardened or rather have hardened themselves Now may we suppose the whole Elect to be gathered together and looking many a greedy look to be at him then may we suppose our blessed Lord and Master by his Omnipotent Arm halling
them all up to him in the Air O Glorious Meeting a Meeting without a parting a Meeting for Joy unexpressible then shall they be set down on the Right hand to receive their Sentence as the Reprobate have done already in our Paper in order of GOD's appointment they shall be last as you may see in that 25th Chap. of Matth. out of which we drew their Sentence and then shall the Sentence of the Elect be pronunced as follows in the 34 Verse of the said 25th Chap. of Matth. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World Now my Dearest Friends to answering my former Suits which as they are both your Mercies and Duties so are attended with such unspeakable Advantages as we have a little hinted at I shall desire you yet to add two more The first is That one and all of you may with me with our whole Souls sing and say and say and sing Bless O my Soul the Lord thy God and all that in me is be stirred up his Holy Name to magnifie and bless The second is That all of us with one Soul may cordially join in saving Even so come Blessed Lord Jesus Christ come quickly Amen Thus with his whole Soul says JOHN DICK 1st October 1683. Having through Divine Assistance brought my Testimony to this period it may be supposed my Vital Spirits are not a little wearied and sure I am I shall need to use no Argument to perswade any that know me Well that I have never in my Lifetime been so long Serious together as I have been since my Ever Blessed LORD and Master in his Holy Providence brought me under this so Lovely Chain Lovely indeed yet the Sweetest time ever I had in my Life time next to that little time of our Espousalls for which my Soul shall Bless him forever I say since it is so I hope none will Offend if for my Recreation I break here a Jeast or two in Referrence to which I hope the rather I have my Blessed Master's Permission that therein I intend to do Despite to and Spitt in the Faces of a few such as have with most Violence and Hellish Boldness not only done Despite unto the Spirit but also Monstrously Spitten in the Face of my Blessed Lord and Master The Nature of my Jests shall be such as we call in Latin seria mixta jocis and in broad Scots half Jest half Earnest And First by way of Advertisement to all who concern themselves in the Reformed Churches of these Kingdoms that they use their Moyen with these makers of Mugs whether in that place of Scotland called Muir-madzoun or any where else up and down the Nations that in Imitation of the Hâ—llâ—nders who that they might in Rememberance of the Cruelty of that Monster for Blood Thirstiness the Duke of Alva caused Impress his Picture upon the Face of the Brandy Bottles they would upon all the Mugs they shall make after this imprint on the forepart thereof the Picture of this our Duke of Alva I mean York and upon the back part thereof the Picture of that Pitifull thing Claver House and because they must not want a Chaplain upon the Bottom of these Mugs let the Picture of that Monster the Bishop of Edinburgh be Impressed to this effect that all the Carlâ—nes in the Country may have occasion once in the Twenty four Hours to vent their Disrespect to these Abominable Wretches that so with their Names their very Pictures may Stink also and because their Physiognomies may by the Spectators be mistaken I would advise their several Names might be Adjoined to their Pictures least theâ— looking to Yorks Picture might take it for that of a Serpent or to Claver House his Picture for that of a Snake or that Monster the Bishop of Edinburgh his Picture for that of a Meer Swine Wallowing in Filth Yet I will not be Peremptor here for the mistake will not be great in any of these And now having mett with the Bishop that you may see I wrong him not be pleased to take a glance of him in these particulars following And first In a Dialogue betwixt him and that prodigious Drunkard Mr. Trotter one of his Underlings even that Trotter who it would appear having anticipated the Dyet of drinking our Dragie had got himself so full that Morning our blessed Lord set us at liberty that he took Stowre for Smoak and the glancings of his own firie eyes for Light Matches which occasioned his so disorderly deserting of the Pulpit a place he never deserved to set his foot in to the no small Confusion of his Auditors as follows Having met together Occasionally the Bishop says to Trotter How now Mr. Trotter I am informed you are a Scandalous Drunkard Mr. Trotter My Lord do you Believe that Bishop Yes I must believe since all Men says so Trotter I am very sorry for that my Lord for though all Men say you are a Scandalous Adulterer yet I do not believe it Bishop say You so Trotter Yes Bishop Then to be quitts with You neither will I believe the other 2dly You may inform your of the Nature and qualities of that his Snuff-Box which as I am informed is in the Hands of Sir Charles Halker which I am Confident that Generous Gentleman keeps for no other end but to be a Witness against the Madness the abominable Madness of that Mock Prophet one of whose Prophesies we come to offer to your Consideration in the third place as follows He being on the Castlehill of Edinburgh in Company of the Duke of York and others in the latter end of 1680 or beginning of 1681 looking to that great Comet that did then appear and being asked by the Duke What his Thoughts of the Comet were He answers I look upon it as a Torch in the Heavens to light your Royal Highness to the Throne Did this Prodigious Monster know what he was saying when he spake this Did he not know the many standing Laws of this Kingdom were Bars in the way of this which are yet standing and still shall stand I mean these made against Popety and Papists having any Place of Publick Trust in the Nation Does not this Wretch know that thir Laws are standing and must stand being sounded on and agreeable to the Word of GOD and enacted by free Parliaments Does not the Infatuate Wretch know that any Act made to the contrary can never come in the List of Laws in this Nation as being down right contrary to the Word of GOD and enacted by unfree Parliaments Must we weary our telling him this again and again And did not this Monster for arrogant Boldness in daring Heaven know that by the Word of GOD our Supream Law it is enacted That the Idolater shall die the Death Or is he so wretchedly blind as not to know That that Antichrist that Man of sin and all his Limbs of which this Duke