any thing can be said § 19. He giveth account of the Commission of the General Assembly pag. 53. but as he doth of other things that is without Truth or Honesty About the manner of Election he prevaricateth but it is not worth the while to examine these Circumstances It is a gross untruth that They were to have full and supreme Power to Act in all things that relate to the Church The contrary is evident from the Instructions given to them by the Assembly which himself setteth down For the seventh and eighth Articles of them are 7ly That this Commission do not meddle in publick Affairs or in any thing not expressed in their Commission Which is hereby declared to be given them in Hunc finem only And pro praesenti Ecclesiae Statu 8ly They shall be answerable to and censurable by the next General Assembly and shall continue till November next If there be no General Assembly before that time Is it not evident from this That our Author either understandeth not the meaning of plain words or that he is not careful to speak Truth Their Moderation or Rigidity which he very positively and confidently determineth about must be judged of by their Actings I am sure the plurality of them are look'd upon as Men of very Moderate Principles But no Presbyterian can be moderate in this mans Opinion In the List of them he also mistaketh for many were on both Commissions Whereas he maketh the two to consist wholly of different persons but that is not material His account of the Debate about the Instructions to the Commission I need not examine What was concluded is that which we are concerned in His Account of the Instructions is most false and absurd It is strange prevarication so to corrupt and falsify a Paper in the Transcribing of it Take for example the 2 d Article which he maketh the first He hath it That they shall take into their Cognizance all References and Appeals not discussed in the Assembly and such matters as have been tabled before the Assembly Where he maketh two sorts of things to fall under their consideration Whereas in the true Copy nothing but what is expresly referred to them is mentioned It is thus To take into their Cognizance all References and Appeals and other things which being stated before this Assembly shall by them be specially referred to the said Commission to determine the same The Debate that was in the Assembly about the sixth Article about taking in the late Conformists to Ministerial Communion he doth also Misrepresent it is false that it was said That by these Instructions Repentance for Conformity is required as a Condition For that ws debated in the Committee and it was determined to be left out because the worst of them would be readiest to profess Repentance Which they who acted from a Principle could not do He observeth from the Instructions page 57. That the Commission was mainly designed against the Episcopal Clergy I deny not that it was designed against such of them as were unqualified for the Ministry to cast them out And against such of them as were Enemies to the Established Church Government to keep them from a Capacity to overturn it But it was rather designed for them who fall not under these Characters to take them in among us That Presbyterians had Malice agaenst them or such Designs to ruine them as he alledgeth is evil surmising And in this he judgeth of others by the temper of his own mind § 20. He looketh on all the Facts appointed by Presbyterians as designed to ensnare the Episcopal Men and saith that they Fasted for Strife and Debate Their Witness is on high who knoweth that other Motives engaged them to Fast and Pray Even such things as are of common concernment to all who have true Zeal for Religion But this Gentleman and others of his Stamp did not use to keep Solemn Fasts for the concernments of the Gospel Only sometimes they had Fasts with the respect to the Weather or when there was like to be a bad Harvest which we condemn not But think there are greater things that should move us to such Duties It seems he knoweth no other ground of Fasting but either averting of some outward Judgment or some politick design He mainly challengeth the Fast appointed by the Assembly because in the causes of it mention is made of Episcopacy the setting up of which is complained of on account that it was always grievous to this Nation and that it was done without the Churches consent and contrary to Acts of National Assemblies As also that a great decay of Piety was visible under it This is all that was said of Episcopacy in these causes of the Fast This Fast he saith Episcopal Men could not observe without looking on Episcopacy as unlawful As the cause of much Impiety as defection from God and his truth Nor without blameing the Church of England and other Protestant Churches yea the Catholick Churches from the Apostles to Calvin ' s time Ans 1 st What ever be our Sentiments about Episcopacy nothing is here expressed that needeth to stumble them who think it a lawful Government in the Church and there are some of that Principle who will say as much as is here said Norhing is here said of its unlawfulness nothing of its influence on Impiety But only of its observed unsutableness to this Nation and of ungodliness having been de facto its concomitant 2. If any did conscientiously scruple the Observation of the Fast on the grounds mentioned I ask who of them have been Punished by the State or Censured by the Church for this omission The Church thought fit to lay Peoples duty before them yet using all lenity toward them who cannot see their duty It was quite otherwise in former times when his party had the Rule 3. The setting up of Episcopacy was more sinful in this Nation than it could be elsewhere because of the Oath of God that the Nation is under against it Not in later times only but in the time of King James the 6th who caused the whole Nation swear the Shorter Confession of Faith called also the National Covenant where it is Abjured 4. All this sheweth that we do not meddle with the Church of England in this matter but keep within our own bounds And therefore she hath no cause to be offended with us more than we have to blame her for setting up Episcopacy 5. His big words of other Protestant Churches and the Catholick Church to Calvin ' s time are the Dialect of his Party Whose confidence of Assertion and strength of Argument in this matter bear no proportion Which we are ready to try with him when he pleaseth The Councils Act for Observation of this Fast he doth also most causelesly and petulantly ridicule What is more congruous than when the fear of God doth not perswade men to their Duty that a civil Court should deal with them by
Reformers Luther Calvin Knox c. Not only so but abundance of Lies are inter-spersed in the narrative of the tumult at the high Church Feb. 17. As that a pernicious Rout surrounded the Church It was only a few Women stood in the Church Door That the Magistrates went to the Church with the Minister is false For only Baily Gibson was there That these Women or any else assaulted the Minister or People is false for his party were the first Aggressors It is also false that 600 of the best quality in Town entered the Church without Arms For there were not in all above 200 and not 40 of such quality and they or many of them were armed with Pistols Swords Clubs with Nails in the ends of them c. It is false that the Ministers party suffered such things as he saith For most and they of the best quality who were there do acknowledge that no such thing was done to them but that the Presbyterians conveyed them home in safety Likewise what is said of their respect to the Prince of Orange's Declaration is a lying pretence for it is well known they have never shewed any respect to him nor to his Government but the contrary is apparent in their whole Conduct It is also to be considered that the Witnesses brought to attest the Story are not competent James Gibson was a party and made a Baily by the Archbishop and all knew the Prelates Inclinations towards the present Civil Government John Gilhagie is lookt on by all as a Foolish and Rash Man who little considereth what he doth Patrick Bell and his Brother were soon after seized for Treasonable practices were long in Prison and are now under Bail The truth in opposition to his lying Story is this The Episcopal Ministers in the Town being thrust from their Churches by the Rabble before the Government was setled the Provost Walter Gibson who had been chosen by the Archbishop made a paction with the Presbyterians for preventing Confusion That the Keys of all the Churches should be deposited in the hands of two Men till the Convention of Estates should determine in the matter instead of this he being absent may be of purpose his Brother Baily Gibson hired a Company of Ruffians armed as is above exprest who with one Minister a simple Man whom they prevailed with went to the Church and found forty Women in the Door fell on them and sadly wounded thirty two of them in a most Barbarous manner The noise of this raised some of the Hill-men who were in Town who beat Drums and got to Arms this occasioned the scattering of the Meeting-houses who were quietly hearing the Word some of the Sober Presbyterians dealt with the Hill-men and endeavoured an Accommodation Only some of the Friends of the Women who had been Wounded could not be restrained from Violence But what they did was nothing like what the Women had suffered The Actors in this Tragedy who beat and wounded the Women were James Gibson Bailey John Bell Commissar Robertson George Robertson and his two Sons John Robertson John Wat 〈◊〉 Inglis Patrick Bell James Marshel John Coats John Filshill John Paterson 〈◊〉 Horn John Aitkin Alexander Aitkin James Lies's two Sons James Robertson The Names of the Women who were Wounded and many of them hardly cured are Mrs. Maxwel Mary Fleckfield Marion Ewin Agnes Rodger Agnes Allan Elizabeth Linning Janet Loudoun Margaret Dalgliesh Bessie Jackson Janet Castellaw Janet Fleeming Janet Robertson Margaret Inglis Marion Finlaw Janet Kid Janet Brand Christian Lang Janet Wood Mrs. Mill Janet Howie Margaret Lin Catherine Lin Isabel Paterson Janet Young Margaret Anderson Margaret Corse Bessie Fleeming Grissel Brown Bessie Marshel Janet Shearer Margaret Steven Some of them are not recovered to this day now after two years They all have suffered patiently and wait for a hearing of their Cause by a competent Judge as was promised them all this was sufficiently attested before John Leckie then Bailie § 6. In p. 7. and 8 Of the Narrative he telleth us that instead of calling these Hill-men to an account for their disorders these very men coming Armed to Edinburgh had the thanks of the House given them for their good service and are still a part of the standing Forces of that Kingdom This he insisteth farther upon in the fourth Collection of passages page 90 91. where he setteth down the Act of the Convention Where he also asserts that they Acted contrary to the Laws of Religion Humanity and of Nations the Laws of this Kingdom and the Princes Declaration in driving out the Clergy being in number about 800 Overawed and Threatned the Electors of Members for the Convention rushed in a tumultuary and hostile manner into Edinburgh c. And this before they were under the Earl of Leven ' s Command hence he is bold to condemn the Acts of the Estates approving of them Here I observe a few things referring the Reader to the Answer to Account of Persecution c. Letter 1. § 8. 1. it cannot be made appear That that Body of Men Acted what he imputeth to the Rabble yea it is evidently false for he saith they were 8000 and in military order The Rabble were scattered Companies sometimes not above ten or twelve or forty or an hundred and that under no fixed command if there were some among them who came to Edinburgh who also were the Rabble 't is not to be wondered at for it is often so in Armies that are in hostile opposition one to another 2. That they were in Arms against Law is false For they were called by the Authority of the States as their Guard when their Enemies had gathered a Formidable party into Edinburgh 3. That they hindered the Election of Members for the Convention is also false Himself and Complices in their accounts of these Elections assign causes of such Members being chosen inconsistent with this Force viz. The negligence of their party But Oportet mendacem esse bene memorem 4. Tho' they were together before the Earl of Leven got the Command yet not before they were called together by the Estates 5. That they affronted either the Bishops or the Nobility is more than can be made out Or that I have heard from any good hand 6. That these Men are part of the standing Forces of the Kingdom tho' there were no absurdity if it were so is false They were totally disbanded a Regiment was indeed raised in that Countrey a long time after And new Officers were set over them And if any of the same Men were listed Souldiers it was accidental But it is well known that that Regiment hath done more Service to the King and Countrey than others have done What followeth page 18. deserveth but a little Animadversion he saith the Clergy suffered patiently without publick complaint This and the other Pamphlets are witnesses to the contrary Could Men complain more publickly more unjustly or more pathetically and maliciously than they do
he refused to hear them when they sued for their by past Stipends By which means they were Starved out of the Country Ans It was little wonder that they had no Stipend payed them when they did not serve the Cures Nor that the Sheriff did not Favour them in their suing for these Stipends for the Council had by a Proclamation appointed that no Decrees should pass about these Stipends till the Parliament which soon after was to fit should determine in that extraordinary case That the Sheriff did excite any to sue these Ministers is said without any shew of proof Nor can the Assertion of a Person who hath written so many Lies in a few pages induce any rational Person to believe it page 19 20. He offereth to prove all that he hath said and more that he might alledge Which we challenge him to do as he would not bear the Infamy of that Lying and Slandering that he most unjustly chargeth the Presbyterians with page 20. He classeth the persecuted Clergy into four Ranks The three former I have taken notice of in answer to the two Pamphlets above answered Of the fourth which is such as were put out by the Judicatories of the Church which this mocker calleth the Holy Inquisition of the Presbyterian Preachers he giveth not one Instance I deny not but some and they were but very few were deposed or suspended by some Presbyteries for insufficient causes And it is no wonder that some Ministers who were not well experienced in the practical part of Church Government might commit some mistakes But this can no ways be charged on the Presbyterians not only because they were but very few that did so but especially because the Church of Scotland took special care both to prevent this practice and to redress the grievances of such as made complaint after they had been thus wrong'd For in 1689. a general Meeting did enjoin all the Presbyteries to be careful that none of the late Conformists be censured except for Insufficiency Scandal Errour or supine Negligence in the Ministerial Work nor unless these were sufficiently proved against them and that if there should be any doubt either about the relevancy of what should be Libelled against any of them or about the clearness of the proof of what any of them should be charged with in that case they should not proceed to a sentence but refer the matter to the General Assembly which was to meet This was what could be done by way of precaution And for relief of such as pretended to be grieved whereas such as were Censured by Presbyteries most of them I mean for some were so guilty in their own Eyes and to the conviction of all that knew them that they acquiesced in their Sentence did appeal to the General Assembly the Assembly not having time to do it did appoint a Commission of the gravest and most experienced of their number consisting of 40 Ministers and 20 Ruling Elders to examine these processes and to take off such Sentences as they should find unduely passed against any Person The Commission hath examined some of these complaints and are going on with the rest and have Actually taken off the Sentences of some Such as Mr. Spotswood of Abotsrule Mr. Lyon of Kinghorn And Mr. Bowis of Abbotshall Wherefore we are not afraid of the Printed Account that he saith is coming out we have as yet heard no more of it of such as were censured by the Church But are willing that the World should know the whole truth of that matter § 6. He telleth us page 21. What Mr. Douglas Minister at Skirling suffered In which we are little concerned For himself saith that it was the Cameronians that gave him this trouble only I take notice of his false and malicious surmising That they lay in wait to Murder him And of his wicked Insinuation of Murders and Slaughters committed by that Hellish Crew All the Nation know that the work of that irregularly zealous party was to deprive those Ministers who had been their cruel Persecutors from their Churches and that none of them were ever Murdered by them Let him bring Instances and the full proof that he promiseth for what he most impudently obtrudeth on Peoples Credulity and he shall have an Answer Not only the men whom he accuseth may be thus Vindicated in general but the whole of the Story about Mr. Dowglas is a Forgery I can shew attested by the Subscriptions of eighteen Credible persons of the Parish of Skirling with the Baily of the Town a true account of Mr. Dowglas's Case which he and his Party may be ashamed of It is to this effect Never any of the Dissenters molested him or gave him the least cause of fear All that could be so constructed even by the most melancholy Fancy was two Men as they went by his door stept in and asked his Wife if she had any Monuments of Idolatry and so went away Never any of his Parish did either do or threaten any hurt to him The true cause of his flying into England was he had run into so much Debt as he was not safe in the Nation from Captions he had lived Intemperately and Riotously his Bible was laid in pledge for Ale which lyeth yet unredeemed His other Books were pledged in Biggar for Banquetting his Wifes Bible pledged for Mutton which she redeemed before she removed His Housholds Goods are under many Arrestments When he went from Skirling he borrowed a Cloak from a Neighbour and in the way to Edinburgh left the Cloak in pledge for a Quart of Ale his Parish tho Dissenters did often relieve his Wife in her Necessity and what she got that way she spent in Drinking with Souldiers and others Let the Reader now judge whether that be a Persecution like the French Dragooning Our Authors complaint that no Redress was given by the State to them who complained is above answered particularly the Letter alledged by him to have been written by a great Person to the Parish of Bogie which Letter was produced in the Council by the Duke of Hamiltoun this I say is cleared Sect. 15 Of the answer to Account of the present Sufferings What follows p. 23. is a Vindication of the Episcopal Clergy from provoking the Presbyterians or having any hand in their Persecution in the late Reigns Where one may observe the man to be perfrictae frontis And that nothing tho never so certainly and manifestly false can choak his Conscience He saith The Clergy can defie them to give one instance where any Dissenter suffered death or was any way injured by the Information or Instigation of any Minister in Scotland The contrary of this is notorious to all who have lived in Scotland these years last by past that all do admire the Impudence of this Assertion Nothing was more common than for the Clergy to be Inciters to and Abetters of the Persecution By Informing the Souldiers who were commonly the Executors
this part of his Satyr but lightly Mr. Camphel he saith nothing against and indeed his praise is in the Churches And our Author had met with him before page 15. And had told only of him That to please his Brethren he had been more severe against the Episcopal Clergy than was his Wont Nothing can be more false He is no Man-pleaser and he always had a true Zeal against that way and against the Immoralities of some of them And now sheweth no more of Zeal than is consistent with Wisdom and Moderation Mr. Rule cometh next on the Stage He is called Doctor Rule because he did practise Medicine and took the Degree of Doctor in it likewise when he had no other way to maintain his Family yet never giving over the Work of the Ministry but preaching frequently He was once Independent That is absolutely false At Aberdeen he withstood the Temptation when he had great Offers to take the Charge of an Independent Congregation And in Northumberland where he had his first Charge he suffered no small Loss because he would not fall in with that way His want of Latine and spâ—aking false Latine is false He is ready as he hath done to give proof to the contrary and to compete with this Pretender when he will For His Prayers in Latine they are longer or shorter as the occasion requireth but never so short as he alledgeth neither doth he use to pray very long in publick even in English For the Ignorance discovered in the things he hath written I wish this Sciolist would make it appear by a solid Refutation The passage that he bringeth for instance he is ready to defend with all the probability the subject Matter is capable of And if it were a mistake it is no proof of Ignorance to have a different Notion about a passage in an Author from them who follow as they lead who have gone before them If this Momus will make his Censure on the True Representation of Presbyterian Government it is like Mr. Rule or some for him will give him a fair Answer But lest all this be not enough to disparage him and his Ministry He often venteth himself bitterly against the Episcopal Party Others think quite contrary few Presbyterians do more seldom mention them and an Argumentative way rather than bitterness is his strain If it can be made appear that he hath done otherwise none shall blame him more than I shall do The many particulars he is accused of have obliged me to say more in his Vindication than I intended In the next place he giveth a Character of Mr. Meldrum He spendeth a great many words about him But the whole matter is in short That once he complyed with Episcopacy took the Oath of Canonical Obedience which our Author is told That he denyeth That going out for the Test he left the Episcopal Party because when the Test was taken away he was not permitted to return to his Ministry at Aberdeen The Worth and Integrity of this Man is known to all in Scotland and acknowledged by all except them who prize no Man but for being like themselves That he complyed once was a Token of Humane Infirmity That he hath now left that way is commendable tho' it stir the Choler of this Scribler His fourth Man is Mr. Kennedy who was chosen Moderator he is called Mr. Kennedy by his own party and if any familiarly call him Father Kennedy his Age may bear such a Designation but they who call him Bitter-Beard do mistake his Temper That he was with the Army at Newcastle or received 6000 Marks is most false He was never in England till 1690. when he was sent with others to London with an Address to the King The Causes of his Deposition 1660. are foully mis-represented It was only for his Opinion in the matters that then divided the Church That his Deposition was never taken off till the Penult day of the Assembly is not the least of the Lies that this Paper is loaden with It with others was taken off several years before and this was ratified by the General Meeting some Months before the Assembly and all that had been done in this matter was confirmed by the Assembly a day before it was dissolved § 12. The Moderator being chosen He telleth of a Competition for the Clerkship It may be some of these persons that he nameth might be mentioned in private Discourses but never any such competition appeared before the Assembly And most of them were so far from either petition or competition that they rather declined it when it was mentioned to them by their Friends He accuseth the Assembly as insufficient to represent the Church of Scotland as that of Trent was to represent the Catholick Church But he cannot deny that it represented the Presbyterian Church and was all that could be had of a Presbyterian Assembly And we deny not that the Council of Trent represented the Popish tho' not the Catholick Christian Church as was pretended And indeed there were some from all parts of the Nation even from the Northern Counties of Ross Murray Aberdeen That there wanted from one or two Counties maketh nothing against the Authority of the Assembly For there are places in the Highlands from which seldom or never there have been Commissioners at any Church Assembly What Spirit ruled in this Assembly he determineth with the same malice that hath hitherto appeared in his Book and mocketh at the Prayers that were put up for another Spirit By this and such like passages it appeareth what Spirit acteth this Scribler It is false That the Presbyterians in Scotland have always contested with their Kings about the Power of Calling Assemblies Their Kings never denied their Intrinsick Power in this except when they were influenced by a Prelatical Erastian Crew about them But on the contrary have setled it by their Laws as the Churches priviledge As in the Act 1592. which is ratified by an Act of this current Parliament neither did they deny to the King a Power of Calling Assemblies nor have ever refused to meet when called by him We think it most desirable when the King and the Church agree about this and it moveth this Mans spite that Affairs were so managed in this Assembly The ridiculous Expression in Prayer that he imputeth to Mr. Cunningham calling it a pleasant passage is a meer Forgery That Reverend and Wise Man understood well what he said He is not ashamed to tell Lies in the Face of the Sun and to impose upon our Senses when he not only denieth the Kings Letter and the Assemblies Answer to it to be published both which are extant in the printed Acts of the General Assembly but he falsifieth the Kings Letter most palpably in making the King say That he setled the Government because it was agreeable to the Inclinations of the People Whereas it is That Government which was judged to be so And that He would have them do