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AN APPENDIX

CONTAINING

SOME PARTICULARS RELATING TO THE FOREGOING

TESTIMONIES, AND OTHER SUFFERINGS

OF THAT TIME.

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HERE is a short life of Richard Cameron by Patrick Walker. It abounds in the same curious matter as his other lives. Its substance is given by John Howie in the "Scots Worthies." The house in Falkland where Richard Cameron was born is still pointed out. Some years ago the title-deeds were examined, and it was found that Cameron's father had borrowed money on the house in order to send him to college.

M'Millan's collection of Letters contains two letters from Richard Cameron to Alexander Gordon of Earlstoun, and one to Lady Earlstoun. They are short, but they tell of the writer's piety, and of his warm affection for his friends.

John Howie's Collection of Lectures and Sermons contains three prefaces, two lectures, and six sermons by Richard Cameron. Two of the sermons are on John v. 40, "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life." When preaching on this text, Patrick Walker says, "he fell in such a rap of calm weeping, and the greater part of that multitude that there was, scarce a dry cheek to be seen among them, which obliged him to halt and pray." A manuscript copy of

this sermon, transcribed by William Wilson in 1720, from notes taken by a hearer, is still extant. It is evidently more correct than Howie's transcription, who seems occasionally to have altered a Saxon word into its Latinized form, and not by any means added to the point and vigour of the sermon by the change. A few sentences from Wilson's manuscript will show how impassioned a preacher Richard Cameron must have been:

"There are many here that are at this- Indeed, I find it very difficult to close with Christ.' Before we speak to you we will pray a word.

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"Now for you that are saying this, It is true it is not easy to bring folks to Christ; I have had a profession these many years, but I fear I have not come to Christ.' Our Lord is here this day, saying, 'Will ye take me.' Ye that have had a lie in your right hand, what say ye to it? ay or no? Ye that have been plagued with deadness, hardness, and unbelief, what say ye to it? Will ye take Him? He is saying [to you], will ye take me. O what fault have ye to Him? There are many saying, 'an [i.e., if] I take Him, I will get a cross with Him.' That is true. But ye get a sweet cross. And thus we offer Him to you in the parish of Douglas, Affleck [i.e., Auchinleck], and all about. Take Him, for we shall take instruments before these hills and mountains that we offer Him to you this day. Will ye take Him, ye that are free of the cess: will ye take Him? Ye that are free of the Bond that is going through; will ye take Him? Ye that are free of the Indulgence, ye poor ignorant things; will ye not take Him this day? Ye shall be welcome now when the old wily professors are taking offence at His way and cross. O will ye cast up your eyes to

Him!

"Angels are wondering at this offer. They are standing looking on with admiration at their Lord and your Lord that is making such an offer here this day.

"O what wonder is this. They, gone to hell these hundreds of years, are crying and howling, 'O and we had such an offer as you parish of Affleck [i.e., Auchinleck] has this day.' Come, come to Him, and never a word shall be of your sins-sin shall be buried!

"But will ye not come to Him? If ye will not, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for you. But what will ye say to me? What shall I say to Him that sent me this day. What! shall I say, there were some yonder that were content to give Him their hand, heart, house and land? Now, if ye can make a better

bargain with any other, do it. Look to these hill-tops there, over the shawhead. Take them in your view-they are all witnesses. Look to them, they shall all be witnesses when you are dying, and we take you all witnesses one against another. O how will it aggravate your sorrow and pain when they come in your mind and conscience; '0 sirs, I heard you invited and obtested to take Christ, and that on the last of May, and we are witnesses.' There is some tenderness among you. That is well-faured [i.e., well favoured], I confess, but that is not all. The angels will go up to the throne and say, 'We saw and bear witness to the new bargain the day [i.e., to-day]; we saw some in the parish of Affleck [i.e., Auchinleck], Douglas, and Crawfordjohn close with the offers of our Master the day in the Gospel.' O they will be welcome news to heaven!

"And there are some in hell; they will be saying, 'Woes me! Some are going away yonder the day [i.e., to-day], and will never come here.' 'O,' says the devil, 'we shall set the troopers upon them, we shall set the dragoons upon them; yon minister shall be hanged, and the people hauled to prison, and sent to the sea, and they shall be drowned or banished.' But we defy him and them both."-ED.]

SHORT RELATION concerning the Reverend Mr
RICHARD CAMERON, minister of the Gospel, who was
killed in a rencounter [i.e., encounter] at Airsmoss,
July 22, 1680.

Because in the foregoing speeches there is frequent mention made of the Reverend Mr Richard Cameron, and testimony given to the faithfulness of his ministry, it will not be perhaps ungrateful to some to insert the following relation of some remarkable things anent his call to the ministry, which was rehearsed by himself a little before his death; where he told some Christian friends, that after his having gone through the ordinary course of university learning, he was a schoolmaster and a precentor to a curate at Falkland, for some time, and at some occasions used to attend the sermons of the indulged ministers, as he had opportunity.

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