hopes of a Popish and Jacobite party, preferve the Proteftant fuccefiion in the house of Hanover, fanctify the troubles which have afflicted our Zion, and turn us from all these fins which have procured them, &c.

And glory be to a prayer hearing God, who foon blafted all the Jacobites plots and hopes, and made the Proteftant fucceffion take place, by the acceffion of K. George I. within lefs than a year, to the joy of this poor oppreffed church, and of all true Proteftants.

Towards the end of the queen's reign the Jacobites turned fo uppifh, that they encouraged Epifcopal minifters to intrude into vacant churches, and ministers and preachers, who were fent to preach in them, were rabbled. They and their preachers did publicly folemnize the Pretender's birth-day, fet up bonfires, drink his health as king before great multitudes, and confusion to all the Prefbyterians. But, upon the acceffion of king George I., these riots and infults were fuppreffed, and the laws and good order began again to take place. The church reprefented her grievances from the laws lately made; but the breaking out of the rebellion in 1715 put a stop to defigns of that fort for a time. Until then, there were a good number of Episcopal minifters continued in churches through the North; but they, joining with others in that rebellion, were foon afterwards turned out. The Lord was pleafed again to pity us, and work a great deliverance for us: for though the Jacobite and Popish party rose of a sudden, and gathered together in great numbers, threatening to carry all before them, to cut off our fovereign king George and all the friends of the Proteftant fucceffion, attacked the king's forces, and killed many; yet the Lord foon brake all their meafures, poured shame upon their attempt, and made many of them flee their native country: fo that in a wonderful manner God delivered us from the bloody fword, and the cruel defigns of Papifts and Jacobites, and restored peace in all our borders, in the year 1716.

It might have been expected, that fuch astonishing mercies and deliverances would have produced humility and thankfulness to God, have led us to repentance

and

and reformation, and have animated our zeal for God and his truths, and our activity to get the church's grievances redreffed, when such a fit opportunity feemed to offer. But, alas! we became unthankful to God, and foon forgot his goodness; we turned fecure and confident under king George's protection and favour, and began to lofe that zeal for preferving the purity of doctrine and worship, for fuppreffing error and immorality, and for the advancement of religion and godli nefs, which former Affemblies manifefted. Now our old zealous fuffering minifters were generally gone off the stage, and a woful lukewarmnefs and indifferency began to feize upon the following generation.

At this time there was a great noise of Mr John Simfon, Profeffor of Divinity at Glafgow, his venting and teaching Arminian doctrine and grofs errors. The worthy Mr James Webster, one of the minifters of Edinburgh, having converfed with him thereupon, was the first that complained of him: And he was therefore appointed to procefs him before the prefbytery of Glafgow; though it feems hard that Mr Webster fhould have been burdened with an affair which was. the common caufe of the church. But Mr Webster's appeal, the libel he gave against Mr Simfon, and Mr Simfon's answer thereto, came before the affembly 1716, who remitted the fame to a committee to confider the whole procefs, and to make a full and distinct report to the next affembly. In Mr Simfon's answer to this libel, and his letters to Mr Rowan, there were found feveral very dangerous errors, contrary to the word of God, and our Confeffion of Faith and Catechifms; fuch as, "That there is nothing to be admitted in religion, but what is confonant to reason. That regard to our own happiness, in the enjoyment of God, ought to be our chief motive in ferving him; and that our glorifying God is fubordinate to it. That the Heathen may know, by the light of nature, that there is a remedy for fin provided; and if they would pray fincerely for the discovery of the way of falvation God would grant it to them. That if men would with diligence, fincerity and faith uf, the means for obtaining

faving grace, God has promised to grant it; and that the using of the means in the forefaid manner is not above the reach of our natural powers. That there was no proper covenant made with Adam for himself and his pofterity; and that he was not our federal head. That it is inconfiftent with God's juftice and gooodness to create fouls wanting original righteoufnefs; and that the fouls of infants fince the fall are created pure and holy. That it is probable there are more of mankind faved than damned; And it is more than probable that baptized infants, dying in infancy, are all faved. That there is no finning in hell after the last judgement," &c. All which erroneous scheme of doctrine is fully refuted and expofed by the reverend Mr John Flint and Mr John M'Claren, both miniflers of Edinburgh, in two different books, the one written in Latin, and the other in English, to which Mr Simfon never offered any reply. Mr Simfon, when before the Affembly and their committee, declared his adherence to our Confeffion of Faith, and studied to put fenfes upon his doctrine to make it feem to agree therewith, and made use of very subtile distinctions for that end: but fuch hath been the zeal fometimes of our Affemblies against error, and for purity, of doctrine, that they would have had no great difficulty to have agreed that Mr Simfon, or any man that vented or taught fuch doctrine as above, was not fit to be continued a profeffor of divinity, to inftruct and train up young men for the holy ministry. But, when his process came to be finifhed by Affembly 1717, there were so many members in it, who either had been his scholars, or were his relations, comrades or aquaintan ces, who stood up for faving him, that the Affembly were brought to dismiss him with a very gentle cenfure, by their 9th act; wherein they only fay, " He hath given offence, and hath vented some opinions not neceffary to be taught in divinity, and that hath given more occafions to ftrife, than to the promoting of edification : That he hath ufed fome expreflions that bear and are used by adversaries in a bad and unfound fenfe, though he doth difown that unfound fenfe. And, for anfwering more fatisfyingly, (as he fuppofeth) the cavils and VOL. IV. 3 Q objections

objections of adverfaries, he hath adopted fome hypothefes different from what are commonly used among orthodox divines, that are not evidently founded on Scripture, and tend to atribute too much to natural reafon, and the power of corrupt nature; which undue advancement of reafon and nature is always to the dis paragement of revelation and efficacious free grace. The General Affembly, for the reafons above-mentioned, prohibits and discharges the faid Mr John Simfon to ufe fuch expreffions, or to teach, preach, or otherwise vent fuch opinions, propofitions, or hypothefes as forefaid." But, as a just rebuke upon the Affembly for their lenity, Mr Simfon perfifted in his unfound doctrine, contemned their fentence, and still went on in a course of error, till in a few years he is arraigned before the Affembly for Arianifm.

About this time there arofe debates and great noife, as if some minifters were bringing in a new scheme of doctrine, because in their fermons they disused and cenfured feveral old approven words and phrases as too legal, and affected fome new modes of fpeaking; and because they recommended to their people an old book called the " Marrow of modern Divinity." This book was laid before the Affembly 1720, as containing grofs Antinomian errors; and, feveral paffages and propofitions being excerpted from it by a committee, the Af fembly proceeded in a hurry to pass a commendatory act against them all in in cumulo; and, among the reft, they condemned as erroneous two propofitions, viz. "That believers are altogether fet free from the law as a covenant of works; And that they are fet free both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works." Which two are furely found and orthodox propofitions in themselves. Likewife that fame Affembly, by another act, recommended to ministers to infift in preaching feveral doctrines, and, among others," the neceffity of a holy life in order to the obtaining of everlasting happiness." This certainly was very ill worded, however found their meaning was.

Although there were feveral ftumbling and unjustifiable expreffions in that book called the Marrow, &c.

yet

yet, before the Affembly had proceeded to pass their acts concerning them, it had been their wifdom, to have firft remitted them (as in other cases) to the confideration of Prefbyteries; which happy ftep would have prevented the overfights or mistakes of the Affembly aforementioned, and confequently the Twelve brethrens representation againft the forefaid act, given in to the Affembly 1721, which was once likely to have landed in a schism. But it must be owned, that, when the Affembly 1722 came to review and explain, these hafty acts paft in 1720, they did juftice to truth, and declared their minds, concerning the acts and propofitions quarrelled, in very found and orthodox terms. And particularly, as to "the neceffity of holiness for obtaining everlasting happiness," they declare the expreffion is meant of "obtaining the enjoyment and poffeffion of everlasting happiness," but not of "the right and title to it," which (they fay) all juftified perfons have already attained, viz. thro' the imputation of the righteousness of Jefus Chrift. Thus peace and truth were preserved in the church at that time.

No doubt it had been much for the intereft of truth, as well as the honour of our Affemblies, that they had manifested as much zeal against other erroneous books which have been published or recommended before or fince that time by other minifters of this church, and fome of them far more dangerous than the Marrow, fuch as Dr Whitchcot's fermons, &c. Oh that our antient and true zeal for truth and purity, and against all kind of error and corruption, were again happily revived in the land! But, alas! how little ground have we in an ordinary way to expect any national reviving or reformation in the church and land, while the floodgates of error and corruption are ftill kept wide open by the laws for the Toleration and Patronages?

In confeqence of applications to the king by the church, fome amendments were made upon these laws by thẹ parliament in 1719; As, 1. They discharged any perfon to preach or pray in any Epifcopal meeting house in Scotland, that did not pray for king George, and take the abjuration oath, under the pain of fix months imprisonment

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