1 Arminian Magazine, MR For OCTOBER 1796. The Life of Mr. JAMES RENWICK, R. JAMES RENWICK was born at Glencairn în Nichdale, Feb. 15, 1662. His parents were of exemplary piety: they had feveral children before James, who all died young, which very much diftreffed his mother. Her husband used to comfort her by faying, "I am well fatisfied to have children, whether they die young or old, provided they are only heirs of glory." But this did not entirely fatisfy her, and therefore the earneftly prayed that the Lord would give her a child, who might not only be an heir of glory, but also live to be useful in his generation. When James was born, the received him as from the Lord in anfwer to prayer, and likewife confidered herself as under the most serious obligations to dedicate him to the fervice of the fanctuary. The Lord indicated his acceptance of the return of his own gift, by giving her to fee very early evidences of a work of grace upon the child's mind: When he was two years old he began to aim at prayer, which induced her to hope that the Lord would be with him, and make him an inftrument in his hand of doing good to the fouls of men; fo that all the difficulties and dangers he underwent to his dying day, never moved her from this confidence, that the Lord would carry him thro' and bring him off the ftage of life in fome honourable way for his own glory. His father alfo was fully perfuaded that his fon's time in this world would be but fhort, and that the Lord would make him eminently useful. t When he was fix years old the Lord began to prepare his mind for the work which he intended him to do. He was led to reafon very much, for the space of two years, how all things were made ? and for what end? until by prayer, and meditation upon the hiftory of the creation, he came to be fully fatisfied, "That God created all things, and that for the manifeftation of his own glory." Sometime after this, his mind was much exercifed refpecting the Being of GOD; as he was walking in the fields and looking up to the mountains, he faid, "If thefe mountains were all devouring furnaces of burning brimftone, I would be content to go through them all, if by that means I could be fully fatisfied that there is a God." Out of this diftress the Lord mercifully delivered him, by giving him a clear manifeflation of his love towards him in Chrift Jefus. VOL. XIX. October 1796. From From his early years he was remarkable for a tender regard and obedience to his parents, fo that when they spoke of putting him to a trade, he would fay nothing againft it, but his inclina tions were toward his book; and divine Providence favoured him in this refpect, by raifing him up friends, who kindly affifted him at school in Edinburgh, till he was fit for the univerfity; and seeing him of an hopeful difpofition, they interested themselves in his education, encouraging him to affift young gentlemen in their ftudies, in order that he might proceed in his own at the fame time. This proved a fnare to him, and greatly hindered him in the pursuit of folid piety, while he was endeavouring to lay in a ftock of useful knowledge, which has too often been the cafe with young men. When the time came that he was to leave the college, he refused to take the oath of allegiance, which brought him into difgrace. After this he continued his ftudies, and attended on the ordinances of God. He was brought into great distress of mind on account of the unfaithfulness of many minifters, who, as he thought, yielded too much to those who were then in power; but was delivered by confidering how remarkably the Lord appeared for those who continued faithful. He obferved their ftedfaftness to their principles, their confidence in God, and unwearied patience under all the hardfhips which they endured; Being prefent at the execution of that faithful Servant of God, Mr. Cargil, and obferving how wonderfully the Lord fupported and comforted him at the time of his death, Mr. Renwick "determined to embark with those faithful witneffes in that cause for which they fuffered; and was fo ftrengthened and established in this refolution, from the word of God which was fealed with a strong hand upon his soul, that all the temptations and perfecutions which he afterwards met with, could never shake his mind to the day of his death; like Moses, he accounted the reproach of Chrift greater riches than all the treasures of this vain world, and therefore chofe to fuffer affliction with the people of God, rather than enjoy the pleasures of fin for a feafon, for he had refpect to the recompence of the reward. In this perfuafion, he came to a meeting of fome of his brethren, and by his discourse refreshed them greatly, teftifying how much he was grieved on account of those who thro' fear or favour fell off from that which they had believed to be the cause of God. He obferved, That it would be a great ease to his mind to be engaged with a faithful remnant who would courageoufly bear a clear and full teftimony against the corruptions of the times: and that he fhould defire nothing more than to lend all the help in his power to fuch perfons. At his first coming among them, he was taken great notice of, for while fome were talking of removing the bodies of the martyrs who were lately executed, and had been buried under the Gallows, he was very active in affifting in that dan gerous piece of bufinefs. When the adherents of Mr. Cameron and Cargil were fcattered abroad throughout the land, Mr. Ren wick endeavoured to fettle a general correfpondence among them, for preferving union, and preventing their running into extremes of any kind. A door being opened at this time, in the United Provinces, for preferving a regular fucceffion of faithful minifters, Mr. Renwick, with fome others, went over to be ordained for the miniftry. He fettled at the university of Groningen, where he followed his ftudies with unwearied diligence, and in a short time was ordained by the minifters of that place. He now exceedingly longed to improve his talent for the good of the poor perfecuted people in Scotland, and finding a ship ready to fail, he embarked at the Brill; but was fo difcouraged by the wickedness of the pallengers, that he left that fhip, and went on board another bound for Ireland. A violent form obliged them to put in at Rye in England, about the time when there was fo much noife about the Rye-house plot; here he was exposed to no fmall danger, but the Lord preferved him. After various perils at fea, he arrived fafe at Dublin, and had many conflicts with thofe minifters who had proved unfaithful. His spirit and temper of mind were fuch, as obliged them to confefs, that he was a pious and zealous youth. In his paffage to Scotland he met with confiderable dangers, and had a profpect of many more, not knowing where to land, as all the ports were ftrictly watched, and the captain refufed to let him go, until he in his name. laft the captain was prevailed upon to fet him on fhors, where he began his weary uncertain wanderings, thro' an unknown wildernefs, among ftrangers; it being fome time before he could meet with of the focieties. any gave At In Sept. 1683, he entered upon the minifterial work in Scotland, taking up the teftimony of the ftandard of Chrift, where it had been fixed, but had fallen at the death of good Mr. Cargil. In the midft of many difficulties and dangers, he was received by a poor perfecuted people, who had loft all their worldly fubftance for the fake of the gofpel; and however they might be mistaken in fome things, it is hard to fay, what other end they could have in view but the glory of God, and the fal vation of their fouls, confidering the extreme hardships they were. obliged to endure. His first public meeting was in a mofs at Darmeed, where he informed the congregation how he was called to the miniftry, upon what ground he then stood, and what he was determined to do through the help of the Lord. At his firft entrance upon the miniftry, he met with great oppofition from every quarter; reproach in abundance was poured upon him, and all forts of falfe reports were fpread through the country concerning him, in fo much that many of the minifter and profeffors of religion were prejudiced against him. In the mean time by the noife which went thro' the country concerning him, the Council got notice; and being enraged on account of his preaching in the fields, they raifed a more cruel perfecution against him than against any of his predeceffors. He was publicly proclaimed 3 S 2 2 proclaimed a traitor and a rebel; his followers were pursued with the utmoft fury; notwithstanding which, the more they were oppofed, the more they encreased in number. Mr. Renwick never omitted one day's preaching, but laboured faithfully in the Lord's vineyard; fometimes he preached in the churches, when the weather was fo bad, or the danger fo great, that he could not preach in the fields; but this offended fome of the minifters, who accused him with intruding upon their parishes, without their confent. Alas for fuch minifters! could that be deemed a crime, when a Servant of God, by the violence of perfecution, or the inclemency of the weather, was drove into a church to preach the gofpel of Christ, to a starving and greatly oppreffed people? In 1684, the foldiers began to double their diligence in search. ing after him, from whom he had many remarkable deliverances, At one time, as he was going to a meeting, a countryman seeing. him to be weary, lent him his horfe to ride upon for fome miles. They were furprized by a party of foldiers, and the two men who were with him were taken and dreadfully wounded. Mr. Renwick was fo clofely followed, (the foldiers firing upon him all the time) that he was obliged to leave the hörfe, and feeing no other refuge, he ran to a great heap of. ftones, where being for a fhort time out of their fight, he found an hollow place into which he crept, and committed himself into the hand of God, with calm fubmiffion to his will, either to live or die. In this fituation he was encouraged to believe that he should be referved for greater usefulness in the Church; the words of the Pfalmift were brought to his mind, "He fhall give his angels charge concerning thee." The foldiers fearched all the hill, but were prevented from looking into the place where he lay, fo that he escaped from them at that time. Many fuch defperate chafes he and his followers met with, fome continuing whole days and nights, in the wildeft places in the country, being expofed to all forts of hardships and dangers. In the courfe of this year, the Council iffued a proclamation, for apprehending Mr. Renwick, forbiding all perfons from concealing him, or to give him either meat, drink, or any entertain ment. The poor fufferers were reduced to almoft incredible ftraits; they were not only in the greateft danger of being murdered by the foldiers, but of ftarving to death by hunger and cold, Soloman fays, Oppreffion makes the wife man mad;" fo thefe rigorous proceedings drove the oppreffed people to adopt fuch measures as cannot be justified, and which brought them into still greater troubles and hardfhips: They.published a declaration of their political fentiments, which fo enraged the men in power, that they ordered a reward of 500 marks for apprehending any one of them; that no person above the age of fixteen fhould travel without a pass; and that every one should take the oath of abjuration. The perfecution now became fo hot, that many were fhot dead in the fields, without any trial at all; others who refused to take the oath, were apprehended, fentenced, and executed, all on the |