Day, Whitfunday, Candlemas, Beltan, Crofs-ftones, and Images, Fairs na med by Saints,and all the Remnants of Popery,Tool or Christmas,old Wives Fables and By-words,as Palmfunday, Carlinefunday, the 29th of May, being dedicate by this Generation toProphaniry, Peacefunday, Halloweven,Hogmy nae-night,Valentin's-even; no marrying in the Month they call May,the in numerable Relics of Popery, Atheism and Sorcery, and New-year's Day, and Hanfel-Monday, Dredgies and Likewakes, Valentin's Fair, Chappels and Chaplains: Likewife Sabbath Days Feaftings, Blythmears, Banque, tings, Revelling, Pipings, Sportings, Dancings, Laughings, finging pro phane and luftful Songs and Ballads, Table-Lawings, Monk Lands, Frier-Lands, Blackfrier-Lands, Kirks and Kirkyards, and Mercat Groffes, Fount-Stones, Images, Regifters of Lands and Houfes, Regifter Bonds, Difcharges, and all their Law-works, Inhibitions, Hornings, Letters of Adjudications, Ships-Paffes, Prophanity and all unchaft Thoughts, Words and Actions, Formality and Indifferency, Story-Books and Ballads, Ro mances and Pamphlets, Comedy-Books, Cards and Dice, and all fuch like,we difown all of them,and burns them the 6th Day of theWeek being the 27th Day of the 5th Month, 1681, at the Canongate Tolbooth Irèn House.

We renounce all the Customs and Fafhions of this Generation, their Way and Custom of eating and drinking, fleeping and wearing, and all our own former Ways, as well Religious as Moral, in fo far as they have been fquared and caften in this Generarion's Mould,and all our, iniquous Courfes, lightness and unconcernednefs with the Glory of God, the only End whereof we were fent into the World the 7th Day of the Week, be ing the 27th of the 5th Month.

We renounce all that are now in Prifon-Houfes or Correction-Houfes, Men and Women; for none of them are with us in this Work,and when we fent them a Copy of this our Renunciation, they called us Devils. The Copy of this we burnt instead of the Books and Works of this Apoftate and covered it with Generation, and buried the Ashes in our

Duft.

Notwithstanding of our burning Covenants and Declarations, and renouncing of them and their Works 3 Be it known to all,that, we do neither vindicate the curfed Murderers of their Bloodfhed on Fields, and Scaffolds, and Seas, and other horrid Cruelties, fuch as Torturings, Im, prifonments, Pillagings, Banifhments, Scourgings, Stigmarizings, &c.

nor

nor condemn we the worthy Martyrs, and the Sufferings of others, only we give the Lord Juftice, and vindicates his tarrying, for now the Furnace has brought forth a more pure Caufe which we term, Holiness to be built. upon the Word of God.

That all may know and fee our Innocency, and know our End is and was the Glory of God in all we did, though we came far fhort; and in the Months paft, we could get none to fhew us Kindness for Meat or Lodging, though we could pay for it our felves: That Word in Malachy, Te are curfed with a Curfe, for ye have robbed me, even the whole Nation. And likewife in Deut. We feeing the Land all this curfed, and all justifying themfelves in that Iniquity were afraid to eat, or drink, or fleep under a Roof with them. Though there were many that would have fhelter'd ns, yet we could not cat, drink, converfe, or pray with them, leaft we had come under the Curfe, fo many Times our Beds has been in the open Fields, and we have come to Houses, and they would not fell us Meal to make Potage of, and we have found Meal and Water a rare Difh, because the Curfe was off it, and it was bleffed to us, according to that Scripture, the Bleffing of the Lord maketh rich. We are not murmuring in this, but when the Weather has been worft, Winds and Rain, cold Froft and Snow, and when we had fafted moft, we were beft fatisfied, according to that Scripture, all ball work together for their Good, that truly feek the Lord. When we had outward Straits, then we had moft inward Peace, we had Joy in the Holy Ghoft, fo the Thing the World calls the worst of our Life, as Reproaches, Imprisonments, Nakedness, Hunger, and Cold, &c. we had rather be fuffering for our Lord's Sake, than be Kings of the whole Earth, for our Joy no Man can take from us, and our Prifon is fo pleasant through our Lord, that we care for no Company, for we know no Company but all are curfed, and we know not what it is to be weary, but according to that Scripture, eat and drink yea eat and drink abundantly, we are rather in Paradife.

my Beloved,

Thefe Things were cleared to us when fafting and praying, and we were preffed to do this by the Holy Ghoft, we had many Fafts about this Thing, and this Week we took fome Milk and Bread in the third Day of the Week, in the Morning, being the 24 after the 5th Month 1681. And tafted neither Meat nor Drink, nor any other Kind of Li ving, till the 6th Day of the Week at 4 Day of Noon (and then we took a little Milk and Bread) for to find out theCaufes of his Wrath, we have wandred, mourned, wept, many a Night and Day in Houles and Fields, H2

for

for we have and has had no other End but his Glory, that the Elect fuch as fhould be laved might be brought in, and it is only Confcience that keeps us from givingMen Reverence in Word and behaviour,though fome call us dumb Devils, and unlearned Bruits, and one of us when coming before them they call Rulers, was called a Block-head, notwithstanding of all that came on us, we know and are taught by the Holy Scriptures, to give Honour unto whom Honour is due, and to falute one another, but it has been our Work of a Time to renounce the filthy vile Imbracings, Salutations, and Compliments of this Generation, which they call CourtBreeding, our Carriage, profeffing to follow the Lord Jefus, fhould be fteed and circumfpect, according to that Scripture, Let us walk circumfpeEtly, not as Fools, but as wife Men, as it is written in Matthew, Let your Light fofbine before Men, that they may Tee your good Works, and glorify. your Father which is in Heaven,

Curfed are they that fays Peace to a Land, who are in the Place of Watchmen, when the Lord fays no Peace, which Practice, we filly unlearned Creatures renounce, for we blefs him, he has keeped us from refting till the Ark reft. And as for thele they call Watchmen, that cries Peace or keep Silence, we fhall refer them to the Propher Ezekiel, which ye may read at Leifure, which we think fhall be Scotland Doom, for we have heard tell of few of them they call Minifters,but they have all faid Peace, when brought before the Enemies to witness their Practice, being molt unconscionable on Hill Sides, and Moor Sides, before feveral Thousands, they called them Tyrants, and intolerable Oppreffors, and their Government Tyranny and Oppreffion; and that the Crown of Supremacy that Charles Stuart had ufurped over the Kirk,, would weigh him down from the Throne, and all that Race with him, and when they are brought be fore them, and into Prifons, nothing but in with the other Supplication, to the Honourable Lords of His Majesty's Secret Council, beck and Beinge, & please your LordshipsGrace,&c. & now they are all at Peace with his E nemies, fave one whom we difown, and fo or long the Enemies fhall curfe them, when the Lord awakens their Confciences, (though we confefs we have had fome fpecial Witneffes of Minifters) and we think or long, the Malignants. fhall purfue thefe Minifters to Death for Unfaithful, nefs, for the vileft Creatures in the Land high and low, rich and poor, noble and ignoble, muft give Account for Works done in the Fleh: Then the Dogs, Sorcerers, Whoremongers, and Murderers, and Idolaters, falle Swearers, Curfers, Sabbath-Breakers, idle Ionfe Livers, and all that are unchaft in Thoughts, Words and Behaviour, and all that makes no Con

1

science

feience of their Way, and whofoever loveth and maketh a Lye, fhall tremble that Day when they fhall enter into Eternity,when it fhall be faid as it was to Dives, Thou in thy Lifetime badft thy good Things, and Lazarus bis bad Things: For except a Man be born again, he can in no Ways enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

We take up the Book of the Holy Scripture at the Lord's Command, and for a Teftimony of our Diffatisfaction, at the abounding Corrupti ons, both of Tranflators and the Prefs, and likewife for a Teftimony of our Defires and Intentions for a new Tranflation & Impreffion, free of the forefaid and other Abufes, we to our Power reform our own. Books, and fays, that the Word of God needs no human Art; we hold that the Word of God is laid the Foundation of this new Building, and fhortly it fhall become the Head Corner-ftone of the Building, over both Kirk and State, Kirk-Men and States-Men, fo that Scripture towards the End of the Rev. of John fhall be fulfilled; And Ifaw Heaven opened, and behold a white Harfe, and be that fat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in Righteousneß be doth Fudge and make War, bis Eyes were as a Flame of Fire, and on his Head were many Crowns, and he had a new Name written that no Man knew, but he himself, and he was Cloathed with a Vesture dipt in Blood, and bis Name is called the Word of God.:

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4

And firft, to fhew that we take the Word of God in every Point to · be our Rule, the Sam and End of our fo much reproached and mocked at Exercife (Fafting and Prayer) will be found in the Book of Pfalms; Be thou exalted, O God, above the Heavens, and let thy Glory be above all the Earth. It is written in the Acts of the Apoftles, It Seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us: But they ufurping Supremacy, fays, by The Autherity of the General Affembly, allows thele Pfalms to be fung in Congregations, &c. which we renounce: And more, we think the Pfalm Book in Meeter, and no other Thing ought to be within the Broads of the Bible, but the fimple Scriptures of Truth; the Pfalms may be had in a Book by themselves.

We are fo reproached and calumniate, that we are forced to make our Defence, and fhew that we have mourned, fafted, and prayed many a Day, and many a Night this laft Winter,many Times in the open Fields, in Froft &Snow, while ourCloaths were frozen upon us,& our Feer frozen in our Shoes,as the Town of curfed Borrowftonneß can witnefs,& all this to find out the Caufes of our Lord'starrying, when those who are now calling us Devils, were turning themselves upon their Ivory Beds, like a Door upon the Hinges,

cating

7

cating the Fat and drinking the Sweet at their own Eafe: And when we were driven thence by Perfecution, we took our felves to the Fields, holding ftill by our Duty, where many Women did offer themselves to the Work, with whom our Spirits was many a Time burdened, whom we could not put away (as our bleffed Lord dealt with Judas, whom he knew would betray him) without manifeft Causes: We stayed not with them but on folemn Days, fuch as Sabbaths, and appointed Times for publick meeting, but when they took their Reft betwixt Hands, we continued ftill in Fields, Nights and Days, fafting and praying for two or three Days together feveral Times, and it was always their Fear we fhould propofe fome Queftion to try them forSeparation, and that Night before we was taken, we warned them that the Soldiers would come, and told them to use their Freedom: We faw them alfo a Mile off, an Hour before they came,and none of them would go away, and after we were brought in hither, after fome feveral Days Fafting and Prayer, we being warned by the Holy Ghoft, followed Efther's Advice, and continued from Eight a Clock of the Morning, the 24 Day of the 5 Month, till the 27 at Four Afternoon, Fafting and Praying; we fent them Word likewife to Faft and Pray, and when we fent them the Anfwer of our Prayers in the Writ, they called us Devils: Thence we fafted till the 28 Day at Night, and thence till the 30 at Night, waiting ftill to fee if they would recover, but they waxed ftill worfe, and we were forced to write this to vindicate our.Carriage towards them.

This is Exactly Compared and Collationed with the Principal Copy, by

me

WIL. PATERSON,

FINIS

Cl. Sti. Concilii.