t ciple, I account it a greater mercy to be wild from the way of finning, than to be tamed thereunto; as (alas!) most of thể generation are. Now, farewel all true friends in Chrift; farewel holy and fweet Scriptures; farewel finning and fuffering: Welcome heaven and the full enjoyment of God through all eternity. Sic fubfcribitur WILLIAM COCHRAN The laft Speech, and Teftimony, of ANDREW GUILLINE, My dear Friends, Éing here to die for my deareft Lord's precious truths, thought fit to leave this with you as my laft'advice. Seek to do good to all in your day. Let your moderation be known unto all men. Study to be employing your God, for there is fudden wrath pronounced from heaven against all that have been doing, or continue to do evil: For he has faid, Jer. x. laft ver. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen, and upon the • families that call not upon thy name.' We had need to know what we fhall anfwer, when we fhall come before him, with whom we have to do; for he is a holy God, and a confuming fire to the workers of iniquity: Wherefore, dear friends, study holiness in all manner of converfation; make it your earnest care to have your converfation as becomes the gofpel; and then he will be forth-coming unto you. My friends, I leave you with the Lord, who hath promised to be the God of his people. He is given of the Father to be a leader and command-er to his people, and he will lead them. And I entreat every particular perfon, never to be at reft, till they give away themfelves perfonally in covenant to God, and promise through his grace, to be for him, and not for another. I leave you to him, who leads Jofeph like a flock. If you would have him speaking peace to you in your life, and in your end cleave to the Son of God, and his truths. And remember, if fpeedy repentance do not prevent, you will utterly ruin your immortal fouls. Now, my dear friends, ye that are defiring fingly to stand for God, hold on your way, and wait for the Lord, and quit not a hoof of the truth: He will be an up-making God to you, and he has promised to be a present help to you in the time of your need. 1 t There is a great confluence come here at this time; I would with with all my heart, they would get good by their coming. I am come here to lay down my life. I declare I die not as a murderer, or as an evil, doer; although this covenant-breaking, perjured, murdering generation lay it to my charge, as though I were a murderer, on account of the juftice that was execute on that Judas, that fold the kirk of Scotland for 50000 merks a year. And we being bound to extirpate Popery and Prelacy, and that to the utmost of our power, and we having no other that were appearing for God at that day, but fuch as took away his life, therefore I was bound to join with them, in defending the true religion, and all the land. Every man was bound in covenant, when he had fold the Church, they were bound, I fay, to meet him by the way, when he came down from London, and have put him prefently to the edge of the fword, for that hainous indignity done to the holy Son of God. But it is (alas) too apparent that men have never known God rightly, nor confidered that he is a holy God. O terrible back fliding! they will not believe that God will call them to an account, for what they owed to God: But affure yourselves as he is in heaven, he will call every one to an account, howthey have food to that covenant and work of reformation. I need fay no more; but I would have you confider, That in! breaking the covenant, we have trampled under foot the precious truths of Jefus Chrift. Now, being ftraitned of time, I muft leave off writing. Wherefore, Farewel, holy Scriptures, wherewith my foul hath been many a day refreshed: Farewel, fweet focieties with whom I have been, whofe company was only refreshful to me: Farewel my mother, brethren, fifters, and all other relations. Farewel all earthly pleasures. Farewel fun, moon and ftars. Welcome fpirits of just men made per-. fect. Welcome angels. Welcome Father, Son and Holy Ghost: Into whofe hands I commit my fpirit. Sic fubfcribitur ANDREW GUILLINE. The inhuman treatment this Martyr met with, ought not to be forgot, as a pregnant inftance of the hellish rage and fury of thefe perfecutors, and of the Lord's rich grace who wonder: fully countenanced and ftrengthned him, to endure the tortures inflicted on him, with an undaunted braveness of spirit: For befides the tortures he fuffered in prifon, they ordered both his hands to be cut off, while he was alive: And it was: obferved by on-lookers, that though by reafon the execution * her was drunk, he received nine ftrokes in cutting them off yet he bore it with invincible patience. And after the right hand was cut off, he held out the ftump in view of the multitude faying," As my bleffed Lord fealed my falvation with "his blood. fo I am honoured this day to feal his truths with "my blood." Afterwards being ftrangled a little, his head was cut off, and it with the hands placed upon the Nether Bow-Port of Edinburgh; and his intrals being taken out, his body was conveyed to Magus-moor, and there hung up in chains, on a high pole.] The last Testimony of JOHN COCHRAN, who lived in the parish of Lefmahego, and fuffered at the crofs of Edinburgh, upon the 30th of November, 1683. BEING EING brought before the Lord's of jufticiary, they afked Where I went in to the rebels? Infwered, I went in to the people of God, whom ye call fo, at Drumclog. They afked, if I had arms? I told, I had a fork. They afked, If I thought it rebellion? I faid, No. And they faid, What was it then I told them, it was in defence of the gofpel. They afked, If I did own the authority? I told them, as far as it did agree with the word of God. Then they afked, If I would pray for the king? I told them, That prayer fhould be gone about in decency and order. Then they asked, If I would fay, God fave the king? And I refufed: Then they, faid, Was I not bound to pray for him! I told them, That I was bound to pray for all that were within the bounds of election. Then they faid Was the Bishop's death murder? I told I was no judge. Then they afked, If I was at Bothwel? I told, I was. They faid, Was it rebellion'? I faid, No. Then I was taken back to pri 1 fon again, and the irons laid on the: But bleffed be the Lord that was no difcouragement to me; for when the ftorm b'ew hardeft the fmiles of my Lord were at the fweeteft: It is matter of rejoicing unto me, to think Low my Lord hath paffed by many a tall cedar, and hath laid his love upon a poor bramble buth, the like of me. And O! that I could blefs the Lord for it, and fay, Come all ye that fear the Lord, and I will tell you what he hath done for my foul: And now I am made to say That the Lord doth all things well, and holy is hls name:" And as for my part, I have a good caufe to bless the Lord, that ever I was a hearer of the perfecuted gofpel, and however the world think of us, that our lot is hard in a world; yet remember, that he faith in his holy word, that Whofoever will live 6. godly, muft fuffer perfecution; and whosoever will not takę Gg. up his crofs, and follow me, is not worthy of me: And fea not him, that can kill the body, but he hath faid, I will forewarn you, whom ye fhall fear, Fear him that can kill both foul and body, and caft both into hell. And if judgment begin at the house of God, where fhall the wicked and ungodly appear, in that day, when he fhall take vengeance on them that fear him not, and obey not the gofpel? And now alas ! I am afraid, that even much of the gospel amongst us, will be a witness against us; for it was the judgment of Capernaum, that fo many mighty works were done in it, and yet they believed not: and yet for all that came upon it it was faid to be exalted up to heaven, and then we hear of its being thi uft down to hell Even so I fear, the having fo much light, by the plague of our land; for it was once a praise to all the earth, but now a mocking, even among the heathens. And now as a dying man, I do heartily declare my adherence unto all the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament; and preaching of that bleffed gospel by a faithful, fent Prefbyterian gospel miniftry: As alfo, I do with all my foul, and heart agree with, and affent unto the confeffion of faith, larger and fhorter catechifms, the fum of faving knowledge; the national and folemn league and covenants, directory for worship, the folemn acknowledment of public fins and breaches of the covenant, and engagement to all dutics, together with all and whatfoever is contained within the forefaid book. And likewife I do hereby heartily witnefs and teftify against Popery, Prelacy, Eraftianifm, Herefie, and other errors, efpecially Quakerifm, and whatfover is difconform, and difagreeable to the holy Scriptures, and thefe other found writings abovementioned. And fuch like I witnefs and teftify my abhorence and deteftation of that abominable and blafphemous teft, which is now fo violently preft upon the people, tending to the deftruction of their fouls. Moreover, I leave my wife and fix Imall children to the care and protection of almighty God, who hath promifed, to be a father to the fatherlefs, and an husband to the widow' And my foul to God who gave it, for whofe caufe, I now willingly lay down my life: And now bid farewel to all earthly and carnal comforts. Farewel all Chriftian acquaintance: And welcome Father, Son and Holy Ghost, into whole hands I do commit my fpirit, Sic fubfcribitur JOHN COCHRAN. At the fame time alfo fuffered upon the fame heads of truth and adhering to the fame teftimony, thefe two pious Martyrs) John Whitelaw and Arthur Bruce who were interrogate upon the fame things before the council of Lord's and jufticiary, and do agree with the foregoing Martyr in every refpect, and exprefs in their teftimonies the like fatisfaction with their lot and cheerfulness under the crofs, and their adherence to the fame principles, and abhorrence of the fame errors.] A letter from JOHN WHARRY, who fuffered at the market. srofs of Glasgow, June 11th, 1083 Written during his im prisonment, to his mother and other relations. Dear Mother, Brother and Sifters, Beseech you in the name of my fweet and altogether lovely incomprehenfible, matchless. precious, beautiful and @glorious Redeemer captain and conqueror over all his enemies, be not difcouraged; for through his free love caft on me in black nature, who was born an heir to fin and wrath, I am now by his bleffed purchase made free by the laying down of his fweet life for poor finners, of which I was one of the chiefeft in the world; that I might get life eternal, which is his own gift bestowed on me: And now through his bleffed hand of provi dence has made choice of poor unworthy me, to be his prifoner who ordereth all things well to thefe whom he fets his love on; and these whom he loves he loves to the end. I do not queftion his all-fufficiency: Dear mother, do not ye queftion it, but that he is fufficient to make me conqueror over my inward and outward enemies. O mother, blefs the Lord, that ever he gave you a fon, and flesh and bones, to be honoured to be a fufferer tor his precious name, truths and intereft, caufe and covenant, and concerns according to his own rule in his blef fed word, which is contained in the Old and New Testaments, agreeable to all truths contained therein. O mother, will ye be entreated for his love's fake, to give me back again to him a free will-offering? O I am periwaded that It would pleate my matchlefs Lord, and then it would be far better with me, and you both. O if ye knew what of the kiffes of love and kindness I got, fince I was brought to carts stocks and irons! O un worthy 1, that fhould be honoured with this! O mother, I befeech you for his love's fake, that ye do not repine, and thereby provoke the Lord to anger. O blefs him, for making all things pleasant and delightfome, refreshful and comfortable to my foul and my brothers. I cannot express what of love I have met with fince they apprehended me, and my brother, O bless him, for dealing fo with me, I befeech you, mother be› |