bauched them out of all confcience and integrity, as much as themselves.

The rest of the questions put to them, and made causes of their indictment, were all but fo many branches from this root, and rivulets from this fpring. The chief was that about defenfive arms which their law had declared rebellion; which all the martyrs without the leaft jar or difcord, did ftedfaftly maintain, as being a thing fo very confonant, not only to the positive commands of God in his word, but alfo to the very law of nature stamp'd on the heart, and to the laws and practices of all kingdoms; and undertaken upon fo neceffary grounds as the defence of the gofpel, and the lives of the innocent, in confequence of their covenant engage ments, which, however thefe wicked perfecutors had declared void and null, and the adhering to them capital, yet all fuch as had any love for God and zeal for his caufe, believed to be perpetually obligatory upon them and the nation, and therefore adhered to them with a ftedfaftnefs, and courage invincible, against the mostbloody oppofition. And 'tis obfervable, that whatever any of the martyrs had not so much light in, as others, or differed from others anent, or was filent when interrogate upon it, yet they all agreed perfectly and were clear abundantly in owning, and bold, harmonious and couragious in afferting the lawfulness and avouching the obligatory force of the covenants. National covenants were the means that God had conftantly from the begin ning of the reformation, made ufe of and bleffed, to cement and strengthen his people in Scotland, and their adherence to the truth; by means of thefe, his church was a ftrong city, and incorporation, profecuting all the fame common caufe of religion and liberty; so that by that common bond, the injury offered to any one of her members, was taken as done to all; and befide the exprefs commands of the word, this was a bleffed tye and engagement, to every one in their place and ftation, to ftand up for the purity of the doctrine, fimplicity of the worship, beauty and order of the government and difcipline of Chrift's houfe, and his royal fupremacy over the fame. And hence malignant and diffaffected perfons perceiving that there was nothing fo conducive to the advancement and prefervation of national reformation, as thefe mutual bonds and facred covenants, fet themfelves

cheifly

chiefly to deftroy thefe, and in an ignominious manner burnt them, declared them treafonable and feditious, made the owning of them criminal, and perfecuted fuch as adhered to them: and on the other hand, God was pleafed mightily to animate his fuffering faints, both with light and zeal, in the defence of them against all the efforts of hellifh violence.

Wherefore, when this alone was not like to effectuate their defign's, thefe perfecutors betook themselves to another ftratagem, and fell upon more mild, but more fuccefsful meafures, of giving out indemnities and indulgencies, fo reftricted and limited, as the accepters fhould be gained to a peaceable compliance with, and fubmiffion to their impious laws, and taken off from their zeal, in maintaining the work of reformation, and divided from their covenanted brethren; by this means, they weakened the remnant that had not complied with Prelacy, fet them at variance one against another, allured the one to fit quietly ftill, till they had made an end of their brethren; and in short, rent and almost quite ruined the poor Prefbyterian church of Scotland; and hence, as the fuffering remnant, which was by far the fmaller part, were much oppofed and reproached by thefe minifters and profeffors, who accepted or made use of these pretended favours, fo it became a neceffary head of teftimony to witnefs against the indulgence and acceptance thereof, or finful connivance thereat. The particular difpofition of this affair is not confiftent with the narrow limits of a preface. Wherefore the reader may fee for his fatisfaction therein, "The hiftory of the "Indulgence, Informatory, Vindication, Hind let loose,

etc."

Afterwards when the perfecution became fore and violent against the remnant that refufed thefe deceitful baits, and stood to their covenanted religion and liberty, and that both by the open violence of the enemies, and falfe flanders and calumnies of pretended friends, they were obliged to emit feveral declarations of their principles, and to defend themselves from these unjust slanders and calumnies; which declarations fo foon as the perfecutors got into their hands, thinking they had got a good handle therein, for taking away the lives of all fuch as fhould adhere to them, in regard that therein they had more explicitly and fully caft off the authority of the

tyrant

tyrant Charles II. and fpecified the reafons why they could not own his authority, they never failed on all occafions to make that a part of their examinations, own ye the Sanquhar declaration, the papers found at Queensferry? &c. And many were indicted upon their adherence to these declarations, and other papers. I conceive it is not neceffary to fwell this preface with a particular defence of thefe declarations, that being fo well done by themselves in the informatory vindication, which the reader may have recourse to; and as for the paper found upon Mr Hall of Haughhead, when he was murdered at Queens-ferry, the reader fhall fee it with a fhort relation, concerning that worthy gentleman's death, in the appendix to this book.

Another question commonly put to fufferers was, whether they owned the excommunication at the Torwood? which they did with much freedom as a neceffary duty and lawfully performed, fo far as that broken ftate of the church would permit, and upon moft weighty_and fufficient grounds. The form and order of which excommunication is alfo added by way of appendix to this book.

But their finest topic, wherein they infulted and glori. fied moft was the death of James Sharp Arch-bifnop of St Andrews, which they reckoned a cruel murder, and therefore hoped that if the fufferers fhould approve of the fame, they would have a colour to deftroy them, as being men of affaffination and bloody principles, deferving to be exterminate out of any well governed commonwealth; and therefore it was still one of their questions, was the bishop's death murder? to which question fome anfwered directly that it was a juft and lawful execution of God's law-upon him, for his perjurious treachery and bloody cruelty, others were filent or refufed to answer any thing directly to the point, as conceiving that it being no deed of theirs, they were not obliged by any law divine or human, to give their judgment thereupon, efpecially when they could not exactly know the circumftances of the matter of fact, and faw that the queftion was propofed with a defign to infhare them, or take away their life. Yet was their very filence. or refufal to give their opinion, made a caufe of their indictment and ground of their fentence, and fome were put to torture to make them give their fentiments anent it. If any would

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would be further fatisfied on this head, let him fee Hind let loofe, head VI. page 633.

But however thefe murderers of the fervants and people of God made ute of fuch questions as thefe to entangle them, yet ftill the grand ftate of the quarrel was, whether Chrift alone, or king Charles fhould be owned as head and lawgiver to the church? and whether the divine form of government and difcipline which Christ had inftitute fhould continue in her? or if an ufurper fhould have leave to mould it as he pleafed, and conform it to the pompous drefs of the Romish whore.

And hence it is alfo evident that the fate of the sufferings before the engagement at Bothwel was really one and the fame with that which was after it, as to the main, though things came to be clearer after it, concerning the civil authority, when by that and many other inftances it was made evident that the pretended rulers were fetting themfelves directly to ruin the whole interefts of the fubjects as well civil as facred, and that it was in vain to be any longer in fufpence, waiting for a fatisfactory redrefs of grievances, or opportunity to reprefent the fame.

So that the charge of rebellion laid against them, not only by our episcopal paffive obedience men, but also by the indulged and fuch as tread their steps is a mot groundless imputation; for king Charles had violate all the conditions of government, and manifeftly degenerate into a tyrant long before they rejected his authority, and had refufed all claim to the fubjects allegiance, upon the account of the contract which he entered into at his coronation, and had no other pretence to authority but hereditary right and force, with the confent of such profligate noblemen and gentlemen as fat in thefe packed and pretended parliaments, which could never, in law or reafon oblige the honest and faithful subjects of the Kingdom to comply with theie tyrannical courfes, and fubmit to him, who had as really forfeited his right to be king of Britain, as did his brother afterwards by his abdication.

But it is no new thing for the followers of Chrift to meet with this charge of rebellion, if a Jezebel wants a Naboth's vineyard and he ftands up for his property, the will not want fons of Belial, to bear witness, that he blafphemed God and the king. Do the adverfaries of Ju

dah

dah and Benjamin intend to ftop the building of Jerufalem, they'll not want a Rehum the chancellor, and Shimfhai the scribe to write, "that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved fedition within the fame of old time." Would Haman have all the Jews deftroyed, because Mordecai will not honour him, this is the charge he lays against them, as most likely to have effectuate his purpofe. That their laws are diverse from all people, neither keep they the king's law. Have the prefidents a purpose to be rid of Daniel, this is the engine, "that Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee O king! nor the decree that thou haft figned." Is a Tertullus to employ his eloquence against Paul, here's the artifice, "we have found this man a peftilent fellow, and a mover of fedition among the Jews." Were the Romans defirous to have the Chriftians exterminate out of the empire, what shift took they? why truly this was it, the Chriftians are rebellious and feditious, they wont fwear by the life of Cæfar, nor adore his image; and therefore Chriftianes ad Leones. If we look through the whole ecclefiaftic history we fhall fcarce find a perfecution raised, but this is an article of the charge. But 'tis no paradox, "the fervant is not greater than his Lord;" even Chrift himself was accufed and condemned as an enemy to Cæfar, and a mover of fedition. But I shall not enter into this argument; the fufferers for Chrift in Scotland have been frequently vindicate from the charge of rebellion by more learned pens, and yet ftill we have a generation of abfurd men who will not fail to renew it; nor can the ftrength of argument filence. them, while they have brow enough to return railing in the room of reafon.

The Reader having thus briefly feen the caufes, upon which they laid down their lives; it were neceffary to proceed to a fhort delineation, both of the cruelty of the perfecutors inflicting, and of the courage, patience and chearfulness of the Martyrs, fuffering thefe feverities: but as for the former, what tongue can exprefs, what pen can defcribe the barbarous cruelty, and hellish rage of the fons of wickedness? One might write a volume upon their cruelties, and after all fall fhort of drawing them to the life, or giving any full idea of them, they were fo extremely inhumane and brutifh. At first, they

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began