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the king? A. It is better to obey God than man, and he is an enemy to God. Q. Would you rise yet in arms for the covenants against the king's laws, if ye had the occasion? A. Yes, that I would, say the contrary who will, upon all peril. Q. What think you of yourself in spoiling the country of horse and arms, Sir? A. Sir, I had not the worth of a spur whang of any man's, but was mounted with horse and arms of my own. Q. Where have you been all this time? A. Sometimes here and there, in England and Scotland. Q. Whom have ye conversed with? A. I was about my business, being a merchant. They said, Ye have been about another business; for ye are found to be a fugitive and a vagabond. A. I have been a merchant from my youth. Q. But where had you your chamber in this town? A. I had none these several years. Q. Where quarter you in this town? A. I have not been much in it these seven or eight years. Q. But where was you the night and the last night before the execution? A. I was not in town, I came but in at the port just when the first was cast over. Then they looked one to another, and whispered together: but they would fain have had me wronging my landlords in all the parts of the country, and in all burghs; but glory to my Lord, I have wronged none yet, nor yet hopes to do; for it was ay my care, and prayer to God earnestly, that I might wrong no man, and that I had rather suffer before any were wronged by me, which he has keeped me from to this day. Then they read what I had said. Q. Will you subscribe what you have said? A. No, no. Q Can you write, Sir? A. Yes, that I can. Well, said they, write down, that he can, but will not. They told me five or six times, that my time should not be long; and said to me, Will you have a minister? A. I will have none of your Baal's priests; if I could have gotton leave, I should have made them abominable to them, and also at every question, I would have made them ashamed."*

2. HIS TESTIMONY.

« Now, my dear friends, I think all that I have written is confused because I could hardly get leave to write two lines, but was either put from it by the keepers, or called from it by one confusion or other, therefore ye must excuse me; but although it be not accurately, written, yet there is no error in it: it is what I lay down my life for, and adhere to as the testimony of a dying man, who must very shortly appear before my Lord, and give an account of all that I have done and written. However, my friends, mistake me not, although it be confused, and ye find some things twice over, for there is no more fear on me now, than the quietest time that ever I had, as to what man can do to me; although I be sad as to matters betwixt God and me, betwixt my glorious Lord and me, as good cause I have, who knew it as I do; but I hope, I shall get a glorious outgate, (when his time comes, which I have always waited upon and not mine,) for which I bless him this day."

What further this martyr wrote in prison, cannot be published as it stands, in regard that he being perpetually interrupted by the keepers

• Cloud of Witnesses, pp. 336-346.

and having the irons on his hands (as himself testifies), could not get it written with that composure which he would. Wherefore take some of the more remarkable heads of it, mostly in his own words, as follows: 1st, He declares his cheerfulness to lay down his life for the cause of Christ, and faith once delivered to the saints. Admiring the riches of the free grace of God, in Christ's laying down his life for poor sinners, and blessing them with such a noble, precious, and excellent blessing, as to be called the sons of God, which the angels cannot take up, although they have been a long time prying into it; and invites others to the same exercise of admiring and praising God's love, in making, through the blood of Christ, rebels and enemies, friends and servants. 2dly, He rejoices in his lot of suffering thus: “O but it is an excellent thing to be called of the Lord, to lay down my life for him and his glorious interest! to me it is more than all the world: I cannot prize it. It has been my desire these twenty-four years, to die a martyr for my Lord, and to witness for him, if it be his will, and not else; I bless my Lord for it, I have subscribed a blank, and put it in his hand, to do with me, whatsoever is the determinate counsel of his will and decree, and not to call myself." 3dly, He blesses God, that though he would have got his life for doing what others, whom he calls better than himself, have done; yet the Lord had made it his glory, honour, and crown, to hold fast till the Lord come,' which he hoped would be quickly to himself, and also to the land. 4thly, He testifies his assurance of God's love to him, and his children, whom he heartily and cheerfully gives away to God, as he had oft devoted them to him in covenant; he exhorts them, in the words of a dying father, to be for God, in their generation, to live in love and unity, leaving them to the protection and provision of his God, charging them not to be moved for his sufferings, which he protests he would not exchange for the whole world. 5thly, He charges them all to beware of wronging themselves by reproaching him anent the manner of his being apprehended, showing what a hand of divine providence there was in it, and blessing God for it, and for the sweet peace he had in suffering. 6thly, He owns himself to have been the greatest sinner upon the earth, and hence takes occasion to magnify the redeeming love of Christ, in calling him effectually, and keeping him in the right way, and from the national sins and corruptions of the age. 7thly, He refers to a list of papers written by him, declarative of his judgment concerning the duty of the day, as a reason among others, why he wrote no formal testimony in the prison, save only that he testifies, First, Generally, against all things contrary to any point of truth in the Old and New Testament, or contradictory to the covenants and work of reformation; and more particularly, against the sinful silence of ministers in Britain and Ireland, at the command of a bloody, vile, adulterous, perjured tyrant, and his underlings; against the indulgences and indemnities; against compounding and conforming either with a perjured tyrannical crew of statesmen, or with base, vile, filthy prelatists, their blind guides, and Baal's priests; against backslidden ministers and professors, (who condemned a poor young generation for adhering to truth,) for slaying Christ in

his members, for pleasing men, and displeasing a never-enough exalted and glorious Lord. And, finally, disowns all that is contrary to a gospel and apostolic spirit. 8thly, He proceeds to warn and exhort all sorts of persons, and more especially the young generation, to repentance and amendment of life, enforcing his exhortation with the consideration of judgments, and strokes to come upon the land, upon which head he is exceeding large, founding his assertions upon the threatenings pronounced in the word against these sins, whereof he demonstrates Scotland, England, and Ireland, to have been eminently guilty. Interposing withal sweet and ravishing considerations of God's love to him, and his other suffering witnesses, which after large and pathetic ejaculations of praises to God, for his redeeming love, protesting, that he expects salvation not by any merit, but of free grace, saying, "I have been beginning to pray and praise these thirty-six years, weakly as I could; but yet I am just to begin this night, both to praise and pray: for I lay no more stress upon all that I have said and done, believed and suffered, than on a straw,-God is my witness ; so that I must have salvation upon Wednesday at three or four of the clock, as freely as the thief on the cross." He winds up, in imitation of David, with these words, "And what can poor silly James Nicol say more?" resuming again the consideration of God's wrath against the land, to stir up all ranks to repentance.

After he had concluded his speech with the usual formality of bidding farewell to his suffering brethren, and all sublunary things, embracing and welcoming the heavenly joys, and eternal enjoyment of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, into whose hands he commits his spirit: he adds by way of postscript:

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Now, dear friends, my testimony being finished, and I being near the borders of eternity, having forgot that which I see a great necessity to leave my testimony against; I think it a most concerning and necessary duty to leave my testimony against James Russel and Mr. John Flint, because James Russel, and these in fellowship with him, have separated themselves from the persecuted suffering remnant of the church of Scotland, and Mr. John Flint has taken upon him, with their consent, to officiate the work of a minister, contrary to the word of God; he has run, although not sent of God, nor called, nor ordained of lawful church members: and now he and they have risen up in opposition to God, his cause, and persecuted remnant in the church of Scotland, calling them all perjured, that are suffering unto death, imprisonment, and banishment, for precious Christ. And, therefore, I as a dying witness for him, even my Lord Jesus, my only Saviour, who converted me thirty-six years since, and has these twenty-four years helped me to pray to him, to enable me to witness against all error and defection, and has kept me right and straight to this day of my longed-for desire, do leave my testimony against Mr. John Flint and James Russel, and all that adhere to them.

Sic sub.J. NICHOL."*

⚫ Cloud of Witnesses, pp. 346–350.

XVI. JOHN NISBET.

[John Nisbet of Hardhill, in the parish of Loudon, suffered for the cause, in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh, Dec. 4, 1685. About the year 1664, he having received the sacrament of baptism to his child, from one of the outed ministers, came to be troubled by the enemies on that account; and the curate declared out of the pulpit, his purpose to excommunicate him the next Lord's day, but was prevented by sudden death. When that handful of the Lord's people renewed the covenant at Lanark, and appeared in arms at Pentland hills, he engaged in the covenant with them, and was sore wounded in the fight, insomuch that he was left for dead: but by God's goodness he recovered. And all along testified against the abominations of prelacy, supremacy, arbitrary government, and indulgence, till the rising in arms at Bothwell, where he did good service, being not only a zealous Christian, but a couragious soldier. After this the enemies seized all his goods, expelled his wife and four small children from house and hold; offered a large sum of money for himself, but the Lord preserved him, while he had work for him.

He was a close follower of the gospel, faithfully preached in the fields, was kept stedfast in the truth from extremes on right or left hand; and was assistant in publishing the declarations for truth, emitted during that time. At length, in November, 1685, being in a poor man's house in the parish of Fenwick, with other three, after being sore wounded, he was taken by Lieutenant Nisbet's party, the other three being shot dead on the spot. The lieutenant, having caused to tye him, asked, what he thought of himself now? He answered,

He

I think as much of Christ and his cause, for which I suffer, as ever; but I judge myself at a loss, being in time, and my dear brethren in eternity, whom you have unjustly murdered. The bloody wretch swore, that he had reserved him for further judgment. answered, if the Lord stand by me, and help me to be faithful to the death, I care not what piece of suffering I be put to endure, He was carried first to Kilmarnock, from thence to Ayr next morning; and being brought back to Kilmarnock again, was thence transported to Edinburgh; where, being brought before the council by the foregoing lieutenant Nisbet, who demanded his money for him. They interrogate him to this effect. Q Was you at that conventicle? (naming time and place.) A. Yes. Q. How many men and arms were there? A. I went there to hear the gospel preached, and not to take an account of what men and arms were there. Q. Which way went ye when the preaching was done? A. Which way we could best think of to escape your cruelty. Q Where keep you your general meetings, and what do ye at them? While he was about to answer, one of the counsellors interrupted him, telling, in his fashion, what was done at such general meetings, and that there was one of them kept at Edinburgh; and asked the prisoner, if he was there? Who answered, No. Then they said to

him, we hope you are so much of a Christian, as to pray for the king. He answered, prayer being an holy ordinance of God, we ought to pray for kings, as well as others; but not when every profligate bids us. Q. Do you own the king as sole sovereign? A. He being Popish, and that from his youth, and I a Protestant, of the Presbyterian covenanted persuasion, I neither can nor will own him, while he remains such. Whereupon incontinent, without further process they passed sentence upon him; which he received, not only with Christian submission, but with much thankfulness; blessing and praising God, who had counted him worthy to suffer for his name. And during the time of his imprisonment he was wonderfully assisted, and graciously supported of the Lord under his cross; having both the assurance of the pardon of all his sins, and his peace with God, and also a firm persuasion of the justness of the cause and work to which he adhered, and for which he was put to such sufferings. Besides the seven wounds which he received when he was apprehended, he had a merciless weight of irons upon him during the whole time of his imprisonment.

The following is his last and dying Testimony, which he delivered to a friend in the iron-house, before he was taken out to the scaffold in the Grassmarket.]

HIS TESTIMONY

"I HAVE always thought, that to live for Christ, and die for Christ, is a sufficient testimony for truth; yet now when I am within a few hours of eternity, to prevent mistakes, to satisfy my dear friends, and let them know how it is with me, and to let the world know what I die witnessing for, and testifying against, I judge it proper to leave a few lines behind me.

"As for myself, it hath pleased the Lord Jehovah, of his superabundant goodness, and infinite mercy, powerfully to determine my heart to close with, and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is made offer of in the everlasting gospel, for my King, Priest, and Prophet. And that conquest captivating of me to his obedience, who was an heir of wrath, and a mass of sin and sinful corruption, is the fruit of electing love, according as it is manifested in the covenant of free, free, free grace, will evidently appear from these Scriptures following; which he, by the power and concurrence of his Holy Spirit, hath made effectual to the convincing, converting, strengthening, and enabling of me to be his, and to be for him through well and through woe, through good report, and through bad report; and they are so many sweet cordials to my soul, when stepping out of time into eternity.

"Psal. ex. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Rom. ix. 11. For the children being not yet born; neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.' Ver. 15. For he saith to Moses, (see Exod. xxxiii. 19.) I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' Ver. 16. So then it is rot of him that willeth, nor of him

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