to the cause and work of
God."]

[Footnote 784: See the Dying Testimony of Mr. Robert Smith, Student of
Divinity, who lived in Douglas Town, in the Shire of Clydesdale, who
died about two o'clock in the Sabbath morning, Dec. 13. 1724, aged 58
years; and the Dying Testimony of William Wilson, sometime Schoolmaster
of Park in the Parish of Douglas, aged 68, who died May 7. 1757.]

[Footnote 785: See the Dying Testimony of William Wilson, mentioned
in the last note. It ought to be remarked that, on the subject of
witchcraft, the Divines of the Associate Presbytery were as absurd as
this poor crazy Dominie. See their Act, Declaration, and Testimony,
published in 1773 by Adam Gib.]

[Footnote 786: In the year 1791, Thomas Henderson of Paisley wrote,
in defence of some separatists who called themselves the Reformed
Presbytery, against a writer who had charged them with "disowning the
present excellent sovereign as the lawful King of Great Britain." "The
Reformed Presbytery and their connections," says Mr. Henderson, "have
not been much accustomed to give flattering titles to princes.".....
"However, they entertain no resentment against the person of the
present occupant, nor any of the good qualities which he possesses. They
sincerely wish that he were more excellent than external royalty can
make him, that he were adorned with the image of Christ," &c., &c.,
&c. "But they can by no means acknowledge him, nor any of the episcopal
persuasion, to be a lawful king over these covenanted lands."]

[Footnote 787: An enthusiast, named George Calderwood, in his preface to
a Collection of Dying Testimonies, published in 1806, accuses even the
Reformed Presbytery of scandalous compliances. "As for the Reformed
Presbytery," he says, "though they profess to own the martyr's testimony
in hairs and hoofs, yet they have now adopted so many new distinctions,
and given up their old ones, that they have made it so evident that it
is neither the martyr's testimony nor yet the one that that Presbytery
adopted at first that they are now maintaining. When the Reformed
Presbytery was in its infancy, and had some appearance of honesty and
faithfulness among them, they were blamed by all the other parties for
using of distinctions that no man could justify, i.e. they would not
admit into their communion those that paid the land tax or subscribed
tacks to do so; but now they can admit into their communions both rulers
and members who voluntarily