lost therefore, says Christ, "I came to seek and to save them who are lost;" There are two words here, seeking and saving; and who are these? Even those who are lost bankrupts, who have nothing to pay. These are they whom Christ seeks, and who are of his flock.

To John Kyle, another morning, he said twice over, "My soul long. eth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning." And at another time, perceiving his father weeping, he said, "I cannot blame you to mourn, for I know you have thought that I might, with God's blessing have proved a comfortable child to you; but comfort yourself in this, that ere it be long I will be at a blessed rest, and in a far better state than I can be in this life, free from sin and every kind of misery, and within a short time ye will follow after me. And in the mean time encourage yourself in the Lord, and let not your mourning be like those who have no hope. The Lord by degrees will assuage your grief, for su he has appointed, else we would be swallowed up, and come to nought, &c. for I could never have been removed out of this life in a more seasonable time than now, having both the favour of God and man, being hope. ful that my name shall not be unsavoury when I am gone, for none knoweth what affronts, grief, and calamities, I might fall into, had I lived much longer in this life. And for crosses and trouble, how might my life have been made bitter to me! for when I think what opposition ! might have ere I was an actual minister, by divisions of the people, the patron, and the presbytery, it could not but overwhelm me; and then be ing entered, what a fighting life, with a stubborn people, might be my lot I know not; and then what discontentment I might have in a wife, which is the lot of many an honest man, is uncertain; then cares, fears, straits of the world, reproaches of men, personal desires, and the devil and an evil world to fight with, these and many more cannot but keep a man in a struggling state in this life. And now, lest this should seem a mere speculation, I could instance these things in the persons of many worthy men; I pass all, and only point out one, whose gifts and graces are well known to you, viz. Mr. David Dickson, who I am sure God has made the instrument of the conversion of many souls, and of much good to the country; and yet this gracious person has been tossed to and fro And you know that the Lord made him a gracious instrument in this late reformation, and yet he has in a great measure been slighted by the state and the kirk also. What reason have I then to bless God, who in mercy is timously removing me from all trouble, and will make me as welcome to heaven as if I had preached forty years; for he knows it was my intention, by his grace, to have honoured him in my ministry; seeing he has accepted the will for the deed, what reason have I to com plain; for now I am willing and ready to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all: wherefore, dear father, comfort yourself with

this."

and

One time, in conference concerning the sin in the godly, his father said to him, "I am sure you are not now troubled with corruption, be ing so near death." He answered, "Ye are altogether deceived; for so long as my foot remaineth on this earth, though the other were translat ed above the clouds, my mind would not be free of sinful motions." Whereupon he regretted that he could not get his mind and his affections so lifted up, to dwell or meditate on God, his word, or that endless life, as he could have wished; and that he could not find that spirituality by entertaining such thoughts of God's greatness and goodness as became

him; and was often much perplexed with vain thoughts; but he was confident, that the Lord, in his rich mercy, would pity and pass by this his weakness and infirmity, &c.

Some time before his death, he fell into several fainting-fits: about ten or twelve days before his dissolution, he fell into one, and was speechless near an hour, so that none present had any hopes that he would again recover; but in the meantime, he was wrapt up in divine contemplation. At last he began to recover, and his heart being enlarged, he opened his mouth with such lively exhortations as affected all present, and directing his speech to his father, he said, " Be glad, Sir, to see your son, yea, I say, your second son, made a crowned king." And to his mother, he said, "Be of good courage, and mourn not for want of me, for ye will find me in the all-sufficiency of God." Then he said, “O death, I give thee a defiance, through Jesus Christ;" and then again he said to on-lookers, "Sirs, this will be a blithe and joyful good-night."

In the meantime, Mr. Bell came in, to whom he said, "Sir, you are welcome to be witness to see me fight out my last fight." After which he fell quiet, and got some rest. Within two days, Mr. Bell being come to visit him, he said, " O Sir, but I was glad the last night when you was here, when I thought to be dissolved, that I might have met with my Master, and have enjoyed his presence for ever; but I was much grieved when I perceived a little reverting, and that I was likely to five longer," &c.

To Mr. Gabriel Cunningham, when conferring about death and the manner of dissolution, he said, "O! how sweet a thing it were, for a man to sleep to death in the arms of Christ." He had many other lively and comfortable speeches, which were not remembered, the day never passing in the time of his sickness, but the on-waiters were refreshed by him.

I'

The night before his departure, he was sensible of great pain; whereupon he said, "I see it is true, that we must enter into heaven through trouble; but the Lord will help us through it." Then he said, "I have great pain, but mixed with great mercy, and strong confidence." He called to mind that saying of Mr. John Knox, on his deathbed, "I do not esteem that pain, which will be to me an end of all trouble, and the beginning of eternal felicity."

His last words were these: "Lord, open the gates that I may enter in" and a little after, his father asked what he was doing? Whereupon he lifted up his hands, and caused all his fingers shiver and twinkle, and in presence of many honest neighbours, he yielded up his spirit, and went to his rest, a little after sun-rising, upon the 11th of June 1643, being twenty-three years of age.

Thus, in the bloom of youth, he ended his Christian warfare, and entered into the heavenly inheritance, a young man, but a ripe Christian. There were three special gifts vouchsafed to him by the Lord; a hotable invention, a great memory, with a ready expression.

Among other fruits of his meditation and pains, he drew up a model and frame of preaching, which he entitled, "The Method of Preaching." Many other manuscripts he left behind him, as evidences of his indefatigable labour, which, if yet preserved in safe custody, might be of no small benefit to the public, as it appears that they have not hitherto been published.

Mr. ALEXANDER

106

HENDERSON.

verse with great applause, he was, by the Bishop of St. Andrew Fite But being brought in there against the consent of that parish, unt but the year 1020 preferred to be minister of Leuchars, in the shire shut so it by the people, that they were obliged to break in by a wi such a degree that on the day of his ordination, the church doors we Adbe very prelatical in his judgment at this time, until a litt ater, that upon the report of a communion to be in the neighbourhood bone in a dark corner of the church, where he might not be readily

- Bruce was to be an

When Mr.

helper, he went thither secretly, and place

Bruce was come to the pulpit, he did fa

keep silence, as his usual manner was, which did astonish M wch these words: He that entereth not in by the door, but climbeth some othe Herson; but it astonished him much more, when he heard him begi God and the effectual working, of the Holy Spirit, took such hold c and

wand, as

proved

the

thief and a robber-which words, by the blessing

very first mean of his conversion unto Christ.

year 169

After this, he became not only a most faithful and diligent minister d the gospel, but also a stanch Presbyterian, and had a very active hand in carrying on the covenanted work of reformation, from the to the day of his death, and was among the very first who got a charge of horning from the Bishop of St. Andrews, for refusing to buy and us church; which occasioned him and some others to give in several pet the service-book, and book of canons, then imposed by the King upon the tions and complaints to the Council, both craving some mitigation there derations and overtures for relief, mostly compiled by Mr. Henderson in, and shewing the sinfulness thereof; for which, and some other cons by order of proclamation charged, within twenty-four hours, ta

they were

upon,

leave the town of Edinburgh, under the pain of rebellion. Again, in 1638, when the national confession or covenant was agree and sworn unto, by almost all ranks in the land, the Marquis c Hamilton being sent by the King to suppress the covenanters, who, hav held several conferences with him to little or no purpose, at last ing told them, that the book of canons and liturgy should be discharged, condition they should yield up their covenants; which proposition not only displease them, but also made them more vigilant to suppor and vindicate that solemn deed. Whereupon Mr. Henderson was aga set to work, and in a short time favoured the public with sufficien grounds and reasons why they could not recede from any part of tha

covenant.

Some time after this, the table (so called) which was erected at Edin burgh for carrying on the reformation, being sorry that the town and shire of Aberdeen (excited by the persuasion of their doctors) stood ou and opposed the covenant and work of reformation, sent some Earls, wit Mess. Henderson, Dickson, and Cant, to deal with them once more, and to see if they could reclaim that town and country. But upon their ar rival there, they could have no access to preach in any church;

where

di

upon the three ministers resolved to preach in the Earl of Marshal's close and hall, as the weather favoured them. Accordingly they preached by turns. Mr. Dickson preached in the morning, to a very numerous mulitude; at noon, Mr. Cant preached; and Mr. Henderson preached at night, to no less an auditory than in the morning; and all of them pressad and produced arguments for subscribing the covenant; which had Such effect upon the people, that, after public worship was over, about 500 persons subscribed the covenant, at one table there, of whom seterals were people of the best quality in that place.*

And here one thing was very observable, that while Mr. Henderson cached, the crowd being very great, there were several mockers; and mong the rest, one John Logie, a student, threw clods at the commisoners; but it was remarked, that within a few days after, he killed one eigh Nicol Torrie, a young boy, because the boy's father had beat him for tealing his pease; and though, at that time, he escaped justice, yet he was again taken, and executed in 1644. Such was the consequence disturbing the worship of God, and mocking at the ambassadors of Mesus Christ.

edIn the same year, at that famous General Assembly, convened at Glasow, where many of the nobility were present, Mr. Henderson, without theme contrary vote, was chosen moderator, when he did, by solemn prayer, onstitute that Assembly, de novo, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; bor," among that man's other qualifications," said Mr. Bailey," he had Cfaculty of grave, good, and fervent prayer, which he exercised without etinting, unto the end of that Assembly."t

T

the

66

It was on the 20th session of this Assembly, that Mr. Henderson the moderator, after a most pious and learned sermon, to a very great auditory, from Psalm cx. 1. The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, c. did, in a most grave and solemn manner, excommunicate and depose the bishops, according to the form published among the printed acts of that Assembly. In the 21st session, a supplication was given in for liberty to transport him from Leuchars to Edinburgh: but this he was nwilling to do, having been near eighteen years minister there. He He pled, that he was now too old a plant to take root in another soil, &c.; yet, after much contest betwixt the two parties for some days, Edinburgh carried it by seventy-five votes, very much against his own inclination. However, he submitted, on condition, that when old age should overtake him, he should be again removed to a country charge. At the conclusion of this Assembly, he said, "We have now cast down the walls of Jericho, (meaning Prelacy), let him that buildeth them beware of the curse of Hiel the Bethelite," &c.

In 1639, he was one of those commissioned for the church, to treat upon the articles of pacification with the King and his commissioners, at Birks near Berwick, where he behaved with great prudence and candour. And when the General Assembly, the same year, sat down at Edinburgh, 12th August, Mr. Henderson having been the former moderator, preached to them from Acts v. 33. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, &c. Towards the close of his discourse, he addressed John Earl of Traquair, his Majesty's Commissioner, in these words :

See Stevenson's History of Church and State, vol. ii. p. 334.

Bailey's Letters, &c. p. 587.

See these articles in the History of Church and State, vol. ii. p. 745. and the Civil Wan of Great Britain, p. 10, &c.

"We beseech your Grace to see that Caesar have his own; but let him not have what is due to God, by whom Kings reign. God hath exalted your Grace unto many high places, within these few years, and is still doing so. Be thankful, and labour to exalt Christ's throne. Some are exalted like Haman, some like Mordecai, &c. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they gave all the silver and gold they had carried thence, for the building of the tabernacle: in like manner, your Grace must employ all your parts and endowments for the building up the church of God in this land," &c.

And to the members chosen, he said, " Right Honourable, Worshipful, and Reverend, go on in your zeal and constancy: true zeal doth not cool, but the longer it burns, the more fervent it will grow; if it shall please God, that by your means the light of the gospel shall be continued, and that you have the honour of being instrumental of a blessed reformation, it shall be useful and comfortable to yourselves and your posterity. But let your zeal be always tempered with moderation; for zeal is a good servant, but a bad master; like a ship that hath a full sail, but no rudder. We had much need of Christian prudence, for we know what advantage some have attempted to take of us this way. For this reason, let it be seen to the world, that Presbytery, the government we contend for in the church, can consist very well with monarchy in the state: and thereby we shall gain the favour of our King, and God shall get the glory." After this discourse, and the calling of the commissions, Traquair desired that Mr. Henderson might be continued moderator. Whether this was to corroborate his Master's design, or from a regard to Mr. Henderson's abilities, as he himself professed, is not certain; but the Assembly opposed this, as favouring too much of the constant moderator, the first step taken of late to introduce Prelacy; and no man could oppose Traquair's motion more than Mr. Henderson himself, and by that means it was overruled.

Mr. Henderson was one of those ministers who went with the Scots army to England, in the year 1640, every regiment having one of the most able ministers, in the bounds where they were raised, as chaplain; and when the treaty was set on foot, which began at Rippon, and ended at London, he was also one nominated as commissioner for the church; the duties of which he discharged with great prudence and advantage; and the very next year, he was, by the commission of the General As sembly, authorized to go with Lord Loudon, Warriston, and Barclay, to the King, to importune him to call his English parliament, as the only and best expedient to obtain an honourable and lasting peace: but his embassy had not the desired effect.

After his return, he was chosen moderator to the General Assembly in 1643; and when the English commissioners, viz. Sir William Army, Sir Harry Vane the younger, Mr. Hatcher, and Mr. Darly, from the parliament, and two ministers, Mr. Stephen Marshall a Presbyterian, and Philip Nye an Independent, from the General Assembly of divines at Edinburgh, where the General Assembly of the church of Scotland then sitting, craving their aid and counsel upon such an emergent occa sion, he was among the first of those nominated as commissioners, to go up to the parliament and assembly of England. And so, in a little after, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Gillespie, with Mr. Hatcher and Mr. Nye, sel out for London, to get the solemn league ratified there; the rest of the commissioners staying behind, until it should be returned. Upon their