A

OR,

AN HISTORICAL REPRESENTATION

OF THE

TESTIMONIES

OF THE

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND,

FOR THE

INTEREST OF CHRIST.

WITH THE TRUE STATE THEREOF IN ALL ITS PERIODS.

TOGETHER WITH

A Vindication of the prefent TESTIMONY againft the Popish, Pre-
latical, and malignant Enemies of that Church, as it is now ftat-
ed, for the Prerogatives of CHRIST, Privileges of the Church,
and Liberties of Mankind; and fealed by the fufferings of a re-
proached Remnant of Prefbyterians there, witneffing against the
. Corruptions of the Time:

WHEREIN

Several Controverfies of greateft Confequence are enquired into, and
in fome measure cleared; concerning hearing of the Curates, own-
ing of the prefent Tyranny, taking of enfnaring Oaths and Bonds,
frequenting of Field-meetings, defenfive Refiftance of tyrannical
Violence, with feveral other fubordinate Questions useful for these
Times.

BY MR. ALEXANDER SHIELS,

LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN ST. ANDREW'S.

Pfal. xciv. 20. Shall the throne of iniquity bave fellowship with thee, which frameth
mifchief by a law?

Rev. xii. 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their teflimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

A

PUBLIC LIBRARY

888569

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

R

1920

L

に

PR

PREFACE.

CHRISTIAN READER,

RESUMING it is thy defire to answer the holy and honourable defignation I accoft thee with, I fhall take the confidence to affure thee, it is my defign to answer, in fome measure, the expectation which the title of this treatise would offer, in the hope that, wherein I come fhort (as I indeed confefs not only my jealous fears, but my fenfible conviction of my infufficiency for fuch a great undertaking) thy Chrif tian tenderness will impute it to my weakness, and not to any want of worth in the cause I manage, which is truly worthy, weighty, noble and honourable, in the esteem of all the lovers of Chrift, that have zeal for his honour in exercife; and therefore as it gives me all the encouragement I have, in dependence on his furniture whofe cause it is, to make fuch an effay, fo it animates my ambition, albeit I cannot manage it with any proportion to its merit, yet to move the Chriftian reader to make enquiry about it, and then fure I am he will find it is truth I plead for, though my plea be weak. All I fhall further fay by way of preface, is to declare the reason of the title, and the defign of the work.

Though books ufe not to be required to render a reafon of their names, which often are arbitrarily impofed more for the author's fancy and the time's fafhion, than for the reader's inftruction: yet, feeing the time's injuries do oblige the author to conceal his name, the title will not obfcurely notify it to fome for whofe fatisfaction this is mainly intended, and fignify also the scope of the fubject; which aims at giv. ing goodly words, not fugared with parafitic fweetnefs, nor painted with affected pedantry, but fairly

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brought