niftry? The Affembly answered, there is no flander in the cafe, but rather it is flanderous to refort. And why is not this ground to think it flanderous, or scandalous to refort to them, who deferve to be fufpended (all of them by a spiritual cognizance, and fome of them to be fufpended corporally for their villany) when there can be no access orderly to do it. And the rather, because we find in this period, that fometimes ministers were fo faithful and zealous against the corruptions of the miniftry, that they decerned minifters to be fufpended for far fmaller faults, than many now could exempt themselves from, viz. if they were not powerful and spiritual; if they did not apply their doctrine to corruptions; if they were obfcure and too fcholaftic before the people; cold and wanting zeal, flatterers, diffembling at public fins for flattery or fear, &c. As we may read in the advice of the brethren, deputed for penning the corruptions in the miniftry, in 1596. I wifh our ilent prudent minifters now would confider the juftness of this cenfure, and what ground people have to be offended at fuch cenfurablenefs. But not only this may answer the falfe imputation of conformity on these witneffes of Chrift at that time; but I fhall fet down a part of a letter of one of the banished minifters at that time, discovering his mind about hearing these men, that were then ferving the times. Mr. John Welch, writing to Mr. Robert Bruce, What 'my mind is concerning the root of thefe branches, the bearer will fhew you more fully. They are no 'more to be counted orthodox, but apoftates; they have fallen from their callings, by receiving an antichristian, and bringing in of idolatry, to make the 'kingdom culpable, and to expofe it to fearful judg ments, for fuch an high perfidy against an oath fo folemnly enacted and given; and are no more to be 'counted Chriftians, but ftrangers, apoftates, and perfecutors; and therefore, not to be heard any more, either in public, or in confiftories, colleges,

or

or fynods; for what fellowship hath light with dark* nefs? We fee then as to that part of the teftimony, they were not diffonant to the witness of the prefent reproached fufferers.

II. As the matter and manner of their teftimony against all the invaders of the church's privileges, did speak forth a great deal of fincere and pure zeal; fo their practice was conform, fhewing forth a great deal of ftrictnefs and averfenefs from all finful compliances, even with things that would be now accounted of very minute and inconfiderable confequence, and for which honeft fufferers now are flouted at as fools. When that oath was formed for acknowledging the fupremacy, there was a claufe added which might have been thought to falve the matter," according to the word of God." I fear many now would not ftand to subscribe with fuch a qualification. Yet the faithful then perceived the fophiftry, that it made it rather worse, affirming that that brat of hell was according to the word of God: and therefore, though there were feveral eminent men to perfuade them to it, both by advice and example, yet they could not, in confcience, comply; and pleaded alfo from the illegality of that impofition, that they should be charged with the fubfcription of laws, a thing never required before of any fubject; if they offended against the laws, why might they not be punifhed according to the laws? When many honeft faithful patriots, for the attempt at Ruthven to deliver the country from a vermin of villains that abused the King, to the deftruction of the church and kingdom, were charged to crave pardon, and take remiflion; they would do neither, judging it a bafe condemning duty, which puts a brand upon our fneaking fupplicators and petitioners, and pardon mongers, as unworthy to be called the race of fuch worthies, who fcorned fuch baseness, and choosed rather to endure the extremity of their unjuft fentences of intercommuning and banishment,

&c.

And when the Earl of Gowrie accepted of a re

miffion

miffion, he afterwards condemned himself for it, and defired that his old friends would accept of his friendship, to whom he had the fame favour offered to him, refused altogether, left fo doing he should condemn himself, and approve the courts proceedings: and the brethren, conferring with the counfellors, craving that fome penalty fhould be condefcended unto for fatisfying his majefty in his honour, would not condefcend to any, how light foever; left thereby they fhould feem to approve the judicatory and their proceeding. The imprifoned minifters, for declining the counfel, had it in their offer, that if they would, without any confeffion of offence, only fubmit themfelves to his majefty, " for fcandal received, not gi"ven," they should be restored to their places: but it pleafed God fo to ftrengthen them, that they ftopped their mouths, and convinced them in their confciences, that they could not do it without betraying of the cause of Chrift. Again, in another cafe, we have inftances of fuch ftrictnefs, as is much fcorned now a days. The minifters of Edinburgh were committed to ward, for refufing to pray for the queen, before her execution in Fothringham caftle 1586, they refused not fimply to pray for her, but for the prefervation of her life, as if fhe had been innocent of the crimes laid to her charge, which had imported a condemnation of the proceedings against her. Afterwards, in the year 1600. The ministers of Edinburgh would not praise God for the delivery of the king from a pretended confpiracy of the Earl of Gowrie at that time, of which they had no credit nor assurance; and would not crave pardon for it neither. For this Mr. Robert Bruce was deprived of the exercife of his miniftry, and never obtained it again in Edinburgh but now, for refufing fuch compelled and impofed devotion, to pray or praise for the king, poor people are much condemned. I know it is alledged, that these faithful fufferers in thofe days, were not fo ftrict as they are now, in fubmitting to un

L

juft

juft fentences, and obeying and keeping their confinements. I fhall grant, there was much of this, and much might be tolerate in their circumftances, when the court's procedure against them was not fo illegal, their authority was not fo tyrannical, nor fo neceffary to be difowned, and they were fo ftated, that they were afraid to take guilt upon them, in making their escapes; whereas it is not fo with us. Yet we find very faithful men broke their confinements; as Mr. John Murray, confined at Dumfries, perceiving there was no end of the bishop's malice, and that he would be in no worse cafe than he, was, he refolved without licence, either of king or council, to transport himself: fo did alfo Mr. Robert Bruce.

III. For refiftance of fuperior powers, we have in this period, first the practice of fome noblemen at Ruthven, in the 1582. who took the King, and seized on that arrant traitor, enemy to the church and country the Earl of Arran; declaring to the world the causes of it, the King's correspondence with pas pifts, his ufurping the fupremacy over the church, and oppreffing the minifters, all by means of his wicked counfellers, whom therefore they removed from him. The King himself emitted a declaration allowing this deed. The General Affembly approved of it, and perfuaded to a concurrence with it, and nothing was wanting to ratify it, as a moft lawful and laudable action. At length the fox efcapes, and changes all, and retracts his former declaration. The lords again rally, and interprife the taking of the caftle of Stirling, and gain it; but afterward furrender it after which the Earl of Gowrie was executed, and minifters are commanded to retract the approbation of Ruthven bufinefs, but they refufed; and many were forced to flee to England, and the lords were banished. But, in the year 1585, they return with more fuccefs, and take the caftle of Stirling. The cowardly king does again acknowledge and justify

their

their enterprife, that they needed no apology of 'words, weapons had spoken well enough, and gotten them audience to clear their own caufe:' but his after carriage declared him as crafty and false, as he was cowardly and fearful. Again, we have the advice of the General Affembly, for refifting, when the minifters were troubled upon Mr. Black's bufinefs, and there was an intention to pull them out of their pulpits they advised them to ftand to the dif charge of their calling, if their flocks would fave them from violence, and yet this violence was expected from the King and his emiffaries. As to that point then there can be no difpute.

IV. There was little occafion for the question about the King's authority in this period, but generally all acknowledged it; because they were not fenfible of his ufurpation, and his cowardice made him incapable of attempting any thing that might raife commotions in civil things. Yet we remark, that whatfoever authority he ufurped beyond his fphere, that was difowned and declined by all the faithful, as the fupremacy. Next that they refented, and represented very harshly, any afpiring to abfolutenefs; as Mr. Andrew Melvin could give it no better name, nor entertain no better notion of it, than to term it, the bloody gully, as he inveighs against it in the Affembly 1582. And next, in this fame period, we have a very good defcription of that authority, which the King himself allows not to be owned, which out of a King's mouth abundantly justifies the difowning of the present tyranny: this fame King James, in a fpeech to the parliament, in the year 1609, faith, A king deI generateth into a tyrant, when he leaveth to rule by law, much more when he beginneth to invade his fubjects perfons, rights and liberties, to fet up an. arbitrary power, impofe unlawful taxes, raife forces, 'make war upon his fubjects, to pillage, plunder, wafte, and spoil his kingdoms.'