came to agree with wonderful harmony, to condemn. and annul fix pretended corrupt affemblies who had changed the government and corrupted the worship of this church, together with the high commiffion court, the fervice book, the book of canons, and the book of ordination, as alfo the unlawful oaths impofed upon entrants into the ministry: they likewife depofed and excommunicated the Prelates (except two) for oppreffion and grofs fcandals. They approved the national covenant, and declared Prelacy, with the Five Articles of Perth to be adjured by it; and made sundry other worthy acts for purging the church, and promoting reformation; and appointed the time of their next meeting, for carrying on what was fo happily begun. And though the Prelates with their abettors made great oppofition to their godly intentions, yea, run to court, and firred up the king to make war against Scotland; yet the Lord was pleased fo to countenance his fervants and people, that the begun reformation was carried on, and at last ratified both by king and parliament in July 1641. Thereby Prelacy was abolithed, and Prefbytery established by law; and the king being perfonally prefent, he for himself and his fucceffors promifed in verbo principis never to come on the contrary of that fettlement; which occafioned great joy through all the land, and was followed with much of the Lord's power and prefence in his ordinance: So that the land, that formerly was like a wilderness, was now by the divine bleffing turned into a fruitful field.

The Lord having thus profpered the nation of Scotland in her reforming work, her neighbours in England profeffed a defire to join with them for carrying on the like work of reformation through the whole three kingdoms; and the English parliament fent their commiffioners to Scotland for that effect. And accordingly here was a folemn league and covenant agreed upon, and fworn in the year 1643, for maintaining, adVancing and carrying on a work of reformation in the three kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland. In this covenant, all ranks engaging bound themfelves to perfonal reformation, and in their feveral ftations to endeavour

endeavour national reformation; to preferve the Proteftant religion, abolish Popery, Prelacy, fuperftition, fchifm, profanenefs, and whatsoever shall be found contrary to found doctrine and the power of godliness ; and to endeavour to bring the three kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in religion, as to doctrine, worship, and government, according to the word of God, and the example of the best reformed churches; that so they and their posterity after them might as brethren, live in faith and love, that the Lord might be one, and his name one, through the three kingdoms. This indeed was a glorious defign, had the English parliament and people been truly and heartily fincere in it, as the Scots nation both Parliament and General Affembly were, who with one voice approved and fwore this covenant themselves, and did recommend it to all others through the land, who generally received it with great enlargements of heart, and expreffions of gladness, as they had done the national covenant in the year 1638. It is true, the Parliament of England took the covenant, as did the city of London, the Weftminster Affembly, and many others in England, though there were but few of them who feemed to mind it much afterwards. Some good things, indeed, were thereupon done; for, in confequence of this covenant, and the uniformity in religion engaged unto therein, the English hierarchy and liturgy were laid afide for a time, our prefent confeflion of faith was agreed upon by the affembly of divines at Westminster with commiflioners from this church, together with the larger and fhorter catechifms, the directory for worship, with a directory for church government, church cenfures, and ordination of minifters. As all these were agreed upon by the Weftminster Affen.bly, as a part of the covenanted uniformity in religion which was to be settled through the three kingdoms, so they were received after examination, and approven by our General Af femblies and Parliaments in Scotland. It is true, there were several acts and ordinances of the English Parliament for eftablishing thefe in England: but they took little offe&t, because of the oppofition which was made

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to the form of Prefbyterial government by the Independents and Sectaries there.

Notwithstanding of this defection in England, the nation and church of Scotland pursued reformation according to their covenant engagements, and got several laws enacted both by church and ftate. for carrying on the fame; and particularly, they got an excellent Act paft by the Parliament, for abolishing the patronages of kirks, which is worthy to be written in letters of gold, a part whereof we fhall here transcribe. "At Edinburgh, March 9th 1649. The Estates of Parliament being fenfible of the great obligation that lyes upon them by the national covenant, and by the folemn league and covenant, and by many deliverances and mercies from God, and by the late folemn engagement unto duties, to preferve the doctrine, and maintain and vindicate the liberties of the kirk of Scotland, and to advance the work of reformation therein to the utmost of their power and confidering that patronages and prefentations of kirks, is an evil and bondage under which the Lord's people and minifters of this land have long groaned, and that it hath no warrant in God's word, but is founded only on the common law, and is a cuftom Popish, and brought into the kirk in time of ignorance and fuperftition; and that the fame is contrary to the fecond book of difcipline, in which, upon folid and good ground, it is reckoned among abuses that are defired to be reformed, and unto the free calling and entry of ministers unto their charge: and the said estates, being willing and defirous to promote and advance the reformation forefaid, that every thing in the houfe of God may be ordered according to his word and commandment; do therefore, from the sense of the former obligations, and upon the former grounds and reafons, discharge for ever hereafter all patronages and prefentations of kirks, whether belonging to the king, or to any laick patron, Prefbyteries, or others within this kingdom, as being unlawful and unwarrantable by God's word, and contrary to the doctrine and liberties of this kirk." Afterwards they fay, "And it is further declared and ordained, That if any prefentation fhall hereafter

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hereafter be given, procured or received, that the fame is null and of none effect; and that it is lawful for Prefbyteries to reject the fame, and to refufe to admit any to trials thereupon; and, notwithstanding thereof, to proceed to the planting of the kirk, upon the fuit and calling, or with the confent of the congregation, on whom none is to be obtruded against their will," &c. By which excellent act it is evident, that our reforming nobility and gentry, many whereof were patrons themfelves, looked upon themfelves as under ftrong obligations, both from the word of God and their covenant engagements, to abolish patronages, and reftore the liberty of congregations in calling of their minifters.

Thus our reforming ancestors were helped to many excellent things from 1638 to 1650, for promoting reformation in the land, though at the fame time (it muft be owned) they were not free of mistakes and wrong fteps in their management. There is no period here, the church can be faid to be without fpot or wrinkle.

After this a mournful fcene opened, by the breaking divifion that entered into the church, which tended to ftop the progrefs of reformation-work, and make way at length for reftoring of Prelacy. This was occafioned by fome enfnaring questions put to the commiffion in December 1650, by the king and parliament, (which they had better declined to answer) concerning the admiffion of perfons into places of public truft, civil and military, who formerly had been oppofers of the covenanted reformation, upon their making public profeffion of their repentance; thofe who were for admitting them, being called public refolutioners, and thofe againft it being called protestors. There were many eminently good and great men upon both fides, and fome as eminent who joined neither fide. The point feemed narrow for the church to carry the difference to fuch a height, as to fupend and depofe one another upon it as they did, according as parties had the upper hand in Synods and Prefbyteries: for Cromwell the ufurper, would not then allow them to meet in General aflemblies, by which the divifion poffibly might have been healed. But this fatal divifion looked like a judi

cial ftroke from heaven upon the church for their fine: the Lord's "judgments are a great deep." Poffibly there might be too great compliances in this matter with court-measures, and the humours of great men, as there were afterwards in the matter of indulgences, tolerations, and other enfnaring things brought in by the court upon the church. It is certain, that the greatest number of the strict and zealous minifters were on the proteftors fide, who afterwards made a noble stand against Prelacy. And it appeared afterwards, the proteftors fears which they expreffed, that thefe men, when taken into places of truft, would foon act the old game, were but too well founded. It must alfo be acknowleged, that though the most part of the public refolu tioners fubmitted to Prelacy, yet feveral worthy men among them did not, and were expofed to fufferings for it as well as others.

At the time of the breaking out of these fatal divifions among us, an army of Sectaries under Cromwell invaded and oppreffed us. Thefe Sectaries had grown to fuch a height in the English army, that they invaded the Parliament of England their masters, put away the House of Peers, modelled the Houfe of Commons according to their pleasure, and erected a new court called the High Court of Juftice, before which they impanelled king Charles I. and violently took away his life, January 30th 1649; against which our commiffioners both from church and ftate in Scotland, then at London, did proteft, and were therefore hardly used. Immediately thereupon, Scotland proclaimed his fon Charles II. their king, and out of confcience to their covenant, fent for him, and crowned him at Scoon, where he folemnly fwore the covenant, January ift 1651. All which drew down the wrath of the Sectarian army upon us, who invaded the land, fhed much blood, conquered us, and kept us in bondage ten years. During which time, a finful toleration of Sectarian errors was granted by Cromwell and his council in Scotland, which brought in great loofenefs both in prin. ciple and practice; which toleration was faithfully wit neffed against both by the Prefbytery of Edinburgh,

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