greatest part did, whereby all degrees of perfons through the land were miferably involved in the breach of covenant, and defections of the time. Nay, the wickednefs of this period came to fuch a pitch, that our national covenant, and the folemn league, were ordered by public authority to be moft ignominiously burnt at feveral market croffes, to the fearful difhonouring of the great tremenduous God, with whom thefe covenants were made.

After fome time's filence, the ejected minifters began to be convinced it was their duty to preach the gofpel, at the earnest defire of their people, who declined to hear the curates who were thrust in upon them, though forely harraffed for it; and that they ought to preach, notwithstanding the prohibitions of the magistrate, efpecially when they faw what fort of men were thrust in upon the people. At first they had worship only in private houses in the most peaceable and harmless manner; but the cruel prelates and rulers would not bear with any fuch meetings; fo that at length, by their feverities, they were driven from houses to the fields for more fafety. But ftill feverer laws were made against all fuch meetings, whether in the houses or fields. Nay, they came even to that height to enact, Charl. II. Parl. 2. Seff. 2. 1670, "That if any man thall preach or pray in the fields, or in any houfe, where there fhall be more hearers than the house contains, fo as some of them be without doors, he fhall be punished with death and confifcation of goods." So that, by this terrible law, two or three hearkening at honeft men's doors or windows in time of family-worthip, though posted there out of malice or mere curiofity, did expofe the worshippers of God to a cruel death. Thefe and fuch like laws tended to banish family worship out of the land, and were too fuccessful that way. Likewife fevere punishments were enacted against the hearers of ejected ministers, and these who did not hear the parith minifters, or employed others to baptife their children. And they proceeded to incredible barbarities against non conformists, both minifters and people. Yet, in these cruel perfecuting times, the Lord gave teftimony

to

to the word of his grace, and blessed his ordinances (though prohibited by men) with very remarkable fuccefs; and the more pains the perfecuting Prelates and their instruments were at to fupprefs thefe affemblies, the more numerous they grew, and the parish churches were the more deferted.

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When methods of force and cruelty could not prevail to flop thefe affemblies, they fell upon more crafty ways, by granting indulgence to fome of the ejected minifters to preach in vacant churches, under certain limitations fuch as, Their being confined within their parishes, and not encouraging thofe of other congrega tions to refort to them; their forbearing to lecture before fermon; their not preaching in church yards; their not admitting minifters who were not indulged to affift them, &c. This indulgence, and prescribing rules to minifters, being ordered by the king and his counsel, by virtue of his ecclefiaftic fupremacy, now established by law, was on the magiftrates part a finful encroachment upon Chrift's headship over his church. And though poor haraffed minifters might be glad of any little breathing time for the exercise of their ministry in the midft of heavy fufferings, yet, if any of them did accept of the magiftrate's indulgence upon the conditions and restrictions prefcribed, they cannot be juftified therein; but for thofe worthy minifters who left all for Chrift and their conscience, and suffered greatly for not complying with Prelacy, and other defections of their time, and who always refufed that they accepted the indulgence upon the terms of the king and council (though they preached in the churches they affigned) neither did obferve these terms while they enjoyed the benefit, and were afterwards turned out again upon that account; it were hard to charge them with approving of the king's ufurped fupremacy: Though, at the fame time, we with they had given a more full and explicit teftimony against the Eraftian encroachments of the magiftrate, than we can learn they did. Yet, notwithstanding hereof, God was pleafed to glorify his fovereign grace, in giving remarkable fuccels to the labours and miniftry of thofe indulged in churches,

churches, as well as those 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 thefe oaths, and did not conform to Prelacy as required, were expofed to the greatest 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 most miserable and unhealthful places; others were fined and fpoiled of their goods, and many pillaged and plundered by merciless foldiers and barbarous Highlanders let loose upon them; husbands 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 witnefs againft thofe 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 treafon; fo that men were expofed to a cruel death for pure acts of charity.

VOL. IV.

Z z

The

The privy council in thofe days affumed a parliamentary power, and made acts and laws even more bloody than thofe of the parliament: And though these were most cruel and barbarous in themselves, yet they were often more barbaroufly put in execution: fo that this poor land became a miferable field of blood, cruelty and defection. Many of all ranks, noblemen, gentlemen, minifters, citizens, and commons, had their blood thed on scaffolds, as if they had been the greatest 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, accufe themselves or others, and anfwer fuch queftions as judges pleafed to afk at them. To fuch a height of cruelty and tyranny were things carried, that full power was given to merciless soldiers 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 houses, and murdered them, if they did not take fuch oaths or answer fuch questions 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 cause to fear that the Lord plead a controverly with us, as he did with Judah many years after, for the fins of Manaffeh, and the innocent blood that he fhed, 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 profefied 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 pow er and authority, and promise 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 againft Pa pilts, and to allow them the free exercife 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 houfes, 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 ufe 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 miniftry, and found it remarkably bleffed to them. This toleration indeed proceeded from a vile fpring, viz. the king's absolute difpenfing power; yet Divine Providence made ufe of it, contrary to the defign of the granter, as a mean to bring home the banished, and prepare the way for the happy revolution that foon followed upon it. There is in the proclamation an injunction upon minifters to preach nothing that tended to alienate the hearts of the tubjects from the king and his government. If the meaning of that was, that in their fermons they should give no teftimony against Popery or the toleration of it, it was finful in any minifter to comply with it: But we ought in charity to believe that these faithful minifters, who had long given proof, by their fufferings, 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 thofe who had been long oppreffed in their confciences, had their blood mingled with their faerifices, and wanted ordinances, would be glad of a breathing time to ferve the Lord. But, alas, we have it to