are worshipping Antichrist, that whore of Rome, that monstrous beast, that sitteth upon many waters, whose sentence may be read: 'And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name' (Rev. xiv. 9-11). So that it is as sure as God is God, and the holy Scriptures are His word, according to which all men that have heard or seen it shall be judged, having the sentence of absolution or condemnation passed according thereto : 'For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law' (Rom. ii. 12). So that it is clear, that the first will surely perish, viz., all infidels, atheists, and pagans, that know not the true God nor His law; [and as to the second,] whatever vain hopes Papists may have of being saved, living and dying Papists, or whatever charity loose Protestants have upon that account to give them, they are as far from being saved in that unconverted condition as devils, which are eternally cast out of His presence. : "3. I have Him to bless for this, that my lot is not in, and among the corrupt Protestant Churches abroad; Lutheranism, and other corruptions and abounding errors, both in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, Sectarian, Episcopal, or Erastian; but in the Reformed Church of Scotland, where all these things have been cast over the hedge, as not plants of His planting; and where Christ hath been owned in all His three offices, King, Priest, and Prophet. Though, alas! He may say of us, in a great measure, as to the Church of Israel of old: 'I have planted her a noble vine, but how is she become a degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?' In that day of planting we could have sung that song, 'We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks' (Isa. xxvi. 1), [but] The Lord hath accomplished His fury; He hath poured out His fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, they have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments' (Lam. iv. 11-14). This may be our regret before God, as it is in the 7th and 8th verses of the same chapter: 'Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire; their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets : their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.' And oh how unnatural-like were it for the mother to let the child, the son of her womb, perish for lack of the breasts; were she free of the child's blood, it perishing for want of its natural food? And, oh! how many are this day perishing for want of the lively-preached Gospel. Even the sea-monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness' (Lam. iv. 3). 6 "4. I have Him to bless for this, that I am not this day fighting against Him in open stated war; and so bearing arms against Him, His work, and people; for there is no more in me, as of myself, than these that are deepliest imbruing their hands in the blood of His saints. "5. I have Him to bless for this, that ever He hath opened my eyes to see the mystery of iniquity that abounds, and hath its seat in the heart, and also, in some measure, hath given me a sight of the remedy in the blood of Jesus Christ, with His Spirit engaging me to Himself, letting me see Himself to be altogether precious, making me see that it is better to be a door-keeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tabernacles of sin. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides thee' (Psa. lxxiii. 24, 25). "6. I have His holy name to bless, that ever He made me to know anything (how small soever) of His controverted truth, viz., the privileges of His crown and kingdom; now, when by their acts and laws, they have taken His crown and sceptre and royal robe, and settled the whole government of His house upon a man that is but a worm. But this I believe, that His decree will stand, oppose it who will. (Ps. ii. 6). 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion' 'I am the Lord; that is my name, my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images' (Isa. xlii. 8). Now, is not that His declarative glory, which that usurper hath taken to himself? Yea, but He that leadeth captivity captive, according to His royal word, will reclaim His own glory. He it is alone that hath given Christ to be the sure foundation, whereon all the building is fitly framed; that stone which the builders rejected is made the head of the corner. Thus saith the Lord God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place' (Isa. xxviii. 16, 17). "7. I bless and magnify the holy name of my God, that hath called me to be a sufferer for His work and interest, counting it not my shame, but a high privilege and dignifying of me, when many famous in their generation have been denied of it; though indeed most of this generation have brought up an ill report upon the cross, endeavouring by their practice to render it of none effect. But I have this Scripture for my encouragement: And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?' (1 Pet. iii. 13-17.) "8. I have this great and glorious Prince to praise for this. And, oh! let all the true children of Zion laud and praise this only praiseworthy God, that hath not only called me to bear witness to the truth, but hath helped me not to deny His name, titles, and attributes. For that is the thing that the enemies and usurpers of my lovely Lord's crown are seeking; to deny allegiance to Him, who is given of the Father to be a leader and commander to the people, even Him on whose shoulders the government is laid, committing the ordering of His house to faithful stewards, to order His affairs according to His own appointment in His holy word, and hath not left it to the prudence of men, how learned soever. Gamaliel, that learned Pharisee and doctor of the law, erred in the exposition of the law, not knowing Christ to be the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. And seeing these great learned Rabbis erred, every one in that which was the great and main end of the law, viz., Christ, to whom Moses and all the prophets bare witness, how much more shall they err where it is left to their own wisdom, having no platform to walk by, as the maintainers of the prelatic hierarchy would be at? Solomon was as wise as any, yea, the wisest that ever was, or ever shall be; and he erred, having the rule of the law to walk by. Were not all the laws and forms of the house given by God to Moses, as well for manner of worship, as the matter thereof? "And further, as to that which is so much pleaded for by this generation, his (the king's) authority in civil matters, which, as matters now stand, cannot be given, neither will they have it, without the other, for by their Acts of Parliament they have made them equally essential to the crown. Likewise there cannot be an authority without a foundation. If any shall say, he hath it from that which he received at his admission to the government, as he entered upon the terms of the Coronation Oath; to this I answer, he hath rescinded that, in and by that Act Rescissory in his first parliament; for when he annulled and rescinded that from which he had his power and authority, he thereby rescinded his own authority also. So that from this he hath no just power, having oftener than once burnt the Covenants, which were his coronation oath, without which he could not enter the government. "If it shall be said, that the foundation of his [the king's] power is built upon the Test, wherein he is made absolute supreme judge over all matters and persons, as well ecclesiastical as civil: "1. That is so far from giving him a right, that it maketh him a complete monster, having one head and two bodies. And if that authority shall be owned by me, being a free-born member of the Church of Scotland, which is Christ's mystical body, and in my baptismal oath given away to Him, and having given my oath of allegiance to Him, as king and head of His own house, shall I own that authority, without being guilty of leese-majesty [i.e., treason] against the King of Zion, and so of the highest degree of sacrilege? "2. I shall thereby deny my allegiance to God Creator, under whom the magistrate should rule in a direct line, he ruling by his own arbitrament, which is contrary to our obligations in covenant, we being bound in covenant to defend the civil rights and liberties of the crown and kingdom, as we are born subjects thereof. 3. That which they have done in condemning the true sons of the Church and subjects of the kingdom to death, which is open murder under the colour of law. Now that it is such, these whom they have proceeded against, being adherers to the word of God, which is the only rule of faith and manners, owning God as God, Christ as Redeemer, the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier; and they having nothing to charge them with, but their adherence to the true Christian principles, and they sentenced upon the same heads; this must be the deepest of murder. "4. These being owners of the true reformed religion, and all the fundamental laws of the Church and kingdom; and they refusing to judge and sentence according to the word of God, according to which all sentences of life and death ought to pass, as also refusing to judge according to the laws, as they received them at their admission to the government; which was, not to rule the law, but it to rule them, and they to rule the people according to that law, and the people remaining in subjection to the law of God, and the ancient and fundamental laws of the land, and the persons of lawful governors; being made treason; this must certainly not only be a murdering of men, yea, true Christian men; but also a murdering of justice. And thus the land is defiled with blood. Read the sentence of such, 'So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are for blood it defileth the land and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it' (Num. xxxv. 33). Such as are owning and pleading for this present power, let the end of magistracy be considered; ' For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing' (Rom. xiii. 3, 6). 'Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well' (1 Pet. ii. 14). : "Now it is undeniably evident from what is aforesaid, that piety is suppressed, and iniquity nourished, and the sword in their hand used against these that do most entirely cleave to the Scripture rule, and the sworn principles of the Church of Scotland, and the ancient fundamental laws thereof, 'A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment, scattereth away all evil with his eyes' (Prov. xx. 8). "Now I dare herein appeal to the sentence of all single, unbiassed, and judicious persons, whether or not the present exercise of their power be not both injustice and tyranny, for there is no public power in the land but what is founded on perjury, sacrilege, and tyranny, and exercised according thereto. And seeing it is so, ye that are owners of such a power, ye must needs be upon the matter owners of all these; compearing before their courts, and paying them tribute, |