Alexander Peden and Alex Salmond

What might these two have in common, apart from their first names? Well, back in 2007 when Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, visited Stormont he gave a speech with a very emotive reference in it. In reference to the links between Scotland and Ulster, he said:

"...You are the blood of our blood and the bone of our bone..."

That made a quite few people really sit up and take notice. He had used the same figure of speech a few days previously on BBC Northern Ireland's "Hearts and Minds" programme in preparation for his visit.

It's not the kind of thing most people say in daily speech. So I was amazed to find when I was reading Alexander Peden's The exact Copy of a Letter from Mr. Alexander Peden to the Prisoners in Dunnottar Castle, in the Month of July 1685, pretty much the same terminology, but in a different context:

"...to send all the Elect into the world, and to deliver them all fairly to CHRIST; and also to give him a Body, Flesh of their Flesh and Bone of their Bone; and to carry CHRIST through in all his Undertaking in that Work, and to hold him by the Hand..."

Now it could be coincidental (can I suggest coincidence with a Calvinist Covenanter?!) but it is very interesting...