gation? If all your Informations be like this, the Kingdom will find you extremely impos'd upon; but I perceive, you are refolved to do Service to your Party right or

wrong.

I remember, that in the Time of my Imprisonment 1693, one Margaret Stephen, the Captain of the White Regiment, came into the City, to get Sir Robert Hamilton out of the Prifon, who was kept in for avowed high Treafon; yet by her Authority, his Liberty was eafily procured, altho' he was refolved never to Petition for his Re leafment. When he with his Accomplices got out, they left a Declaration in the Clerk of the Tolbooth's Hand, to this Purpofe, That if any did petition the pretended King, or the pretended Council, &c. in their Names for their Liberty, that it was done without their Knowledge; for they did not own fuch an Authority. The Advocate, getting this in his Hand at Night, burnt it at the Candle, that it might not rife in Judgment against them. So true is the Proverb, Shew me the Man, and Ifball fbew you the Law,

This Godly She Captain, came in very civilly to Dr. C. and me, who were both Prifoners, and was very cheerful with us, and with our Company, and told us, fhe got out Sir Robert, and the fhould get us out too, if we were for Jefus Chrift his Crown, and Government, tho' fhe fhould go to King William her felf: And breaking out in a canting Strain, fhe cries out, Oh, wo's me, Sirs, you are all the Children of Edom; ill was the Taylor that shaped your Confciences, for I'll prove that, Did not Adam take Fig-Tree Leaves, is not that your Confciences, Sirs? Yet I muft do her Juftice, and declare, that we could not find her fpeak ill of any particular Perfon of the Epifcopal Clergy. For when we enquired, what the knew of the Arch-Bishops and Minifters of Glasgow, expecting nothing but Calumny and Slander? Truly, fays fhe, they were all very good honeft Men; and not an ill Character had the of any of them. I believe it was not with a Design to flatter the Company, but an honeft Simplicity, hating to fpeak ill of any Perfon, which is very much to be admir'd in any ignorant Bigot of that Party, especially when their Leaders can neither preach nor pray without Slander and evil Speaking. I thought, the poor Body had a well natur'd Temper, but that Presbyterian Principles confounded and fowred it in a great Part.

Page 27. You affirm it to be a monstrous Lie, to fay, That the Church of England keeps the Thirtieth of January, to expofe the Presbyterians; you defire the Reader to perufe the Office for the Day, and fee if Presbyterians be fo much as mention'd therein. I'defire the fame Reader to perufe the Office of the Gun-Powder Treafon for the 5th of November, and fee if there be any Mention of a Papift in all that Office, and yet who will deny but the Papifts were the Actors of that Treafon?

Ibid. You tell, Presbyterians are not indeed for keeping Anniversaries. You fhould have added, except an Anniversary in Heriot's Work, once a Year, for which they get an Hundred Merks, a new Hat, and a Bible.

Ibid. But to this Day I never met with a Presbyterian, that did not acknowledge, that the Death off King Charles was a Murther, and that a barbarous Murther. This is as falfe as any Thing you have faid, and that is falfe enough. For who knew the Presbyterian Principles and Practices better than the Author of the Hynd let loofe, who avows and juftifies the Action, and was in this Revolution preferred to be Minister (fo called) at St. Andrews, wherein is the chief Univerfity in tlie Nation, for Theology and Philofophy. And he sent thither to poyson the Youth with Presbytery, in the stricteft Senfe. Who was it excommunicated and executed Montrofe, who appeared for the King in the Field? Who made them ftand in Sackcloth, that went into the unlawful Engagement, as they call'd, fighting for him? Was it not the Presbyterians? Your Brethren the Independants fay truly, We took off Charles Stuart's Head, but you Presbyterians took of the King's Head. You took away his Power, but they took away his Life. The Solemn League and Covenant, the Act of the Weft-Kirk, and the Penitentials of the Synod of Aberdeen, will prove to a Demonftration, who had the first and chief Hand in this Murther. You never abjured or renounced the Principles by which that bloody Murther was acted, but of this more particularly hereafter.

A

A Continuation of Obfervations on Mr. Anderfon's Excurfions, &c.

P

AGE 28, 29. When it is told you, That Faithful Cumin a Monk, and Thomas Heath a Jefuite, were the First that brought Extemporarie Prayers in Fafbion. To this you fay, That the Hiftory of England makes this a Lye: For the Puritans, and fuch as were difaffected to the Liturgy, were a potent Party in the End of King Edward VI's Reign. ---- My Anfwer is, You will find, that the Puritans and old Non-conformists were not Enemies to fett Forms of Prayer, tho' they were to Ceremonies. But this Monk and Jefuite were against compos'd Prayer altogether. But more of this hereafter in my Collection of Foreign and British Presbyterians Sentiments, wherein the Scots Kirk differs from the Church of England.

Pag. 36. When in a Miftake I cite the 6th Canon for the 6th Article of the Church of England, you infult in thefe Words, Such is your Ignorance, that you cannot diftinguish betwixt the Ecclefiaftical Canons and Articles of Religion. It behoved you to fpeak fo to please your Party, that they might have an high Opinion of you. Sure I can read the one as well as the other: There is no Mistake in the Substance. Your Crimine ex uno difce omnes, in the Title Page of your Book, is a far greater Miftake; and yet I do not think it worth the quarrelling. I remember,that Arch-Bifhop Spotifwood in his Hiftory, and Bishop Taylor in his Ductor Dubitantium, relate a Story of the peevifh, proud, litigious Temper of the Presbyterians, who appointed a Faft on that very Day, which King James VIth appointed to be a Feftival for treating of a King's Ambaffadour, the one calls it the King of Denmark's, the other the King of France's Ambaffadour; one of them was wrong in the Circumftance, but both true in thic Subftance of the Story. Again, it is told of Mr. David Williamfon, that in his Efcape from the King's Troops, he fhelter'd himself in a Bed with a Lady's Daughter,which the Searchers in Difcretion pafs'd by, for Fear of frighting the young Lady. This Story is told of Mr. David, but it is falfe, for that Lady had no Daughter, but it is as true that it was the Lady's

Niece.

nus;

Page 32. You cannot pafs by a civil Compliment upon a learned Man, Mr. Falk ner whom I call Doctor, who furely is called fo, moft deservedly, by feveral learned Men. Your witty Ironie upon this is, All your Writers must be Doctors, Doctores a docendo, quemadmodum montes a movendo. I anfwer, You are very excellent at critical Grammatications and pedantick Púnns, which minds me of a Brother of yours, who to show his learning upon the Word, Lord, held out near half an Hour upon the Latin Word, Dominus. This (fays he) Sirs is a rich Word, for 1. it fignifies Do miGod gives more or lefs as he pleaseth himself. 2. Do manus; the Lord takes fome by the Hand, and he rejects others. 3. Da munus; God giveth Gifts to all Men. 4. Do minas; God threatens the Malignants of the World. 5. Do minas; God gives Mark pieces to the Godly who are perfecuted in the World. Your Brethren have abounded with pretty Punns, and Clinks, and Clenches upon Words; as one preaching against Tule-day, crys out thus, You'll fay, Sirs, Good old Tule-day, I fay,good old foot Day. You'll fay, it is a brave halie Day; I tell you, it is a brave Belly Day. You'll fay, thefe are bony Formalities; I tell you, thefe are bony Fartalities. ---- Another learned Brother at a Catechifing, told, Tule-Day was derived thus, There was a certain Man hang'd his Dog on the 25 of December; the Creature was Three Hours hung, at laft the Cord was loofed, and the Dog lived; and running off, cry'd, Ule, Ule, Ule, and hence, fays he, came the Word, Tule, Tule, Tule. Another long ago in England preaching upon the Word,Repent, began his Preface thus, "Dearly beloved, I brought you hither the Day,fome fine Biskets baken in the Oven of Charity,for the Chickens "of the Church, for the Sparrows of the Spirit, and the fweet Swallows of Salvation. "Alas! now a days, all Houfes are turn'd into Ale-houses; our Cares are turn'd into "Cards; our Paradife to a Pair of Dice; our Marriage into a merry Age; our Matrimony into Matterof Money; our Wedlock into, we had Luck; our Pedagogues, into "Petri Gouks; our Chaplains into Cheap-lowns. It was not fo in the Days of Noah; "Ah no! But Repent, Sirs, is a rich Word, every Letter exhorts us to a Duty, R. Rea dily,

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[ 52 ]

dily, E. Earneftly, P. Presently, E. Early, N. Nationally, T. Throughly. Again, "R. Rarely, E. Elegantly, P. Prettily, E. Evenly, N. Neatly, T. Tightly.

I fhall end with another Story relative to your Doctores a docendo, &c. There was one Mr. Butcher fome Years ago in Bedlam, who for his Divertisement, was still reading Ovid's Lamentations, which begin thus, Parve nec invideo, &c. A Friend of mine ask'd him, what Pleasure he took in reading that Book more than any other? He reply'd, that Ovid was his Coufin. It was ask'd him, how fo? He answered, does not Ovidius come from Ovis, a Sheep? and Butchers use to take Sheep by the Neck; therefore Ovid began his Book with, Parve nec.

Page 49. Speaking of your felf you fay, I am one of the meaneft of the Party, and I take up your Gauntlet, for who is this uncircumcised Philiftin? - Sir, what are the learnedeft among you, when you are one of the meaneft? When you, who treat the learnedeft Doctors of Divinity in England, as if they were your Underlings, and not worthy to cary your Books, to fay, that you are one of the meaneft of the Presbyterian Kirk in Scotland, fhews more of Falfhood than of Truth; and of Pride than of Humility. It was Humility indeed in St. Paul, to call himself the Chief of Sinners; because he once was fo, when a Perfecutor of the Church of God, but was not fo after his Converfion. Sir, if you were one of the meaneft, perhaps you might gain more Admirers and Profelytes,to giddy and wild Opinions.I fhall give an Inftance of one who could not read a Chapter in the Bible rightly, and was not many Degrees from an Idiot, yet wanted not his Followers and Admirers among the ignorant Commons, who were not inftructed in the folid Points of the Chriftian Religion. I fhall give you a Swatch (to speak in your own Dialect) of his Converfation with my felf; as fome of my Presbyterian Acquaintances can atteft an Hundred Inftances of this Nature.

I fhall fet down one Dialogue betwixt him and me, as we had many Times Stuff of this Kind of Nonfenfe. And fhall for Diftinction's fake mark it with the Letter C. in my own Name, and Mp. in his Name. Thus as it was before feveral Witneffes, he thinking in the mean Time that he spoke profound Senfe, and not dif covering that I fpoke Nonfenfe. C. Coufin, whether was King David a Papift or a Proteftant? Mp. Indeed King David was a Proteftant. C. How will you prove that? Mp. Read the 33 Chapter of Gen. and you'll find it. C. How can that be, when the Jews had not the Points? Mp. The Points! indeed had they, had they; read the 35 Chapter of Gen. C. How can that be, when Ovid fays, Hanc tua Penelope, &? Mp. For that read the 1 of Sam. 15 Chap. and that will clear I Sam. 15 Chap. and that will clear you. Much Nonfense had we to this Purpofe; and the Witneffes declaring this to a learned Doctor and Profeffor of Divinity, he thought it altogether Romance, and that Mp. was but jefting as well as C. At length, when this was out of the honeft, learned and grave Doctor's Head, I called him over to my Houfe, where I had Mp. my Collocutor, who look'd very gravely, and I fpoke to the learned Profeffor thus, Doctor, this Gentleman and I cannot agree upon the Head of Epifcopacy, I am arguing him with that Scripture, He that defires the Office of a Bifhop, defires a good Work, which gave Occafion to the following Dialogue betwixt D. W. and Mp. And firft D.W. faid, I hope the Gentleman does not think Epifcopacy abfolutely unlawful; for it is not probable that the Government of Heaven would fuffer the Chriftian Church to be deceived for Fifeteen Hundred Years, under fuch a Government if it were unlawful. Whereupon Mp. cry'd out, Wo's me, you a gray-haird Man going to the Devil with the Reft. Do you think Epifcopacy lawful? Then the Doctor, not imagining that he was dealing with an half Idiot, tays, How know you I am going to the Devil? That is like Pref byterian Charity and Civility: But what fay you to that fame Argument, He that defires the Office of a Bishop? Mp. Truly that is not your Lord Bifhops. D. W. Then your Quarrel at them is, for being Lords and not being Bishops: But Lordship is not of the Effence of Epifcopacy. And why may not the Chriftian Clergy have honou rable Titles, as well as the Jewish Clergy? Do not you find, 2 Kings 5 Chap. that Elifba was called My Lord,by a great Courtier Naaman? Why may not Chriftian Clergymen be called, My Lords, efpecially when the Fountain of Honour is pleas'd to confer that upon them? Mp. Indeed, Elifba was not a Scotch Bishop. D. W. Scotch Bishop! (fays he, being in a Paffion at fuch Nonfenfe; whileas the conceited Fool all the Time never moved himself) what is your Quarrel with Scotch Bishops? Mp. Truly they broke God's Covenant in Horeb. D.W. Horeb! Were ever the Scotch Bishops in Horeb? Truly were they. The Doctor, finding him speak Nonsense to the Scripture, would

bring

bring him on to the Fathers; and there he was put out as well as in the Scriptures. D. W. fays, Do not you read what a great Compliment St. Jerom gives to St. Augustine Bishop of Hippo;and yet you pretend,St. Jerom is on your Side? Mp. Indeed do I. D.. Where do you read it? Mp. 23 Jeremiah. D.W. It is ferom the Father who lived in the 4th Cent. that I fpeak of. Mp. Well, 'tis Jerom the Father that I fpeak of too. D. W. Do you read that in the 23 of Jeremiah? Mp. Indeed do I. D. W. I think you ken not what you are faying. Mp. I think you ken not what you are faying. D.W. upon this gave over further Reafoning with him, and faid, Truly, the Scripture ought not to be given to fuch as you. Mp. Truly it ought not to be given to fuch as you. Thereafter Mp. turns the Chafe againft D. W. and began to debate with him thus. Mp. Do not you read of Baal in the Bible? D. W. Yes. Mp. Do not you read of Afhtaroth? D. W. Yes. Mp. Well then, are not thefe Scotch Bishops. D. W. at this Nonfenfe left the Room: And I never faw a Man fo beaten in my Life-time. Yea in the Judgment of the Populace, he would carry the Vogue from all the Bishops and Doctors in England.

I add another Story of this Body, when Anno 1693 I was a Prifoner, he payed me a Visit, and told me, he was very forry that I was in Prifon for Two Devils: I asked him, what two Devils? He answered, King James and the Bishops. I asked him, what he would have me to do? He anfwered, I would have you quite the Devil and make your Covenant with Chrift. Wou'd you (faid I) have me fubfcribe the Solemn League and Covenant? Indeed would I, faid he. Is it,faid I, in the Bible? Indeed is it,faid he. It was askt him, in what Place? He answered,it was in the 5th Ch. of Deut: (For till he named any Chapter that came in his Head, and believed he was fpeaking irrififtible Sense all the Time; and that he was able for all the Doctors of Divinity in Britain. ) I asked him, Did ever Deuteronomy subscribe the Covenant? Indeed did he, faid he, I wish you were all as good Men as Deuteronomy was.

I do not publish this Story to reflect upon the Whigs; for feverals of my Presbyterian Friends and Acquaintances, knew the Man, and knew this and Twenty other Stories of this Nature to be Truth; and took their Sport of him as well as I: But I do it to fhew the World, how eafily poor People are deceived by ignorant Guides. It lay in this Man's Hand to break the learnedeft Presbyterian's Congregation in the Kingdom, with his little ftarch'd Gravity, and his Apish Imitation of thofe who place a great deal of Spirituality in wry Mouths, ugly Faces, wheening and canting Tones, which many look upon as Signs of Grace, tho they take an unaccountable Liberty of Lying, Slandering, and reviling their Neighbours. They perhaps will not fwear for a World; but they'll cheat for a Peny. What a pitiful Thing is it then to study. and purfue the Applaufe of the People, and the Acclamations of the Rabble, who are ignorant, giddy, fickle and changeable, following every Wind of vain Doctrine? How many have the People canoniz'd for Saints, whom God has damn'd for incarnate Devils: The poor Publican was a Reprobate in the Opinion of the People; and the proud Pharifee was of the Election of Grace: But our Saviour was of a contrary Mind. Wo then will be to thofe Guides, who make it their Bufinefs, to have their Perfons in Admiration with the People; and fad is the Condition of the People, who are blindfolded with fuch Guides. It lay in the Power of this Body, whom I have mentioned, to hound out a Rabble upon a Curate, and to tell that the Curate deferved to be roughly treated, for he is Arminian. And if it were asked what an Arminian is? he would tell, that he is a Man that afferts, that God made the greater Part of Mankind purposely to damn them, the People would receive this for good Coin. Many Stories of this Nature could be told, I remember in the City of Edinburgh, when the Presbyterian Teachers were railing and raving against the Book of Common Prayer, that one among the Reft faid, that the Liturgifts, in their Kneeling at the Communion, adored the Bread and Wine;and a Merchant in the City,who came into a Stationer's Shop, and fell upon the Book of Common Prayer, accufing the Church of England of Idolatry, a Perfon that was prefent told him, that the Church of England profefs'd and protefted to the contrary; and that it did not kneel To the Sacrament but At it, and produced the 28th Article against Tranfubftantiation, and feveral Things to that Purpose. The Presbyterian Believer told him, He would believe his Teacher better than all the Church of England. Which exactly put me in mind of the Command that the Jewish Guides had over the Confciences of thefe, that watch'd the holy Grave, tho' with their Eyes they faw the Resurrection, yet contrary to their Sight, Knowledge and Confcience they were made to say, that his Difciples ftole him away by Night: And no doubt, but they believed this at laft themfelves. Sad Guides are these, who cheat the People

1

out

out of their Souls, and the Means of their Edification; and no better Means than à Form of found Words, a Liturgy, frequent Communion, and reading of the Scriptures: All which are vehemently and furiously oppofed by our Scots Kirkmen. No better can be expected of a fchifmatical Crew, where they may pray Arianifm, Socinianism, or any Herefy whatfoever, for ought the implicite and deluded People can difcern: But let a Liturgift be Ignorant or Heretical, he cannot wrong a fix'd Worship, by his Weakness or wrong Opinion. I do truly fear, that the Jefuites are not fo much at the bottom of this, as the Deifts who deny Reveal'd Religion; and the Socinians, that deny the Divinity of our Saviour, and fodefervedly are called baptiz'd Turks. And no better Tools for their Design than Presbyterians and other Sectarians, to bring us into Mahumetifm: For I read in a very learned Author, that there was a Defign to enlarge the Proteftant Communion by joining with the Turks; and they gave these Reafons for it, That the Turks believed one God; they acknowledged Chrift was a great Prophet; they were for abfolute Predeftination; and they hated Popery.

Ifhall give thefe few following Inftances of the Credulity of thefe implicite People, and then conclude. 1. Mr. John Ainfly, Minifter of Oxnam in Teviotdale, was, at the Revolution, content to go in to Presbytry, and by his Friends made Interest with Mr.Gabriel Semple, Incumbent at fedburgh. When Mr. Gabriel found Mr. Ainfly in earneft upon the Matter, he difclos'd his Mind freely to him, and faid, You that are 'Curates were not half wife; for you studied to please your Patrons, Lairds and Ladies; but we studied to please the People, who have many Tongues, many Eyes, and many Hands; and fo having the Multitude on our Side, we are fix'd against a few Oppofers: And the best Politick I can recommend to you is, to make your Intereft with Dandie Bell and Meggie Lorrain; and when you have made your Peace with them, you are fure of us. Now this Dandie Bell was a Cameronian Weaver in Jedburgh; and Meggie Lorrain a Midwife in the Country. At which poor Mr. Ainfly was very much dejected, and went Home, repenting that he took not his Share of Suffering with the fixt and perfevering Clergy, who preferr'd afflicted Truths to profperous Errors, and died foon thereafter. This Story he told to feveral Brethren with an Affeveration to the Truth of it. So true it is to this very Day, what the Apoftle fays, Rom. xvi. 17, 18. With good Words and fair Speeches, they deceive the Hearts of the Simple, call them Godly, and known Seekers of God: Their Leaders are sure of their Tongues to Slander, and of their Hands to Rabble the Ministers of the Gospel.

2. If the Whig Teacher fhall tell, That Bishops are cloven-footed like the Devil, this is believed: And it can be proven, that this was fpread among the Whig implicite Commons; and that Bishops were to lofe 500 Merks for every Witch that should be burnt upon that Account.

3. The Whigs fpread a Report, that General Dalziel was in Compact with the Devil; and in Sign and Token thereof, that the General had not a Shadow: This was believed by the Phanaticks; and when they faw him upon the Streets in a Sun-fhine, they would not believe that he had a Shadow, tho' they faw it with their Eyes.

4. They alfo fpread a Report, That the Mother of this King of France was not delivered of him till Thirteen Months after the Death of her Husband: This likewife was believed, tho' the Duke of Orleans, his Brother, was Three Years younger, and born of the fame Mother, and the fame Husband lived till that time. But every thing is taken for a Divine Oracle, that is pronounced out of a Whig Teacher's Mouth.

We fee then what a Pafs the People are brought to, by the want of a folid Worship. I conclude with Mr. Baxter's Obfervation, in his Cure of Church Divifions: How often have I known the ableft Preacher undervalued, and an ignorant Man by Crowds applauded, merely for the loudness of his Voice; whilst I, who have been acquainted with the Preacher, have known him to be unable to answer most Questions in the common Catechism.

The Reader is defired to notice, That in the laft Number (viz. Numb. XII.) Pag. 50. Lin. 35. there is fomething omitted: For it is there faid, That there is no mention of a Papift in the Office for the 5th of November; what follows fhould be added, Except once in one Collect; And for that, when we read of Cruel and Unreasonable Men, in the Office of the 30th of January, and of unnatural Rebellion, Ufurpation and Tyranny of ungodly and cruel Men; it is well known, the Church of England means the Presbyterians and Independants; as fhall be made appear hereafter.

An