in the shire of Fife, who have delivered up the Testimony to these abominable wretches;-particularly Balgrumma and Vederstar. Likewise, I leave my testimony against Popery, Prelacy, and that woful Erastian supremacy and indulgencies, first and last, which have been the dagger, the haft whereof hath gone in after the blade,' and hath wounded the Church in the innermost part of the belly, and the dart that has stricken her through the liver. O! how sharp are the wounds of a friend! They go down to the innermost parts of the belly. If it had been an enemy, I would have borne it.' And it is evidently seen that our Mother-Church hath been, and is this day wounded in the house of her friends;—for which, the Lord will sadly reckon with all such as have done so, if they do not repent and mourn for it. Likewise I leave my testimony against all them, that are any way instrumental in bearing down our poor Mother-Church, either by appearance in arms, or furnishing of others for that effect, by paying of cess or militia-money, or any other way, homologating the acts, or strengthening the hands of her declared and avowed enemies.

"Now, dear friends, being straitened for want of time, I am forced to draw to a close; only, desiring you to be earnest in contending for the broken-down work of reformation, that this day is brought very low but be not discouraged, although his ark be tossed this day upon the waters, like the poor ship in the midst of the sea, and the poor disciples afraid lest they should sink, and the Master asleep (as it were) upon a pillow; yet go to him and cry, 'Master, Master, save us, else we perish; for he is easy to be entreated, and he likes well to have his poor people coming to him in the time of their distress; for he is a present help in the time of need, a God rich in mercy, and near to all that call upon him in truth.' But, O dear friends, beware of backdrawing, for he hath said, 'If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him ; and he that putteth his hand to the plough and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of heaven; but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.' Be not ashamed of him; for, if any man be ashamed of him, or his words, of him also will he be ashamed before the Father and the holy angels.' O dear friends, the more that ye see a perverse generation crying him down, be ye the more at the work of crying him up; for he is well worth the commendation of all that can commend him. O dear friends, 'in all things let him have the pre-eminence, and count all things loss and dung that ye may win Christ; and press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.' Now friends, beware of sinuing, and beware of snares; for they are at this day very thick and many; but our God has promised that he will not suffer his poor people to be tempted above what they are able, but will with the temptation make a way that they

may escape.' So I bid you all farewell; desiring you to be kind to my wife and children when I am gone; farewell sweet Bible by his blessing; farewell sun, moon, and stars; farewell meat and drink; farewell all created comforts and enjoyments, wherewith I have been abundantly supplied; farewell my dear wife and children,-the Lord be better to you than ten husbands, when I am gone; farewell mother, brethren, and sisters; farewell sweet societies, and preached gospel, whereby I have been begotten by the seed of the word; farewell sweet prison and reproaches for sweet Christ and his cause. And welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; welcome, everlasting life, and the spirits of just men made perfect. Lord, into thy hands I commit my spirit.

"At the Iron-house, July 13, 1681."

"LAURENCE HAY."*

XI. ANDREW PITILLOCH.

[Andrew Pitilloch was a land-labourer, belonging to the parish of Largo, in Fifeshire. He was the second of the three, who, as already noticed, were executed together on the 13th of July 1681. The third, by name Adam Philip, has left no Testimony. The ground on which they were condemned has already been specified. The Paper in question being produced on the trial, they acknow ledged having signed it. Of this Paper Wodrow observes, that, judging by the citations from it contained in their process, it " very wild, and seemed to savour of Gib and his delusions." It may still farther be stated, that in addition to suffering the ordinary sentence of death, these three persons had their heads severed from their bodies and affixed to the Tolbooth of Coupar.]

was

"MEN and brethren,-Wherefore are you come here this day? will you tell me, if it be your intention, to be edified by the words of a poor thing, witnessing for my lovely Lord Jesus Christ? And if that be your intention in your coming hither, it is well: Now, when I am going off time, to bid farewell to you all, O that I could commend my lovely Lord Jesus and his sweet cross to you. O Sirs, will you come taste and see that God is good.' You will never do better, than come and see; for, since the Lord honoured me to be his prisoner, he has let me know nothing but love; he has made my prison no prison. O Sirs, All his ways are ways of pleasantness, and his paths peace.' And his cross is sweet and easy; although, w orthless I cannot commend it to you. But, O Sirs, scare not at the sweet cross of royal and sweet Jesus; but contend for him and his no ble cause, for I can assure you, I had never such a sweet life as I have had since he brought me to the like of these trials. O sweet indictment! O sweet sentence, for my lovely Lord! O sweet

• Cloud of Witnesses, pp. 161-167.

scaffold, for contending for the cause, covenant and work of reformation! O Sirs, quit all for holy Jesus, for I can promise you that you will never die better, than for contending for King Christ. Indeed, Sirs, ministers and professors, as they call them, say, That we are dying as fools, and giddy headed professors; but glory to his holy and sweet name, that has made it out to my soul that it is otherwise :

and now, that my conscience doth not condemn me, how dare any

mortal creature condemn me?

O friends! what is the reason that you will not take him, who is the chief among ten thousands, and is altogether lovely,' and without compare? There is no spot in him.' O prefer him to your chief joy! There are many of you who have preferred other things to him. O fear and tremble for wrath will be upon you very suddenly! O be afraid, for our Lord has said, if you will not quit all for him, you cannot be his disciple. And so you have neither part nor lot in our sweet Lord; you may read the x. of Matt. from the 16th verse to the end. O Sirs, go not with the Indulged, nor yet side with them; cleave to the Lord with all your heart, and be not put off with any but himself. O he is sweet to be with: O his way is sweet to keep, but I cannot commend him to you; his sweetness is without compare. O take him, and be restless till ye get him to your mother's house, and to the chamber of her that bare you.' Pray much for your MotherChurch, that ministers and others have wronged: I witness and testify against them, for their unrighteousness, both first and last.

1st, For leaving their kirks, without a public Testimony against enemies, at the incoming of Prelacy. 2dly, For their conniving at one another's sins. 3dly, For their leaving the fields when there was so much need of preaching to poor things; when wrath and judgment were coming on the land, they did not set the trumpet to their mouth, and give the people a faithful warning. They say, we have cast them off, but they are mistaken, for they have cast themselves off, by changing their head; and the Scriptures have cast them off, and I cannot join with them. I would with all my heart have a ministry; but I would have it according to the word of God;-men that will 'preach in season, and out of season,' whether people will hear, or whether they will forbear; that will be faithful in preaching against sin of all sorts, and will hide nothing of the mind of the Lord; but they that do play fast and loose in the matters of a holy God, and wil not witness against enemies; I own none of these, but I leave my testimony against them for their unfaithfulness. They will preach to poor things to stand for God and his truths and not to yield a hair for the saving of their lives; and yet, they yield and comply themselves; and when they come before enemies, never a word of a testimony before them, but pass the sworn covenant and work of reformation in silence, and for fear of their lives will not hit them on the sore. Indeed they will wale* their words so, as they may not give their enemies offence. You condemn us, because we do that, which once a day you would have accounted it your honour to do; and say, that

i. e. Choose or select.

we are all distracted, and have distracted notions in our heads. And say you so? Wilt thou tell me, man, if thou thinkest that a distracted notion, to confess the covenant and work of reformation? But you will say, it is not for that, that I lay down my life, but for the subscribing of that paper :-and I do think it well worth the sealing with my blood; and will you tell me what could we do less? You ran away and left the work, and the enemies were carrying all before them; and we durst not but leave a testimony against them. My heart was like to bleed, when I saw enemies carry the day, and robbing the Lord of his rights, his crown and kingdom, and not so much as one to move their tongue against them, and say, that is ill done that they have done. I leave it to God and your own conscience, whether or not it be duty to contend for truth this day, when it is so much neglected. I leave my testimony against you and your hearers, and the joiners with you, aye and until they repent. I bid you repent and come off. and witness for the Lord; and if you will not do it, as sure as God is in heaven, he will be about with you; escape who will, ye will not escape; for it is like he will begin at the sanctuary.

Take warning in time, I leave it on you now, when I am going into eternity; for, I am persuaded, this is the way to the kingdom of heaven; for the Lord hath confirmed it to my soul, and hath made my life a sweet life to me. O read Isaiah xli. for it was sweet to me when I was taken, and O that I had as many lives to lay down for him as there are hairs on my head, I would think them all too little! O what is my life? Nothing in comparison of his glory. O wo to you, idle shepherds, for ye deceive poor things! If it were possible,' I think, 'ye would deceive the very elect;' you take God to be your witness, that ye are in his way yet, and have not quit one hoof; but your practice condemns you. You may read Malachi ii. 1—3. And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.' Therefore, behold I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts, and one shall take you away with it.' Matt. vii. 15, 16. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves: ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ?' And that xxxiv. of Ezek. ver. 2. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves, should not the shepherds feed the flocks.' I leave my testimony against them that say, We hold our principles of men, and that we die for pleasing men; but it is not so, for I never thought that little of my life as to lay it down for the pleasing of any; for it is a most base aspersion of some, cast on us, because our practice condemns theirs, and they can get no other thing to brand us with but that. And glory to the Lord, the contrary is seen both by our practices, and our through-bearing: and it is made out, that we hold our principles of none, but of God and his word.

"I leave my testimony against the four men in the Canongate tolbooth, or any other that join with them, for wronging the holy and sweet Scriptures. Some brand me with this, that I am of their judgment; which thing I exceedingly abhor and detest, as the mire in the streets: and I count them guilty to death, for wronging of the Scriptures. If we had judges in the land, that were for God, they should not live. I leave my testimony against that tyrant on the throne, and all his underlings; and, I say, it will never be right with our land, till Haman and his ten sons be hung up before the sun. I leave my testimony against them that rule as judges; and I leave my blood on the assizers, doomster, soldiers, and all of them, and all that acknowledge or aid them as magistrates, ay and until they repent. I leave my testimony against all enemies of all sorts; and against all sorts of compliance in less or more, and against all that has been done against the work of God these twenty years bygone; against the test, and compliance with, or compearing before God's enemies in less or more. I leave my testimony against the ministers and professors in Fife, for the wrongs they have done to my lovely Lord and his sweet cause; and my head shall be a standing witness against them, and preach to them from Cupar tolbooth, aye and until they repent. As for any thing that they have done to me, I freely forgive them, and pray that the Lord may forgive them. I leave my testimony against all them that will not hear Mr. Donald Cargill, and own him as a faithful minister of the gospel, and none but he is faithful this day. I leave my testimony to the holy and sweet scriptures, which, many a day I have been refreshed with; I bless the Lord, that ever I could read a line of them. Now, I adhere to the faithful preached gospel, and to all that our worthies have done, which I need not particularly mention here.

"And you that are the people of the Lord, O be ye busy and improve your time, and make use of your Bibles, while you have them, for it is like there may be a bonfire made of them yet, as well as of the Covenant. And covenant with Him and contend for him to the utmost of your power; for, I have found more of his sweet love, in contending for him, than ever I got in prayer, or hearing the word. O his sweet work! let it not slip through your fingers. It is like ye will have sad days of it, when I am gone. Popery is begun, and it is likely to overspread the whole land, and there is none to move their tongue against it, although the land be sworn in solemn oath against it. O Sirs! lift up your voice for the remnant that is left.' Fast and pray, cry and weep, let not the apple of your eye cease, the wrath is like to be great, that will overtake us. O cry, that the days may be shortened, for the elect's sake, lest no flesh should be saved. O look out for sad days, dear friends; may be you will get the saddest stroke that ever a poor land was trysted with ye may read through the Scriptures, and ye will find what judgments followed such sins,-pestilence, sword, and famine,— which, ye may look for. I leave it on you, that ye be not slackhanded, for it may come to that, that the tender and delicate women

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