On 9 May 1684 A.D. Captain John Paton, a Scots Covenanter, reads his last will and testament from the scaffold.

On 9 May 1684 A.D.  Captain John Paton, a Scots Covenanter, reads his last will and testament from the scaffold.  Dr. Rusten tells the story.

Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003.  Available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history

By the 1600s, Scotland had fallen under English rule. For Scottish Presbyterians, the loss of their theological freedom was more galling than the loss of their political.  The King was the “Head” or “Governor” of the Church on earth in Henrician, Elizabethan and Stuart monarchies. 

Captain Paton, like other Scotsmen, said “No” to a nearwise unlimited monarch. The Church of England had a habit of imposing their regulations on all subjects irrespective of conscience.  The Scots covenanted together to protect their liberties.

Paton was born in the 1620s. He was born in a rural Fenwick parish in Ayer, Scotland.

He was a professional soldier.  He fought with Gustavus Adolphus in Germany. He fought with the Covenanters at the battles of Marston Moor (1644), Rulliam Green (1667) and Bothwell Bridge (1679).

Paton spent his retirement in hiding.  He was arrested and sentenced to death by hanging in 1683 for treason against the Crown. 

He read his last will and testament from the scaffold, revealing his rich Reformed theology, including double imputation, the Crown-rights and prerogatives of King Jesus, and free and gratuitous pardon:

“Dear Friends and Spectators—

You are come here to look upon me a dying man…I am a poor sinner, and could never merit anything but wrath, and have no righteousness of my own;  all is Christ’s and His alone; and I have laid claim to His righteousness and His sufferings by faith in Jesus Christ; through imputation they are mine; for I have accepted of His offer on His own terms, and sworn away myself to Him, to be at His disposal, both privately and publicly; and now I have put it upon Him to ratify in Heaven all that I have purposed to do on earth, and to do away with all my imperfections and failings, and to stay my heart on Him…

I now leave my testimony, as a dying man, against the horrid usurpation of our Lord’s prerogative and crown-right…for He is given by the Father to be the Head of the Church…

Oh! Be oft at the throne, and give God no rest.  Make sure you soul’s interest.  Seek His pardon freely, and then He will come with peace.  Seek all the graces of His Spirit, the grace of love, the grace of holy fear and humility…

Now I desire to salute you, dear friends in the Lord Jesus Christ, both prisoned, banished, widow and fatherless, or wandering and cast out for Christ’s sake, and the Gospel’s; even the blessings of Christ’s sufferings be with you all, strengthen, establish, support and settle you…

Now as to my persecutors, I forgive all of them…but I wish they would seek forgiveness of Him who hath to give…

Now I leave my poor sympathizing wife and six small children upon the Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost, who hath promised to be a father to the fatherless, and a husband to the widow, the widow and orphans’ stay.  Be Thou all in all to them, O Lord…

And now farewell, wife and children. Farewell all friends and relations. Farewell to all worldly enjoyments.  Farewell, sweet Scriptures, preaching, praying, reading, singing, and all duties.  And welcome, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I desire to commit my soul to Thee in well-doing, Lord, receive my spirit.

On 9 May 1684, this elect and believing brother, Captain John Paton,  reads the above will and testament from the scaffold. We may look back on 9 May 2014, 329 years ago to the day.  But, to the Eternal, Triune Glory, it is as yesterday.To God, Captain Paton eternally was present to God, then, like now.

Lest we forget.

Questions:

1.      What’s in your will or living trust like the above? If older (such as this scribe), is it crafted, buffed up, and on-file with the county, in the safety-deposit box and quickly available to the spouse and children?  

2.      Compare Captain Paton’s last will and teswtament to John Calvin’s.  On 25 April 1564, Calvin called Geneva’s notary, Peter Chenalat, to record (Calvin dictated it) and witness his last will and testament.  Calvin said: 

“In the name of the Lord, Amen. I, John Calvin, minister of the Word of God in this Church of Geneva, being afflicted and oppressed with various diseases…give thanks to God, that taking mercy on me, whom He created and placed in this world…And I testify and declare, that it is my intention to spend what yet remains of my life in the same faith and religion which He has delivered to me by His gospel…With my whole soul I embrace the mercy which He has exercised towards me through Jesus Christ, atoning for my sins…that under His shadow I may be able to stand at the judgment –seat.  I likewise declare, that…I have endeavored, both in my sermons and also in my writings and commentaries, to preach His Word purely and chastely, and faithfully to interpret His sacred Scriptures…I also testify and declare, that…with the enemies of the gospel, I have acted candidly and sincerely in defending the truth.  But, woe is me!...I confess I have failed innumerable times to execute my office properly, and had not He, of boundless goodness, assisted me, all that zeal had been fleeting and vain…As God is the Father of mercy, He will shew Himself a Father to me, who acknowledge myself to be a miserable sinner.” 

3.      How will you be remembered by family and friends at your funeral? 

Thompson. Cloud of Witnesses. 359-64.