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THE 
 
 CLOUD OF WITNESSES; 
 
 OK 
 
 SCOTCH AIAKTYKOLOGY. 
 
 WILLIAM ANDEESOX, LLI). 
 
 GLASGOW: 
 
 ROBERT JACKSON, ST. ENOCH SQUARE. 
 
 I'IKBUKGH: ADAM <t CHARLES BLACK. LONDON •■ WARD & CO. 
 MDCOCLin. 
 
2 y / y^ V. /^^^'' '^k' ^/^L j- a /2s ■^'^' '^"^ 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE, 
 
 br the com>nttee appointed to cap.bt into execution the resolution to 
 Re-erect Captain Raton's Monoient.. 
 
 The parish of Fen^N-ick, AjTshire, acted a prominent part in the 
 struggles of the days of the Covenant. Many of its inhabitants were t 
 
 deprived of their liberty and property ; and some of them sealed their i 
 
 testimonv ^N^th their blood. Distinguished among those noble sufferers ' 
 
 was Captain John Paton of Meadowhead, who ha\'mg been trained m 
 his youth to arms was summoned by the minister of the Parish, the 
 Rev. William Guthrie, to take his place at the head of the Parish V 
 
 ^Militia for the defence of the countrj^ against the insurrection of 1 
 
 -Alontrose. He shared in the defeat of the Presb}-terians at the I 
 
 battle of Kilsj-th ; but gained for himself a great name by his deeds 
 of valour on that occasion ; and aftenvards hea\'ily avenged on the ^ 
 
 • iiemy the discomfiture which he and liis fellow-soldiers had sustained. 
 .\fter the overthrow of Montrose and his party, Mr. Guthrie and he 
 returned to their homes at Fenwick, where they enjoyed for a time 
 respite from disturbance and suffering. ^ — — " 
 
 The next time we discover him in arms is in the vear 1C46, when 
 mar the \'illage of Maucliline he put to rout a company of the malig- 
 nants who had come to disperse a congregation assembled on the 
 moor for the observance of the Lord's Supper. Shortly after this, he 
 did the same, at the head of his Fenwick men, to a company who i 
 made their ap|>earance at Lochgoin. 
 
IV PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 In the year 1050 when the t^Tanny had waxed violent, he regarded 
 insurrection a sacred duty, and joined that party who were similar! \ 
 minded. He performed many feats of valour in various encounters : 
 and in a personal conflict with Dalziel had nearly attained to tlb 
 honour of ridding his country and the world of that ferocious persecu 
 tor. After a twelvemonth's contending, however, he returned honn 
 almost despairing of the success of the cause. He now applied him 
 self diligently to his farming operations, married Janet Lindsay, ;i 
 woman of great excellence, was elected an Elder of lllr. Guthri*- - 
 ' Church, and became as distinguished for his acti^^ty in peaceful well 
 doing as for his prowes^in battle. ' 
 
 Such a man, however, was too much an object of fear to the perse- 
 cutor to be allowed to live long in peace ; and he was obliged to leave 
 his home and family: .and retire to the bogs and fens of Fenwick 
 moor ; ^-isiting then/and other friends occasionally, and as by stealth. 
 — He shared the victor}- of Drumclog, but also the defeat at Bothwell 
 Bridge. — A price was now set on his head, and the pursuit was hot — 
 After a cour.se of the severest privations and hardships he was at last, , 
 apprehended by five soldiers, in the house of Robert Howie of ^Igaiiu«, -^♦-^f. 
 and conveyed to Edinburgh, where he was tried and condemned as a 
 rebel. — It is very remarkable, that even Dalziel was moved by the 
 worth of the christian, and the gallantry of his old opponent in arms, 
 so as to become a zealous intercessor on his behalf; and, which is still 
 . more remarkable, so as to be successful with the Court in obtaining 
 the veteran's reprieve : but Bishop Paterson withheld the document till 
 the execution was accomjdished! And yet, there are men who boast 
 of their lineal ecclesiastical descent from the cowardl\- murderer. As 
 well might they boast of the lineage of Caiaphas. 
 
 Captain Paton's dying testimony is of a noble order — for its theo- 
 logy-, and its spirituality, worthy of an elder of WiQiam Guthrie ; and 
 for its faith and boldness in the hour of death, worthy of his heroism 
 
 
•^tJ /*- ^*^J ^auf^ Ai*'rtf^ Xa^ /Ki»/ 
 
 PREFATORY NOTICE. V 
 
 as a christian soldier. He was executed in the Grass Market. 
 Edinburgh, May 9th, 1685, and buried in the Gre^^friars' Church 
 Yard. Having bid farewell to his endeared bible he handed it down 
 from the scaffold to a friend; and it is still preserved with his 
 sword among other covenanting relics in the house of the Howies of 
 Lochgoin. -\''b '-'', <^ wJi^ ., t ?,:.,. f^X.:^l. iUx^^ifif, 
 
 A short time after his martjTdom a rude stone had been erected in 
 the church yard at Fenwick commemorating his worth : But thirty' 
 years ago this was superseded by a larger stone with a more extended 
 epitaph, together with sculptured representations of the Captain's 
 Sword and Bible, and of the flag and drum of the Fenwick troop of 
 volunteers. Last winter the fastenings by which this stone was 
 attached to the waU of the church gave way, and the stone was broken 
 to pieces in the fall. That monument of Captain Paton together with ^ 
 Guthrie's Pulpit formed the great pride of our village; and at a 
 public meeting of the inhabitants it was resolved that the Moniunent 
 should be renewed. A subscription, aided by friends in Kihnamock 
 and the neighbourhood, and a few in Glasgow, amounted to about £12. 
 But it was also agreed that the Rev. William Anderson, LL.D. of 
 Glasgow, should be requested to come up and preach for a collection, 
 trom WiUiam Guthrie's pulpit, or, should the day be favourable, from 
 1 tent in the church yard. "VVe obtained his consent; and on the 
 irst Sabbath of May about 3000 persons assembled. The scene was 
 j)eculiarly solemn, as the preacher discoursed to the multitude stand- 
 ing on the grave stones of some of the heroes whom he eulogized. 
 The collection amounted to £25. 13s. lOd. which we regard as being 
 \ «.'ry respectable for our Fen^nck moors. — A wish was verj- widely 
 xpressed for the publication of the Discourse. The Committee were 
 i;.;ain successful in tliuir application, and obtained the manuscript to 
 !>»• published on their own account. Thus two great objects are 
 gained — the dissemination of a vindication of our fatliers' piety and 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. r? v 
 
 MUMMii ; and also, we trust, a considerable addition to our funds arising -^*^ 
 from the sale of Ihe Discourse. ^ , ^ » 
 
 Our exchequer promises so well that our ambition has considerably v 
 enlarged its aim. Besides restoring Captain Paton's ^lonument, we > j 
 design to erect a tablet within the church for perpetuating the memory *^ * 
 of William Guthrie, who, though not a martyr himself in the sense of )i . 
 , being called to lay down liis life for the truth, was famous as a trainer >^ * 
 of martyrs. And yet, he was a martyr too, all the length of being not * 
 only driven away from his beloved parishioners, but interdicted from L vj 
 s^ all public preaching of his beloved Gospel, besides being subjected to % ^ 
 \ life of privation, insidt and danger. And when there may be some 
 who do not sjinpathize wdth us in celebrating the memori^ of Captain 
 Paton's minister — we shall have the universal sympathy of Scottish 
 piety in celebrating that of the author of " A Christiau^s^al o f a 
 >aving^terest in Christ .'' --~ ^. 
 
 Besides, the Committee design to repair the family tomb stone of 
 the Howies of Lochgoin, who acted their part so nobly in these trjdng > 
 times ; and also the stones erected to the memories of Peter Genmiel,' { 
 John Fergushill^^eorge Woodbum^-and James White, who all suffered C 
 Mart\Tdom, or rather won its crown, within our once sanctified ^ 
 parish. • j X 
 
 We embrace this opportunity of thanking friends for past favours, ^ ^ 
 and intimating that we shall depend on them for what additional help >. ^ ^ 
 
 ma}' yet be requisite — being persuaded that we are engaged in a ^ ^ ' 
 
 ' ^\ t^ 
 work, pleasing to the Lord, when we honour the memor\' of his saints -Vf^ » 
 
 and also profitable to the cause of pietv. when therebv the attention j v V 
 
 of all, but especially of a rising generation, is summoned to the study ^"'^ 
 
 HH 
 
 jnd imitation of these illustrious examples of faith and fortitude. 
 
 In name of the Committee, ' *\ ^ f 
 
 WILLIAM ORR, Convenrr. | <^ 
 Fkxwick, Jun^, 1853. ^^'s 
 
 ''«^'A^>^^ '/^* 'y^' J'^'r) "/ "*^ '^^' 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 Hebrews xii. 1, 2. 
 
 " Where/orey seeing ice also are compassed about with so great a Cloud 
 of WitnesseSi let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so 
 easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before 
 us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith ; who, for 
 the joy that was set before him, endured die cross, despising tlie shame, 
 and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'' 
 
 Having selected these words, brethren, as the subject of 
 present discourse, I invite your attention first of all to the 
 character which they give of a Christian ; it is that of the 
 Runner of a Race. 
 
 The image is derived from the Olympian Games of 
 
 nicient Greece, in which two or more competed for the 
 
 prize, which consisted of a garland crown of olive, or other 
 
 plant. To have gained this crown was accounted one of 
 
 the highest honours to which a mortal could attain. 
 
 Princes would descend from their thrones and enter the 
 
 ists of competition for it : and it ennobled not only the 
 
 ictor himself but all his kindred, and even the city which 
 
 uuld boast of being his birth-place. The greatest efforts, 
 
 consequently, to which human strength is adequate, were 
 
 •ut forth in the contest. Nowhere else could man's 
 
 ^ rowess be seen to such advantage : and nover, since 
 
 B 
 
2 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 these games were discontinued, has his animal nature 
 had such an opportunity of displaying its excellence. — 
 Tlie Apostle Paul had probably witnessed the exciting 
 scene and been deeply impressed by it ; for he adopts 
 the race-running as a favourite source of illustration of 
 the nature of the spiritual life. 
 
 As is the case with all figures, however, the analogy 
 does not hold good at all points. The characteristic and 
 prominent feature of the Olympic race was competition ; 
 there was but one prize, and violent was the striving be- 
 tween the racers who should gain it. Now, the idea of 
 competition is by no means excluded from the Christian 
 race. For, although all who enter the lists and run law- 
 fully^ or with any degree of faithfulness, are sure of being 
 crowned ; yet is there great variety in the degrees of the 
 glory of the different crowns. There are administrations of 
 fiYQ cities, and administrations of ten. And it is a legitimate 
 emulation that we compete with one another for the 
 crown of the most exalted honour. Ah ! that there were 
 more of such ambition in the Church. Perverted ambi- 
 tion is one of the most malignant of evil passions ; but 
 sanctified ambition is one of the most venerable and salu- 
 tary of the graces. Accuse it not of pride ; it requires a 
 holy heart to be ambitious after this fashion. There are 
 many eaten up of the lust of power who would rather be 
 bound hands and feet and cast into a dungeon, than be 
 condemned to the wearing of a crown in the kingdom of 
 God, by the side of Christ, in a throne nearest to His. 
 
 Nevertheless, competition is not a prominent character- 
 istic of the Christian race , and the principal idea which 
 the Apostle designs to illustrate is the great, unremitting, 
 onward exertion. Competition with a fellow-Christian 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. o 
 
 may never enter into the runner's thoughts : but, under 
 the influence of other motives, his running, for the energ}^ 
 of its exercise, resembles that of the Olympic racer. 
 What, then, are these other motives ? They are especi- 
 ally two : the Jirst^ that he may escape from impending 
 misery. He flees for his life, as when Lot fled from Sodom 
 — as when Pilgrim fled from the City of Destruction — as 
 when the man- slayer fled from the avenger of blood. 
 This, however, is more especially characteristic of the 
 convert in the first stage of his career : and the Apostle, 
 writing to Christians somewhat advanced, refers especially 
 to the second motive, viz. the gaining of the happiness 
 and glory of the heavenly crown ; and it is particularly 
 under this view that I shall consider the race. 
 
 But at our very starting we meet with a doctrinal diffi- 
 culty which must be removed out of the way. Under- 
 standing generally that the Christian race consists of a 
 life of piety and well-doing, how can it be said, that, by 
 means of this good working of his own, a man gains the 
 heavenly crown, consistently with our great standard 
 testimony, that all the merit of our Salvation is found in 
 the work of Christ on our belialf ? The apparent discre- 
 pancy is easily harmonised. Christ purchased the Crown ; 
 His merits alone w^on it ; all the deserving is in Him : but 
 besides this there are qualifications necessary on the part of 
 His people for loearing it : an ungodly character could not 
 endure it for its holiness ; nor would it have been 
 righteous government to arrange a scheme of salvation 
 by which he could be made a partaker of its honour and 
 happiness.* Here then is the object of the Christian's 
 
 • iSee Discourses— the Doctrine of Good Works; and Penance — the 
 Doctrine of .TiistifuMtion— fur oxfcud. m1 illn'strMfions nf t]ii< subject. 
 
4 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 race — or rather, that of which his race consists — tiit^ 
 acquisition of a fitness or meetness of character for wear- 
 ing the crown which liis Lord has purchased for him. 
 Yonder it shines ; held out to be bestowed on him when 
 he has finished the race, in the course of which the cha- 
 racter is acquired ; and, lest he should die before the 
 race is finished, he runs with all his might. 
 
 This doctrinal explanation having been made, obsen'e 
 now more particularly, in the First Place, how great is 
 the self-delusion of those who entertain hope, howsoever 
 vague, that the crown shall be conferred on them, while 
 yet, not to speak of their fi-iends observing nothing in 
 their conduct, they are not themselves conscious of mak- 
 ing the least exertion to qualify themselves for the 
 wearing of it ; and, if put on the trial, could not tell you 
 of any one thing which they ever either think or say or 
 do which has even the appearance of something done for 
 that end, unless it be a little formal observance of the 
 ordinances of the church on Sabbath, or possibly a pre- 
 tence of orthodoxy in criticising the preacher's discourse. 
 The delusion, however, in this case is so gross, that it 
 seldom takes the positive shape of a hope that they shall 
 obtain the heavenly crown, but only the negative shape, 
 that they shall not be condemned to the misery of Hell. 
 Common sense forbids their hope of glory : when yet 
 they have a vague expectation that they may escape 
 misery, because they are not flagrantly wicked. Ah, 
 the self-deception ! There are only two destinations for 
 the soul of man : the one or the other is the alternative 
 of each of us. To be excluded from glory necessarily 
 implies consignment to woe. And when you feel that it 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. O 
 
 would be fantastical, a mockery, for you an unholy, 
 unspiritually, uncharitably exercised man to indulge any 
 hope of the glory, in the same proportion should you fear 
 that the woe will be your portion. 
 
 But I have less to do at present with this miserable 
 class, and turn to another who are more nearly concerned 
 in our text. Observe, therefore, in the Second Place 
 how it convicts many of the most shameful inconsistency, 
 though in the exercise of charity we may not pronounce 
 them unbeheving and reprobate. They are such as take 
 rehgion easily ; who according to their own account are 
 not like some of their neighbours " righteous over-much ;" 
 who think a little, and speak a Httle, and do a little, by 
 fits and starts, nows and thens. And that's what you call 
 your running of the race ? Why, it is not even walking ; 
 it is scarcely entitled to the name of limping. Think of 
 the Olympic racers for a contrast : see how they clear the 
 ground on to the winning-post where hangs the crown ! 
 You will say there is a difference. There is : Paul 
 admits it — " they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but 
 we an incorruptible." Tlieirs was a garland of leaves 
 which soon withered : even the honour of it soon died 
 out of the memories of men ; but our crown is one which 
 flourishes with undecaying beauty : it is a branch of the 
 Tree of Life ; and its honour is everlasting throughout 
 the kingdom of God. If the Olympic racer, then, pressed 
 1 1 ward in his course with such undeviating purpose 
 when the crown which shone in his eye was compara- 
 tively so paltry ; how much more ought not the chris- 
 tian's course to be characterised by unremitted exertion, 
 when the crown displayed for exciting his ardour shines 
 with such surpassing glory ? 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 Some, liowevcr, will persist in objecting, that the 
 Olympic racer, for the short time he ran his course had 
 nothing else to do or think of; whereas the christian has 
 a great many other duties which demand a part of his 
 attention. Other duties, I ask, than what ? Has he any 
 other duty in this world than that of preparing and quali- 
 fying himself for the heavenly crown ? I deny that he 
 has. Whatever forms a dut?/ falls into the line of the 
 christian race. So that when the pious ploughman is 
 according to the divine commandment " diligent in busi- 
 ness," in every furrow he draws he is making progress in 
 the christian race. Whatever is done in the fear of God 
 — because He has prescribed it, and at the time He has 
 prescribed, and in the manner and measure He has pre- 
 scribed, and for the ends w^hich He has prescribed, that 
 is christian race-running for the heavenly crown. 
 
 There is another mode of illustrating the unintermit- 
 ting constancy with which the right and true hearted 
 christian pursues his heavenward race. ^loralists are 
 accustomed to speak of the ^Master or Ruling Passion, 
 which, with its imperious sway, subordinates every other 
 passion to itself. Do not all of us know some men (for 
 they abound) of whose minds Avarice has so engrossed 
 the dominion, that we are persuaded there can never be 
 five minutes at a time of their waking existence, when 
 that money does not occupy their thoughts ; — who are 
 ever on the alert to catch the penny, and will sacrifice 
 everything else, health, character, the education, comfort 
 and respectability of their own children, in the base pur- 
 suit ? If other interests can be served and other passions 
 gratified consistently wuth the claims of the domineering 
 lust, they may obtain a little attention ; but w^henever 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 7 
 
 anything else comes into competition ^vith it, it tosses it 
 aside or tramples it under foot. And yet, these are the 
 very men who are loudest in their censure, or most scorn- 
 ful in their contempt, of a faithful ministry of the gospel, 
 as being extravagant and demanding impossibilities, when 
 it makes a claim for an unreserved consecration of self to 
 the cause of religion. They should reflect that different 
 minds have different tastes ; and when their taste is such, 
 that a little gold and silver and copper is the object which 
 fascinates them so as to control their whole being, they 
 might make allowance, I think, in their charity, for 
 those whom the heavenly crown fascinates with its beauty 
 and splendour. Ah, brethren, instead of its being sur- 
 prising that there are some men whom the prospect of 
 that crown inflames with ardour, does not all the wonder 
 lie in there being so few whom it excites ; and that there 
 are so many who expend the energies of their immortal 
 nature on the acquisition of objects so trifling, oftentimes 
 so vile, in despite of that blood-purchased crown with the 
 display of which a pleading Redeemer would win them 
 to the pursuit of an inheritance of never-ending glory ? 
 
 The foregoing illustration of the manner in which the 
 celestial crown should form the object of the Ruling 
 passion of us all, was introduced by an observation on the 
 inconsistency of those professors, to whom, in the judg- 
 ment of charity, we may not refuse the christian name ; 
 but whom, on account of the slackness of their conduct, 
 and the manner in which, by mere fits and starts, their 
 piety is exhibited, it would be incongruous to represent 
 as being runners of a race. What, then, they may ask, 
 is your opinion of us precisely ? I answer ^V^^, that your 
 
8 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 case is suspicious : it is only in the judgment of charitj, 
 observe, that we refrain from pronouncing you reprobate : 
 we have no confidence in you ; were you to die in your 
 present state we would be afflicted with doubts about 
 your eternal welfare, and feel difficulty in expressing our- 
 selves when called to say prayers at your funeral. Tliis 
 is enough of evil surely ; but there is worse. Not only 
 are we suspicious of you, yourselves also must be suspi- 
 cious ; never enjoying any clear sunshine of hope ; but 
 living continually in a state of restless dissatisfaction — 
 questioning if these fits and starts of devotion be not a 
 mere delusion and hypocrisy, since they want that 
 demonstration of genuineness which constancy alone can 
 furnish. 
 
 But secondly^ whatever may be said of the preceding 
 reflections, this at least is obvious, that it can be a crown 
 of only inferior glory to which you can at this limping 
 rate of progress attain. The honour of Administration ! 
 Will it not be singular mercy if you are admitted to be 
 an inhabitant of the kingdom at all ? But since it is all 
 mercy together for whatever party, suppose you should 
 be admitted to the administration of Five cities, how feel 
 you in the prospect of being placed below some of those 
 who will be elevated to the administration of Ten ? I 
 have already stated that competition, in respect of who 
 shall be greatest in the kingdom, is but slightly charac- 
 teristic of the christian race ; but to be least — who can 
 patiently bear the thought of it V especially to be excelled 
 and outshone by those whom you at present undervalue 
 and despise, and with whom you would not condescend 
 to exchange courtesies on the street — you, master, to be 
 excelled by that prayerful servant whose hire notwith- 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. ^ 
 
 tanding all his faithfulness to your interests you grudge, 
 aying less might serve the like of him, when yet you 
 spend so prodigally on the feasting of your acquaintance 
 and pampering the vanity of your ill-trained family ? — 
 and you, idle-young lady, with your airs of gentihty, O, 
 unless you mend your manners, to be outshone so far by 
 tha' poor seamstress, who after her long hours of toil dur- 
 ing the week is discovered labouring so affectionately and 
 earnestly in the instruction of her Sabbath class of other- 
 wise neglected children? — I do not ask, how you will 
 endure her exaltation so high above you in that day ; for 
 if you are admitted into the kingdom you will be the first 
 to acknowledge the righteousness of the arrangement, 
 when your views of what is great and worthy have been 
 rectified by the light of Eternity. But I ask, how with 
 your present perverted and world-sophisticated notions 
 you bear the prospect of it, when the first shall be made 
 last and the last first? Mend youi' manners, I say: 
 otherwise your humiliation is certain. Set to work: 
 imitate and emulate your seamstress sister in doing some 
 good ; if not in her particular mode of well-doing, in some 
 other as profitable. Look out for two or three aged 
 widows whom you may visit to share your pin-money 
 with them, and enliven them with your conversation. 
 Though you should want confidence in yourself as quali- 
 fied to speak correctly on the subject of religion, yet if 
 you tell them the news of the day with the benevolent 
 design of relieving the dreariness of their lot, it will be 
 good christian race-running. It would be better, how- 
 ever, if by means of reading christian biography, instead 
 of trashy novels (I do not mean that all novels are such), 
 you quahfied yourself for telling an anecdote for their 
 
10 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 spiritual profiting. Off then in your race — the path if 
 before you. / 
 
 / 
 Observe now, in the Third Place, what is the vifw 
 
 which our text gives of the present world in its relation 
 
 to the christian : when he is a Racer, it must be the 
 
 Race-course. A Race-course ! 0, Sir, is that a place in 
 
 which a man may seek to establish a home for himself in 
 
 which he may sit down satisfied ? Shame on thee to be 
 
 so easily pleased as to choose a race-course for thine 
 
 inheritance ! — Most certainly, brethren, let us take the 
 
 very best of this world we can find, consistently with 
 
 duty. And when Providence may conduct us through 
 
 green meadows and by a flowery path, let us take the 
 
 pleasure thankfully and enjoy it heartily. The Lord 
 
 loves a cheerful receiver nearly as much as a cheerful 
 
 giver. But let us take care that we regard it only as 
 
 wayside pleasure, and never say of any circumstances, 
 
 howsoever happy and prosperous, '' this is our rest : " let 
 
 the crown and home beyond ever have the best of our 
 
 affections. — When the idea of the present scene being a 
 
 Race-course contains a strong rebuke of worldliness, it is 
 
 equally a thought of great consolation for the afl3icted. 
 
 What but toil is to be expected of a Race-course ? and if 
 
 pleasure occur in the way it is something over and above 
 
 the promise. That promise is the crown after the toil 
 
 of the race. Take courage, then, thou afflicted one: this 
 
 is no proper specimen of thy Lord's bounty and of the 
 
 inheritance which He has provided for thee : it is racing 
 
 time : and a race soon comes to an end ; when having 
 
 gained the crown, and looking back on the sorrows of the 
 
 way, thou shalt say and sing it was " light affliction and 
 
 but for a moment." 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 11 
 
 Having illustrated the general idea of the Christian 
 jlace, that I may have an opportunity to speak somewhat 
 a^. large of The Cloud of Witnesses I must dismiss the 
 irtervening clauses of the text with a few brief expository 
 notices. — The weights which we must lay ^ide, that we 
 may run hghtly and unencumbered, are all perverted or 
 inordinate worldly passions, desires, cares and habits 
 which hinder the exercise of the christian graces : and 
 this brethren you wall find a sure and easily applied rule : 
 Deny yourself either by entire or partial mortification to 
 whatever hinders prayer : whatever hinders that^ whether 
 it be a love or a hatred, or a study or a care, hinders every 
 other holy and charitable exercise. — The sin that doth so 
 easily beset us, may denote either sin in general, or that 
 particular sin to which each of us by natural tempera- 
 ment, or age, or education, or habit, or employment, or 
 companionship and alliance, is specially addicted or 
 exposed. Alas ! that there should be so many who can- 
 not determine what is in this respect their besetting sin, 
 since they are beset, yea possessed by a legion of them — 
 lust, avarice, envy, falsehood, pride, hatred of God's 
 people, all equally and all in great strength. I incline, 
 however, to that interpretation which, in consistency with 
 the context, explains the besetting sin as signifying that 
 unbelief, or want of confidence in the divine promise, 
 which is the besetting sin of human nature, and that 
 which more than anything else paralyses a man and inca- 
 pacitates him for running the Christian race; whereas, 
 when the heart is sound in believing, all the other graces 
 are easily exercised. — Finally, the Patience inculcated 
 signifies not only an unmurmuring resignation to God's 
 will under afflictions, but a universiil, enduring persever- 
 
12 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 ance ; which time will not relax, which adversity will not 
 dishearten, which danger will not daunt, which frowns 
 will not terrify, which mockery will not shame, and whic/i 
 smiles will not seduce. 
 
 For securing this faithful running of our Race we ate 
 addressed with the imperativeness of commandment, the 
 persuasiveness of exhortation, and the encouragement of 
 promise. But besides these, there is what is always so 
 advantageous for animating conduct, a great body of 
 example, when the precept is visibly displayed in action, 
 so that its practicability is demonstrated, its beauty un- 
 folded, and the particular manner in which its perform- 
 ance is to be gone about illustrated, besides the excitement 
 which in some instances is promoted, of a spirit of 
 emulation. 
 
 At the head of these examples appears that of our Lord 
 Himself: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our 
 faith. Now, brethren, it is not only a true doctrine, but 
 it is the principal doctrine of our religion, that from first 
 to last and throughout all things Christ is the Saviour of 
 men ; and that it is by looking to Him with a fiith of 
 reliance we are individually made partakers of his salva- 
 tion. But ^videly and emphatically though this is taught 
 elsewhere, it does not appear to be the lesson of our pre- 
 sent text. You will observe that in the expression " our 
 faithj*^ our is printed in italics, indicating that there is no 
 corresponding word in the original. Even with this ex- 
 clusion, however, the meaning is not correctly conveyed 
 by our translation : the leader and perfecter of faith, is the 
 literal rendering — the leader in the race of faith, and its 
 perfecter, as furnishing a complete model of faith in his 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 13 
 
 own conduct, when with his Father's promise in his heart, 
 and the crown of joy at the end of the race in his eye, 
 He pursued his way undauntedly even though the cross 
 siood in that way with all its shame and woe. This is a 
 very beautiful and striking representation — that Christ 
 Himself furnishes an example of believing, and that it was 
 in the power of Faith that He too persevered and won 
 the crown.* 
 
 This example of Christ must ever be our principal 
 guidance in running our race. But when we are so ready 
 to make apologies for our shortcomings, by saying that 
 His divine example is inimitable by us to the full extent, 
 we are additionally referred to The Cloud of Witnesses, con- 
 sisting of men and women, Avhose case was in all respects 
 Hke our own ; and for coming short of the standard of 
 whose excellence we can make no excuse. What then is 
 distinctly the meaning of that Cloud ? First, What is its 
 substance ? I answer, not certainly the spirits of the 
 departed saints, leaving their heavenly repose and felicity 
 and visiting this earth to surround and survey us as we 
 run. It is astonishing that such a superstition should 
 still have such a prevalence among us : it is not only 
 unscriptural and absurd, but very pernicious. It is the 
 root of Rome's idolatrous prayers. The Cloud of Witnesses 
 to which the Apostle refers is displayed in the pages of the 
 
 * The text contains M'Lean's view. I will not, however, dis- 
 pute the case warmly with any one who may adopt Macknight's. 
 He translates *'the Captain and Perfecter of the Faith:" and thus 
 explains:— "The Apostle compares Jesus to the Judge of the games, 
 whose office it was to determine who were the conquerors, and to 
 make them perfect as combatants by bestowing on them the prizes 
 for which they had contended." This is a consistent enough meaning, 
 but I prefer M'Lean's as more in harmony with the context. 
 
14 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 Bible ; and consists of tlie recorded examples of the old 
 Testament worthies, which have been so beautifully 
 gathered together, — focally condensed as it were — in the 
 preceding chapter. That chapter is the bright cloud. 
 As an exercise of imagination you may suppose, if you 
 will, that the eyes of Abel and Abraham gaze on you ; and 
 you might employ your imaginations to far worse purpose ; 
 but still it would be only a " devout imagination." The 
 only reality consists in their recorded example; and 
 through that record they are all represented as beiDg 
 Witnesses, as when it is said of one of them, Abel, that 
 by his sacrifice "he being dead yet speaketh." But 
 again ; What signifies the Witnessing ? I answer, not that 
 they are observers^ watching how we conduct ourselves, and 
 condemning and applauding as they see us run ill or run 
 well. That again is a profitable imagination — in thought 
 to place ourselves under their inspection, and bethink 
 ourselves of the judgment which they will pronounce us. 
 But that is not the meaning of the text. The term of 
 the original {martyr) is never used in the sense of a wit- 
 ness either /o7' you, or against you, but to you, or before 
 you, on behalf of some other person or object. Such was, 
 and such is, the Witness-bearing of the saints referred to. 
 To the men of their own generation they gave certain 
 assurances by their sayings and conduct ; and they con- 
 tinue to give the same assurances to us through the 
 record of their lives. 
 
 What, then, are these assurances? Take the case of 
 Abraham for illustration : First he bears witness for God 
 — that God is true, and faithful to His promise. When 
 any of us may grow weary and faint in heart, so as to be 
 in danger of giving up the struggle, and turning back 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 15 
 
 tarougli doubtfulness and distrust, forth comes the 
 Patriarch's voice from the cloud in tones at once of 
 rebuke and encouragement: "/ was not disheartened 
 amid severer trials and greater disappointments than 
 'UTS : against all natural hope I yet believed, account- 
 ing Him faithful who had promised, nor did His promise 
 fail" — and the whole Cloud of Witnesses lift up their loud 
 Amen, bearing testimony that God is true. — Secondly^ 
 xibraham bears witness for Faith, as the great inspiring 
 principle of contentment, dignity, fortitude, and every 
 amiable and holy virtue: and also, as that which in a 
 special manner pleases God and secures his friendship and 
 favour. Wouldst thou be great — Wouldst thou be 
 happy? Abraham's voice again comes forth from the 
 midst of the Cloud, saying " Behold me : whatever you 
 see venerable in my character and rich in the blessing 
 which God has conferred on me, I owe it all to Faith" — 
 And again the whole Cloud of Witnesses exhibiting them- 
 selves clothed with their honours bear their united 
 ^"stimony to Faith as the great secret of all their glor}\ 
 
 Such is a specimen of the manner in which Paul's 
 Cloud of Witnesses bear their testimony to the Faithful- 
 ness of God and the power of Faith. But since the 
 Apostle's time the Cloud has been greatly enlarged ; and 
 in not a few instances by the addition of characters whose 
 example is even more instructive and animating than that 
 of some whom he has placed in the constellation. When 
 I say so, I refer not only to the Apostle himself and other 
 New Testament saints, but to many whose memorial is 
 preserved in the pages of authentic, though uninspired 
 history. You will perceive that Paul found some of his 
 
16 THE CLOLD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 worthies in the uninspired books of the Maccabees: an<l 
 the man who could sit and hear approvingly a sermon 
 preached on the life and character of Samson, for instance, 
 or Jephtha, but censure one delivered on the character and 
 life of Dr. Chalmers or Dr. Heugh, as being a desecration 
 of Sabbath ordinances, would show himself to be "far 
 behind with his lessons.'' The lives of the saints form a 
 principal part of the treasure of the church ; and she 
 sustains great loss by their being so seldom displayed to 
 view, whether for the establishing and animating of her 
 own faith, or the winning of converts to her cause. 
 
 The whole of the saints are the property of the whole 
 of the church ; but certain saints are more immediately 
 the property of certain sections of the church, for the use 
 made of whose lives these sections are respectively in a 
 special manner responsible. The Saxon churches are 
 more responsible than we are for the improvement of 
 the example of Luther, when we are more responsible 
 than they are for the improvement of the example of 
 Knox. — The way is now open for a consideration of that 
 subject on account of which we are more especially con- 
 vened at this time. 
 
 Brethren, I would speak, and have you to think, with 
 discretion. Comparisons are often odious, and superla- 
 tives are usually absurd. He who might say that the 
 Martyrology of Scotland is beyond question the most 
 famous in the modern history of the church, would betray 
 much ignorance of what the Spirit of God has accom- 
 plished in other lands. Besides, lot such a one be warned, 
 that this magnifying of his native country is not a little 
 perilous ; it increases the individual's own responsibility 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 1 7 
 
 for peculiar eminence in the faith. In the spirit there- 
 fore of the catholic brotherhood of the church, let us 
 rejoice that other countries have contributed their pro- 
 portion to the noble army of Martyrs ; and be satisfied 
 with maintaining that the troop which Scotland has sent 
 equals any other to be seen in the magnificent and beau- 
 teous array ; or rather, to preserve the figure of our text, 
 that of that Cloud of Witnesses which the Sun of Righte- 
 ousness has exhaled from the earth, the wing which has 
 risen fi-om the mountains and meadows of Scotland, and 
 rests over it for a light and glory, equals that of any other 
 land in the splendour of its holiness. 
 
 To give anything like a circumstantial narrative of the 
 lives and doings of the heroes of the covenant, is no part 
 of my present design. I must refer you to others who 
 have detailed their history.* Let these few observations, 
 therefore, suffice for the time. 
 ^ "^^ In no other countr}^ of Europe — we can safely use the 
 superlative here — did the Reformation accomplish its 
 work with such swift and efiectual execution as it did in 
 Scotland. There was verified in a remarkable manner the 
 saying of a " nation being born in a day." With the 
 exception of the barbarism of some of the northern clans 
 and islanders of the west, it was with singular unanimity 
 that the Temple of Protestant Faith was erected. The 
 
 • When there was honour to be conferred, and a task to be com- 
 petently executed, that day's position and work at Fenuick, should 
 have been assigned to George Gilfillan ; on the consecration of whose 
 remarkable powers to the upholding of the memory of the covenanters 
 we have all so much reason to fehcitate ourselves. After I had rashly 
 committed myself to the task I beseeched him to relieve me of it, but 
 was imsuccessful in my supplication. 
 
18 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 hostility by which it was afterwards well nigh overthrown 
 was properly all an aggression from without the kingdom. 
 Traitors, indeed, too many there were found whom the 
 bribe of the enemy seduced ; but the dissatisfaction did 
 not originate within. — The sunshine of prosperity was of 
 short duration; but under the faithful reading of the 
 Bible, and a faithful Ministry of the Gospel, the truth 
 struck its roots deep into the soul of the nation. — The 
 boar from the south broke in upon the fair vineyard : 
 first a silly tyrant, then a proud one, then a profligate one, 
 then one silly, proud, and profligate all at once — all the 
 four prerogatived high for falsehood, treacherous, per- 
 jured, and cruel exceedingly, with most blasphemous 
 pretensions of their being Anointed of the Lord for the 
 government of his church, through the bribery of the 
 unprincipled, and by the coercion of the sword, endea- 
 voured to impose on the saints of this land an abhorred, 
 popery-inclined prelacy ; and when they followed their 
 own beloved ejected pastors to the heaths and glens 
 hounded them to death by such demon-dogs as Claver- 
 house and Dalziel. Would you not have rebelled? 
 Would not you have renounced all allegiance to the 
 tyrant, and united in his excommunication from church 
 and throne and the society of men '? Would you have 
 hesitated to draw the sword of self-defence ? W^ife, would 
 not you have encouraged your husband forth to the 
 battle? Sister, would not you have encouraged your 
 brother, as he w^ould prove himself a man V Maiden, 
 would not you have pled with your wooer, as he w^ould 
 shew he loved you, that he should be off to the leaguer 
 of the good and the brave ? You would, but for one or 
 other of these three things, w^ant of piety, or want of 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 19 
 
 courage, or want of common sense. And say not, that, 
 howsoever good their cause, they lacked prudence^ and 
 should have waited their time when all Sco^jfand was 
 ready to rise as one man and crush the oppressor. How 
 easy it is for you to criticise and talk of imprudence after 
 the enterprise failed. Their fault was, that they waited too 
 long, and allowed the tyrant to gather strength, through 
 listening with an easy credulity to his promises and oaths. 
 And when at last they did rise, they had a right to calcu- 
 late on the accession of their countrymen ; so that when 
 they were proved to be mistaken, the blame is not imput- 
 able to those who did their duty, but those who remained 
 at home in faithlessness, cowardice, and inglorious ease. 
 Neither let it be said that their struggle was unavailing. 
 The swords of Captain Paton and his brave and holy 
 brethren won the liberties of these lauds. They conquered 
 when they fell. They preserved that fire ahve without 
 which Scotland at the Revolution would have been bur- 
 dened with that Prelatic incubus under which the faith, 
 the liberty, and prosperity of England labour and groan 
 « at the present hour. — ^— -- - 
 
 I make no unqualified defence of the Covenanters* cha- 
 racter and cause ; wherever they professed principles for 
 coercing others, and exceeded those of self-defence, I unite 
 with all the friends of rehgious Hberty in lamenting and 
 censuring it. But let us reflect for the mitigating of the 
 censure, first, that not only w^ere such compulsory prin« 
 ciples those of the age, but that they were to some extent 
 necessary as a matter of self-defence ; and secondly, that 
 neither had the poor men an opportunity of putting them 
 into practice, nor, although tliey had had it, would they 
 have taken the advantage : all their conduct evinces that 
 
20 TDE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 their better nature and other better principles would 
 have restrained the operation of what we complain of as 
 obnoxioi^^ in their system. In the warfare of self-defence 
 there was no other man's hand by the prowess of which 
 so many of the enemy were prostrated as by that of the 
 hand of Captain Paton : and yet in his dying testimony 
 he declared that directly and indirectly he even hated 
 bloodshed. The part he had acted at any time in the slay- 
 ing of men was a sore necessity laid upon him in the duti- 
 ful defence of his own and his country's dearest and most 
 precious rights. How different from that dog-hke thirst 
 for blood which infuriated him whom Scott and Aytoun 
 have celebrated as the flower of chivalry I It is curious 
 to observe what a dog-like taste some men have in 
 making choice of the objects of their admiration. 
 
 Having made these explanations and defences, reflect 
 now, brethren, Firsts on the testimony which these men 
 gave for the preciousness and paramount authority of 
 God's Word. What a Book the Bible was to them — how 
 awful and joyous ! — God's Book of royal statutes, and His 
 Testamentary Book of promise to His children. Their 
 reverence and love of it lay at the root, and was the 
 secret of all their excellence. How they imbued and 
 saturated their minds with it, so that it breathed forth 
 from them in every word and deed! No people ever 
 loved faithful ministers with more devoted attachment ; 
 but equally no people ever vindicated more nobly the pre- 
 rogative of the self-priesthood of all the saints, in keeping 
 the love of pastors subordinated to the superior claim 
 of God's Word, interpreted in a manner satisfactory to 
 their own private judgment. And when these pastors 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 21 
 
 were driven away from them, or they were driven away 
 from their pastors, on the " dumb Sabbath" or in the far 
 wilderness, the Book continued to furnish them plentifully 
 and luxuriously with the wine of Eternal Life. " Fare- 
 well sweet Bible," they would say on the Scaffold of 
 Martyrdom, as they kissed it and pressed it to their hearts, 
 " Farewell, sweet, sweet Bible ! " it needed all the power 
 of the subjoined Welcome, to vanquish the sorrow of that 
 Farewell, as they exclaimed " Welcome, Jesus !" and were 
 by the gibbet lifted up into glory. 
 
 Reflect, Secondly J how earnest and conscientious they 
 were — true in heart as the steel of their swords. Theirs 
 was no pretence of rehgion — no mere dressing in Sunday 
 clothes and going to church because there is nothing else 
 to do — no mere recitation of a bundle of doctrines learned 
 in a catechism (though the catechisms both Larger and 
 Shorter they valued greatly) — no mere sentimentalism 
 momentarily excited by the eloquence of an orator, — it 
 was profound pnnciple^ the result of deep pondering 
 thoughtfulness. And they were as conscientious as they 
 were earnest. By shght compHances and small equivo- 
 cations they might in many instances have saved their 
 lives ; but they defied the temptation and scorned the 
 bribe. " They endured as seeing Him who is Invisible ; 
 and in the power of Faith wrought their great exploits." 
 
 Reflect, Thirdly^ on their deep-toned spirituality. There 
 is no mistake greater than when many imagine that these 
 Covenanters were merely a species of political religionists, 
 zealous in the defence of the outworks of the church ; and 
 that the Headship of Christ about which they clamoured 
 consisted merely in the freedom of the General Assembly, 
 uninterfered with and uncontrolled by the secular power; 
 
22 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 and further, that the sermons of those pastors, whom they 
 flocked to the hills to hear, consisted principally of sedi- 
 tious invectives against the government. What igno- 
 rance such a notion betrays ! Do their dying testimonies 
 warrant it ? Was such the character of the preaching by 
 which the faith of Captain Paton, for instance, was 
 cherished within these walls from the pulpit of William 
 Guthrie?* On the contrary, never was there more 
 thorough, heart-searching dealing with the conscience of 
 the sinner, and never was the Cross of the Redeemer laid 
 deeper in it as a foundation of hope ; and it was because 
 of the manner in which Christ had been endeared to them 
 individually by the exhibition of that Cross that they 
 were so zealous in asserting the rights and honour of His 
 Crown. Jesus and Charles, for kings ! William Guthrie 
 and a curate, for ministers ! To what an agony of zeal 
 
 the contrast was calculated to excite these holy men ! 
 
 Reflect, Fourthhf^ on their patriotism, both in respect of 
 the church and their native country. O that Zion ! how 
 they loved her for the sake of Him whose bride she was ! 
 No Jew ever loved Jerusalem with warmer devotion. 
 How jealous they were of her rights and honour ! and as 
 fellow-citizens within her sacred domain, how faithful they 
 were to one another in their defence of her cause — dying 
 for one another, rather than utter a syllable by which a 
 friend's hiding place might be revealed, or his reputation 
 tarnished ! — And, then, that Church was the only thing 
 they loved more than dear Scotland. Well they were 
 entitled to despise bibleless, savage Ireland, and abhor 
 
 * The present discourse was preached from a tent placed within a 
 few yards of Guthrie's Church, in which the oridnal pulpit, made of 
 beautifully carved oak, retains its ancient place and honours. 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 23 
 
 prelatic, persecuting England, and glory in Scotland as 
 the land of the enlightened, the pure, and the brave. 
 Thus they weeped for her sorrows as sons for the woes of 
 a mother ; and as dutiful sons they rose to the avenging 
 of her wrongs. ,_— — _ 
 
 Keflect, Fifthly^ on the excellence of the women of the 
 covenant — spouses worthy of such husbands, daughters 
 worthy of such fathers, sisters worthy of such brothers, 
 maidens worthy of such wooers. Never did the female 
 character make at once a more venerable and amiable 
 display of womanly virtue. They made no French 
 exhibitions, indeed, of warrioress intrepidity : but as 
 councillors, and comforters, and watchers at home, and 
 especially as the cherishers of a gospel ministry, with 
 what sagacity, constancy, self-denial, and braving of 
 dangers they acted their woman's part in that day of 
 Scotland's exigency. And when their unmanly persecu- 
 tors (Scott and Aytoun's cavaliers) would take vengeance 
 on them for their faithfulness, the intelligence and bold- 
 ness of their testimony in some instances shamed the 
 comparative feebleness of that of the sterner sex. — 
 "Never since you murdered him," was the answer of 
 young Isabel Alison, to the question of the Council, when 
 they interrogated her about the last time she had seen 
 David Hackston. It is true they had roused her maiden 
 virtue to the height of its indignation by the naughtiness 
 of their queries and observations ; for these Royal and 
 Noble patrons and episcopal Fathers of that church, which 
 is the only church of Christ in Scotland,* were infected 
 
 • Of all the freaks which Prelacy has of late been playing in either 
 England or Scotland, none has been so amusiiiL; as that lately exhibited 
 at Edinburgli. It would seem that one Kunisay had been spouting 
 
24 THE CLOUr OF WITNESSES. 
 
 with a blackguardism which, like a moral lues^ pervaded 
 their whole constitution with the most noisome putrefac- 
 tion. Before the frown of such foul demons the women 
 of the covenant quailed not ; but rather waxed bolder in 
 their testimony, when they reflected both scornfully on 
 the meanness and moral degradation of their judges, and 
 self-complacently, on their own nobility as the daughters 
 ofGrod. 
 
 Inhabitants of Fenwick, I have spoken of the Cloud 
 of Witnesses which overshadows Scotland : you dwell 
 under its very fociis. They speak of classic ground ; 
 yours is sacred. Not a stream but gave drink, not a 
 green knoll among the heather but gave a resting place, 
 not a thrash bush but gave footing through the moss to 
 the martyrs of the covenant. You cannot move a foot- 
 step from the door without treading where William 
 Guthrie and Captain Paton and other holy heroes walked. 
 Away from Fenwick all the profane ! There is no place 
 for you here : the whole ground is a protest against your 
 
 something to the effect, thut salvation might possibly be found else- 
 where than in that chiu'ch, which can trace its Apostolic pedigree so 
 clearl}- to the remote and venerable antiquity of the Tnkhan Father;?. 
 (See the Duke of Argyll's elucidation of the Genealogy-.) Such lati- 
 tudinarianism, violating the monopoly of the genuine Scottish Priest- 
 hood, could not be tolerated : and his Overseers have obtained from 
 him the publication of the most ample recantation, in which he indig- 
 nantly denies that the baptisms administered by the Established 
 Church, or any other Presb^-terian church, are possessed of the regen- 
 erating Hydrodynamics (water-power) of those which are adminis- 
 tered by his own consecrated hand and tongue. One likes to see 
 consistency. The Church of Rome has completely stultified itself by 
 admitting the validity of the Baptism of heretics. Scottish Prelacy 
 has corrected tliis follv of her mother. 
 
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 25 
 
 presence. Christian brethren : you do well in proposing 
 the re-erection of that monument — well in respect of 
 its being a debt due to the memory of the righteous ; but 
 especially well in respect of setting up for yourselves and 
 your children a remembrancer of their holy example. 
 But oh ! take care that it be not a stone of condemnation, 
 witnessing against a race degenerated from the faith of 
 their fathers ; rather let it prove a Pillar of direction on 
 the road to the heavenly city. ' 
 
 My Scotch fellow-countrymen, from whatever district, 
 let us reflect with gratitude on the peculiar bounty with 
 which God has ordered our lot. From St. Columba of 
 the isles, along the line of Patrick Hamilton, Wisheart, 
 Knox, Melville, Gillespie, Eutherford, Henderson, and a 
 multitude of others who might be enumerated, down to 
 James Kenwick, what an august array it is of prophet-hke 
 men who were commissioned to Scotland ! and with what 
 reverence our fathers listened, — with what earnestness of 
 faith, as convinced by God's Word, they beheved, — and 
 with what self-denial, endurance, and bravery they con- 
 tended for the truth, and won for us that exemption from 
 tyranny, and that Hberty of worship of which we are so 
 blissfully possessed ! Let us meditate on our responsibility 
 for the improvement of those privileges which they pur- 
 chased for us with their blood, and attempt a faithful 
 imitation of their noble example. That example needs 
 but little purification of a few superstitions and a few 
 misinterpretations of Scripture — not more than are to be 
 found among ourselves — that it may be foUowfed safely. 
 The great features of their faith and conduct fiimish a 
 model for our accurate copying We may never be called 
 to exercise and manifest our faith precisely in the same 
 
26 THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES. 
 
 manner. Yet, who knows ? — Look at the Continent of 
 Europe submerged imder a flood of papal despotism, the 
 waves of which are beating on our island rock all around, 
 while there is an extensive treachery both Roman and 
 Anglican within the very bowels of our commonwealth, 
 prepared to admit the enemy. And, besides these 
 ominous signs of the times, the prophetic Word seems to 
 give warning of a dreadful trial to which the saints should 
 be subjected by the Antichristian Power, just before the 
 Lord's interposition for its overthrow, and for the estab- 
 lishment of his promised kingdom. But, supposing that 
 both these signs of the times and the prophetic testimony 
 are misinterpreted when we draw from them such alarming 
 conclusions — in proportion as we are exempted from such 
 calamities as those of our fathers, is it not incumbent on 
 us to use our prosperity with diligence in the advancement 
 of that cause of Christ and his Church, which they suffered 
 so much to defend? If they shed their blood, shall we 
 fret at the call for a little of our wealth V " Therefore, 
 my beloved brethren, be ye steadfist, unmoveable, always 
 abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye 
 know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord — not 
 slothful, but followers of them who through faith and 
 patience inherit the promises." 
 
 GLASGOW : PRINTED BT BELL ASD BAIK.