one fide. I was witnefs once to a caufe (which indeed unhappily miscarried) but there was a noble stand made for it by the moderate party, because there was a lord upon the fide of the minority, although he had no intereft at all in the parish, but a small bit of ground which he had got from a neighbour, in order to run a dike ftraight. This appearance greatly rejoiced me, as being a token to what perfection the spirit of moderation was arrived.

There are many reasons upon which this maxim is founded; as the implacable hatred we bear to the elders and common people, and their conftant wrong judgment, which has been illuftrated above. As this is fo very evident, I cannot pafs it, without expreffing my grief and aftonish-inent, that fo clear-fighted an author, and in all refpects fo agreeable to our fentiments, as Lord Shaftsbury, fhould have faid, in his Effay on the freedom of Wit and Humour, that, "it be"longs to men of flavifh principles to affect

a fuperiority over the vulgar, and to defpife "the multitude." This hath made me doubt the truth of an affertion of Mr. G. L. one of our own difciples, "that perfection is attainable "in this life;" for, if ever any one attained to perfection, furely Lord Shaftsbury was the man. But, to leffen the difficulty a little, it is probable he had fomething in his view, quite diffe

rent from fettling of kirks, when he wrote in this manner; for had he lived to our times, and been an heritor in Scotland, I can hardly allow myself to think, that ever he would have appeared on the fide of the Chriftian people; though, without all queftion, he would have been chofen an elder, and fent up, " duly attested," to the General Affembly.

But to return: The natural respect we owe to thofe in great and high ftations, claims from us the teftimony of it required in the maxim. There is an original and effential difference between gentry and common people, which ought to be particularly kept up here. For this, we have the authority of a certain worthy laird in the country, who always maintained upon his mind a fenfe of his dignity, not as a man, but as a gentleman. Of this difpofition he gave the following laudable inftance: being a member of the kirk-feffion in his parish, the excife-officer happened to come before them for fornication & and befides the ecclefiaftical cenfure, it was thought proper to apply to the civil magistrate to get him fined according to law: but as the law appoints different fines for men in different ftations, when fome propofed he fhould be fined at the rate of a gentleman, the worshipful member above-mentioned, though known to be very zealous against vice, ftrenuously opposed his hav

ing

ing fo much honour, and gave the following excellent reason for it: "Since God Almighty has "been pleased to make a diftinction between "gentlemen and other men, why should not we "keep up this diftinction in all cafes?" and fo he was fined only as a commoner.

Another thing ftrongly pleads for gentlemen having the chief hand in settling kirks, that nowa-days very few of our principal gentry attend ordinances, or receive any benefit by a minister after he is fettled, unlefs perhaps talking of the news at a private vifit, or playing a game at back-gammon; and therefore it is but fair, that in lieu of the edification of the common people, they should have the honour or profit of confering the benefice. I fhall only further add, that having no view of attending upon him for ordinary, they must be the best judges of his preaching gifts, as being moft difinterested: for which reason, non-refiding heritors, instead of deferv➡ ing to be cut out altogether, as the ftupid and undifcerning orthodox would have it, are by much to be preferred to those that refide.

The reader will eafily perceive, that I have here given much better reasons for this conduct than thofe commonly affigned, viz. the law, in the cafe of patrons; and the payment of the stipend, in the cafe of heritors. For, as to the first of thefe, it is quite from the purpofe; for the law I 6 maintains

maintains its own ground as far as it goes, and is irrefiftible: the only question is, How we shall act as to what is left to us to determine? if the law hindered us to determine on any fide we pleafed, fuch caufes never would be pleaded before us. As to the other, about the heritors paying the ftipend, it is not juft; for the whole na tion pays it the heritor gets his lands with that burden upon them at firft; and when one buy's land from another, he never pays for the ftipend fo that really an heritor is never a penny the poorer of the ftipend, except that happening commonly to fee the money firft, he may perhaps be forry that any body should get it but himfelf. However, though thefe reafons be not fufficient at bottom, I deny not but it may be very pro per to affign them to fuch as are ignorant enough to yield to them, or who have so squeamish ftomachs as not to be able to digeft the folid rea fons upon which I have grounded my maxim. It is with the mind as with the body, it must be fed with fuch things as it is able to bear, and as will beft agree with its frame and conftitution.

While a fettlement is carrying on, the candidate against whom there is a ftrong oppofition from the people, must be looked upon, and every

where

where declared to be, a perfon of great worth, and remarkable abilities; provided always, that if ever the fame perfon, after he is fettled, be at pains, and fucceed in gaining the people's affection, he fhall then fall as much below the ordinary ftandard in his character, as before he was raised above it.

Both parts of this maxim will appear very rea fonable to all that fee with our eyes. The people being against a man, is a certain fign of his being a good preacher, as has been formerly proved: it is also a pretty fure fign of his being of moderate principles, which make the com

ers thereunto perfect," and thefe two things are fufficient to juftify us in raising his charac ter. It is indeed often abfolutely neceffary, when a process is in agitation, that it may help him out with a scanty concurrence, and have an influence upon the church-courts, which are composed of a mixed multitude. Nor is it easy to conceive,. how excellent and well-invented a weapon this is, the giving a man an extraordinary and high character. It neceffarily imprints a kind of veneration of him on the minds of his judges; and hath this peculiar advantage, that there is no parrying of it; for whatever some few of different principles may think, they dare not plainly contradict it. Every man has it in his power to speak