mation to him, for which he read his commission under the archbishop of Glasgow, his hand."

Mr. Guthrie answered, “I judge it not convenient to say much in answer to what you have spoken: only, whereas you allege there hath been much lenity used towards me, be it known unto you, that I take the Lord for party in that, and thank him for it; yea, I look upon it as a door which God opened to me for preaching this gospel, which neither you nor any man else was able to shut, till it was given you of God. And as to that sentence passed against me, I declare before these gentlemen (the officers of the party,) that I lay no weight upon it, as it comes from you, or those who sent you; though I do respect the civil authority, who by their law laid the ground for this sentence: and were it not for the reverence I owe to the civil magistrate, I would not surcease from the exercise of my ministry for all that sentence. And as to the crimes I am charged with, I did keep presbyteries and synods with my brethren; but I do not judge those who now sit in these to be my brethren, but men who have made defection from the truth and cause of God; nor do I judge those to be free or lawful courts of Christ that are now sitting. And as to my unpeaceableness, I know I am bidden. follow peace with all men, but I know also. I am bidden follow it with holiness; and since I could not obtain peace without prejudice to holiness, I thought myself obliged to let it go. And as for your commission, sir, to intimate this sentence, I here declare, I think

myself called by the Lord to the work of the ministry, and did forsake my nearest relations in the world, and gave up myself to the service of the gospel, in this place, having received an unanimous call from this parish, and being tried and ordained by the presbytery: and I bless the Lord he hath given me some success, and a seal of my ministry upon the souls and consciences of not a few that are gone to heaven, and of some that are yet in the way to it. And now, sir, if you will take it upon you to interrupt my work among this people, as I shall wish the Lord may forgive you the guilt of it, so I cannot but leave all the bad consequences that follow upon it betwixt God and your own conscience. And here I do further declare before these gentlemen, that I am suspended from my ministry for adhering to the covenants and work of God, from which you and others have apostatized."

Here the curate interrupting him, said, "that the Lord had a work before that covenant had a being, and that he judged them apostates who adhered to that covenant; and that he wished that not only the Lord would forgive him (Mr. Guthrie,) but if it were lawful to pray for the dead (at which expression the soldiers did laugh,). that the Lord would forgive the sin of this church these hundred years past."

"It is true," answered Mr. Guthrie," the Lord had a work before that covenant had a being, but it is as true that it hath been more glorious since that covenant; and it is a small thing for us to be judged of you, in adhering to that

covenant; who has so deeply corrupted your ways, and seem to reflect on the whole work of reformation from popery these hundred years past, by intimating that the church had need of pardon for the same.

"As for you, gentlemen," added he, directing himself to the soldiers, "I wish the Lord may pardon you for countenancing of this man in this business." One of them scoffingly replied, "I wish we never do a greater fault."

Well said Mr. Guthrie, "a little sin may damn a man's soul."

Mr. Guthrie's civilities to the soldiers.

When this had passed, Mr. Guthrie called for a glass of ale, and craving a blessing himself, drank to the commander of the soldiers: and after they had been civilly entertained by him, they left the house. I have it confidently reported, that Mr. Guthrie, at parting, did signify to the curate, that he apprehended some evident mark of the Lord's displeasure was abiding him for what he was now doing, and seriously warned him to prepare for some stroke coming upon him very soon.

The curate died a little after.

Mr. Guthrie's relations, and a worthy old minister yet alive when I wrote this, who was that day at Finwick with him, from whom I have part of this account, do not mind to have heard any thing of this denunciation; but it might have

been without their hearing, since none of them were present at parting. Whatever be in this, I am well assured the curate never preached more after he left Finwick. He came into Glasgow, and whether he reached Calder, but four miles from it, I know not; but in a few days he died in great torment of an iliac passion, and his wife and children died all in a year, or thereby; and none belonging to him were left: so hazardous a thing it is to meddle with Christ's sent serv

ants.

The Kirk declared vacant.

When they left the manse, the curate went into the church of Finwick with the soldiers, his guard, and now his hearers, and preached to them not a quarter of an hour, and intimated from the pulpit the bishop's sentence against Mr. Guthrie. Nobody came to hear him but the party who came with him, and a few children and boys, who created him some disturbance, but were chased off by the soldiers.

Mr. Guthrie continues in the parish till October 1665, when he died in Angus.

Mr. Guthrie continued in the parish, but preached no more in the church, where, as far as I can learn, there was no curate ever settled. Upon the 10th of October, next year, this excellent person died in Angus whither he went to settle some affairs relating to his estate of Pitforthy there. Thus by the malice of the prelates, this bright and eminent light of the West of Scotland was put under a bushel, yea, extinguished.

Mr. William Guthrie dies, October, 10. By this time many of the old Presbyterian ministers, who had seen the glory of the former temple, were got to their rest. The 10th day of October this year, brought the Rev. Mr. William Guthrie to his Father's house. I shall only add the remark made upon his lamented death, by the worthy minister his contemporary, whom I cited before, when I spoke of him." "This year the Presbyterians in Scotland, lost one of their pillars, Mr. William Guthrie, minister of the gospel, at Finwick, one of the most eloquent, successful, popular preachers that ever was in Scotland. He died a sufferer; for he was deposed by the bishop, but in hopes, that one day the Lord would deliver Scotland from her thraldom." Many others of the old ministers of this church died about this time in peace, being taken away from the evil to come, which was fast coming on in great measures, and departed under the solid and firm hope of a glorious deliv erance coming to this poor church.