Preacher to the Remnant

Farewell be diligent in duty, make your peace with God through Christ; there is a great trial coming. As to the remnant I leave, I have committed them to God; tell them from me to not be weary, nor be discouraged in maintaining the testimony; let them not quit nor forgo one of these despised truths. Keep your ground, and the Lord will provide you teachers and ministers. And when He comes He will make these despised truths glorious upon the earth.”

Dying speech of James Renwick, 17th February 1688

“Renwick argued that his refusal to own an earthly sovereign who had usurped the Crown rights of Christ was fully in accord with the principles of the Scottish Reformation. Like the Reformers, he knew that the liberties of the Church went hand in hand with the liberties of the people. His stand was fully vindicated at the Revolution in 1688 when the very grounds on which he had rejected the authority of King James VII were adopted by the supreme court of the nation. It is no exaggeration to say that his testimony – and particularly his death – paved the way for the religious and civil liberties we enjoy today.” (From the preface.)