THE SOCIETIES.--A.D. 1682.

After the death of Cameron, the Covenanters of the Cameronian type

formed themselves into societies for the worship of God, for their own

spiritual edification, and for the defence of the Covenant. Half a dozen

families or more, having the same faith, spirit, and purpose, met

together on the Sabbath day, to engage in social worship. This was

called a society.

Those were days of woeful declension. Defection had swept the great body

of Covenanters from their basis. Under the strain of persecution and the

snare of the royal Indulgence, many ministers and people had abandoned

wholly, or in degree, Reformation grounds. The Society People alone

refused to make concessions by which truth would be suppressed,

conscience defiled, or any divine principle surrendered. They stood by

the Covenant, and accepted the consequences, including hardest service

and greatest sufferings.

The Society People have been censured for exclusiveness; they refused to

associate with others in the worship of God, and would hear no ministers

except their own. But why? Consider their reason, then let them be

judged. These people stood alone simply because they had been left

alone; these soldiers of Christ had been deserted while holding the

ground won by their fathers at the cost of much blood. They stood where

the Lord Jesus Christ had placed them, giving them a solemn charge to

keep the oath, and defend His royal rights. Should they then be

reprimanded, for not joining in the general stampede? What saith the

Lord? "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

From the fortress of the Covenant these veterans of Christ heroically

waved the Blue Banner, declaring to their brethren, and to the world,

that by the grace of God they would never surrender. They were the real

Covenanters, the true blue, the old stock. They were not a faction; they

were the remnant. They stood on the original ground; the others had

broken the Covenant and had departed. These were the core, the center,

the substance, the personnel, the integral force, the organized body,

the visible form, of the Covenanted Church in those days. The Societies

were the continuity of the Church that had flourished in the days of

Knox, and took on later and greater glory in the times of Henderson.

They were the same Church, holding the same faith, the same Covenant,

and the same services.

The Society People were not the branch; they were, the trunk from which

the branches had fallen. The branches were strewn around; but the trunk,

though broken and disfigured, was still deeply rooted in Covenant soil,

and full of life.

The persecutors more than ever concentrated their fire upon these

people. They were pursued and shot like game. Liberal rewards were

offered for their leaders. Yet they stood by their Covenant; they would

not yield an hairbreadth. Fidelity to Christ swallowed up every other

consideration; it was the burning passion of their lives.

These societies were numerous, extending over a wide area. They were

held together by delegations which met quarterly. By this means harmony

of spirit, purpose, and action was preserved. They stood like a square

of veterans, facing the enemy on every side. They even took aggressive

steps, delivering in the most public manner their testimony against the

tyranny of the king and the defection of the Church. The minutes of

these General Meetings have been preserved; they furnish interesting

reading.

After the death of Cargill these people had no minister. A few

ministers, like Alexander Peden, were still untainted, but they would

not join these strong-headed Covenanters in their war against the king.

They regarded the Society People as extremists and fanatics. The

societies suffered more seriously from reproach and misrepresentation by

the brethren than from persecution, though that was growing fiercer

every day. But these were men who reckoned with conscience and with God;

not with consequences nor with man. Fidelity to Christ was their first

and only choice.

These immovable Covenanters were now undergoing the severest trial of

faith. They were hunted, seized, tortured, shot, hanged, destroyed, in

the most infernal manner. They were shown neither mercy nor justice. But

the most crushing distress was the reproach heaped upon them by

retrograde Covenanters. By these they were defamed as dangerous men,

disloyal to their country and a disgrace to religion. All the ministers,

through fear or with scorn, had forsaken them. This was harder to endure

than fire, gibbet, and sword combined. They issued a pathetic call to

the pastors to come back and tend this flock of God. The call was like

the wail of lost children crying for a father's care and pity. It

contained these assuring words:

"We will hear all ministers, whether in houses or fields, who will

preach according to the Word of God, our Covenants, Confession of Faith,

and Catechisms, Larger and Shorter, that will embrace this, our call."

The call was presented to as many as could be found, and was declined by

every one. These that declined their call were the ministers who, twenty

years previous, had been expelled from their churches, because they

would not abandon their Covenant and submit to the king. And these were

the people who had followed them into the wilderness, gathered about

them in great Conventicles, enjoyed wonderful Communions under their

ministry, and adventured their lives in their defence. Now the flock was

forsaken; the shepherds had fled.

These people, however, were not to be despised. They were numerous; a

few years later, upon an emergency, they mustered a regiment for their

country's defence without the beat of a drum, and announced that another

regiment or two would follow if needed. They were courageous; they gave

a most aggressive testimony at Lanark against the king and the

defections of the times. They were intelligent; they ably defended their

principles and position both in speech and in print. They were

consecrated; they made their appeal always to God, to the Covenant, to

conscience, and to the enlightened judgment of Christendom.

The General Meeting resolved, in 1682, to educate four young men for the

ministry, among whom was James Renwick. These were sent to college.

Renwick was ordained in 1684.

Each society endeavored to hold a meeting every Sabbath for Divine

worship. This went far to supply the spiritual nourishment which the

ministers had failed to give. The "Society" is a sweet memory,

lingering still in the hearts of some of our aged people. There are

Covenanters who can yet recall the old-fashioned prayer meeting, then

known as the Society which descended from the times of persecution They

can remember how half a dozen families, sometimes more, sometimes less,

came quietly together on Sabbath morning to one of their homes. The

atmosphere, within and without, was pervaded with holy awe. A quiet joy,

subdued with gravity, beamed in all faces. The largest room in the house

was crowded with men, women, and children; the chairs were supplemented

with boards, cushioned with quilts, for seats. At 11 a.m. the worship of

God began.

[Illustration: ST. SEBASTIAN CHURCH, ROTTERDAM, HOLLAND.

In the times of persecution many Covenanters fled to Holland for safety.

Here they found a city of refuge. The city council gave them the use of

this church for worship. The building is very ancient, and yet it is in

a good state of preservation.]

Order of exercises:

A Psalm announced, a blessing invoked singing the Psalm, reading a

chapter, and prayer by the leader.

Bible verse announced, statement of doctrine and remarks.

A second Psalm, chapter, and prayer.

Reading in the Confession of Faith or in a sermon.

A third Psalm, chapter, and prayer.

The children reciting Psalms and Questions.

The Shorter Catechism recited by the whole house.

A fourth Psalm, followed with a short prayer.

Adjournment at 3 p.m.

These societies were the deep roots of the Covenanted Church. By means

of them, she became thoroughly indoctrinated in the Word of God and His

holy Covenant. In these meetings the elders became like ministers in the

knowledge of Christ, and the people like elders. The feeble in Israel

waxed strong as the house of David, and the house of David as the angel

of the Lord. There were giants in those days.

The Covenanted Church must revive the society spirit and exercises, if

she would recover her vitality; she must resume these spiritual

athletics if she would feel the glow of healthy vigor. These roots have

suffered decay; therefore the trees are easily upturned. When Social

worship of God characterizes the Church, the people will take on

strength and be able to stand amidst the spiritual landslides and

general defection that characterizes the times in which we live.

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. How did the Covenanted Societies survive the general defection?

2. How did they succeed when they had no ministers?

3. What separated them from others in worship?

4. What caused them the greatest grief?

5. How did they entreat the ministers to come to them?

6. On what terms would they have received the minister?

7. How were the societies unified?

8. How did the General Meeting provide a ministry?

9. Give a description of an old-time prayer-meeting.

10. Why should these exercises be revived?

XLI.

THE DAUGHTERS OF THE COVENANT.

The persecution of the Covenanters brought into display the rarest

virtues and highest qualities of womanhood. Many women chose to give up

their happy homes, and wander in solitudes, dwell in caves, suffer in

prisons, hear the death sentence, and go to the gallows, rather than

violate their Covenant with God. They cheerfully accepted their full

share of service and sacrifice in Scotland's struggle for civil and

religious liberty. They faced the terrors of that conflict with a noble

spirit; they were man's worthy helpers in those trying times. Thousands

of incidents of feminine heroism might be cited; we have room for merely

a few.

The Covenanter's marriage, in those days, was both serious and romantic.

The bride always loves to open her eyes upon rosy prospects, but

persecution in that generation shattered the beautiful dream. Her future

was then like a landscape, over which storm followed storm, with only

alternate blinks of sunlight. Husband and wife were in jeopardy every

hour; to-morrow the wedding gown might be the winding sheet. When John

Knox found the woman of his choice, he said, "My bird, are you willing

to marry me?" She replied, "Yes, Sir." Then tenderly and firmly he

added, "My bird, if you marry me, you must take your venture of God's

providence, as I do. I go through the country on foot, with a wallet on

my arm, and in it a Bible, a shirt, and a clean band; you also may put

some things in for yourself; and you must go where I go, and lodge where

I lodge." "I'll do all this," she blithely answered. They lived long,

and were happy in the bonds of that blessed wedlock. Once as they

journeyed across the county she took the hand-baggage, and hastening

ahead sat on the hilltop awaiting his coming. As he came up she

humorously said, "Am not I as good as my word?"

The women often showed fidelity to Jesus Christ and His Covenant that

amazed the persecutors. They scorned the suggestion of relief for

themselves or their families that would compromise the truth of Christ.

John Welch, of Ayr, lay in prison fifteen months because his preaching

did not please the king. The dungeon in which he was confined is yet

pointed out in Blackness Castle, a dark, dismal, pestilential vault. A

recent traveler said that he had gotten enough of its horrors in five

minutes to do him. But poor Welch had to abide there "five quarters of

ane yier." Mrs. Welch visited the king in person to plead for his

release. "Yes," said the king, "if he will submit to the bishops."

"Please Your Majesty," said Mrs. Welch, holding up the corners of her

apron, "I'd rather kep his head here." The faithful wife was willing to

witness her husband's execution, rather than have him betray the cause

of Christ or break his Covenant with God.

Many a martyr got his inspiration for duty from God, through his noble

wife. When James Guthrie came to a difficult task, he seemed to

hesitate. Great interests were involved. May he not modify a certain

ministerial action so as to save his life, provide for his family, and

continue to shepherd his flock? Who would not pause in presence of such

a serious consideration? His wife, observing his perplexity, came into

his presence with a cheery countenance and an assuring voice, saying,

"My heart, what the Lord gives you light and clearness to do, that do."

The light carried him into the service; the conscience was set free from

the temporary disturbance; yet the decision brought him to the scaffold;

it placed upon his brow the martyr's crown. The worthy wife sadly went

into widowhood, and the children into orphanage, through that strong,

womanly spirit which could brook no deviation from duty.

The women frequently were placed in embarrassing positions. In marriage

they were not always equally yoked. When the husband was a persecutor,

faithfulness in the house and fidelity to Jesus required the highest

wisdom on the part of the wife. Lady Anne Rothes occupied such a home.

Both she and her husband were born Covenanters. The Covenant principles

were bred in the bone, instilled into the thoughts, and impressed on the

conscience, at the parental fireside, at the family altar, in the house

of God, and at the Table of the Lord, while they were under the care of

their parents; but the young man forsook his father's God, dishonored

the Covenant, and cast off religion. He became a profligate and

persecutor. The woman, through the abundant grace of God, remained true

to the Covenant. Her position, however, involved her in many a dilemma.

The wedlock that promised to be a blessed union proved to be a galling

yoke. The husband was placed in power by the king, and granted the title

of duke. On one occasion, when entertaining Archbishop Sharp, the two

grew merry over their plan to put certain Covenanters to death. The

tender-hearted woman, sitting with them at the table, was greatly

distressed, yet she wisely concealed her feelings. Having the

information, however, she was able to send out timely warning to the

Covenanters. In this way she saved their lives, not once, nor twice.

Rothes, too, in his better moments, assisted her in protecting the

persecuted. When about to send his soldiers to apprehend the

Covenanters, at times he would say to her with a twinkle in his eye, "My

lady, the hawks will be out to-night, so you had better take care of

your chickens."

The women of the Covenant were compelled to pass through many painful

scenes. Often their hearts were heavily burdened, yet they were mightily

sustained by the Holy Spirit. Captain John Paton, after a wonderful

record on the battlefield in defence of the Covenant, won his last fight

on the scaffold. He went joyfully to his death, glorying in victory

through his Lord Jesus Christ. As he stood on the platform from which he

would soon step into eternity, he held forth his well-worn Bible, from

which he addressed the crowd that stood around the gallows. Then bidding

farewell to earth, and welcome to heaven, he commended his wife and

their six children to the care of his Covenant God. At that moment, the

sorrow-stricken woman, reaching up her trembling hand, received from him

his Bible with a blessing--a double token of her husband's deathless

love. Then in the twinkling of an eye, she saw his body twirling in the

death struggle, while his soul entered into glory. That Bible is still

preserved at Lochgoin.

The horrors which women deliberately faced, in their devotion to Christ

and His servants, seem almost incredible. How great the love of woman

whose heart God's love has filled! How deep, how tranquil, how

inexhaustible, how majestic, how like the love of Jesus is the love of

that woman whose heart rests in her Covenant God! It is measured in part

by the stupendous tasks she accepts and the crucial emergencies she

endures for the sake of others. When Robert Baillie, burdened with years

and weakened with disease, lay in prison waiting for his sentence, his

wife was ill and unable to visit him. But the angelic heart of her

sister, Lady Graden, then found its opportunity. The authorities would

permit her to visit the dying man, only on her consent to become a

prisoner with him. She agreed to the conditions, and entered the dark

sickly cell. His pale face was quickly lighted up with her presence, and

the Word of God, which she read to him in the dim candle-light. Night

and day she watched over him with sympathetic interest. At length he was

brought out for trial, and sentenced to die. She accompanied him to the

gallows, stood by him when swung off; saw him cut down, watched while

his body was quartered and prepared for shipment, to be placed on

exhibition in four cities. And when the service of love was fully

finished, and neither hand, nor tongue, nor eye could do anything

further, she went home to console her sick sister.

[Illustration: CONSOLATION IN PRISON.

Helen Johnston, afterward Lady Graden, was the daughter of the

celebrated Archibald Johnston, who sealed the Covenant with his blood.

Through much tribulation she learned to sympathize deeply with those who

were condemned to die for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here she

is seen visiting an aged prisoner of Christ, Robert Baillie. She is

leading the Bible, and conversing upon the consolation of God's grace.

She attended him on the scaffold, where he gave up his life for the

truth.]

And what shall we say more of Isabel Alison, Marion Harvie, Margaret

Dun, Barbara Cunningham, Janet Livingston, Anne Hamilton, Margaret

Colville, Marion Veitch, and the long list of worthy women, which the

pen of man will never complete?

The Covenanted Church is largely dependent on the women for spirit,

courage, fidelity, and activity in the service of Christ. The grace of

God, abounding in the women, will cause the Church to arise and do

valiant work. When mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters beam with

devotion to Christ and His Covenant; when their voice is resonant with

holy courage in the Lord's cause; when their lives are sublime with

deeds of heroic faith; then will the Church become "beautiful as the

morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army

with banners." Jesus said unto her, "O woman, great is thy faith; be it

unto thee even as thou wilt."

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. In what spirit did the women endure the persecution?

2. Give an incident in courtship.

3. Describe the loyalty of Mrs. Welch, both to her husband and to the

Covenant.

4. Relate Mrs. Guthrie's spirited advice to her husband.

5. Tell about Mrs. Paton.

6. What were some of the difficulties faced by Lady Rothes?

7. Describe the service of devotion by Lady Graden to Robert Baillie.

8. How is the Church dependent on woman, for spirited and successful

work?

XLII.

YOUNG LIFE UNDER PERSECUTION.

When the shepherd is smitten, the sheep will be scattered. When the

father is persecuted, the family will suffer, the mother and children

cannot escape. The fire that enfolds the oak with a sheet of flame will

not pause at the more beautiful maple or the flowering shrubs.

God's Covenant with the fathers included mothers, sons, and daughters.

It also embraced future generations. "The promise is unto you, and to

your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord

our God shall call." The Covenant of our fathers was their acceptance of

God's promise on His own terms. The terms were these: unswerving

fidelity to His truth, and steadfastness in His service. They who were

true in spirit, honest at heart, firm in purpose, and consistent in

life, were able to enter into the deep, broad, marvelous meaning of the

Covenant. The secret of the Lord was with them. The Holy Spirit came

upon them with power, shed light, gave strength, ministered comfort,

inspired hope, produced courage, wrought wonders. In their presence the

wilderness blossomed as the rose; gardens sprang up in the solitary

places; the apple tree bore fruit in the woods. The Lord Jesus Christ

was with them in the rich abundance and wonderful variety of His grace;

they dwelt in the heavenly places; glory covered the ground whereon they

trod.

The children of the Covenanters, being included in the Covenant,

suffered with their parents in the persecution, and received also the

recompense of reward. A few of these lovely lives may be mentioned, but

the fascinating story of thousands will never be told. The few, however,

will suggest the many. We look at a bunch of violets, then think of the

acres of delicate beauty bathing in the warm sunbeams and fluttering in

the soft winds.

The young Covenanters in those days confronted severest conditions and

learned hardest lessons in discipleship. Sometimes they had to forsake

father and mother to prove themselves worthy of Christ. Andrew Forsyth,

verging on manhood, was required to drink this bitter cup. The family

had not yet espoused the Covenanted cause. One day Andrew was entrusted

with a flock of sheep for the market. He was over night on the way. As

he lay that night guarding his sheep in the field, he heard solemn

music. Following the sound, he came to a moss-hag, where a group of

Covenanters were worshiping God. A moss-hag is a cut on the hillside,

formed by frost and rain; and overhung with moss, heather, and other

growths. In such places the pursued Covenanters often hid themselves.

The cold grotto was their house; the damp earth their bed; the hole cut

out of the hill without hands their sanctuary. Andrew listened with

breathless interest. They were singing a Psalm of David. Then followed

an earnest prayer. Tie could not endure the suspense, but revealed

himself to the little company. They received him gladly, and spent hours

talking of Christ, His precious blood, His amazing love, His royal

glory, and His unrivalled supremacy. Andrew was a Covenanter when he

went home. His father was angry, his mother was sorry, and he had to

leave. In a distant moor he made himself a bed under a booth of heather

and moss, and supported himself by working for the neighboring

shepherds. The dragoons heard of his affiliation with the Covenanters,

and were quickly on his path; his life was ever in danger. One day they

fired on him, but he escaped and reached his mossy den, carrying a

bullet wound received from their fire. There he lay several days,

suffering, bleeding, hungry, lonely, and helpless, yet full of peace and

joy in the Lord. Often did he think of his father's house, and his

mother's love; of the gentle hands that had in other days smoothed his

bed and made his bread; yet his heart bloomed with thoughts of the love

of Jesus Christ and His sweet promises. His religion had cost much, but

he never regretted the bargain by which he had lost the world and gained

his soul. At length a shepherd found him, and kindly ministered to his

wants. This good boy lived to be an old man, whose grey hair was a crown

of glory.

The young people often manifested presence of mind equal to those of

riper years. Bessie Willison was one of those brilliant characters. Once

she heard of a Field-meeting to be held under trying circumstances and

resolved to attend it. It was winter; the ground was covered with snow;

the place was distant and difficult to reach; the weather was rough; the

journey was perilous; dragoons might be met at any turn of the road.

What girl would brave such hardships for a day's preaching? Bessie

arrayed herself in her winter wraps, and started early in the morning.

She was willing to endure hardness for the Lord's sake. She could face

the driven snow, or sit on an icy stone, or laugh at the blasts that

reddened her cheeks, in order to hear the Word preached by a true

servant of God. She walked alone; yet not alone, for her heart burned

within her while the Lord talked with her by the way. As the road led

around a hill, she suddenly came upon a troop of dragoons. They drew up

their horses, soldier-like, and spoke rudely to her; she replied with

much dignity. They persisted in their vile language, taunting her and

railing on the Covenanters. But even with their horses, guns, swords,

and rough speeches, they were unable to daunt the lonely girl. Conscious

of purity, and flaming with indignation, her eyes flashing into their

faces, she administered a reproof that cut like a lancet. They shrank

and made room for her to pass on without further molestation. What

inspiration would come to the Field-meeting from the presence of a

Covenanter like that! The Lord was with her, and therefore she brought

joy and strength to others.

The little children, too, had their difficult places in Scotland's hard

fight for liberty. The persecution still increased in violence. At

length when for any reason a town had fallen under the king's

displeasure, all the inhabitants were subject to punishment. On one

occasion, the people had been warned of the coming of dragoons. The

parents, not being able to take their children with them, and hoping the

"bairns" would find pity, left them and fled to a hiding-place. The

children were sharply interrogated by the soldiers concerning their

parents, but gave no satisfaction. They were then led to a field and

placed in front of the soldiers. This greatly terrified them, but they

would reveal nothing. The officer commanded his men to take aim. Up went

the guns; the sight was dreadful for children; yet they would give no

information. "Lead us to the hiding-place, or you will be shot," cried

the officer. There were sobs, tears, and trembling, but no response.

[Illustration: ANDREW HISLOP'S MARTYRDOM.

Andrew Hislop was but a youth when he suffered death for Christ's Crown

and Covenant. He was taken while crossing a field, and sentenced to die

on the spot. He bravely faced the guns that were levelled at his brow.

Many, other boys of that period were equally heroic. Four of them, who

were captured in a group, replied thus to their captors, when told that

they must be shot: "We are to die, you say? Glorious news! Christ is no

worse than He promised."]

"Will it hurt much, Janet?" said a little boy, as he clasped the hand

of his sister.

"I dinna ken, Willie," replied the sister tenderly, "but I'm sure it

will na last lang."

"Fire!" shouted the officer. The terrible volley flashed from every gun.

Some of the children dropped, thinking they had been shot. The soldiers

had been told to shoot over their heads to frighten and not kill. The

officer, outmatched by the brave children, and we hope heartily ashamed

of himself, led his men away. As they rode off, the children sang:

"The Lord's my shepherd; I'll not want;

He makes me down to lie

In pastures green; He leadeth me

The quiet waters by."

Their sweet voices mingled with the dying clatter of the horses' hoofs.

The young bridegroom and his bride were also involved in hardships that

tried their souls. The soldiers that raided the country had equal

disregard for old age, youth, and infancy. The mother, whether

surrounded by a houseful of children, or clasping her first infant on

her bosom, found no pity. One morning the dragoons surrounded the house

of a happy couple, John and Sarah Gibson. They had come to seize both,

whether to kill or imprison was not yet determined. John was absent;

Sarah, seeing the troopers gallop toward the house, poured a prayer over

her babe, as it lay asleep in the crib, and fled in terror, hoping that

sweet infancy would appeal to their hearts. A ruffian rushed in, and

grasping the babe, shouted, "The nurse is not far away." He made it

scream, to bring the mother back. She heard its pitiful cry; her heart

was breaking, yet she was utterly powerless. She might expose herself,

but she could not help the infant. They carried it away. She was almost

insane with grief. The soldiers, going back from the house, met the

father, but he was not identified. They, being bewildered on the moor,

compelled him to be their guide. He saw the child, but did not recognize

it as his own. The officer, ashamed of the cruel deed, ordered the man

who had carried off the babe to take it back to the house. He galloped

off and laid it again in the crib. The mother quickly clasped it to her

bosom. That night the father returned. Telling of his adventures, he

mentioned the babe he had seen with the soldiers. The mother, bursting

into tears, arose and laying the infant in his arms said, "This is the

babe you saw."

The young people are the hope of the Church. The congregation whose

young people are loyal to Christ and true to the Covenant is greatly

blessed of God. The Covenant embraces children, claims their allegiance,

calls for their service, honors them with responsibilities, and lays at

their feet the privileges and beatitudes of the kingdom of heaven.

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. Does the Covenant of the fathers include posterity?

2. How did the children suffer in the persecution?

3. Describe the case of Andrew Forsyth.

4. How did Bessie Willison meet her trials?

5. Tell about the little children of a persecuted town.

6. Describe the cruelty done to the babe of Mr. and Mrs. Gibson.

7. What may the Church expect, when her young people are true?

XLIII.

THE COVENANTERS' BIBLE.

The Covenanters dearly loved the Bible. They esteemed it very highly for

the sake of God, its Author. They believed in its inspiration,

genuineness, infallibility, majesty, and power. The Bible inspired? Yes,

the Covenanters had no troublesome thoughts on that question. The Holy

Spirit, in their estimation, was the source of that Book; the contents

were all His own. He produced every sentence, formed every clause, chose

every word found in the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, and filled

all brimful and overflowing with God's own meaning. He did all this

through the men who were employed as the inspired writers. The

Covenanters believed in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Bible.

They discovered also a second inspiration. The Holy Spirit inspires the

devout reader. He opens the heart to receive the Scriptures, and He

opens the Scriptures to yield their meaning. Then, and only then, the

Bible appears in its true greatness. Then is it the effective voice of

God, tender as the sob of a babe, and majestic as thunder; it then is

the temple of living truth, filled with the glory of the Lord's

presence; it then is the revelation of the eternal world, showing the

beauty of holiness, the mystery of the cross, the conquest of death, the

horrors of sin, the doom of the lost, the joy of the saved. Oh, what a

Book the Bible is to the inspired reader! It becomes transparent. The

light of the face of Jesus flashes from the lines and between the lines,

through the words and amidst the letters, turning the page into heaven's

bright scenery, and the chapters into the unveiling of the wonders of

redemption. Such was the Book of God to the Covenanters, as they passed

through the fires of persecution.

The homeless Covenanters, wandering from place to place, carried the

Bible with them. It was their faithful guide and constant companion.

When they were hungry, it was their food; when thirsty, it was their

drink; when forsaken, it was their friend; when wounded, it was their

balm; when pursued, it was their refuge; when condemned, it was their

advocate; when executed, it was their welcome into heaven. When they

retired to the darksome caves, its promises made the dripping stones

shine; when they sought shelter in the mountains, the music of the

Psalms cheered their hearts; when their blood bedewed the moss, the loud

cry on Calvary sanctified their pain; when they sat on the Bass Rock

begirt with waves and swept by storms, the visions, creations, and

tumultuous grandeurs of Patmos were reproduced in the spiritual

experience of these illuminated sufferers, by means of the Word of God.

To these devout Covenanters, the blessed Book yielded up its wealth,

breathed its deepest love, revealed its hidden glory. In their spiritual

visions, the desert blossomed at their feet, gardens flourished around

them, harvests ripened for their sickle; summer drove back the dreary

winter; they verily dwelt in Immanuel's land.

The Covenanters loved the Bible more than their lives. In it they found

eternal life, and counted all things but loss for the excellency of the

knowledge of Christ. Many instances are on record, showing their

willingness to die, rather than abandon, or conceal, the Book of God.

One man, M'Roy by name, was shot on the spot, because he was found

reading his Bible. It was Sabbath, a sweet summer day. That morning he

drove his cows to pasture, carrying the sacred Book with him. The field

is a beautiful place for personal devotions. Here the soul can luxuriate

in prayer and meditation, holding fellowship with heaven. A solemn

stillness had fallen upon the broad landscape; nothing was heard but the

notes of the plover, the bleating of the lambs, and the grazing of the

cows. M'Roy sat down on the soft grass, and opened the Book of God. He

was then in his element; he delighted in the law of the Lord. The sun

poured down its blessings upon the fields, and a light much brighter

spread around his soul; the fragrant air fanned his brow, and sweeter

aroma from the "mountain or myrrh" refreshed his spirit. His heart was

beating fast with the joys that were crowding into his inner life. He

was preparing, though he knew it not, for a crisis. Suddenly and rudely

the spiritual reverie was interrupted. Captain Lagg, with a company of

horsemen, was dashing across that field, when their eyes fell upon the

lonely herdsman. They galloped to the spot where he sat in solemn

composure.

"What book is that you are reading?" Lagg gruffly asked.

"It is the Bible, Sir," meekly replied M'Roy, looking up into the face

of the rough soldier, who held his weapon ready for action. The

confession sealed his death.

"Your cows must find another herdsman," sternly returned Lagg, who

immediately delivered the fatal shot. The bleeding body struggled a

moment on the heath, then the ransomed spirit took its flight to

brighter realms.

The Bible won the young, as well as the more matured. It warmed,

strengthened, purified, and ennobled the hearts of sons and daughters,

affording comfort and arousing heroism equal to that of fathers and

mothers. Andrew Hislop, while yet a youth, was overtaken as he hastened

to a hiding-place, and was put on trial for his life, while he stood

before the soldiers in the field across which he was running. His Bible

was found on his person. His mother's home had been demolished by

Claverhouse some time previous; she and her children had been compelled

to face the future without food or shelter. She had been charged with

harboring Covenanters; therefore her residence had been destroyed, her

provisions seized, and her children scattered; all were now being hunted

for their lives. Claverhouse had found Andrew. He was allowed a short

time for prayer. His prayer brought the needed blessing with more than

lightning-speed; sufficient grace and strength were immediately given.

His face shined with courage; his eyes gleamed with contempt for danger

and death; a halo of victory seemed to wreathe him; the Holy Spirit

filled his soul with joy; his lips took up the Psalmist's inspired

challenge, and the solemn music smote the ears of his foes, as he sang--

"The mighty Lord is on my side,

I will not be afraid;

For any thing that man can do

I shall not be dismayed."

The dragoons were unable to endure the glory of that face, or the

sweetness of that voice. He was ordered to draw down his "bonnet" over

his eyes, and receive the volley. He sternly refused, lifting it higher

on his dauntless brow, and affirming that he could look the musketeers

in the face, while they delivered the murderous fire. Then holding out

his Bible, he haled them to the Judgment-seat, where they would be

judged by that Book.

[Illustration: COVENANTERS BIBLES

In this group of Bibles, Peden's is the largest; Cargill's is underneath

it, and Captain Paton's to the left. We had the privilege of using

Cargill's Bible in 1896, at a Conventicle service held on the Cargill

farm. We felt deeply impressed, while reading from the pages upon which

the piercing eyes of the martyr had often flashed. The book still bears

the marks of rain-drops, received, doubtless, while being used in the

outdoor meetings held by the Covenanters.]

"Shoot," cried Claverhouse. Not a gun was discharged. The men were

overawed by the sweet innocency and intrepid spirit of the youthful

Covenanter.

"Shoot that bonnie young man!" exclaimed the officer, who had charge of

the men appointed to do the bloody work. "I'll fight Clavers and a' his

men first." Three others were found sufficiently hardened to do the

cruel deed. The young hero fell, and expired. As the horsemen rode away,

the stricken mother hastened to the spot. The young heart had ceased to

beat; the eyes opened no more upon her kindly face. Sadly she gathered

up the oozing brains, for which she had brought a clean napkin, knowing

too well what had occurred; she then prepared the body for burial.

The Covenanters endeavored to keep the Bible ever close at hand. It was

the open book in the house the desk-book in the shop, the pocket-book in

the field, the guide-book on the road. When they had a breathing spell

at their work, they inhaled its fragrance, fed upon its manna, drank

from its wells of salvation, plucked the ripe fruit of its orchards. A

glance at its sacred pages, now and then through the day, supplied

strength, wisdom, comfort, and courage so much needed. But this pious

habit imperiled life. Arthur Inglis one day, while resting his team at

the plow, sat down on the furrow, with his open Bible. He was suddenly

sighted by the wary dragoons, who were scouting the country. They

spurred their steeds, and were quickly drawn up around their victim. The

fact that he was reading the Bible was sufficient to convince them that

he was worthy to die. Neither judge nor jury was necessary for

conviction. He received the deadly volley and fell, expiring in the

furrow where he sat.

The Bible, how we should prize it! Our fathers, when they opened the

Book of God, knew not but ere they closed it their blood would stain the

page upon which the eyes were feasting; yet they relished it more than

their necessary food. How will our delight in the Word of God compare

with theirs?

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. How did the Covenanters esteem the Bible?

2. What kind of inspiration did they ascribe to the Bible?

3. What second inspiration needed to understand it?

4. What was the Bible to these sufferers?

5. Describe their devotion to the Word of God; the experience of McRoy;

Andrew Hislop; Arthur Inglis.

6. How ought we to esteem the Bible?

XLIV.

THE SCOTTISH SEER.--A.D. 1685.

Alexander Peden was a burning and a shining light in the dark night of

Scotland's persecution. His career in the ministry of the Gospel glowed

with mysterious splendor. His natural powers flashed with supernatural

glints, or rather, with excessive spiritual light, by the indwelling

Holy Spirit. God, through persecution, made many mighty men.

Peden was born in 1626, when King Charles was trying hard to stamp out

Presbyterianism. He was twelve years old, when the Covenant renewed at

Greyfriars' Church thrilled the kingdom. He was twenty-four when Charles

II. took the throne, and wrought havoc with the Reformation. When

thirty-six, he was driven from his church at Glenluce by the wrath of

the king. When forty-eight, he was banished to the Bass Rock, where he

rested, like an eagle on its aerie, his soul betimes soaring above all

clouds, and calmly viewing the ransomed in presence of the eternal

Throne. At sixty, he gave death a royal welcome, uttering predictions,

bestowing blessings, and giving signs, like one of the prophets of old.

Thus his singular life fell into periods of twelves, each arising above

the other, like mountain upon mountain, in ruggedness and majesty, until

his noble spirit took its flight from the scenes of earth.

A great distress befell him on the day appointed for his licensure. A

serious charge was preferred against him, affecting his moral character.

His licensure, therefore, was deferred. Greatly humiliated, he withdrew

to a solitary place, and spent twenty-four hours in prayer. He was all

night alone with the Angel of the Covenant, and wrestled till he got the

blessing. A prayer lasting twenty-four hours, poured forth from the

heart, will work wonders. He has not told us how he sat by the murmuring

waters, pouring out his complaint; nor how that day was to him like

night, and the night like outer darkness; nor how he mingled his sighs

with the moaning of the winds, and his tears with the drops of the

night; but he has told how that the Lord answered him. Returning to the

house he said, "Give me meat and drink, for I have gotten what I was

seeking; I will be vindicated." His innocency was soon made clear by the

criminal making a public confession of guilt.

Peden was called to the church of Glenluce, where he remained as pastor

three years. His preaching was earnest, pointed, and powerful. He was

greatly beloved by his flock, and the work of the Lord prospered in his

hand. But his ministry in that field was violently interrupted by the

vengeance of King Charles, which fell upon the Church in 1662, driving

400 ministers from their parishes. Peden possessed a militant spirit,

and ignored the day set by royal authority for the arbitrary vacation.

He boldly continued overtime. At length the strain was so great that he

had to go. His farewell sermon was preached from Acts 20:31: "Therefore

watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to

warn every one night and day with tears." The text was peculiarly

appropriate to the occasion. The house was crowded; tumultuous emotions

surged through the audience; the anguish found vent in weeping, wailing,

and loud lamentations. The sermon was frequently interrupted with the

grief. The service continued until night. He never again preached in

that pulpit.

The gift of prophecy distinguished Peden in a striking manner, giving

him a unique place in history. He spoke with accuracy of many events,

without information other than that received directly from God. But this

will astonish no one who is acquainted with man's power in prayer.

Prayer was the secret of Peden's prescience. God proceeds on established

principles, in His dealings with His people. "The secret of the Lord is

with them that fear Him." "And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham

that thing which I do?" Peden's prayers on certain occasions lasted all

night. Communion with God was his delight; he lived in the presence of

the Almighty; his hiding-place was in the brightness of the light

shining from the face of Jesus Christ. His heart was burdened with the

interests of Christ's kingdom. Therefore God gave him eyes to see much

that was hidden from others.

He was sixty miles away when the Covenanters fell on the field of

Rullion Green. News then traveled no faster than a horse. That evening

he was sad. A friend inquired the cause. He replied, "To-morrow I shall

tell you." That night he retired to his room, but went not to bed; he

spent the hours in prayer. Next morning he said, "Our friends, that were

in arms for Christ's interest, are now broken, killed, taken, and fled,

every man."

He was forty miles away on the dismal Sabbath, when the Covenanters were

slaughtered at Bothwell Bridge. He had an engagement to preach. The

people assembled in a solitary place for the service. They were hungry

for the Word of God, but Peden did not appear. At noon they sent to know

the cause. He replied, "Let the people go to their prayers; I neither

can, nor will preach this day, for our friends are fallen and fleed

before the enemy; they are hagging and hacking them down, and their

blood is running like water."

[Illustration: PEDEN AT CAMERON'S GRAVE.

When Peden was old, he wandered one day to the grave of Cameron. There

he sat down in deep meditation. Desolation brooded over the scene. The

solitude of his life, too, was crushing. His dearest companions in

persecution had fallen in the hard-fought battle. They had received

their crown, and were with the Lord in glory, while he was yet pursued

like a partridge on the mountains. His heart heaved a heavy sigh, and

from his lips came the memorable words, "O, to be wi Richie."]

One day while preaching, he arose in a flight of inspiration,

exclaiming, "I must tell you, in the name of the Lord, who sent me unto

you this day, to tell you these things, that ere it be very long, the

living shall not be able to bury the dead in thee, O Scotland; and many

a mile shall ye walk, or ride, and shall not see a farm-house, but

ruinous wastes, for the quarrel of a broken Covenant and wrongs done to

the Son of God."

This servant of God had profound knowledge of Bible doctrines. He had a

masterly conception of the crown rights of Jesus Christ, and the

fundamental principles of His kingdom. He had vivid views of the

excellence of holiness, and the atrocity of sin. This filled him, like

the Psalmist, with horror at the doom of transgressors. His inner life

was fiercely swept with the contrary passions of love for righteousness,

and hatred for iniquity. His soul was the scene of terrific conflicts.

His preaching and praying against the powers of darkness often revealed

an internal tragedy. One night while preaching to the Covenanters who

had assembled in a sheep-house, he cried out, "Black, black, black will

be the day, that shall come upon Ireland; they shall travel forty miles,

and not see a reeking house, or hear a crowing cock." Then, clapping his

hands with dramatic effect, he exclaimed: "Glory, glory to the Lord,

that He has accepted a bloody sacrifice of a sealed testimony off

Scotland's hand."

Peden could not brook any departure from Christ and His Covenant.

Covenant-breaking was, in his eyes, a most aggravated sin. He was quick

to see the Lord coming to avenge the quarrel of His Covenant, and his

soul was filled with dread.

Here are some of his utterances:

"Oh, my heart trembles within me, to think what is coming on the

backsliding, soul-murdering ministers of Scotland!

"He is not worth his room, that prays not half his time, to see if he

can prevent the dreadful wrath, that is coming on our poor motherland.

"Thirty-six years ago our Lord had a numerous train of ministers in

Scotland, but one blast blew six hundred of them away, and they never

returned.

"I shall tell you the right way of covenanting with God; it is when

Christ and believers meet; and our Lord gives them His laws, statutes,

and commandments; and charges them not to quit a hoof of them; no,

though they should be torn into a thousand pieces. And the right

Covenanter says, Amen."

Peden never married. During twenty-four years of wanderings, his life

was pathetically lonely. When death was approaching, he returned to the

old home, to spend his last days amid the scenes of his childhood. His

brother still dwelt there. He received a cordial welcome, though his

presence imperiled the family; for the dragoons were still pursuing him.

To that true and tender soul, how beautiful must have been the green

fields, the rippling brooks, and the familiar hills, where he had roamed

when a child! They made him a cave on the hillside; a bush covered its

entrance. There he was hidden from the enemy, and there he lay in his

last illness, and ripened for heaven.

When near his end he predicted, that, bury him where they would, the

enemy would lift his body. Forty days after his burial, the spiteful foe

raised his body, and buried it among the graves of criminals. Thus they

attempted to disgrace this servant of Jesus Christ. But in later years

his memory was so dearly cherished, that many good people requested to

be interred beside him, and the grounds around that grave in time became

a beautiful cemetery.

Communion with God is the secret of power, and of spiritual vision; and

faithfulness in God's Covenant is the secret of Divine communion. The

possibility of living in holy familiarity with God the Father, and with

our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit, learning the thoughts

of God, feeling the thrill of His power, viewing His far-reaching plans,

and co-operating in His glorious work--is this only a fascinating dream?

Nay, the Covenanters of the martyr-spirit found it to be a realization.

Do their children strive after the same attainment?

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. What gift specially distinguished Peden?

2. What distress did he meet at his licensure?

3. How did he overcome it?

4. Where was his first pastorate?

5. Why did he leave Glenluce?

6. What remarkable prophecies did he utter?

7. Repeat some of his sayings.

8. What occurred to his body after burial?

9. How may we attain to a similar familiarity with God?

XLV.

SCOTLAND'S MAIDEN MARTYR.--A.D. 1685.

King Charles II. died February 6, 1685. Few tears were shed, many hearts

were glad, at his departure. He was called the "Merry Monarch," in

allusion to his frivolous spirit and gross dissipation. "Wherever you

see his portrait, you may fancy him in his court at Whitehall,

surrounded by some of the worst vagabonds in the kingdom, drinking,

gambling, indulging in vicious conversation, and committing every kind

of profligate excess."

Charles left behind him a gory path. Pools of blood, precious blood, the

blood of the saints, marked it all the way through the twenty-five years

of his reign. Where did that horrible path lead? We shudder at the

answer; we draw a veil over the scene; we are careful not to speak our

thoughts. But the strong-hearted martyrs followed the vision to the end.

"Would you know what the devil is doing in hell?" exclaimed John Semple,

one of the Covenanted ministers. "He is going with a long rod in his

hand, crying, Make way, make room, for the king is coming; and the

other persecutors are posting hither." How like the scathing irony of

Isaiah, in describing the death of the king of Babylon! "Hell from

beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming." An ovation in

the lower world! What horrid mockery there awaits the chieftains of

crime!

A curious coincidence occurred at this time. Alexander Peden, on a

certain night, was conducting family worship. He was hundreds of miles

distant from the king. While reading from the Bible, he suddenly

stopped, and exclaimed, "What's this I hear?" He uttered the strange

words three times. Then after a brief pause, he clapped his hands and

said, "I hear a dead shot at the throne of Britain. Let him go; he has

been a black sight to these lands, especially to poor Scotland. We're

well quit of him." That same night the king fell in a fit of apoplexy,

or as some say, by a dose of poison, and died within five days. His

brother, the Duke of York, succeeded him on the throne.

James VII, the new king, inherited Charles' work of slaughter, and

continued it with revolting savagery. He, too, was infatuated with the

thought of being supreme over the Church, and became infuriated with the

purpose of overthrowing Presbyterianism, and suppressing the

Covenanters, now called "The Cameronians." Had he paused to consider,

surely he would have hesitated to follow the man, who had gone to meet

his Judge, to answer for the blood that was crying against him for

vengeance. We tremble at the thought of the naked soul facing the

accusations of the slain, and receiving righteous retribution for its

cruel deeds. How great the infatuation of the successor, who determined

to follow the same path!

Among those who suffered under king James, the family of Gilbert Wilson

is worthy of special notice. Neither Gilbert, nor his wife, had espoused

the Covenanters' cause; but they had three children who claimed the

enviable distinction; Margaret, aged eighteen years, Thomas, sixteen,

and Agnes, thirteen. These children had been deeply moved by the stories

of bloodshed, that were then recited, night by night at many a fireside.

Their sympathy with the persecuted was aroused unwittingly, and they

absorbed the principles of the Covenant; somehow, and it could not be

explained, they became Covenanters, and that of the noblest type. Their

parents were shocked, for their property, and freedom, and even their

lives were involved. The children were required to abandon the Covenant,

or quit their home. They chose the latter, sad and terrible as it was.

These young hearts had grasped one of the highest and hardest truths in

the religion of Jesus Christ--"He that loveth father or mother more than

me is not worthy of me."

[Illustration: CHOOSING DEATH RATHER THAN LIFE

Margaret McLaughlin was a widow, 63 years of age; Margaret Wilson a girl

of 18. False accusations were preferred against them, but the real

ground of their death was their faith in Jesus Christ and piety before

God. They were offered life, if they would renounce the Covenant. They

chose death rather than forfeit God's favor, by breaking Covenant.

Several costly and beautiful monuments have been erected in Scotland to

their honor. The strand where they died is still marked by stakes, which

are replaced from time to time. The place is near Wigtown, in the south

of Scotland.]

One day they walked slowly and sadly away from their beloved parents,

and their pleasant home. From a distance they cast a farewell glance

upon the scenes of their childhood, then quickened their pace to reach

the solitudes and escape the soldiers. The dragoons came to the house,

but missed their prey. They were very angry, and enjoined the parents,

under a heavy penalty, to refuse their children food and shelter; yea,

all human kindness. The children pursued their way, not knowing whither

they were going. The desolate moors, the dreary mountains, the damp

caves, the chilly moss-hags were before them, but their resting-place

this night must be determined by the setting of the sun. We have not

been told where they wrapped themselves in their plaids for sleep, but

it was likely on the ground. They sadly missed the cozy bed their mother

used to make. Where they had to stop was so shelterless, silent, chilly,

and lonely. They were weary, hungry, defenceless, trembling like

nestlings cast violently out of the nest. Margaret the oldest was a

mother to the others. She loved her Bible. It contained God's many

promises, one especially precious on a night like this: "Fear thou not;

for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen

thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand

of my righteousness." With such assuring words, they fell asleep in each

other's arms, their heads resting on the bosom of Christ's everlasting

love. The sun arose, and they, wandering on, found the Covenanters, with

whom they shared the privations, yea, also the consolations, of

persecuted life.

Having heard that King Charles was dead, the two sisters supposed that

the persecution had abated, and ventured to the house of Margaret

McLaughlan, an old faithful friend. Here they were discovered and

arrested; and, with this aged widow, were cast into prison. Agnes was

ransomed by her father, at a price equal to $500. The two Margarets were

sentenced to die. The manner of their death was peculiar and very

shocking.

On May 11, 1685, they were taken to the sea-shore to be drowned. While

the tide was low two stakes were driven deep into the oozy sand, one

close to the water, the other nearer the shore. To the first Margaret

McLaughlin was bound; to the second, Margaret Wilson. The shore was

crowded with people. Major Windram, with his troop, had charge of the

execution. This man himself like Gilbert Wilson had two daughters and a

son. They, too, like the Wilson children, had become aroused at the

deeds of blood, and remonstrated with their father against his atrocious

cruelty, in persecuting the Covenanters. One after another they had

sickened and died, each charging their death on him, as God's vengeance

upon his deeds. This man, after all his bitter experience, was hard

enough to watch these women die beneath the briny waves, and show them

no pity. The tide slowly recovered its strength; higher and higher it

arose around the more distant woman--up to her face--over her head--then

a death-struggle. "What think you now of your companion?" said a soldier

to the young maiden, as the head of the aged martyr rose and fell on the

waves. "What do I see but Christ, in one of His members, wrestling

there," she calmly replied. "Think you that we are the sufferers? No, it

is Christ in us; for He sends none a warfaring on their own charges."

The tide crept up upon this second martyr like the death-chill, but her

heart was strong and fearless in the Lord. Her voice arose sweetly above

the swash of the waves, reciting Scripture, pouring forth prayer, and

singing Psalms. The tide swelled around her bosom, ascended her naked

neck, touched her warm lips, yet the heavenly music continued. But now a

breaker dashes over the uplifted face; the voice is silenced; the head

droops upon the water. At this moment a soldier rushed forward, and

dragged her to the shore, hoping that she had received enough of the sea

to frighten her into a confession, and thereby securing her release. The

gasping girl was asked to renounce her Covenant. She refused. "Dear

Margaret," said a friend in melting tones, "Say, 'God save the king!'

say, 'God save the king!'" With sweet composure, she answered, "God

save him if He will, for it is his salvation I desire." Her friends,

rushing up to the officers, exclaimed, "O, Sir, she has said it; she has

said it." "Then let her take the oath, and renounce her Covenant," he

replied with cruel harshness. She answered with emphasis, "I will not; I

am one of Christ's children; let me go." They plunged her back into the

heaving waters; the struggle was brief. The lifeless form was cast upon

the strand, and soon borne off by loving hands. The limp body was now

free from all sorrow and suffering. The beautiful casket was empty; the

shining jewel had been taken to adorn the crown of the KING OF KINGS,

and to flash forever in the glory of heaven.

"The tide flowed in, and rising over her lips,

She sang no more, but lifted up her face,

And there was glory all over the sky,

And there was glory all over the sky,

A flood of glory--and the lifted face

Swam in it, till it bowed beneath the flood,

And Scotland's Maiden Martyr went to God."

The young people who are governed by the Word of God, and strengthened

by a Covenant with God, and steadfastly aim at the glory of God, will

have the Holy Spirit in rich abundance. When love to Jesus arises into a

holy passion, subordinating all earthly interests and relations, be

assured that extraordinary services, sacrifices, achievements,

victories, and honors are awaiting.

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. When did King Charles die?

2. What terrors must such a man have to meet at death?

3. Who was his successor on the throne?

4. What was his character?

5. What notable family suffered under him?

6. Relate the sad circumstances of the Wilson children.

7. What happened to the sisters and their elderly friend?

8. What was the manner of the death of the two Margarets?

9. Describe the martyrdom of Margaret Wilson.

10. How may the young people arise in strength for church service?

XLVI.

THE ELDERSHIP--A WALL OF DEFENCE.--A.D. 1685.

The eldership has ever been a tower of strength in the Covenanted

Church. The elders have been pilots at the helm, when the ship was

driven by fiercest storms, and the ministers had altogether disappeared.

They have been the homeguards, when the most desperate assaults were

made upon their beloved Zion. They have been leaders, moving forward

with wise, fearless, and persistent step, when Christ's cause demanded

aggressive testimony for down-trodden truth, and against uprising error.

The Presbyterian Church has derived her distinctive name from the office

of the elder. Elder, Presbytery, Presbyterianism, Scriptural Church

Government, Christ's supremacy unlimited and unrivaled--these thoughts

are links in a chain, all made of the same gold. Presbyterianism is the

doctrine of Christ's sovereignty, crystalized into form, and reduced to

practice; the Headship of Jesus over His Church finds therein its

grandest expression.

The Covenanted Presbyterians recognized only one form of Church

government as Scriptural--that invested in the elders. They rejected all

other forms, as human inventions, without Divine warrant, an injury to

the Church, an infringement upon Christian liberty, a seizure of

Christ's crown rights and a blot upon His royal glory.

The elders are Christ's delegates, appointed to administer His

government in the Church. They are empowered by His will, accredited by

His Spirit, directed by His Word, entrusted with His authority, and

accountable at His throne. To the elders are committed, directly or

indirectly, all the interests of Christ's Church. What awful

responsibility! Surely the elder may pause at the threshold of the

sacred office, and, with trembling lips exclaim, "How dreadful is this

place!"

The Presbyterian Church of Scotland, in her palmy days, numbered about

1,000 congregations, each under the care of a session. The elders may

therefore be estimated at 6,000 effective men, when the twenty-eight

years' persecution struck the Covenanters. The value of this force can

never be known, in advising, comforting, defending, and leading the

broken congregations of God's people, amidst the storms that desolated

their beloved Zion.

The minister, being assisted and encouraged by a faithful band of

elders, was able to do great work in his parish, and the Church

flourished exceedingly between the Covenant of 1638 and the persecution

which began in 1660. During the persecution, the order of the Church

being broken up, the election and ordination of elders had almost

ceased. Yet, as the regular eldership melted away by death and

defection, there were other sons of the Covenant, who, in spirit,

service, suffering, and leadership, became elders in fact, and were duly

recognized and honored.

The service of the elders in those days appeared in many forms. Captain

Henry Hall, of Haughhead, did splendid work in a variety of ways. He

often placed himself between the enemy and the field-meetings, in

defense of the Covenanters. He was a large man, formidable and fearless.

Many a time, with sword in hand, he rode his dashing charger upon the

king's troops, occasionally breaking their ranks. He was chiefly

distinguished, however, for his willingness to sacrifice all he

possessed, in the interest of the Church. He opened up his house for the

licensure of Richard Cameron, when such a meeting jeopardized his life,

family, and property. He also opened up his farm for field-meetings,

despite the wrath of the king, and the danger of being raided by the

troops. A Communion, held on his grounds, was long remembered for the

gracious work of the Holy Spirit. George Barcley was the minister on

that occasion. The people had come from their rocky retreats and

distant homes in great numbers. The preaching was refreshing, and the

Lord's Table furnished a great feast for hungry souls. The people, not

fully satisfied with the bountiful provisions of the Sabbath, came again

on Monday, and swarmed over the green field, waiting for another

service. During the sermon a shower descended, but the audience did not

seem to mind it. The minister himself was quite pleased, remarking while

the rain was falling, "I am as sensible of the drizzle of the dew of

heaven upon our souls, as of the rain upon our bodies." Elder Hall died

of wounds received while defending Donald Cargill, June 3, 1680.

The elders of those times were profoundly intelligent in the principles

of the Covenant for which they suffered. They were Bible men, who

delighted in the law of God, and drank deeply at the fountain-head of

knowledge. They were experts in the Confession of Faith, the Larger and

Shorter Catechisms, and the Church Covenants. John Nisbet, of Hardhill,

was a hero on many a field, defending minister and people from the

merciless troopers; but his greatest service was in the use of the sword

of the Spirit. His last testimony abounds with lovely passages of

Scripture, beautiful and fragrant as a bush abloom with roses. His

witness for the truth came from a rich heart; his protest against error

was solemn as an affidavit. His testimony shows deep experience in the

Lord, and gives faithful warning to Covenant-breakers. Here are some of

his words: "I close with Christ in that way of redemption, which He hath

purchased. I give my testimony to the Holy Scriptures, for they are the

rule men are to walk by. I leave my testimony against all wrongers of my

Lord's crown." This man died on the scaffold; he ascended the ladder,

rejoicing and praising God, saying, "My soul doth magnify the Lord; my

soul doth magnify the Lord. I have longed, these sixteen years, to seal

the precious cause and interest of my precious Christ with my blood" He

suffered December 4, 1685.

[Illustration: JOHN BROWN OF PRIESTHILL

John Brown was notable for meekness, intelligence, and fervent love, in

the Lord Jesus Christ He studied for the ministry, but an impediment in

his speech turned him from that path He became known as the "Christian

carrier"--an expressman, in modern language. His devotion to the

Covenant secured for him the martyr's crown. He was shot in his own

dooryard, May 1, 1685.]

Many of the elders were filled with spiritual enthusiasm. They had such

vivid views of the Lord Jesus and of the glory of the world to come,

that their souls were poured out in exclamations of wonder. Robert

Garnock, of Stirling, seemed at times to be caught up to the third

heaven, where he saw and enjoyed what he was unable to utter. He could

express the inexpressible only by the repetition of Oh! Oh! Oh!

Referring to a season when no one was permitted to see him in prison, he

said, "Oh, but I had a sweet time! The Lord's countenance was better

unto me, than all the company in the world." In his dying testimony, he

pleaded in the following manner: "Oh, will ye love Him? Oh, He is well

worth the loving, and quitting all for! Oh! 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 too few to be martyrs for the truth. Oh, if

I could get my royal King Jesus cried up and down the world! Oh, but I

think it very weighty business, to be within twelve hours of eternity! I

will get my fill of love this night, for I will be with Jesus in

paradise. Welcome, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; into thy hands I commit

my spirit."

Those elders were men of hope. They were enlisted in a winning cause,

and knew it. In the thickest of the fight, the cloud was dark, and the

thunder deafening; yet they knew that victory would ultimately perch on

their banner. Their triumph was assured in Christ, who had said, "Be of

good cheer; I have overcome the world." Robert Miller, of Rutherglen,

was, by his courageous hopefulness, an inspiration to the afflicted

Church. Pointing to the future, he exhorted his fellow-sufferers to hold

out, for glorious days were coming. "And now I dare not doubt," said he,

"but Christ is upon His way to return again. Oh, be earnest with Him!

Employ your strength holding up the fallen-down standard of our Lord. If

ye be found real in this duty, ye shall either be a member of the Church

Militant, and see the glory of the Second Temple, which shall be a

glorious sight; or else ye shall be transported, and be a member of the

Church Triumphant; so ye shall be no loser, but a noble gainer, either

of the ways." He was martyred one winter morning, in the early dawn;

the shadows of night still lingered, for the murderers may have dreaded

the light. Before the sun had risen, his spirit took its flight to the

realms of eternal brightness.

Are the elders of the Covenanted Church worthy of their predecessors? Do

they measure up to the standard of fortitude in the faith,

self-immolation for the truth, intelligence in the Scriptures,

enthusiasm in Christ, and hopefulness that has no sunset? Are they

leaders of the people in every good enterprise? Are they defenders of

the flock against all defection? Are they carrying the banner of Christ

forward, even beyond the ministers, where the testimony for King Jesus

requires it? For all faithful elders, seats in glory are prepared round

about the throne of God.

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. Whence did the Presbyterian Church get its name?

2. What is the only Scriptural form of church government?

3. What dread responsibility attached to this office?

4. How did the persecuted Church keep up her force of elders?

5. Describe the service some of them rendered; Hall, Nisbet, Garnock,

Miller.

6. What questions should our elders apply to their own conscience?

XLVII.

A HOME DESOLATED.

"See the top of yon hill?" said the shepherd's wife, pointing to the

highest crag of Cairn Table. "Keep that in yir e'en, and ye'll come to

John Brown's grave." Our way lay through a pathless moor, covered deep

with grass, rushes, and moss; and we had asked direction to the spot

where the martyr's body sleeps.

The day was wet, the pasture was beaded with drops, and the rushing

streamlets disputed our crossing yet a passionate longing to see the

place where John Brown, known as the "Christian Carrier" had lived, and

was buried, overcame every difficulty. The walk covered three miles. At

length we ascended a knoll, and, lo, the monument stood before our eyes,

and almost at our feet. Now we were on ground, where one of the most

tragic scenes of Scotland was transacted. Cargill very beautifully said,

"The moors are flowered with martyrs' graves." Here is one of these

flowers; a century plant it is, watered with precious blood, and abloom

in sweet solitude.

The buildings are gone; not a trace of them is left. The grave was made,

it is said, where the martyr fell, in front of his cottage. It is

enclosed with a stone wall breast high. A flat stone lies over the

remains, bearing a copious inscription. The solitariness is oppressive;

death and desolation here bear undisputed sway. The blood ran in chills,

as the cold grey stones gave their testimony, amid the gusts that played

with the heather, and the drizzle that sprinkled our bare heads. The

thoughts of the heart played wildly; imagination refused to be bridled;

in a moment former conditions were, in vision, revived. The monument had

given place to the dwelling, and the dreariness was astir with the

scenes of busy life.

The country around, was then, as it is now, somber as a desert. The

silence is solemn; we bated our breath; the lips shrank from speaking;

aught except a prayer, or the melody of a Psalm, seemed out of place.

The outlook on every side is without an inhabitant; yet, even here, the

persecutor sought his prey, and did his cruel work.

Many years had this home been a sanctuary in the wilderness, and a

refuge for the hunted Covenanters. John Brown and Isabel, his wife, were

like Zacharias and Elizabeth, "both righteous before God, walking in all

the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." They had two

children, a babe in the mother's arms, and Janet, five years old, a

child by a former wife. Morning and evening God's worship perfumed

their humble dwelling. These hearts, filled with the love of Jesus,

poured forth His praise every day, but especially on the Sabbath, which

they kept with great care. Their hospitality was munificent: they

entertained angelic strangers. The latch-string was on the outside, and

many a Covenanter, driven by storms, or hunted by dragoons, found a

welcome here. They came wearied with journeying, wasted with hunger,

weakened with sickness, and worried with trouble, and found rest,

comfort, and inspiration in this habitation, where God was pleased to

dwell.

A society of Covenanters held its meetings in this home. Several

families came across the broad moor on Sabbath morning, and remained

till evening. Sometimes they traveled both ways under star-light, for

fear of the enemy. The day was devoutly spent in prayer, reading the

Word, singing Psalms, and conversing on the heart-stirring doctrines of

redemption. They spoke much concerning the duties and dangers of the

times. This society continued to meet, till broken up by the martyrdom

of its men; one after another was pursued and shot down like game on the

mountains.

John Brown's home became a rendezvous for the Delegated meetings of the

United Societies. This thickened the dangers that were gathering around

his life. He had a presentiment that his blood would be shed for the

cause of Christ, yet he accepted duty at every hazard, and rejoiced in

privileges however perilous.

After the death of Donald Cargill, the Cameronians for a while had no

ministers. They stood, however, unfalteringly by their Covenant. They

even grew aggressive in their testimony; hurled new challenges at the

king; took forward steps in the battle for conscience, liberty, and the

royal rights of Christ. The societies, numbering several hundred, were

able to unify and utilize their strength, by means of the Delegated

meetings. The second meeting of these delegates was held in this

consecrated home. Sixteen men, representative Cameronians, competent and

fearless elders, gathered around this hearth, where the turf-fire

glowed, while the March storms swept the moorland. Here they deliberated

how the Covenanters might continue the struggle, and intensify it by

striking harder blows against error, and giving stronger testimony to

the rights of their kingly Saviour. They were at no time planning for

ease, safety, or deliverance. "We only fear," said one, "that our

sufferings will end before the reformation begins." The glory of Jesus

Christ was their objective point.

Alexander Peden in his wanderings, drifted into this home, on the night

previous to the awful tragedy that occurred in the front yard. How

surpassingly kind is God's providence! Surely Peden was sent of God to

fill these hearts with comfort, courage, and triumph in Jesus Christ,

for the trial, which was now at their door. Peden held John Brown in

highest esteem. Of him he said, "He was a clear, shining light, the

greatest Christian I ever conversed with." What a night of prayer and

inspired fellowship those men must have had together. Their souls were

then in a state of highest tension; both were fired with zeal for the

Covenant of the Lord, and melted with sorrow for the desolated Church.

[Illustration: A WIDOW'S SORROW

Claverhouse and his troopers found John Brown on his farm digging turf.

It was in the morning. His fields were still dripping with dew, and his

soul moist with distillings of the 27th Psalm, which he had sung at

family worship. He was brought home, and shot at his door, in presence

of his wife and child. Mrs Brown suffered "neither fainting nor

confusion, but her eyes dazzled when the shots went off," according to

her own story.]

Next morning, May 1, 1685, they were up at dawn for family worship. The

first verses of the 27th Psalm were sung. How wonderfully appropriate

for such a morning! The Psalm is the shout of faith:

"The Lord's my light and saving health,

Who shall make me dismayed?

My life's strength is the Lord; of whom

Then shall I be afraid?"

John Brown then went to the field, spade in hand to dig turf. Peden

lingered; he was sad; the shadow of the great distress had fallen on his

tender spirit. Taking his farewell of Mrs. Brown, he paused and said, as

if to himself, "Poor woman; a fearful morning; a dark, misty morning!"

He then went his way.

"Oh, mother, a great many horsemen are coming down the hill with

father," cried little Janet, rushing into the house.

"The thing that I feared is come upon me," cried the mother, "O, give me

grace for this hour," she prayed, lifting her eyes to heaven. Then

taking her babe in her bosom, and Janet by the hand, she went out to

meet the soldiers, praying as she went. Claverhouse was in command. She

pleaded that her husband's life might be spared; but not words nor tears

could move the hardened man.

"Will you pray for King James and his supremacy?" said Claverhouse to

his prisoner.

"Jesus Christ is the Supreme Head of His Church," was the fearless

reply.

"Will you attend the curate's service?" continued Claverhouse.

"I cannot attend where God's law is not honored," responded Brown.

"Go to your prayers, for you shall immediately die," cried Claverhouse.

Even the soldiers were horrified at the awful threat.

"Isabel, this is the day I told you of, before we were married," said he

tenderly to his wife. "You see me now summoned to appear before the

Court of heaven, as a witness in our Redeemer's cause. Are you willing?"

"Heartily willing," she answered, her voice tremulous with affection for

him and submission to God. Her heart was breaking, yet she would cheer

up the martyr spirit of her husband.

"That is all I wait for," he said, then added in a rapture of joy, "O,

death, where is thy sting? O, grave, where is thy victory?" He prayed

for Covenant blessing upon mother and children, soon to be left so

lonely; adding, "Blessed be thou, O Holy Spirit, that speaketh more

comfort to my heart, than my oppressors can speak terror to my ears."

"Shoot" said Claverhouse to the soldiers, drawn up for the bloody work.

Not a gun was discharged. The brutal leader then fired the deadly shot.

The martyr fell at the feet of his wife, and after a brief struggle the

noble spirit departed. "What think you of your husband now?" said

Claverhouse to Mrs. Brown. "I always thought well of him, but more now

than ever," she quietly replied. "You deserve the same fate," said the

brutal man. "And if you had the power, I would receive it," she

defiantly responded. "But O, how will you answer for this day's work?"

she continued. "I'll take God in my own hand," he replied. The soldiers

silently and sullenly rode away, ashamed of the horrible deed. Mrs.

Brown, with her children, sat down beside the outstretched martyr, and

poured out her great sorrow.

John Brown might have saved his life, and his family, by relaxing in his

Covenant, and joining another Church. The family that keeps Covenant

with God will surely be tried; difficulties and hardships must be met.

But the victory is always to them who cling close to the Lord, in

personal holiness, in family worship, and in Covenant-keeping.

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. Describe the location of John Brown's home.

2. What meetings were held in this cottage?

3. What interests were here under deliberation?

4. Who visited the home the evening before the sad event?

5. How was John Brown captured?

6. Describe the death of this martyr.

7. How could John Brown have saved his life?

XLVIII

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST.--A.D. 1688.

James Renwick was the last martyr publicly executed for adhering to

Scotland's Covenant. He was a child of maternal vows. His mother

dedicated him to the Lord, praying that he might live, and do worthy

service for Christ. She saw her prayer answered; yea, more than

answered; it became, also, a sword that pierced through her own soul.

She had not asked too much; but great prayers always imply

self-immolation.

The Renwick home was beautiful for situation. It was located near the

quiet town of Moniaive. The building is gone, but the place is kept in

remembrance by an attractive monument. The cottage stood on a hillside,

overlooking a charming valley, and beyond the valley, a range of

mountains reaching to the clouds, glistening with snow in the winter,

and purple with heather in the summer. Young Renwick was a passionate

lover of nature. Oft did he sit on this grassy slope, where stands the

monument, and gaze, and ponder, and dream, till filled with amazement.

Well did he know, that all the magnificence of earth and sky was but the

shadow of the glory beyond, the frills of the Creator's robe, the

evidence of a personal God. This boy, like young Samuel, did not yet

know the Lord. He knew his Bible, his prayers, his Catechism, his

Psalm-book, and his church; but he had no personal acquaintance with

God. This he eagerly sought. One day, as he gazed upon valley and

mountain, a wave of melancholy dashed upon his soul, and he exclaimed,

"If these were devouring furnaces of burning brimstone, I would be

content to go through them all, if so I could be assured that there is a

God." Such agonizing for an experimental acquaintance with God is sure

of reward. God revealed Himself. No great light breaking through the sky

fell upon him; but there came an inner illumination by the Holy Spirit,

which increased till his penetrating eyes saw God in everything; every

bush was burning with His glory; every mountain was clothed with His

majesty; all the heavens were speaking His praise; and yet he saw a

thousand-fold more of the beauty of the Lord in the holy Covenant, and

in the poor despised Covenanters who kept the faith, than in all the

grandeur of nature. Renwick in this deep experience had his introduction

to God. Oh, what a life we may expect of such a man! An introduction to

God must result in a wonderful character. Look out for the boy, who

says that he must find God; his life will yet be transfigured with real

greatness and moral grandeur.

At the age of nineteen Renwick finished his university education. That

year he witnessed the affecting sight of Donald Cargill's martyrdom. The

execution was public; curiosity and sympathy had collected an immense

throng around the scaffold, to see the old minister die. Renwick was in

the crowd. He was not yet a Covenanter. He pressed forward to hear and

see all he could. The sight was deeply affecting. The venerable man of

God walked triumphantly to the place of execution. His hair was white

with years and cares, his face serene as an angel, and his voice clear

and strong in his last testimony. He ascended the ladder with firm step,

and joyfully sealed the Covenant with his blood. Renwick gazed and

trembled; his heart beat fast, and his eyes grew moist. From that day he

was a Covenanter. He there, and then, resolved to give his life for the

same noble cause.

The first notable service Renwick rendered to the Covenanters was his

part in the public testimony given by the Society People, at Lanark,

January 12, 1682. The death of Donald Cargill had bereaved the societies

of their only pastor. They had no minister now, who would grasp the

fallen Banner of the Covenant, and hold it forth, in defiance of the

persecutor's rage. These people were the real Covenanters; they counted

the Covenant of their Lord more precious than all the blood that could

be poured out for its sake. Nor were they to be despised. They numbered

at least 12,000. These were men and women noted for high principle,

public spirit, intelligence, and courage. They seized the Banner of the

Covenant, and kept it unfurled with utmost fidelity, while waiting for

God to send them a standard-bearer. The persecution waxed hotter and

hotter. The murderous guns were ever echoing over moors and mountains,

in the desperate effort to exterminate the unconquerable societies. Yet

they grew bolder, and more aggressive, in their testimony against the

king, the Episcopacy, the Indulged ministers, and the silent shepherds.

It was in mid-winter, when storms were a shelter from the foe, that

forty armed Covenanters, including James Renwick, entered the town of

Lanark, and there delivered a new Declaration of rights and wrongs, that

made their enemies gnaw their tongues for pain.

[Illustration: JAMES RENWICK.

James Renwick was the last martyr of the Covenant, who suffered by

public execution. His short life was a miracle of devotion to the

Societies, whose fidelity to Christ and their Covenant had inflamed the

enemy with rage, and thereby greatly increased the violence of the

persecution. He had a marvelous victory over death, being in a transport

of joy on the way from the prison to the scaffold. His soul was

overflowing with happiness, in anticipation of the marriage supper of

the Lamb, of which he was about to partake.]

We find Renwick, soon after this, studying theology in Holland. After

twenty months he appeared before Presbytery for ordination. This is the

man who has had his introduction to God. Now we will see what his

acquaintance with God will do for him. Acquainted with God! Oh, how

singular that will make any man! Acquainted personally with God, with

His sovereignty, His holiness, His love of righteousness, and His

hatred of sin! The man who is thus honored will be peculiar indeed. He

will have deep insight, unswerving purpose, strong character,

unhesitating courage. He will not deviate an hairbreadth from the law of

God, as he sees it. He will not yield his convictions for any

consideration. He will stand alone against the forces of all worlds

combined, rather than compromise one jot of revealed truth. The pleading

of friends and the threats of enemies will alike fall heedlessly upon

his ears. He will consider every word of Christ, and every gem in His

crown, worthy of all the blood that may flow for its sake. Such was

James Renwick at this time.

There were no ministers of his own denomination to ordain him. The

Church in Holland was not a Covenanted Church, but a branch of the

Presbyterian Church, and at that time it was burdened with corruptions.

But it was not guilty of Covenant-breaking, like the Church of Scotland.

Therefore he sought ordination in Holland. Now, this is the man who is

acquainted with God. Observe what he does. In his trial sermons, he laid

bare the errors and faultiness of the Holland Church. What a daring step

for a student of theology! What a breach of ordinary courtesy! He placed

conventional etiquette on the altar of truth, and consumed it in the

flames of zeal for God's House, and the purity of Divine worship. He

would, then and there, give faithful testimony; for the opportunity

might no more return. Presbytery listened with amazement; yet his

arguments were so Scriptural, and his manner so gracious, they cordially

sustained him. Next came the act of subscribing the creed before

ordination could be granted. This he positively refused to do, for it

had not the approval of his conscience. They yielded here also,

permitting him to sign the Standards of the Church of the Covenant. He

won his way. Decorum was nothing to him, in comparison with conscience

and God. He then came back to Scotland, and visited the ministers,

pleading with the Indulged to return to the Covenant, and entreating the

silent ones to come out of their caves, and make the land ring again

with their voices. He was small in person, slender and delicate, and

scarcely yet out of his boyhood. He everywhere met with repulse. Vexed

and disappointed, he went alone, in the strength of the Lord, to the

little flocks scattered over the wilderness. The societies gathered

about him; the Field-meetings were revived; the Lord poured out His Holy

Spirit in great power; the shout of a king was again heard in the camp

of the Covenanters.

Renwick's ministry lasted about four years. During this time he seemed

to be the most hated man in the world; reproach, revenge, and hatred

rolled over his head like breaking waves. He was called a deceiver, a

fanatic, a schismatic, a traitor. He was pursued by malicious rumors to

blacken his name, and by armed men to shed his blood. Yet he continued

steadfastly on his way. Winter storms and summer rains could not abate

his ardor. Neither the advice of friends, nor the wrath of foes, could

swerve him, no, not one moment, nor one hairbreath. His spirit was on

fire while his body was emaciated. A thousand arrows were flying around

this dove, some of them drinking its blood, yet was it singing.

One night he appeared at the door of John Brown. He was graciously

received. A storm was sweeping the moor. As he sat by the glowing fire,

drying his dripping garments and warming his shivering body, he

remarked, "Reproach has not broken my heart; but the excessive

traveling, and many exposures, have weakened my body."

His mother and sisters visited him when in jail, awaiting his execution.

Looking into their sad faces, he cheered them up, by exclaiming, "Oh,

how can I contain this, to be within two hours of the crown of glory!

Let us be glad, and rejoice. This death is to me, as if I were to lie

down on a bed of roses." When the drum sounded the signal for the

execution, he cried out, "Yonder, the welcome warning; the Bridegroom is

coming; I am ready, I am ready." He died with the words of assurance on

his lips: "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."

Are present Covenanters acquainted thus with God? Have they the

all-inclusive view of His glorious Trinity, His personal presence, His

revealed will, His exacting requirements, His omnipotent grace, His

redeeming love, His mediatorial kingdom, His everlasting Covenant? Have

they the view that will keep them steadfast, progressive, and

enthusiastic in His service? They, who have an abiding acquaintance with

God, will eventually develop a life, that will be clear as the sun, deep

as the sea, firm as the rock, and strong as the cedar.

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. Where was James Renwick born?

2. How was he troubled with doubts regarding God?

3. How did the death of Cargill affect him?

4. What was his first notable service in the Covenant?

5. Where did he study theology?

6. How did he testify against the errors of the Church of Holland?

7. What success did he have in his ministry?

8. What was his great sorrow?

9. Wherein lay his unwavering strength?

XLIX.

THE SHEPHERDLESS FLOCK.

Renwick received the martyr's crown at the age of twenty-six. His limp

body was borne from the scaffold to Greyfriar's churchyard. A spot of

ground, a few yards square, had been allotted there for criminals. The

Covenanters in these days were accounted criminals by the civil

authorities. Here the ground was stirred again and again, till the

bodies of 100 martyrs were heaped together, and Renwick's was the last.

A suitable stone bearing his name, and referring to the others, now

graces this hundredfold grave. What a cluster of gems the Lord will find

here, in the day when He makes up His jewels!

When the Blue Banner fell from Renwick's lifeless hand, Alexander

Shields grasped it. He was scarcely worthy. Though he had served well

and suffered much in former years, yet once he had lapsed. This

temporary defection, while pardonable, proved to be a symptom of

inherent weakness that unfitted him for leadership. For his fault he

shed tears, but they could not remove the stain, nor restore

confidence. The fearless Covenanters continued the struggle, their own

spiritual momentum being sufficient to carry them forward with or

without leaders. The persecution had now reached its eventide; the

sunset was showing some rosy tints; a bright day would soon be dawning.

This year, 1688, William, Prince of Orange, with an army of 15,000,

disputed the right of King James to the throne. The persecutor was able

to give the Covenanters no more attention. The coward fled without a

battle. He lost his kingdom, and, with his fall, the house of the

Stuarts sank into oblivion, as had been predicted by the Covenanters.

The Revolution filled the Covenanted Societies with high hope. They

became enthusiastic supporters of the new king, expecting him to

inaugurate a reign of righteousness. A Convention of statesmen met in

Edinburgh, to readjust public affairs and restore peace. Claverhouse,

too, was there, still dripping with the blood of the martyrs. He had

dashed suddenly upon the scene with his troops to break up the

Convention, and give battle to King William's supporters. The

Convention was without a sufficient guard. The delegates were in danger.

To whom could they look for protection? Listen! The call is to the

Cameronians; to the men who have borne the brunt of persecution for

twenty-eight years, and are now quietly returning from the moors and

caverns to their desolate homes. To these who have been hated and hunted

and tortured and hacked to pieces--to these the government now appeals

for help. These, after all they have suffered, are the Reliables. They

are the recognized patriots, who stand ready for any sacrifice, and are

worthy of any trust, in the name of liberty and righteousness. "We are

coming," was their quick reply. A regiment was mustered in one day

without the beat of a drum; two others were offered. The poor

Covenanters were not now despised.

[Illustration: THE MARTYRDOM OF RENWICK.

James Renwick went to the scaffold in triumphant joy. There he read the

19th chapter of Revelation--the prophecy of Christ's great battle and

victory--and sang part of the 103rd Psalm. He then lifted his eyes

heavenward, and said, "And now, Lord, I am ready. The bride, the Lamb's

wife, hath made herself ready." He suffered February 17, 1688, aged

twenty-six years. It was said by his enemies that he was the "stiffest

maintainer of Covenanted principles."]

The persecution being over, the Church endeavored to resume her

operations. The General Assembly convened October 16, 1690, after a

violent suspension lasting forty years. This Assembly was most

remarkable for its membership. There sat together three active

Cameronian ministers, threescore other ministers pale from their hiding

places, a large group of the Indulged ministers who had gone home years

ago, a number of curates who had slipped into the vacancies, and a list

of bishops who had been in the service of the persecuting government.

Such being the blend, the aroma was anything but sweet. Alexander Peden

had prophesied of this Assembly years before. He said, "The Indulged,

and the lukewarm ministers, with some young things that know nothing,

will hive together in a General Assembly; the hands red with blood, and

the hands black with defection, will be clasped by our ministers; and

ye will not ken who has been the persecutor, and who the sufferer; and

your testimony will be cut off at the web's end." How true the

prediction!

Rev. Hugh Kennedy was chosen Moderator. The choice indicated the spirit

of the Assembly. This man had accepted the Indulgence, had given thanks

for the Toleration, and had debarred from Communion the Covenanters who

had fought at Bothwell Bridge. The liberals had the meeting. Moderation,

compromise, unionism, a nauseating agreeableness pervaded the Court,

like the miasma that broods over a stagnant pond.

The three Cameronians, Alexander Shields, Thomas Linning, and William

Boyd, had courage to represent the Covenanted Societies, by presenting

their petition for the restoration of the General Assembly on

Reformation grounds, according to the Covenant of 1638. The petition was

treated with contempt; it was not even read in the Assembly. The three

ministers winced, faltered, yielded. They fell beneath the popular wave,

to rise no more. These men, who had bravely faced persecution, were at

last overcome by blandishment. The Covenanted cause was at stake in that

Assembly, as truly as it ever had been in the presence of Claverhouse

and his dragoons; and here the leaders surrendered.

The Covenanted Societies refused to follow their faithless guides into

the General Assembly, to disappear there in the strange blending of

religious forces. These were men of conviction; they did not vary with

the weather; they thought for themselves. Some of them were aged and had

seen the Covenant Temple of 1638, with its strong foundation and

imposing structure. They had seen the Reformation in its glory--the

Covenanted Church of Christ, purified, strengthened, and exalted, under

the care of Henderson, Johnston, Guthrie, Argyle, and others whose

hearts God had touched; and now they saw this reconstruction. Ah, how

inferior! it was far removed from the true foundation; it was

conspicuous only for its hay, wood, and stubble; they saw and wept. The

Covenanted cause was practically abandoned. What Satan could not win by

fire and sword, he had won by the enchantments of peace.

The Assembly submitted to the king's supremacy over the Church. King

William, like the former rulers, had seized the gem of Christ's

authority and set it in his own crown. For this royal truth the martyrs

had died. Now their blood was reckoned an unnecessary expenditure. The

Covenant was ignored, and its principles set aside; the Church was

placed on a new basis. Thus the glory of Scotland's Reformation sank

behind a fog-bank that has never yet cleared away.

The Covenanted Societies resolved to maintain their organization, as

the true representatives of Scotland's Reformation Church; the

legitimate successors of Knox, Melville, Guthrie, Cameron, Cargill, and

Renwick; the rightful heirs of the Covenant, its obligations and

blessings; the devoted witnesses of Jesus Christ, going forth unto Him

without the camp, bearing His reproach. They had much for which to

contend. The supremacy of Christ, the independence of the Church the

Covenant of the fathers, the testimony of the martyrs, the purity of

Divine worship, the dignity of Church discipline--all had suffered at

the hands of this Assembly. Against the great defection they resolved to

lift up a testimony. They would not deny their Covenant Lord, by

entering into relation with Church or State, as at that time constituted

and administered. These Covenanters were ridiculed as a fanatical,

narrow-minded faction. James Renwick had been taunted with the question,

"Do you believe that none, but those of your principles, can enter

heaven?" "I never said so," he replied; "but I do say, These are

principles worth suffering for." A noble reply to the sarcastic question

which often reappears.

Narrow-minded! Breadth may be viewed from various positions. He, who

attempts to broaden himself by accepting error, becomes the narrow man.

Every error adopted means a truth rejected. This process may continue

till the heart is so contracted that there is no room for either God or

man. Ah, the irony of such broadness! How different with him who will

not surrender a hairbreadth of truth! He is the broad man; broad as the

law of God, broad as the Gospel of Christ, broad as the principles of

the everlasting Covenant, broad as the kingdom of heaven. Those

Covenanters were the broadest men of their day.

The Covenanters would not receive Gospel services from ministers who had

broken Covenant with them and with God. Sixteen years this flock was in

the wilderness without a shepherd. They came together in societies for

spiritual fellowship and the worship of God. The Lord sustained them,

and maintained their cause. At length He sent them a minister, John

McMillan; and thirty years later another, Thomas Nairn. By these the

Reformed Presbytery was organized, August 1, 1743.

Sir Robert Hamilton was the peerless champion of the pastorless people.

He exhorted them, saying, "Labor to keep the good old way, seeking to be

found in His way when He cometh, keeping the Word of Christ's patience,

standing fast to your post, and close to your Master, in readiness to

follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth; for the winds are now let loose;

and it is to be feared, many shall be blown away."

And the pastorless people spake often one to another, saying,

"Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have

grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly

fear: for our God is a consuming fire. Let us go forth therefore unto

Him without the camp bearing His reproach."

And Jesus encouraged them, saying, "He that endureth to the end shall be

saved. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of

life. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,

even as I also overcame, and am set down with, my Father in His throne."

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. Who succeeded Renwick as leader of the Covenanters?

2. What was his character?

3. When did the Revolution take place?

4. How did the Cameronians regard it?

5. When was the General Assembly reorganized?

6. What was its general character?

7. How many in it represented the Covenanted Societies?

8. What course did they take?

9. What line of action did the Societies follow?

10. Who were the men of broad principles in those times?

11. By whom was the Reformed Presbytery organized?

L.

THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS' BLOOD.

The mountains and moors of Scotland are decorated with the tombstones of

the martyrs. The descendants of the Covenanted fathers have erected many

memorials in the places made sacred with the blood of the martyrs. The

memorials range from the humble stone to the costly monument. The

fathers have not been forgotten; yea, they are still highly esteemed for

the heroic struggle, by which every son and daughter has a birthright to

the richest inheritance of Christian liberty on earth.

The persecution lasted twenty-eight years, with few "blinks" to take the

chill of horror out of the air. During this time, 18,000 persons, it is

said, suffered death, or utmost hardships, for their faith in Jesus

Christ. Of this number, 7,000 went into voluntary banishment; 2,500 were

shipped to distant lands; 800 were outlawed; 680 were killed in battle,

or died of their wounds; 500 were murdered in cold blood; 362 were, by

form of law, executed. We have no account of the number that perished in

shipwrecks, or succumbed to the horrors of transportation; nor of

hundreds that were shot at sight by the soldiers who ravaged the country

for years; nor of the thousands who wasted away through cold, hunger,

and exposure in the mountains and moors. Gloomy caves, dripping

moss-hags, and unmarked graves, were asylums of mercy to multitudes, who

are without any earthly record; but their names are written in heaven.

Truly Scotland has been consecrated to the Lord. The blood of the

martyrs has watered her heather, crimsoned her streams, stained her

streets, and bedewed her fields. Scotland is the Lord's. The blood means

much.

THE BLOOD EMPHASIZES THE TRUTH OF CHRIST.

The blood of the martyrs testifies to the value of the truth--the

superlative importance of all revealed truth. Their blood placed

emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the supremacy of Christ, the

inspiration of the Bible, the preciousness of the Gospel, the

independence of the Church, the liberty of conscience and the thousand

and one co-related doctrines of salvation. These Covenanters took their

position at Christ's throne, where the rainbow of the Covenant arches

the heavens; and from that point of view the plan of salvation lay

before them, in matchless detail and glorious perspective. These men

received enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, and thereby had a broad,

clear, rapturous vision of God and His redeeming grace. They saw the

truth in the harmonious teachings of the Bible, and esteemed it as God's

sanctuary, filled with the presence of Jesus Christ. These Covenanters

found Christ in every particle of revealed truth, in every "jot," and in

every "tittle" of the Word of God. Christ's life was throbbing in it,

His glory was streaming through it, His energy was radiating from it.

They were willing to lose the right eye, the right hand, the right foot,

yea, life itself, rather than lose the least fragment of the Scriptures.

Rather would they be jostled out of their homes, and wander in deserts,

than depart from Bible doctrines. James Renwick was offered his life, if

he would let a drop of ink fall on a sheet of paper. He chose death in

preference to that compromising act. Is the truth, the entire system of

truth, every stone in the temple of truth, thus dear to us?

A WITNESSING CHURCH IS NEEDED.

The blood testifies to the need of a witnessing Church. While Satan

remains above the pit, and iniquity abounds in present proportions, a

faithful and fearless testimony for Jesus Christ, and His glorious

Gospel and royal rights, will be a moral necessity. God has His own way

of calling out His witnesses, and assigning service to them. The Church,

as a whole, has invalidated and incapacitated herself for this

responsibility, by weakness, declension, and compromise. God does not

commit His testimony to the Church, while in such condition; nor to the

faithful in the Church, whose voice and actions are weakened or

neutralized by majorities. This important and hazardous task throughout

the ages has not been committed to a Church, that is recreant at any

point; nor to individuals, that are true at every point; but to a

distinctive body of earnest, faithful, and fearless believers. For this

purpose the Lord has divided, and sub-divided, His people time and

again. He will have a testimony by a Church that is distinct from every

retrograde organization. While the Covenanted Church was faithful under

Henderson, Johnston, Guthrie, Gillespie, and other worthy leaders, she

was united, happy, and prosperous; "she was beautiful as the morning,

fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with

banners." But when she suppressed, by resolution, one principle of the

Covenant, God drew the dividing line. He sent the persecution that

brought out His witnesses, four hundred ministers, and people in

proportion. And when these ministers weakened under the royal

Indulgences, He intensified the persecution and called out the

"Cameronians." These witnesses He qualified to see the truth in its vast

proportions and feel it in its divine dreadfulness. They became the

embodiment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they were the incarnation of

the doctrines of His kingdom on earth. They dwelt in the presence of

God, lived on the hidden manna, and pulsated with the power of the

endless life. Such were the martyrs who defied death and all the

instruments of torture. Have the Covenanters of to-day spirit, power,

and character like this?

[Illustration: THE BURIAL.

The burial service was peculiarly sad and solemn, in the times of

persecution. The deceased Covenanters were, in many cases, buried at

night, for fear of the enemy. The friends, with breaking hearts,

gathered around the new grave, and waited under the dim star-light,

while the minister, with the use of a flickering candle, offered

consolation from the Word of God. Great was the grief when one of the

leaders had fallen in death.]

A CRY FOR VENGEANCE.

The blood of the martyrs cries unto God for vengeance. "How long, O

Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them

that dwell on the earth?" Such was the cry of them that were "slain for

the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held." Vengeance in

the Gospel! Vengeance in Jesus Christ! Vengeance in the heart of God!

How we are shocked! We try to veil our eyes and shut out the dreadful

fact. We attempt to explain away the terrible doctrine. Yet there it is.

A sharp sword is sheathed in this scabbard, and it will yet be drawn for

dreadful work. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." "And

shall not God avenge His own elect? I tell you that He will avenge them

speedily." God is just as well as merciful; yea, necessarily just, but

conditionally merciful. Justice is an essential attribute of His life;

mercy is volitional. The blood of the martyrs, their groans, tears,

wanderings, the desolation of home, the cries of mothers and children,

the horrors worse than death--all are ever before His face; nothing is

forgotten. Without repentance, no remission; sin does not grow feeble

with, years, nor die of old age. Judgment must be meted out, or

rectitude would forsake the universe; the whole structure of God's

kingdom would fall into ruins. The guilty must suffer. The individual

perpetrators of these horrid crimes have suffered already; they have

appeared personally before Christ's tribunal. But the State! Oh, the

guilty State! The State was the chief party in the slaughter of these

innocents. True, she has ceased to shed the blood of saints; but has she

repented of the blood she has shed? Her eyes are dry; her brow is brass.

Her children build monuments, but her hand's are still red; the blood

that once dripped is now dried, but it is still on her hands. Genuine

repentance means reformation. The Reformation is under Scotland's feet.

The twenty-eight years' struggle is to her a splendid drama; the

principles are amusing. When He inquireth after blood, what shall

Scotland do? The angel answers in the Revelation: "They have shed the

blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink."

WEIGHTY MORAL OBLIGATIONS.

The blood of the martyrs imposes obligations upon posterity from

generation to generation. The martyrs deeply felt their responsibility

for the Church, her purity, doctrines, discipline, membership; for her

loyalty to Christ, her separation from the world, and her administration

in the Holy Spirit. Their zeal for the House of God brought them to the

front; their passionate love for Jesus Christ placed them on the firing

line. There they met every attack made upon Christ and His House; there

they stood for the royal rights of Jesus and the honor of His kingdom;

there they fell under the murderous fire, giving place to their

successors. These soldiers of Jesus knew how to die, 'but not how to

retreat. They did their work well, yet necessarily left it unfinished.

The victory was assured, though not in sight. The death-stricken hand

reached the blood-stained banner out to another to be carried forward.

This war still rages. The supremacy of Jesus Christ is yet disputed; His

royal rights are yet usurped by mortals; His Bride, the Church, still

halts amid many opinions; the ordinances of grace are unblushingly

corrupted; the teachings of the Gospel are adroitly doctored. The

attacking forces are active, determined, and numerous, as in the days of

the martyrs. The tactics differ, but the fight goes on. Heavy, heavy are

the moral obligations, that fall to the successors of those who gave

their lives for the truth. To recede would be cowardice, desertion from

the ranks, perjury within the Covenant, treason against Jesus Christ. Is

this too strong? Listen: "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no

pleasure in him." Surely the times call for Christian soldiers; yea,

heroes; possibly, martyrs. Do Covenanters feel their obligations to the

Lord?

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. How long did the persecution last?

2. What is the estimated number of those who suffered?

3. What significance is attached to the martyrs' blood?

4. How does it show the value of Gospel truth?

5. In what manner does the blood cry for vengeance?

6. How does it lay obligations on posterity?

LI.

THE OLD BLUE BANNER YET.

The Covenanters in Scotland's struggle for liberty carried a significant

banner. Letters of gold, on a field of blue, displayed the soul-stirring

motto: "FOR CHRIST'S CROWN AND COVENANT."

The men of the Covenant unfurled their colors with dauntless spirit, and

went forth in the name of the Lord, conquering and to conquer. And this

is the victory by which they overcame the world, even their faith.

The Covenanters carried their banner as an emblem of the truth in Jesus

Christ. The Bible focussed its light in the burning words that flashed

on their ensign. These fathers accepted the Bible without reservation or

apology, as God's Book, inspired, inerrable, authoritative, the rock

foundation of faith, and the supreme law of life. They grasped the

wondrous system of redeeming truth, as bearing on their own lives, on

the Church, on the world, and on all generations to come. They embodied

it in their Covenant, and wove it into their flag. They saw all Bible

truth converge in Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Mediator

of the Covenant of grace, the crucified and risen Redeemer, the exalted

Prince and Saviour; and on their banner they emblazoned their faith. But

while their profession was embroidered on their colors, their creed was

pulsating in their veins. This standard they carried boldly into the

battle in defence of Christ and His Church. The deadly missiles that

tattered its folds, and plowed through their flesh, could not subdue

their spirit. Their blood often stained it, but it was never

surrendered. One standard-bearer fell, and the flag-staff was grasped by

another. Thus the Old Blue Banner, in all its significance, has come

down through the ages; it is the Covenanter's banner yet.

THE COVENANTERS' STANDARD OF RELIGION.

The standard of truth is the real banner of the Covenant. The standard

of religion in the Covenanted Church exalts the truth of Christ, and

makes it most conspicuous. Nothing in a nation so public as her colors.

Where the flag flies, the power, honor, and greatness of the country are

represented by the folds that flap on the winds. The Covenant commits

the Covenanted Church to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the

truth of God's Word. This obligation, when honored, carries the

Covenanter into all truth, and all truth into the Covenanter. The

doctrines of grace will throb in his heart, flow in his veins, illumine

his mind, dominate his thoughts, deepen his life, enlarge his

capacities, control his actions, and purify all the fountains of his

being. To all such the truth is concrete, not abstract; it has form,

color, action, energy, atmosphere, horizon, immensity: To the true

Covenanter, knowledge is experience; he deals with God, worships in

spirit, battles with sin, glories in Jesus, and listens to the Eternal

Spirit. His faith is power; his love is life; his hope is realization.

The invisible world looms up with awful visibility before him. Such is

the life that is distinguished by Covenant fidelity; in it the truth of

God has grandest publicity. It shines like the sun. The voice of that

life has the majesty of thunder, testifying for Christ. They who are

thus animated with the truth cannot hide the great principles of the

Church. They will glory in her Covenant and publish the truth. Behold

the martyrs, how they witnessed for Jesus Christ, while fire and sword

had no more power over their faith than over the stars. The truth

demands publicity. Our poor, deceived, demon-ridden world needs the

truth, Gospel truth shining like the sun, convicting truth pointed like

lightning; the sweet truth of love and the fiery truth of wrath; truth

that reveals life, death, immortality, judgment, heaven, hell, and

eternity. The world needs the truth that will rend the heavens with

prayer, and make the earth quake with fear.

[Illustration: THE BANNER OF THE COVENANT.]

THE HIGHEST TYPE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE.

The standard of religion adopted by the Covenanted Church demands that

Covenanters possess the noblest spirit. They, who rally in earnest under

this banner, will be men after God's own heart. Such were the martyrs:

kind, patient, self-sacrificing, passionately in love with Christ, and

laboring diligently to bring others into the same sphere of blessedness.

They were strong, heroic, and unconquerable; affectionate, intelligent,

filled with veneration for God, and aflame with zeal for His House.

Those Covenanters knew that they were redeemed, and gloried in their

relation and obligation to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Almighty

Redeemer. They flew into every service at His command. Their obedience

was accompanied with much assurance of salvation. They had heaven on

earth. The heaven of glory was merely an extension of their vista, an

enlargement of their horizon, higher up the mountain that they were

climbing, more spiritual ozone in the air they were breathing. They

dwelt with God, lived in Jesus Christ, felt the raptures of the Holy

Spirit; they knew the mystery of the cross, the value of the Blood, and

the power of the spiritual resurrection. Therefore were they swallowed

up in love to God and man. Are we amazed at the divine beauty of the

martyr's life? Let us have the same heartiness, the same vision of God,

the same joy in the Holy Spirit, and we will have the key to the

nobleness of the martyr. The Covenant with God, when kept, produces

holiness, tenderness, charitableness, and divinest sympathy; turns life

into an overflowing fountain of goodness. They, who follow the Banner of

the Covenant in spirit and in truth, will aim at the very climax of

Christian character, moral culture, and heroic service through Jesus

Christ.

THE EMBLEM OF WAR.

The standard of religion in the Covenanted Church recognizes an

uncompromising conflict in the world. Where hostile forces are encamped,

the banner means battle. The martyrs were carried into this conflict, by

their zeal for God's House and love to Jesus Christ. Their fight was

against the tyranny of Civil government and the corruption of the

Church. They fought well, resisting the aggressor at every point of

attack.

We must open our eyes wide, to see the forces on either side. The

persecution was merely the crimson line, along which the kingdom of

Christ and the kingdom of Satan came into collision. These kingdoms

stretch beyond our vision, far away into the spiritual world, each

having immense resources and innumerable battalions for the war. The

firing lines are merely the visible places that project themselves upon

our horizon. The human struggle, the din of battle, the blood, the

groans, the graves, are merely the evidence of the momentum of these

tremendous powers, grinding each other at the points of contact. It is

Satan against Christ, in his effort to waste the Church, suppress the

truth, crush mankind, and despoil Jesus of His crown, people, and

kingdom. It is Christ against Satan, determined to resist, defeat,

enchain, and imprison that old dragon.

This war still rages. The powers are the same as in the days of old,

though the methods of warfare be changed. Christ still calls for

soldiers of the Covenant, men of spirit, courage, and unshaken faith. He

needs consecrated men, to hurl them against the organized powers, and

inbreaking hordes, that are desecrating the Sabbath, corrupting the

Church, maiming the truth, debauching morality, bribing conscience,

licensing drunkenness, desolating the home, adulterating religion,

worshiping wealth, crushing the poor, chaining manhood to secrecy,

denying God in government, and the Lord Jesus Christ on His throne. Men

are needed, men of the martyr type, men who count not heads, but

principles. Men are in demand, men who find victory in defeat, men who

see the mountains filled with horses and chariots, the mighty host of

God.

THE GREAT INHERITANCE.

The Church of the Covenanters has a precious inheritance. The

achievements of the past, the privileges of the present, and the

victories of the future--all, all are hers, if she be faithful. The Old

Blue Banner leads to the world-wide triumph of the principles it

represents. This is no presumption; it is a foregone conclusion, the

very language of logic. The certainty is based on God's revealed

purpose, and glows in the richest hues of prophecy. Humility forbids

boasting; we have not said that the Covenanted Church shall have this

honor. But the Banner of the Covenant, by whomsoever borne, will surely

be glorified with victory, as Jesus Christ, the great Captain, leads His

conquerors to universal conquest.

The Covenant contains all Bible principles that apply to Church and

State; it is neither sectarian nor sectional. The Covenant abhors

sectarianism. It contains the universal principles which must become

universal in practice ere the world bask in Millennial glory. The true

Covenanter is no sectarian. He occupies the center of a circle that

contains all revealed truth, and he is pledged to all known duty.

The martyrs died in the assurance of the triumph of the cause for which

they suffered. "Do not weary to maintain the present testimony," said

dying Renwick. "When Christ goeth forth to defeat anti-Christ, with that

name written on His vesture and on His thigh, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF

LORDS, He will make it glorious in the earth."

Marriage with the Son of God awaits the Church. Covenanting with the

King of glory awaits the nations.

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice

of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,

Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of

the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

"Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the

Lamb."

* * * * *

POINTS FOR THE CLASS.

1. Describe the Banner of the Covenant.

2. What motto on the Covenanters' Banner?

3. What large meaning in the motto?

4. Why ought the truth of Christ have wide publicity?

5. What should be the spirit and character of Covenanters?

6. What hope is there of the world-wide success of Covenanted

principles?

7. What is the duty of the present generation in the great conflict?