Religion & morality > Cloud of witnesses, for the royal prerogatives of Jesus Christ, or, The last speeches and testimonies of those who suffered for the truth in Scotland, in the years 1681-1688, with an appendix, containing the Queensferry paper, Torwood excommunications, &c

PREFACE.
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hand, God was pleased mightily to animate his suffering
saints, both with light and zeal, in the defence of them,
against all the efforts of hellish violence.
Wherefore, when this alone was not like to effectuate their
designs, these persecutors betook themselves to another
stratagem, and fell upon more mild, but more successful
measures, of giving out indemnities and indulgences, so
restricted and limited, as the acceptors should be gained to a
peaceable compliance with, and submission to, their impious
laws; and taken off from their zeal in maintaining the work
of reformation, and divided from their covenanted brethren :
by this means they weakened the remnant that had not
complied with Prelacy, set them at variance one against
another, allured the one to sit quietly still, till they had
made an end of their brethren ; and, in short, rent and
almost quite ruined, the poor Presbyterian Church of Scot¬
land. And hence, as the suffering remnant, which was by
far the smaller part, were much opposed and reproached
by those ministers and professors, who accepted of these
pretended favours, so it became a necessary head of testi¬
mony, to witness against the indulgence and acceptance
thereof, or sinful connivance thereat. The particular dis¬
quisition of this affair is not consistent with the narrow lim¬
its of a preface : wherefore, the reader may see, for his
satisfaction therein, The History of the Indulgence, Infor-
matory-Vindication, Hind let Loose, &c.
Afterwards, when the persecution became sore and vio¬
lent against the remnant that refused these deceitful baits,
and stood to their covenanted religion and liberty, and that
both by the open violence of the enemies, and false slanders
and calumnies of pretended friends, they were obliged to
emit several declarations of their principles, and to defend
themselves from these unjust slanders and calumnies : which
declarations, so soon as the persecutors got into their hands,
thinking they had a good handle therein, for taking away
the lives of all such as should adhere to them, in regard
that therein they had more explicitly and fully cast off the
authority of the tyrant Charles II., and specified the reasons
why they could not own his authority, they never failed,
on all occasions, to make that a part of their examinations,
‘ Own ye the Sanquhar Declaration, the papers found at
the Queensferry V &c., and many were indicted upon their