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

JAMES NICHOL.
293
What now, Sir, said they, do ye own the king’s authority ?
A. I own all things lhat the precious word of God owns, in
less or more, and all faithful magistrates. But do ye not
own king Charles also ? A. I dare not for a World, because
it is perjury, for he has unkinged himself in a high degree,
and that in doing all things contrary to the word of God,
and Confession of Faith, and Catechisms Larger and Shorter.
Know ye to whom ye are speaking ? A. I know I am be¬
fore men. But (said one of them) ye are speaking to the
chancellor and members of the council, Sir. But, said I; I
have told you already that he has unkinged himself, and so
have ye degraded yourselves from being princes. If the
king were here what would you say, Sir ? .4.1 know how
I ought to speak to the king, if he were a king ; Sir, is ordi¬
narily said to him : and so to let you know that I am no
Quaker, or erroneous in any thing, but a pure Presbyterian,
and of a gospel apostolic spirit, I call you Sirs, because ye
are noblemen by birth, but not because ye are my judges.
Will ye not say, ‘ God bless the king’s majesty V A. I
dare not bless them whom God hath rejected : “ If any man
bring another doctrine than ye have received, bid him not
God speed, nor receive him into your house,” 2 John 10 ;
and in Ps. xvi., near the beginning, David says, “ Their
drink-offerings will I not offer, nor take up their names in my
lips,” viz., them that hasten after other gods, and therefore I
dare not pray for him. And will ye not pray for him ?, A.
If he belongs to the election of grace, he hath a part of my
prayers ; if he were a king that had kept covenant with God
I would give him a double share, and make mention of his
name, but he is an apostate. (So, my friends, they looked
still one to another at every question and answer.) How
old are you, Sir? A. I am fifty-one years. How dare
you own the Covenants, seeing we have burnt them by the
hand of the hangman ? A. Sir, I dare own them upon all
perils whatsoever, to the utmost of my power, all the days
of my life. And with that they smiled, and laughed one to
another, and to me, and said, my days were near an end.
I said, I am now in your power, but if ye take my blood,
ye shall take innocent blood upon yourselves : “ As for me,
behold I am in your hand; do with me as seemeth good
and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye
put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon