in the Possession and Exercise of their Ministry Whereby saith he all who were formerly thrust from their Churches are intirely excluded from the Protection of the Government Let any unbyassed person judge whether what he affirmeth or the contradictory of it be proved by this passage of the Declaration It is evident that the very Design and Strain of it was to protect these in Churches who were the Episcopalians from further progress of that disturbance from some hot and irregular Persons which some of their Brethren had met with And it was but reasonable that the Presbyterians who then had the Meeting-Houses should share in the same Favour That they who were put out by the Rabble in the Interregnum which did now terminate were not by this Proclamation restored can in no sense be construed either to justify what was done or encourage to do the like Other men have learned Logick that teacheth them to infer the contrary viz. A tacite blaming of what was done and express forbidding the like in time to come That the Presbyterians Preaching in Meetings was directly contrary to Law is false They had the Authority of King and Council And while the Act of Supremacy was in force as it then was the Parliament had given the King Power to do in the external Policy of the Kirk what he thought fit And therefore he had Power by the Act of Parliament to give Liberty to Dissenters And it is contrary to the avowed Principles of his Party who not only promoted this Act that screwed up the Supremacy to the height but pleaded always till it crossed their Interest for the King 's absolute and dispensing Power In confirmation of this he citeth another Proclamation August 6. 1689. Restoring such Conformists as had been thrust out by violence after April 13. Can any Man hence infer that the former Proclamation gave Liberty to put out Ministers by Violence And not rather that it condemneth what had been done that way And yet the man hath the Brow to value himself upon this as a full and concludent proof Are ye satisfied now saith he No Sir and I think none else can be satisfied with this Inference whose Wit is not a Wool-gathering But ' ex super abundante we shall yet have more proof It is from a passage in an Address to the King of the greatest part of the Members of Parliament complaining of the want of Ministers in the West where most had been put out by the Rabble I shall not trouble the Reader with observing the silly Quibbles that he strains at upon some passages of this Address But to shew how unconsequential this proof is 1. This Address was no deed of the Parliament or of the Presbyterian Party but of a few 2. There is nothing in that Address that either approveth of the disorderly way of putting out of those men or incourageth to go on in so doing What he citeth is meerly matter of Fact related that the West was desolate that is in great want of Ministers can any rational man think that it thence followeth that they who said so do approve of the manner of putting them out what ever thoughts they may have of the inconvenience of restoring them of which in its due place We must take farther notice of the Superfoetation of this Authors invention to prove his point The Council on Christmas Eve 1689. Our Author is a great Observer of days which it is like the Council had no respect to discharged all Inferiour Judicatories within the Kingdom to give Decreets for the Stipend 1689 to these Ministers who were out of Possession on April 13. reserving the Determination of that Case to the Parliament Who but our Author could thence infer that they approved of the Summer way of putting out those Ministers nothing doth thence follow but that the Parliament might judge of the conveniency of reponing them On this occasion he dilateth on the Misery of those Suffering Ministers and putteth the question Can any History shew a President for their Case Was ever Christian Minister so treated in a Christian Kingdom To these his questions I answer Affirmative viz. The Presbyterian Ministers anno 1662 were worse treated when upwards of 300 of them were put out and no allowance given them at all And yet worse when afterward it was enacted that none of them should live within six Miles of his former Parish not within six Miles of a Corporation So that it was hard for not a few of them to find a Habitation where they Lawfully might be in the Nation But all of them were driven with their poor Families from their Habitations from among their Friends and Acquaintances who might shew them Mercy in their Distress to seek shelter among Strangers And this was done in the beginning of Winter when it was hard to remove a Family But comparing their Sufferings that they make such outcry about with ours which we bare patiently we may observe that some are so tender of their Worldly Accommodations and ease that they will complain more of the scratch of a Pin than others will do of a deep Wound by a Sword § 17. We have page 30. An evidence how resolute this Gentleman is to be unsatisfied with whatever is or shall be done either by the State or by the Church as they are now established For when the Act of the Estates dischargeth any Injury to be offered to any Minister now in Possession of his Church he quarrelled at this Restriction and putteth a N. B. to it They behaving themselves as becometh under the present Government Did ever any Government allow protection to any on other terms Yea it is not usual under any Government to give a Pass to any to travel on the Road without Let or Molestation without this express restriction But what followeth is one of the highest efforts of Malice blinding the mind and depraving the apprehension of things Which is that giving them protection on their good behaviour is to enjoyn the Rabble to fall on them if they should not read the Proclamation and pray for King William and Queen Mary And the Man hath the brow to say That no Man without doing Violence to his own Sense could put a better Construction upon it but I perswade my self that unbyassed Men will judge that no Man without doing Violence both to his Reason and Conscience can put such a Sense on it as our Author doth For the Council did what in them lay to hinder all disorders of the Rabble The State more than the Church or Ministers the King the Council and Parliament are still Adversaries that this Hero will cope with The Council required the Ministers of Edinburgh to read and obey the Proclamation on April 14. Being the Lords day after the forenoons Sermon Which required praying for King William and Queen Mary by Name And all the Ministers besouth Tay to do the same on April 21. and these be North Tay to do
their Affairs We wish their Reformation but leave the managing of it to themselves What followeth concerning the Clergy we are little concerned in We wish they were better than they are we never thought them all scandalous but we know many are and none shall suffer by us on that Head but they who are made appear to be manifestly and grosly such I shall observe but one thing more in this Letter and dismiss it It is a palpable and most soul Untruth viz. That where but one single Dissenter is in a Parish though all the rest of the Parish be for the Minister it is a sufficient Reason to eject him And he giveth-Instances in the Parishes of Mousgard a place not known here Colingtoun Kirkneâ—â—toun and Kirklistoun Never any Allegation was more injurious and false yea the contrary is daily practised that Men are continued where the far greatest part of the Parish are Dissenters It is true some in that Case have accepted of a Call to another place where they might do more Good and have more Peace but never any was deprived on that Account For Kirklistoun I know the Falshood of what he asserteth Not above Sixteen in that great Parish did ever hear Mr. Mackenzie the Minister there and he had seldom preached in that Church and his Admission to that Church was most irregular even according to the Episcopal way And on these Grounds the Assembly did not depose him only declared him not to be Minister in that place but left him in a Capacity to be called to any other Church Answer to the Second Letter THis Letter is mostly Historical but such a parcel of false and disingenious History it containeth as is not easily parallelled elsewhere We desire nothing more than what he would have us expect An Account of the State of things among us which may set things in their true Light For then we are persuaded the World will be convinced that our Representations are neither unjust nor calumnious nor partial He giveth pag. 1. a most unjust Account of the Unity that he saith was between Presbyterians and the Episcopal Party while he saith That all Scots-men were generally of one Communion and that the Presbyterians except the Cameronians had returned to the Episcopal Church and were become Hearers and many Communicaters with her That there was no separate Meetings kept at least publickly but very rarely This I say is most false For though never any of the Presbyterians would directly nor undirectly own Episcopal Government yet many of the more sober and intelligent among them did not think it unlawful to hear them occasionally who had complied with Episcopacy yet they chused rather to hear their own lawful Pastors though driven into Corners than these unfaithful Men And not only so but there were many Thousands beside Cameronians who would never hear them And that many who when they had occasion to hear others made use of that Opportunity did go to hear these Men when their Liberty of hearing others was taken away it is no wonder Yet this Practice was far less general than he saith and Meetings of Nonconformists were not so rare for all the horrid Persecution that they were under as he would make us believe Many who were no Cameronians kept up their Meetings though I confess it was no wonder that their Meetings were not publick when they were by such barbarous Persecutions driven into Corners and if some under the Heat of Persecution stretched their Consciences to comply it is nothing but that which hath been common among Men of Infirmities § 2. Another Falshood is that the Party which was then treated severely was only the Cameronians Whereas though they had their share of the Persecution yet other Presbyterians were most cruelly dealt with and it was observed that indeed the Spite of his Party appeared most against the most sober of the Presbyterians as being the Persons most capable to do them hurt It is also false that it was the Severity used against them only that maâ— complained of in the Prince of Orange's Declaration and in the Sâ—oâ—â—h Inquisition One of which Papers but which of them no Man can know by his Words and may be such Ambiguity hath been designed he calleth a most scurrilous Pamphlet It is also most false and calumnibus that all Presbyterians in Scotland were of one Principle only the Cameronians were more ingenuous For the sober Presbyterians did always condemn many both Principles and Practices of that Party Such as that Magistrates and Ministers fall ipso facto from their Authority respective and Stations when they are guilty of Mis-managements and that private Persons may treat them as such without a â—â—â—â—enee of State or Church That the rest of the Presbyterians condemned the Cameronians for keeping up their Meetings is also an Untruth for they also kept up Meetings but they condemned them for the manner of their Meeting with such Contempt of and bidding Defiance to the Authority of the Magistrate He giveth a general Account of Argyle's Invasion But the Ground of the Presbyterians not joyning with him he misrepresenteth It was not they but an irritated Party among them who had been provoked by the most desperate Hardships and pinching Necessities who had smarted for other Enterprizes of that nature The general and dark Account he giveth of the Concert made at London by some of the State and some Bishops about taking off the Penal Laws we can make no Judgment of till that fuller Account be given of it that he giveth us hope of But this we know that the Result of it was these Men did what they could for taking away the Penal Laws that were against Papists though that Attempt succeeded not in the Episcopal Parliaments neither did we ever think that all especially of the Gentry and other Members of Parliament who went along with Episcopacy while it had Law for it were inclined to Poperâ—y § 3. He doth most injuriously charge the Dissenters with making a Schism after that above-mentioned Imaginary Union that he had talked of and that by first Refusing and then Accepting of the Toleration granted by King James which was founded on the Dispensing Power And after a great deal of pains to fix some Guilt on them in that matter he concludeth that both the Declarations that came out about that Indulgence being materially the same in pursuance of the same Design and both owning the King 's Absolute Dispensing Power they were as guilty in using their Liberty on the last Declaration as if they had done that on the first For Answer 1. Let his Friends reconcile him to himself in saying the two Declarations were materially the same and yet that the one required an Oath of them who had Liberty of it and the other not so 2. It is well known that the Presbyterians would never meddle with that Liberty till it was so contrived as might neither engage them to own the Dispensing Power nor to any other
hinder the other for Subordinata non pugnant nor doth it derogate from the sufficiency of Scripture as our Rule to say that some more may be required in some exigents to particularize what the Scripture doth in general hold forth Even the zeal of the Noble Lord that he is pleased to set as the Butt of his Malice this Author reproacheth when it appeareth either for the service of his Prince or for purging the Church of such as were a reproach to her while he doth expose my Lords care to get the Council to meet at its appointed times But I give too much to his impertinencies by thus notioing them § 22. He will now pag. 38 Return to his thread which he had broken off to reach the Earl of Crawford and he blameth the Council for allowing the People to Cite the Ministers who had not Read and Prayed before the Council What harm was in this May not any of the Kings Subjects make complaint of breaking of his Law This is not to be compared with what his Party did when in Power who made Souldiers Judges and Executioners of some of the Laws against Nonconformists Yea committed the power of Life and Death to many of them He telleth that immoralities were libelled tho' the Council Judged nothing but not reading and Praying yet the Lybels were kept in retentis Ans. The Council Acted Rationally and with Moderation in this They could not reject Libels which they had called for by their Proclamations and if any thing was in them that was not ejus fori they passed that without Notice Is it not ordinary to all Courts to pass Sentence on one Substantial part of a Libel sufficiently proved tho' other parts of it be neither relevant nor proved What he surmiseth of Church Judicatories sustaining these Libels as sufficiently proved already is refuted by the Event no such thing hath been done And it might have been silenced by the known Principle and way of Presbyterians who are against such Illegal Actings But we must be made black by his evil surmisings when he can find no other way to do it Every thing Acted by the Government is evil in this Gentlemans Eyes Wherefore a third Proclamation falleth under his Lash whereby Heretors in a Parish tho not living in it Sheriffs and their Deputies Magistrates of Burghs Members of Parliament in their respective Bounds might Cite Ministers who had not Read and Prayed What harm in all this May not such call for Justice against Offenders The Council were still Judges whether any offence were committed or not But now that he is in a quarrelling strain even the Nations humbling themselves before God for Sin and Fasting and Praying to implore his Mercy stirreth the Choller of this Momus His 1. Imputation to it is It was designed for a Choaking Morsel Who made him the Judge of Hearts and Designs It was designed for humbling the Nation and Imploring Mercies from the God of Heaven And that it was not designed as a Tryal of Mens Compliance is evident from this That he cannot Instance in any Person that ever suffered for not Observing it But our being thus reproached is but what better then we have before met with from such as he is Psal. 69.10 When I wept and Chastened my Soul with Fasting this was to my reproach Next he blameth this Fast That it was on the Sabbath Day We deny not but that another day of the Week is better for Fasting But we know no Law of God that is broken by Fasting that Day whatever he or any other think in the contrary When he shall please to bring his strong Reasons for his Opinion they shall I hope be considered The Reason why that Day was pitched upon was it was Harvest and a very bad and dangerous Season and it was not fit to take People off their Work on a Week day when the loss of a day might have hazarded their Corn And People would have been under Temptation to neglect the Solemn Duties of the day Further he chargeth the Proclamation for the Fast with bad Grammar and a good stock of Nonsense and for Unministring and Unchristning the whole Regular Clergy This is the Title that the Episcopal Ministers use to Dignify themselves with tho' now they walk not by the Rule of the Law as formerly they did deviate from that of the Scripture and them who owned them If he had pleased to tell us what Words or Expressions in the Proclamation are thus faulty we should have treated him as a Disputant but seeing he thought not that fit we must entertain his Discourse as Hezekiah commanded the Jews to do by that of his Patron Rabshakeh such Language is not to be answered We find nothing in that Paper but what is good Grammar and good Sense It may be some parts of it contain such Spiritual matter and in which the inward Exercises of the Soul is so concerned as a Man who is alien from the Life of God doth not understand and therefore may count it Non-sence I suppose he will reckon this to be cant But it is not mine but the Apostles Eph. 4.18 That it complaineth of the withholding of the Spirit in the work of Conversion is not meant of Episcopal times only tho' then it was observable But he and Men of his Temper use not to trouble themselves with such thoughts and therefore they think strange that others do That two Ministers of Edinburgh were deprived for it that is only for not keeping the Fast is absolutely false The story of the Laird of Brodie acting as Accuser and also as Judge is like the rest of his Forgeries or Hear-sayes § 23. This Epistler now telleth us pag. 41. That he hath done with his History what he next falleth upon is a Recapitulation of what he had said and determining what shall be for the future viz. That none of the Episcopal Clergy shall be spared but all who entered by Presentation from a Patron or a Collation from a Bishop must be turned out This his Prediction he Establisheth on several Grounds such as they are One is a nameless Counsellor said to his Cusing a Minister who also must not be named that he was glad that their Minister had not complied for the Resolution was that none of the Episcopal Clergy should be spared The strength of this Argument lieth on this that none can find out the truth or falshood of the Anticedent viz. Whether such a thing was said or not Yet I am sure it is easie to deny the consequence for all Counsellers are not Infallible nor know the mind of all the rest where never any conclusion about the matter was made at the Board as in this case is certain His other Argument is some Argyle Ministers were put out for not Reading and Praying and on after-complyance they have the offer of other Churches but must not Re-enter to their former charge Ans. There was reason enough for this from the
Countrey but that another Commission was appointed for the North to which he might apply if he pleased He took Instruments in the Clerks Hand that he had offered his Paper to the Commission which was allowed The other Address was at the same time presented by Mr. William Denune and Mr. Thomas Wood which was received and Read Of which I here give you a true and exact Copy To the Reverend the Ministers and Elders by Law impowered to Establish the Judicatories of the Church of Scotland The humble Petition of the Ministers of the Episcopal Perswasion sheweth That whereas Episcopacy is by Law abolished in this Kingdom We who have in the most dangerous times manifested our Zeal against Popery are now ready to give all the assurances that are or can be by Law required of us of our Aversion to Popery of our firmness to the Protestant Religion And of our Duty and Fidelity to to their Majesties King William and Queen Mary We are farther ready and willing in Our respective Charges and Stations to do every thing that is incumbent on us as Ministers of the Gospel for advancing the power of Religion for the repressing of Scandal and Vice and for sesecureing the peace and quiet of their Majesties Government and to Act in Church Judicatories for carrying on of these ends without any regard to the differences of perswasion in matters that are not fundamental We do therefore humbly and earnestly desire that in order to these ends we may be suffered to Act as Prebyters in the Church in our several Stations and precincts Sic subcribitur David Urquhart Minister at Clackmannan William Denune Minister at Pentcaitland Keneth Mekenize Minister at Fearne T. Wood Minister at Dunbar Ad. Peacock Minister at Morbotle M. Howell Minister at Ploworth John Swintoun Minister at Cranshawes T. Edward Minister at Tyningham Rob. Smith Minister at Lonformagus Jo. Broun Minister at Ellon George Dunbar Minister at Hadingtoun Mr. Alex. Ireland Minister at Mr. James Foreman Minister at Hadingtoun Ber. Makenzie Minister of the Gospel now at Iranent Sect. 3. The presenters of this Pettiion refused to satisfie the Commission about some things in their Petition which seemed to bear a dubious Sense alledging that they had no warrant to explain any thing for such as had sent them And when they were asked whether they would explain any thing in it for themselves their answer was that they could not explain any thing for themselves because it was a joynt Interest and they would Act nothing without the rest After the Deliberation of a few dayes the Commission gave the following answer to their Petition Edinburgh July 22. 1691 Which was read to them by the Clerk and they desiring to have an extract of it the Clerk was appointed to give it A true and exact Copy of it followeth The Commission for Visitation c. Having considered the Petition presented to them by Mr. Thomas VVood and Mr. VVilliam Denune signed by them and other twelve Ministers who call themselves of the Episcopal perswasion do find that some of these Petitioners are deposed and some suspended both of them for gross Immoralities Others of them are in process referred by the General Assembly to this Commission And some declared contumacious by the Presbyteries of the bounds where they have their residence and some without the bounds committed to the inspection of this Commission They do also find that not only these Petitioners do not look on this Commission as a Judicatory of this Church but also do mistake their work by ascribing to them a power to establish the Judicatories of this Church which is committed to them by the Assembly and tho' the Commission be satisfied to hear the zeal against Popery fidelity to their Majesties Yet they find that seeing the Petitioners have not offered to own and subscribe the Confession of Faith which by Law is made the Standard of the Doctrine of this Church they have no security a-against other errours nor do they offer to submit nor to concur with the present established Government of this Church according to the instructions of the General Assembly much less to acknowledge it as is required by his Majesties Gracious Letter and whereas in the Petitory part the Petitioners seem to desire an allowance for setting up a Government separate from and independant upon that which is established by Law and have refused when desired by the Commission to explain either for their Constituents or for themselves this or any other expression that seemed dark and doubtful to the Commission declaring also expresly that they had no further to say than what was contained in their Petition and that they could do nothing separately by themselves without their Constituents Therefore udon these grounds the Commission cannot grant this petition as it stands in terminis However willing they be to receive such of them as personally compearing shall be found duly qualified according to the instructions of the Assembly and his Majesties gracious Letter It is to be noted that Mr. Ireland is deposed they indeed pretended that his name was blotted out as soon as to they knew so much but i was shewed them that not his Subscription but the name of the place where he had been Minister was blotted out Mr. Urquhart was declared contumacious by the Presbytery Mr. Peacock was suspended Mr. Wood is under process before the Commission Mr. Kenneth Mokenzie liveth in the North and so is not under the inspection of this Commission Sect. 4. It is manifest from their petition that they Act as a party combined against the Church as now settled by Law Seeing they speak of a joynt interest out of which none of them would so much as answer any question that was put to them also because this is owned as a petition of the Episcopal Clergy not of some of them which stateth them as one party and the Presbyterian Church as another It may be also rationally inferred from it that they could not expect that the Commission could receive them on the terms that they propose for they do not offer Satisfaction to any one of the conditions required by the Assembly of such as we should admit to rule the Church with us we could not conclude their Orthodoxy from their being opposite to Popery for so are Socinians Arminians Pelagians Antinomians Quakers c. Not had we ground to believe that they be Faithful to the Government of the Church but had reason to think the contrary because they take to themselves the designation of being of the Episcopal perswasion which can bear no other sense than that either they think Episcopacy to be of Divine Right or at least that it is the best Government of the Church and nearest to what is injoyned in the Scripture for they who are for the indifferency of the species of the Church Government are not Episcopal more than they are Presbyterian Now such cannot give security that they will endeavour to
preserve Presbyterian Government for it were to act against the Light of their own mind and he who promiseth so to act deserveth no credit This is yet more convincing if we consider that they must mean that they are for Episcopacy as it was lately in Scotland Now what that is not easie to know For they had no Canons by which it might be circumscribed and so it was a Boundless and Arbitrary Power And in the Act of Parliament 1662. By which it was Setled it was restored To all the accustomed Priviledges and Jurisdictions Which is as much Power as the Laws had ever given them And it Impowereth them to manage the Affairs of the Church with Advice of such of the Clergy as they shall find to be of known Loyalty and Prudence And that in their Administrations they are to be accountable to the King It is further evident that Presbytery could not be safe under their management seeing they will own no Church Power in the Commission but look on them as a Company of Ministers and Elders who derive their Power from the Law Also because they look-on the Judicatories of this Church as what is to be setled and that they are the Creatures of the State by looking on this Commission as the Delegates of the State It is further to be observed That while they speak of Securing the Peace of Their Majesties Government They have no hint or any design to secure the Government of the Church either as to its Peace or to its Safety They tell us also of their design To act in Church Judicatories but whether they mean the Judicatories wherein Parity of Ministers is observed or these wherein Episcopal Power over toppeth that of the Presbyters we can neither know from their words nor will they inform us what is their meaning They tell us of their purpose To act in these Judicatories without any regard to differences of Perswasions in things that are not fundamental We are here again left in the dark what things they will regard in their Management of the Affairs of the Church For it is a Controversy among Divines what points of Truth are fundamental and what not Some in our dayes have reduced fundamental points to a very narrow compass Men of Latitude have so widened Heavens Gates that even Heathens who know not Christ may enter in And how far these Petitioners Principles may stretch in judging what is and what is not fundamental we must not know for they will explain none of their words But we think that many Truths of the Gospel are to be regarded by them who are Guides of Mens Consciences and who are to censure Men for Errours as well as for immoral practices about which we will not stifly contend with them who do think fit to call them Fundamentals Again they may know that there are somt things Fundamental to Salvation Others that are only so with respect to the Government of the Church That is without which the Government setled in any Church cannot stand I know no Church whether ruled by Parity of Presbyters or otherwise but they have respect to these and refuse to commit the Ruling of the Church to them who have no regard to such things as are necessary to the standing of her Government If we would rightly manage the Government of the Church we must not regard the former onely but also the latter We are not to admit to a share of Presbyterian Government such as tho' they be sound in the Faith will Vote against the Parity of Power in the Ministers of the Gospel Nor who will be for setting Bishops over us again nor who will not secure us against endeavouring the overturning tho' it were by degrees what is now by the Mercy of God established among us One remark more I make on their Petition which is that they desire To be suffered to Act as Presbyters in this Church in their several Stations and Precincts It is not only ambiguously worded but they refused to tell us what they meant by it For it may be understood either that they should concur with us in our Judicatories which they cannot do for the reasons above adduced or that they might Act in meetings by themselves and without dependence on the Government of the Church now established by Law as in many places they do practise without leave asked or given this is a most absurd desire For it is that Presbyterian Government being now established by Law as it was before countenanced by the Gospel the Presbyterians themselves should allow a contrary way to be set up in opposition to it and for perpetuating a Schism in this National Church and that Presbyterians should by this means put themselves out of Capacity to purge the Church from Erroneous Scandalous and insufficient Ministers If they have a third meaning that they might be allowed to exercise their Ministery within their own Parishes their Petition is wholly impertinent For that is already granted them and none of them is hindered from this except such as the Church findeth to be Insufficient Erroneous Scandalous or sapinely Negligent If they plead for a toleration to such neither Reason nor Religion will allow the granting of such a request All this considered let all the world judge whether these men design peace and union with the Church on Rational Grounds Sect. 5. While we have made such rational proposals for Burying former differences and yet they can neither satisfie nor quiet a Spiteful and Clamorous sort of Men We must defend our selves as well as we can against Reproaches and as we have in this matter a good Conscience towards God so we must vindicate our way before Men. This Vindication hath been long expected The cause why it cometh out so late is not that much time was taken to make it accurate either as to the Stile or other management of it neither the Authors capacity nor inclination nor the subject matter do admit of that it was written festinante calamo though I hope not any material escapes will be found in it much less was it from the difficulty of the Work Neither deep thinking nor much Reading was needful 10 answer the Reasons brought against us The Argumentative part of these Pamphlets is of very small bulk as well as of little Strength But the true Causes of this delay were 1. It was at first committed to another hand who after many moneths returned the Papers to be Answered without any reply to them next the Person on whom it was laid and who now hath done it was sent a long Journey about the Affairs of the Church so that it was four months before he could do any thing toward it 3. He hath so much necessary Work to attend and that daily that very seldom he could get an hour for this Business which he looked on as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in respect of what was his daily imployment 4. Informations from many corners of the Nation
concerted I as much doubt 3ly That the day was so celebrated as he saith is ridiculous to assert did the Court of Heaven keep the anniversary Day That the Church in all Ages keep it is said without Book tho' that Institution is very ancient I know the Birth of Christ was celebrated by the Heavenly Host and we celebrate it in our thankful Acknowledgments of it as the greatest Mercies But that either Christ was born on December 25. or the Heavenly Host did that day bring the glad Tidings of it to the Shepherds or that any Anniversary day is to be kept by God's appointment on that account Quia Scriptum non Legimus ideo Jussum non Credimus § 6. He cometh now page 16. To his particular Historical account of these horrid Persecutions which are above reported to be unparallelled That even the French Dragooning cannot equal them Before I consider them particularly I observe a few things concerning them in general which if impartially weighed may sufficiently stop the mouth of all the Clamour and let the World see the temper of these Men and what Unmanly as well as Unchristian shifts they use to buoy up their sinking Cause 1. What is here said to be done is not imputable to the Presbyterians More than the Drunkenness Swearing Whoredoms Persecutions that we charge many of that Party with are to be lookt on as the Crimes of all the Episcopalians they were done by a few not Ministers but of the meanest of the People they never were nor are approved but rather disliked and lamented by the Body of the Presbyterians who are as far from disorderly and violent Courses as any Men are and who think that a good Cause needeth not the help of unwarrantable means and that every Man should keep within the bounds of his Station And that not the People but the Magistrate and Church-Authority in their several Ways should rid the Church of bad and unfit Ministers whatever Reflections we have of the event viz. Freeing the Congregations from evil Ministers yet we are far from applauding this manner of doing it 2. The People who did these things were under the highest Provocations imaginable to do what they did yea to have proceeded to farther Severities which we rejoyce that they were with-held from we hope by some measure of the awe of God upon them for the Ministers had been not only intruded on the People without their Choice and Consent and were the mean of depriving them of such Gospel Administrations as they highly valued but they were the chief Instruments of most horrid Persecutions and Barbarities that that poor People and their Relations who lost their Lives by that Persecution had long and heavily groaned under as will appear in the following Discourses and as I hope shall be shewed in a more full account of these matters Oppression maketh a wise Man mad It is no wonder then that it causes them rush into some Practices which cannot be defended who are neither so wise nor so good as they should be 3. These things were acted in an Interregnum When we had no Civil nor Church-Government When one King was removed and another not yet set up and this poor opprest and enraged People were chased in their Minds they had now power I mean Potentiam non potestatem to shake off their unsupportable Yoak there was no orderly course for bringing that about which either was then practicable or that they could in those circumstances have the prospect of and therefore tho' it was not allowable yet it was not to be wondered at that they relieved themselves when they saw none else who would or could do it 4. The Histories that he here bringeth are partly Lies partly unjust and unfair Representations of truth and if all were true can no way amount to such a horrid and general Persecution as he speaketh of So that indeed the whole of his account is Clamour and Obloquies without any cause proportioned to such Complaints § 7. Let us now examine the Matters of Fact which he adduceth to make out the Persecution that he chargeth the Presbyterians with The 1. Of them is concerning Mr. Gabriel Russel Minister at Govan whom some of his own Parish assailed to several of whom he had done Kindnesses Beat his Wife and Daughter and himself so inhumanely that it had almost cost him his life carried off the Poors Box and other Utencils of the Church and threatned him with worse Treatment if he should preach any more there To this I oppose the truth of this Story as it is attested by the Subscriptions of nine Persons who were present That there being great Confusion like to be in the Country they feared the Church Goods might be carried away They went peacably and demanded them offering sufficient security that they should be safely kept and restored to them who should be concerned This Mr. Russel and his Wife who both were Drunk as they used often to be not only refused but gave the Men very opprobrious and provoking Language They essaying to lift the Box in which the Poors Money was kept Mr. Russel setting his foot on it and his Wife sitting down on it they with all tenderness lifted her up and carried away the Box but before they went out of the house they got the Key and secured what was in the Box. Mr. Russel roared and beat them with hands and feet but they utterly deny that any of them did beat either him or his Wife yea are they parted from his house they asked if any thing was wanting and they could be charged with nothing This is attested by the Subscriptions of John Murdoch William Cowan Zacharias Maxwel John Keith John Hill Robert Burnside Andrew Shiels John James Hill The next History concerneth Mr. Finnie Minister at Cathcart whose Wife and four or five small Children they thrust out of Doors at Midnight tho it was a most vehement Frost Threw out all his Furniture and by much intreaty suffered his Wife and Children to have lodging in the Stable without a fire the Children fell sick thereafter The truth of this matter as attested by Robert Jamison David Park William Gouts All living near to Mr. Finnie's House is There being that Night an Alarm as if the French and Irish had landed at Greenock all the Country got together in Arms. When the Alarm was found to be false the Parish of Cathcart though the Gentlemen had desired them to go home and be in readiness if there should be need hearing the Prince of Orange's Manifesto was to be proclaimed at Glasgow went thither and assisted at the Solemnity and returning with Joy made Bone-fires in several parts of the Parish and at Mr. Finnie's House he being abroad made a Bone-fire before the Barn-door of his Coals Some of them who had been greatly injured by Mr. Finnie went into the House offered Violence to no Person only desired his Wife to withdraw which she did till they were
it on April 28. where as it was enacted on the 13 about twelve a Clock and came to the hands of the Ministers at Edinburgh late on Saturday or on Sabbath morning Some as he was told and we know many things were told him which were not true not till they were in the Pulpit This he thinketh absurd because the Bishops in England would not enjoyn their Clergy to read Proclamations Fide implicita and because the Parliament of England gave the Clergy there sever'dl Months to consider the like Case He might know that tho' the English Bishops be admired for advantage by him and his Party yet their practice need not be a Standard to the Scoth Council And that the Parliament of England thought they had reason for what they did And the Council of Scotland thought the same of what they did The case tho' of moment was plain enough neither was it a Surprize to any of those Men for the thing was long in Deliberation and known to be so before it was enacted Few in the Nation if any there were who were not then at a point whether they would own King William or adhere to King James Except such as were resolved to do either as it might more serve their Ends. What is said of the Peoples going out of the New Church when the Clerk read the Proclamation after the Blessing is not to be wondered at for after the Blessing People use not to stay And it is like it was design'd to be read to the Walls by uttering the Blessing before reading of it The Ministers example in not reading it himself it is like did influence such as used to hear Men of his stamp And of such was that Congregation then made up § 18. We now enter upon the Execution that was done by this Proclamation which this Epistle doth lay heavy load on the Council for Far less reproaching of the Justice of the Nation would have cost a Man his Neck in the former Reign The first instance he bringeth is of Doctor Strachan late Professour of Divinity in the Colledge of Edinburgh who when accused for not Reading and Praying as enjoyned pleaded that in the Claim of Right it was found that none can be King or Queen of Scotland till they take the Coronation Oath And that K. James had forfeited his right to the Crown by Acting as King without it That the State had only named William and Mary but neither the Crown was yet offered to them nor they accepted it nor had they taken ehe Coronation Oath and he wish others were deprived who used the same defence and added that they were willing to pray for King William and Queen Mary as soon as they had accepted and had taken the Oath An answer to this might more be expected from some Statesman who knoweth the reason that the Council were determined by in this matter It is known that the exercise of the Government had been long before tendered to the Prince and that his Highness had accepted and exercised it That the Estates sat by his Authority that the Nations Representative had then owned him as their King and therefore it was a contempt of the Authority of the Nation for any Man to refuse to own him when called to do so Further it is a material mistake of the words of the Claim of Right Which doth not say None can be King or Queen but that none can Exercise the Legal Power till thay have taken the Coronation Oath It is certain that on the Death of a King his Rightful Successor is King and may be Prayed for as such and such Praying may be injoyned even before taking of the Oath The same may be said of One chosen and proclaimed by the Supreme Authority of the Nation which is the Case now in hand That these Men promised to Pray for K. William afterward is false and the Committee deprived none who were willing so to engage The petulant liberty that he taketh to disparage the Council that was nominated by the King after he had accepted of the Government I remark but insist not on He now in the end of pag 32 Returneth to the Rabble his misrepresentation of things in General I stay not on he is secure he cannot be refuted but by denying the truth of them But his particular accounts of these things I shall examine The first Instance that he giveth is of Mr. Mc Math Minister of Leswade On whom one night as he was going from Edinburgh to his own House 4 Fellows fell Pierced him with Bodkins and Auls so that he had ten or twelve Wounds in his Belly filled his Mouth till they had almost Choaked him with Horse-Dung and left him in that sad condition If one should consider the Ineredibility of this Story it might save the labour of a Refutation or evincing the falshood of it He hath not told us who these four Fellows were nor whisher they were Presbyterians or not must all the Robberies and Assassinations that are committed on the high way by unknown Persons be charged on the Presbyterians Such Insinuations will better evince the Spiteful humour of our Adversaries then the disorderliness of Men of our way Next is it probable that a Man should have 10 or 12 wounds in the Belly with Auls or Bodkins and none of them Pierce the Peritoneum which would readily prove mortal And yet Mr. Mc Math neither was sick nor died nor was any Indisposition visible on him next day but what was the effect of his being Drunk overnight which all that knew him do Affirm was very Customary to him I wish our Author had told us who ever saw these Wounds or the Scars of them It is attested by his Neighbours as followeth We under subscribers declare that we came of purpose to see Mr. Mc Math's pretended Wounds The Gate being shut we went to the House of Mr. Robert Trotter his Precentor who going to him returned with this answer that he freed the whole Parish and knew not who they were that injured him At Lasweed December 6. 1690. James Currie Adam Alexander Gawin Hunter James Simson I declare that I saw Mr. John Mc Math betwixt six and seven a Clock in the Morning following that Night wherein he pretendeth that injury was done to him at his own Gate as he used to be witness my Subscription at Lasweed December 6. 1690. Andrew Finlawson For this Andrew Finlawson was challenged by Mr. Mc Math Which he also testifyeth under his hand Also James Simson declareth under his hand that he saw Mr. Mc Math on the Street 2 or 3 Days after he was said to be Wounded And that People going on the Road from Edinburgh told him that they saw Mr. Mc Math Drunk that Night as he came from Edinburgh Likewise we have it under the Hand of John Young Merchand in Fisherraw that at the time when it was said that Mr. Mc Math was Wounded he went to see him being his