Today in Covenanter History

The above quote is part of a joint declaration from ten Covenanters who were all executed at the Market Cross of Edinburgh, on this day 7th December, 1666, for their part in the Pentland Rising.

Their names were: John M’Culloch, John Shields, Andrew Arnot, James Hamilton, John Gordon, Robert Gordon, John Parker, Christopher Strang, John Ross and Gavin Hamilton.

They go on in their statement to give a reason why they took part in the rising. They say:
“…the laws establishing prelacy, and the acts, orders, and proclamations made for compliance therewith, being executed against us by military force and violence. And we, with others, for our simple forbearance, being fined, confined, imprisoned, exiled, scourged, stigmatized, beaten, bound as beasts, and driven unto the mountains for our lives; and thereby hundreds of families being beggared, several parishes, and some whole countryside’s exceedingly impoverished…. there was no other remedy left to us, but that last of necessary self-preservation and defence….it cannot in reason or justice be reputed a crime, or condemned as rebellion by any human authority.”

They go on to state that:
“Though we be not the first that have suffered for the cause of God within the land, yet we are among the first that have been legally condemned and put to death expressly for taking the covenant: and we are so far from being ashamed thereof, that we account it our honour to be reckoned worthy to suffer for such a cause; and cannot but bless the Lord, that we have such a cloud of witnesses, in this and other reformed churches, going before us in the same duty for substance, and in suffering therefore.”

They continue by speaking of the backsliding of the nation, the overturning of the reformation that’s going on, the persecution of God’s people and the ignorance of those in authority in both church and state. They plead with the people to have no part in their wickedness.

They remind the people of God’s blessings on Scotland in the past, how the church flourished since the signing of the Covenant. They exhort them to defend the reformed religion in the Church of Scotland and to “shake off this heavy yoke of prelacy, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear, and which is destructive to all our true interests, religious and civil.”

They conclude by saying they are not afraid or ashamed of the position they find themselves in, how they wouldn’t exchange it at any price and that they are assured that in time, God will deal with His enemies in this land.

The sentence against them declared that they were:
“to be taken upon Friday the seventh day of December instant, betwixt two and four hours in the afternoon, to the market-cross of Edinburgh, and there to be hanged on a gibbet, till they be dead; and after they are dead, their heads and right arms to be cut off, and disposed upon as the lords of his majesties privy council shall think fit; and all their lands, heritages, goods and gear, to be forfeited and escheat to his majesty’s use, for the treasonable crimes foresaid.”

This was carried out, they were hanged, their heads were removed and sent to several places and their right hands sent and affixed to the Tolbooth in Lanark, where they had renewed the Covenants.