David Hackston of Rathillet

David Hackston, laird of Rathillet in Fife, is remembered as a Covenanter drawn into Scotland’s bitter Restoration conflicts. Friends and foes alike described him as resolute, a man who could endure hardship without yielding. Yet his name became bound to a deed that blurred the line between resistance and revenge.

Archbishop James Sharp and Magus Muir

James Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrews, had once stood near the Covenanted cause but later became a chief defender of enforced episcopacy and royal policy. To many persecuted Presbyterians he symbolized betrayal and repression. On May 3, 1679, at Magus Muir near St. Andrews, Sharp was attacked and killed by armed men amid rising unrest—an act fueled by grief, anger, and a longing to strike back.

Execution in Edinburgh, July 30, 1680

Captured after a season of hiding, Hackston was condemned as a principal participant. In Edinburgh he endured a punishment meant to terrify: his hands were struck off, he was hanged until near death, his heart cut out while life still lingered, and his remains mutilated and displayed as a warning. Such spectacles revealed the state’s determination to crush dissent, but they also exposed how quickly public “justice” can become cruelty.

Faith, Courage, and the Warning Against Vengeance

Some called Hackston brave for facing death without flinching; others saw only the stain of bloodshed. Scripture directs believers to a higher courage: not the boldness to strike, but the strength to suffer without hatred and to entrust judgment to God. “Do not avenge yourselves… ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.’” (Romans 12:19). Christ Himself shows the pattern: “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return… but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23). Even at the gallows, the last refuge of any soul is to confess Christ, repent truly, and leave all justice in the hands of the righteous Judge.