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 CRY FROM THE DEAD ; 
 
 CONSISTING 
 
 OF THE JUSTLY CELEBRATED 
 
 mm, n&Mma tffrigjg ttatt» a 
 
 PREACHED AT STIRLING, BEFORE HIS MARTYR- 
 DOM AT EDINBURGH, IN JUNE, 1661, 
 
 WITH 
 
 HIS LAST SPEECH ON THE SCAFFOLD, 
 
 TEN CONSIDERATIONS 
 
 AXEXT THE 
 
 DECAY OF RELIGION, 
 
 From 1650 to 1660. 
 
 WITH AX ELEGAXT COPPERPLATE LIKENESS OF THE 
 AUTHOR. 
 
 Stirling : 
 
 TttlXTED AT THE JOURXAL OFFICE, 
 By C. Munro $ Co. 
 
 192-1. 
 
TO THE READER. 
 
 The following sheets are humbly submitted to the serious 
 consideration of professing Christians of the present day. 
 The renowned author, a gentleman by birth, was in all re* 
 spects an honour to his country, an honour to the church in 
 which he was a faithful and distinguished leader, and an 
 honour to the town and parish of Stirling, where he last la* 
 boured as a pious and successful Pastor . He lived in the period 
 when the Church of Scotland arrived at its greatest degree of 
 reformation and purity, from 163S to IGoO, in which he 
 took an active part. The mournful declension which imme~ 
 diate/y followed, in ten years thereafter drew from tltis 
 brated champion the sermon and writings now brought bit < 
 view. The precious trust committed to him and others of 
 that generation he was most anxious to transmit to posterity 
 unimpaired ; thereby conscientiously discharging his 
 to God; to the past, to the present, and future generations 
 Let professors of the present day see that they "go and do 
 likewise." Psalrn lxxviii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. — u Which we have 
 heard and known, and our fathers have told vs. ]V 
 not hide them from their children, shewing to the genei 
 to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his 
 wonderful works that he hath done. Far he csti 
 testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he 
 commanded our fathers, that they should make them .'. 
 to their children; that the generation to come might 
 them, even the children which should be born, who should 
 arise and declare them to their children; that they might 
 set their hojjc in God, and not forget the works ofGi • 
 keep his commandments." Psalms xliv. 1. xlviii. IS. 
 cxlv. 4. cxlvii. 19, 20. cii. 18. Dent iv. 9. vi. ! 
 Isa. xxxviii. 19. Joel i. & Epbes. VL 4. Heb. vi. 1 % 
 Rev. ii. 10. 
 
 Stirling, 8th March, 1624 
 
PREFACE 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. 
 
 jl erhaps it may be thought somewhat strange, how a 
 sermon of that great and good man, Mr James Guthrie, 
 once minister of Stirling, should come abroad about seventy- 
 seven years after his death, he having been crowned with 
 martyrdom in the year 1661. The occasion of its seeing 
 the light is as follows : — January, this same year, I had 
 occasion to be in company with my worthy and dear 
 father and colleague, Mr Alexander Hamilton, in 
 the Manse of Stirling, a few days before his departure to 
 glory ; and having heard that the sermon was in his 
 hand, I took occasion to enquire at him about it. He 
 told me, that it was not at present in his custody, having 
 lent it out to a Christian friend about eighteen miles dis- 
 tance, but allowed me to send for it, adding, that he 
 would be well pleased it were published. I asked him 
 further, of the way he came by it ? To which he replied, 
 that for what he knew, it had lain in the closet of the 
 room, where he and I were sitting, since Mr GuTl 
 incumbency, until one day he fell upon it, as he was turn- 
 ing over some old papers, which had lain there he knew 
 not how long. 
 
 Some days after Mr Hamilton's death, I wrote ( 
 according to his direction, and l:ad ft s nt to ii,c accord. 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 ingly. And that same authentic copy writ, as I was told 
 by Mr (ii i hum's own hand, goes to the press. The only 
 reason of its lying so long in obscurity beside me, is the 
 throng of other work which necessarily devolved upon me 
 in this place, after the loss of my brother colleague, still 
 intending, when time allowed, to say something by way of 
 preface. But the same strait continuing upon me, I am 
 obliged, after all, through the importunate cries of many 
 who have heard of it, to let it go with saying little or no- 
 thing. Only I regard it as a piece of honour put upon me 
 in holy providence, not only to be the unworthy successor 
 of that great man, but the publisher of the last sermon 
 that ever he preached in the pulpit of Stirling. Where it 
 is my desire, the same testimony of Jesus, for which he 
 suffered unto death, may be maintained unto the latest 
 posterity. 
 
 What may be in the womb of this Providence of the 
 resurrection of Mr Guthrie's last sermon in Stirling after 
 it has been so long buried with himself in the dust and, 
 rubbish, God only knows, and time must discover ; o nly 
 considering the way of its resurrection and conveyance, it 
 looks like a cry from the dead to the whole land ; but in a 
 particular manner, to the congregation of Stirling, upon 
 whose watch-tower it was delivered. 
 
 I have thought the manner of the conveyance of this ser- 
 mon to public view at this time of day, one of the curious 
 links of the great chain of Divine Providence. The Rev. Mr 
 Alex. Hamilton- when he was but a youth at the col- 
 lege of Edinburgh, from a just regard he had to th£ 
 mory of Mr Glthkii., and in which he Buffer- 
 
 ed, was excited, at the peril of his life, to take down with 
 his own hand Mr Guthrie's head from the Netherbowm 
 Port of Edinburgh, where it had stood as a public spectacle 
 for about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years. The very 
 same person is ordered thirty eight years thereafter to suc- 
 ceed him in the ministry, and uphold his testimony in the 
 
PREFACE' Vll 
 
 pulpit of Stirling for the space of twelve years. And al- 
 though a good many ministers, hoth of the Presbyterian and 
 pal persuasion, had possessed the Manse of Stirling* 
 since the death of Mr Guthrie ; yet none of them are di- 
 rected to discover his farewell sermon in Stirling, until the 
 same hand is employed, which was honoured to take down 
 his head, and to give it a decent and honourable burial. 
 
 I make no doubt but the above remark will appear whim- 
 sical and contemptible, as well as the sermon itself, in the 
 eyes of a generation of men in our day, who are wise in 
 their own eyes ; but whatever may be the sentiments of 
 men, whose ?ninds the God of this world hath blinded ; yet 
 the work of the Lord is honourable and glorious, and will 
 be sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Who* 
 so is wise, and ohserveth these things, even they shall un- 
 derstand the loving kindness of the Lord. But how awful 
 is the certification to those who shut their eyes and ears 
 against the appearances of God in his providential dispen- 
 sations ? Psal. xxviii. 5. Because they regard not the ivorks 
 of the Lord, nor the operations of his hand, he shall destroy 
 them, and not build them up. 
 
 As some have been longing and crying for the publica- 
 tion of this sermon ; so I am apt to believe, some others will 
 wish, that it and the other papers of the worthy author 
 which came along with it, had been buried in silence for 
 ever. Neither needs this appear strange. Histestimonywhen 
 alive, tormented the men who then dwelt upon earth to 
 that degree, as to stone this great Seer in Israel, and after- 
 ward to imbrue their hands in his blood. And, therefore, 
 it^cannot be very easy or pleasant to those who are treading 
 
 * This fabric, noted for being the residence of so many great 
 aud good men, distinguished in the history of our national church, 
 has lately become ruinous, and is now taking down. Such is the 
 instability of earthly things ; M But the righteous shall be had in 
 everlasting remembrance." 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 in the same steps, by attempting the burial of that cause 
 and work of reformation for which he suffered martyrdom, 
 to hear his voice crying from under the altar, or his dying 
 testimony again staring them openly in the face. 
 
 I make no doubt to say, it was the testimony of Jesus for 
 which this faithful martyr Mr James Guthrie suffered. 
 What that testimony was, will partly cast up from the fol- 
 lowing papers, all of them compiled by him, when draw- 
 ing nigh to eternity. The sermon was preached, August 
 19th, 1660, and he imprisoned the Thursday thereafter. 
 His paper in titled, considerations anent the danger of re- 
 ligion, and the work of reformation, Sfttk was published by 
 himself that very same year. The third paper is his speech 
 upon the Scaffold the year following. By these and his 
 other papers and con tendings, contained in Mr Wood- 
 kow's history, he being dead, yet speaketh unto the living. 
 And it will be easy for the judicious and serious reader, 
 to discern who are in our day bearing up, and who are 
 bearing down, and burying the cause for which he con- 
 tended unto blood.* 
 
 That the same r.prit of God, and of glory, which en- 
 abled the worthy author of the following papers to con- 
 tend unto death, for the royal prerogatives of his great 
 Master, the only Head, King, and Law-giver of his church, 
 may, in the perusal of the following testimonies, enter into 
 the soul of every reader, is the prayer and desire of him 
 who is thine in the work of the gospel of Christ Jesus, 
 EBENEZER EIISKINE. 
 
 Stirling, Aug. 14th, 1738. 
 
 • As this preface, by Mr Erskinc, extended to other matters, 
 only that part is now published which is closely connected with 
 the point in hand ; the rest, chiefly relating to other points con- 
 nected with the period in which Mr E. lived, is left out as inex- 
 pedient for the object of the present publication. 
 
SERMON 
 
 PREACHED AT STIRLING 
 
 BY 
 
 Ob the 19th of August, 1660. 
 
 Test. Mattit. xiv. Chap. 22, 23, 24, Verses.* 
 
 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get 
 into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while 
 he sent the multitudes away, 
 
 23. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went 
 tip into a mountain apart to pray ; and when the evening 
 waj come, he was there alone* 
 
 24. But the ship was now in the mvlst of the sea, tossed 
 with waves: for the wind was contrary. 
 
 Xt is of purpose, and by choice, in reference to tiie 
 condition and trial of these times, we have resolved, 
 through the Lord's assistance, to speak somewhat of 
 this piece of trial, t and of the storm wherewith the 
 disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ were exercised at 
 sea, and the rather we have chosen to speak some- 
 what of these words, because they were the choice of 
 a very precious and worthy man, to speak of in a 
 day of trial, I mean, of that eminent servant of God # 
 John Knox, whom the Lord did help to be a most 
 eminent instrument of the work of reformation in 
 
 • Mark vi. 46. John vi. and 16 verse, f The causes of hit 
 choosiug of this text. 
 
 ■ 
 
10 
 
 Church -, we shall not much stand on any particulai 
 unfolding of the branches of tiie text, but take these 
 as they lie in order. The thing we desire you first 
 to look to, is, how the story that is recorded in these' 
 verses, is knit with these that go before, for we will 
 find them knit together by many of the evangelists, 
 tiz. the story of the glorious miracles wrought by 
 Jesus Christ the Lord, in feeding so many thousands 
 of people with a few loaves, and a few little fishes, after 
 this that sad trial which the disciples met with at sea : 
 They are knit together by the evangelist Matthew, 
 Mark, and John, after that the Lord Jesus Christ had 
 preached to the people and his disciples, and had fed 
 many thousands with a few loaves, and a few fishes, and 
 had manifested much of his power and glory, (He con- 
 strains his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before 
 him unto the other side, while he sent the multitude 
 away) he sends his disciples to the sea, and the mul- 
 titude away, that they should not for a season hear any 
 more of his doctrine, and see any more of his miracles. 
 That we may lay a foundation for somewhat for 
 your edification. First, It may be enquired, Wkg it 
 is that he sends away both his disciples and the multi- 
 tude at that time, and would have an interruption of 
 his doctrine and miracles, wlicn he sends his disciples 
 to the sea, and the multitude to their own homes ? If 
 we look the other evangelists, we will find the causes 
 there enough, Mark vi. 52. the cause is given there, 
 why he thus exercised his disciples, (for they consider- 
 ed not the miracle of the loaves, for their hearts were 
 hardened,) Albeit, the Lord Jesus Christ had re- 
 ed much of his power and glory in the miracle of the 
 
11 
 
 loaves j yet his disriples did not duly consider 
 thereof: Therefore he would needs exercise them 
 with a storm, and a tempest at sea, that they might 
 both be taught in the knowledge of their own weak- 
 ness, and also might be better schooled in the faith ci 
 his power and glory. The reason why he sent ike 
 multitude away, is set down in the gospel written by 
 John, chap. vi. 26. When the multitude comes again, 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not kcfotcM 
 ye sawihe miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, 
 and were Jilted. Compare it with that in the 15th 
 verse, When Jesus Christ therefore perceived that they . 
 would come and tale him by force, to make him a king, 
 he departed again into a mountain himself alone. He 
 knew that for all that they had seen and heard of his 
 word and miracles, they were of a very carnal dispo- 
 sition, and seeking to establish to themselves car;;;:l 
 prosperity and peace : Therefore he sent them fcway 
 for a time. 
 
 From the connection of these two histories, and 
 from ^lie scope of the whole, we offer you one point of 
 doctrine*, that the Lord Jesus Christ is oft times, ai 1 
 ordinarily pleased after special manifestations of his 
 power and glory in his church, and amongst his peo- 
 ple, to exercise them with special pieces of trial, 
 troubles, .and storms. After his doing of great 
 for their comfort, he is ordinarily pleased, to n 
 great and dreadful storms and tempests, for th<jir l 
 cise and trial. So here, when he hath in a most com- 
 fortable, and kindly way, banqueted them . 
 much of his power and lov<e in so doing, he sends t I 
 a storm and tempest, on the baek of it, and will I 
 
12 
 
 an interruption of his doctrine and miracles for a time, 
 wherein they are all like to be drowned. 
 
 1st Instance. There are many instances in the Word, 
 of the Lord's dealing thus ; look in the books of Moses, 
 what follows on the back of that glorious deliverance, 
 tJiat the Lord gave to the people of Israel out of Egypt ; 
 they are exercised forty years in the wilderness, in 
 which they had many a sad day, ere they entered the 
 land of Canaan. 
 
 2d Inst. The like we may see in the church of 
 Israel, 1 Sam. The Lord gave a great deliverance 
 from the Philistines by the ministry of his servant 
 Samuel, and a glorious blessed work of reformation 
 there was, but all that was again destroyed by the 
 hand of Saul, and persecution raised against the 
 church of God. 
 
 3d Inst. A third instance ye will find, if ye will 
 read the history of the reign of Hczekiah and Maiiasseh 
 kings of Judah, as it is recorded in the second book 
 of Chronicles, there was a great reformation in the days 
 of Hezekiah, a covenant sworn by the king, princes, 
 priests, and the whole body of the land j all corruption 
 cast out, the pure worship and ordinances of God set 
 up, but there was a dreadful trial by the hand of Sen- 
 nacherib ; so scarcely was Hezekiah well in his grave, 
 till Manasseh succeeds in his room, and brings in cor- 
 ruption and persecution, both at once. 
 
 teh Inst. A fourth instance was in the da}'s of Jo- 
 siah, how much of the power, and glory of the Lord 
 is manifested j but how sad a trial comes on the back 
 of it, that the church seems to be wholly defaced by 
 the king of Babylon. 
 
13 
 
 5ih Inst. A fifth instance we will find, after the re- 
 turn of Israel out of Babylon ; in the Mh of Ezra, the 
 foundation of the Lord's house is laid : But in a little 
 while the work is interrupted, (till the second year of 
 Darius the King) by the derision and enmity of wick- 
 ed men. 
 
 6th Inst. A like instance you shall also find in the New 
 Testament \ look what a length our blessed Lord brought 
 the work of the gospel, but what follows in the l6th of 
 John, 31st and S2d verses, Do ye now believe ? Be- 
 hold the hour comet h, yea, is now come, that ye shall 
 be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave 
 me alone. And he is crucified, and laid in his grave, 
 and a stone laid on the grave's mouth, and little appear- 
 ance that ever there should have been more mention of 
 him, in the land of the living. 
 
 7tk Inst. Then look another instance in the days of 
 the apostles in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th, chapters 
 of the Acts, what a blessed reformation there was, but 
 in the close of the 6th chapter, and in the beginning 
 of the 8th, ye see what a sad interruption and scatter- 
 ing is in the church, and a great persecution raised 
 against it. 
 
 8th Inst. And as there are many instances in the 
 word, so there are many instances in the story of the 
 church, many great things were done by the apostles, 
 and a glorious reformation there was in the bringing 
 in of the Gentiles ; but how dreadful a persecution is 
 raised through all the world. 
 
 Qth hist. And there is a notable instance, when 
 the Lord began to reform £he church from the dark- 
 ness of popery, by that worthy instrument Luther : 
 
li 
 
 shortly after, did not Charles the fifth raise a 
 
 , against all the princes of Germany, and 
 
 1 cruel edicts against all that clave to the church. 
 
 10/// Inst. And also, in the days of king Edward 
 
 rixtbj that good prince, what a glorious work was 
 
 in England; but U I after that godly prince 
 
 , queen Mary succeeds, brings in popery, and raises 
 
 a bitter persecution against the saints of G 
 
 11/// Inst. And, ye cannot be so great strangers to 
 your own condition at home j how sad an interruption 
 the work of reformation met from the prelates not 
 long ago. 
 
 So that there is nothing more ordinary in the church, 
 than after the Lord has communicate himself in a spe- 
 cial way in his power and glory, than to exercise them 
 with sad storms and tempests on the back of it. 
 
 Concerning this dispensation, we would first, enquire 
 a little into the grounds and reasons of it, why the 
 Lord sees it fit to do so? Next, into the kinds of it, 
 or in what several ways it is, that he sees it fit so- to 
 do? 
 
 For the reasons, grounds, and causes of it, we shall 
 not speak of many, though many might be spoken of, 
 but shortly touch some of the most common and ob- 
 vious. 
 
 1st Reason. First, the Lord makes such a chang- 
 ing of his dealing, with his church, for the chastising 
 of their sin, and correcting of their iniquity. A peo- 
 ple to whom he manifests himself in his power and 
 glory, and mercy and truth, do not always behave 
 themselves as they ought to do, but even while he is 
 dealing kindly with them they do many ways provoke 
 
15 
 
 him to wrath. Therefore God for correcting their sin, 
 and chastising their iniquity, brings troubles and storms 
 upon them. In the xcix. Psalm, the Lord is brought 
 to take vengeance on the inventions of his people in 
 the wilderness ; that ye may understand this the bet- 
 ter, look the lxxviii, Psahn, which is a clear commen- 
 tary to this, where his rod wherewith he punished that 
 people in the wilderness, and delayed their entrance 
 into Canaan, and their sin both are set down : Their 
 unstedfastness in the Lord's covenant. Ye may look 
 some of the proofs of these sins. 
 
 1st Sin. First, in the 10th and 11th verses of 
 Psalm lxxviii. They kept not the covenant of God, and 
 refused to walk in his law : And forget his works and 
 wonders that he had shewed them. They were un- 
 stedfast in the Lord's covenant in the xix. and xx. 
 chapters of Exodus, they entered in a most solemn 
 covenant with God, that all of them undertook to stand 
 to, and to prove faithful therein, but they kept not 
 his covenant, but dealt deceitfully in it, therefore he 
 brought such storms on them in the wilderness, and 
 so long suspended their entrance in the promised land. 
 
 9.d Sin. A second sin is, in the ISth verse they sin- 
 ed yet more, and tempted him in their hearts, by asking 
 meat for their lusts. They are not satisfied with the 
 things that God has allowed them, but lusted after 
 strange things, and became lustful in their appetites: 
 Therefore God is wroth, and thus exerciseth them in 
 the wilderness. 
 
 3d Sin. A third sin is, in the 22 d verse, their diffi- 
 dence and unbelief; they believed not God, and trust- 
 ed not in his salvation, they put tempting questions, 
 
16 
 
 concerning his power and goodness in the 19th verse, 
 Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? There- 
 fore he thus exercised them with stoi : 
 
 4th Sin. A fourth sin is, they despised and under- 
 valued the precious manna, which God sent down 
 from heaven, for feeding of them, Numb. xxi. 5. Our 
 souls loathed this light bftad* 
 
 5th Sin. A fifth sin, their murmuring, giudging 
 and repining against God. 
 
 6th Sin. A Sixth sin is, their complaint of coming 
 out of Egypt , their rebelling and speaking of a cap- 
 tain to return back again. 
 
 7//i Sin. The last sin is, their corrupting the wor- 
 ship of God, and making a golden calf. And because 
 of these sins, the Lord is angry, and correcteth and 
 chastises- them forty years long in the wilderness. 
 
 2d Reason. A second reason is, the Lords bringing 
 sad storms on the back of the glorious manifestations 
 of himself in his word and works, is for purging of his 
 people. As he will correct them, and have them to 
 know the bitterness of their sin, so he will have them 
 to be purged of it. There is a sad trial in the 11th of 
 Daniel, and this is given as the reason of it \ to purge, 
 to try, and to make white, in the 35th verse, and 
 some of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to 
 make them white, even to the time of the end: Because 
 it is yet for a time appointed. There is in the church 
 and people of God, much dross, therefore he sees it 
 necessary they be put to the fire, for purging away 
 of their dross. 
 
 8d Reason. A third reason, wherefore die Lord 
 brings sad storms, on the back of glorious manifesta- 
 
17 
 
 tions of himself, is, for discovering and bringing forth 
 the hypocrites, and such as are unsound, Daniel xi. 34. 
 Many cleave to the Lord's people by flattery : Espe- 
 cially, it's so, when the Lord is eminently appearing, 
 and revealing himself gloriously in his word and 
 works } many then undertake a profession in whose 
 hearts there is no sincerity and truth -, many then 
 cleave to the cause and work of God by flattery, which 
 his soul cannot endure •, therefore he brings a winnow- 
 ing fan, and lets them up before the wind, that he may 
 know who is chaff and who is corn. Psal. cxxv. 4/A 
 and 5th verses. He doth good to those that are up~ 
 right in heart : but as for such as turn aside to crook- 
 ed ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the work- 
 ers of iniquity. Therefore for discovery of such, he 
 sends sad storms on the back of reformation. 
 
 Another reason of the Lord's bringing sad storms 
 and tempests on his people, on the back of glorious 
 manifestations of himself, is, that he may prove and 
 take a trial of the integrity, faith, and patience of his 
 saints \ and in trying of them to purchase glory to 
 himself, and a name to them. 1 Pet. i. and 7. That the 
 trial of your faith (being much more precious than of 
 of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fere, J 
 might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory at 
 the appearing of Jesus Christ. 
 
 There is also a reason, concerning adversaries which 
 we shall not now meddle with. 
 
 But we come to the second point, how it is, or in 
 what several sorts of ways it is, that the Lord is pleas- 
 ed thus to dispense, I mean, to send storms and trials 
 on his servants and people, immediately on the back 
 B2 
 
18 
 
 of some glorious appearance, and notable works of 
 kindness and mercy amongst them. There might be 
 a great many ways named, how the Lord is pleased to 
 do thus, we shall name only four generals. 
 
 I5/. Way. First, he does it sometimes by interrupt- 
 ing of his work. Thus he did it in that place cited be- 
 fore, Ezra iv. After the foundation of the Lord's 
 house is laid, a company of malignant men, enemies 
 to the poor pcoplo of God and his work, who are ex- 
 ceedingly ill satisfied that the work of God should 
 prosper, they come by all means to interrupt the work 
 of God, and when they could not prevail by flattery, 
 they go to the king of Persia, and load the people of 
 God with false aspersions, that they were about to 
 rebel, &c. by which suggestions, they obtain letters 
 from the king, commanding them to cease building 
 of the temple, and when the copy of the king's letter 
 was read, they made them to cease by force and 
 power, &c. 
 
 2d Way, A second way is, by corruption, when he 
 suffers evil instruments, not only to make an interrup- 
 tion, but to make a corruption, so to speak, and to 
 mingle these with the purity of his ordinances and 
 worship, God raises up ill instruments, to make peo- 
 ple lick up the vomit of these corruptions, which have 
 been formerly cast out. There had been a blessed re- 
 formation in the days of Hezekiah, and all corruption 
 cast out, but all that corruption, is brought in again in 
 the days of Manassch, and more and worse than ever 
 had been before. 
 
 3d Way. A third way is, by destruction, so to speak *, 
 rot only when the work of God is interrupted and cor- 
 
19 
 
 rupted, but when it is destroyed and taken away. 
 There is in the days of Zedekiah, a total destroying of 
 the temple, and all the work. 
 
 The fourth way is, by Persecution to these that 
 cleave to the truth and work of God ; thus it was in 
 the days of the Apostles, Acts v. They fall on the 
 ministers of the Lord's house, and slay some of them 
 with the sword, and put others in prison; so that 
 they could not preach the word in Jerusalem. Some 
 one, or all of these ways, the Lord sets on foot such 
 dispensations. 
 
 1st Use. We would now speak somewhat of the 
 use we would make of it. And, Jirst, it says this to 
 us, that we of this church and nation would be looking 
 for a storm : the Lord hath been graciously pleased to 
 make glorious discoveries of his power and mercy in 
 his word and works amongst us, now these many years, 
 and even on that account, we would be looking for a 
 storm y and we shall give you these few reasons where- 
 fore we would look for it. 
 
 1st Reason. Because (as I told you) it is ordinary 
 with God in his dispensations to his people, to knit 
 these two together, with great manifestations of his 
 mercy, to bring troubles, tempests, and trials, as ye 
 will find frequently in the word. 
 
 2d Reas. A second reason wherefore we would look 
 for a storm, is, because we are guilty of these sins that 
 bring on storms on the church, and people of God. 
 We have told you what storms came on Israel in the 
 wilderness after their coming out of Egypt ; and we 
 have told you their sin that brought them on \ unstecU 
 fastness in the Lord's covenant, murmuring against 
 
fto 
 
 God, tempting of Cod, diffidence and unbelief ; de- 
 spising and loathing of the precious manna, their re- 
 belling against God, their corrupting of the worship 
 and ordinances of God, &c. See if we be not guilty 
 of all these sins : Have we not been unstedfast in the 
 covenant? Is not the obligation thereof in great mea- 
 sure forgotten ? and who has remembered to perform 
 his vow unto the Lord, almost in any thing, either in 
 the national, or solemn league and covenant ? Are we 
 not guilty of lusting, and not satisfied with the things 
 that God hath given us, but the heart is carried away 
 with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the 
 pride of life? Are we not guilty of repining against 
 God ? Are we not guilty of despising and loathing 
 the precious manna of the Gospel ? Are we not guilty 
 of misbelief and tempting of God ? Are we not guilty 
 of corrupting of the ordinances of God, and spoiling 
 many of his precious truths ? And are there not many 
 speaking of making a captain to return again to Egypt, 
 and to involve themselves in the bondage of all these 
 corruptions which have been formerly cast out, and 
 engaged against in the covenant *, and if for these 
 things God brought storms on them, how shall we 
 avoid them. 
 
 Rcas. 3d. A third thing that says there is a storm 
 coming, is, because these amongst whom he doth emi- 
 nently manifest himself he doth also eminently try 
 them, that he may bring forth their faith and patience. 
 We have had trials, but none of us have resisted unto 
 blood, they have been but fresh water trials : The trials 
 are not answerable to these eminent dispensations en- 
 joyed. We have but run with, the foot-men, and have 
 
21 
 
 not yet contended with the horse-men ; we have not 
 yet swimmed in the swellings of Jordan. Jeremiah 
 xii. 5. 
 
 Reas. 4th. A fourth thing that says that the?*, is 
 a storm coming, is, be cause that there is among us a 
 huge multitude of hollow hearted men joined in the 
 covenant with treacherous hearts, the Lord hath brought 
 forth many of these already, but it is like their will be 
 more visible discoveries, that will make men disown 
 and disavow the covenant of God. 
 
 Reas. 5th. Another thing that says ye would look 
 for a storm, is, because that is already begun : The 
 wind of the Lord's fan is already begun to blow ; se- 
 verals who were eminent in the work of the Lord are 
 imprisoned ', several ambassadors of the Lord's house 
 cast out ; and doth not this say that there is a storm 
 coming. 
 
 Rcas. 6lh. And lastly, This says, that ye would 
 look for a storm, because all the wicked, and these that 
 have been enemies to the people of God, are already 
 lifting up the head ) and that is ay the prognostic of a 
 storm. 
 
 Use 2d. The second use is. As we would look for 
 a storm so we would not stumble at it when it comes, 
 because it is the work of our God ; it is the ordinary 
 path road that the Lord uses to take or give in his 
 dispensations to his church. There are several sorts 
 of stumblings that folk fall in, when the Lord is pleased 
 to bring storms on his church and people, all of them 
 we would beware of. 
 
 Stumbling: 1st. First the stumbling of the children 
 of Israel that we read of, when storms were like to rise, 
 
they stumble so far as to speak of quitting of the work 
 of the Lord, and not marching on further to 
 
 session of the promised land : And they speak of n 
 ing a oa$tain to return back again to Egypt : We would 
 (ear that that shall be the stumbling of many in * 
 times, that t!:cy shall take a resolution to quit a 
 work of God, and the work of reformation, and be 
 tent to be carried back again to these corruptions : 
 whence they were (by the mere}'' of God) delivered* 
 That is a most dreadful stumbling, we warn you of it, 
 and we beseech you in the name of the Lord to 
 heed to it. 
 
 Slumbl. 2d. A second sort of, c tumbling that we would 
 beware of, is, the stumbling of Docg the Edomitc, 9 
 Sam. xxii. when a storm was like to arise upon the 
 church and people of God, he stumbles so far at tl 
 things, as he falls to be an accuser of those that had 
 been employed in the work of God and walked in their 
 integrity to accuse honest holy David ; and from an 
 accuser came to be an open persecutor of the people of 
 Goc^: We would take heed, that for currying of favour 
 to ourselves, we be not accusers of others *, this is the 
 way of many in these nations, they know no other 
 of currying of favour to themselves, but by beco; 
 accusers of the Saints of God * ? look to it, for in a \ 
 ye will turn open persecutors ; when none would fall 
 on the priests of the Lord, Docg the Edomitc (li 
 lost the favour he had gotten) would fall on them. 
 
 Slumbl. A third sort of stumbling that we would 
 beware of, is, the stumbling of S/u'bna, treasurer or 
 
 I - ; Isa, xxii. When Sennacherib invaded ,/ 
 though he pretended friendship, yet he in a secret way 
 
28 
 
 co nplied with Sennacherib, and so far as lay in him 
 supplanted good king Hezelciah, and the people of 
 God *, we would take heed of that. 
 
 4th Stumhl. Another sort of stumbling that we 
 would beware of, is, that stumbling of Demas, 2 Tim. 
 iv. 10, who when a storm arises, he thought it meet 
 to shift for himself, and embrace this present world. 
 Demas has forsaken us, (says Paul) having loved this 
 present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica. 
 Look we pray you in this place, to that that is most 
 like to be your temptation, viz. the lust of the things 
 of the world, if }'e will prove stedfast in the cause 
 that ye have owned, and therefore we would study to 
 have our hearts loosed from these things that will 
 make you stumble in a stormy day. 
 
 5th SlumbL Another sort of stumbling that we 
 would beware of, is, the stumbling of Baruch, Jer. 
 xlv. 3. when he and Jeremiah were like to be put to 
 death, for the cause that they were engaged unto, he 
 fainted and was afraid. Wo is me (says he) for the 
 Lord has added grief to my sorrow, I fainted in my 
 sighing, and I found no rest. We would take heed 
 that we faint not, neither be of a fearful heart, own 
 the cause of God, and interest of Jesus Christ. Yea, 
 that carnal fear carries Peter so far as to deny his 
 Lord and Master. 
 
 Glh Siiunbl. We would beware of the stumbling of 
 Judas, who (when he got not the thing he would have 
 been at, b}' the following of Jesus Christ) he resolves 
 to betray bis Master. Look that disappointments in 
 following the cause of Christ, make you not tin a 
 to it. 
 
u 
 
 And lastly, we would beware of the stumbling of 
 the men of Judah, Jcr. xliv. Jeremiah would have 
 them staving in the land of Judah, and they 
 would not, but would go down to the land of Egypt. 
 And they tell him, 77 was better frith us (say they) 
 rvhen tie burnt incense to the queen of heaven, and 
 poured out drink-offerings unto her, for then had ire 
 plenty of victuals, and irere well, and saw no ciil. 
 We would take heed that nothing made us to call in 
 question the cause of Cod, that we have been engag- 
 ed in. 
 
 3d Use. A third use, if it be so, that tempests and 
 storms are like to blow, then we would be careful to 
 prepare for them. 
 
 A few things we would name, that we would look 
 to for preparing of us. 
 
 First, we would study, to have our ship as light of 
 all unnecessary burdens, as we can ; I mean, all 
 things of a present world, all things beside God, and 
 our precious soul } we would have as little weight of 
 these things on our spirits as we may, for they will 
 sink our ship in a storm. 
 
 2dly. We would be careful to make friendship with 
 Jesus Christ, that blessed pilot, that wc may get 
 him in the ship with us, for we are not able to steer 
 our ship in a storm. 
 
 Sdly. We would be careful to keep a low sail, to 
 have our spirits humble and low before the Lord, for 
 the humble soul is most like to hold out when the 
 wind and storm blows. 
 
 4:thly. Wc would be careful to get the knowledge 
 
25 
 
 of the cause that we profess \ for indeed a dark night 
 is ill to sail in, when the wind blows, and when there 
 are quick sands before us. 
 
 And lastly, we would be careful to have our ship 
 well ballasted with the faith and patience of the saints. 
 
 Use 4. We would consider what grounds of con- 
 solation we shall have for strengthening of our hearts, 
 if we bide fast by the cause of Jesus Christ, for the 
 bideing out of a storm, if so be God be pleased to 
 bring it on us. 
 
 We might name many, only at this time take these 
 few. The first ground of encouragement, is, that you 
 have a good cause, I mean the cause of God, and the 
 interest of Jesus Christ, speak against it who will, 
 forsake it who will, reproach and persecute it who will, 
 doubtless, good is the cause, the cause is worth the 
 contending for, worth the suffering any thing that can 
 come for it. 
 
 2 dly. Another thing to be a ground of comfort to 
 us, is, as we have a good cause, so we have a good 
 Captain too, Jesus Christ the Lord, who is the Cap- 
 tain and Prince of salvation, who was never put to the 
 worse, and who sits at the right hand of the Fa- 
 ther, and will reign there till he make all his enemies 
 his foot-stool. 
 
 3dly. Another thing to be a ground of consolation 
 to us, is, as we have a good cause, and a good captain, 
 so we have good company too, all in whose hearts the 
 fear of the Lord is in these three nations, yea more, 
 we have all the saints that have lived since the begin- 
 ning of the world ; for all the cause they have owned 
 and suffered for, is one and the same, though there 
 
26 
 
 be sundry branches of it ', we have also the blessed 
 promises of God, and we have the experience of all 
 the saints ; we have also our own experiences, and 
 many things more of that kind. O that we knew our 
 privileges, for strengthening of our hearts to be sin- 
 cere and stedfast in his work. And so we close. 
 
LAST SPEECH UPON THE SCAFFOLD, 
 1st JUNE, 1661. 
 
 jYIen and brethren, I fear many of you are come 
 hitherto gaze, rather than to be edified by the carriage 
 and last words of a dying man ; but if any have an ear 
 to hear, as I hope some of this great confluence have, I 
 desire your audience to a few words. I am come hi- 
 ther to lay down this earthly tabernacle and mortal 
 flesh of mine, and I bless God, through his grace, I 
 do it willingly, and not by constraint. I say I suf- 
 fer willingly : if I had been so minded, I might 
 have made a diversion, and not been a prisoner ) but 
 being conscious to myself of nothing worthy of 
 death or of bonds, I would not stain my innocency 
 with the suspicion of guiltiness, by withdrawing : 
 neither have I wanted opportunities and advan- 
 tages to escape since 1 was a prisoner, not by the fault 
 of my keepers, God knoweth, but otherwise; but 
 neither for this had I light or liberty, lest I should 
 reflect upon the Lord's name, and offend the genera- 
 tion of the righteous ; and if some men have not been 
 mistaken, or dealt deceitfully in telling me so, I might 
 have avoided not only the severity of the sentence, 
 but also had much favour and countenence, by com- 
 plying with the courses of the times. But I durst 
 
28 
 
 not redeem my life with the loss of my integrity : 
 God knowcth, I durst not; and that since I was a 
 prisoner, he hath so holden me by the hand, that he 
 never Buffered me to bring it in debate in my inward 
 thoughts, much less to propone or hearken to any 
 overture of that kind. I did judge it better to suffer 
 than to sin : and therefore, I am come hither to lay 
 down my life this day, and I bless God, I die not as a 
 fool y not that I have any thing wherein to glory in 
 myself: I acknowledge that 1 am a sinner, yea, one 
 of the greatest and vilest that has owned a profession 
 of religion, and one of the most unworthy that has 
 preached the gospel. My corruptions have been strong 
 and many, and have made me a sinner in all things, 
 yea, even in following my duty; and therefore, right- 
 eousness have I none of my own, all is vile. But I do 
 believe ' that Jesus Christ came into the world to save 
 sinners, whereof I am chief;* through faith in his 
 righteousness and blood have I obtained mercy •, and 
 through him, and in him alone, have I the hope of a 
 blessed conquest and victory over sin and E 
 hell and death, and that I shall attain unto the resur- 
 rection of the just, and be made partaker of eternal 
 life. / A om I have believed, and that he is 
 
 able to keep that tvhich I hare committed unto him 
 against that day. I have preached salvation through 
 his name, and as I have preached, so do I be 
 arid do commend the riches of his t'vec grace and faith 
 in his name unto you all, as the oniy way whereby 
 ye can be saved. 
 
 And, as I bless the Lord, thai I die not as a t 
 so also., that 1 die not for evil-doi: g. Not a few of 
 
29 
 
 you may happily judge that I suffer as a thief, or as a 
 murderer, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in 
 other men's matters. It was the lot of the Lord Je- 
 sus Christ himself, and of many of his precious ser- 
 vants and people, to suffer by the world as evil-doers •, 
 and as my soul scareth not at it, but desireth to re- 
 joice in being brought into conformity with my bles- 
 sed Head, and so blessed a company in this thing j so 
 I desire and pray, that I may be to none of you to- 
 day upon this account a stone of stumbling, and a rock 
 of offence. Blessed is he that shall not be offended at 
 Jesus Christ, and his poor servants and members, be- 
 cause of their being condemned as evil-doers by the 
 world. God is my record, that in these things for 
 which sentence of death hath passed against me, I have 
 a good conscience. I bless God, they are not matters 
 of compliance with sectaries, or designs, or practices, 
 against his majesty's person or government, or the per- 
 son and government of his royal father : My heart (I 
 bless God)isconsciousto nodisloyalty,nay, loyal I have 
 been, and I commend it to you to be loyal and obedient 
 in the Lord. True piety is the foundation of true loyalty : 
 A wicked man may be a flatterer, and a time-server, 
 but he will never be a loyal subject. But to return to 
 my purpose , the matters for which I am condemned, 
 are matters belonging to my calling and function, as a 
 minister of the gospel, such as the discovery and re- 
 proving of sin, the pressing and the holding fast of 
 the path of God in the covenant, ami preserving and 
 carrying the work of religion, and reformation accord- 
 ing thereto, and denying to acknowledge the civil ma- 
 gistrate, as the proper competent immediate judge in 
 
30 
 
 causes ecclesiastical : That in all these things, (which 
 God so ordering by his gracious providence) are the 
 grounds of my indictment and death, I have a good 
 conscience, as having walked therein according to the 
 li^ht and rule of God's word, and as did become a mi- 
 nister of the gospel. 
 
 I do also bless the Lord, that I do not die as one 
 not desired. I know that by not a few, I neither have 
 been, nor am desired. It hath been my lot to have 
 been a man of contention and sorrow , but it is my 
 comfort, that for my own things I have not contended, 
 but for the (kings of Jesus Christy for what relateth to 
 his interest and work, and the well-being of his people. 
 In order to the preserving and promoting of these, I 
 did protest against, and stood in opposition unto these 
 late assemblies at St Andrews, Dundee, and Edinburgh, 
 and the public resolutions, for bringing the malignant 
 party into the judicatories, and armies of this kingdom, 
 conceiving the same contrary to the word of God, and 
 to our solemn covenant engagements; and to be an 
 inlet to the defection, and to the min, and destruc- 
 tion of the work of God. And it is now manifest to 
 many consciences that I have not been therein mis- 
 taken,, nor was not fighting against a man of straw : I 
 was also desirous, and did use some poor endeavours, 
 to have the church of God purged of insufficient and 
 scandalous, and corrupt ministers, and ciders ; for 
 these tilings I have been mistaken by some, and hated 
 by others : But I bless the Lord, as I had the testi- 
 mony of my own conscience, so I was and am therein 
 approven in the consciences of many of the Lord's pre- 
 cious servants and people \ and however so little I 
 
Si 
 
 Kiay die desired by some, yet by these I know I do 
 die desired, and their approbation and prayers, and 
 affection is of more value with me, than the contradic- 
 tion or reproach, or hatred of many others \ the love 
 of the one I cannot recompense, and the mistake, or 
 hatred, or reproach, of the other, I do with all my 
 heart forgive ; and wherein I have offended any of 
 them, 1 do beg their mercy and forgiveness. I do 
 from my soul wish, that my death may be profitable 
 unto both, that the one may be confirmed and esta- 
 blished in the straight ways of the Lord j and that the 
 other, if the Lord so will, may be convinced, and cease 
 from these things that are not good, and do not edify 
 but destroy. 
 
 One thing I would warn you all of, that God is 
 wroth, yea, very wroth with Scotland, and threateneth 
 to depart and remove his candlestick. The causes of 
 his wrath are many, and would to God it were not one 
 great cause, that causes of wrath are despised and re- 
 jected of men. Consider the cause that is recorded, 
 Jer. xxxvi. and the consequence of it, and tremble and 
 fear. I cannot but also say, that there is a great ad- 
 dition and increase of wrath : First, By that deluge 
 of profanity that overfloweth all the land, and hath 
 reins loosed unto it every where, in so far that many 
 have lost, not only all use and exercise of religion, but 
 even of morality, and that common civility that is to 
 be found amongst the heathen. Second, Bv that 
 horrible treachery and perjury that is in the matter 
 of the covenant, the cause of God, and work 
 of reformation : Be cnionislied, O ye Heavens, at 
 this, and be ye horribly afraid, and be ye verb de- 
 
S2 
 
 solatc, saitk the Lord, for my people have com* 
 milted ttvo great ails, they have forsaken me the foun- 
 tain of waters, and Jtctvcd them out cisterns, broken cis- 
 r, that can hold ?io waters. Shall he break the co- 
 venant and prosper ? Shall the throne of iniquity have 
 fellowship with God, which framcth mischief by a law ? 
 IT trie Lord be about to bring a sword on these 
 lands, which shall avenge the quarrel of his covenant. 
 Third, horrible ingratitude, the Lord after ten years 
 oppression, and bondage, hath broken the yoke of stran- 
 gers from off our necks : But what do we render unto 
 him for this goodness ? Most of the fruit of our deli- 
 very is, to work wickedness, and to strengthen our- 
 selves to do evil. Fourth, A most dreadful idolatry, 
 and sacrificing to the creature, we have changed the 
 glory of the incorruptible God, into the image of cor- 
 ruptible man, in whom many have placed almost all 
 their salvation and desire, and have turned that which 
 might have been a blessing unto us, (being kept in a 
 due line of subordination under God) into an idol of 
 jealousy, by preferring it before him. God is also 
 wroth with a generation of carnal, corrupt, time-serv- 
 ing ministers : I know and bear testimony, that in the 
 church of Scotland, there is a true and faithful minis- 
 try : Blessed be God, we have yet many, who study 
 their duty, and desire to be found faithful to their Lord 
 and Master; and I pray you to honour, and reverence, 
 and esteem much of these for their works' sake ; and I 
 pray them to be encouraged in their Lord and Master, 
 \vho is with them, to make them as iron pillars and 
 brazen walls, and as a strong defenced city in the faith- 
 ful following of their duty: But, oh ! that there were 
 
32 
 
 not too many, who mind earthly thi?igs and are enemies 
 to the Cross of Jesus Christ, who push with the side 
 and shoulder, who strengthen the hands of evil-doers, 
 who make themselves transgressors, by studying to 
 build again what they did formerly warrantably destroy; 
 I mean prelacy, and the ceremonies, and the service 
 book, a mystery of iniquity that works amongst us, 
 whose steps lead unto the house of thegreat whore Baby- 
 Ion, tJie mother of fornication, or whosoever else he be 
 that buildeth this Jericho again, let him take heed of 
 the curse of Hiel, the Bethelite, and of that flying 
 roll threatened, Zeclu v. And let all ministers take 
 heed that they watch, and be stedfast in the faith, 
 and quit themselves like men, and be strong j and 
 give faithful and seasonable warning concerning sin 
 and duty. Many of the Lord's people do sadly com- 
 plain of the fainting and silence of many watchmen, 
 and it concerneth them to consider what God calieth 
 for at their hands in such a day : Silence now in a 
 watchman, when he is so much called to speak, and 
 give his testimony, upon the peril of his life, is doubt- 
 less a great sin. The Lord open the mouths of his 
 servants, to speak his word with all boldness, that co- 
 venant breaking may be discovered and reproved, and 
 that the kingdom of Jesus Christ may not be sup- 
 planted, nor the souls of his people be destroyed with- 
 out a witness. I have but a few words more to add : 
 All that are profane amongst you, I exhort them to 
 repentance, for the day of the Lord's vengeance 
 teneth, and is near-, but there is yet a door of n. 
 open for you, if you will not despise the day of salva- 
 tion. All that are maligners, and reproachcrs, 
 
persecutors of godliness, and of such as live godly, 
 take heed what ye do ; it will be hard for you to kick 
 against the pricks; you make yourselves the butt of 
 the Lord's fury, and his flaming indignation, if you do 
 not cease from, and repent of all your hard speeches 
 and ungodly deeds. All that are neutral, and indiffe- 
 rent, and lukewarm professors, be zealous and repent, 
 lest the Lord spew you out of his mouth. You that 
 lament after the Lord, and mourn for all the abomi- 
 nations that are done in this city, and in the land, 
 and take pleasure in the stones and dust of Zion, 
 cast not away your confidence, but be comforted, 
 and encouraged in the Lord ; he will yet appear to 
 your joy. God hath not cast away his people, nor 
 work in Britain and Ireland, I hope it shall once 
 more revive by the power of his spirit, and take root 
 downward, and bear fruit upward, and of this I am 
 now confident. There is yet a holy seed and precious 
 remnant, whom God will preserve, and bring forth; but 
 how long or dark our night may be, I do not know, 
 the Lord shorten it for the sake of his chosen. In 
 the mean while, be ye patient and sledfasi, immove- 
 able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and 
 in love one to another *, beware of snares which are 
 strewed thick * ? cleave to the covenant and work of re- 
 formation ; do not decline the cross of Jesus Christ 
 choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, 
 than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and ac- 
 count the reproach of Christ greater riches than all 
 the treasures of the world. Let my death grieve none 
 of you, it will be more profitable and advantageous 
 both for me, and for you, and for the church of Go. I, 
 
35 
 
 and for Christ's interest, and honour, than my life 
 could have been. I forgive all men the guilt of it, 
 and I desire you to do aa also. Pray for iliem that 
 persecute you, and hless them that curse you ; bless, I 
 say, and curse 110L 1 die in the faith of the apostles, 
 and primitive Christians, and Protestant Reformed 
 Churches, particularly of the church of Scotland, where- 
 of I am a member and minister. I do bear my wit- 
 ness and testimony to the doctrine, worship, discipline, 
 and government of the church of Scotla?id, by Kirk- 
 sessions, Presbyteries, Synods, and General Assem- 
 blies y Popery, and Prelacy, and all the trumpery of 
 service and ceremonies that wait upon them, 1 do 
 abhor. I do bear my witness unto the National Cove- 
 nant of Scotland, and the Solemn League and Covenant 
 betwixt the three kingdoms of Scotland, England, and 
 Ireland ; these sacred, solemn, public oaths of God, 1 
 believe can be loosed nor dispensed with by no per- 
 v son nor party or power upon earth , but are still bind- 
 ing upon these kingdoms, and will be for ever hereafter *, 
 and are ratified, and sealed by the conversion of many 
 thousand souls, since oar entering thereinto. I bear 
 my witness to the protestation against the contravert*- 
 ed assemblies, and the public resolutions to the testi- 
 monies given against the sectaries, against the course 
 of backsliding and defection that is now on foot in the 
 land, and all the branches and parts thereof, un- 
 der whatsoever name or notion, or acted by « 
 soever party or person. And in the last place, I bear 
 my witness to the cross of Jesus Christ, and that I 
 never had cause, nor have cause this day to repent, 
 because of any thing I have guffertd, c: - suf- 
 
SG 
 
 fer tor his name ; 1 take God to record upon my Soul, 
 I would not exchange this scaffold with the palace or 
 mitre of the greatest prelate in Britain. Blessed be 
 God, who hath shewed mercy to such a wretch, and 
 bath revealed his Son in me, and made me a mi- 
 nister of the everlasting gospel, and that he hath 
 deigned, in the midst of much contradiction, from sa- 
 tan and the world, to seal my ministry upon the hearts 
 of not a few of his people, and especially in the station 
 wherein I was last, I mean the congregation, and 
 presbytery of Stirling ; and I hope the Lord will visit 
 that congregation, and presbytery once more, with 
 faithful pastors. God forgive the poor empty man, 
 that did there intrude upon my labours, and hath made 
 a prey of many poor souls, and exposed others to re- 
 proach and oppression, and a famine of the word of 
 the Lord. God forgive the misieaders of that part of 
 the poor people, who tempted them to reject their own 
 pastor, and to admit of intruders ; and the father of 
 mercies pity that poor misled people ; and the Lord 
 visit the congregation and presbytery of Stirling once 
 more with faithful pastors, and grant that the work 
 and people of God may be revived through ail Britain, 
 and over all the world. Jesus Christ is my light, I 
 and my life, my righteousness, my strength, and my ; 
 salvation, and all my desire : him, O him, I do with 
 alKhe strength of my soul commend unto you : Bless- 
 ed are they that arc not offended in him: blessed are 
 Xhcij that trust in him. Bless lam, my soul, from 
 henceforth, even for ever. Rejoice, rejoice, all ye that 
 love him, be patient, and rejoice in tribulation : I- 
 arc you, and blessed shall you be for ever and i 
 
37 
 
 everlasting righteousness and eternal salvation is yours : 
 all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's, 
 Remember me, Lord, with the favour thou bear est 
 to thy people : visit me with thy salvation, that I 
 may sec the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in 
 the good of thy nation, that I may glory with thine in- 
 heritance. Now, let thy servant depart in peace, since 
 mine eyes have seen thy salvation* 
 
CONSIDERATIONS 
 
 CONTRIBUTING UNTO THE DISCOVERY OF THE 
 DANGERS THAT THREATEN 
 
 RELIGION, 
 
 AND THE WORK OF 
 
 REFORMATION 
 
 IN THE 
 
 CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 Published for informing the ignorant and inadvertant, for 
 
 awakening the careless and secure, for stirring up 
 
 unto the exercise of repentance, and faith towards 
 
 God, and for persuading unto a godly union 
 
 and edifying peace, &c. 
 
 BY 
 .MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT STIRLING. 
 
 Amos, iii. 8. The lion hath roared, who will not fear 9 the 
 Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophecy ? 
 
 Jonah, i. 6. What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon 
 thy God, if so be that God mill think upon us, that we perish not. 
 
 Rev. ii. 5. / will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy 
 candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 
 
IPSUBRMHIq 
 
 TrlE true Protestant religion, as reformed in doctrine, 
 worship, discipline, and government, in the Church of 
 Scotland, is a pearl of so incomparable value and price, 
 that the very hearing and apprehension of any danger, 
 threatening its spoil and ruin, cannot but affect every soul 
 that knoweth the worth, and is iu love with the beauty 
 thereof, especially the hearts of all the genuine and true 
 born sons and C. f Godj wlio Lave received their 
 
 spiritual life and being therein, and do grow up under the 
 shadow thereof: How much more ought it, and I hope 
 doth it, affect thee when such dangers do threaten the same, 
 as we nor cur fathers have not heaid nor seen ihe like, 
 since the time of reformation from popery ; these in the 
 year 1588, from the Spanish Armado without, and from 
 - ottingsand practices of papists within, seem in many 
 respects nothing comparable to these of this time ; and 
 though I be far from extenuating the hazard that religion 
 stood in under prelacy, (especially when the service 
 book and the book of cannons were violently obtruded 
 upon this church) or from reflecting upon the necessary, 
 and just, and laudable opposition that was made thereunto, 
 \\ t I do believe, that, upon sober and serious examination, 
 it shall be found, by men of judgment and understanding, 
 (who are pleased to make the parallel) to involve nothing 
 contrary to the words of soberness and truth, to assert, 
 that the hazard of religion is greater now nor it was then, 
 and that the tokens and prognosticks of a dreadful night 
 
of darkness and desolation upon the sanctuary of the Lord 
 in this land, arc more and mo: | now, than they 
 
 at that time : The (: v of this Church 
 
 thought, that they had reason thus to speak in th< 
 
 their brotherly exhortation to England. ' We 
 MM (say they) but look upon the danger of the true 
 formed Religion in this island, as greater now than 
 •ore; not only for that these very principles and fun- 
 • totals of faith, which, under prelacy, yea, i 
 ' popery itself, were generally received as uncontroverted, 
 f are now by the scepticism of many sectaries of this time, 
 ' either oppugned or called in question; but also b- 
 f instead of carrying on reformation towards perfection, 
 which hath been already built is in part cast down, 
 I in danger to be wholly overthrown, through the en- 
 i ours of sectaries, to comply with many of the 
 4 latical and malignant party, and their joining hand in 
 ' hand, and casting in their lots, and interweaving tneir in- 
 ( terests together, in way of combination, against the 
 I and presbyterial government ; yea, the unclean • 
 h was cast out, is about to enter in again with 
 r spirits worse than iiimself, and so the latter end 
 ' like to be worse than the beginning.' If there was ground 
 for such a warning and complaint ah 
 when the toleration of errors and heresies was not t 
 and the parliament of England, and the a 
 
 bninster, were proceeding in the v. eik of 
 tation and uniformity in religion, and the 
 ch o!' Seotlantl were in their integrity, hew much 
 now, under all the evils that have since come to pa 
 
 nations, and which do grow upon us d and 
 
 are come to such a height, that without a wonderful and 
 ; hand of gracious providence, interpoMi 
 
 ion, it seems to be nigh to ruin ; i 
 >ur land shall be involved in d 
 in the depths of atheism, and error, and poper pro- 
 
43 
 
 fanity. The thought of these things, as they did induce 
 me two or three months ago to pen these considerations, 
 tending to the discovery of the dangers that threaten reli- 
 gion and the work of reformation in this church, so hath 
 it now persuaded me to send the same ahroad w T ith the 
 former testimony, that by casting these few mites into the 
 public treasury of the sanctuary, I might, according to my 
 weak measure, contribute and concur with other more 
 faithful and able ministers and witnesses of Jesus Christ 
 in the land, for informing of the ignorant and inadvertent, 
 for rebuking of the careless and indifferent, for awakening 
 such as are secure, for warning of such as have left their 
 first-love, that they may remember whence they are fallen, 
 and repent, and do the first works, and for stirring up of 
 those who have received the truth in love, to be zealous 
 for the Lord of Hosts, and valiant for his truth upon the 
 earth, by standing in the breach, and contending diligently 
 for the faith once delivered to the saints, for persuading 
 unto the exercise of repentance and faith towards God, 
 and to watchfulness and tenderness in duty, and unto cor- 
 dial and well grounded union in the Lord, that we may 
 all of us, in subordination to him, with one shoulder, to 
 the utmost of our power, by all lawful means in our sta- 
 tions and callings, faithfully endeavour the preservation of 
 religion, and the work of reformation, that the blessed 
 truths of the gospel, and precious ordinances of Jesus 
 Christ, being preserved amongst us in their purity and 
 integrity, they may be transmitted without spot to our 
 posterity. I do not doubt, but discerning eyes may see 
 more dangers than I have spoke unto, I have but pointed 
 at a few, and if any shall judge this discovery to be defec- 
 tive, I shall be glad, and not think my labour lost, if they 
 may but thereby be provoked to give a more distinct and 
 full sound in these things. It will haply be the expecta- 
 tion and desire of some, that something should be spoke 
 also for discovering of these duties that the Lord calls for 
 
44 
 
 r hands, for preserving of religion in the midst of so 
 
 : somewhat of duty there is, which tiki 
 y of the several dangers doth by native and clear con- 
 sequence point forth, the whole would be a work very dif- 
 ficult and comprehensive, and that doth require much 
 light and leisure; therefore, hoping that it may be doiu 
 to better purpose by those of more prudence and authority 
 in the church, I shall for the present forbear to middle 
 further therein ; and wishing that the little which I haw 
 done, in the first part of the work, concerning the discover) 
 of the dangers, may be accepted of the saints, and contri- 
 bute for thy edification, I do continue 
 
 Thy servant, for Jesus' sake, 
 
 in the work of the gospel, 
 
 JAMES GUTHRIE. 
 
CONSIDERATION FIRST. 
 
 From that swarm of pestilent errors and heresies that 
 doth abound in tlie neighbour nation of England, 
 and our vicinity thereunto, and intimate and daily 
 correspondence therewith. 
 
 It is far from ray purpose to cast any imputation 
 upon England, or to render the neighbour church and 
 nation vile in the eyes of any, by discovering of their 
 nakedness, in reckoning out the many pestilent errors 
 and heresies that many therein are infected with : I 
 know there be many thousands in that land who have 
 not bowed their knees to Baal, nor defiled their gar- 
 ments by departing away from the faith, but do sadly 
 bemoan and faithfully bear witness against the falling 
 away of others. And I do easily acknowledge, that 
 England hath a great and honourable company of pre- 
 cious, and sound, and able, and godly ministers and 
 professors, as readily are to be found in any nation or 
 church upon the earth > but 1 hope it shall be no in- 
 jury nor offence to any, to say, (and would to God I 
 could speak it with that compassionate resentment and 
 serious affectedness of heart that doth become in so 
 sad and soul-concerning a case), that a great many in 
 that church and nation are infected with many noi- 
 some errors and pestilent heresies, which fret as a 
 gangrene unto the destroying of many poor souls : Is 
 
46 
 
 there almost any of the precious and necessary truths 
 of God, but hath some opposers and contradictors in 
 England f Not only are the beautiful superstructures 
 thrown down, but the very lowest and most necessary 
 foundations of the Christian religion razed and pluck- 
 ed up by the roots, by the blasphemies of some. To 
 dispute and declaim, and write against the blessed tri- 
 nity ', against the divinity of the eternal Son of God, 
 Jesus Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever > 
 against the Sacred Scriptures that they arc not the word 
 of God, are, with not a few, things common and ordi- 
 nary ; yea, these very things which Jews and Makb* 
 mcians, and not a few in pagan nations do acknowledge, 
 and which being denied, thai condition of a man is 
 made little better than that of a beast *, such as the 
 immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, 
 heaven and hell, eternal rewards, and eternal punish- 
 ments, are by diverse wantonly debated, and by some 
 pertinaciously denied and oppugned. The time was. 
 and that not many years ago, when Independency, 
 Erastianism, Broivnism, and Anabaptism, in that land, 
 were looked upon as threatening danger to 
 churches and work of reformation in these nations, 
 yet, in comparison to the errors that now abound in 
 
 mkmSj these are but as mole-hills to mount 
 The whole body of AnmnianLvn, Antinomianlsm, Pc- 
 iagumitm, Sociniamsni , FamHism y Q.uakcris?n, and al- 
 most what not that hath at any time been broached 
 by the iather of lies, and infested the Christian church, 
 but hath some brokers and patrons there. That these 
 things are so, is but too sadly true, and these th 
 _: so, is not the church of Scotland by reason of 
 
47 
 
 its vicinity unto, and intimate and daily correspon- 
 dence and commerce with England, in imminent hazard 
 to be tainted with infection thereby ', the vicinity and 
 near neighbourhood of nations and churches, espe- 
 cially when attended with intimate and ordinary fel- 
 lowship, hath always had great influence upon the 
 manners of one another, chiefly as to the depraving 
 and corrupting of religion, to which all the sons of men, 
 by reason of their inbred ignorance, and instabilit} 7 , 
 and the power of corrupt imaginations, are of them- 
 selves but too prone. The children of Israel, not 
 only when they lived in the land of Egypt, were in- 
 fected with many idolatrous and heathenish customs, 
 Ezek. xxi. 27- but even when separated and brought 
 into Canaan, albeit railed in and fenced with the holy 
 and perfect law of the Lord, to which was added the 
 sanction of many great and precious promises to such 
 as did obe}', and of many dreadful threatenings against 
 the disobedient and rebellious, which were accordingly 
 led by God in eminent acts of his justice and 
 .^ess; the idolatrous opinions and practices of 
 their neighbour nations had such influence upon them, 
 that they could not be keeped (scarce at any time for 
 one generation together) from learning their works, 
 and going a whoring after their corrupt customs, 
 Psal. cvi. 35, 36, 37, 3S, 3.9. Yea, sometimes came 
 to be worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had 
 destroyed before them, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9- and to 
 change his judgments into wickedness, more than the 
 nations, and his statutes more than the countries that 
 were round about them, ialhr after 
 
 • .1 amongst the ten 
 
48 
 
 tiibcs by Jeroboam, his erecting the calves at 1 
 and at. Bethel. Judith and Jerusalem, though tl 
 had the temple, and the ark, and the oracle, and the 
 altar, with all other the ordinances of God, and i 
 many prophets arising up early, and speaking to them 
 in the name of the Lord, did then become treacherous, 
 Jer. iii. 11. Aholah saw what Aholibah had done, she 
 became more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, 
 and in her whoredoms more than her sister, and her 
 
 whoredoms till the Lord saw that she was defiled, and 
 
 that they took both one way, Ezek xxiii, 11. \&, The 
 histories of the English and Scots nations and churches, 
 do testify, that the}' have for the most part run one 
 lot, both as to their reforming and corrupting of reli- 
 gion : This consideration was the prime ground of 
 these bonds and confederacies that were transacted, 
 first, between Elizabeth Queen of England, and the 
 Lords of the congregation in Scotland, and afterwards 
 between that Queen and King James the sixth ; It 
 was also this especially, that did induce these nations 
 and churches to engage themselves in the solemn 
 league and covenant, Anno 1643, because (as it is ex- 
 pressed by the ministers of England in their letter to 
 the General Assembly of the church of Scotland 
 Anno 1641.) c they did know and acknowledge that 
 1 these churches of England and Scotland, seem to 
 c be embarked in the same bottom, to sink and swim 
 f together, and are nigh conjoined by so many Strong 
 1 ties, not only as fellow-members under the same 
 ' head, Christ, and fellow-subjects, under the same 
 1 king, but also by such neighbourhood and vicinity of 
 c of place, that if any evil should infest the one the 
 
49 
 
 c other cannot be altogether free, or if, for the pre- 
 'sent it should, yet. in process of time, it would sen- 
 c sibly suffer also/ which is homologated by the assem- 
 bly in their answer to that letter : ' We have learn- 
 ( ed (say they) by long experience, ever since the time 
 ' of reformation, and especially after the two kingdoms 
 ' have been by the great goodness of God to both, 
 ( united under one head and monarch, but most of all, 
 c of late, which is not unknown to you, what danger and 
 ( contagion iri matters of kirk government, of divine 
 'worship, and of doctrine, may come from the one kirk 
 ' to the other ; which, besides all other reasons, may 
 e make us pray to God, and to desire you and all that 
 ' love the honour of Christ, and the peace of these kirks 
 ' and kingdoms, heartily to endeavour that there might 
 'be in both kirks one confession of faith, one directory 
 1 for public woiship, one catechism, and one form of 
 c kirk government/ And the commissioners of the 
 Parliament of England, in the propositions given by 
 them to a committee, to be presented to the General 
 Assembly of this church, Anno 16-13, for persuading of 
 them to further and expedite the aid and assistance 
 then demanded by both houses from the kingdom of 
 Scotland, after they have given them to understand 
 that by reason of the prevailing of papists, the prela- 
 tical sanction and other malignant enemies, to those 
 who desired reformation, the hopeful beginnings there- 
 of were likely not only to be rendered ineffectual, but 
 all the former evils, superstitions, and corruptions to 
 be introduced by strong hand. They do in the 
 next place tell them, 'That if once these should again 
 1 take root in the church and kingdom of England, they 
 
50 
 
 ' would quickly spread their venom and infection into 
 1 the church and kingdom of Scotland,' the truth 
 of which being well known, both to our church 
 and state, did prevail upon them to concur with 
 England in counsels and forces, for suppressing 
 and preventing of these things, as may be seen 
 in their answers to the declarations of the honourable 
 houses of the Parliament of England, concerning 
 that purpose. Upon the same ground, the church of 
 Scotland, did frequently by her commissioners at 
 London, and by her letters to the Parliament of Eng- 
 land, and to the assembly of divines at Westminster, 
 aud by her exhortations to her brethren of England, 
 often warn of the dangers of errors and heresies, when 
 they were but yet in their first buddings, and far from 
 the height that now they are at in England. The 
 words of the assembly in their declaration and bro- 
 therly exhortation to their brethren of England, Anno 
 1647, are worth the repeating in this case : (say they) 
 while in the neighbour kingdom, ' The staves of 
 'beauty, and bands, covenant, and brother- hood, are 
 ' broken by many, the horn of malignants and sectaries 
 ' exalted, the best affected bom down, reformation eb- 
 ' bing, heresy and schism flowing, — it can hardly be 
 'marvelled at by any person of prudence and discre- 
 ■ tion, if we be full of such fears, and apprehensions, 
 ' as use to be in those who dwell near to a house set on 
 ' fire, or a family infected, especially being taught 
 1 by the sad experience of the prelatical times, how 
 ' easily a gangrene in the one half oi this island may 
 'spread through the whole, knowing also the inve- 
 ' terate and insatiable malice of the enemies of this 
 1 cause and covenant against this church and king- 
 
51 
 
 ? dom, which we cannot be ignorant of, unless we 
 * would shdt our eyes, and stop our ears :' 1 might 
 cite many things to this purpose out of the public re- 
 cords of both churches and nations, but these few, I 
 hope, do sufficiently witness what were the thoughts and 
 apprehensions of men of judgment and understanding 
 in both, but a very few years ago, as to the danger of 
 religion in Scotland, in the case of England's being in- 
 fected with errors and heresies. And if there was 
 ieason then so to judge, how much more now, when 
 besides the vicinity and contigtity of these two, and 
 the daily commerce and correspondence that is between 
 the people thereof, Scotland is incorporated into one 
 civil body and government with England, and have 
 also the bar of civil laws for keeping out, and curb- 
 ing of many errors and heresies taken away, and to- 
 leration and protection allowed thereunto, by which 
 it cometh to pass, that the danger which was former- 
 ly nigh unto us, is now also in our bowels. And to 
 this I shall speak in the next place. 
 
 CONSIDERATION SECOND. 
 
 From the infection of errors and heresies already be* 
 gun, and the footing that they have already got in 
 this church and nation. 
 
 Though the plague when near unto us is dangerous, 
 and fire in our neighbour's house, can hardly be keep- 
 ed from taking hold of our own, yet infection in our 
 own body is more dangerous, and much harder than it 
 
51 
 
 is to keep our house from burning when the fire hath 
 already seized upon it, and the flames arc flashing 
 about our cars , and this is the case that the church of 
 Scotland, and religion therein, do stand into at this 
 day: Not only have we amongst us many strangers 
 who vent their errors at will, and without control- 
 ment, but sundry also of our own church and nation, are 
 come to be infected therewith. The ministry of the 
 land, though differing in that unhappy question about 
 the public resolutions, yet are by the singular mercy and 
 goodness of God, for any thing that doth yet appear , 
 kept sound and unanimous in their judgments against 
 the errors of the times ; and so also is the body of the 
 people according to the measure of their knowledge in 
 their several ranks and degrees \ neither have sectaries 
 so much cause to boast of their number and growth in 
 Scotland as commonly they do give out. They are 
 (blessed be the God of truth and of mercy for it) as 
 yet but very few, and inconsiderable in comparison 
 to the body of this church, scarce one to a thousand ; 
 yet is the infection such as ought not to be dispised 
 or neglected, as threatening no danger to religion and 
 the work of reformation amongst us : Besides sundry 
 others who are infected with errors in several soils, 
 there being not a few of those monstrously erring* 
 souls, commonly called Quakers, who strike at the root 
 of Christian religion, by denying the scriptures to be 
 the word of God, and setting up, and holding fortli 
 their own doating fancies, and foolish imaginations, 
 under the name of the KJght within them, as the in- 
 fallible dictates of the spirit of truth, and by deny- 
 ing the in-being of sin, and asserting the perfee- 
 
53 
 
 tion of the new creature in the regenerated, even 
 to such a measure of righteousness and holiness, 
 as is equal with that of our blessed Saviour, Je- 
 sus Christ himself, and by denying of the resurrection 
 of the body from the dead, and maintaining many 
 other errors, which though abominable and vile in 
 themselves, yet are boldly vented and actively spread 
 by these persons, and which is more lamentable, sad 
 experience proveth in both nations, that not a few, 
 and those not of the most ignorant and seemingly pro- 
 fane, are apt to receive, and be carried away with 
 these strange delusions ; and therefore would we not 
 be so slothful and secure, as to think that religion is 
 not in hazard by the infection already begun amongst 
 us. The apostle telleth us, that a little leaven leaven- 
 eth the whole lump, 1. Cor. v. 6. And if the church of 
 Corinth was in hazard by one incestuous person, sin- 
 ning against the light of nature, shall we not judge 
 ourselves to be in hazard by some hundreds ; the 
 leaven of whose errors is not so sour to the natural 
 man's taste. As the infection of the plague of \, 
 lence hath in a little time derived itself into many, 
 and at last brought forth the ruin of great and popu- 
 lous cities and societies, so hath the gangrene of error 
 often spread itself from one or a few members of par- 
 ticular visible churches unto the body of visible pro- 
 fessors therein, that from the sole of the foot unto the 
 top of the head, there has been little or no soundness, 
 but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores. The 
 Arrian heresy, which was one of the most dangerous 
 and dreadful that ever troubled the christian church, 
 had its beginning from one presbyter in the church uf 
 
5± 
 
 Alexandria in Egypt, and yet did run so fast and 
 so far, that in a few years it did over-spread a great 
 part of the Christian world, which made Jerome to 
 say, that the world did groan and wonder at itself 
 that it was become Arrian. We will generally find, 
 that the greatest and most prevailing heresies, have 
 had their rise and original from very small beginnings, 
 and that their authors and abettors have been at first 
 but very few and inconsiderable. If we will not be- 
 lieve our ears, and that which our fathers have told 
 us, yet let us believe our eyes, and that which expe- 
 rience hath taught us. How few and inconsiderable 
 were the sectaries in these nations some eighteen or 
 twenty years ago? And how numerous are they at 
 this day ? The Quakers (besides many others of se- 
 veral sorts) do boast themselves to be for number 
 sundry ten thousands. And yet I do believe, that 
 within these sixteen years, or little more, scarce were 
 ten single persons of that judgment heard of in any 
 place of these nations ', and their increasing in so short 
 a time to so great a number, may convincingly teach 
 us what we may ;\n-\ ought to fear, the growth and 
 increase of sectaries in Scotland, albeit their number 
 for the present be not great. And though happily there 
 be not, in every respect, such an aptitude in the peo- 
 ple in this nation to receive errors, nor such parts and 
 abilities for spreading of them, as in sundry of the 
 English, and that we have also the advantage of 
 church-discipline for curbing of them, yet would we 
 not upon such apprehensions as these, be secure : er- 
 rors have got no small footing amongst us already, 
 ami if the infection could enter while the body is more 
 
55 
 
 entire and sound, how much more is it like to spread 
 when sundry of the members are corrupted. If we 
 shall take a view of the many great advantages that 
 the spirit of error and delusion hath at this time, for 
 strengthening and enlarging itself in this land, a man 
 that hath but half an eye may see that religion is 
 imminently in hazard thereby. Therefore I shall now 
 proceed to speak somewhat unto these. 
 
 CONSIDERATION THIRD. 
 
 From the toleration and protection that is pleaded for, 
 and allowed to many gross errors and heresies. 
 
 That the civil magistrate is appointed of God to 
 take care, not only of these things that do belong unto 
 righteousness, and concern the civil peace, and natural 
 life of man, but also of the tilings that concern reli- 
 gion > and do respect the glory of God, and the gopd 
 of souls: And that, in subordination to these enJ>, 
 such outward impediments and obstructions as do hin- 
 der the same, ought by him to be removed out of the 
 way, and not to be tolerated in a Christian common- 
 wealth ; is a truth so clearly set down in the scriptures, 
 and so fully confirmed in the writings of divines, and 
 so plainly and solemnly engaged unto in the solemn 
 league and covenant, that it were needless for me to 
 insist upon the proof thereof : Neither is this my pur- 
 
56 
 
 pose, if any do desire to furnish themselves with scrip- 
 ture and reason, in these tilings, they will find some- 
 what for their help in the former testimony, and in 
 the warning and testimony of the reverend presbytery 
 of Edinburgh, lately emitted against that sinful and 
 unseasonable petition of some of our unhappy country- 
 men to the Parliament of England : That which we 
 have to lament, is, that notwithstanding the clear 
 light of the scriptures, and that reason, both divine 
 and human, do strongly plead the contrary, and that 
 these nations are solemnly engaged by the public vows 
 of God upon them, without respect of persons, to en- 
 deavour the extirpation of popery, prelacy, superstition, 
 here tie, schism, prof anencss ; and whatsoever shall be 
 found contrary to sound doctrine, and to the power of 
 godliness : Yet a very vast toleration is not only 
 pleaded for, and promoted by many, but also framed 
 into a law ; by which protection and encouragement, 
 is allowed unto many gross errors and heresies, that 
 do not only den} r and destroy many of the beautiful 
 superstructures, but do also strike at not a few of the 
 corner-stones and chief foundations of Christian reli- 
 gion, which doth minister singular advantage to the 
 spirit of delusion, for strengthening and spreading of 
 itself, unto the corrupting of the truth of God, and 
 subverting of souls. The corrupt nature of man, is of 
 i most fertile of vain imaginations, and most prone 
 to carnal liberty, and to transgress the bounds, and re- 
 move the landmarks, that are set unto it of God ; so 
 that even when curbed and hemmed in with the rail 
 of his law, and with the utmost extent of the care and 
 diligence, and faithfulness, and zeal, both of spiritual 
 
51 
 
 and civil rulers, it can hardly be kept from de- 
 bording into many gross extravagancies in the 
 things of God, and from turning into its course, 
 as the horse rusheth into the battle : What then 
 can be expected, when not only the } r oke is taken 
 off its jaws, but that it is also fostered upon the 
 breasts, and dandled upon the knees of protection, and 
 countenance, and encouragement, and suffered to grow 
 up under the warm shadow of civil authority, but that 
 the fountains of the great deep shall be opened up, 
 and overflow the face of the whole land \ when satan 
 is loosed out of his prison, shall he not deceive the 
 nations ? and when the serpent's bands are taken off, 
 shall he not cast out of his mouth water as a flood' 
 after the woman, that he may cause her to be carried 
 away of the flood ? Let us but a little consider what 
 hath been the fruits of such toleration in these churches 
 and states where it hath got footing. I shall not go 
 so far back as to the first ages of the world, in which 
 men being left to themselves in the things of God, pro- 
 fessing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and 
 changed the glory of the incorruptible God, into aji 
 image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and 
 four footed beasts, and creeping things. Neither shall I 
 speak of the condition of religion in some Protestant 
 states beyond sea, in which toleration is allowed ; but 
 I desire it to be considered : 1. How it fared with the 
 church of Judah, in these periods of time, when to- 
 leration got any footing therein. I shall not now stand 
 to debate, whether it was at any time established in 
 Judah by a law ; but it is clear enough, that when 
 any of the kings of Judah, whether through negligence 
 
58 
 
 or want of integrity, or upon carnal and politic consi- 
 derations, did not restrain, but tolerate false prophets, 
 and idolaters, and corrupters of the worship of God, 
 and perverters of his truth ; that idolatry, and the 
 leprosy of manifold errors and corruptions, did quickly 
 spread themselves over the face of that church and 
 nation, that if the Lord had not been graciously pleased 
 to raise up some good kings, who in the zeal of God, and 
 conscience of (heir duty, did employ their power for de- 
 stroying of idolatry and false worship, and for making 
 the people to serve the Lord God of their fathers, ac- 
 cording to the law, and the testimony : It had fared no 
 better with them, than it did with the church of Israel, 
 or of the ten tribes, who came by their sinful neglect 
 of the things of God, and tolerating and protecting of 
 false worship, in a few generations, to lose the sub- 
 stantiate of religion, and the very face of a church, 
 and of a state too. What sad instances were of these 
 things in the days of Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Je* 
 horam, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Ahaz, Matiassch, 
 Ammon, Jekoiakim, $c. 2. When about the time of 
 the incarnation of our blessed Lord, and his being on 
 the earth, sundry sects were tolerated in the church 
 of the Jews, did they not come at last to be all over- 
 grown with nettles and thorns, and to lose the being 
 and face of a church ? It is worthy of observation, that 
 the men of that time, who were zealous patrons of to- 
 leration, were in the just judgment of God given up 
 to themselves, to be zealous opposers of the gospel, 
 and to crucify the Lord of glory. 3. It would be con- 
 sidered, what hath already been the sad and dreadful 
 effects of this toleration in these nations -, is not the * 
 
59 
 
 glory of God trodden under foot, the precious truths 
 of the gospel corrupted and perverted, the ordinances 
 of Jesus Christ contemned and cried down, the go- 
 vernment and discipline of the kirk in a great measure 
 overthrown, the worship of God despised and profaned, 
 the Lord's day disregarded and casten loose, the 
 power of godliness eaten out, and the whole work 
 of reformation obstructed, and in many things over- 
 turned, many souls subverted, popery, libertinism, 
 superstition, heresy, schism, atheism, profaneness, and 
 many things contrary to sound doctrine, increased ? 
 And if there be such a growth of so dreadful evils, 
 in so few years, and whilst that generation is yet liv- 
 ing, whom God brought back from the borders of 
 Babylon, (to which we were threatened to be carried 
 captive under the corruptions and tyranny of the pre- 
 lates ?) And who have seen the wonderful works of 
 the Lord in that great deliverance, and have lifted up 
 our hands to heaven, to swear by him that liveth, 
 and reigneth for evermore, that we would endeavour 
 the extirpation of these things ? What is to be expect- 
 ed if this toleration shall continue, and be transmitted 
 to our posterity, but darkness instead of divination, 
 and that darkness shall cover the land, and gross dark- 
 ness the people? 4. Let us suppose that such a to- 
 leration were granted unto men, in the things that re- 
 late unto the duties of righteousness, that are com- 
 manded in the second table of the law, to wit, that they 
 might without controlment of the civil authority, and 
 with assurance of protection from the same, walk in 
 these things, according to the dictates of their own 
 spirits, and imaginations and inclinations of their own 
 
60 
 
 hearts ; were it possible, that there could belong pence 
 to him that goes out, or to him that cometh in * 7 or 
 that goods, or good name, or chastity, or life, could 
 be long preserved : should not the whole land, in a very 
 short time, be filled with rapine, and oppression, and 
 violence, with thefts and robberies, and slanders, with 
 fornications, adulteries, and incests, with blood and 
 murder, and every sort of abominations ? And is there 
 not in the heart of man as great, if not greater, pravity, 
 in order to the duties of the first table, as to these of 
 the second table ? Nature's light, in our corrupt state, 
 being more eclipsed and depraved in the one than in 
 the other j can we then expect any better fruit of this 
 toleration, id order to the things of God, and that do 
 concern religion, that it would produce in reference to 
 the things of men, and that do concern righteousness ? 
 Upon this account it is, that as God hath revealed, 
 in his word, the rule, both of religion and righteous- 
 ness, according to which he hath commanded us to 
 walk in his matters, and in the matters of men, and 
 not according to the imaginations of our own hearts, 
 doing what seemeth good unto us in our own eyes, 
 either in the one, or in the other \ so hath he appoint- 
 ed civil governments and magistrates amongst the 
 children of men, that they might be keepers of both 
 tables of his law, and that by keeping of both, they 
 ini^ht preserve both religion and righteousness, which 
 do otherwise (without a mighty hand of more than or- 
 dinary providence) soon go to ruin, when rulers are 
 not a terror to evil works that are done against both. 
 5. As toleration doth bring forth the sad fruits already 
 mentioned ; so doth the mother and daughter, both of 
 
61 
 
 them, provoke the Lord, to give up men to vile affec- 
 tions, and to give them over to a reprobate mind, to do 
 things not convenient, as appeareth from the last part 
 of the first chapter of the epistle to the Romans; and 
 so bringeth at last the ruin both of religion and righ- 
 teousness, and destruction from the presence of the 
 Lord, and from the glory of his power : All which, 
 with many other obvious considerations that uould 
 be tedious to insist upon, may make it evident to such 
 as will impartially, and without prejudice, weigh the 
 same in the balance of the Lord's sanctuary, and of 
 reason and experience ; that as the spirit of error and 
 delusion hath singular advantage, so religion is in im- 
 minent hazard thereby. 
 
 CONSIDERATION FOURTH. 
 
 From /he ignorance, unfricl fulness, instability, loose- 
 ness, and profanity, that do abound in the land at 
 this time. 
 
 Dangers and diseases, whether natural, or moral, or 
 spiritual, are more or less to be feared, according to 
 the weakness or strength, the disposition or indisposi- 
 tion of the object about which they are conversant, to 
 resist or receive the same, as weak and ill complexion- 
 ed bodies are readily obnoxious to sickness, and do 
 soon receive infection, and unwise, and unvigilant 
 states arc easily deceived, and soon broken, and put 
 
62 
 
 mto confusion j so ignorant, or unstable, or carnal, or 
 profane souls, do easily become a prey to temptations, 
 whether in the matter of their profession, or of their 
 conversation; their ignorance, and want of watchful- 
 ness, rendering them blind as to the discovering of 
 the snare j and their want of spiritual life and strength, 
 rendering them impotent and indisposed, as to the 
 avoiding and resisting of it j and their instability and 
 looseness, inclining and disposing them to tamper 
 and dally with it : By which it cometh to pass, that 
 they are easily and often entangled, especially in a time 
 of abounding temptations; yea, it is righteous with 
 the Lord, because they do not like to retain him in 
 their knowledge, to give them up to a mind void -of 
 judgment * ? and because they receive not the love of 
 the truth, to send them strong delusion, to believe a 
 lie. Hence it was, that the world in older times, both 
 before and after the flood, came to be drowned in gross 
 superstition, and abominable idolatry, and that a great 
 part of the Christian church in latter ages, came to be 
 drowned in JSIaliomctunism and popery. Now, if we 
 shall look through the breadth of our land, may we 
 not find, that there are multitudes of ignorant souk, 
 who do scarce know the first and most common prin- 
 ciples of Christian religion, much less have they their 
 <cr>ses exercised in the knowledge of the truth, and of 
 the Holy Scriptures, which are the ground thereof f 
 And how many do sit down satisfied with a very small 
 measure of knowledge, taking many precious and ne- 
 cessary truths upon mere tradition from their ances- 
 tors and teachers, without searching the scriptures, 
 whether these things be so, that they may attain in 
 
63 
 
 themselves a warrantable and well grounded persuasion 
 thereof? By which it cometh to pass, that sundry 
 such meeting with deceivers, come to be soon shaken 
 in their minds. Be there not also many simple and 
 unstable souls, who are as reeds shaken with the wind, 
 and apt to be driven to and fro with every wind of 
 doctrine? And be there not many lukewarm and in- 
 different, and of a carnally politic spirit, who care for 
 none of these things? Be there not many loose and 
 profane, all which are apt to cast off the profession of 
 the truth, and to be easily seduced and drawn away 
 into error? Because, though happily many such do 
 not much regard either truth or error, yet when 
 error is like to prevail, and come into reputation, and 
 the owning thereof to be attended with carnal or civil 
 advantages, they can easily be induced to shape their 
 garments, and wear their clothes, according to the 
 fashion of the time. Yea, their carnal mind which is 
 enmity to God, is also enmity to his truth, and doth 
 dispose them to cast off the yoke thereof, which they 
 are easily persuaded to do, when there is nothing to 
 hinder it, but naked respect to the truth itself. Every 
 man in some sense naturally is a heretic, having the 
 seeds of error in his soul, and an aptitude and inclina- 
 tion to bring forth these bitter grapes of wormwood 
 and of gall * ? and the more that he liveth in formality, 
 and hypocrisy, and looseness, these seeds do in the 
 common body of sin that is in him, receive the more 
 increase and strength, and become the more apt to 
 bring forth their own native fruit. There is also, no 
 doubt, a great sibness between errors of judgment, 
 and looseness of conversaton, and an easy passage from 
 
64 
 
 the one to the other : a heretic is easily made vicious 
 and profane, and a vicious and profane man, is easily 
 made a heretic * ? a great part of the Christian world 
 first turned formal, and carnal, then Arfian and Xc- 
 storian, &c. and in the end Mahometan, Do we hot 
 see that looseness and profanity in the conversation of 
 sundry, doth easily usher in popery in their profession 
 but much more swiftly do such men by swarms, decline 
 from the truth, and embrace errors, when to their 
 natural inclination and corrupt disposition, tempor- 
 ary advantages or disadvantages, the countenance or 
 disrespect, the command or threatening of civil au- 
 thority, cometh to besupperadded ? Hence it is, that 
 the bulk of sundry people and nations have, after their 
 receiving and professing of the truth, sometimes sud- 
 denly shaken it oft" again, and turned aside into errors, 
 whereof we have many instances, both in sacred and in 
 church story. Therefore, albeit the truth is for the 
 present professed in purity by the inhabitants of this 
 land ', yet, there being amongst the body of the peo- 
 ple, such a multitude of ignorant, lukewarm, unstable 
 loose souls, who have lived and grown up in these sins 
 for many years together, under the light of the gospel, 
 as they may be easily made a prey to the temptations 
 unto error and delusion, that do already abound 
 amongst us \ so there is just cause to fear, that if the 
 Lord shall for the further punishment of our provoca- 
 tions, give us up into the hand of a popish or heretical 
 power, who shall join their profession by a law, that 
 many such would soon turn popish or heretical. And 
 whether this may not be our lot to be exercised with 
 such a trial, I leave it to wise men to judge. 
 
65 
 
 CONSIDERATION FIFTH. 
 
 From the great decay of a true public spirit, and of 
 diligence, and zeal, and watchfulness in the things 
 of God, from the great increase of a spirit of sloth, 
 and neutrality, and security amongst us. 
 
 Though in the things of God it be eminently true, 
 that except the Lord build the house, the builder build- 
 eth in vain ; except the Lord keep the city, the watch* 
 men watcheth in vain ; yet doth he call upon and com- 
 mand his people to be zealous for his house, and 
 to be faithful and watchful in the things that relate 
 thereunto ^ the blessing is his, and the duty is ours: And 
 as it is a token for good, when his people are cordial 
 and active for his interests, so it is a prognostic of ruin 
 and decay, when they become neutral and indiffe- 
 rent, and deal with a slack hand, and wax secure in 
 the midst of dangers : In speaking to this, it is not 
 my purpose to charge backsliding upon any party or 
 person in the land, upon the account of public diffe- 
 rences; I think, that without reflecting upon these, or 
 giving offence to any that are concerned therein, upon 
 one hand or another, that taking the body of this church 
 complexly, it may be truly said, that there is a great 
 decay of a true public spirit, and of former integrity, 
 and diligence, and zeal, and watchfulness for the things 
 of God amongst us, aud that no party is so insensible 
 of their own guilt, or so tenacious of their own inno- 
 cence, that they will deny this ; I do not speak as to 
 appearing nor acting in civil capacities, the Lord hav- 
 d2 
 
66 
 
 ing broke civil government to pieces, and casten by 
 our governors as broken vessels, whereof he maketh 
 no use for the defence and preservation of religion ; 
 but what a decay is upon us, as to many of those 
 things that do beseem us as Christians, especially in 
 such 8n hour of temptation, and when the public 
 cause of God, and all the precious interests of Jesus 
 Christ, and of his kingdom, are in so imminent hazard. 
 It is true that every man hath his gifts and station as- 
 signed him of God, accordingto the measure and bounds 
 of which, without overreaching, (a thing too common 
 in these evil days) he is to demean himself: But it 
 is also true, that all of us being members of the body 
 of Christ, and having an interest in the things that 
 concern his kingdom, we ought to be so far of public 
 spirits, as not only cordially to wish well unto, and 
 pray for the body and common interests thereof, but 
 also according to the talents we have received of him, 
 and in our station, and as we are thereunto called of 
 God, to put forth ourselves chearfully and actively for 
 the good of the same, whether by doing or suffering. 
 The public cause and work of God was wont to be 
 precious and dear unto us * ? and the time was when no 
 pains, nor expense, nor hazard, was declined, for pre- 
 serving or promoting thereof: We were wont to stir 
 up ourselves, and to stir up one another, and to wres- 
 tle with God in prayer and supplication together and 
 apart, for setting up of Jerusalem and making her a 
 praise in the earth. The time was, when upon the ap- 
 pearing of any danger to religion, though happily but 
 afar off, and far inferior to many dangers that are now 
 within our bowels, seasonable and clear warning was 
 
67 
 
 given thereof, by the .'body of the watchmen in the 
 land, and many private Christians made it their work' 
 to deal seriously with God in the secret watches of 
 the night, for preventing of the same j and many were 
 found of every rank and condition throughout the 
 land, who did readily put forth themselves in their 
 stations and callings, to prevent future and remove 
 present prejudices to religion. The time was, when 
 the things of God were more minded and sought than 
 our own things, his matters were wont to have the 
 preference in all public councils and transactions 
 amongst us, and as public motions and overtures did 
 tend to the promoting or prejudicing of the things of 
 God, so they were wont to be entertained or rejected, 
 ki public meetings \ civil interests were wont to be 
 carried on in subordination to those that are spiri- 
 tual, our own safety and security was wont to be 
 minded, in subordination to the safety and security ef 
 religion, and of the kingdom of Jesus Christ \ but now 
 such a public, and tender, and vigilant spirit is in a 
 great measure gone from amongst us, and instead 
 thereof, neutrality, and indifference, and carnal se- 
 curity, possesseth many as to what concerneth religion 
 and the kingdom of Jesus Christ ; and to many it 
 seemeth to be but of small concernment, whether the 
 Lord's matters sink or swim - ? many seek their own 
 things, and study to secure themselves, and their own 
 matters, but few seek the things of Jesus Christ, or 
 care for the preserving or the securing of his interest : 
 Is it not for a lamentation that in the public meetings 
 which have been kept in the several shires of this na- 
 tion, these eight or nine years past, there hath been 
 
68 
 
 little or no care, or resentment of religion, or of the 
 work of God, but these tilings have been in a great 
 measure forgotten or laid aside, as if we were not a 
 people devoted to the Lord ', or, as if religion were 
 nothing of our concernment *, or, as if all that care did 
 belong to ministers only : To these it is indeed in a 
 special way incumbent to take care thereof j and would 
 to God, that all of us who bear that name, did endea- 
 vour to be faithful and vigilant in this hour of tempta- 
 tion : There is no doubt, but we, even we also, have 
 our own faintings and failings as to many things that 
 are called for in such a day, and that our breaches 
 have both weakened ourselves, and blunted and 
 stumbled others : But surely neither all the fault, 
 nor all the duty is ours only. As the several ranks 
 and estates of the land were honoured of God to be 
 eminently instrumental, both in the beginning and 
 progress of the work of reformation, for sundry years 
 together, so there is no question, but it is still incum- 
 bent to them in duty, in their several stations and 
 callings, according to the oath of God in the covenant, 
 really, constantly, and sincerely, all the days of their 
 life, to endeavour the preservation of the reformed re- 
 ligion in the church of Scotland, in doctrine, worship, 
 discipline, and government, and not to give themselves 
 over to indifference and neutrality thereancnt, or to 
 give themselves to be possessed with a spirit of car- 
 nal security and negligence in reference thereto. I 
 do not doubt, but the conscience and care of their 
 duty, is upon the hearts of some of all ranks in the 
 land j but who can deny that a spirit of security and 
 neutrality had prevailed upon many. Flesh and 
 
69 
 
 blood, and carnal wisdom, will not want excuses in 
 these matters; but if we shall enter into the sanctuary 
 of the Lord, and weigh it in his balance, it cannot 
 be excused, that the covenant and cause of God, that 
 religion and the interests of Jesus Christ, should be so 
 much forgotten and laid aside, and that there should 
 be so small resentment of the injuries that are doae 
 thereunto j and that no security nor remedy against 
 the encroachments that are made thereupon, and the 
 dangers that threaten the same, should be so much 
 as propounded, or desired. How far is this from that 
 which we were once at, and is there not cause to fear, 
 that because of this luke-warmness, God shall spew us 
 out of his mouth, as he threateneth to do unto the 
 Church of Laodicea, because she was neither hot nor 
 cold, but lukewarm in the matters of God, Rev. iii. 16. 
 
 CONSIDERATION SIXTH. 
 
 From the Divisions that arc amongst us. 
 
 Whilst I am speaking of those dangers that are in- 
 testine, and do minister advantage to the spirit of 
 error and delusion, I cannot overpass our divisions, 
 that being a danger that is none of the smallest : It is 
 the assertion of our blessed Lord Jesus, which reason 
 and experience doth verify, that a kingdom divided 
 against itself cannot stand *, and how sad are these 
 divisions which are in Scotland at this day, I shall not 
 
70 
 
 insist on these that do concern civil goi 
 which yet, wherever they are, have no small influ- 
 ence upon things religious j men being oftentimes apt 
 to follow that way, even in the things of God, that 
 seemeth most to contribute for setting up or settling 
 these civil governments and governors, which th'Jr 
 hearts did most affect, and their endeavours thercanent, 
 together with the reciprocal endeavours of these 
 governors * ? themselves having oftentimes no small 
 tendencv unto the altering or changing somewhat in 
 religion ; but waving these things, is there not differ- 
 ence and division amongst us, even in order to things 
 religious? viz, the discipline and government of the 
 church, and the covenant, and a great part of the late 
 work of reformation, &c. It is true, there hath been 
 external subjection in these things by the body of the 
 inhabitants of this land, but it were to shut our eyes, 
 and to befool ourselves in the clear day, to think that 
 all those who did externally subject themselves there- 
 unto, before the year 1650, do now approve thereof, 
 the practices and professions of many witnessing the 
 contrary * ? some being openly fallen off to Independ- 
 ency, some to Anabaplism, some to Quakerism, and 
 many being fraughted with the old malignant enmity 
 against the covenant, and the work of reformation, 
 and the discipline, and the government of the church, 
 speaking evil of, and reproaching these things at their 
 pleasure, and making it manifest, that they would be 
 glad of any means and opportunity to bear down and 
 overturn the same ; and how sad are these divisions 
 that are amongst us of the ministry ? How are the 
 watchmen, who ought to see with one eye, and to 
 
71 
 
 $peak with ore tongue, and to bear with one shoulder, 
 divided amongst themselves ? It is not my purpose 
 at present to discover the fountain of this evil, or to 
 impute the guilt thereof to one rather than to another; 
 neither do I mean from the bad consequences of our 
 divisions, to debate innocence and truth into silence, 
 or to persuade to an union upon any terms, though 
 with the increase of our sin against God, and with the 
 greater prejudice of his work, and with more offence 
 to the consciences of those that are truly tender and 
 godly, but simply to hold forth, that the division doth 
 in many respects threaten danger to religion, and the 
 ordinances of Jesus Christ amongst us, that so the 
 true causes and right cure thereof may be searched in- 
 to and studied. 1st. It giveth advantage to adversaries 
 to cast slanders and imputations upon our church, 
 and the government thereof, as having (if they may 
 be believed) little or nothing of that unity, and 
 peace, and love, that becometh the»true church and 
 pastors of Jesus Christ. 2. It doth lay a stumb- 
 ling block in the way, not only of ignorant and carnal, 
 and profane men, to make them cast at religion and 
 reformation, but also of some less knowing, and weak 
 amongst the godly, who are brought to doubt which 
 way to follow, whilst they see some learned and godly 
 ministers pleading for one thing, and others also learn- 
 ed and godly pleading for another. 3. It doth much 
 harden and confirm such of that party in the land, 
 who formerly opposed the work of reformation, and do 
 retain their enmity thereto, that it is not a work that 
 hath been of God, as having no consistence, nor con- 
 cord with itself, but like to pull down and destroy it- 
 
M 
 
 self by the divisions that arc amongst the chief instru- 
 ments thereof. 4. It doth divert the judicatories of 
 the kirk, and the members thereof, from employing 
 themselves against the common adversaries, and pro- 
 moting the exercises and power of godliness. 5. It 
 maketh discipline and church censures sundry times 
 to be disregarded, as not proceeding from presbyteries 
 and synods jointly, but oftentimes in a divided way. 
 G. It breedeth sundry inconveniences in the planting 
 of churches, sometimes obstructing the plantation for 
 sundry years together, sometimes planting them with 
 men not satisfyingly qualified, sometimes making two 
 differing plantations in one congregation, by which 
 both the ministers and the people come to be divided, 
 or the dissatisfied party, if they cannot win at a minis- 
 ter, to be casten loose, and left without a ministry, 
 and the benefit of the public ordinances. 7- The door 
 is thereby shut sundry times, against sundry able and 
 godly expectant?, who are thereby kept from entering 
 into the ministry. 8. Advantage is thereby given to 
 disaffected people in some congregations, to separate 
 and withdraw from their own lawful pastors, and either 
 to cast themselves loose of the ordinances, or else to 
 call and set up others in an inorderly way. £)• It doth 
 rqtard and obstruct the purging of the church from | 
 insufficient and scandalous ministers and elders, which 
 do shelter themselves, and arc taken but too little no- 
 tice of, under these differences and divisions. 10. It 
 doth occasion men in the heat of their debates, anent 
 these differences, to run too far upon the asserting 
 and venting of things for the defence of their own 
 opinions and judgments, that may prove seeds and in- 
 
73 
 
 fes to tenets and evils that are of greater and more 
 dangerous consequence. 1 1. It doth in no small mea- 
 sure alienate the minds, and estrange the hearts and 
 affections of good men one from another, and weaken 
 them in their prayers before God one for another, and 
 in that confidence and cordialness that they should 
 have in their joint carrying on of common and uncon- 
 iioverted duties ; all which, as they are present preju- 
 dices to religion and the work of God ; so being con- 
 tinued, are like to prove more and more dangerous and 
 destructive thereunto. 
 
 CONSIDERATION SEVENTH. 
 
 From the attempts and assaults that are made by many 
 upon the ordinances of Jesus Christ. 
 
 As this inferior world, without the light of the sun, 
 would be but a mass of darkness and confusion, so 
 would the church militant without ordinances *, and as 
 food is necessary for preserving of the life of the body, 
 so hath God appointed, that in our pilgrim condition 
 here below, the soul's life should depend upon the use 
 of his ordinances \ what is religion but a conscientious 
 worshipping of God, after the manner, and in the use 
 of the ordinances prescribed by himself? And yet I 
 do not know if, in any generation, the ordinances of 
 God have been more directly struck at, than they are 
 by many in these nations at tins day. I shall pass 
 
74 
 
 that fanatic generation of familisis, that cry down all 
 worship and ordinances, as things below a saint's con- 
 dition, sundry of which as wandering stars be travel- 
 ling up and down these lands; but let us a little con- 
 sider what attempts and assaults are made by many 
 against the word of God, and the preaching thereof, 
 against the sacraments, against the Lord's day, against 
 the ministry, and against the discipline and govern- 
 ment of the church ; which things are the very pillars 
 of religion, that being destroyed, religion cannot but 
 evanish and turn into nothing. As to the holy word 
 of God contained in the scriptures of truth ; there be 
 not only sundry Jcsuites and Seminary-Priests* lark- 
 ing in sundry places of the land, who cry down the 
 perfection and authority of the scriptures, and the 
 reading thereof in our vulgar tongue, and the Bibles 
 which are in peoples hands, as false, and corrupt, and 
 heretical translations, and do commend unto them the 
 authority of the church of Home, and her traditions, 
 for the ground of salvation, and the old latin version 
 for the authentic text of the scripture, and the Bible 
 of DoTvay for the best and purest English version, and 
 all our public worship as corrupt j but we have also 
 the whole tribe of the Quakers concurring and con- 
 spiring to the utmost of their power to cry down the 
 divinity and authority of the written word of God, 
 and to persuade such as will believe them, that the 
 scriptures have no authority over men's consciences, 
 and that no command in Scripture that was given to 
 others, doth bind us, save what we have an impulse 
 upon our own spirits for, and that cvvvy man in the 
 world hath a light within him, sufficient to guide bin 
 
unto salvation , without the help of any outward light 
 or discovery, and that the dictates of this inward light 
 are the infallible dictates of the Spirit of God, which 
 every one is bound to hearken unto. This, as it is 
 one of the most imprudent, so it is one of the most 
 compendious ways that ever was taken by satan, for 
 striking at the root of Christian religion, and banish- 
 ing of it out of the world. If the scriptures be not 
 the word of God, what have we for the ground of our 
 faith, and rule of our duty ? The light that is within 
 us, when not derived from, and founded upon, and 
 agreeable unto the law and the testimony, is but dark- 
 ness, and leadeth us unto as many by-paths of divi- 
 sion and destruction, as our corrupt fancy can devise, 
 or the father of lies suggest unto us * ? neither are these 
 men any greater friends to the sacraments instituted 
 and appointed by Jesus Christ under the gospel, they 
 cry down baptism with water, and the Lord's supper, 
 as being but types and shadows, ceasing upon the ap- 
 pearance of Christ within them. The Anabaptists 
 also, though they do not simply deny nor oppugn 
 the ordinance of baptism, yet by denying and oppugn- 
 ing the baptism of infants, born within the visible 
 church, they do not only at one dash un-baptize and un- 
 church all the thousands of our Israel, but do also 
 leave our children and posterity, in regard of any co- 
 venant-privilege, or seal, in little or no better condition, 
 than those of infidels or pagans j and how prevailing an 
 opinion and party this is in these nations at this day, is 
 manifest enough. The Lord's day, though a moral 
 and divine institution, and generally acknowledged 
 in the churches of Christ, to be the key of religion, 
 
76 
 
 and that ordinance which kcepcth all the rest in life 
 and being, by separating us one day of excry week 
 from the world and worldly business, to be solemnly 
 set apart and exercised in religious duties, chiefly 
 those that concern the public worship of God, in the 
 public assemblies of his people j yet is by many of the 
 sectaries of this time, also cried down, and the keep- 
 ing thereof slighted and opposed, which being added 
 to that natural aversness and enmity that is in the 
 hearts of all carnal and profane men, (the number of 
 which in all quarters of our land is not small) unto 
 the giving or keeping a day unto the Lord, threatens 
 no small danger unto this most necessary and divine 
 institution, and to the public worship of God. What 
 is more like to take with worldly-minded men, and 
 wanton persons, and libertines, than this, that all days 
 are alike, and that the Lord's day is but a device of 
 man, and a yoke, and a bondage upon the necks of 
 the disciples, from which they ought to deliver them- 
 selves ? This being one of the things which carnal 
 hearts do most desire and hunt after * ? when carnal li- 
 berty getteth conscience upon its side, and carnal li- 
 centious practices get under the shadow of religious 
 opinions, they do then wax bold as lions, and tear in 
 pieces the precious truths and commandments of God 
 that stand in their way j and this is like to prove in 
 the matter of the Lord's day. And not only are mi- 
 nisters had in derision, and contempt, and railed upon, 
 and reviled as deceivers, thieves, robbers, Baal's 
 priests, conjurers, antichrists, witches, devils, Symon's 
 serpents, bloody hcrodians, scarlet-coloured beasts } 
 Babylon's merchants, wolves, dogs, swine ; Sodomites, 
 
77 
 
 murderers, ministers of darkness, cursed speakers \ Cains 
 stock, vagabonds, who walk in the way of Cain, Balaam, 
 and Core, and what not that a malicious heart can 
 invent, and a violent tongue utter \ but the ordinance 
 of the ministry itself is also cried down, as altogether 
 needless, and burdensome to the Lord's people under 
 the gospel, who (if some of these men may be believed) 
 have no need of any outward teaching, by reading or 
 hearing the Scriptures opened or applied, that light 
 within them being sufficient to teach them in the 
 knowledge of the will of God , as to all these things 
 that concern their duty and salvation, or as others of 
 these men will have it, all of them are warranted to be 
 teachers themselves, and that a peculiar office of 
 a teaching or preaching ministry, is no ordinance of 
 Christ ; or if any such be, that they are not to be by 
 any immediate call from man, but by an immediate call 
 from God, and the peculiar instinct of the Holy Ghost. 
 I may add these things, the general disrespect and 
 disestcem that prevaileth on the hearts, and appearetfa 
 in the carriage of disaffected and profane men to the 
 ministry - y together with a strong inclination that is in 
 many to have ministers according to their own hearts, 
 who will speak smooth things unto them, and heal their 
 hurt slightly, and that the maintenance of entrance to 
 the ministry, to which there was wont to be free and le- 
 gal access by virtue of their ordination, is now seized upon 
 by the civil power, who do not allow it to any, but upon 
 condition of their declaring their resolution to live 
 peaceably under the present government j and lor the dis- 
 cipline and government of the church, not only are the 
 civil laws that concern the upholding thereof, and giv- 
 
78 
 
 ing obedience thereunto repealed, and liberty allowed 
 to all those who are pleased to speak or write against 
 it, or withdraw their subjection therefrom ; but other 
 sorts also of kirk discipline and government that are 
 destructive thereunto, are set up and promoted, and 
 protected, and countenanced amongst us. These 
 things being so, is it not past all question, that the 
 pillars of religion, which is wisdom's house, are in ha- 
 zard to be overthrown by the malicious and subtile 
 devices of satan ? And that it is high time for us to 
 awake, and see our danger, lest, ere we be aware, we 
 be spoiled of the precious treasure of the gospel, and 
 blessed ordinances of Jesus Christ, by which we live, 
 and in which is the life of our. souls. 
 
 DANGER EIGHT. 
 
 From the growth and increase of popery in the land. 
 
 That the pope and his party hath these many years 
 past, had a special eye upon Britain, and upon this 
 nation as a part thereof, for reducing the same into the 
 obedience of the see of Rome, is better known than 
 that I need to insist upon the proof of it ; and there- 
 fore hath he always had his emissaries the Jesuits and 
 Seminary -Priests, travelling up and down in this is- 
 land, under diverse masks, for perverting of souls, and 
 setting plots and conspiracies on foot, for compassing 
 the design. How much their hopes were heightened, 
 
79 
 
 and in what a fair way they were for bringing it about, 
 before the year 163S, is fresh in remembrance \ and 
 although these hopes were in a great measure blasted 
 by the reformation then begun in Scotland, and pros- 
 perously carried on in both nations for sundry years 
 thereafter j yet are they now again revived under our 
 present distempers and confusions, which (especially 
 by reason of the vast toleration of errors and heresies, 
 of which I have already spoke) do minister unto papists 
 great and singular advantages, for promoting and 
 compassing their design. Not only is liberty afforded 
 them to vent most part of the popish doctrine, (which 
 keeping of the pope's supremacy, and the popish hier- 
 archy, with some other things of that kinds, they may 
 do without hazard) but these penal statutes and laws, 
 which concern men's going to church, and attend- 
 ing the word and sacraments, &c. being taken away, 
 they have liberty to withdraw themselves from 
 the ordinances and means of conviction, and in- 
 struction, and may keep their own private meetings 
 with their ghostly fathers at home, without regard to 
 the censures of the church : and, in the meanwhile, 
 Jesuites and Seminary-Priests, come not a few of them 
 into the country, and do import, or cause to be im- 
 ported, numbers of popish pamphlets, which are indus- 
 triously spread, and put into the hands of such as they 
 perceive in any measure inclinable to their way, or by 
 reason of their malignant disposition, to be in dislike 
 with the covenant, or the government and discipline 
 of the church, or any part of the work of reformation, 
 or to be ignorant or loose in their conversation. Nei- 
 ther are sundry of them wanting, in the meanwhile, 
 
80 
 
 to the outmost of their power, by subtile and fair 
 speeches, to draw away such from the purity of their 
 profession, and to instil into them the love of the 
 way of the Church of Rome, as that which was the 
 religion of our fore-fathers. Not a few papists also, 
 who had formerly left the country, because of the 
 strictness of the laws, do now return home again, and 
 others who staid at home, and did profess subjection 
 and conformity to the church, do now withdraw and 
 openly avow themselves to be papists: Neither is 
 their advantage small by the remnant of the malig- 
 nant and prelatical party that is yet amongst us : 
 These also having a great enmity against the covenant 
 and government of the church, and the work of re- 
 formation : And there being in sundry things a 
 great sympathy between these parties, and a great 
 sibness in their principles and ways, and a deal of 
 readiness to correspond together, and to countenance 
 one another: By these means, and such as these 
 it comes to pass, that popery grows and spreads in se- 
 veral places of the land from year to year, to which if 
 we shall add, the correspondence that papists have 
 with, and the encouragements they have from their 
 friends abroad, together with the design (which } nth 
 been long a-hatching) of the popish leaguers beyond 
 sea, their invading of Britain as the strongest bul- 
 wark of the protestant cause, that it being brought un- 
 der, they may the more easily make a prey of the rest 
 of the protestant states and churches, and that this 
 invasion is like to be stated upon such a quarrel, and 
 carried on nder such a pretext as will engage the af- 
 fection and rssistance of some, and blunt the opposi- 
 
81 
 
 tion of others : Do not all these things, put together, 
 much heighten the danger of the true protestant re- 
 ligion in Scotland. 
 
 DANGER NINTH. 
 
 From our guiltiness in many of these things for which 
 the Lord threaieneth to depart, a?id remove his can- 
 dlestick. 
 
 I have spoken of sundry sins that do abound amongst 
 us, as they do weaken the soul, in resisting of tempta- 
 tions, and in following of those duties that are neces- 
 sary for preserving of religion in its purity and pow- 
 er, and as inlets to dispose unto things that are contra- 
 ry and destructive thereunto. I shall now resume some 
 of these sins, and add thereunto some others, where- 
 of we are in a great measure guilty, for which the 
 Lord threateneth to depart, and remove his can- 
 dlestick. The first I name is, that gross ignor- 
 ance of the gospel, and of the necessary truths of 
 God that possesseth multitudes of our land in this 
 clear gospel-day, and under the plcntj' of the means 
 of knowledge } — is not this the condemnation of roanVj 
 that light is come amongst us, and that they lo\c 
 darkness rather than light; — the ignorance of many is 
 affected and perverse, and therefore without Excuse : 
 Is there not cause to fear that dreadful word. // is a 
 
 E 
 
82 
 
 people of no understanding, therefore he that made therm 
 will have no mcrcij on them, and he that formed them, 
 will shew them no favour, Isa. xxii. 11. And that of 
 another of the prophets, he thou instructed Jerusa- 
 lem, lest my soul depart from thee, Jer. vi. 8. The se- 
 cond is, the abounding and prevailing formality that 
 is amongst us, or a form of godliness without the 
 power thereof, because of this, the Lord threatens to 
 send delusion, strong delusion, upon a people that they 
 may believe a lie, 2 The*, ii, 10, 11, 12, yea, to chuse 
 their delusions, and bring their fears upon them, Isa. 
 Jxvi. 3, 4. And do not such delusions seem to be the 
 proper plague of these nations at this time, chosen and 
 sent of God for pun : diing our formality : Hath there 
 been at any time more strong delusion, whether we 
 look unto the multiplicity and monstrousness of the 
 errors that are hatcked and vented, or multitude of 
 the persons that have come quickly to be infected 
 therewith : This is doubtless a piece of the hour and 
 power of darkness, wherein satan is loosened out of his 
 prison, and is gone forth to deceive these nations, and 
 when delusions are chosen and sent of God, and the 
 Holy One doth in his spotless and righteous providence, 
 for punishing the sins of men, say to the lying spirit, 
 who offers himself to be the minister of enticing of 
 souls, go forth, and thou shalt prevail, have not all of 
 us reason to tremble and fear, let him that thinhclh he 
 siandcth, take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. x. 12. The 
 third is, barrenness and unfruitfulness under the gospel, 
 for which the Lord threatens to take away the hedge of 
 his vineyard | — and it shall be eaten up, to break down 
 the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down, to lay 
 
83 
 
 it waste, and it shall not be pruned or digged, Isa. v. 
 6, 7, a charge is given by the master of the vineyard, 
 to cut down the fig-tree that yielded no fruit for three 
 years, Luke xiii. 7. And the Apostle telleth us, that 
 the earth that drinketh in the rain that cometh oft Up- 
 on it 9 and bi in geth forth nothing but thorns and this- 
 tles, is rejected and near unto cursing, Hcb. vi. 8. 
 And is not this in an eminent measure the sin of our 
 land? That notwithstanding the Lord doth plenti- 
 fully water us with the dew of heaven, and with the 
 sweet rain of the gospel, day by day, yet are we as 
 to most of us, an empty vine, that bringeth forth fruit 
 unto ourselves, but not unto Go 1. The fourth is, 
 slighting and loathing, and wearying of the precious 
 things of God, and the blessed opportunities thereof, 
 and preferring our own carnal and worldly advantages 
 thereunto, for which the Lord threatens that he will 
 cause the sun go down at noon-day, and that he will 
 darken the earth in the clear-day, and that he will 
 send a famine of hearing the words of the Lord, and 
 that his people shall wander from sea to sea, and from 
 the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro 
 to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it 
 Amos v\\u I, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12. And this sin also 
 reigneth amongst us : How many loath th^ ordinan- 
 ces, and slight the opportunities thereof? How main- 
 weary of the Lord's day, and half it between God and 
 the world? How is our blessed Lord Jesus and lire 
 inestimable treasure of the gospel valued by mattf at 
 a very low rate ? Many times less than thirty pieces of 
 silver ; that he may justly take up that sad complaint, 
 a goodly price that I was prhed at of than, Zrek. \\. 
 
84 
 
 IS, and break his statutes and be gone. The fifth it, 
 refusing to hearken unto God, for which my God,saith 
 the prophet Hosea, chap. ix. 17, will cast litem atvay : 
 Are we not a rebellious and gain-saying people, who 
 neither fear the threatenings of God to repent, nor en- 
 tertain his promises to believe, nor regard his com- 
 mandments to obey ? And may not the Lord upbraid 
 us as he did these cities, wherein most of his mighty 
 works were done, because they repented not, and bring 
 upon us the judgments and desolation threatened in that 
 place ? Malth. xi. 21, 22, £3, 24. May he not because 
 of our unbelief, cut us off, as he did the church of the 
 Jews, Rom. xi. 20. Doth nottheir example call upon u?, 
 not to be high minded, but to fear? May he not, because 
 of our disobedience, and that so many of us do refuse to 
 suffer him to reign over us, pass upon us that sad sentence 
 that is recorded, Luke xix. 27- The sixth is, that 
 which is written as the sin of the prophets, Jer. vi. 14. 
 EzeL xiii. 10, 16, 22. Ezek. xxxiv. 18, 19, Zl.Micah, 
 iii. v. for which the Lord threatens that night shall be 
 unto them, and that they shall not have a vision, that 
 it shall be dark unto them, that they shall not divine, 
 and that the sun shall go down over them. I do not 
 intend the application of this, to any upon the account 
 of the public difference, but without respect to parties, 
 or differences, it can hardly be denied, that though, 
 blessed be God for it, there be in the land many pre- 
 cious ministers of both judgments, who study to di- 
 vide the word of God aright, warning the wicked to 
 turn from the evil of his way, and encouraging the 
 godly in the pursuit and practice o^ godliness, and 
 speaking a word in sea. on to weary souls j yet tbec 
 
85 
 
 be not a few who heal the hurt of the daughter of the 
 Lord's people slightly, and do speak peace to those to 
 whom the Lord doth not speak peace } who thrust with 
 the side and the shoulder, and bite with the teeth those 
 who ought to be encouraged and comforted. It is 
 sadly bemoaned by the serious seekers of God, in 
 many places of the land, that the work of some mini- 
 sters is not to commend themselves to every man's 
 conscience, as in the sigfy of God, but to handle the 
 word of God deceitfully, in making sad the hearts of 
 the righteous, by turning the edge and application of 
 their doctrine against them, under the notion of hy- 
 pocrites and sectaries, and such like, and in strength- 
 ening the hands of the wicked that he should not re- 
 turn from his wicked way, by promising him 
 life, by which it cometh to pass, that sundry of the 
 people in sundry congregations, do bless themselves 
 in their hearts, and say, that they shall have peace, 
 though they walk in the imagination of their heart, to 
 add drukenness to thirst, and that the few seekers of 
 God that are in these congregations, or in the country 
 about, are looked upon by such, as the vilest and most 
 hateful of men, and their way more scarred at, than 
 that of the drunkard, or the common swearer , be- 
 cause of this, there is cause to fear that the Lord shall 
 accomplish the threatening of the prophet, by sending 
 darkness instead of divination The seventh is, deal- 
 ing treacherously with God in the matter of his cove- 
 nant, for which the Lord threateneth dreadful desolation, 
 Dcut. xxix. 22, 23, 24, 25. And in many Scriptures be- 
 sides, which threatenings he hath eminently verified 
 against the church of the Jctvs, who because of breach 
 of covenant, were cast out of his sight many hundred 
 
86 
 
 \ears ago, Mid have continued in that doleful and de- 
 solate condition unto this day *, and are not we, even 
 \\H2 also, those who have been unsteadfast, and have 
 dealt falsely in the covenant of God? 1 shall not de- 
 scend into particulars, about which there may be dif- 
 ference ) but sure 1 am, that cleaving unto God, and 
 close walking with him, and zeal for the kingdom of 
 Jesus Christ, and against the open enemies and ad- 
 versaries theieof, and the reforming of ourselves and 
 of our followers, in our several stations and capacities, 
 will be denied by none, to be amongst the great cnd.s. 
 whether of our baptismal covenant, or of our na- 
 tional covenant, or of the solemn league and co- 
 venant j and that every tender heart amongst us 
 v. ill also acknowledge, that most of us have not 
 only come exceedingly shoit, but most palpably 
 and grossly transgressed in order to all these 
 things, in so far, that the very obligation thereunto, 
 is not only forgotten, but trode under-foot of many ; 
 * sin that is much heightened by the greatness of the 
 Lord's mercies, and wonderful works manifested and 
 done in our behalf, in the contriving and carrying on 
 of these covenants, and by the openness and solemni- 
 ty of our way, in engaging of ourselves thereunto j 
 we may say, that because of the oath of the covenant, 
 the land mourneth, and that God hath a great and sore 
 controversy with us for this thing, and that there is 
 just cause to fear, that as he hath begun, so he will 
 continue to pursue the quarrel thereof, until he bring 
 darkness and desolation upon us, unless mercy shall 
 prevent us, by giving us to lepent and turn again to 
 himself. The eight is, Forsaking of our first love, 
 for which the Lord threateneth to remove the candle- 
 
87 
 
 stick of the church of Ephesns, Rev. ii. 4. which may 
 also breed us great fear, that our candlestick shall 
 be removed; and that upon these two grounds, first, 
 because we have in a very great measure left our first 
 love, and declined from our former attainments. I 
 shall not compare this generation of our church with 
 the generation of our father's \ I mean those who did 
 shake off the yoke of the Roman Antichrist, and em- 
 brace the light of the gospel, from whose zeal we are 
 far degenerated ; but let us compare ourselves with 
 ourselves, I mean what we are now, with what wc 
 once were, and that but a very few years ago, and see 
 if there be not cause to say, that we have left our first 
 love. I shall name but a few particulars, first, there 
 was in our love, not long ago,' a tender respect to all 
 the precious truths of God, with a fervent desire and 
 serious endeavour of attaining and possessing them in 
 their purity, which brought forth a deal of holy ab- 
 horrency, and indignation against every thing that 
 tended unto the leavening or corrupting of the same; 
 what if the toleration that is now amongst us , had 
 been but moved in Scotland, some ten years ago? 
 would it have been bruiked with so many close mouths, 
 and with so many dry eyes, as it is this day. Se- 
 condly, there was in our love a wonderful zeal for the 
 privileges of the church, and of Christ's visible king- 
 dom amongst us, that these might not be encroached 
 upon, nor born down by the powers of the world *, but 
 uow we can hear and see sad encroachments made by 
 these, and say little or nothing, against it, either be- 
 fore God or men. Thirdly, there was in our love a 
 great deal of zeal against that Litter root of malignan- 
 
88 
 
 I mean, that which is so diametrically opposite to 
 godliness, and to the kingdom of Jesus Christ; but 
 now it getteth leave to grow up kindly under our 
 shadow, and many are so favourable to it that thev 
 will scarce once name it, or suffer it to be named. 
 Fourthly, there was in our love a holy severity in 
 the exercise of church-discipline, for purging of the 
 house of God, especially against corrupt and scanda- 
 lous church -officers ; but that is in a great measure 
 slackened and gone. Fifthly, there was in our lovr 
 much Christian and cordial respect one to another, 
 which brought forlh sweet union, and concord, and 
 harmony in the judicatories of the kirk, and amongst 
 the ministers of the house of God, but now we bite 
 and devour one another. I might also name the 
 abating of our love to the ordinances, and to holy 
 duties , and to Christian-fellowship, and tenderness 
 of conversation. But passing these, I come to the 
 other ground of fear, and that is that we seem to 
 he much more fallen from our first love at this 
 day, than the church of Ephesus was fallen from hers, 
 when God threatened to remove her candlestick : Let 
 us look upon the text, and sec what Ephesus then was, 
 / know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, 
 (saith Jesus Christ unto her) and how thou canst not 
 bear them which are evil ; and thou hast tried them 
 which say they are apostles, and arc not, and hast found 
 them liars : And hast born, and hast patience, and for 
 my name sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted, D$ 
 wc deserve so great a testimony as this? Or, are we 
 not far short in these things ? Where are our works, 
 and where is our labour, and patience, and where is 
 
89 
 
 our zeal against those that are evil? Are we not a 
 barren and fruitless people? Is not our way the way 
 of the sluggard, and full of murmuring, and fretting? 
 Do we not bear with many who are evil ? and do we 
 not suffer many to go without trial, who say they are 
 pastors, and are not ? Do we not decline the cross of 
 Jesus Christ, and refuse to bear, and to labour for his 
 name? And do we not either faint, or turn aside to 
 crooked ways ? And shall we in all these things fall 
 so far short of Ephesus, and of her carriage, even when 
 the removal of her candlestick was threatened, and yet 
 not fear the removal of our candlestick? If we deal 
 impartially with ourselves, by considering all these 
 our provocations, which I have already named, and 
 many more that are but too obvious, and would be 
 tedious to insist upon, we cannot but be affrighted that 
 the Lord shall depart from amongst us ; yea, he hath 
 lii no small measure departed already, and this is that 
 to which I shall speak somewhat in the next place. 
 
 DANGER TENTH. 
 
 That the Lord who is our light, and life, and strength, 
 is in no small measure departed from us, and hath 
 smitten us with many plagues of heart. 
 
 The presence and appearances of God amongst a peo- 
 ple, are cither such as do concern them simply, as men 
 united together in civil society under civil government, 
 k 2 
 
90 
 
 in order to righteousness and peace, or such as concern 
 them, as Christian men united in a church-state, under 
 ecclesiastic and spiritual government, in order to truth 
 and holiness. Of the first sort, are these which are 
 manifested in the common operations and effects of 
 the spirit, when He giveth unto them the gifts of know- 
 ledge, wisdom, fortitude, temperance, justice, courage, 
 and such like, in reference to civil administrations, 
 and blesseth, and prospereth them in the exercise there- 
 of; so the Lord was with Cyrus, whose right hand he 
 did hold to subdue nations before him, and to loose 
 the loins of kings, and to open before him the two 
 leaved gates, &c. Isa. xlv. 1. &c. Of the other sort, 
 are either these, which are manifested in the more pe- 
 culiar operations and effects of his spirit, (which yet 
 are but common in opposition to saving grace) when 
 he giveth unto his people the gift of prophesy, or mi- 
 nistry, or teaching, or exhortation, or church ruling, 
 and countenanceth them in the exercise thereof, for per- 
 fecting of the saints, and edifying of the body of Christ, 
 Eom. xii. 6, 7. Eph. iv. 8, 11, 12. Or else these, 
 which are manifested in the special operations of his 
 renewing spirit, when he giveth sanctifying and saving 
 grace, and by his continued breathings, and quicken- 
 ing influences thereupon, maketh his people to be more 
 and more renewed in the inward man day by day \ so 
 he was with his servant Paid, in the midst of all his 
 tribulations and afflictions, 2 Cor. iv. 16. And ac- 
 cording to the measure of the appearances or withdraw- 
 ings of God in these things \ so do the matters of his 
 people, whether civil or ecclesiastic, or spiritual, pros- 
 per or decay. Now in reference to all these, God is 
 
91 
 
 in no- small measure departed from amongst us, and 
 hath left us under a cloud of desertion, and smitten 
 us with sundry plagues of heart. As to civil admini- 
 strations, wisdom, and understanding, and courage, and 
 strength, and success, was taken from us, and the 
 Lord did smite us with blindness, and confusion, and 
 astonishment, and trembling of heart *, wisdom was not 
 to be fouud with the ancient, nor understanding and 
 counsel with the prudent, he mingled a perverse spirit 
 in the midst of us, that caused us to err in every work j 
 he went not forth with our armies, and therefore our 
 princes became like harts that find no pasture, ar.d 
 that fty without strength before the pursuer ; and the 
 men of might did not find their hands, but became like 
 unto women that were affrighted, and did fear, because 
 of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of Hosts, which 
 lie shook over our land ; He made all our strong holds 
 to be like fig-trees, with the first ripe figs which fall 
 into the mouth of the eater, when they are shaken, 
 and the gates of our land to be set wide open to our 
 enemies : and his hand was against us, until he had 
 taken away from us the mighty man, and the man of 
 war, the judge, and the prudent, and the whole stay 
 of armies, and the staff of our civil government j Nei- 
 ther is his wrath in these things turned away, but his 
 hand is stretched out still. Our nobles are not of our- 
 selves, nor do our governors proceed from the midst 
 of us, but strangers do bear rule over us, and the 
 homeborn sons are broken as the breaking of a potter's 
 vessel that is broken to pieces ; so that there is not 
 found in the bursting of it, a shcard to take fire from 
 the hearth, or to take water out of the pit : Neither 
 
92 
 
 is the Lord's departure small in reference to our church, 
 and church-administrations. He hath sorely cracked, 
 if not broken to pieces, both the staffs, the staff of beau- 
 /y and the staff of bands, the unity and authority of 
 pastors, and of church-judicatories : He hath divided 
 us in his anger, and poured his contempt upon us ; 
 and though we have essayed to heal our wound, and 
 to recover our strength, yet have all our essays hitherto, 
 for the most part, been frustrated of the Lord : Do 
 we not come together many times for the worse, and 
 not for the better? Is there not bruising instead 
 of binding up, and much bitter contention and 
 strife in many of our meetings ? Instead of the 
 sweet fruits of an edifying union and peace, whilst 
 we should draw in the work of the Lord with 
 one shoulder, do not some draw one way, and other* 
 another, rendering our endeavours almost useless t« 
 the church, comfortless to ourselves, and despicable to 
 others? Hath not God in his holy and just indigna- 
 tion, mingled somewhat of a perverse spirit in the 
 midst of us, and arc we not full of the fury of the Lord, 
 and of the rebuke of our God ? We wait for light, 
 but behold obscurity, for brightness, but we walk m 
 darkness, we grope for the wall like the blind, and we 
 grope as if we had no eyes, we stumble at noon-day 
 as in the night, we are in desolate places as dead men, 
 we look for judgment, but there is none, for salvation, 
 but it is far off from us. And is not the Lord's hand 
 also upon his ordinances, to restrain and withhold the 
 blessing thereof? In this respect, much is sown, and 
 little brought IE : The word of salvation, as to any 
 sensible evidence thereof, is but rarely blessed in 
 
9* 
 
 the hand of the ministers, unto the converting of 
 souls, and turning men from darkness unto light, 
 t».nd from the power of satan unto God. It is the 
 complaint of faithful ministers, In many places of the 
 land, that they labour in vain, and spend their strength 
 for nothing ; yea, how doleful and dreadful is the wi- 
 thering and decay that is upon many souls, who lay 
 claim to conversion, and to a real interest in Jesus 
 Christ ? The generation of the righteous in the land 
 (ij bemoan this thing, and complain day by day, 
 that light is darkness, that life is withered, that 
 strength is abated, that presence is evanished, that ten- 
 derness is gone, that influences are tuithholdeiij that 
 prayer is restrained and shut out, that faith faileth, 
 that love is grown cold, that hearts are hardened as 
 *toncs, that there is little or no delight in God, or in 
 his Word, or in the fellowship of his people, that cor- 
 ruptions are aloft, and heart plagues do abound, that 
 God hidcth his face, and is as a stranger unto his peo- 
 pie, and leavcth them to wrestle alone in their dutie* 
 and difficulties ; so that to deny the with-drawings of 
 God from his people, were to deny what they find and 
 feel, written upon their hearts, and upon their way in 
 a continued tract of sad experiences, now for a long 
 time y and yet whilst it is confessedly thus, how little 
 ado is there for his departings, even amongst those 
 who are convinced, and do acknowledge that he is in 
 a great measure gone ? Some remembrance there is 
 of a better condition, whilst wc did enjoy his fellow- 
 ship, and his countenance did shine upon us, and tome 
 light to discover our loss and the evils that do attend 
 it, which brine forth a sort of desires to recover our 
 
94 
 
 former state ? but these, how faint and feckless arc 
 they ? and how many of us are, in a manner, content 
 to live without God, and to suffer him to be gone, 
 without taking hold on the skirts of his garments ? 
 It may justly be said, that we do fade as a leaf, and 
 that our iniquities like the wind do lake us away ; and 
 that there be few amongt us that call upon his name, 
 or stir up themselves to take hold on him j for he hath 
 kid his face frGin us, and doth consume us, because of 
 our iniquities : If his gracious influences were strong 
 upon our hearts, we would not, we could not, easily 
 bruik his departing, nor would we, or could we be sa- 
 tisfied, or hold our peace, night and day, until he did 
 return, and revive his work, and renew his strength, 
 and repair the ruins, and build up the breaches of his 
 people \ and our sitting almost satisfied, and silent 
 under his withdrawing^ doth say, that many of us, 
 though we have a name that we are living, yet we arc 
 dead ; and that the spiritual life which remains in 
 others, is ready to die \ which things do say, that our 
 gourd is withering at the root, that religion is wounded 
 at the heart, and smitten in its vitals, in the spiritual 
 powers of the soul j within which, if the Lord breathe 
 not from above, by pouring out of his spirit from on 
 high, will soon make any fruit or leaves of profession 
 that do remain without, to wither and decay* and 
 leave us like Nebuchadnezzar, his tree, which by the 
 command of the watcher and holy one that came down 
 from heaven, was hewn down, and had its branches 
 cut, and its leaves shaken, and its fruit scattered, and 
 the beasts driven from under it, and the fowls from 
 its branches, and the s!ump of its roots only left in the 
 
95 
 
 earth, bound with a band of iron, and of brass, until 
 seven times did pass over it. 
 
 SOME CONSIDERATIONS 
 
 Soberly offered in answer to those who seem to enter* 
 tain a JLred persuasion, that God will not remove his 
 tabernacle from amongst us. 
 
 There be not a few who can hardly be induced to 
 admit or entertain any thoughts, that the Lord mean- 
 eth to remove Ins tabernacle from Scotland, having 
 received and someway fixed in their bosoms, a kind 
 of persuasion to the contrary : I would be loath to 
 discourage the hearts, or weaken the hands of any, 
 who do in a humble and sincere way, and in subordi- 
 nation to the scripture rule, desire to believe, that the 
 Lord's thoughts towards this poor church and land, 
 jtre thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give us an 
 expected end of all our troubles and fears, by making 
 «noun?ains plains, and crooked things straight, and 
 bringing forth the head-stone of the work of reformat 
 tion, causing his people to cry, grace, grace unto it : 
 Much lei-s is it my purpose to adventure upon the 
 secrets of God, or determine any thing positively aiyl 
 peremptorily, cither as to his continuing or removing 
 of the gospel ; but I do believe, that upon sober and 
 serious search, it will he found, that many have taken 
 ■ p, and do outer tain those pti of God's abid- 
 
96 
 
 ing amongst us, with greater confidence, than the 
 foundations upon which they build the same can well 
 bear up. In some they arc mere persuasions, of which 
 they can scarcely render any reason, unless it be, that 
 they think so, or at the best, that the}' would fain 
 have it so *, others give some grounds of their persua- 
 ancnt this thing, especially these five. 1. The 
 exceeding riches and freedom of the grace and love of 
 God which he hath days without number, and at sun- 
 dry times, and diverse manners, manifested to this 
 poor church and nation, redeeming us many hundred 
 years ago from the bondage of brutish ignorance, and 
 heathenish idolatry : And again, about one hundred 
 of yean since, from the bondage of popery : And 
 lately from the bondage of prelacy, and all these by a 
 mighty hand and out- stretched arm, when we were 
 not thinking of him, and were able to do nothing for 
 ourselves. 2. The late blessed work of reformation, 
 whereby God was pleased to bring us in a solemn 
 public way in a sworn covenant with himself, and 
 to establish amongst us the purity of his ordinance*, 
 in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, 
 and to own his work^ by the pouring forth of his 
 spirit, and many signal testimonies of his uplifted 
 hand, against the opposers, and for the friends there- 
 of, which work must needs, in the persuasion of many, 
 have a further progress amongst us, because it is n«;t 
 his manner to lay a foundation, and not to build upon 
 it, to begin a work, and not to bring it to perfection. 
 
 3. The many fervent and sincere prayers and sup- 
 plications that have been put up to God, both 
 by our fore- fathers, worthy men of God who 
 
97 
 
 lived in the preceding generation, and by many in 
 this generation, in order to the Lord's continu- 
 ing to dwell in our land, and making his work 
 yet more glorious in these nations; which prayers are 
 yet before the throne, and in a great measure unan- 
 swered ; and it cannot be that the prayers of his peo- 
 ple shall perish before him, who is the hearer of pray- 
 er. 4. That there is a precious remnant, and a holy 
 seed of converted gracious souls in the land, and that 
 as numerous, at this time, if not more numerous than at 
 anytime heretofore; and how can God remove from that 
 land, in which he hath so many sons and daughters. 
 5. That there is a select choice number of able and 
 godly ministers, sowing the immortal seed of the word 
 day by day, in all the quarters of the land ; which doth 
 say that the Lord hath yet a work and harvest in 
 Scotland: But from none of these singly, nor from 
 more or all of them jointly, can we certainly draw any 
 such conclusion, that God is not about to remove his 
 tabernacle, and to depart from amongst us. All these 
 things notwithstanding, he may come unto us quickly, 
 and remove our candlestick out of its place *, yea, many 
 things there be that aresad and threatening prognostics, 
 rbatthe Lord purposeth so to do, even all those to which 
 I have already spoken, besides sundry others that I 
 have not mentioned : And as to these five particu- 
 lars, albeit I would be very loath to extenuate any of 
 them, but do desire to stir up myself, and invite 
 others unto a thankful acknowledgement, and humble 
 admiration of the exceeding riches of the goodness of 
 God therein, and to improve the same so far as we 
 are warranted of God unto the strengthening of our- 
 
98 
 
 •elves in faith and in duty ; yet in order to the awak- 
 ening us from our security, and putting uson to more 
 wrestling with God, and more watchfulness and ten- 
 derness, and diligence, and zeal in our duty, I desire 
 it to be considered, 1. That there is no particular 
 church upon earth, that hath a promise of God's 
 dwelling and abiding with it for ever. The chuich of 
 Borne doth indeed pretend to it, but is found in all 
 these pretences to be a liar, and a deceiver, and that 
 whilst she would make the Christian world to believe 
 that she is infallible, and built upon the rock, against 
 which the gates of hell shall not prevail. She is Ba- 
 bylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abomina- 
 tions in the earth. 2. That the covenant of God with 
 particular visible churches, is conditional only, he 
 promiseth that he ?vill be with them, whilst they are 
 with hi?n, 2. Citron, xv. 2. Exod. xix. 5. Dcut. xxix. 
 9, 10, 1], 12, 13. And therefore as he doth threaten 
 to cast off particular churches, because of their bar- 
 lenness, and backsliding, and breach of covenant, and 
 disobedience, and rebellion, Dcut. xxix. 18, 19» 20, 
 51. Isa. v. 5, 6, 7. Hos. i. 6, 7, 8, 9- H<** ix. 
 17. Malth. xxi. 4-3. Rev. iL 5. So hath he really 
 and actually, because of these sins, cast off the most 
 famous and flourishing particular churches that have 
 been in the world, whom he did as eminently 
 own, and for whom lie did at sundry times, and 
 in divers manners, as eminently appear in the effects 
 of his power, and mercy, and grace, as ever he did 
 own or appear for the church of Scot/and. Such as 
 that famous Old Testament church of Israel and 
 Jndalu That famous New Testament church at Je- 
 rasalem, and sundry other of the famous churches of 
 
99 
 
 Asia, Africa, and Europe, The apostle Paul) upon 
 consideration of the holy seventy of God in this mat- 
 ter, calleth upon us, not to be high-minded, but to fear 
 that if God spared not the natural branches, lest he 
 also shall not spare us, Rom. xi. 20, 21, 22. 3. That 
 there hath been solemn public national church coven- 
 ants attended with eminent pieces of reformation, in 
 doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, and 
 v.ith signal appearances of God, in more than ordinary 
 works of providence, for countenancing and carrying 
 on of the same j and that these have been extended 
 to neighbour churches and nations to begin a reforma- 
 tion there also. And yet desolation and darkness 
 hath followed shortly upon the back of all these things. 
 Such covenants, and reformations, and providences of 
 God there were in Judah, in the days of these two 
 good kings, Hezekiah and Josiah, which were also ex- 
 tended to many in Israel^ as may be read, 2. Chron* 
 chap. xxix. chap. xxx. chap. xxxi. chap, xxxiv. 
 chap. xxxv. And, 2. Kings, chap. xxix. and yet we 
 know what followed upon the back of these things, in 
 the days of Manasseh, 2. Kings, chap. xxi. 2. Chron. 
 chap. xxii. and in the days of Jchoiahim and Zede* 
 Icrah, kings of Judah, 2. Chron. chap, xxxvi. Yea, 
 the Scriptures testify, that fiery trials, and sad dis- 
 pensations, commonly do befal the church of God, 
 upon the back of eminent mercies and blessings on 
 his part, and great and solemn engagements and un- 
 dertakings upon her part. The wisdom of God so 
 dispensing, partly for the trial and proof of the faith 
 and patience of such as are upright in their hearts, 
 and partly for discovering of hypocrites, and punishing 
 
100 
 
 of those who deal falsely in his covenant. Such 
 things befel to Israel in the wilderness, after their 
 coming out of Egypt, and through the red-sea, and 
 the Lord's giving of the law, and covenanting with 
 them at mount Sinai, and as may be read in the books 
 of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy ; and to the 
 ten tribes after the days of David and of Solomon, 
 and to^the church of Judah in the days of Manasseh, 
 Ammon, Jehoiakim, $t* as may be read in the books 
 of the Kings and Chronicles. And such things came 
 upon many of the churches of Christ, not long after 
 their first planting, and afterwards, as may be read 
 in the Acts and writings of the apostles, and in the 
 story of the church downward, unto our days. 4. 
 That it is hard to determine how far the Lord an- 
 swereth the prayers, and satifleth the desires of his 
 servants and people, in order to the state and condi- 
 tion of a particular visible church, and to the continu- 
 ing of his gospel, and ordinances therein. They do 
 oftentimes (no doubt) desire and pray, that the sun 
 of righteousness may never go down upon the church, 
 whereof they are members, and that his ordinances 
 may be continued therein till many generations, yea, 
 till time shall be no more. And yet it cannot be said 
 that the Lord satisfieth these desires, or answereth 
 their prayers in that particular, as to such a length of 
 time, because experience tclleth us, that he doth often- 
 times remove his candlestick from particular churches 
 where his servants and people have prayed much to 
 the contrary. Neither yet doth it follow, that they 
 seek him in vain, because, as they are accepted of 
 God, in being faithful in this piece of their duty, so 
 
101 
 
 doth he ordinarily grant much more as to the sub- 
 stance, even of the things which they do desire, than 
 may abundantly witness the tender respect he hath, 
 and the gracious recompense he doth allow, unto the 
 travail of their souls in these particulars. The Lord 
 hath already done so much in Scotland, as may justly 
 be esteemed a bountiful return of all the prayers of 
 his servants and people therein, though they had been 
 a thousand times more than they have been. 5. That 
 as we must not measure the perfection of the works of 
 God, by the line of our imagination and reason, but by 
 his own holy purposes and ends, so the great work 
 which God mainly intendeth in his appearances in 
 visible churches, and which he accomplisheth and 
 bringeth to perfection, is not such a pitch and continu- 
 ance of the purity of ordinances and outward refor- 
 mation, but the gathering of his saints, and the per- 
 fecting of the invisible body of Christ : Unto this all 
 his dispensations in the ordinances, and outward ad- 
 ministrations are subordinated, and so proportioned, 
 for measure and length of time, as may bring forth 
 this great end. And when this is done, 1 mean 
 *hen the whole number of select chosen ones, who in 
 the Lord mcaneth effectually to call into a land, are 
 gathered home to himself, then commonly he takcth 
 down his tabernacle, and is gone, as having done his 
 great business for which he sent his gospel amongst a 
 people. And therefore though he should be quickly 
 gone from amongst us, we cannot .justly say, that he 
 hath laid a foundation, and not built upon it, or that 
 he hath begun a work, and not brought it to perfection, 
 seeing we do not know but that he hath accomphVicd, 
 
102 
 
 or is near about to accomplish, his own holy purposes 
 and ends, and dispensing such a measure and 
 length of ordinance?, and outward administrations 
 for that effect. 6. That the Lord sometimes sendeth 
 forth not a few burning lights, and gathereth not a 
 few souls unto hicnself, immediately before his depart- 
 ing from a land, as the sun sometimes shineth bright- 
 lj r , and maketh a clear and warm evening, immediate- 
 ly before the setting and going down thereof: A com- 
 pany of able and faithful ministers, and a harvest of 
 •aints, are indeed sometimes the evidences of the dags- 
 spring visiting from on high, and of the sun of righte- 
 ousness going forth as a bridegroom from his cham- 
 ber, and rejoicing as a strong man to run his race : 
 But sometimes they are as the tokens of his last 
 farewell j so it was amongst the Jetrs in the days of 
 the apostles > the Lord sent amongst them many of 
 his servants to preach the gospel unto them, and 
 many thousands of them were converted and did 
 believe, Acts xxi. 20, and yet within a few years 
 thereafter, he did finish his work and cut it short i/t 
 
 '( ovsness amongst that people, as t he opOBl 
 til), lioui. ix. 2S; — 7- That the Lord, though he ilo 
 not utterly remove a church's candlestick, but hath 
 into it a remnant, both of a faithful ministry, and of 
 Faints - ? yet he dotli sometimes visit with very darken* 
 iii«j, and ruining, and desolating dispensations for many 
 years together ; so he did unto the church of Israel, m 
 she younger years of Samuel the prophet, by forsah- 
 
 >'.'€ tabernacle o/Shiloh, the tent which he placed 
 among vten ; and delivering his strength into captiviiu, 
 and his glory into the encvnfs hand, Psal. Ixxviii. GO, 
 t : l. And unto the church of Judah, in the days of 
 
103 
 
 the prophet Jeremiah, by bringing upon them the king 
 of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the 
 sword, in the house of their sanctuary, and had no coin- 
 passion upon young man or maiden, old man or him 
 that stooped for age : the Lord gave them all into his 
 hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and 
 small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the 
 treasures of the Icing, and of his princes ; all these he 
 brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, 
 and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all 
 the places thereof with fire, and destroyed all the good- 
 ly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the 
 swerd, carried he away to Babylon : where they were 
 servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the 
 kingdom of Persia, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17, 18. 19, 20, 
 21. And this did God also to most of the churches 
 •n Europe, for some hundreds of years together under 
 popery, before Luther s time: And thus also hath he 
 done to most of the churches of Asia and Africa, un- 
 der the Turk and other Mahometan princes: And 
 thus he did unto the church of England not Ion<x a^o, 
 nfrer the death of Edward the sixth, during the reign 
 of Queen Mary : And do not his present dispensations, 
 in a great measure, speak that he mcaneth thus to do 
 unto us also ? 8. We will not find many instances 
 (if any) of visible churches enjoying the ordinances 
 for any long time together, in purity and peace, such 
 js the mixture and leaven of hypocrisy and corruption 
 that is within, and the fire of enmity and malice that 
 is without : That it is a rare thing for a church for 
 one complete century of years together, either not to 
 be infected with heresy and error, or not to be trodden 
 
104. 
 
 down of persecution. The church of the Jew*, which 
 was one of the most permanent and longest lived, 
 as continuing from Abraham till some years after 
 the death of Christ: yet what a various lot did 
 the run, almost in every generation, sometimes 
 by the spirit of error, and sometimes by the spirit of 
 persecution, and sometimes by both at once ? These 
 things being duly considered, and it being thereunto 
 added, that Scotland hath now for a long time enjoyed 
 the light and liberty of the gospel ', and that notwith- 
 standing of all the goodness of God, in sending and 
 continuing it amongst us, and o^ all our engagements 
 to reform our ways, and to walk answerably unto the 
 same, — yet our ignorance, and barrenness, and loose- 
 ness, is great exceedingly, and our backslidings and 
 provocations are many — is there not much cause to 
 fear that our sun may be near the setting, and a night 
 of darkness and desolation at our door, by the Lord's 
 removing of our candlestick ; at least, by sending n 
 black and sad eclipse for a time, especially, there be- 
 ing such sad prognostics and threatenings for tokens 
 ui it? 
 
 JAMES GUTHRIE.