churches, as well as thofe who preached in the fields, betwixt whom there continued much love and peace for many years; until once fome began to condemn the indulged fo far, as to preach up feparation from them; upon which followed very fad and mournful divifions among the people of God, even while under violent perfecution, the fruits whereof continue to this very day.

At this time, many confcience-debauching oaths, declarations, and bonds, were impofed upon the people of this land, for engaging them to own the king's fupremacy over all perfons, and in all caufes; to renounce our covenants, with defenfive arms, and all the former fteps taken for carrying on reformation. Among others, that felf-contradictory oath of the Teft was impofed, and made a handle for perfecuting many of all ranks and ftations. They who refused these oaths, and did not conform to Prelacy as required, were expofed to the greateft cruelties, being put to wander about in defarts and mountains, and to lodge in dens and caves of the earth. Multitudes were banished their native country; many fuffered long imprisonment, and that in the moft miferable and unhealthful places; others were fined and fpoiled of their goods, and many pillaged and plundered by merciless foldiers and, barbarous Highlanders let loofe upon them; hufbands were exhorbitantly fined, and entirely ruined, for their wives abfenting from the parish churches, though it was not in their power to help it; preaching, praying, or even hearing, at meetings not authorised by law, was made death: Yea, refufing to witness against those guilty of the crimes of preaching, praying, or hearing, was alfo punishable with death. Simple converfing with perfons forfeited or intercommuned, though our nearest relations, hufbands, wives, parents, children, &c. or the giving them any fupply when ftarving, or the not revealing the giving or demanding of it, was declared treason; fo that men were exposed to a cruel death for pure acts of charity.

VOL. IV.

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The privy council in those days affumed a parliamen tary power, and made acts and laws even more bloody than thofe of the parliament: And though these were moft cruel and barbarous in themselves, yet they were often more barbaroufly put in execution: fo that this poor land became a miserable field of blood, cruelty and defection. Many of all ranks, noblemen, gentlemen, ministers, citizens, and commons, had their blood shed on fcaffolds, as if they had been the greateft malefactors, and their heads and members fet up on pinnacles to the view of the world. Many were tortured with boots, thumbkins, fire matches, &c. to force them to discover their fecret thoughts of state matters, accuse themselves or others, and anfwer fuch queftions as judges pleased to afk at them. To fuch a height of cruelty and tyranny were things carried, that full power was given to mercilefs foldiers both to be judges and executioners of innocent people; fo that in time of peace, without any witneffes or form of law, they cut off many in the open fields and highways, and dragged feverals out of their houfes, and murdered them, if they did not take fuch oaths or answer fuch queftions as they put to them; and fometimes would not give them fo much time, before killing them, as to pray to God for mercy. Thus was the land foaked with blood, for the planting and growth of the bitter root of Prelacy therein. Ah! have we not caufe to fear that the Lord plead a controverfy with us, as he did with Judah many years after, for the fins of Manaffeh, and the innocent blood that he shed, which (it is faid)" the Lord would not pardon?" 2 Kings xxiv. 3, 4. O that the land were purged from it!

After king Charles's death, king James, a profeffed Papift, fucceeded to him in the year 1685, when, not only our civil liberties, but the Proteftant religion, was ready to be facrificed: for he was admitted to the government without taking the coronation oath, which binds the king to maintain it: And our parliament when they met, made an offer of duty to the king, wherein they openly declare for the king's abfolute power and authority, and promife to give him entire obedience without referve. This engagement furely was blafphemous

blafphemous, being only proper to the fovereign majefty of God. Upon fuch encouragement, the king took upon him, by virtue of his abfolute power and prerogative-royal, to difpenfe with laws at his pleasure, and particularly to fufpend all penal laws against Papifts, and to allow them the free exercise of their reli gion. Sometime after, viz. 28th June 1687, he by his proclamation fufpended all penal and fanguinary laws made against other Nonconformifts, viz. Prefbyterians : and gave them leave to worship God in their own way in houses, injoining them to take care that nothing be preached or taught among them that might any wife tend to alienate the hearts of his people from him or his government; and to fignify to the next magiftrate what places they make use of, with the names of the preachers. Prefbyterian minifters did generally accept of this liberty, and thofe who were abroad returned home, and got meeting houfes fitted up for them, and multitudes flocked to attend their ministry, and found it remarkably bleffed to them. This toleration indeed proceeded from a vile fpring, viz. the king's abfolute difpenfing power; yet Divine Providence made ufe of it, contrary to the defign of the granter, as a mean to bring home the banifhed, and prepare the way for the happy revolution that foon followed upon it. There is in the proclamation an injunction upon ministers to preach nothing that tended to alienate the hearts of the fubjects from the king and his government. If the meaning of that was, that in their fermons they should give Lo teftimony against Popery or the toleration of it, it was finful in any minister to comply with it: But we ought in charity to believe that these faithful minifters, who had long given proof, by their sufferings, of their zeal for Chrift and his caufe, had no regard to the injunction in that fenfe, but exonered their confciences in teftifying against the errors and corruptions of the day, and for which fome were imprisoned at that time. No doubt those who had been long oppreffed in their confciences, had their blood mingled with their facrifices, and wanted ordinances, would be glad of a breathing time to serve the Lord. But, alas, we have it to Zz2 regret,

regret, that" in every thing we offend, and come fhort of the glory of God. Ah! we and our fathers have finned," and we have great cause to be deeply humbled both for their fins and our own.

But behold how the mercy of God appeared for us, after innumerable provocations, and when all ranks had made fearful defections from God and their engagements to him. And after this church had lien under fad oppreffion for near twenty eight years, and Popery was far advanced, and the civil power in the hands of Papifts, and there was but little wanting to accomplish the ruin both of our civil and religious liberties; the mighty Lord ftept in, and made a wonderful appearance for us, by fending over the Prince of Orange (afterwards proclaimed king in November 1688, to rescue us from Popery and tyranny, and that at a time after feveral attempts for our relief had mifgiven, and the hearts of all true Proteftants were beginning to faint within them, and the Popish faction had a numerous army to fupport them. Yet, now, when God's time was come, our deliverance was brought about with great facility, through the wonderful working and concurrence of Divine Providence: So that "it was not our own arm, but the Lord's right hand, that wrought this falvation" for us; a falvation never to be forgotten by the friends of religion and liberty. In particular, the church of Scotland ought always to commemorate the glorious deliverance and revolution in 1688, whereby fhe was raised out of the duft, and to be thankful to the great God the Author thereof, and to have a favoury remembrance of the name of king William, the happy inftrument of it under God. Since which time the Lord has granted her fifty five years freedom from perfecution, and peaceable enjoyment of gofpel ordinances and church judicatories, such as she never had fince the reformation. Though, alas! we must acknowledge with fhame, that we have not improven fuch noble opportunities for God and his glory, as we ought to have

done.

The Prince of Orange having, in his declaration for Scotland, fhewn a great concern for our religious and

civil liberties, and for the perfecuted Prefbyterians in Scotland, whofe fufferings he was well informed of by our refugees in Holland from time to time; the Pref byterian minifters met and addreffed him, congratulating his arrival in Britain, and thanking him for his declaration; wherein they complain of the overturning of Prefbyterian government, which was generally received as of divine right, andof the establithing of Prelacy contrary to folemn engagements. When the prince came to the throne, and had the government in his hands, he acted agreeably to his declaration: And though he did not all for us we could have wished, yet we have good ground to be affured of king-William's hearty inclinations to frve the church of Scotland, and his willingness to have done much more for her than he did. But it was our unhappiness, as well as his, that he had a Prelatic church in England to manage and gratify, among whom the Scots Prelatifts wanted not abundance of friends to agent daily for them; These proved great clogs and hindrances to the king's gracious intentions yet notwithstanding he did a great deal to raife up a poor finking church from imminent ruin, which we ought never to forget.

Through the encouragement of his declaration, and call to our states, a convention of ftates met at Edinburgh in April 1689, who formed a claim of right, setting forth the grievances and privileges of the nation, and among the rest declaring, that " Prelacy, and the fuperiority of any office in the church above Prefbyters, is and hath been a great and infupportable grievance and trouble to this nation, and contrary to the inclinations of the generality of the people ever fince the reformation (they having reformed from Popery by Pref byters) and therefore ought to be abolished." And the faid convention being afterward turned into a parlia ment, the king and queen, with their advice and confent in July 1689, did formally abolish Prelacy, and refcind all acts and itatutes formerly past in favours of it. There was alfo the draught of an act brought in, and twice read in parliament, for excluding all thofe from places of public trust, who had a share in the oppreffions of

the