aken up with praising, and ravished with the joy
of the Lord. When his mother was expressing her fear of fainting,
saying, How shall I look upon that head and those hands set up among the
rest on the port of the city, _etc_! He smiled, telling her, She should
not see that, for (said he) "I have offered my life unto the Lord, and
have fought that he may bind them up, and I am persuaded that they shall
not be permitted to torture my body, nor touch one hair of my head
farther." He was at first much afraid of the tortures, but now, having
obtained a persuasion that these should not be his trials, thro' grace
he was helped to say, "That the terror of them was so removed, that he
would rather choose to be cast into a chaldron of burning oil, than do
any thing that might wrong truth." When some other friends were
permitted to see him, he exhorted them to make sure their peace with
God, and to study stedfastness in his ways; and when they regretted
their loss of him, he said, "They had more need to think the Lord, that
he should now be taken away from these reproaches[237] which had broken
his heart, and which could not be otherwise wiped of, even though he
should get his life, without yielding in the least."

Monday Feb. 8. he appeared before the justiciary, and when his
indictment was read, the justice-clerk asked him, If he adhered to his
former confession, and acknowledged all that was in the libel? He
answered, "All except where it is said I have cast off all fear of God;
that I deny; for it is because I fear to offend God, and violate his
law, that I am here standing ready to be condemned." Then he was
interrogate, If he owned authority, and James VII. to be his lawful
sovereign? He answered, "I own all authority that hath its prescriptions
and limitations from the word of God, but cannot own this usurper as
lawful king, seeing both by the word of God, such an one is incapable to
bear rule, and likewise by the ancient laws of the kingdom, which admit
none to the crown of Scotland, until he swear to defend the Protestant
religion; which a man of his profession could not do."--They urged,
Could he deny him to be king? Was he not the late king's brother? Had
the late king any children lawfully begotten? Was he not declared to be
his successor by act of parliament! He answered, "He was no question
king _de facto_, but not _de jure_, that he was brother to the other
king, he knew nothing to the contrary; what children the othe