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The Unconquered Mind: The Story Of George Gillespie

Details: Stories Of The Covenant Published on Nov 9, 2018 http://www.storiesofthecovenant.com/   George Gillespie became one of most clever people in the whole of Britain. What was the secret of his ability to use such convincing arguments? How could he use this gift to the glory of God? Find out by watching The Unconquered Mind: The Story of George Gillespie. YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/pYwFdWOTYEA

The Testimony of Thomas Stoddart Executed in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket on 12 August, 1685

Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs : Thomas Stoddart was executed in the Grassmarket on 12 August, 1685. Matthew Bryce , David Law and Gavin Russell were hanged alongside him. ‘Men, Brethren, And Fathers, Hearken,—I being to take my farewell of the world, I leave this my dying testimony, according to the form of the Christians of old; I having like the same ground for it that he had who used that word; that was Stephen; who was condemned, because he spoke blasphemous words against the law and the temple. So, because I will not adhere to, nor approve of their laws, which now have power in their hands, they condemned me to die, though they could not witness so much against me for speaking against them, and they never essayed to prove the sentence upon me, which now I shall study in a word to give you an account of. And first, I received my sentence of banishment, and then notwithstanding of that I was committed to the justices to abide the assize, and they passed upon me th

Cleave unto the Covenant and the Work of Reformation

"There is yet a holy seed, a root whom God will preserve, and bring forth; but how long and dark our night may be, I do not know; The Lord shorten it for the sake of his Chosen. In the meantime be you patient and immoveable, abounding in the work of the Lord, and in love one to another; beware of snares, which are strewed thick. Cleave unto the Covenant, and Work of Reformation; do not decline the Cross of Christ; Choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season; and account the reproaches of the Lord greater riches than all the Treasures of Egypt" – James Guthrie (1612-1661) Link: https://youtu.be/L_bhi27Gb40

Scottish Churches in America

Source: Ulster Worldly Posted at Ulster Worldly : "Here is a brief overview of the timeline of Scottish Presbyterianism in America. For a more full picture, consult an article called American Presbyterian Churches—A Genealogy, 1706-1982 by Russell E. Hall.  "The first the Reformed Presbytery was started by Scottish Covenanters in 1774. Six years later, the majority of the Covenanters united with the Associate Presbyterian Church (the Seceders) to form the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.  "In 1798, a remnant of the Covenanters re-organized their presbytery and in 1809 formed a Synod." Read more here. 

Lilias Dunbar: Testimony of a Scottish Lass

By Rev. David T. Myers - Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History : Lilias Dunbar was born in 1657 to parents of high society in Scotland. Yet such extraordinary circumstances did not guarantee a long life. Early in her young life, both parents died, leaving her an orphan. Reared by a cousin, she eventually was taken into the family of a pious woman by the name of Lady Duffus, who reared this adopted daughter not just in manners, but also in the things of the Lord. When Lilias was seventeen years of age, a bout with small pox brought her dangerously ill. The sickness led her to promise God that if He healed her, she would strive to be His servant. Made well, she responded to her promise to be the Lord’s servant by seeking to establish her self-righteousness. It was only when her adopted mother passed away in 1677, that she became a genuine believer in the Lord Jesus. Listen to her profession of faith as found in her diary for May 1, 1677. She writes:  “The Lord, who is the

Thomas Boston: 'The Minister, a Book, and a Controversy'

Source: Wikipedia By Stephen Nichols - Posted at 5 Minutes in Church History : Thomas Boston was born in 1676 and died in 1732. He was born in Scotland to a covenanter family. He was educated at Edinburgh, and for a time, was a schoolmaster. In 1699, he became the pastor at a small parish church in Simprin. While he was the minister of this small congregation, he wrote a number of books. Continue reading...

The Eschatology of the Covenanters

By Rev. David Silversides - Posted at Sermon Audio : Postmillennialism and Revelation 20 Description: 1. Why Premillennialism must be rejected. Some fatal objections to this view. 2. Why Amillennialism must be rejected. Satan's little season fatal to five main tenets of Amillennialism. 3. Why Rushdoony's Postmillennialism must be rejected. 4. Why orthodox, Puritan Postmillennialism is the truth. 1) Binding of Satan must be the progress of the gospel. 2) The thousand years must refer to period of great gospel advance. 3) The reigning with Christ refers to the glorious advance of the cause for which the martyrs died. 4) The first resurrection is the glorious reviving of the church on earth. 5) The second resurrection is the resurgence of ungodliness in Satan's little season. 5. Some confirmatory evidence. 1) Parallel Ez 37-48 2) Destruction of antichrist, 2 Thess 2:8; Isa 11:4. 3) Israel's ingathering, Rom 11 4) OT prophecy, Ps 22:27; 67:7;7

Christ’s Mediatorial Dominion and Two Kingdoms

Scottish Divine Rev. John Brown of Haddington - Wikipedia Posted at Purely Presbyterian : John Brown of Haddington Systematic Theology, pp. 309-315. Christ’s Mediatorial Dominion Distinguished from his Natural Supremacy. Besides that natural supremacy and dominion over all things equally with his Father and the Holy Ghost, Christ hath also a mediatorial dominion, or kingdom, which, I. Was given him by his Father as the reward of his offering himself in sacrifice, Ps 2:8; Matt 28:18; Phil 2:6-11; Isa 53:10-12; Isa 52:13-14; 1 Pet 1:21; Luke 22:29; Dan 7:14. II. Belongs to him as God-man, Isa 9:6-7; John 5:22-27. III. Which chiefly respects his church, and is administered for promoting the eternal salvation of her true members, Eph 4:11-14. 1. Multitudes of scriptures ascribe lordship and dominion to him, Gen 49:10; 1 Sam 2:10; 2 Sam 7:16; Ps 2; Ps 21; Ps 45; Ps 72; Ps 89; Ps 96-100; Ps 110; Ps 132; Ps 47; Ps 145-149; Ps 22:27-31; Ps 68:17-35; Ps 24:7-10; Ps 118:22; Is

John Knox and the Scottish Reformation

Description: There are different events that take place in small pockets of the earth that shape the course of human history and revolutionise the planet. John Knox was nicknamed the "thundering Scot", he is little known today, but what legacy did he leave on this earth? Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knghfWPv0_c

Illicit Drilling & the Secret Muster of 260 Covenanters at Cairn Table in 1685

Posted at  Jardine's Book of Martyrs : In 1685, the Covenanters may have trained for a rising that they later refused to join. When he was captured by John Graham of Claverhouse , among the things that John Brounen gave intelligence of was a field preaching by James Renwick at the back of Cairn Table hill on the edge of Ayrshire when 260 men mustered for weapons training in early 1685. It is clear that Renwick’s Covenanters were preparing for a confrontation with the Scottish Army, as records of their musters are extremely unusual. The Cairn Table muster was the largest gathering of armed militant Society people between the Battle of Bothwell Bridge and the Revolution. The question is why? The historical evidence does not make it clear when the muster took place. Can a time frame for the muster be pinned down? Was it on Sunday 22 March, 1685? Why did it take place? In his letter of 3 May, 1685, Claverhouse gave an account of his interrogation of John Brounen, whom he

Scottish Covenanters Index

Editor's Note: I am pleasantly surprised to discover this index page for "Scottish Covenanters" at ancestry.com . I hope you will find it helpful. For Christ's Crown & Covenant, Angela Somers-Wittman Posted at ancestry: About Scottish Covenanters Index In the 17th century conflict arose between Church and State in Scotland. Those who remained steadfast in their Presbyterian beliefs and refused to take an oath to the king saying that he was the head of the church became known as Covenanters. They believed that Christ was the head of the church and were punished for this belief. Many were forced to pay the ultimate price for this by laying down their lives. The Royalists and Dragoons, who were seeking their lives, chased the Covenanters from glen to glen, especially in the Lowlands. If anyone was found hiding them, they suffered imprisonment and/or death as well. This punishment was not just reserved for the strong and healthy -- children and the eld

Praying for the Conversion of the Jews

Posted at Reformation Scotland: They were on a Scottish hillside in fear of government troops arresting or killing those at this “illegal” worship service. Why would the young preacher pause his sermon and begin to pray for the restoration of the Jews? It was 11 July 1680, a Lord’s Day. The government was hunting Richard Cameron, just 32 years of age, across the moors and hills of Scotland. His crime was that he would not submit to the government total control of the Church. To worship in secret was considered rebellion and there was a high price on his head. Within eleven days he would suffer a bloody death at the hands of soldiers. Was he aware of that? Yes, to some extent, he was. He had spent the previous day in prayer and meditation and told one lady gloomily “my carcass shall dung the wilderness, and that within a fortnight”. Now he was ready to preach to the gathered people on the border of Lanarkshire and Dumfries-shire. It was a powerful sermon on John 5:40, on

Covenanter’s Secret Tunnel Discovered in Lanarkshire

Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs : Popular tradition is littered with stories of secret tunnels used by the Covenanters to escape capture in their houses. However, there is precious little evidence for them, except in one case, that of Major Joseph Learmont of Newholm captured in 1682… Learmont appears to have been a veteran soldier, given the recognition of his rank of ‘Major’ by all of the sources. He had been a tailor, who through ability, had forged a successful military career before he commanded the Covenanter’s horse on the left at the battle of Rullion Green during the Pentland Rising of 1666. Since he was in his late seventies when he was captured in 1682, it is almost certain that he had served in the wars of the 1640s or 1650s, either in Britain, or on the Continent. However, his name does not appear either in Edward Furgol’s exhaustive list of the officers involved in the Scottish regiments during Covenanting Wars of 1639 to 1651, or in the documents relating to Sc

January 26: Rev. Alexander Peden [1626-1686]

Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History: More than an ordinary man? Alexander Peden was born sometime during the year 1626 in Scotland. His father was a small business man who left him a small inheritance. He could have entered into any of the social positions in the area, but a call from God came to him early to seek the proclaim the good news of everlasting life to his neighbors. Graduating from the University of Glasglow, he was ordained and became the pastor of New Luce, in Galloway, in his native Scotland. It was here that his congregation discovered that Pastor Peden was more than an ordinary man. Let Rev. J.M. Dryerre sum it up for us. He writes, “his prayers were conversations with a personal friend. His sermons were visions of the glory of God which had come to him in his meditations, and filled his people with awe. His talk was about God and His will in regard to downtrodden Scotland. Tall in stature and well-built, he proclaimed his message from God.” (Heroes

William Wallace, The Covenanters and the Torwood Wallace Oak

Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs: In September, 1680, Donald Cargill excommunicated king Charles II somewhere near the Wallace Oak at Torwood in Larbert and Dunipace parish, Stirlingshire. The Torwood Oak  The Torwood Excommunication will be discussed in detail in later posts. One great mystery surrounding the events is where they took place in the Torwood. According to the Rev. George Harvie’s parish entry in the Old Statistical Account of 1794 : ‘In Dunipace parish is the famous Torwood; in the middle of which there are the remains of Wallace’s tree, an oak which, according to a measurement, when entire, was said to be about 12 feet diameter. To this wood Wallace is said to have fled, and secreted himself in a body of that tree, then hollow, after his defeat in the north. Adjoining to this is a square field, inclosed by a ditch, where Mr Donald Cargill excommunicated King Charles II.’ (OSA, III, 336 .) The Wallace Oak, or Wallace Tree, was first recorded by name in 1687 when a

Margaret Wauchope and the Escape of Donald Cargill at South Queensferry

The Inn, aka. The Covenanters House, at South Queensferry (Source: Jardine's Book of Martyrs) Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs: On 5-7 October, 1680, Lord Fountainhall notes the escape of a woman who helped Donald Cargill flee from near capture at South Queensferry, in Dalmeny parish, Linlithgowshire. ‘Mr. John Wause, keeper of the [Edinburgh] tolbuith, got a severe reprooff from Councell, for suffering one of the weeman to escape the prison, who had assisted Mr. Donald Cargil’s escape at the Queensferrie, in June last’. (Lauder, Historical Notices of Scottish Affairs, 1661-1683, 274 .) Wodrow notes that on 10 June, 1680, ‘one Margaret Wauchop is brought in prisoner from Queensferry, for being accessory to Mr Cargill’s escape.’ (Wodrow, History, III, 207 .) Continue reading here. See also: Ambushed at the Inn: The Queensferry Incident of 1680 (Jardine's Book of Martyrs)

Testimony of Lady Grizel Baillie (1665–1746)

Lady Grizel Baillie - Wikipedia Posted at Electric Scotland/ Women of Covenanting Times (Part 2): My early home was at Redbraes Castle in Berwickshire; the Blackadder river ran close to our house and the country round was hilly; farther away we could see much higher hills. My childhood was very happy, and it was busy because I had so many younger brothers and sisters that I was always helping my mother. We were not rich and had not many servants. It did make me sad sometimes to see my father look so anxious, and to hear him talk about the poor folk, further away to the west, who were being hunted by the King’s troopers. Indeed, my father was not safe, and his greatest friend, Mr. Baillie of Jerviswood, was in prison in Edinburgh on account of his opinions. One day, when I was about twelve, father said to me: ‘Grizel, I want you to take a letter to Edinburgh for me; Jamie Winter shall go with you and you must go to the Tolbooth prison and give the letter to Mr. Robert Baillie. The guard

Women of Covenanting Times

Posted at Electric Scotland: (Part 1) In order to understand what is meant by "Covenanting Times’ we must imagine ourselves to be watching a scene in the church of St. Giles in Edinburgh in the summer of 1637, when King Charles I. is reigning in England. The Dean of St. Giles is preaching, in a white surplice, not in the black Geneva gown approved of by those of the Reformed Church. Suddenly, a stool flies at the preacher’s head, not striking it, indeed, but other stools follow till the place is in an uproar ‘and the Dean is fain to come out of the desk and pull off his surplice for fear of being torn to pieces.’ And even when the Bishop tries to speak from the pulpit sticks and stones flew at him till at length both Bishop and Dean were obliged to give over and retire to the vestry.’ So runs an old account of the matter. We may laugh at such doings, we, in our easy-going tolerant days, but it was all deadly earnest to the citizens of Edinburgh. For here was King Charles, a Stuart

How Do I Know If I’m a Christian?

Source: CCEL Posted at Reformation Scotland: Could there be any question more important? But you don’t hear a lot of people asking it these days. Some people think it’s unhelpful, unsettling and unnecessary to ask such a question. But if we are wrong on the matter of greatest personal concern to us – wouldn’t we want to know? Sometimes people think it’s just a case of believing the gospel and seek to convince struggling souls to do this. But you can believe these things to be true and still not be assured they apply to you. Perhaps we are also functioning at a low level of assurance. The truth is that we cannot expect to have high levels of assurance while we have low levels of obedience. The more we find the evidences of faith working by love in our lives and hearts, the more assurance we can enjoy. One book in particular has been of supreme help in this area: William Guthrie’s The Christian’s Great Interest . The subject of the book is assurance of salvation and it seeks to give vari