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atheists in the civil departments, and of prond, violent and blood-thirsty prelates in the ecclefiaftical, could not be extirpated, but rather increased by severities," infomuch "that, at the Revolution, wherever the perfecution had "been hotteft, the friends of Prefbytery were the most nu"merous;"-Popery and its adherents it seems must profper in a fimilar manner. Such kind of comparisons look as if they thought that Popery had the fame vital principle, the fame intrinfic energetic force, for fupporting or propagating itfelf,-or the fame intereft in divine promifes, and the fame fecurity in heaven's protection as the cause of true Christianity and reformation. But however loudly Papists themselves boaft of the impregnable rock on which their church is founded; yet all true Proteftants will readily join in faying, Their rock is not as our rock, even enemies themselves being judges.

It is entirely, foreign to the argument, to adduce the precepts and example of our Saviour, enjoining charity and benevolence, forbearance, patience, and forgiveness of ene

time, inftead of repealing the laws against P pifts, reftored and established ep f copacy in Scotland, we may form a probable conjecture what part he would have reckoned himself obliged to have acted from principle, whatever he might have done from prudence. Herein indeed be exactly follows the fteps, and writes in the spirit of his predeceffors, the worthy doctors and clergy of Aber deen, who, in former national ftruggles for ecclefiftical and civil liberties, have openly discovered themselves in the oppofite intereft, or, if they have joined the reft of the nation, have always brought up the rear, and hung like clogs retarding the public motion. The Aberdonians must certainly be descended of a very different race from the rest of their count intrymen, or there must be fome fatal infection. in the air of that place tainting the inhabitants, from age to age, with anti-covenanting, anti-prefbyterian, anti-revolution principles, for all these terms I reckon fynonimous. It feems its prefent profeffors, who adorn it with so much literary glory, are not over-folicitous to retrieve its character in this refpect. We mi renew the old proverb concerning it, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? When of late every other city and fociety had taken the alarm, when affociations were forming, and peritions and remonftrances preparing through all the land, in oppofition to the Popish bill, the prefbytery of Aberdeen was perhaps the only meeting of Presbyterian clergymen, that ventured directly to publish their ap probation of the meature

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mies, and forbidding private revenge and retaliation of inju ries, as condemning the ftatutes of which we fpeak *. With the fame propriety the execution of any malefactor by the hand of public juftice might be condemned as murder, because it is faid, Thou shall not kill. Our Saviour's doctrine and example have no immediate refpect to the duty of magiftrates, or the administration of public justice; but are adapted to the fituation in which he and his followers were then placed. He by no means fuftained the character of a temporal legislator or judge, but uniformly declined to intermeddle in any civil or criminal causes, left he should encroach on the rights, and ufurp the office of others. Who made me a judge, or divider over you +? And that strange amphibious kind of creature, that compound of pride, absurdity and antichriftianism, a Spiritual Lord, was not then hatched, nor heard of for many ages after. But did he therefore condemn all civil and criminal jurif diction? or find fault with the code of judiciary laws eftablished among the Jews, or the civil polity of other nations? Did he intend that the laws of his fpiritual kingdom fhould fupply their place; or that the doctrines of benevolence, forgiveness and non-refiftance fhould fuperfede their neceffity, fo far as they related to the execution of ordinary juftice? No fuch thing. Civil authority and political laws continued established on their ancient basis, and he left both individuals and focieties in poffeffion of all thofe means of felf-defence, and social happiness, to which they were by the law of nature or nations entitled, and of which they were previously possessed. Thus he fometimes refers to courts of judicature among the Jews, and fome of the fevereft laws of Mofes, (which, upon the principles of our opponents, they must he obliged to clafs with the penal laws against Papists, as breathing nothing but injuftice and cruelty, and as dictated by a diabolical policy), with approbation: and both in practice he rendered, and Addrefs, ch, 1. + Luke xii. 14.

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by his doctrine taught all his followers to render to Cafar the things which are Cafar's. Chriftianity, rightly underftood, is equally far from divefting rulers of, their authori ty, and from making mankind flaves.-The doctrines of Christian forbearance and forgivencfs have no relation to public offences against either civil or ecclefiaftic fociety, fo as hereby offenders are to be exempted from the punishments of the one, or the cenfures of the other. Nay, the fame divine Teacher, who fo earneftly inculcated them, hath left a rule concerning fcandalous offences, even thofe of a private nature between two Chriftian brethren,— whereby the obftinate offender is fubjected to fuch a procefs as may terminate in his exclufion from Chriftian fociety, by being declared and accounted as a heathen man and a publican*. There is nothing in the fpirit and duties required in the gofpel, in the leaft inconfiftent with the regular exercife of any lawful authority, whether for the fuppreffion of fcandals, or the punishment of crimes: but every one of these duties, in their true fenfe, as they may have the fullest exercife upon the objects of the strictest ecclefiaftical difcipline, fo likewife upon thofe who are the objects of the feverest penal laws, when thefe are deserved, and neceffary for the public good.

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Nor is the regular exercife of civil authority, within its proper fphere, and for its own peculiar ends, incompatible with the use of other means more fpiritual or religious. And through the industry, vigilance and fubtilty of Rome, both the minister of justice, and the minister of truth and peace, may find employment each in his own vocation. While the former is watchful that the commonwealth receive no damage, the latter ought to be no lefs attentive to the spiritual interests of those over whom he is made overfeer. By argument, by mid inftruction, by affiduous la

* Mat. xviii.

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bour in word and doctrine, joined to the attractive influence of an exemplary life, ought he to counteract the attempts of the minifters of darkness, and feek to recover thofe fouls who are already feduced, or to preferve those who may be in danger of feduction. Like the good paftor, let him thus "ftrengthen the weak, heal the diseased, feek that which is loft, and bring back that which was "driven away,” and not fatisfy himfelf" with eating the. fat, and clothing him with the wool." Had Proteftant teachers done their work more effectually, and fhewed greater zeal and affiduity, the Popish faction would not have continued to this time so numerous and powerful, and lefs work had been left for the magiftrate and the laws. But in the night, while these have flept, or, which is worse, have been idly bufy here and there about other things, awake only to grafp at gains and preferments, to beat their fellow-fervants, and to eat and drink with the drunken,these tares have sprung up. Those who are most folicitous to have the legal fecurities against Popery preferved, would not wish to have thefe laid down as a pillow for indolent ecclefiaftics to indulge their repofe, or improved as a reafon for the church relaxing her vigilance, neglecting her: armour, or remitting her care of fouls. Every Protestant muft readily concur in promoting the truly Chriftian methods, which fome now fo loudly recommend in lieu of the penal laws; and muft heartily wish to fee propofed plans of establishing more Proteftant fchools, miffions, and churches, in thofe parts where Papifts moft abound, carried into execution, and accompanied with ten-fold more fuccefs than thofe of a fimilar kind have hitherto been. The fuccefs of thefe, it must be owned, would be by far the moft defireable and happy method of prevention. And if the late repealing bills paffed, or intended to be paffed, however condemnable in themfelves, and otherwife prejudicial, fhould prove the occasion of rekindling in the breasts of Proteftants a keener zeal for propagating Chriftian knowledge,

ledge, and of exciting a livelier compaffion for those who are destroyed for want of it, we will not then have reas fon altogether to regret the event.

Yet, after all, what great fuccefs can be reafonably expected to accompany thefe means among fuperftitious and bigotted Romanifts, especially when they are protected un-* der the wings of law? Thefe, it is well known, carefully fly the light, and refuse to bring their religion to be tried by the test of Scripture, reafon, and argument. From them the true fource of truth is locked up, and the key of knowledge taken away by their blind guides, who neither enter themselves, nor permit others to enter. Tutored up in ig-. norance, and attached to it by principle, they hate their teachers, and, like the deaf adder, closely fhut the ear, that they may not hear the voice of inftruction. Their judgments and confciences are not their own, but committed to the cuftody of their ignorant or artful priefts for whom they are taught to entertain the highest veneration; while they are accustomed to confider every change and deviation from their faith as equivalent to damnation. Such men can fcarcely be confidered as the fubjects of rational discipline. They are as the horse or the mule which have no understanding, whofe mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. Nothing fo fitting as a whip for the horse, a bridle for the afs, and a rod for the fool's back.

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But however great be the prejudice at prefent entertained against the penal laws, and notwithstanding the fierce zeal which fome pretend for methods more rational and evangelical, yet there is too much reafon to believe, that, in this enlightened and pacific age, fome of thefe applauded methods, if profecuted in earneft, would be as much difliked as the other, and foon as heartily condemned as equally unneceffary, illiberal, and inconfiftent with the gospel. Some fhew themfelves as much, if not more offended with

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