wherein we live, are furely perilous times upon fundry accounts, and call us not only to join in fervent prayer to God for mercy and help for Chrift's fake, and to be deeply humbled for, and to mourn over, the procuring causes of God's wrath; but also to bear free and open teftimony against these evils which are the Achans in our camp, and Jonahs under deck, that raife fuch terrible ftorms against this poor church and land. It cannot but make deep impreffion, when sometimes we call to mind the fore-thoughts. and predictions of feveral of God's worthies in this land, from fcaffolds, and alfo from the pulpit and prefs, that 'God would at length proceed to terrible judgments, in refentment of his controverfy with covenant-breaking Scotland, before the return of his wonted glory and prefence in the fanctuary; yea, that our land fhould be made to fwim with biood for the blood of God's faints that hath been shed therein." Now, the oftener that God delivers us from Popish enemies, and the longer we unthankfully abuse and mifimprove God's mercies and deliverances, our guilt and danger ftill become the greater. As the cup of our inquity fills up, fo doth the cup of God's wrath proportionably. Ought not then thefe awful difpenfations to move and quicken us to act a faithful part, both for God's glory and our own fafety. even to pray, diffent, declare, and testify against these evils which we cannot stop? Were we helped to do this fincerely, we might hope, through our Redeemer's mediation, that they would not be charged upon us in the day of count and reckoning, and that we should even be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. For we find the angel of the covenant doth hold the winds, until the fervants of the living God be fealed for prefervation in a time of danger: nay, an upright witneffing remnant might, through Divine mercy, be the happy means of preserving the whole land from the invafion of cruel and bloody enemies, and of getting the poor decayed church of Scotland interested in that promife, Jer xxx. II. I am with thee, to fave thee and though I make a full end of all nations about thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and not leave thee altogether unpunished.' May the Lord himfelf direct minifters and others to proper measures for turning away the fierceness of God's anger from us; and open the eyes of men to discern the true grounds and caufes of God's controverty with the land! And if it should please the Lord to blefs the following teftimony for promoting thefe ends in any measure, yea, though it were but to convince one minifter or preacher of the evil of intrufions, of fupporting patronage, and of the neglect of preaching Chrift, it would contribute to fupport me under all the difcouragements I have met with in making the Effay to lift up teftimony against thefe evils. That the mighty Lord, who can accomplish great things by small means, may succeed this honeft defign, is the prayer of JOHN WILLISON. a A FAIR A TIAL FAIR AND IMPARTIAL TESTIMONY, ESSAYED IN NAME OF A Number of MINISTERS, ELDERS, and CHRISTIAN PEOPLE of the CHURCH of SCOTLAND, &c. A CCORDING to ancient hiftorians, our gracious God was pleased to vifit Scotland very early with his glorious gofpel, by means of fome preachers and other Chriftians, who were forced to flee to Scotland to be out of the reach of Roman cruelty under the fecond perfecution raised by the emperor Domitian about the year of our Lord 95, which was before the death of the apostle John; where they propagated the knowledge of Jefus Chrift, which at length conquered Pagan darkness and idolatry so far, that in the beginning of the third century, about the year 203, king Donald I. did publicly profefs the faith of Jefus Chrift; and he himself, his queen, his family, and divers of the nobles, were folemnly baptized. After which, the king ufed his best endeavours to root out idolatry and heathenish fuperftition from his dominions, and to fettle a gospel ministry in every corner thereof. But, this religious king being much hindered in his good defigns by his continual wars with the Romans under the emperor Severus, this bleffed work was afterwards greatly neglected by following princes until the reign of king Crathilinth, who about the year 277 set about the glorious work of advancing Chriftianity after the example of king Donald the first Christian king, but was greatly hindered by the heathenish priests named Druids, Druids, called fo (as fome think) because of their facrificing in groves under oaks. These idolatrous priests had got great intereft and credit among the people, by reafon of the r sense pleasing worship, and of their having drawn into their hands the determining of civil affairs; wherefore the people reckoned then fo neceff ry, that they knew not how to live without them. But the Lord in mercy feconded the intentions of the good king, by feveral worthy men, both minifters and private Chriftians, from the fouth parts of Britain, and other parts of the Roman empire, who were obliged to flee in the time. of the ninth perfecution under Aurelius, and of the tenth under Dioclesian, from the terrible flaughter then made among the Chriftians. And thefe retiring to Scotland. for refuge, as others had done long before them, were very helpful in turning the people from idolatry. King Crathilinth finding among these refugees many men of eminent piety and learning, did kindly entertain them, and employ them in oppofing the Druids, and further fettling of Chriftianity through his kingdom. These holy men being fettled in feveral places of the land, and choosing retirement from all civil and worldly affairs, and giving up themselves wholly to the service of God in the minifterial work, were called Culdees, or Cultores Dei. Thefe Culdees, through the divine bleffing, got the better of the Druids, and were great inftruments of advancing true piety and Christianity in Scotland; fo that" from these uttermoft parts of the earth were fongs heard, even glory to Jefus Chrift the righteous:" and thus were accomplished in part the ancient promifes made to our Redeemer, that "the heathen should be given to him as his inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for his poffeffion; that the ifles should wait for his law, and their kings bring prefents to him: that he fhould be the confidence of the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the fea." Thefe bleffed inftruments, the Culdees, were ftrict in their lives, and in governing the church of Christ. They allowed no higher order among them than prefbyters or parochial bishops, and fo continued for many years, until Palladius was fent thither by pope Celestine about about the year 452, who by his fubtile infinuations did tions. But Palladius having got our government changed, and our acquintance made with Rome, then the mistress of the world, the church fell into a decaying condition, and popish corruptions increafed more and more, till at length grofs darknefs overfpread this whole land, as well as other nations; under which the lay for many ages (for what we read) until the year 1494, in the reign of king James IV. when the Loliards of Kyle, to the number of thirty perfons, were fummoned before the king VOL. IV. X X and |