Hosea 13:9-10, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities?”
Early in the morning of his last day on earth, 22nd July 1680, Richard Cameron stood over a stone trough. He had stayed that night in the Mitchel cottage in East Ayrshire, Scotland, and his men encamped about. As the mother of the house and others stood around, her daughter poured water over his hands. After he dried them, he looked upon his clean hands and then putting them upon his face said, "This is their last washing; I had need to wash them clean, for there are many to see them." Those present sensed an unusual solemnity in the utterance and the old lady wept. At this Cameron said, "Weep not for me, but for yourself and yours, and for the sins of a sinful land, for ye have many melancholy, sorrowful, and weary days before you."
Also in the area was Bruce of Earlshall, with a large number of soldiers. They had received intelligence that Cameron was in the district. When Cameron encountered them he and his men were vastly outnumbered. Safe flight was impossible and surrender would have resulted in death anyway. They therefore decided to engage the soldiers and force a way through. Cameron prayed three times with his men before the charge came upon them, "Lord, spare the green and take the ripe." Then he said to his brother Michael, "Come, let us fight it out to the last; for this is the day that I have longed for, and the day that I have prayed for, to die fighting against our Lord's avowed enemies; this is the day that we will get the crown."
When the killing was over, Cameron's body was found upon the ground. The head and hands had been cut off. The soldiers lifted the three body parts and carried them to Edinburgh. They were presented to the Council as proof of the end of the Covenanter. As all looked upon them, one said, "There are the head and hands of a man who lived praying and preaching, and died praying and fighting."
Two months before he died Richard Cameron preached a sermon on Hosea 13:9-10. In it he said;
“He is able to save all that come unto Him. I will tell you where our help is. It is in Him who delivered our fathers from Popery in the days of Queen Mary and her tyranny. Our help is in Him who delivered them from the subtlety and cruelty of that fox James VI. Though now dead we may justly call him so. Christ called Herod a fox. He delivered us too from that yoke wreathed on our necks by Charles I. "In Him is our help." And oh, that He would help us from the tyranny of this man upon the throne! But on what terms will He help? We must cry for help; for the "godly man perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart." Help, Lord, for otherways we are helpless! Let our hearts look unto Him and cry for help. Would you have help? Cry, Sirs, for it. Our Lord is saying, "I will tell you what are the terms; if you would have help from Me you must take Me to be your King; you must take Me to be the Head of the Church." Our Lord Jesus is and must be King upon His holy hill of Zion. There is no king in the Church besides Him. The Lord has given Him to be King to rule in you and over you. What say ye to this? Our Lord is now dethroned, and that tyrant is entered into His place. After he had got the civil power into his hand that would not satisfy him, but it behoved him to have the crown and sceptre of Christ also. But if it sets him well let the world see and judge. Now, are ye content to let the King of Glory—the Lord of Hosts—enter into your hearts and souls? And what say ye in Galloway and Nithsdale? Will you take Christ to be your King, and to be the anointed King of the Church? Will ye acknowledge no lord over God's heritage but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself? And what say ye of Clydesdale and Lothian? Are there any of you here content to cast yourselves at His feet, and to enter your names in His list amongst His subjects? There are few followers of the Lamb this day in our land. Come, and set down your names and submit unto Him, and give away yourselves unto Him. There were hope in Israel concerning our case, if there were any this day crying, "I am content to take Him for my King, my Lord, and Saviour."
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