their obligations void and null, and "annuls all acts or constitutions, ecclesiastic or civil, approving them."

Nor does it suffice them to rescind these covenants and other proceedings for carrying on the work of Reformation, as contrary to this royal prerogative of ecclesiastic supremacy, and to inhibit all persons to speak, write, or act anything in defence of the same, and against the said prerogative; but likewise, in the fifth Act of the foresaid session, all persons in any place, office, or trust, are obliged to swear all the particulars contained in the foresaid Acts, in that most impious oath, commonly called the Declaration. And again, in the fifth Act of the third session of the foresaid Parliament, entitled "Act for the establishment and constitution of a National Synod," it is declared, that "the ordering and disposal of the external government of the Church, and the nomination of the persons by whose advice matters relating to the same are to be settled, doth belong to his majesty, as an inherent right of the crown, by virtue of his prerogative royal, and supreme authority in causes ecclesiastical." And in the first Act of the second Parliament, holden by that apostate, John Earl of Lauderdale, entitled, "Act asserting his majesty's supremacy over all persons, and in all causes ecclesiastical," commonly called the Act Explanatory, it is expressly declared, "that his majesty hath the supreme authority and supremacy over all persons, and in all causes ecclesiastical within this kingdom; and that, by virtue thereof, the ordering and disposal of the external government and policy of the church, doth properly belong to his majesty and his successors as an inherent right to the crown; and that his majesty and his successors may settle, enact, and emit such constitutions, acts, and orders, concerning the administration of the external government of the church, and the persons employed in the same, and concerning all ecclesiastical meetings, and matters to be proposed and determined therein, as they in their royal wisdom shall think fit."

ROM all which Acts, it plainly appears, that the true sense of that authority, which they would have their private thoughts about, was really, as the martyrs understood it, his ecclesiastic supremacy, and that no less than a recognition hereof would serve their turn; and though some of the martyrs offered a distinction between the two, professing to own his civil authority abstract from the ecclesiastical (as for instance, Mr John Dick), yet they were not

absolved, because they would not own his authority in gross. And besides their including the supremacy over church matters into the formal notion of the king's authority, they could be pleased with no less, from any that they called before them, than an owning the whole acts and laws, and entire exercise and administration of things in Church and State, which was an implicit condemning of all the preceding Reformation, and consenting to the persecution and murder of the saints who stood up for its defence.

It is true, indeed, these things were so impious and abominable, that, had they been proposed without mask, they would presently have begot an horror in the mind of any, who was not entirely lost to all conscience and goodness; and therefore these children of the old serpent had so much of their father, that they made it their work to hide these horrid hooks with some specious baits, that they might the more easily entice simple people into that snare they had laid for them; and hence, knowing how much it is the effect of true religion to make men loyal, and that the Presbyterians were of all others the readiest to yield all lawful subjection to their rightful princes, they still made use of the specious title of authority as a blind to hide the ecclesiastical supremacy and bloody exercise of their government, from these whom they laboured to ensnare. They saw the supremacy they intended to fix in the king was such a Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens, Hecate atque Erebo ortum," that, without some veil of this nature, no man would be so mad as to embrace it.

But when this would not do, but that still its ill-favoured face appeared through the vizor; and all good men saw, that the authority which sought no other way to maintain itself, but by blood and rapine, was really degenerated into tyranny; then they pretended to come some steps lower, and said, that they required no more at the hands of people, in order to dismiss them, but that they would at their desire pray for the king, in their prescribed form of words, viz., "God save the king," or that they would drink the king's good health. These were by them represented to be so very minute and easy things, and by a great many professors looked upon as so trivial and indifferent, that they were in the fair way either to ensnare, or with more opportunity to expose such as refused to the contempt of indifferent spectators, as being such scrupulous fools and brain-sick persons, as were transported with an extravagant wild zeal without knowledge, who had rather have a hand in their own death, than do so small and indifferent a thing in order to prevent it. And hence not the perse

cutors only, but even a great many who professed presbyterian principles, stood not to call them murderers instead of martyrs.

But all this notwithstanding, it is certain they had nothing else before them, but to bring people to a tame submission and slavish compliance with the whole course of their Christ-dethroning and land-enslaving constitutions and administrations; for they intended the same thing, by urging people to say "God save the king," as by the Oath of Allegiance, Declaration, or Test; namely, an acknowledgment of that authority, wherewith they had vested him in the forementioned articles and others of like nature. Less than this could never serve their design, which was still the same, whatever alterations might appear to be in their way of prosecuting it.

For either these things were so insignificant and indifferent as they gave them out to be, and as others conceived of them; or they were not. If we say the former, then what monsters of mankind were these persecutors, who pursued poor innocent people to death, and inflicted such cruel tortures upon them, for trifles and things of indifferency. This is, what themselves (I suppose) would never admit, to be reckoned a degree further lost to humanity than a Nero or Caligula, so as to torment and destroy men for sport. Nay, they still pretended that all these persecutions were made upon weighty and just causes. If then we say the latter, namely, that they were not so very inconsiderable things as some conceived; wherein could the moment and weight of them consist, but in this, that they were an owning of the authority as it was contained in the laws, and what else was the scope of the most openly impious Oaths, Tests, and Bonds, but this?

And besides, when any yielded this much, they were still urged further, till they had debauched them out of all conscience and integrity as much as themselves. The rest of the questions put to them, and made causes of their indictment, were all but so many branches from this root, and rivulets from this spring. The chief was that about defensive arms, which their laws had declared rebellion; which all the martyrs, without the least jar or discord, did steadfastly maintain as being a thing so very consonant, not only to the positive commands of God in His Word, but also to the very law of nature stamped on the heart, and to the laws and practices of all kingdoms, and undertaken upon so necessary grounds as the defence of the Gospel and lives of the innocent in consequence of their Covenant engagements; which, however, these wicked persecutors had declared void and null, and the adhering

to them capital; yet all such as had any love for God and zeal for His cause believed to be perpetually obligatory upon them and the nation, and therefore adhered to them with a steadfastness and courage invincible, against the most bloody opposition. And it is observable, that, whatever any of the martyrs had not so much light in as others, or differed from others anent, or was silent when interrogated upon it, yet they all agreed perfectly and were clear abundantly in owning, and bold, harmonious, and courageous in asserting the lawfulness, and avouching the obligatory force, of the Covenants.

Π

ATIONAL COVENANTS were the means that God had

constantly from the beginning of the Reformation made. use of and blessed, to cement and strengthen His people in Scotland in their adherence to the truth. By means of these His church was as a strong city and incorporation, all prosecuting the same common cause of religion and liberty, so that by that common bond the injury offered to any one of her members was taken as done to all; and beside the express command of the Word, this was a blessed tie and engagement to every one in their place and station to stand up for the purity of the doctrine, simplicity of the worship, beauty and order of the government and discipline of Christ's house, and His royal supremacy over the same. And hence malignant and disaffected persons, perceiving that there was nothing so conducive to the advancement and preservation of national reformation as these mutual bonds and sacred Covenants, set themselves chiefly to destroy these, and in an ignominious manner burnt them, declared them treasonable and seditious, made the owning of them criminal, and persecuted such as adhered to them; and, on the other hand, God was pleased mightily to animate His suffering saints both with light and zeal in the defence of them against all the efforts of hellish violence,

Wherefore, when this alone was not like to effectuate their design, these persecutors betook themselves to another stratagem, and fell upon more mild but more successful measures of giving out indemnities and indulgences, so restricted and limited, as the accepters should be gained to a peaceable compliance with and submission to their impious laws, and taken off from their zeal in maintaining the work of Reformation, and divided from their Covenanted brethren. By this means they weakened the remnant that had not complied with Prelacy, set them at variance one against another, allured the

one to sit quietly still till they had made an end of their brethren, and in short, rent and almost quite ruined the poor Presbyterian Church of Scotland; and hence, as the suffering remnant, which was by far the smaller part, were much opposed and reproached by these ministers and professors who accepted or made use of these pretended favours, so it became a necessary head of testimony to witness against the Indulgence, and acceptance thereof, or sinful connivance thereat. The particular disposition of this affair is not consistent with the narrow limits of a preface. Wherefore the reader may see for his satisfaction therein, "The History of the Indulgence," "Informatory Vindication," "Hind let Loose," etc.

Afterwards, when the persecution became sore and violent against the remnant that refused these deceitful baits, and stood to their Covenanted religion and liberty, and that both by the open violence of the enemies, and false slanders and calumnies of pretended friends, they were obliged to emit several Declarations of their principles, and to defend themselves from these unjust slanders and calumnies ; which Declarations so soon as the persecutors got into their hands, thinking they had got a good handle therein for taking away the lives of all such as should adhere to them, (in regard that therein they had more explicitly and fully cast off the authority of the tyrant Charles II. and specified the reasons why they could not own his authority), they never failed on all occasions to make that a part of their examinations. "Own ye the Sanquhar Declaration, the papers found at Queensferry?" etc. And many were indicted upon their adherence to these Declarations and other papers. I conceive it is not necessary to swell this preface with a particular defence of these Declarations, that being so well done by themselves in the "Informatory Vindication," which the reader may have recourse to; and as for the paper found upon Mr Hall of Haughhead, when he was murdered at Queensferry, the reader shall see it, with a short relation concerning that worthy gentleman's death, in the Appendix to this book.

Another question commonly put to sufferers was, Whether they owned the Excommunication at the Torwood? which they did with much freedom; as a necessary duty, and lawfully performed, so far as that broken state of the Church would permit, and upon most weighty and sufficient grounds. The form and order of which Excommunication is also added by way of Appendix to this book.

But their finest topic, wherein they insulted and glorified most,