Chrift in Scotland is in hazard of fad alterations and innovations, inconfiftent with and contrary to that happy eftablishment, fecured to us by the laws both of God and the realm; by the faid bill. If the matters in queftion did only relate to our own ease and better accommodation, we should patiently bear the fame : but when we fee the glory of God, and the power and purity of our holy religion, and of the ordinances of Jefus Chrift in this church, fo much concerned, we cannot but hope that your majesty will allow us to plead our just right,", &c. Afterwards they plead the feveral acts of Parlia ment for fettling and fecuring the worship, difcipline, and government of this church, with her rights and privileges; all which acts were ratified by the Parlia ments of both kingdoms in the treaty of Union, and declared to be a fundamental, effential, and unalterable condition of the faid treaty of Union in all time coming. It is oblervable, after their pleading the 5th act Parl. 1690, which allows the Prefbyterian minifters and elders to have power to try and purge out all infufficient, negligent, fcandalous and erroneous minifters, by due courfe of ecclefiaftical procefs and cenfures, and likewife to redress all other church diforders; They add, By which act it is evident, that Prefbyterian churchgovernment being thus eftablifhed, the minifters and elders of this church have all the powers committed by our Lord and Mafter to his minifters and officers, to watch over the flock, and to guard against all ufurpers and intruders. Afterwards they add, We cannot but express our aftonishing furprise and deep affliction, to hear of fuch a bill, offered for fuch a large and almost boundless toleration, not only threatening the overthrow of this church, but giving a large licence almoft to all errors and blafphemies, and throwing up all good difcipline, to the difhonour of God, and the fcandal and ruin of the true Chriftian religion, and the infallible difturbance of the quiet, and to the confufion of this church and nation. And therefore we do in all humility, but with the greatest earnestnefs, befeech, nay obtelt your majefty, by the fame mercy of God that reflored this church, and raised your majefty to the throne,

to

to interpofe for the relief of this church, and the maintenance of the prefent establishment, against fuch a manifeft and ruining encroachment.

The church being most earnest to oppose this toleration, and other grievances then coming upon the church, they fent three of their number, Meffrs Carftares, Blackwall, and Baillie, to London, to present this and others of their petitions, and to agent the church's caufe: but, notwithstanding of all that, this and other acts were past against the church; all Episcopal minifters were allowed to preach, pray, administer the facraments, and marry, without any other caveat that appears for their doctrine, fave that they fhall not deny, in their preaching or writing, the doctrine of the bleffed Trinity. They are not by that act obliged to fatisfy the church, or any perfon or fociety, concerning their belief of the doctrine of the Trinity: it is enough if they do not openly impugn it: fo that there is a liberty given to the most erroneous or fcandalous men, to preach and difpenfe facraments, without being accountable to any.

We do here join with the church in teftifying against fuch a boundless toleration, as being contrary to the word of God, and the practice of reforming magiftrates and churches therein commended: as in 2 Chron. χχχίν. 33. Rev. ii. 2. and to these texts wherein fuch a toleration is reproved, as Rev. ii. 14, 15, 20. as alfo it is contrary to our Confeffion of Faith, chap. 23. and to our Larger Catechifm upon the 2d commandment.

At the fame time there was another diftreffing bill prefented in the parliament for reftoring of patronages, and repealing the act 1690, which gave liberty to pa rishes to call their own minifters. This alfo carried against the church, notwithstanding of the Commons addrefs, which was in like manner approven by the Affembly. In this addrefs they plead and affert, That "the act 1690, abolishing patronages, is a part of our Prefbyterian conftitution, ratified by the acts of parliament of both kingdoms in the treaty of Union, and declared to be unalterable: That, from our first refor mation from Popery, patronages have ftill been reckoned a yoke and burden upon this church; and this is deVOL. IV. clared

3 C

clared by the firft and second books of Difcipline: That the restoring of them will inevitably obftruct the work of the gofpel, and create great diforders and difquiet in this church and nation; and that there is one known abuse attending patronages, viz. the laying a foundation for Simoniacal pactions betwixt patrons and those prefented by them." Though this did not avail to ftop the bill, yet it was a plain teftimony from the church against patronages; which we cannot but approve and adhere to.

Likewife, we approve of that noble teftimony which the General Affembly gave against both the toleration and patronages, May 14. 1715, when they approved a memorial concerning them, which they appointed to be fent to the Duke of Montrofe, principal fecretary of ftate, moft humbly entreating him to lay it before the king, viz. King George I. The tenor of it is as follows:

"The church of Scotland, being reftored at the happy revolution, was, by the claim of right, and acts of parliament following thereupon, established in its doctrine, worship, difcipline, and government; and, that this legal conftitution and establishment might be unalterably fecured, it was declared to be a fundamental and effential condition of the Union, and accordingly ratified in the parliaments of both kingdoms. But the zeal of the established church of Scotland for, and their steady adherence to, the Proteftant fucceffion, did expofe them to the refentments of a dif affected party. And now they account themselves aggrieved by fome acts paft in the Parliament of Great Britain; as, 1. By the act granting fuch a large and almost boundless toleration to thofe of the Epifcopal perfuafion in Scotland, while the liberty allowed to Proteftant Diffenters in England (who had always given the most fatisfying proofs of their undoubted zeal and good affection to the Proteftant fucceffion) was retrenched. And though the church of Scotland hath an equal fecurity in a legal eftablishment with that of England, yet there is a vaft inequality as to the toleration of the respective Diffenters. In Scotland the tole

ration doth not reftrain the diffeminating the moft dangerous errors, by requiring a Confeffion of Faith, or fubfcription to the doctrinal articles of the established church, as is required of Diffenters in England: it alfo weakeneth the difcipline of the church against the fcandalous and profane; by withdrawing the concurrence of the civil magiftrate. It is alfo an inequality and hardship upon the established church of Scotland, that thofe of her communion who are employed in his Majefty's fervice in England or Ireland, thould be obliged to join in communion and conformity to the church of England; whereas conformity to this church is not required (nor do we plead that it fhould be) of members of the church of England, when called to serve his Majefty in Scotland, who here enjoy the full liberty of Diffenters without moleftation; and the common and equal privileges of the fubjects of the united kingdom, ftipulated by the union, do claim the fame liberty to the members of the church of Scotland, when em ployed in his Majefty's fervice in England or Ireland.

2. By the act reftoring the power of prefentation to patrons, the legally eftablished conftitution of this church was altered in a very important point; and while it appears equitable in itself, and agreeable to the liberty of Chriftians and a free people, to have interest in the choice of those to whom they intrust the care of their fouls, it is an hardship to be impofed upon in fo tender a point, and that frequently by patrons who have no property nor refidence in the parishes; and this, befides the fnares of Simoniacal pactions, and the many troubles and contefts arifing from the power of patronages, and the abuses thereof, by dif affected patrons putting their power into other hands, who as effectually ferve their purposes: by patrons competing for the right of prefentation in the fame parith; and by frequently prefenting minifters fettled. in eminent posts to mean and small parishes, to elude the planting thereof: By all which, parishes are oft kept long vacant, to the great hindrance of the progrefs of the gospel." Although

3 C 2

Although the church of Scotland was brought under diftrefs enough by the toleration and patronages, yet, to add to it, the oath of abjuration was also impofed upon the minifters thereof in the year 1712. This occafioned a great question among them, and much writing upon it, whether the conditions or qualifications required of the fucceffor to the Crown, in the acts of parliament fettling the fucceffion, of which this is one, that "he must join in communion with the church of England," be understood as any part of the oath, or not? Those who were not clear to take it, apprehendèd thefe conditions might be reckoned a part of the oath, because in it they were to fwear to maintain the fucceffion AS entailed by the acts of parliament, in which these conditions were contained. Others again understood thefe conditions as no part of the oath, feeing when the oath was first framed in the English parliament in the year 1701, and a claufe was offered to be added to it for maintaining the church of England, it was rejected, because the Diffenters could not take it: and, at the Union, the parliament had exprefsly exeemed thefe of this church from all oaths inconsistent with their principles: and confequently, that the AS in the oath was not reduplicative upon the qualifications of the fucceffor, but merely indicative, as only pointing out the acts wherein the fucceffion was fet tled, and the illuftrious family and perfons on whom it was entailed failing the heirs of king William, queen Anne and her heirs, &c. And therefore they understood that the oath brought them under no other obligation, but of allegiance to the fovereign, and to an engagement against a Popish Pretender, and to the fuc ceffion in the Proteftant line: and, to prevent mistakes and mifrepresentations they might be liable to in this matter, they refolved to give in written declarations to this purpose upon inftrument, at taking of the oath, which generally they did. At this time the commilfion addreffed the queen (as alfo did the affembly) in favour of those who still fcrupled at the oath, as if the AS in it did fome way refer to the conditions required of the fucceffor, that fuch might be favourably dealt