sire to be
involved in troubles. Sir Robert answered, I am not so lavish of either
life or liberty; but if the asserting of truth was an evidence thereof,
it might be thought more strange.

But being remanded back unto prison, where he continued until the 3rd of
May 1693, that he was liberate. The day before his liberation he gave in
a most faithful protestation and declinature to the privy council and
parliament of Scotland, with another letter of the same nature to Sir
James Stuart the advocate, and upon his coming forth of the tolbooth, he
was so far from yielding one jot in the least, that he left another
faithful protestation in the hands of the keepers of the tolbooth,
shewing, that for his adhering to, and appearing for the fundamental
laws and laudable constitution of our church and covenanted nation, he
had been apprehended and kept for 8 months close prisoner, and that very
unjustly; and that for his own exoneration and truth's vindication to
leave this protestation; disdaining all engagements to live peaceably,
which were a condemning himself of former unpeaceableness, which he
positively denies; as also in coming in any terms of oaths or bonds with
those who have broken covenants, overturned the reformation, and
destroyed the people of God; or engaging unto a sinful peace with them,
or any in confederacy with them, &c. declaring his present outcoming
merely on the account of finding open doors, and desired his
protestation to be inserted in the ordinary register, &c.[259]

From his liberation to the day of his death, he continued most faithful
in contending earnestly for _the faith once delivered to the saints_,
Jude, ver. 3.; and did greatly strengthen and encourage the rest of the
suffering remnant, with whom he continued in Christian communion, both
by his pious and godly example, and seasonable counsel and advice, with
respect to principles, and what concerned the salvation of their souls,
for the right carrying on the testimony for the cause that they were
owning. Some years before his death, he was taken ill with the stone, by
which he endured a very sharp and sore affliction, with a great deal of
Christian patience and holy submission to the holy will of God; and when
drawing near his journey's end, he gave a faithful testimony to the
Lord's noble and honourable cause, which he had so long owned and
suffered for: And upon the account of this gentleman's being most
unjustly branded[260] for running to