The Dying Testimony of James Renwick, Letter 1 – Letter 2
My Dear Friends in CHRIST,
IT hath pleaſed the Lord to deliver me up into the Hands of Men, and I think fit to ſend you this Salutation, which I expect will be the laſt, when I poſe my Heart upon it, before God; I dare not deſire to have eſcaped this Lot, for no leſs could have been for his Glory and Vindication of his Cauſe on my behalf: And as I am free before him of the Prophainity, which ſome either naughty wicked, or ſtrangers to me, have Reported that I have been ſometime Guilty of; So he hath kept me from the Womb, free of the ordinary Polution of Children, as theſe that hath been acquainted with me throu' the Tract of my Life do know, and now my Blood ſhall either more ſilence Reproaches or more Ripen them for Judgment, but I hope it ſhall make ſome more, ſparing to ſpeak of thoſe who ſhall come after me; and ſo I am the more willing to pay this Coſt, for their Inſtruction, and my Succeeders eaſe, ſince I came to Priſon; The Lord hath been wonderfully kind to me, he has made his Word to give me Light, Life, Joy, Courage, and Strength, Yea, it hath dropped with ſweet Smelling Myrrh unto me; particularly theſe paſſages and promiſes, Gen: 22: 12. latter part of the Verſe. For now I know that thou feareſt God, ſeeing thou haſt not withheld thy Son, thine only Son. Neh: 8.10. later part of the Verſe. Neither be you ſorry, for the Joy of the Lord is your Strength. Job 3, 17. There the Wicked ceaſe from troubling, and there the weary be at reſt. 18. There the Priſoners reſt together, they hear not the voice of the oppreſſor. Job 23.10. But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I ſhall come forth as Gold. 11. My foot hath held his ſteps, his ways have I kept, and not declined. 12 Neither have I gone back from the Commandment of his Lips, I have eſteemed the words of his Mouth more than my neceſſary food. 13. But he is of one mind, and who can turn him? and what his Soul deſireth, even that he doth, 14. For he performeth the things that he is appointed for me: and many ſuch things are with him. Pſal: 105, later part of the Verſe. The word of the Lord tryed him. Luke 21.12: But before all theſe they ſhall lay their hands on you and perſecute you, delivering you up to the Synagogues, and into Priſons, being brought before Kings and Rulers for my Name ſake. 13. And it ſhall turn to you for a Teſtimony. 19 In your patience poſſeſs ye your Souls. The Goſpel according to S. John. Heb: 12.13. To the General Aſſembly and Church of the firſt Born, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the Spirits of Juſt Men made perfect. Jam: 1.12, Bleſſed is the Man that endureth Temptation: for when he is tried, he ſhall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord hath promiſed to them that love him. Peter 5.7. Caſting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. 8. Be ſober, be vigilent, becauſe your Adverſary the Devil, as a roaring Lyon, walketh about ſeeking whom he may devour. Rev: 3.8. I know thy works: behold, I have ſet before thee an open door, and no man can ſhut it; for thou haſt a little Strength, and haſt kept my word, and haſt not denyed my Name. 10. Becauſe thou haſt kept the word of my Patience, I alſo will keep thee from the hour of Temptation, which ſhall come upon all the World, to try them that dwell upon the Earth. 11. Behold, I come quickly: hold that faſt which thou haſt, that no man take thy crown. 12. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God, and he ſhall go no more out: and I will write upon him the Name of my God, & the Name of the City if my God, which is new Jeruſalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new Name. Rev, 19.20. And the Beaſt was taken, and with him the falſe Prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beaſt, and them that worſhipped his Image. Theſe both were caſt into a lake of Fire burning with Brimſtone. 21. And the remnant were ſlain with the Sword of him that ſat upon the horſe. Which Sword proceedeth out of his mouth: and all the Fowls were filled with their fleſh. And many other Scriptures.
O what can I ſay to the Lords praiſe! it was but little that I knew of him before I came to Priſon; I have found ſenſibly much of his divine ſtrength, much of the joy of his Spirit, and much aſſurance from his Word and Spirit, concerning my Salvation, my Sufferrings are ſtated upon the Matter of my Doctrine, for there was found with me, the Sum of my laſt two Sermons at Braids-Craigs, which I wrote alter I Preached them; The former therereof was upon Pſ: 46.10. Be ſtill, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the Heathen, I will be exalted in the Earth. And the later upon Heb: 10: 38: Now the juſt ſhall live by Faith: but if any Man draw back, my Soul ſhall have no pleaſure in him. And ſo I was examined upon the Application made therein unto the Sins of the time: All which I owned once and again, as it is to be ſeen in my Indictment, and I being tried, and an Aſſize ſet; I adhered to my former Confeſſion Explicitly, ſo my Sentence of Death was drawn forth, upon theſe three Heads.
Firſt, Becauſe I could not own James the VII, to be my lawful Soverain.
Secondly, Becauſe I taugh, tthe unlawfulneſs of paying the Ceſs expreſly exacted for ſuppreſſing the Faithful, & free Preaching of the Goſpel.
Thirdly, Becauſe I taught, it was the Peoples duty to carry Arms, at the Preaching of the Goſpel, now when it is perſecuted for Defending of themſelves, and reſiſting of unjuſt violence.
I think ſuch a Teſtimony, is worth many Lives, and I praiſe the LORD for his enabling me to be plain and poſitive in all my Confeſſions; for therein I found Peace, Joy, ſtrength and boldneſs. I have met with many Aſſaults in Priſon, ſome from ſome of the Indulged Party, and ſome from ſome of the Prelaticks; but by the ſtrength of God I was enabled to ſtand, that they could neither bow me nor break me: I was alſo Aſſaulted by ſome of the Popiſh Party, I ſuppoſe they were ſome of the Eccleſiaſtical Creatures; but they found none of their own Stuff in me, I told them after ſundry Debatings, That I had lived and ſhould die an Enemie to their way: Howſoever ſome that knew me not, Reproached me vvith Jeſuitiſm: I was preſſed by Sundry to ſeek a Reprive, and my Anſvver vvas alvvays, That I adhered to my former Confeſſion, and if they pleaſed to let the appointed time of my Death ſtand, let it ſtand, and if they pleaſed to protract it. Let them protract it, for I was ready and vvilling both to live and to die, Hovvbeit their came a Reprive for eight days but I had no hand in it; They ſtill urged, vvould I but ſay that I deſired time for Conference vvith ſome Perſons anent my Principles: I Anſvvered, That my Time vvas in the Lords Hands, and I vvas in no Heſitation or doubt about my Principles my ſelf, I would not be ſo rude as to decline conference with any, ſo far as it might not be inconvenient for me in my preſent Circumſtances, but I will ſeek it with none. I have no more to ſay upon this Head, but my Heart doth not ſmite me for any thing in the Matters of my God, ſince I came to Priſon: And I can further ſay to his praiſe with ſome Conſcienciouſneſs of Integrity, That I have walked in his Way and kept his Charge, though with much Weakneſs, and many infirmities, whereof ye have been Witneſſes. Now my dear Friends in precious Chriſt, I think I need not tell you; that as I have Lived, ſo I Die in the ſame perſwaſion, with the true Reformed and Covenanted Presbyterian Church of Scotland, that I adhere to the Teſtimony of the Day, as it is held forth in our Informatorie Vindication, and in the Teſtimony againſt the preſent Toleration; and that I own, and Seal with my Blood all the precious Truths, even the Contraverted Truths that I have Taught: So I would exhort every one of you, to make ſure your Perſonal Reconciliation with God in Chriſt; for I fear many of you have that yet to do, and when ye come where I am to look pale death in the Face, ye will not be a little Shaken and Terrified, if ye have not laid hold on Eternal Life. I would exhort you to much Diligence in the uſe of the means, to be careful in keeping up your Societies, to be frequent and fervent in ſecret Prayer, to Read much the Written Word of God, and to examine your ſelves by it: do not wearie to maintain in your places and ſtations the preſent Teſtimony; for when Chriſt goes forth to defeat Antichriſt; with that Name Written on his Thigh and on his Veſture King of kings, and Lord of lords, he will make it Glorious in the Earth, and if ye can but Tranſmit it to the Poſterity, ye may count it a great Generations work, But beware of the Miniſters, that have accepted of this Toleration, and all others that bend that way, and follow them not, for the Sun hath gone down upon them. Do not fear that the Lord will caſt off Scotland, for he will certainly return again, and ſhew himſelf Glorious in our Land, but watch and pray, for he is bringing on a ſad overthrowing ſtroak, which ſhall make many ſay, That they have eaſily got thorow, that hath got a Scaffold for Chriſt, and do not regard the preſent ſufferings of this World, for they are not worthy to be compared to the Glory that ſhall be revealed, I may ſay to his praiſe, that I have found his Croſs ſweet and lovely unto me; for I have had many Joyful hours, and not a fearful thought ſince I came to Priſon; He hath ſtrengthened me, for to outbreath Man, and outface Death. And I am now longing for the joyful hour of my Diſſolution, and there is nothing in the World, that I am ſorry to leave but you, But I go to better company, & ſo I muſt take my leave of you all. Farewell, beloved Sufferers, and followers of the Lamb; Farewell Chriſtian intimats; Farewell Chriſtian and Comfortable Mother, and Siſters; Farewell ſweet Societies; Farewell deſireable General Meetings; Farewell Nightwandrings, in cold and wearineſs for Chriſt; Farewell ſweet Bible, and Preaching of the Goſpel; Farewell Sun, Moon, and Stars, and all Sublunarie things; Farewell Conflicts with a Body of Sin and Death.—Welcome Scaffold, for precious Chriſt; Welcome Heavenly Jeruſalem; Welcome innumerable Company of Angels; Welcome General Aſſembly, and Church of the Firſt-Born; Welcome Crown of Glory, white Robes, and Songs of Moſes and the Lamb; And above all, Welcome O thou Bleſſed Trinity and one God! O Eternal One! I commit my Soul into thy Eternal reſt
Feb, 13th. 1688. JAMES RENWICK
My Dear Friends in Chriſt,
I See now what hath been the Language of my Reprive, it hath been, that I might be further Tempted and Tryed, and I praiſe the Lord he hath aſſiſted me, to give further proofs of ſtedfaſtneſs; I have been often aſſaulted by ſome Popiſh Prieſts, but the laſt time they came, I told them, I would Debate no more with ſuch as they were, and that I had Lived and would Die a Presbyterian Proteſtant, and teſtifie againſt the Idolatrous, Hereſies, Superſtitions, and errors of that Antichriſtian way; but Yeſterday I was caſt into deep Exerciſe, and made to dwell under an Impreſſion of the Dreadfulneſs of every thing, that might grieve the Spirit of God. I found Sin to be more Bitter than Death, and one Hours hiding of Gods Face, more inſupportable. And then at Night, I was called before a part of the Council, and the Chancellor produced the Informatorie Vindication, and asked if I knew it; I anſwered, I knew it; And being interrogat, I confeſſed that I had a great hand in Writting of it, they preſſed me to tell my Aſſiſtances, I told them they were thoſe whom they perſecuted, but would ſatisfie them no further; they alſo urged me upon pain of Torture; to tell where our Societies were, who kept our General Correſpondances, and where they were kept. I Anſwered, though they ſhould Torture me, which was contrar to all Laws after Sentence of Death, I would give them no further notice than the Books gave, I was moreover threatned to tell of my Haunts and Quarters, but I refuſed to make known to them any ſuch thing; So I was returned to Priſon. Such Exerciſe as I had, was very needful for ſuch a Tryal; And I would rather endure what they could do unto me; Then, have diſhonoured Chriſt, Offended you, and brought you into Trouble:—But I hope within leſs than three days, to be without the reach of all Temptations.
Now I have no more to ſay, Farewell again, in our Bleſſed LORD JESUS. James Renwick. Feb. 15th. 1688.
End of the text · James Renwick, The Dying Testimony of James Renwick (1688)