Part 29 (1/2)
”And now seeing I get no more time allowed me here on earth, I close with my hearty farewel to all friends, and pray the Lord may guide them in all truth, and keep them from dreadful snares that are coming through this covenanted land of Scotland. So I bid you all farewel, and be faithful to the death. I know not certainly what may become of me after this; but I look and expect that my time in this world is now near an end, and so desire to welcome all that the Lord sends. Thinking presently to be called in before G.o.d's enemies, I subscribe it,
_Sept. 28th, 1681_ ROBERT GARNOCK.”
And having now with pleasure heard somewhat of the life and exercises of Robert Garnock, we come now to notice somewhat anent his trial, death or martyrdom which now hastens apace. So, according to his own expectation, above narrated, he was brought before the council, October 1st, where he disowned the king's authority, refused them as his judges, and on the 7th was brought before the Justiciary, and indicted, ”That he did before the council, on the 1st of October, decline the authority of the king and council, and called the king and council tyrant, murderers, perjured and mansworn, declaring it was lawful to rise in arms against them;--And gave in a most treasonable paper, termed, _A protestation and testimony against parliamenters_, wherein he terms the members of parliament, idolaters, usurpers of the Lord's inheritance; and protests against their procedure in their h.e.l.l-hatched acts: which paper is signed by his hand, whereby he is guilty of the crime of treason; and further gave in a declaration to the council, wherein the said Robert Garnock disowns the king's authority and government, and protests against the council as tyrants: Therefore, &c.” By such an explicit confession, his own papers being turned to an indictment without any matters of fact against him, there was no difficulty of probation, his own protest and declinature being produced before the justiciary and a.s.size, to whom he was remitted. But before the a.s.size were inclosed, Robert Garnock and other five who were indicted with him, delivered a paper to the inquest, containing a protestation and warning, wherein ”They advise them to consider what they are doing, and upon what grounds they pa.s.s a sentence upon them. They declare they are no rebels: they disown no authority that is according to the word of G.o.d and the covenants the land is bound by.--They charge them to consider how deep a guilt covenant breaking is, and put them in mind they are to be answerable to the great Judge of all for what they do in this matter; and say they do this, since they are in hazard of their lives, and against them. It is a dangerous thing to pa.s.s a sentence on men merely because of their conscience and judgment; only because they cannot in conscience yield to the iniquous laws of men;--that they are free subjects never taken in any action contrary to the present laws; adding that these whom they once thought should or would rule for G.o.d have turned their authority for tyranny and inhumanity, and employ it both in destroying the laws of G.o.d, and murdering his people against and without law;--as we ourselves can prove and witness, when brought in before them. After two years imprisonment; one of them most cruelly and tyrant-like rose from the place of judgment, and drew a sword, and would have killed one of us[200], but Providence ordered it otherways: However the wound is yet to be shown.
The like action was never heard or read of. After reminding them of David Finlay murdered at Newmills, Mr. Mitchel's case, and James Learmond's, who was murdered after he was three times freed by the a.s.size. They add, that, after such murders as deserve death, they cannot see how they can own them as judges, charging them to notice what they do; a.s.suring them their blood will be heavy upon them:--Concluding with Jer. xxvi. 15. And charging them not to take innocent blood on their heads.” And subscribe at Edinburgh October 7th 1681.
ROBERT GARNOCK, D. FARRIE, JA. STEWART, ALEX. RUSSEL, PAT. FORMAN, and G. LAPSLY.
Notwithstanding all this, they were brought in guilty and sentenced to be executed at the Gallowlee betwixt Leith and Edinburgh, upon the 10th instant; Forman's hand to be cut off before, and the heads and hands of the rest after death, and to be set up upon the Pleasance port.
What his deportment and exercises were at the place of execution we are at a loss to describe: but from what is already related, we may safely conclude that, through divine grace, his demeanour was truly n.o.ble and Christian. But that the reader may guess somewhat of his exercises, temper and disposition about that time, I shall extract a few sentences of his own words from his last speech and dying testimony.
”I bless the Lord, that ever he honoured the like of me with a b.l.o.o.d.y gibbet and b.l.o.o.d.y windy sheet for his n.o.ble, honourable and sweet cause.
O will ye love him, sirs? O he is well worth the loving and quitting all for. O for many lives to seal the sweet cause with: if I had as many lives as there are hairs on my head, I would think them all little to be martyrs for truth. I bless the Lord, I do not suffer unwillingly nor by constraint, but heartily and cheerfully.--I have been a long time prisoner, and have been altered of my prison. I was amongst and in the company of the most part who suffered since Bothwell, and was in company with many ensnaring persons; though I do not question their being G.o.dly folk; and yet the Lord kept me from harkening to their counsel. Glory, glory to his holy and sweet name.--It is many times my wonder how I have done such and such things; but it is he that has done it: he hath done all things in me and for me: holy is his name.--I bless the Lord I am this day to step out of time into eternity, and I am no more troubled than if I were to take a match by marriage on earth, and not so much. I bless the Lord I have much peace of conscience in what I have done. O but I think it a very weighty piece of business to be within twelve hours of eternity, and not troubled. Indeed the Lord is kind, and has trained me up for this day, and now I can want him no longer. I shall be filled with his love this night; for I will be with him in paradise, and get a new song put in my mouth, the song of Moses and the Lamb; I will be in amongst the general a.s.sembly of the first born, and enjoy the sweet presence of G.o.d and his Son Jesus Christ, and the spirits of just men made perfect: I am sure of it.
”Now my Lord is bringing me to conformity with himself, and honouring me with my worthy pastor Mr. James Guthrie: although I knew nothing when he was alive, yet the Lord hath honoured me to protest against popery, and to seal it with my blood: and he hath honoured me to protest against prelacy and to seal it with blood. The Lord has kept me in prison to this day for that end. His head is on one port of Edinburgh, and mine must go on another. Glory, glory to the Lord's sweet name for what he hath done for me.
”Now I bless the Lord, I am not as many suspect me, thinking to won heaven by my suffering. No, there is no attaining of it but through the precious blood of the Son of G.o.d.--Now, ye that are the true seeker of G.o.d, and the b.u.t.t of the world's malice, O be diligent, and run fast.
Time is precious: O make use of it, and act for G.o.d: contend for truth: stand for G.o.d against all his enemies: fear not the wrath of man: love one another; wrestle with G.o.d: mutually in societies _confess your faults one to another; pray one with another: reprove, exhort and rebuke one another in love._ Slight no commanded duty: Be faithful in your stations as you will be answerable at the great day: seek not counsel from men: follow none further than they hold by truth.
”Now, farewell, sweet reproaches for my lovely Lord Jesus, though once they were not joyous but grievous, yet now they are sweet. And I bless the Lord for it, I heartily forgive all men for any thing they have said of me; and I pray it may not be laid unto their charge in the day of accounts: and for what they have done to G.o.d and his cause, I leave that to G.o.d and their own conscience. Farewell, all Christian acquaintance, father, mother, &c. Farewell, sweet prison for my royal Lord Jesus Christ, now at an end. Farewell, all crosses of one sort or another: and so farewell, every thing in time, reading, praying and believing.
Welcome eternal life, and the spirits of just men made perfect: Welcome, Father, Son and Holy Ghost: into thy hands I commit my Spirit.”--_Sic Subscribitur_,
ROBERT GARNOCK.
Accordingly the foregoing sentence in all its parts was executed[201]
upon them all except Lapslay who got off.--And so they had their pa.s.sage from the valley of misery into the celestial country above, to inhabit that land _where the inhabitants say not, I am sick, and the people that dwell therein are forgiven their iniquities._
Thus ended Robert Garnock in the flower of his youth; a young man, but old in experimental religion.--His faithfulness was as remarkable as his piety, and his courage and constancy as both.--He was inured unto tribulations almost from his youth, wherein he was so far from being discouraged at the cross of Christ, that he, in imitation of the primitive martyrs, seemed rather ambitious of suffering.--He always aimed at honesty; and, notwithstanding all opposition from pretended friends and professed foes, he was by the Lord's strength, enabled to remain unshaken to the last: for, though he was nigh tripped, yet with the faithful man he was seldom foiled, never vanquished.--May the Lord enable many in this apostate, insidious, and lukewarm generation to emulate the martyr in imitation of him who now inherits the promise, _Be thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee a crown of life._
_The Life of Mr. ROBERT M'WARD._
Mr. Robert M'Ward was born in Glenluce. After he had gone through his courses of learning at the university, he was ordained minister of the gospel at Glasgow, where he continued for some time in the faithful discharge of his duty until the year 1661, that this good man and affectionate preacher began to observe the design of the then managers to overturn the whole covenanted work of reformation. In the month of February that year, he gave a most faithful and seasonable testimony against the glaring defections of that time, in an excellent sermon in the Trone-church of Glasgow, upon a week-day; which sermon was afterward the ground of a most severe prosecution. His text was in Amos iii. 2.
_You have I known of all the families of the earth_, &c. He had preached upon it for some time upon the week-days, and after he had run through personal abounding sins, and those of the city, he came to the general and national sins that were then abounding. And having enlarged upon these things in scriptural eloquence, in a most moving way, he gives a good many pertinent directions to mourn, consider, repent and return, to wrestle and pour out their souls before the Lord, and encourageth them to these duties from this, ”That G.o.d will look upon these duties as their dissent from what is done, prejudicial to his work and interest, and mark them among the mourners of Zion.” But what was most noticed, was that with which he closeth this sermon, ”As for my part (saith he) as a poor member of this church of Scotland, and an unworthy minister in it, I do this day call you who are the people of G.o.d to witness, that I humbly offer my dissent to all acts which are or shall be pa.s.sed against the covenants and the work of reformation in Scotland. And _2dly_, I protest that I am desirous to be free of the guilt thereof, and pray that G.o.d may put it upon record in heaven.”
The noise of this sermon quickly flew abroad, and Mr. M'Ward was brought to Edinburgh under a guard, and imprisoned. Very soon after, he had an indictment given him by the king's advocate, for treasonable preaching and sedition. What the nature of his indictment was, we may easily guess from the scope of his excellent sermon. He was allowed lawyers, whereby his process became pretty long and tedious. Upon the 6th of June, he was brought before the parliament, where he had a very public opportunity to give a proof of his eminent parts and solid judgment. His charming eloquence was owned here by his very adversaries, and he defended, by scripture and reason, his expressions in his sermon before the bar of the house.
And although his excellent speech had not the influence that might have been expected, yet doubtless it had some, for the house delayed coming to an issue at this time. He indeed expected a sentence of death, which no way damped him; but his Master had more, and very considerable work too, for him elsewhere. Whether it was from orders from court to shed no more blood, or for other certain reasons, it is not known; but his affair was delayed for some time, and upon some encouragement given him of success, he, upon the Monday following, gave in a supplication to the parliament, wherein he exchanges the words protest and dissent, which he had used in his sermon, with those of testifying, solemnly declaring and bearing witness, and yet at the same time declares he is not brought to this alteration, so much for fear of his person, &c. as from an earnest desire to remove out of the way any, or the least occasion of stumbling, that there may be the more ready and easy access, without prejudice of words, to ponder and give judgment of the matter, &c., and withal humbly prostrates himself at their honours feet to be disposed of as they shall think meet.
This supplication, with what went before, might have softened the persecutors (as the forecited historians observe) and yet it had no effect; for Mr. Sharp and his friends resolved now to be rid, as much as they could, of the most eminent of the presbyterian minsters; and therefore he behoved to be banished, which was the highest thing they could go to, unless they had taken his life. Upon the 5th or 6th of July, the parliament gave him for answer, ”That they pa.s.s sentence of banishment upon the supplicant, allowing him six months to tarry in the nation; one of which only in Glasgow, with power to him to receive the following year's stipend at departure.”
His Master having work for him elsewhere, he submitted to the sentence, and transported himself and his family to Rotterdam, where for a while, upon the death of the reverend Mr. Alexander Petrie (author of the compendious church history), he was employed as minister of the Scots congregation there, to the no small edification of many; and that not only to such as were fled hither from the rage and fury of the b.l.o.o.d.y persecutors, but also to those who resorted to him and Mr. Brown, for their advice in difficult cases, in carrying on and bearing up a faithful testimony against both right and left-hand extremes, with every other prevailing corruption, and defection in that day, it being a day _of treading down in the valley of vision_.
Thither the rage of his persecutors followed him, even in a strange land; for about the end of the year 1676, the king by the influence of primate Sharp, wrote to the state-general to cause remove James Wallace, Robert M'Ward, and John Brown, out of their provinces. But the states, considering that Messrs. M'Ward and Brown had already submitted unto the Scots law, and received the sentence of banishment, during life, out of the king's dominion, and having come under their protection, could not be imposed on to remove them out of these provinces, or be any further disquieted; and for this end sent a letter to their amba.s.sador at the court of England, to signify the same to his majesty.
After this, this famous man was concerned in ordaining worthy and faithful Mr. Richard Cameron, when in Holland in the year 1679, and afterwards sent him home with positive instructions to lift and bear up a free and faithful standard against every defection and encroachment made upon the church of Christ in these lands, and particularly the indulgences, against which Mr. M'Ward never failed to give a free and faithful testimony, as is evident from several of his writings, particularly that in answer to Mr. Fleming.