Show A STOBY OF PAST RELIGIOUS persecution BY WHICH CRUSADERS AND thein VICTIMS MIGHT PROFIT historical acts which exhibit the devotion of religions n arters should be preserved that their memories muy be vindicated and posterity benefited by their heroic examples in these perilous times this advice have great weight with the latter day saints who are the most conspicuous champions of religions and political liberty of the age in which we live the interest that will be taken by future generations in events now may to some extent be estimated by the avidity with which the relations of similar scenes enacted in past generations are perused some time ago there fell in the way of the writer an interesting little book of considerable sid erable age it was entitled A peri bamily boeing toeing a simple narrative i of incidents connected with the religious persecutions which were conducted in scotland in the time of charles the second whose tyranny produced that heroic class known as the scotch Covenant ers not having the beoh at band and only having once perused it I 1 will endeavor to give a succinct account of its contents from memory the bev james Brue ewas a tall young man of handsome appearance and commanding be bad been educated in the ot glasgow was naturally meditative and hia chief aim ot life was to conform in all hia actions to the character of christ he received a call which he accepted to be minister of a church in a email by the banks of the beautiful river ayr he married a beautiful tender arted ladeby whom he had two children andrew and mary both of whom the parents carefully educated and also trained in the principles of morality and religion at this time charles the second by advice of his english and irish ministers clarendon and osmond and latterly land 1 ardale secretary for ordered the abolition of the scotch presbyterian church and the introduction of the episcopalian co form of worship in scotland also the acknowledgment of the authority of the bishops and the spiritual authority of the king the ministers and people especially of the western part of the country refused to submit burnet archbishop of glasgow and sharpe primate of st andrews seemed bent upon the destruction of all the nonconformists non conformists the bishops were constituted counts they had the military at their command no attention was paid to evidence and their decrees were often carried out in drunken one winter clergymen were ejected from their livings and apostates thrust inep their places the peo pie would not listen to them hut went into the and to listen to the exhortations of their old pastors the people were forbidden to listen to their exiled mini stera who were interdicted interdict ed from approaching pro aching twenty miles of therrold livings the penalty for offering them succor in any shape was deatle military persecution succeeded the sol diers being the judges and executioners execution ers so horrible was the condition of under this regime that the west of scotland WAS red with the blood of its people death was faced with calm resignation and christian fortitude was met with purity at last the heroes were the victors and religious liberty was secured they resolutely refused to the spiritual supremacy of icae civil power in the midst of the revolutionary turmoil james bruce was ejected from his position his farewell sermon to his flock was most affecting he exhorted them not to renounce one item of their faith H you rejoice hereafter stand will suffer now yon firm and you will leave the messing of religious liberty to posterity it was with great difficulty that he suppressed the outward exhibition of emotion especially when he beheld the people in tears with his wife and two children andrew then a fine manly boy of 13 years and mary being a lovely girl of 11 he took a sorrowful leave of the place where so many happy had been spent they found a temporary years home with a farmer at brag side there being but two rooms inthe in the house reached its highest and W hen persecution fiercest point the people forbidden tp shelter to the old pastors or them in rive shape even by giving them a marsel 0 any people were daily perishing upon the bread callows the ccrates curates turned examples of he former matwa leang pure ft reproach to them mauke mr were compelled to feefe bhema ia the in caves and morasses moras sea the person who waa thrust into mr braces living was named mcduff coarse and brutal highlander the church was deserted the people refusing to attend and occasionally the soldiers were employed to herd them into the building otherwise it would have been entirely empty the ccrates curates were assisted hy numerous nam erous spies who professed great friendship for the people and thus ingratiated themselves into their confidence placed at the disposal of mcduff their information people were arrested in that day presbyterianism was termed sedition aa is designated i these times mr brace and his family traveled travel pd from 1 place to place he and his son spent much of their time in a cave close to the ajar and the peasantry who ware much devoted to the exiled minister carried food dobem in this way four years were passed one night mr brace was preaching in to a number of peasants when a WP of soldiers who had been notified of ing by apostate spies made ance alie worshippers wor shippers fled to a morass into which the soldiers could not follow the commanding officer directed the troops to fire which they did and of the people we mrs brow was mortally wounded I 1 he was cau couglas glas she was falling in the arms of her hatband before she expired she told him al 61 her grief stricken children not to arieon account of her death as she would ethem again in a world where sorrow woul Sever disturb them C after the feelings of the mourne fil were so far subdued as to consider what as best to be done the question as to wib the good woman should DOL buried avys discussed some of the peasantry tp posed to take the body to the nearest village and have it interred in the churchyard 1 I Andrew now a young is no need of pomp ot ceremony not where mother la buried L ter her remains near the spot wt was slain by the enemies of tr this view was coincided jn and t was buried in an adjacent glen mr himself performing the sad rites dead in the presence of a few mourners his own face being baad in tears while he performed the servi cl shortly after this tragic mc daff and an 0 er we riding across t country and met andrew they did know hied but as was usual in those topes stopped him and asked if he had taken the teat oath acknowledging the dinglas the head of the church they commanded him ty take it be refused and was arrested and taken 0 o the village on the way he by a person who knew him this fanner his identity was discovered ite was placed with a anard where his father had informer int ormer so often preached to his devoted flock he was asked to divulge bis faulta hiding place with the promise that iab told bis eife would be spared and he himself would receive preferment no faith in such premises and stoutly infused mcduff suggested lug the application of torture but Dalziel favored persuasion pers first le was given till the following day when it he still continued obdurate torture and death would be the result the feelings of andrew during that anxious night maywell be imagined by the reader next morning mcduff and dalziel entered the church and asked andrew what his conclusion was my duty was so plain it required no de liberation YOU may thrust your sword through my body but ewul not betray my fattier i mcduff said we will bee what torture will do for yon fr andrew looked at him with scorn and at the without emotion the guard held andrew while the spy put on the at first he did not wince As it tightened he wr thed and changed color dalziel was about to say stop when mcduff said give it another twist it was done the crash of bones was heard and the heroic lad swooned lest he might die without divulging the locality where his father could be found the instrument was taken off when he regaled consciousness he was again asked to tell where his father was ton may torture me to death I 1 will not torture was again applied with the same result dalziel told him as he refused to taji e the test oath the law condemned him to death but he was still unmoved he was taken thence to a tree under whose spreading outspreading out branches be and his sister had often played in childhood the spy was to be the executioner As the brave lad was about to be banged like a dog the air was pierced aith a loud bureik the figure of a young girl came flying toward the spot liked bird it was mary she fell upon the neck of her beloved brother the scene was sufficiently pathetic to have melted the heart of a atone when mary regained her breath she fell upon her knees and implored the cruel wretches to spare the life other brother and offered to give her own for his mcduff said that andrew would be spared on condition that she revealed the whereabouts of her father andrew indignantly exclaimed infamous wretch you ifould have her save hey brot bera life at the expense of her fathers turning to mary he said do sot listen to them dear slater but tell my father died tor j him and for the religion and libkits of scotland mary made another appeal and swooned andrew a brief prayer for scot lands liberty and said 0 receive my spirit the then around his neck and he was hanged was cut down by parishioners an under the elm tree mary was taden to the bouse of n a dying condition being frag the last terrible borrows and privations pro for the poor girl when her father had heard arrest be intended to deliver but he was prevailed upon not I 1 mary who said they will M and then I 1 will be left entirely at world she pleaded to be all and intercede tor her brother dented with reluctance s on the night of the day on wh was legally murdered mr battu ed by an intimate digite where his daughter lay at death he was given an brace her before she died within an hour after he when her gentle spirit depa of loneliness BC was left alone in te world sadness ot spirit to his hiding not long subsequent to the son and daughter he preach maa eve in an isolated hon tate who pretended to have there as a spy he had gau dence Lof the people byi friendship after the disna ing he followed mr bracet Bruc et place the cave previously yete reported to mcduff ten e sent to the place with orders td fugitive there being some ferrai by the people when the posse approached bruce was praying ne was y the liberation of his country father forgive those who as the people who are seeking taft footsteps of thy son at thai officer entered the cave and con others to follow they hi petition to the throne of grac mr arnce met them with V the soldiers were struck wiehl peara nce as they beheld h though careworn countenance counte nanc ering light of a small fire lighted in bis lonely hiding pla ton have come to app rehei he and take me to better hodg my orders are to offer yon tae and if you refuse to take it to death on the spot said the nay then is heaven so near going to send me to better io deed take the test oath and save afi ot a shot w god is my witness I 1 will away my allegiance to the king 0 will no submit tp that condemns ewul not connive i gla of my country have done said the officer 1 I have done fjord awa sn anemaet and be with the peon in the 0 god wf y acirit the officer gave the soldiers the signal mr bruce glanced calmly t them their hearts were moved and tears were streaming from their eyes not on would obey the order the officer snatched doai one 0 them and discharged its contents into the breast ot the good man who tell to the floor of the cave and immediately expired it being now tar past upon that christmas morning of a genuine hero and martyr took its flight to the realms of peace where the just dwell |