The sovereignty of Christ over Church and nation was dearer to them than
life. They saw the glory of God involved in this fundamental truth, also
the honor of Jesus Christ, and the liberty, purity, and permanence of
the Church. They counted the pre-eminence of the Lord Jesus Christ
worthy of every sacrifice. They suffered bonds and imprisonment, exile
and slavery, torture and death, for its sake. Their blood watered the
moss of the moors and the heather of the mountains. Thousands and tens
of thousands of Scotland's noblest sons and purest daughters gave their
lives freely for the contested doctrine of Christ's crown rights and
royal supremacy. As these valiant soldiers of the cross fell, their
children arose, and, grasping the banner of the Covenant crimsoned with
the blood of their fathers, carried it defiantly along the firing line
of the fierce battle. The dreadful conflict continued while century
followed century.

[Illustration: This old Banner is yet to be seen at the home of Mr. John
Howie of Lochgoin. It has its own unwritten history. As we placed our
hands on the precious folds, the heart was asking about the brave
standard-bearers who carried it in the hard-fought encounters, and the
fearless Covenanters who followed it unto death.]

Victory finally crowned the martyrs' cause, and peace spread her white
wings over the crimson field, which in our day yields a rich harvest of
happiness and prosperity. Out of that great struggle we have inherited
the civil and religious liberty, which to-day is the crowning glory of
Great Britain and America.

But the victories of our fathers were not final: they only placed us on
vantage ground to continue the struggle, until the whole world shall be
redeemed from every system of false religion and despotic power. Much