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PREFACE.

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WHAT are you doing here this day? There are several of you come from afar. Is it your zeal for the Lord of Hosts that has brought you here? I wot well there are not many zealous for Him in our land; otherwise where there is one here there would be twenty, and where there is ten there would be an hundred. And yet, oh what a heartsome assembly would this be if true zeal were the principal thing that moved you to that which is the work and exercise of the day in this place! Oh, how few can say "that the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up: the reproaches wherewith they have reproached thee have fallen upon me." As for you that have not this end before you, viz., that Christ may come unto this land and have the crown set upon His royal head, ye have little to do here, and we would willingly be rid of you. And we take these hills around us to witness against you this day, if this be not your end to bring Christ back again unto this land; for we will be as miserable a people as ever was if He come not back. Are ye come here to sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of the land? There is little like that yet. Oh, how few tears this day I am afraid shall be in our Lord's bottle. It may be ye are weary in coming, and have been sweating by the way. But, Sirs, did not those things for which you are come here cause our Lord to sweat great drops of blood? What are ye come here for? Are ye come to seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified? Last year about this time (yesterday twelvemonth as the week falls out, but to-morrow twelvemonth as the month falls out) our Lord was, as it were, upon the Mount of Olives. He rode, as it were, triumphantly at the head of a small party to the market cross of Rutherglen,¹ and many cried "Hosannah to the Son of David" for a few days after. But since the 22nd of June, 1679, how many have cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him, away with him. We will have no more to do with him. Christ is too dear a Lord for us. These field meetings of His are too costly for us. We wish there had never been any of these field meetings in Scotland." Well, Sirs, are there none of you that were eye and ear witnesses of this grievous departure of Christ, June 22nd? And are there none of you crying out, "I have not seen a sight of Him since;" and also crying out, "Oh, where shall I find Him?"

But I will tell you, Sirs, our Lord has appeared to some since. We can instance the day and particular place wherein the Lord has of late appeared gloriously in this land, even as gloriously as ever heretofore, if ye will suffer us to say it without boasting or vanity. And may not this beget a longing desire in you to get a sight of Him, too, as it is now more than a twelvemonth since ye saw His power and glory in his sanctuary and His meetings. Now then, behold our king Solomon with the crown upon His head; the crown wherewith His mother crowned Him in the day of espousals. See if ye will take Him again to be your King; and see if ye will put your hands to His crown which is now lying upon the ground, and do what you can to set it upon His royal head again; for it becomes Him best of all to wear it.

Now, we have been but mockers in this land, and therefore our bands have been made stronger. But if we mock Him now, His next departure will be perhaps without hopes of His return. But if we be wise, we will hold Him, and refuse to let Him go, until we "bring him into our mother's house, and to the chambers of her that conceived us."

1st, Oh, then, stir up yourselves, and be earnest in prayer with God. Think not that it is the minister only that must pray. All must pray. Ye that will not join in prayer, what differ ye from these beasts that are presently around us?

2ndly, You who will not join in crying unto the Lord, this day's work shall be a dreadful witness against you.

Now let us address ourselves unto the Lord in prayer. In the meantime, remember that which is said, "Seek the Lord, and ye shall find him." We have wanted Him over long, and we may not well want Him any longer.

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SERMON II.²

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"O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help. I will be thy king; where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?"—Hosea 13.9-10.

How applicable is all that is in this prophecy to us in this land! Nor is there any place in it all that may be more fitly applied to us, than these words that were just now read in your hearing, in which ye have,

1. A charge to Israel—a charge which the Lord is giving to us in this land at this day. As the prophet Hosea said to Israel, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself." So we have it in commission to say to the Church of Scotland: "Thou hast destroyed thyself, O Church of Scotland, O ministers of Scotland, O commons and people of all sorts in Scotland, ye have destroyed yourselves." This is a sad charge. I know not whether we shall get it sent or thrust in within the doors of your consciences—doors that are so strongly shut and bolted. But if we cannot get the doors of your heart open, to lay this home upon your consciences that they may always tell you ye have destroyed yourselves; then if we can do no more, we shall leave it at your own doors; and when the Lord by His judgment blows it in, it shall abide in the hearts of some, and shall be therein as the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched. Had you not hearts hard as stone this might move them! This is the way our Lord takes, first to wound, and then to heal. But oh, if your hearts were once broken!

2. As there is a charge in these words, so there is a discharge, or way to get the charge discharged. What a wonder that such a charge should be discharged! There is a help here, even for murderers, yea, for self-murderers. But how can this discharge be attained unto? Not by the principal, but by the Cautioner, or Surety. "In me is thine help:" as we shall have occasion to show afterwards.

3. The way in which this charge shall be discharged: "I will be thy king." If you will have me to help you, you must take me to be your king, not only to be your prophet and priest, but to be your king to bear rule over you, and in you, and to defend you. Many have no will to take Him to be their king, but those who will not take Him to be their king shall have no help from Him. And

4. There are very enforcing reasons why this is required; for says He, "Where is there any other that may save thee?" Let me see any other that can save the Church of Scotland this day, and let me see another that can save poor, lost, self-destroying sinners of whom, sure, there are many here this day. For the

1. First of these, viz., The charge, or that which they were charged with, which was a destroying or murdering of themselves. And who was charged here? It was even Israel, a people near unto the Lord. It is no wonder that there is a note prefixed unto it, for the most of heathens will not do this. Nay, animals of the brute creation will not do it. And yet men, yea, men that are called Christians, will do it; many who are baptized in the name of Christ will do it. But if there be any place of destruction in the caverns of hell hotter than another, as we doubt not that there is, many of those who call themselves Christians will not rest, until they have cast themselves into that place. I confess it is said, "Thou hast destroyed all them that go a-whoring from thee." It is true, if we take destroying for a punishing of evil, then it is the Lord that destroys. "Is there evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?"

But there is a destruction by sin here meant, which man brings upon himself, though few are sensible of this destruction. But that destruction that cometh from the Almighty all shall be sensible of. They that are far from Him shall perish. And there is a temporal and an eternal destruction that come from Him; for hell (if we speak of it many will laugh and make a sport of it, and yet even hell) hath enlarged itself to receive many of this generation. Ah! how many are running headlong to this place! Indeed the devil will get many of this wicked and adulterous generation. And for temporal destruction that will come upon them also, although many are putting the evil day far away from them. And ye that have destroyed yourselves by sin, there is a day coming when our Lord will destroy you. Indeed the evil day is not so far off as many think. But I warrant many of you will not believe it until it come upon you. As in the days of Noah, there was nothing but eating and drinking, &c., until the flood came and destroyed them all; so this generation will do nothing but put off time, till judgments come upon them, saying, "Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we must die." It is sin that procures that destruction. "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself." But say some, "Was it not the devil that destroyed Israel?" Yes, the devil was the first destroyer. He was the first and chief destroyer. Sin came from him. He is the great Abaddon and Apollyon. But we may say this, though it be a supposition that shall never be accomplished, that though there were no devil, yet there is that in the heart of man that would destroy him. "From whence come wars and fightings amongst you? Come they not hence even of your lusts?" Therefore let none think to free themselves, either from destroying themselves, or from the procuring causes thereof; and there are none of us here that have our hands clean.

Now I shall only run briefly over these words, and not insist. Oh, but man is a blind darkened creature! He has a great aversion to that which is good, and a great proneness unto that which is evil. There is no creature upon earth so mad and wild as man. But I shall only propose a question and answer it, and so go on from the first particular in the text.

You may say to me, "Seeing that we have destroyed ourselves, how and by what means have we destroyed ourselves in this land?" I answer, we shall go no further than the book of Hosea to demonstrate unto you by what things we have destroyed ourselves in this land. I shall refer you unto these three places, where you may read the causes of a fast this day. The first is in Hosea 4.1: "For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood." Some may say here, "O inhabitants of Scotland, the Lord hath a controversy with you." Why? "Because there is no truth, nor knowledge of God in the land." There is a great ignorance even of the very first principles of religion. It will be very easy, Sirs, to introduce Popery into Scotland. Oh, the gross ignorance of our principles that are contained in our Catechisms, larger and shorter and Confession of Faith, sworn to in the Covenants. But how comes it that there is so little knowledge of God in the land?

(1.) Because of swearing, lying, stealing, and committing adultery. I wonder if there be any such sinners here this day. Are there any swearers here this day—such as profanely swear by the holy name of God? I will tell you there are enough of you in the west country that scruple not to swear by faith and truth! We have but little to do with such professors; for they are both a burden and a stain to their profession that will not leave off swearing. It is a very bad thing that, though we reprove you, we cannot get you to leave off your minced oaths, heith and faith, &c. Swearing and lying, and ye may look unto these things, are private personal faults. I confess folk are much to be pitied at this time who take a liberty to lie, especially when soldiers come to the house and ask if such a man was there? It is true ye are not bound at the very first (if ye can without sin shift it) to tell them, but beware of lying on any account. Rather tell them that such a one was there, though you and your house should be ruined by it; yea, though it should tend to the prejudice of the best ministers in Scotland. God will not give you thanks for saving one's life by a lie. Let us be strict and ingenuous both with God and man.

(2.) And by killing—and, alas, what killing is now in this land, both in fields and on scaffolds! I confess few of us have our hands free of killing directly or indirectly. All are either killed or are guilty of killing. Alas, there are some now that are killed for Christ's sake! and yet they are scarcely free of killing—that is to say, by complying some way or other with these murdering persecutors. I shall only add one word, that they who have paid the cess can scarcely purge themselves of this killing. And

(3.) By stealing and committing adultery. You know what it is to commit adultery. That enemy of God that now sits upon the throne is one of the most vile adulterers that live, and from him it descends to nobles, gentlemen, burgesses, and commons of all sorts, so that every one is, as it were, neighing after his neighbour's wife. Oh, dreadful! What think ye of these things?

(4.) They break out, and blood toucheth blood. Ye know the blood that was shed at Pentland was amongst the first blood shed. Indeed, the Marquis of Argyle, Mr. James Guthrie, and Lord Warriston died before that. But this was the first blood shed in the fields publicly after the overthrow of the work of reformation, and after the ejection of the ministers. And Pentland was not well over till the blood shed at Bothwell followed. Therefore shall the land "mourn, and every one that is left therein shall languish." Yet "let no man strive, or reprove one another. For my people are as they that strive with the priest." And you that will not mourn now, ye shall yet be made to mourn, but they that sigh and cry now for the abominations done in the land shall yet laugh at these abominable rioters. Ye should not walk one foot in their wicked and pernicious ways. And yet no man shall strive. I will tell you what the Lord says: My Spirit shall no more strive with man, and I will no more be a reprover unto you. You see the most part of Scotland get no reproof. Ye see that it is the case of the most part of the ministers of Scotland, not only of the indulged, but of the non-indulged, that the Lord is not reproving and striving with them. It is in the righteous judgment of God that even those ministers who have access to preach to some of the great men of the land give them little reproof. Well, what comes of it? "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," and because thou hast "rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest unto me, seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God."

There are many ministers in Scotland (it is true I am but a young man that says it) that shall not be any ministers, if there (should be, or) were no more ministers to be had in it. We must speak against ministers, and we must cry for the sins of the ministers of Scotland, that have betrayed the work of reformation, and even gone beyond curates and bishops in betraying and destroying of it. The Lord will lay that woe unto their charge, which you may read through the whole chapter.

2. Another indictment we have to give you, is from the beginning of this seventh chapter, "Set the trumpet to thy mouth." We must set the trumpet to our mouth, and give a certain sound. For God "shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant." These are enemies, and yet the Lord will raise them up to come against His own house, that is, against the ministers of Scotland. There is as much mercy for malignants, as for the ministers and professors of Scotland. Why? Because they have "transgressed my covenant." What follows? "Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. Israel hath cast off the thing that is good;" the enemy "shall pursue him." You and I were well acquainted long since; but says He, "I will be mocked no more." Here is the charge, "Israel hath cast off the thing that is good." Israel hath broken and transgressed the covenant. So this land has broken the covenant, and cast off the thing that is good. What is the breach of this covenant? How is it evidenced? They have "Set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes and I knew it not." If this be not the case of Scotland at present I am mistaken. But as this was spoken somewhat to in the preface, we shall not insist upon it now. But I think there was never a generation of more worthy men about an evil deed than the bringing home of that abominable person from Breda in Holland to be again set up in Scotland. But when he came home, how many gentlemen were put off and declared incapable of place and power in judicatories and armies, and the chief of malignants put in their place. "They have set up kings, but not by me; and made princes, and I knew it not." The Lord was not with them in an approving way when they did this, and so came of it. But the Lord answered us according to the idol of our own hearts. We may say, "We and our fathers have sinned." And pray tell me, what reason there is for giving Israel this charge that is not for giving it to Scotland. A

3. Indictment is in chapter 13, from the beginning, when "Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal he died. And now they sin more and more; and have made themselves molten images of their silver, according to their own understanding." You have the same in the forecited chap. 8.4. Of their silver and their gold "have they made them idols that they may be cut off." It is very ordinary, when a people set up that which they have not the Lord's will or consent unto, that cutting off follows it. Such a thing is done that they may be cut off. This land after they had set up a king set up idol princes, and next Prelacy, then the Indulged, and at the third hand Popery is set up in substance. It was set up that day in which the Duke of York got such a reception in Scotland.³

Now by these (and other) things, we have destroyed ourselves. We have brought ourselves very low—even we of the anti-indulged have brought ourselves low. And I tell you how we have done it. We have done it by joining with those that were for the king that was set up, without the Lord's counsel or direction. They would take him. There were few or none but what in some sort joined with the Hamilton Declaration last year. The truth is, we have all destroyed ourselves; and it were not well for us that the world knew all that every one is guilty of. God forbid that everyone knew what everyone of us hath done. But let all of us look unto ourselves and see what we have brought upon ourselves. We will not get a field meeting in Scotland but what is here at this time. Last year we had twenty or thirty that carried the Lord's banner from one place to another in Scotland. It is not so now but it is much that we have such a meeting as this. God be thanked for it. But we are brought very low, and our persecutors are stronger than we; and they are now saying, "We have got them under; let us keep them so." They have been very successful this week. They have taken several both out of Kyle and Clydesdale, and they think they will get us all apprehended; and there is a great appearance of it. They will behead and hang us, and, if possible, eradicate us from the face of the earth. Ye may say, "And how shall we get this prevented?" Indeed we are at that with it which David was at, when the people spake of stoning him. We look upon "our right hand, and upon our left hand, and there is no man that knows or cares for us." We are a party upon whom few look upon the right hand, viz., few of the ministers and professors. The most part of them have got into towns and country places, and the best news they could hear would be that a party of the enemy had come and cut every one of us off. Refuge faileth us. What shall we do? Ye shall not find a man among ten of us that has anything to defend himself with. There were some hope if all that are here had arms, but even some that have them are afraid to wear them. There is no courage amongst us. Let us speak about the matters of God we will scarcely agree together. Not one speaks comfortably nor agrees with another. Let us look to our nation; there is none to help us. We may say, "Where will we cause our shame to go?" Our enemies laugh at us, and it is sad that we have done it all with our own hands. Nay, I will tell you if we had kept our hands free of sin it had been otherwise with us. We might have defied all our enemies. But now we are scattered like sheep without a shepherd, or like a leaf tossed and driven to and fro with the wind. But let us encourage ourselves in the Lord our God.

II. "In me is thine help." In the 4th verse of this chapter it is said, "Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt. And thou shalt know no God but me; for there is no Saviour besides me." Now, there is help for us in Him who brought us out of Egypt through the Red Sea. We are not in a more dangerous case than the Israelites were when they came out of Egypt. They had as great an army pursuing them as our king can command, the sea before them, the hills on every side, and yet they passed through safely while Pharaoh and all his host were drowned. We are not to look for miracles, but we may look for wonders. The Lord will do great wonders for the people that own His cause, and we will not be loosed or delivered without wonders. The Lord that brought us out of Egypt is our hope and help.

We might speak to many cases of conscience and particular exercises here, but we must be taken up mostly with public things. Indeed those who can say that the Lord has brought them out of an estate of black nature may be sure (however the Lord bring them into many temptations of the devil, who may assault them with stronger and stronger temptations than at first) that He who brought out of the land of Egypt will help. He is able to save all that come unto Him. I will tell you where our help is. It is in Him who delivered our fathers from Popery in the days of Queen Mary and her tyranny. Our help is in Him who delivered them from the subtlety and cruelty of that fox James VI. Though now dead we may justly call him so. Christ called Herod a fox. He delivered us too from that yoke wreathed on our necks by Charles I. "In Him is our help." And oh, that He would help us from the tyranny of this man upon the throne! But on what terms will He help? We must cry for help; for the "godly man perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart." Help, Lord, for otherways we are helpless! Let our hearts look unto Him and cry for help. Would you have help? Cry, Sirs, for it. Our Lord is saying, "I will tell you what are the terms; if you would have help from Me you must take Me to be your King; you must take Me to be the Head of the Church." Our Lord Jesus is and must be King upon His holy hill of Zion. There is no king in the Church besides Him. The Lord has given Him to be King to rule in you and over you. What say ye to this? Our Lord is now dethroned, and that tyrant is entered into His place. After he had got the civil power into his hand that would not satisfy him, but it behoved him to have the crown and sceptre of Christ also. But if it sets him well let the world see and judge. Now, are ye content to let the King of Glory—the Lord of Hosts—enter into your hearts and souls? And what say ye in Galloway and Nithsdale? Will you take Christ to be your King, and to be the anointed King of the Church? Will ye acknowledge no lord over God's heritage but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself? And what say ye of Clydesdale and Lothian? Are there any of you here content to cast yourselves at His feet, and to enter your names in His list amongst His subjects? There are few followers of the Lamb this day in our land. Come, and set down your names and submit unto Him, and give away yourselves unto Him. There were hope in Israel concerning our case, if there were any this day crying, "I am content to take Him for my King, my Lord, and Saviour."

III. "I will be thy king" supposes more than this: ye shall have no other king besides Me. I will tell you, the most part of the land cry out, We will have no other king but Cæsar—no other king but king Charles. But we must cry we will have no other king but Christ. What is that? Say ye, Are ye against all monarchy and civil Government? We are much taken up with that, if God let pure government be established, that is most for the good and advantage of civil and ecclesiastical society. But we set up kings and princes, but not by Him. If you would have Him be for you ye must cut off this king, and these princes, and make able men be your rulers, endued with suitable qualifications both of body and mind, that may employ their power for the cause and interest of God. What would we do with such powers as state themselves in opposition to God? If we had the zeal of God within us we would not call him our king, and even with regard to the nobles and magistrates of this land we would not acknowledge them to be magistrates. Ye read in the Acts of the General Assembly, where Montrose was called James Graham.⁴ But ye shall say, "There was an Act of Parliament that declared him a traitor, as one that had forfeited both life and fortune." But, say ye, ye will not look upon them in this light as the Assembly has not deposed them. Nay, but they have done what deserves deposition; and even our king and princes, the most part of them deserve deposition. Oh, for Mordecai's frame this day, that would not lift his cap to a wicked Haman! And what reason had Mordecai to refuse to do so that we have not? If we had the zeal of God upon our spirits, we would not call him or them superiors, but would do what we could against them. "I will be thy king." Ye must take Christ to be your king. The Lord knows we are obliged to speak these things. I will tell you, Sirs, if ever ye see good days in Scotland without disowning the present magistrates then believe me no more. Indeed that is not much. But look to the word of God, if ye would raise up ten thousand, yea, a hundred thousand men, ye should not prosper or have success even though they were well trained and equipped, if they owned the present magistrates. Our Lord will set up other magistrates according to His promise: "And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and queens thy nursing mothers." And who knows but God will make out that yet? "And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them." Indeed by governor we principally understand our Lord Jesus Christ. But when He turns back the captivity of His Church and people, none shall be governors but such as shall be for Him, at least by profession. Indeed when our king was set up in a better case than what we are now in, he professed himself to be a Presbyterian, though any rational man might have known he was but a treacherous man. It was but a dreadful mocking of God to require such oaths of him who could be bound by no oaths. Yea, none of them will be bound by any oath whatever. And now are ye ready to take Christ for your king in the sense we have explained? If ye be come to this, then ye shall be free of the cess. And were ye come to this, then I doubt not but the Lord would make you prosper. I know not if this generation will be honoured to cast off these rulers, but those that the Lord makes instruments to bring back Christ, and to recover our liberties civil and ecclesiastic, shall be such as shall disown this king and these inferiors under him, and against whom our Lord is denouncing war. Let them take heed unto themselves, for though they should take us to scaffolds, or kill us in the fields, the Lord will yet raise up a party who will be avenged upon them. And are there none to execute justice and judgment upon those wicked men who are both treacherous and tyrannical? The Lord is calling men of all ranks and stations to execute judgment upon them. And if it be done we cannot but justify the deed, and such are to be commended for it, as Jael was. "Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman's hammer: and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples."

Now we come to the last thing in this particular: "I will be thy king; where is there any other that may save thee?" And we shall only add a few things, for necessity calls upon us to be very plain and free. And yet we shall deal rationally, as knowing what we speak unto you. I do this day, as it were, hold up our Lord's flag or standard, and denounce war against all the men of these abominations. And as for any that will this day take our Lord for their alone king, and enlist themselves under His banner, we say again for their encouragement that they are warranted, before angels and men of all ranks and denominations in the world, so to do. And our Lord will yet raise up some, that will reward them as they have done unto us, and as the Lord hath sometimes done. It may be, He will raise up foreigners to punish this people; and yet He will make poor worm Jacob a "sharp threshing instrument, having teeth, whereby he shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff." "And happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us." They talk of raising up rebellion! But they are rebels to our Lord, and we cannot live comfortably in the land with these traitors. We had rather die than live with them, and outlive the glory of God departing altogether from these lands.

Now "I will be thy king. Where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities?" Will ye take Christ to be your king? What fault find ye in Him? I will tell you; He is a just king. He comes meek and lowly. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy king cometh unto thee; he is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." He comes, indeed, with a despicable party not well appointed. When he hath a mind to execute judgment, He can make a mean party serve His turn. And oh, but He is merciful! He will never prove cruel to any of His subjects. He is wise too. We are called fanatics, and indeed we are but foolish creatures. Well, but our Lord has as much wisdom as outwits the greatest politician in the world. He laughs at the pretended wisdom of courts. He laughs at yon wicked wretch that sits upon the throne, and the General in Kilmarnock.⁵ "He that sits in heaven shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision." He is as able this year as He was the last year at this time, and as the cause is His own it is as strong a cause as ever it was. Think not then our case a desperate case. Now

IV. For the last thing here, which is the motive to press all: "Where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities, and of thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes." There are many that look for safety from the king. Our fathers thought if they had back the king again, he would defend them from the sectarian armies. Well, the Lord did give him to them in His anger, and took him away in His wrath at Worcester; and He will yet take him away in wrath to the most part in Scotland, and when he goes away a great vengeance will accompany his departure to the greatest part. Gracious God, make us rid of him! And what looking was there to great men in our land, not long since, in the year 1669, when Lauderdale came down to Scotland? They said he was a Presbyterian in heart. It was against his will Prelacy was set up in Scotland. He has given a brave deliverance. Many called it the day of small things, for he gave the indulgence footing first and last.⁶ Again, when Duke Hamilton⁷ was coming down to Scotland we looked to him for safety: And ye know, he was the chief man that broke that party at Pentland. Ye know what heads were set up that looked towards his house, that were taken down last year. Now you see how bloody he is, thirsting as much for our blood as any in Scotland. "Which of all thy judges can save thee?" I cannot but repeat it, the last year our adverse party in Scotland went mad in cruelty, so that the Duke of Monmouth cried out against their rage and bloodthirstiness. And indeed had he not been at Bothwell, there had been more bloodshed and carcasses lying upon the ground. I trow, it had been better for those men that have taken the bond since to have died in the field, and for the cause of God. Some looked unto the Duke of Monmouth for safety; but he is not free of the blood that was shed upon the fields that day, or since that time upon scaffolds. "Where is there any other that may save thee, and of all thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes."

And now some are looking unto his uncle; yea, many in Scotland cried "There was no trouble while the Duke of York was in the country, and though he be a Papist, he will persecute none on account of religion." Ministers and professors would thus be content to live with Papists, as they do in Ireland yonder. But I tell you a judgment will come on Ireland, and on Scotland for their sakes. "Where is any other that may save thee? In vain is salvation looked for from the hills and multitude of mountains." Look not to ministers either. When the army was gathering, there were few ministers there. It was said, "There are no ministers here." But when they did come the vengeance of God attended them.⁸

Now considering these things, we may say to Scotland as Christ said to Jerusalem, "If thou in this thy day hadst known the things that belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Ye will not look to Christ, and yet there is no other ye can have help from but from Him. There is none to help you at all, except you acknowledge Him as your King and Head, and except you acknowledge no other magistrate but according to what He ordains in His word. See what David says, "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." Compare this with "Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth hating covetousness. Therefore let the fear of God be upon you, take heed, and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord your God." Ye see such should be men that fear God, and men of truth. Oh, take heed and consider what ye are doing! Cry unto the Lord, and let us fight against these wicked rulers with the weapons of the spiritual warfare, the arms of secret prayer. Let us pray unto the Lord to cut them off, and the Lord will raise up those that will condemn and despise them. "The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn: the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee." And oh that ye knew that your help is only in the Lord, and that you must resign yourself over to Him! Indeed the juncture of time is such that we must state ourselves in opposition to these enemies. We must not trifle with them any more. We must be content either to quit them all, or comply with them. I defy a man to keep his house without sinful terms and temptations. If we would resolve to quit all for Christ, He would return us all, and give us as much as we had, and twice as good and more. Amen.

N.B.—It would appear from the words in this sermon, "We will not get a field meeting in Scotland but what is here this day," that Mr. Cargill was with Mr. Cameron this day, and if so, it behoved the meeting to be at Aikengilloch, where Mr. Cargill preached the same day from these words, "Behold the name of the Lord cometh from afar; burning with his anger," &c., which sermon I once intended to have published amongst others; but the smallness of this volume could not admit of it.

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Footnotes:

1. This was the anniversary day for the restoration of Charles II., wherein the Rutherglen Testimony was published, May 20, 1679.

2. This sermon was preached on Friday, May 20, 1680, being a day of public fasting and humiliation.

3. This seems to refer to the Duke of York being so much caressed by the Scots, and being admitted, the year before this discourse was delivered, a member of the Privy Council of Scotland without taking the usual oaths.

4. James Graham, Earl of Montrose, rose with Mr. Macdonald against the Covenanters, in 1644. Having fought six battles in two years' time, he occasioned the death of 30,000 Covenanters. He rose again in 1650, but was defeated and executed at Edinburgh on a gallows 30 feet high.

5. General Thomas Dalziel had his headquarters about this time at the Deen of Kilmarnock.

6. The Earl, afterward Duke of Lauderdale, from a principal Covenanter being turned a great malignant, was made Secretary of State to Charles II., and one of his favourite counsellors.

7. Duke Hamilton sent two messages to the Covenanters to lay down their arms. He was at Pentland, and narrowly escaped being killed.

8. He means the Erastian party, who were in the king's interest at Bothwell.