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ness to court ladies, these straits must be supplied by the king of France and the Pope, and for requital thereof, the management of the government must be turned over to his brother, who must have a cardinal and some Jesuits to contrive the mystery of iniquity, and bring this land to Babylon; in order thereunto, statesmen must be set up, who are emulators of others, and men that studied to pick quarrels with others; and then comes a general mittimus from court, to act after such a method of cruelty. For the Jesuits know, where two contrary parties act this game, they will be sure, for fear of their places, to consent to go alongst to the utmost of cruelty. The next mystery is to convene the whole country by circuit courts, as guilty some of treason, some for one transgression, and some for another, (the whole country being generally guilty by their laws), and force them to rise in arms; and then gather Papists and take occasion to burn and slay all the country over (the Lord in His mercy take them in their own net!) But I fear Popery shall once overspread; and I am really of that opinion, that God shall root this race of kings (root and branch) away, and make them Zeba and Zalmunna-like, not only for taking God's house in possession, but also, emitting in their last printed proclamation or indemnity, that they resolve to root out the seed of the godly, under the name of fanatics.

"My advice and humble request to ministers is, to be tender toward any this day that has zeal, though knowledge be not so great, and to be less fearful of outward danger, and more active where persecution hath been hottest, where they may have any freedom. My advice to all professors is, to lay no imposition on ministers' consciences; and that for the Lord's sake they would study to take some in among them, that have light and judgment, to withstand the flood of defection and Popery that is like to overspread the land. And again, I leave another advice to ministers and professors, that where any have suffered for their consciences, they would be sparing to condemn them.

"I come now to declare my first engagement with God, which was about ten years hence; which was through reading of the 'Fulfilling of the Scriptures,' and Scriptural truths therein contained, and the grounds of out-making thereof, which gave a check to my atheism, which is naturally seated in all men's hearts; the next was Gray's 'Sermons on Prayer;' and the last, Guthrie's 'Trial of an Interest in Christ.' All which God so powerfully laid home to my conscience, that I then covenanted with God; and though at that time I could

not get the faith of perseverance, yet I had a respect to all His statutes, so that the Bible was a most sweet book to me. And I took up my whole time, for near a year thereafter, in studying religion (the most pleasant time that ever I had in my lifetime), yea, it was a burden to me to turn me to my necessary affairs in the world. I found religion sharpen me in all my natural parts; yea, bring me, who was naturally a most anxious, fretting, grudging creature, to such a calmness and serenity in cross providences, that I thought, though there were neither hell nor heaven, religion was a reward to itself. And I was so taken up with Christ's gracious condescendency, that His name was most pleasing, yet durst I not draw a conclusion of an assurance and perseverance; yea, was put to question the work itself upon account of the quality of my repentance; but meeting with Guthrie's 'Trial of a Saving Interest in Christ,' I found sensibly that it swallowed up a law work in love; but I found this, that there is not a more excellent piece of the armour of God nor [i.e., than] the helmet of salvation, and which Satan is most busy with a Christian to keep off. I found, likewise, as knowledge and grace grew, that presumption grew; that is, that with what I had gotten, I could walk alone; but that truth, 'without me ye can do nothing,' was known to my sad cost.

"But after all this sweet time, yea, I may say most sweet time, falling more and more engaged in worldly affairs, I found an impossibility to me to be instant in business and fervent in spirit; so that some throngs in these, abated that life which I had, and accordingly, as love grew to outward things, so decreased that power and life [to which] I had attained; yet so, as all alongst, I find that God has still been holding me by the hand, and I desire, with submission to other men's judgments, to say, I think a person falling in love with godliness, covenanting with God, to have a respect to all His statutes without exception, counting the cost, and seeing the cost of themselves imprestable [i.e., a work that cannot be performed by themselves], and believing that Christ, who was the author, will be the finisher of such a work; I say, I cannot think that ever God will part with such who do so covenant with Him; yea, it has been a comfort to me, when I could see no more of my interest in Him, but that I said, Thou art my God; and as I cannot conceal the lovingkindness of God, so, upon the other hand, without compliments, as the words of a dying man, I look upon myself as the most worthless object that ever free love has paged and waited upon through the

world, compassed about with so many sins, and clothed with such a perverse nature; but it is He with whom I made the bargain [who], makes crooked things straight, and rugged places plain.

"Next, I advise all sufferers to beware of proposing to themselves to do this and the other thing for safety of life; which is sinful; for if such a false mind be in folk, God will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, and they will not miss stumbling-blocks to be laid before them. I say this to them who have sinned, and yet continue in the furnace; I fear that be their doom, 'They shall go from their native land, and return no more' (Jer xxii. 10). As for you that have Tested, that which has been a terror to me may be now a terror to you: 'It is impossible for these who were once enlightened, and tasted the heavenly gift, if they fall away, by putting Christ to open shame, to renew them to repentance.'

"As for unconcerned folk, I shall only say this; think you nothing of men's choosing death before life? I know I have gotten Roman gallantry cast up to me since I came to prison; but, for my own part, I could never hear tell that it set up the head of it in the world, to face a gallows, since the word of hell became so rife in the world. But let me tell you this one thing; that, though I have read of some single ones dying for opinion (not truth), yet could I never read of a tract of men, such as has been in Scotland these twenty-two years, laying down their lives for a naked opinion so calmly, so solidly and composedly, [and] with so much peace and serenity. As for my own part, I am a man naturally most timorous, yet the Lord has made sufferings easy. It might do you good to inquire into the cause of our sufferings so owned by God. It is a bad cause that is defended with swords and beating of drums on sufferers; and besides, the Lord has forced a testimony from the mouths of several of our dying adversaries, and from the mouths of executioners and apprehenders; yea, in this place, some Psalms they (being clear of the application thereof to themselves) would not suffer to be sung.

"As to professed Presbyterians; too many of you, for your unconcernedness I am sure the Lord says, ye shall drink of another sort of a cup that is brewing for you; shun it as you will by your compliance. As for our really concerned friends; I pray the Lord to protect you and multiply His grace towards you. I am confident, when you are beneath the rod, ye shall find it an ease to your own smart, however great a lift you have taken of others' sufferings.

"Next, I say to all that come under the rod; let no terrors of

men, nor temptations of Satan anent eternity, come into your mind, but go to God with them, acknowledging your unworthiness of His protection and counsel, and you will find Him faithful not to suffer you to be tempted above what you are able. It is no new thing to be assaulted with terrors without, and within with fears. The apostle, a most experienced Christian, wanted not this. I see a Christian to be a most passive creature in his own salvation, yet there must be an all of diligence, otherwise the roaring lion will soon get advantages; and you must know this, that the sufferers have a large allowance, and although His own want not in their sufferings the faith of adherence to Him, yet ye must not think to sail that way in a bed of roses to heaven, but that you must have fire in your trial; I mean, a deserting God as to apprehension; yet wait patiently, and at length He will incline His ear, and you shall not want experience to say, "For but a moment lasts His wrath."

"And now I leave my dear wife, children, and sisters upon the Lord, who gave me such sweet, refreshing relations, and desire all the people of God to be kind to them; and I bless the Lord He has enabled me to quit them to Him; and, though the Lord has made every one of them so sweet and so pleasing to me, that I have been forced to curb my affection with the bridle of religion, yet herein, I bless the Lord, He has given me a heart to go through my cross with forgetfulness of all, yea, to be most unconcerned in the tears and weeping of my relations.

"And now I leave all God's people, and others, with this, that His cross is beautiful; yea, though I had got occasion of escaping prison since sentence, yet I durst not without a check of conscience have done it. And though I did petition, yet there was (to me) two necessary ends therein; first, they designing to make me odious, that I would not seek my life, and I desiring to make my suffering clear to their own consciences to be unjust; and next, if anything ailed my wife, [that] I might lay her blood at their door. But I would advise all to beware of them, for there must be frequent consulting with God, and a reasonable judgment to discern their snares, it being their main design to ensnare. I advise any, called to suffering, never to quit with the faith of adherence, and they shall not want the faith of assurance; for since ever I came to prison, I saw and believed God's design to me was love, and, having emptied me of all promises to sufferers, and of all my own righteousness, made me close with Him, and take Him for all, and believingly to rest on Him, and have

recourse to Him for grace to supply necessity, and give me a believing (though to me incomprehensible) of seeing Him as He is, and knowing Him, even as I am known of Him.

"Now I die, commending to all the people of God that duty of unity, conform to Timothy ii. 22, Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.' And that, 'If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin' (1 John i. 7). I do not say this to make up an union or joining with these I testify against.

"Sic subscribitur,

"JOHN WILSON."

HIS worthy, judicious martyr, being obliged to write his testimony in several papers, and convey them out secretly by parts (by reason of the strictness of the persecutors, who searched the martyrs about this time with much severity), could not get it reduced to order. Wherefore, it is hoped, the candid reader will not be offended if he finds the method altered a little from what it was in the manuscript, seeing there is nothing in the sense, or phrase of the author, changed, but only his additions put in their proper place of the testimony; some very few things, less material, being left out for brevity's sake."

George Martin.

EORGE MARTIN was a Notar,' i.e., a notary-public and reader at Dailly, in Ayrshire. Fountainhall adds, that he was a schoolmaster. The account of him in Wodrow is very meagre, but from what Martin states in his testimony, his sufferings must have been very great. He was apprehended, on what charge does not appear, in the close of 1679, and he actually remained in prison

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