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Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips' (Hosea, xiv. 1, 2). 'I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke : turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God' (Jer. xxxi. 18.) 'Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life no man cometh unto the Father, but by me' (John xiv. 6). And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will,

let him take the water of life freely' (Rev. xxii. 17).

"When I was grappling with sin, Satan, and the world, and my own wicked and deceitful heart, the grand enemies of my salvation, His Word was as props and pillars to me: so that though I got my wounds, and was oft sorely beat, yet at the last I came off victorious, by the help of Him who is God all-sufficient to all who, through grace, lay hold on Him for help. It is by Him that I have fought the good fight, that I have finished my course; and that I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. It is by Him, shining in His Word, that I know all my manifold sins and transgressions are freely pardoned, and that I have a just right and title to what is expressed (1 Cor. i. 30). So that now the guilt and condemning power of sin, being fully pardoned by a judicial act of God's free and sovereign grace, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, effectually applied and witnessed unto by the Holy Spirit, upon and to my spirit, there is no room left me to doubt any more of my being freely justified by Him, of my being in union with Him, and in a state of grace, or the power, dominion, and filth of sin, original and actual, being subdued, taken off, and washed away by the virtue of the Spirit of sanctification, being created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works; and being sanctified throughout in soul, body, and spirit, and made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light, by Him who loved me, and gave Himself to the death for me, and redeemed me by power and by price.

"Now being in such a case of communion with Him, I am pained till I be freed of the remains of a body of sin and death, till I be freed of the world and all things therein, and also of this natural life, and be possessed of Himself and with Himself, in His eternal inheritance, which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away; a place which He hath provided for all whom He hath chosen, for all

whom He hath called, for all whom He hath justified, and all whom He hath sanctified. Oh! to be there, where I shall sin no more, where I shall be tempted no more, neither feel any more of His hidings, the withdrawings of His Spirit's presence and light of His glorious countenance; but shall be ever with Him, see Him as He is, and serve Him for ever and ever.

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'Now, my dear friends in Christ, I have always, since the public Resolutioners were for bringing in the malignants and their interest, thought it my duty to join with the Lord's people in witnessing against these sinful courses; and now we see clearly that it has ended in nothing less than making us captains that we may return to Egypt by the open doors that are made wide, to bring in Popery and set up idolatry in the Lord's covenanted land, to defile it, and thereby to provoke Him to pour down His fierce wrath upon it, and the inhabitants thereof.

"Wherefore it is the unquestionable and indispensable duty of all who have any love to God, to His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, to the thriving of His kingdom, to their own souls' salvation, and to the following generation, to act a close, constant, and needy dependence on the Lord Jehovah's all-sufficiency, for light, for counsel, for direction, for strength and stability, to make conscience in bearing testimony for Him, for interest in these lands, which was to God the searcher of all hearts. And O that herein all could act a faithful part for Him who hath done so much for poor wretched us, when we were lying dying and rotting in our blood-red sins, when passing by us with His love and life-giving visit, saying unto us, 'Live, live.'

His persecuted truth, work, and sworn to with uplifted hands

"And on the other hand, to witness faithfully, constantly, and conscientiously against all that the enemies have done, or are doing, to the overthrow of the glorious Work of Reformation, and banishing Christ out of these lands, by robbing Him of His crown rights (for He and He alone is head of His own Church), and by burning the Covenants, which are the marriage bonds betwixt Him and these lands; and by persecuting His gospel ministers and members, who are labouring to keep their garments clean, and their hands free of all the corruptions and compliances in these evil times. And however it be, that many, both ministers and professors, are turning their backs upon Christ and His cross, reproaching and casting dirt upon you and the testimony of the day, yet let not

this weaken your hands, stumble, nor discourage you from going on in the strength of the Lord your God, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, and witness a good confession for Him and His cause, resisting unto blood, striving against sin; and herein let your soul possess itself with patience; for I assure you, it will not be long to the fourth watch. And then He will come with garments dyed in blood, to raise up saviours upon the mount of Zion, to judge the mount of Esau; and then the house of Jacob and Joseph shall be a fire, and the malignants, Prelates, and Papists, shall be for stubble; the flame whereof shall be great.

"But my generation work being done with my time, I go to Him who loved me, and washed me from all my sins, to Him who has counted me worthy to suffer for His name. And O that I had many lives to lay down for Him, and much blood to seal His noble and honourable cause with, even that He, who graciously pitied, and hath now given me the full assurance of being a member of His Church triumphant, which is the new Jerusalem, and city of the living God!

"I die adhering to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the undoubted Word of God, an unerring rule of faith and manners, and a firm foundation for principle and practice in the ways of godliness and true holiness. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness' (2 Tim. iii. 16).

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"And [I die adhering to] the Confession of Faith, Catechisms Larger and Shorter, as agreeable thereunto, and safely founded thereupon. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus' (2 Tim. i. 13). 'Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God' (Heb. vi. 1); [and] the Sum of Saving Knowledge, the Directory for Church Government in her doctrine, worship, and discipline.

"I own all the attained unto pieces of Reformation in the Church of Scotland, particularly betwixt the years 1638, and 1649, the Covenants, National and Solemn League, the Acknowledgment of Sins, and Engagement to Duties.

"I own the Protestation given by the Remonstrators against the Public Resolutioners, the Apologetical Declaration, and all Declara

tions hitherto emitted at Rutherglen, Sanquhar, and Lanark; with all dying speeches and testimonies of these who have sealed the truth with their blood, so far as they agree with God's holy Word.

"I own all the appearances in arms that have been at Pentland, Drumclog, Bothwell, Airsmoss, and elsewhere, against God's stated enemies, and the enemies of the Gospel, as it hath been preached by all Christ's faithful ambassadors in Scotland since the Reformation, and now by that faithful servant of Christ, Mr James Renwick; and the testimony of the day as it is stated and carried on by him and his adherents at home and abroad-[abroad referreth principally to Messrs John Brown, John Nevay, and Robert M'Ward, who were banished to Holland by King Charles and the Duke of Lauderdale. Note in edition of 1718.-ED.]-and kingly government as appointed and emitted in the Word of God, they entering Covenant ways, and with Covenant qualifications; but I am persuaded Scotland's covenanted God will cut off the name of the Stuarts, because they have stated themselves against religion, Reformation, and the thriving of Christ's kingdom and kingly government in these lands. And although men idolise them much now, yet ere long there shall none of them be to tyrannise in covenanted Britain any more.

"On the other hand, I die protesting against, and disowning Popery in all its superstitious bigotry and bloody cruelty; and Prelacy the mother of Popery; and all that depends upon that hierarchy; and the unhinging and overthrowing of the glorious work of Reformation by their woeful Act Rescissory: burning the Covenant, turning out Gospel ministers, filling their rooms with profane erroneous curates, and setting up Charles Stuart to be head of the Church; and so robbing Christ of His royal and incommunicable prerogatives by their cursed Act of Supremacy.

"I protest against the putting malignants into places of power and trust in Church, State, and armies; and all declarations anywhere published, tending thereunto; and against all paying of stent, cess, and locality, to strengthen the enemies' hands to persecute Christ in His members; and all shedding of their blood in fields, seas, scaffolds, prisons, or any otherwise; and all robbing, plundering, or spoiling them of their goods; and all raising of the hue and cry after them; and all sinful oaths, such as the Oath of Supremacy, the Bond

* Here the reader is referred to that relation of his, which in this particular is at more length expressed in the short account before this testimony.

of Peace, the Test, the Oath of Conformity, the Abjuration Oath, and the Oath Superinquirendis.

"I die testifying against the woeful Indulgence, the fruits and consequences of which have so much strengthened the enemy, increased our divisions, widened our breaches, and deadened the spirits and cooled the zeal of the Lord's people, stumbled and offended the weak, and in a great measure retarded the carrying on of a testimony for truth, by condemning the things contended for, and reproaching these that contend for truth.

"Wherefore, I leave my testimony against all the acceptors thereof, and all ministers and professors, who are any way guilty of any of the woeful defections and sinful compliances with the enemies of truth, or any way guilty of condemning, reproaching, and ridiculing Mr James Renwick and his correspondents, or the testimony which they are carrying on. And let all such ministers and professors know that this their practice, at the best, is a denying of Christ, and a shifting of His cross. Therefore let them take warning, and ponder these Scriptures: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me' (Matt. x. 32, 33, 37, 38). 'Then said Jesus unto His disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me' (Matt. xvi. 24; Mark viii. 34). For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it' (Mark viii. 35; Matt. x. 39). For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?' (Matt. xvi. 25, 26; Mark viii. 36, 37). Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels' (Mark viii. 38). For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of His people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.

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