Richard Cameron

“ But let me see the man that says he is not for fighting; (it is true, if the Lord call not to it, it should be so) but for suffering; that man is certainly infatuated and misled by the tempter who will suffer like those who cry down defensive arms when they come to suffer, and are not willing to suffer any loss as to their own matters, but they will suffer the gospel to go away; we are ashamed of such folk, ever pretending for suffering, and yet still yielding to temptations; never one act the enemies have made these years bygone but ever they yield to them ”

“ The word imports this likewise, that not only is the church sometimes a prey to the mighty, but also that the people of God will be just despairing that ever they can be delivered again: shall the prey be taken from the mighty, shall the prey be taken from the king, from the council, from the forces and soldiers, how can it be? it cannot be; for when we look to our right-hand there is none to care for us, all refuge hath left us.—There is a question here, which I desire all the ministers in Scotland to answer, Will yonder prey be taken from the mighty? ”

“ Would ye have the Lord to cut off the spirits of princes, to cut off the abominable? would you have him terrible to Charles, James, and Monmouth too? then you should bring yourselves under engagements to the Most High: let us never imagine that ever a party in Scotland will thrive, that ever our Lord will give success to a party even using lawful means till they vow to the Lord, and endeavour to perform: but you may say, did not that party who appeared in the fields 1666, renew the covenant at Lanark, and yet they were broken ”

“ They overcame by not loving their lives unto the death, that is, by suffering, and indeed suffering gives a noble dish to enemies; we never lost any thing by cleanly suffering, but gained much by those who lost their lives on fields and scaffolds: but there are many that will say, indeed we should suffer, but say they, we should not fight. ”

“ We are constrained to say this, and can say in our Lord and Master's name, let vows and covenants go through the land, though we should not have an army in Scotland this twelve month: yet, as the Lord lives, though he had not a party to back him, yet he himself would bring down all about us, Vow and pay unto the LORD, and he will cut off the spirit of princes, for he is terrible to the kings of the earth:" he will make them all to shake and quake. ”

“ If we saw the days that our Lord is to bestow upon us: if we had a sight of the ministers that shall be in Scotland, that the Lord is to give this land, it would make us sing. Ye think now that the ministers are gone, and indeed it is so in a great part, and the magistrates are rejected by us; we declare before sun and stars that it is so, but our Lord is to give rulers; he will make out that promise, ver. 23. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. ”

“ O but folk may think that this is cruelty; indeed if a minister or professor had said it, it might be thought cruelty, but it is the Lord's words—When our Lord comes, he will be severe, he will be so (to speak after the manner of men) he will be cruel, he is just indeed; the instruments that he will make use of, whatever sort they be, they must handle enemies with other sort of weapons than they have been handled ”

“ Some would invert this, they would first have salvation, and then contending with the enemies; but that is not the way that God minds to take, and therefore it will not prosper, take it who will; both ministers and professors God hath to contend with, when he comes back to Scotland, to contend with them that contended with his people. Many think that if we had such an army as they had the last year, we would contend with them:—the Lord God of Hosts will contend with them ere long, and he will feed them that oppress you with their own flesh. ”

“ I know no reason of their being put to the worse, but this, and I dare say it in my Master's name, and in his strength make it out, That the reason of the covenant then sworn to had no success, was, because they still took in the king's interest, notwithstanding he had declared himself a stated enemy to Jesus Christ and his interest. ”

“ He is not known to be the Lord now; he is but mocked, slighted, and lightly esteemed; but when he comes to execute justice and judgment, he will make all know that he is the Lord, the Redeemer of his people, and that his loving kindness hath been remaining with them all along; and be who they will, whom the Lord will raise up to execute judgment in this land, they will reward them as they rewarded us, they will not spare; as he lives, he will bring cruel foreigners ere he want. ”

“ The second thing we may observe here, is this, That it is incident and caseable to the church and people of God, not only to be a prey, but to be a prey unto the hands of these that are very mighty, strong and terrible like, for so the words will bear; we may say our persecutors are stronger than we; if we were as strong as they, we would laugh at them, and would but play with them ”

“ So, I say, if we saw the good days that are coming upon the back of these troubles, we would not get men and women keeped from singing and dancing for joy, we would all go home with gladness and rejoicing ”

“ If the righteous man commit sin, his righteousness shall be forgotten.——Many, who by their profession appeared to be advancing, have quit their duty ere Christ hath come, and they will be dealt with as them who minted at duty, Psalm cxxv. ”