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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ly prerogatives of such a glorious and good sovereign, as the
King of kings. And as they had a good understanding in
the doctrine of the cross, so likewise in the promise of the
crown, that is upon the back of the cross; they looked
at the recompence of reward, and therefore endured, be¬
cause by faith they saw him who is invisible. It was their
looking unto Jesus who endured such contradiction of sin¬
ners against himself, that made them bear all these reproach¬
es, slanders, scoffs, and jeers, from enemies and professed
friends, with such invincible patience.
Thou hast here, Christian reader, the dying speeches of
some of these noble heroes; and as the speeches of dying
men are remarkable, the speeches of dying Christians more
remarkable ; how remarkable must the speeches of dying
witnesses for Christ be ? It is reasonably expected, that dy¬
ing men, much more dying Christians, and most of all dying
martyrs, should speak best at last. They are immediately
to give in their last account, they are disinterested from all
the worldly views that used to darken our understandings,
and bias our affections, while living in health and prosperity;
they are upon the borders of eternity ; and as the motions
of nature are stronger the nearer they are to the centre, so
saints are most lively and heavenly, when nearest heaven;
martyrs have a special promise, “ That it shall be given
them in that hour what they shall speak.” The last speech¬
es of Christ’s dying witnesses have extorted, even from hea¬
thens, acknowledgments to the honour of God, Vere mag-
nus est Deus Christianorum,—truly great is the Christian’s
God. They have been made the means of conversion to
many thousands of sinners ; as Justin Martyr testifies of
himself, that the dying words of Christians made him fall in
love with the life of Christianity.
I own, they are not bedecked with the embellishments of
oratory and fine language ; who can expect that from people
of so mean education ? but they are full of the language of
heaven, which is many degrees more forcible than all our
artificial rhetoric. One will find several mistakes in grammar,
no doubt in them ; but they were never intended for the re¬
flections of critics, but for the instruction of Christians; and
their plain rude discourses, may, through God’s blessing, do
more good to the latter, than the most elaborate compositions
can do to the former. They may serve both as a comfort