epistle to that book, which is now I suppose printed, being unwilling it should stick there for want of one; either of you two there ar a thousand times fitter for such a work. If there be any thinge unsound or unsutable in it, I know you will, and earnestly desire you may, for the workes sake, and for poor my sake, helpe it; if it be not fitt and apposite, lay it aside, and deny your selfe that far as to write an other, which I know the Lord heth many wayes inabled you to doe to much better purpose. If you think that this may passe without disgrace or prejudice to the book (for it heth my subitan and raw thoughts and reasonings, without reading any thinge on the subject for such an end, from some glimering of light and reminiscence of what I think I have some time read or heard.) You will see to the exact revising and printing of it your selfe, and the punctation of it ; if it be otherwise than as I say in the close, as to not one line or sentence added to it, taken from it, or altered to the perverting of the author's sense, (as there was none by me,) you will alter what I have so peremptorily said, and put it in some safe generall, that no wntruth be so confidently asserted, which may also be contradicted. Wse your freedome with it, for the work and cause sake.

I dare not trouble you with any account of our matters; but great and growing are our confusions, distempers, and distractions. We are made by them exceedingly contemptible, and for any thinge I know, presbyterian government gote never such a blow in Brittain as it is like to receave by them; and it's more than probable, that severall that ar weary of prelacy, and might incline to favour our persons, ar frighted and scarred from us because of our dividing and contentious practises, as if the very principles of our government and party had a genuin and native tendency to them, since we thus so readily fall by the ears on every occasion. Ah! He, the jealous and much provoked God, heth divyded us in his anger, and there is litle hope of healing! My dearest, and even as wombe-born brother, suffer me to tell you, that it is wondred at by many, and even by some that ar your reall friends and myn, and I confesse I somewhat wonder at it my selfe, that whatever is or may be your just dissatisfaction with the indulgence, that you should not only run this great and unexpected leinth in incouraging and persuading to withdraw and separat, and to allow and patronize these poor petulant young men, who, thoughe no plene ambassadours of Jesus Christ, roam up and down the country, and in places where they have

no calling, and very magisterially charge under highest pains, to withdraw from the indulged brethrens ministry, and load all with the imputations of fainting and unfaithfulness who run not at that same rate, but also state your selves, being knowing and godly, eminently godly men, in an open and to the world declared opposition to all (a very few, if any, excepted) the honest suffering ministers of the Church of Scotland, so as to write against opinions, practises, proceedings, forbearings, and all thinges abut these differences here in men, many of whom you knou, and so much in favours and commendation of some novices whom you knou not, some of whose insolent extravagancies, I persuade my selfe, the sober and humble soul of the tender, godly, knowing, and judicious Mr Mackquard wolde as much abhore, if knowen to him, as they ar incapable of a just apology. Is there no forbearance in these thinges to be expected which we justly dissallow? and shall our differences be screwed to such a hight, and so keenly and eagerly pursued, so as all fears of Popery and a forraigne sword (which ar like only to putt a period to them) ar swallowed up and forgotten? Is there, my dearly beloved brother, and man greatly beloved, no place for intreaties and beseechings, to consider and endevour to prevent, before thinges be quite past remedy, (for I will dispute none,) is there, I say, no place to consider whither it wer better to supercede our contendings then to have our Church ruined? I scarcely see a midle way for any thinge. I hear the sober and judicious godly in Scotland will not holde up with these late methods, and indirect wayes ar taken to blast evry mans repute that finds not in his heart to goe all the 1-inth that some goe; but its a small thinge to be judged of men. As for poor me, O, if I knou of a cottage in the wildernesse while I live, and were sure thence to goe to the kingdome! I hear there ar animadversions on Mr Brown's letters to Mr Dickson about the brethrens meeting at Edinburgh, and to Mr Cameron, as if none such had been reased up in the Church of Scotland for many years before; where I suppose they will and can hardly but have great advantage of him, neither will after replyes, I fear, well helpe errours in the first concoction. I hear also, there is an answer to his 24 arguments against hearing, which I find even sober persons not lay much weight upon; but I have seen none of them, nor have I great pleasure to be entangled in that, alace! not so greatly edifieing and much stumbling contraversy. I told you longe since what this wold ome to. O, if wee were all more humbled before Him, more one

with Him, and more one in Him amongst our selves! I dearly salute your worthy wife, worthy Mr Gordoun, my kind and oblidging friend choice Mrs Levingstoun, a mother indeed in Israel, worthy Mr Russell and his wife, blest Mrs Hoshipied and her husband. Forget not to salute kindly in my name Mr Brown and Mr Coleman. My wife is now very weak, broken in her health, and is seldome well. Grace, grace, grace be with you.-I am, my dearest and most desirable Brother,

Your own poor afflicted and uselesse, but much, very much oblidged and affectionatt J. C.

Please to inquyre at Mr Russell if he knew how worthy, now glorified, Collonell Wallace disposed on his litle affairs, and whether he left any thinge for William's wife, a sober, grave, godly gentlewoman, pleaing now here at law, for she heth heard no thinge of it. Send word by the first occasion by post about that matter. Desire your wife to remember me dearly to James Dunlop, to sweet John, and our own Margaret.

No. VI.

[Orig. MS. in Bibl. Jurid. Edin. No. LVIII. Jac. V 1. 11. art. 90.]

Letter from Mr MACWARD to Mr JOHN BROWN, with the

Answer.*

DEARE B.

I HEREWITH send you, first, a seled letter to your self; secondly, I send you a letter of Mr Carstairs', with the Epistle to Kalderwood's History, wherewith I am pleased, for I have run it over. You may also read it; onely I think, if you judge fit, such a word

* It is marked on the back, in Wodrow's hand, "Lett. Mr M'Ward to Mr Brown, on ye Preface to Calderwood's History, &c. So its sometime 1678." This is a mistake; as Carstairs's letter, to which it refers, is dated Feb. 17, 1679.

might be inserted towards the close, that it will be unworthy of any serious person, much more of a minister of the Gospel, not to provide himself with a copy of one of these and peruse. Next, for I writ things as they come in my head, if you think good it may be, it were not amisse, towards the beginning of that part of the preface where the History itself is particularly spoken too, for preventing the reader's neglect and contempt of the whole, if he finde not somewhat tickling and takeing in the beginning, to drop such a word as this-However things are more briefly hinted in the beginning of the History, and onely a cleare deduction of the series of Assemblies held forth, which was the author's design, yet the following part is full, sweet, and satisfactory; wherein things are handled, etc. This is all I have to say of it, except that I judge it must be transcribed, for I doubt if this hand can be read. As for the rest that relats to it, viz. Mr Fleming's rare overture for paying Mr Russell, etc., I know Mr Russell will acquaint you with it. However, you will finde what he sais in this short letter to me, which I also send you, because of some newes in it.

As for the larger with the Preface, you see he answers none of my arguments; onely you will perceive by Mons's to me, according to my conjecture that is put upon him, so that it is him we have now mainly to deale with. I have run Mons's over, and I perceive these two:-1st, That he would have us falling off from the pursute; 2dly, I perceive, and I wonder he strikes so oft on that string, that he is strangely picqued at our writing about the time he went hence, and that his being here did not prevent it.

I suspect that person Mrs Sims. hints at in yours be Rob. Ham., though I have not heard whether he be come or not; onley I heare the Lady Kersland is come. Let me know how you are, and if you have read these sheets you took with you. Let me have your thoughts about them; but doo not straiten yourself. You may read what I now send you at your own conveniency. Its like we must have a day together next week. I know you will not scruple to see Mr Hamilton, if he be come. I was just upon our union and divisions when I received Mons's. I am weary. Be not discouraged: He will hold your hand, and make your bow abide in its strength. Vale.

Mr BROWN's Answer.

I HAVE read those letters and also the three treatises which are come over for an answer; all which are more than answered in the History: but it seems the Lord will not suffer that to come to their sight, for all that was sent home is destroyed, can tell you,

as I hear. Whereupon I think we are called to silence, for the Lord will do his work another way.

This Preface must be helped in some things. Our greatest troubles about church government with K. J. did not commence with the tulchan bishops, but began, you know, an. 1596, before which time these tulchans were gone and evanished. Mention must be made in it of the Lord's honouring our Church with suffering on that account before all the Churches of Christ. Some words in the end must be changed. Vale. You mention Mr Fleming's letter, but I have not seen it.*

* We learn from Wodrow, that his father-in-law, Mr Patrick Warner, (see before, p. 256,) was active in promoting the printing of Calderwood's History. "Towards the end of February this year, [1682,] when living peaceably in the house of his mother-in-law, [Mr William Guthrie's widow,] at Edinburgh, a party of the Guards,-commanded by Major Johnstoun, -took him out of his bed, ransacked the whole house, and took away upwards of twenty copies of Calderwood's History, lately printed, mostly upon his charges, with some hundreds of the Second Book of Discipline, lately printed, and several other valuable books, out of his closet, with a considerable number of more valuable manuscripts, some of them his, but mostly belonging to his mother-in-law, Mrs Guthrie, which had been her husband's. The books and manuscripts were taken to the Council-house to be looked over, but were never restored.-Having engaged in the print ing of that useful book, Calderwood's History, and lent a great deal of money to help it on, he was obliged to take for his payment some hundreds of the books in quires; and, besides his loss of the bound copies at Edinburgh, those which were unbound, by his frequent removes, were many of them put in disorder and confusion, and so on the matter lost to him, and many of them seized, which, after he had redeemed, were sometimes taken a second time. At a very moderate computation, his loss was upwards of an hundred pounds sterling. Meanwhile, there is neither act of Parliament or Council against that book, neither did the committee before whom he ap peared blame him for having so many of them as were seized; and yet they would not order them back to him when desired."-(WODROW, ii. 250,