might have been prevented, had the four brethren continued praying, and deliberating upon the forefaid two fteps until the meeting of the Affembly in May 1734; and not have fo precipitatly feceded from the national church, and conftituted themselves into an Anti-prefbytery, by which means, alas! they became too much engaged in honour to perfift in their feparation, whatever fteps the Affembly fhould take to redrefs their grievances and we know not if there was an Affembly fince the Revolution, more willing to do it than the Affembly 1734, had the brethren applied to them for it, as they were urged by many to do.

The whole church had been fo much alarmed by the arbitrary proceedings of former years, and the present threatened confufions, that there came up to the Affembly 1734 from all parts, and even the remoteft, many prous and experienced minifters, with fincere intentions to have matters fettled upon a better footing if poffible. And, upon trial, the plurality of the Affembly was found to be upon their fide, to the great joy of the friends of peace and truth. Now, it would have exceedingly ftrengthened their hands in their good defigns to redress grievances and advance reformation, if the four brethren had tabled their complaints before them, and reprefented what they would have the Affembly to do for to fatisfy them but this they declined to do, though they were all in the town at the time. But notwithstanding of this difcouragement from the brethren, and the mighty oppofition of great men, ruling elders, who had a ftrong party in the houfe to fupport them, the Affembly, in the fhort time they had, did all that was in their power to fatisfy the friends of reformation, and to put a ftop to violent fettlements and the prevailing evils of the time; and they were zealously inclined to have done much more, if their time and the situation of their affairs could have allowed. Particularly, they renewed and ftrengthened the old acts of Affembly, which were made to be barriers and fences of our constitutions againtt innovations; fuch as thofe made by Aff. 1639, Aff. 1697, Afl 1700, and Aff. 1705. And they refeinded the 7th act of Aff. 1730, which hindred mem

bers

bers to testify against wrong deeds of judicatories, by recording their reafons of diffent; because the said act was not made according to the forefaid rules and barrier acts. And, upon the fame account, they repealed the 8th act of Aff. 1732, anent the method of planting vacant churches; and because it gave too much countenance to violent fettlements, and too much power to difaffected heritors, and was unfavourable to the liberties of the people. They reverfed the fettlement of a minister made by the commiffion, at Auchtermuchty, against the will of the congregation, and of the Prefbytery of the bounds; and by that decifion they declared the commiffion's fentences reversible. Also they brought the commiffion under feveral new regulations, and dif charged them to execute any fettlements of churches, when the prefbytery or synod of the bounds declined to do it. They impowered their commiffion to addrefs the king and Parliament for relief from patronages; which they did, though in vain. Alfo they impowered the fynod of Perth and Stirling to restore the four ejected brethren to their charges and the communion of this church; which they did very foon after the Affembly, without requiring any acknowledgments from them. And, to facilitate their return, the Affembly fincerely defigned an act for removing their apprehenfions, that, by the late sentences paft against them, they were laid under greater restraints than before as to their minifterial freedom in teftifying against wrong acts and deeds of the church: wherefore, for the fatisfaction of the four brethren, and all others, the Affembly made an act, declaring, "That due and regular ministerial freedom is ftill left entire to all minifters." They also appointed a committee to draw up an overture for an act to give directions as to the right preaching of the gospel, and to restrain the legal preaching and moral harangues of many not fo agreeable thereto. This had been feveral times attempted in former times, but still dropt, till now that the Affembly formed and referred the overture to their commiffion to ripen it. They also referred it to their commiflion to appoint a national faft, which had been long neglected, that all

ranks might mourn for the prevailing evils and defec tions of the church and land; which they did immediately after the rifing of the Affembly. This Affembly 1734 was a fingularly faithful and reforming Affembly, who did very much in a fhort time, againft great oppofition, to rectify what was wrong, and put matters upon a better footing. They gave remarkable checks to violent fettlements, and relief to feveral parishes oppreffed by them; for at this Affembly, methods were concerted to get fealing ordinarices to thofe perfons who fubmitted not to them, from other minifters they chuf. ed to apply to. As this Affembly turned out one minifter violently fettled, fo they were ready to have caft out others, if complaints had been regularly tabled before them. Their time of fitting did not allow them to confider and provide remedies for every thing amifs, and particularly for that wrong act of Affembly 1733, concerning the prefbytery of Dunfermline, and their behaviour toward the minifter that was forcibly fettled at Kinrofs, wherein the faid Affembly threaten high cenfures against those who refufe to own him as minifter of Kinrofs, or who admit of any of that parish to fealing ordinances without his confent. This was plainly oppreffion, and a very high strain of churchauthority, to fettle minifters contrary to the rules of the word and of the church, and then oblige prefbyteries to receive them, and people to fubmit to them. But the Affembly 1734 gave a seasonable check to fuch oppreffive courfes; and for the people of Kinrofs, it was afterward referred to the fynod of Fife, to do what was proper for their relief, who thereupon allowed them the benefit of church privileges wherever they should think fit to ask them.' And letters were written to prefbyteries in other places, to indulge people in fuch circumftances in the like manner.

Thus did the faithful body of ministers (of whom Mr Ebenezer Erfkine did fpeak) ufe their utmost ftrenuous endeavours in the Affembly 1734, and in the meetings of their commiffion, and in after Affemblies, to get the door opened, ftumbling blocks removed, and way paved for the return of their four brethren to

the

communion

communion with them as before. Yea, they got minifters fent up year after year to London, to folicit the King and Parliament for relief from patronages. And when honest minifters were in this manner travelling, fweating, labouring and struggling, even above their ftrength, to get things that were wrong reformed and rectified; it was extremely afflicting to them, that the four brethren, with whom they had formerly taken fweet counsel, would by no means return to their affiftance, though invited and preffed to it; but, instead of that, would be still disparaging their actings, and mifconftructing their most fincere intentions. Notwithftanding of this difcouragement, they continued ftruggling, and doing all they were able, to promote reformation in the Affembly 1735 and Affembly 1736: still hoping the four brethren would bethink themselves, and ceafe from their dividing courfe. And though that honest body of minifters could not get all done which they defigned, yet they got feveral good things carried; fuch as an act for better regulating the commiflion, and limiting their powers; an act against intrufion of minifters, and declaring it to be the principle of this church, "That none fhould be intruded into any parish contrary to the will of the congregation." How happy were it if this act were observed, and the forefaid principle maintained and adhered unto! Some things alfo were done at this time for the relief of thofe parishes that had been intruded upon; and an excellent overture was agreed upon, with respect to evangelical preaching, which was tranfmitted to Prefbyteries, and their consent to it was obtained; fo that after long dependence it was got enacted by Affembly 1736, May 21. act 7. in which "they recommend to ministers and preachers to warn their hearers against any thing that tends to Atheism, Deism, Arianism, Socinianifm, Arminianifm, Bourignianifm, Popery, Superftition, Antinomianifm, or any other errors: And that they infist in their fermons upon our finful and low eftate by nature, the neceffity of fupernatural grace, and of faith in the righteoufnefs of Chrift, without which the beit works cannot please God: And that they make it the

great

great scope of their fermons to lead finners from a covenant of works to a covenant of grace for life and salvation, and from fin and felf to precious Chrift our Surety and Saviour. And as they are to prefs the practice of all moral duties, fo alfo to fhew the nature and excellency of gofpel-holinefs, without which no man can see the Lord and, in order to attain it, they are to thew men the corruption and depravity of their nature by the fall, their natural impotence for, and averfion to, what is fpiritually good; and to lead them to the true and only fource of all grace and holiness, viz. Union with Chrift by the Holy Spirit's working faith in us, and renewing us more and more after the image of God and that they must count all their best performances and attainments but lefs and dung, in point of juftification before God, and to make it their great defire only to be found in Chrift their Surety, clothed in his righteoufnefs, which is infinitely perfect and lawbinding; and to make gospel subjects their main theme and study, &c. And they recommend to all profeffors of divinity, to use their beft endeavours to have the students under their care well acquainted with the true method of preaching the gospel as directed by this act; and appoint Presbyteries at their privy cenfures to enquire concerning the obfervation of this act." This is a short abstract of that excellent act, which godly minifters had been intent about for many years past, in order to give fome check to the legal way of preaching, and the loofe moral difcourfes of feveral preachers, to the neglect of the true preaching of "Chrift and him crucified," introduced by many of the younger clergy. However long this act had been delayed, yet it was moft feasonably paft in 1739, when a little before there had been a great noife of Deifm fpreading among the fludents of divinity at Edinburgh; and one of them, Mr William Nimmo, had delivered a discourse in the divinity hall, March 1735, to the prejudice of the Chrif tian revelation; for which he was excluded by the mafters, and excommunicated by the Presbytery of Edinburgh.

But