gnity, and blessing of
presbyterial government; he said, The last words of the national
covenant had always a great weight upon his spirit. Here he was
interrupted by the king's advocate, who bade him forbear that discourse,
and answer the question for the crime of rebellion.--Unto which he
answered, The thing that moved him to declare as he had done, was that
weighty and important saying of our Lord Jesus, _Whosoever shall confess
me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels
of God_, &c. After this confession, and the depositions of those
examined anent him were read, with his replies to the same, the assize
was inclosed; after which they gave their verdict _una voce_, and by the
mouth of Sir William Murray their chancellor, reported him guilty, &c.
The verdict being reported, doom was pronounced, declaring and adjudging
him, and the rest, to be taken, on Saturday Dec. 20. to the market cross
of Edinburgh, there to be hanged on a gibbet till dead, and his goods
and lands to be escheated and forfeited for his Highness use. At the
hearing of this sentence, he cheerfully said, _The Lord giveth, and the
Lord taketh away: blessed be the name of the Lord_. He was then carried
back to the tolbooth through the guards, the people making lamentation
for him by the way. After he came to his chamber, he immediately
addressed himself to God in prayer, with great enlargement of heart, in
behalf of himself, and those who were condemned with him. Afterwards, to
a friend he said, "O how good news! to be within four days journey to
enjoy the sight of Jesus Christ;" and protested "he was not so cumbered
how to die, as he had sometimes been to preach a sermon." To some women
lamenting for him, he said, "That his condition, though he was but
young, and in the budding of his hopes and labours in the ministry, was
not to be mourned; for one drop of my blood, through the grace of God,
may make more hearts contrite, than many years sermons might have done."

This afternoon he supplicated the council for liberty to his father to
come to him; which being granted, his father came next night, to whom he
discoursed a little concerning obedience to parents from the fifth
commandment, and then, after prayer, his father said to him, "Hugh, I
called thee a goodly olive tree, of fair fruit, and now a storm hath
destroyed the tree and his fruit."----He answered, That his too good
thought of him afflicted him. His father said, "He