to try how the People would be pleased with them such as Mr. Nairn Mr. Aird c. And how he himself went about as an Evangelist shewing his gifts every where particularly in the Church of Fennick where he distributed a great many Bibles and some money too being earnest by all means to gain the People And yet for all that he and all the other Evangelists were laught it and the People told that if they must needs have Curates they would not change their own for any of them This work was fifteen or sixteen years ago and such was the condition of that Diocess then And yet though the Clergy in it had deserved the Epithets of Scandalous and Ignorant then by what consequence can they be applicable to them now when perhaps the third man is not there now who was there then But to go on The third thing is Negligence but how can that be either Theer 's no such thing as Non-residence or Pluralities in use in Scotland Every Presbyter is censurable who is two Sundays together from his Church without Licence from his Ordinary and generally we Preach twice every Lords day through the whole Kingdom But negligence is like Ignorance it will be hard to find that definition of Negligence which will be able to justifie such a general Persecution as I have already accounted for The fourth is Error But how shall that be tryed But I think I can easily give you satisfaction Sir as to that matter it is by telling you that I know not so much as one amongst us who could not live in Communion with your Church of England and subscribe her thirty nine Articles 'T is true indeed there be many who are no ways inclined to be every day talking to their People of God's Decrees and Absolute Reprobation and Justification by Faith alone in the Presbyterian sense and such like Doctrins they think their Hearers may be much more edifyed by Sermons that explain the true Nature of Evangelical Faith the Necessity of Repentance and the Indispensibility of a Gospel-Obedience c. And what error is there here But the last thing is that we have been great Persecutors grant it to be true sure I am by this time we are payed home pretty well in our own Coin and God of his infinite Mercy grant unto us all that we may exercise a true Christian patience under our present Sufferings And that they may work a better temper in us than it seems their pretended Persecutions have wrought in our Adversaries Sure I am 't is no where written in the Gospel that suffering for Christ may laudably end in Malice and Revenge and the horridest Barbarities But how can it be proven that we were such Persecutors Dare any man say that the severities against the Presbyterians since the Restitution of Episcopacy have been near so great as the severities against the Episcopal Party were during the Reign of Presbytery Dare any man say that the Presbyterians have suffered any thing for Conscience sake these twenty seven years by-past Remember what I told you not far from the beginning of this Letter 'T is true indeed the State found there were a number of People of such seditious and ungovernable tempers that they could not be well kept from breaking out daily into open Rebellions Therefore they made Laws for keeping them low and curbing them and who can blame this 'T is also true some of these Laws obliged the Clergy to give an account of those of that temper who lived or haunted in their Parishes And could they top with the Government and disobey Law when the Obedience required was so reasonable Besides believe it Sir the Clergy did as little that way as was possible for them and I can make it good when ever I am put to it That where one was pursued upon their Informations twenty were befriended by their Intercessions A signal instance whereof I learn'd not long ago it was in September last when the Deprivations for Non-compliance were very frequent Amongst the rest one Mr. Chisholm Minister at Lilsly was cited at the instance of one Sir Iohn Riddel of the Minister had given no Obedience and so was very soon discuss'd And when Sir Iohn and he were just a coming from the Bar where he had stood his Accuser and heard his Sentence he told him before a good many Witnesses that he confess'd he held his Life and Fortune of him and protested he would never have treated him so as he had done if it had not been matter of Conscience to him What do ye think of a Presbyterian Conscience I could give you an hundred more such instances for indeed it has been observed generally all alongst that those have been the greatest Enemies to the Clergy to whom they had done the best Offices But it would require a great deal of work to make you understand this head of Persecution fully and therefore I 'll break it off And tell you only briefly that If ever you come to understand the state of our Affairs distinctly you will find our Ignorance lies mainly in our being unacquainted with the Principles of Sedition and the Ius Divinum of Presbytery our Scandal in our being so generally look'd upon as nothing fond of change and Revolution Our Negligence in parting with our Benefices rather than our Consciences our Erroneousness in adhering so stubbornly to the Principles laid down in Scripture and maintain'd by the Primitive Christians and our itch for Persecuting Dissenters to lye chiefly in our inclinations to live and behave as becomes good Subjects or if ye would have it shorter we are ignorant scandalous negligent erroneous insufficient Persecutors and whatever men please to call us because we are not Presbyterians That 's truly the matter and therefore we are now made to suffer so severely not only by being so treated in our Persons and Privileges as I have briefly accounted but also by being so robb'd of our Reputations and loaded with Reproaches And all this too under pretence to secure the Protestant Religion and make these Kingdoms happy I dare not tell you how much I am tempted when I reflect on all together to ask you some unfashionable Questions such as these Is that to secure the Protestant Religion when men must either suffer or part with the most distinguishing Characters and most undoubted Principles of the Protestant Religion Is the rendering so many Protestant Ministers useless and miserable because they will not play Iesuitish tricks the way to secure Protestant Religion Is there no other way to secure the Protestant Religion but to transaccident it pardon the word 't is as good as Transubstantiate into a pretence for justifying all the injuries can be done to our Spiritual Fathers Is there no other way to make a Kingdom happy but by making downright havock of the Clergy in it Cannot a Kingdom be happy unless God's Portion be either turn'd out of their Functions in it or run the
a certain Paragraph in it And is it not as odd that when they were sifted before the Council they were not so much as once asked why they did not read that extraordinary Paper concerning the late King nor whether they will comply with the present Government for the time to come I know if this Paper be seen abroad their Impudence will contradict it but a matter of Fact so publickly known defies Calumny it self I have spoke with many of the Clergy here and with a great many of the Laity and I never heard of any thing more bitter and persecuting How unworthily the Ministers of Edinburgh particularly have been treated in this Affair the World may judg by this one instance The said Paper pass'd in the Convention of the Estates upon Friday it comes from the Press late at Saturday and the Ministers within the City upon half an hours advertisement on Sunday Morning were enjoyned to read it under pain of Deprivation I remember you once blamed the Clergy for not Addressing the present Court for Protection They made their Application from the beginning but to no purpose tho they were furnish'd with all necessary Evidence of their bad Usage You know that Presbytery is to be established here by the next Session of Parliament and you know that the Roman Inquisition is not half so rigid as that will be when they are once in the Saddle To what purpose then should they beat the Air when their Ruin is thought by many to be a part of the Bargain There is nothing so inconsistent with Presbytery as Toleration of any that differ from them in the least Iota It is true they are against the Apostolick Doctrin of Non-Resistance but they will not be resisted themselves And since the Episcopal Clergy here know they are given up as a Prey to their Enemies Teeth they had rather sit silent under their Malleur than struggle with the Stream when it is so violent and impetuous The present Faction endeavour by all Art and Industry to perswade King William that the Flower and Multitude of the Nation is for Presbytery It were an easie thing for him to put this to the tryal Let the West-Country People who are so brave and generous in tearing Ministers Gowns reduce the Highlanders now in Arms for King Iames and then let it be granted that they are the Men they pretend to be And unless they are able to do this we must judge of them as a clamorous and inconsiderable Faction whose Nature it is to cross and resist every Creature that 's but called a King And it is very wonderful that all the Civil Magistrates in Christendom do not banish that Supremacy of the Kirk from off the Earth being equally subversive of all Republicks as it is indeed inconsistent with Monarchy The Protestants in the beginning of the Reformation thought they did Christendom good Service when they discovered and exposed the Tyranny of the Popish Supremacy over Christian Magistrates but the very same Doctrin of Rome is here hugg'd as the great Palladium of the Protestant Religion And to be short let them swear Allegiance to all the Kings in Christendom it must be in subordination to this great Article that all Persons and Councils must strike Sail to omnipotent Presbytery they are taught by their hopes of Heaven to resist the King when he either counteracts or contradicts the Decisions of the General Assembly which general Assembly may and ought to meet when and where they please without or against the King's express Will These are not imaginary Consequences fasten'd on them and their Doctrin by Art and ill Nature but the plain History of what they have done here and by their Principles are obliged still to do A Liberty to tyrannize over all not of their stamp is the Idol they adore the Kirk Supremacy is by so much the more mischievous by how much it is more inquisitive precipitate and confused than the pretended Authority of the Bishop of Rome but I have digressed too far If the Disasters under which the Clergy groan were confined to what they have suffer'd in their own Nation it may be they would endure it with greater patience But when the Faction have hired some scurrilous Scriblers to defame them abroad by weekly Libels it cannot but excite Indignation and Pity There appear'd a Pamphlet lately called Plain Dealing if the Author had been considerable for any thing he might be sufficiently exposed for his Lyes but being but newly put upon writing of Books he must be excused if he cannot otherwise support the Faction but by Calumny when he is more expert he will defend them with plausible and artificial Stories It is not worth your while to go thorough the several Inconsistences and whining Impertinences that are in that Pamphlet It is enough to glance at one by which you may guess at the man's Impudence viz. That in the Parliament 1685. all the Bishops except Three were for repealing the Penal Laws against the Papists when it is known to the whole Nation that all of them almost were determined to Vote against the repealing of those Laws if ever that Affair was offer'd in Parliament And such of them as might be thought to favor the design of repealing those Laws did sincerely judg their Method in their Circumstances at that time to be the best Fence and Shelter against Popery and all their Concessions did not amount to Min heer Fagel's famous Letter which contained the Sentiments of the present Court When the Faction had ruined the Clergy at home they were afraid they might be pityed abroad and to justifie their Sacriledg and Villany they endeavour to cover them all under Libels and Invectives and represent them to other Nations as vitious and Illiterate For the information of Strangers I will consider both parts of the Accusation first as to the Immoralities alledged against the Clergy there cannot be a more atrocious and spiteful Calumny It is not possible for them to convince credulous Strangers by an open fair and visible Tryal that this is a Lye for they have no Fence against the Malice and Activity of their Enemies but their Patience and their Prayers if their learned and compassionate Brethren in England would interpose so far with the present Court as to have this Affair examined before any impartial Judicature then such as were found guilty should be derpiv'd of the Honor of the Priesthood and not suffered to continue Stumbling-Blocks to the People but let me acquaint you plainly that there shall never be such a Judicatory erected and that it is not the Method of their Enemies to have things fairly and calmly enquired into And therefore the Clergy beseeches all generous Strangers to stop their Ears against such wicked and indefatigable Calumniators They give their Enemies open and publick defiance upon this Head it is enough that they are banished rifled and plundered in the most savage manner tho they be not robb'd of the
Compassion of Strangers It is true that in the Records of Council relating to the deprived Clergy there is a Column containing Immoralities libelled against some of them but it 's as true that tho they are recorded to make the World believe them guilty yet they were never examined fairly the Artifice of their Enemies is mean as it is wicked first to invent Calumnies and Slanders and then leave them unexamined boldly to vent them amongst Strangers when they had not the Confidence at home to give one instance of such Immoralities amongst so many Hundreds that have been deprived How easily and how sadly might they recriminate upon this Head but that 's not so pleasant in it self nor will it serve the designs of Christianity But shortly there shall be a more full free and particular Answer given to those scandalous Reports in a Treatise ready for the Press The Persecutions of the Clergy here are beyond any parallel I cannot forbear to give you one instance of it Mr. Iohn Mowbray Minister of Strachbrock complyed with the present Government in all its steps a place not above Eight Miles from Edinburgh yet upon the 12th of Iuly 1689. a Company of Fanaticks who were sufficiently taught how to behave themselves entered his House in a hostile manner tore hi Gown threatened his Life beat his Daughter and frighted his Wife to death when their Fury was a little over he ventur'd once again to officiate but my Lord Cardross Patron of the said Church and one of the Privy-Council caused lock the Church Doors and sent his Minister a packing tho he defies the severest Tryal for Life or Doctrin and all this for no other reason but because he had Episcopal Ordination for my Lord's Conscience did not allow him to hear any such As to the other Accusation of their being Ignorant I would gladly know who are these learned Gentlemen among the Scotch Presbyterians that found them so after Tryal this is a thing they dare not so much as whisper at home except it be amongst those good Women that sell Tripes at the Cow-Gate There could not be any thing thought on more comfortable to the Clergy here than that there were some learned and grave English Church-Men sent hither to enquire into the Literature and Sufficiencies of both the contending Parties But this Proposal will never be heard it 's enough that they are once run down with Clamor Violence and Noise But it is no part of their business to have things put to a fair serious and open Tryal they dare not attempt it and therefore I allow you to defie the Accusers of the Clergy upon this Head also and to convince Strangers how improbable this Calumny must be let them consider how much the oppressed Clergy was and is favored by the honorable and learned Society of the College of Justice who are the best Judges in this Case The Blasphemies and Fooleries that are heard at present from the Pulpits of Edinburgh make up the Entertainment of most Companies they discourse of the Mysteries of Christianity so coarsly and familiarly as they do of the meanest and vilest things in Nature But it is not possible that the regular Clergy can be so ignorant as their Enemies represent them For the steps of their Tryal are various and difficult before they are allowed to preach in publick And when they are presented to a Church they undergo the same Tryals over again in Theology Languages and Preaching I never heard that the Presbyterian Genius was very fond of too much Learning especially among the Scotch Cameronians a kind of People so wedded to their own peculiar and nonsensical Whimsies that they are now become Antipods to Mankind in their Language Behaviour Morals and Intellectuals There cannot be any thing imagined more fantastically foolish than the Education of their Preachers when they have so much Latin as to understand a Dutch System they are thought profound and more learned than is necessary and very few of them arrive at this Lately one of them who had spent much of his time in selling Buttur and Cheese would turn a Minister and being asked it he understood Greek and Latin answered No he could read the English Bible and that was enough It is the saddest Oppression to be run down with Clamor and no probability of being heard But let the Enemies of the Clergy remember the Jewish Proverb That he that pulleth a Stone out of the Temple ere it be long the Dust will fly in his Eyes The Ruin and Disgrace of so many Clergy-Men one would think cannot be a good Foundation for a new Government But this is not all when the Clergy are thrust from their Houses and Livelihoods It seems there is a further design to starve them as appears by a late Act of Council promoted by the Presbyterian Party discharging all Judges within the Nation to pass Sentence in favors of the Clergy for the by-gone Tythes yet unpaid and due to the Episcopal Ministers until the Parliament take that Affair into their consideration I have sent herewith a Double of that Act make what use of it you please I do not encline it should be printed tho this should for that would reflect too much upon the Honor of our Nation What to with either I cannot advise you at this distance Farewel FINIS * See the Postscript