to persuade and press me to give this testimony against whatsomever is prejudicial to the covenant and work of reformation and those, I hope, when weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, which is absolutely the evenest one, or in the scales of rectified reason, will still be found to have so much weight in them as to acquit me of any guilt, and warranting adherence to what I have done. Neither can I conceal this, my lord, which the primum and principale movens that when I reflect upon, and remember what I have said and sworn to God, in the day when, with an uplifted hand, to the Most High I bound my soul with the bond of the covenant, and engaged solemnly, as I should answer to the great God the searcher of hearts, in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, never to break these bonds, nor cast away these words from me, nor suffer myself, directly nor indirectly, neither by terror nor persuasion, to be withdrawn from owning the same. And wherewithal I have some clearness in my conscience, that the matter of the covenant is not indifferent, which if it were, yet in regard of the oath and vows of God which are upon me, it is no more indifferent to me, but puts a subjective obligation upon me, never to be shifted or shaken off at pleasure; the matter, I say, is not indifferent, but necessary, and so hath an objective obligation in it, and did morally oblige antecedaniously to all oaths taken, and acts made thereanent, and unalterably also: I cannot conceive it, I say, my lord, when I think upon the matter thus, that on reflection whether I consider myself as a Christian, who, when swearing to his own hurt, ought not to change, or in the capacity of a minister of the gospel and watchman, whose office it is to give warning of sins and snares, in order to the preventing of wrath that follows upon a resolved and deliberate violation of the sacred bonds and engagements to God, or silence at the matter, in others, when called to declare, testify, and bear witness against it, and banishment from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power, do never present themselves apart to my judgment; that ever holding true, he will not hold him guiltless, (however men may plead innocent, and palliate the matter,) who takes his name in vain; nay, he holds him for his enemy, and will handle him so: and therefore I humbly conceive it ought not to stumble, and I hope it will not seem strange to any, that I cannot make light of so weighty a matter as a covenant made with God, for reformation in his Church, according to his will revealed in his word, and righteousness in the land, so long as I believe the obliga

tion to be permanent and perpetual, because of divine imposition: nay, when I lay all temporal disadvantages which can only affect the outward man, that may be supposed to wait upon the keeping of that covenant, and witnessing for it, in the balance with the hazard of incurring present misery, and future destruction by breaking thereof, (if it be persisted in) the loss appears gain, and the one is downweight by so far, that it seems sufficient to anticipate all deliberation and consultation, as to what is to be done in my case, seeing there needs but small deliberation where there is no choice. My lord, if the cogency of that obligation on my conscience had not been such as it is, and if matters had not stood thus with me, I have not so great a desire to speak at any time, but I could have laid my hand upon my mouth at that time when I spoke, and at this time also, and carried as one not concerned in the present affairs. I have, my lord, only a desire or two to add to what I have said, and so shall shut up all I intend further to say at present. And, first, I humbly beseech my lord commissioner his grace, and this honourable and high court of parliament, that I may not be looked upon as a disloyal person, either as to my principles or practice: I shall, without debate, both give and grant, that I was never in case to do his majesty any service which deserves to be publicly mentioned; nor could I have showed myself so void of discretion as to have spoken any thing to that purpose at this time, if, being charged with disloyalty and treason, the credit of my ministry had not imposed the necessity, and extorted it from me; so that I ought, and do mention it rather for the vindication of my function, than for preventing and removing prejudice against my person. And therefore I humbly crave liberty to say, that though I have not been in case to make my loyalty remarkable by any signal or singular action, yet I have sufficient matter to clear me of disloyalty; and if pure negatives will not prove it, never having acted, or consented to act any thing prejudicial to his majesty, I hope it will be sufficient in a minister of the gospel to bring his loyalty to the quality and consistency of a positive. If in his station he preached against those who usurped his majesty's right, and prayed, they themselves being present, that God would give us governors of our own: if this, I say, be sufficient, either to prove a minister loyal, or to clear him of the stain and imputation of disloyalty, then I want not a cloud of witnesses who can testify my integrity in this matter. And I hope, through the grace of God, never to be tempted, or if

tempted, never to yield to such a temptation, whatever measure I meet with to repent or to regret, that I desired this as a mercy of the Lord, to these much tossed and long troubled kingdoms, that he would overturn, overturn, overturn, till he come whose right it was; and that I rejoiced in the day when he broke the yoke of the oppressors, who kept us captive in our own land, and made the foot of pride who came against us to slip. Now, my lord, my conscience is so clear, that there was neither iniquity in my heart, nor wickedness in my hands against his majesty, that I have confidence to wish, that the issue and decision of my business were put upon this, whether the informer's carriage (be who he will, in the place where I live) or mine during the prevalency and usurpation of the enemy, hath had most loyalty in it? But I do not suspect him to be of so little prudence, as to wish to come to this reckoning. The next and last desire which I have at present humbly to propose to my lord commissioner his grace, and the high and honourable court of parliament, before whom I now stand to be judged, and from whom I am holden to expect all equity and justice, is, since your grace and honours have heard my indictment and defences, and are to proceed towards a sentence, that there may be some caution and tenderness as to what shall be determined in this matter: nay, I am obliged to hope and expect that his grace and the honourable parliament, overlooking the despicableness and worthlessness of the person to be judged, who is really below the indignation of any whom God hath set so high, will carry so in reference to this cause and conclusion, as it may appear, that he who is higher than the highest, who regardeth, and will bring all causes and sentences under a final recognition, is regarded and eyed as standing among the gods in this decision. But as for me, my lord, while I wait for the coming forth of my sentence from his presence, whose eyes behold the things that are equal, I declare that however I cannot submit my conscience to men, yet I humbly, and as becometh, submit my person. Behold, I am in your hands, do to me whatsoever seemeth good in your eyes."

Mr Macward's former speech and defences he here refers to, I have not seen, (adds Wodrow); but from this, and the strong and pathetical reasonings in it, we have a tolerable view of his case; and though it had not the influence might have been expected, yet it had some, and the house delayed coming to an issue at this time. He indeed expected a sentence of death, which no way damped him; but his Master

had more and very considerable work for him elsewhere. Whether it was from orders from court to shed no more blood, or what was the reason, I know not, but his affair was delayed some time; and, upon some encouragement given him of success, upon Monday thereafter, he gave in the following supplication:

"To my lord commissioner his grace, and the honourable and high court of parliament, the humble supplication of Mr Robert Macward, minister of the Gospel, sheweth:

"That whereas your grace and honourable estates of parliament, out of much clemency and tenderness towards me, have sisted your procedure as to final determination, and forbore to draw forth a censure, or pronounce a sentence against me, (which favour, I hope, shall not be forgotten so long as I can remember any thing, and whereof I resolve I shall not cease to be sensible,) until my mind should be further and more fully known, in reference to some particulars in my process, I conceive myself obliged, not only in order to my own preservation, but to his grace and your lordships' satisfaction, to declare positively and plainly my mind in these things which my want of dexterity in expressing myself hath made more dark, or liable to mistake, or misconstruction. And whereas I myself have perceived, and am further informed by others, that the main and principal, if not the very thing, in my indictment, and all along my defence, and throughout my discourse, which hath been offended at, is my making use of the words protest and dissent, as if I had intended thereby a legal impugnation of the acts or authority of parliament; wherein, though I did in my last discourse, in sobriety, and according to my measure, endeavour at some length to clear my meaning, asserting that I did intend a mere ministerial testimony against what I conceived to be sin, yet, that it may appear that I desire not to contend about words and formalities, since the words protest and dissent are forensic, and for the most part made use of as legal salvos and impugnations, (however the word protest be used several times in Scripture by the prophets, as a ministerial testimony and solemn declaration against sin, as I have already hinted and held forth in some particular instances,) I am satisfied to change and pass from the expressions of protesting and dissenting, and only to use those of testifying, solemn declaring, and bearing witness, by which I still hold the matter of my testimony, the great and only thing first

and last intended by me, from which to pass, now especially when the hazard is great, I assure myself, your grace and lordships would not only not allow me, but would count me, in doing so, void of a principle, and unfaithful. I beg leave therefore, in all humility, to signify to your grace, and this honourable and high court, that I am brought to offer this alteration, not so much, if my heart deceive me not, for the fear of prejudice to my person, (though, being but a weak man, I am easily reached by such discomposing passions,) as from an earnest desire to remove out of the way any the least or remotest occasion of stumbling, that there may be the more ready and easy access, without prejudice of words, to ponder and give judgment of the matter; and that likewise, if the Lord shall think fit to call me forth to suffer hard things on this account, it may not be said or thought by any that it was for wilful and peremptory sticking to such expressions, whereas I might, by using others, without prejudice to the matter, and no less significant, have escaped the danger; and lest, withal, I should seem to insinuate, which is far from my thoughts, and would be a rash judgment, and harsh censuring of others, that a minister of the gospel could not have sufficiently exonered his own conscience as to that matter, without such formal and legal terms and expressions.

"I shall presume to add, that if your grace and the honourable court of parliament shall be graciously pleased to show me favour, then, as I have designed and desired to carry hitherto as a loyal subject, abstaining from all things that might look like a shadow of reflection upon his majesty's person or government, so I still purpose through grace to continue, as knowing, that giving to God the things that are God's, and to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and the fearing of God, and honouring the king, are inseparably joined of the Lord together. And however I do humbly, as becometh, prostrate my person at your grace and honour's feet, to be disposed upon as shall seem good in your eyes. Your grace and the honourable parliament's answer is expected by your truly loyal supplicant, Mr Robert Macward."

This supplication was given in, and though one would think, with what went before, it might have softened the persecutors, (adds Wodrow) yet it had no great effect. Mr Sharp and his friends resolved now to be rid, as much as they could, of the most eminent of the presbyterian ministers; and therefore he behoved to be banished, which was the highest they could go to, unless they had taken his life. And so,