Part II. under the Law as a Covenant, to be juftified or condemned by it, yet 'tis a Rule of Life, which informs them of the Will of God and their Dury, and fo must be regarded tho' they are under a State of Grace.

XX. God alone is Lord of the Confcience; and to obey the Do&trines and Commandments of Men, in Oppofition to those of God, is to destroy Liberty of Confcience and Reafon alfo. They that praetife any Sin under Pretence of Liberty of Confcience, do alfo deftroy it; and they that under the fame Pretence oppofe any Lawful Power, or the Lawful Exercise of it, whether Civil or Ecclefiaftical, refift the Ordinance of God, and may be called to Account, and proceeded against by the Cenfures of the Church, and by the Power of the Civil Magiftrate.

The Light of Nature fhews, that there is a God Sovereign over all, perfectly Good, and therefore to be loved, ferved and feared. But the acceptable Way of Worshipping him is inftituted by himself in his Holy Word, and muft only be obferved. Religious Worfhip is to be given to God the Father, the Son. and the Holy Ghoft, and to him alone not without a Mediator, nor in the Mediation of any other, but of Chrift alone. Prayer with Thanksgiving is one Part of Religious Worship; and to render it acceptable to God, it must be made in the Nanie of the Son, by the Help of his Spirit; and if Vocal, in a known Tongue; for the Living, and not for the Dead; nor for those who have finned the Sin unto Death. Reading the Holy Scripture, Hearing the Word preached, Singing of Pfalms, and Adminiftring and Receiving the Holy Sacraments, are all Parts of the ordinary Religi ous Worship of God; and so are Religious Oaths, Vows, folemn Faftings and Thanksgivings upon fpecial Occafions; but under the Gofpel are not tied to any Place, but may be performed in private Families, in fecret and alone; fo more folemnly in publick Affemblies, which are not to be neglected or forfaken, when God by his Word or Providence calleth thereunto. God by a pofitive, moral and perpetual Commandment, has particularly appointed One Day in Seven for a Sabbath to be kept Holy unto him, which from the beginning of the World to the Refurre&tion of Chrift was the laft Day of the Week; but after Chrift's Refurrection, was changed into the first Day of the Week, in Scripture call'd the Lord's-Day, and is to continue the Chriitian Sabbath to the End of the World; and is to be kept Holy unto the Lord.

XXI. A Lawful Oath is a Part of Religious Worship, and is warranted by the Word of God, under the New Teftament as well as under the Old; may be taken when impofed by lawful Authority, and it is a Sin to refufe it. Oaths are to be taken in the plain and common Senfe of the Words without Equivocation or Mental Reservation; nor are they to be violated though made to Hereticks or Infidels. Vows are law ul, but must not be made to do any thing forbidden in the Word of God, or that may hinder any Duty therein command. ed; or that is not in his Power to perform who makes the Vow. XXII. Magiftracy

XXII. Magiftracy is the Ordinance of God for his own Glory and the publick Good. The Office may be accepted and executed by Chriftians; the People are obliged to pray for them, to honour their Perfons, to pay them Tribute and other Dues, to obey their lawful Commands, and to be fubject to their Authority for Confcience fake. Infidelity or Difference in Religion, does not make void the Magiftrates juft and legal Authority, nor free the People from their Obedience to them, from which Ecclefiafticks are not exempted.

XXIII. Marriage is between one Man and one Woman; nor is it lawful for either Sex to have more than one. All forts of People may lawfully marry, who are able with Judgment to give their Confents; yet true Believers ought to marry only in the Lord, and not with In fidels, Papifts, or other Idolaters, or with People of notorious wicked Lives, or Hereticks. Marriage ought not to be within the Degrees of Confanguinity, or Affinity, forbidden in the Word. Adultery committed after Marriage entitles the innocent Perfon to fue out a Divorce, and after the Divorce to marry another, as if the of fending Party were dead. Nothing but Adultery can diffolve the Bond of Marriage..

XXIV. The Catholick or Univerfal Church, which is invisible, confifts of the whole Number of the Ele&t which have been, are, or fhall be gathered into one Body under Chrift the Head. The vifible Church, which is alfo Catholick under the Gospel, confifts of all thofe throughout the World that profefs the true Religion; to which Church Chrift has given the Miniftry, Oracles and Ordinances of God, for the perfecting the Saints in this Life, to the End of the World. This Catholick Church has been fometimes more and fometimes lefs vifible; and the pureft particular Churches under Heaven are fubject to Error; fome have fo degenerated, that they have unchurch'd themfelves, and become the Synagogue of Satan: However, there fhall be always a Church on Earth to worship God according to his Will. There is no Head of the Church but the Lord Jefus Chrift.

XXV. All Saints united to Chrift their Head, have Fellowship with him in all his Graces, Sufferings, Death, Refurrection and Glory; and being united to one another, are obliged to the Performance of fuch Duties as contribute to their mutual Good, either to Spiritual Ser vices, to Education, or relieving each other in outward Things; which Communion ought to be extended to all that call upon the Lord Jefus, without infringing Propriety.

XXVI. Sacraments are Holy Signs and Seals of the Covenant of Grace, inftituted by God to reprefent Chrift and his Benefits, to diftinguish those that belong to the Church from the reft of the World, and to engage them to the Service of God in Chrift, according to his Word. There are only Two Sacraments ordained by Christ, Baptifon and the Supper of the Lord, which ought not to be difpenied but by a Minifter lawfully Ordained.

XXIIL Bip

Part II. XXVII Baptifm is a Sacrament of the New Teftament, ordained by Jefus Chrift, not only for the folemn Admiffion of the Party baptized into the visible Church; but also as the Sign and Seal of the Covenant of Grace, which is to continue in the Church to the End of the World. The outward Element used in this Sacrament is Water wherewith the Party is Baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, by a Minifter lawfully Ordain'd; Dipping is not neceflary: Baptifm is rightly adminiftred by fprinkling Water upon the Perfon. Intants of believing Parents are to be Baptized, as well as thofe that can actually make a Confeffion of their Faith. This Sacrament is but once to be adminiftred to any Perfon.

XXVIII. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was inftituted by Chrift the fame Night he was betray'd, for a perpetual Remembrance of his Death; to which end the Lord Jefus has appointed his Minifter to declare his Word of Institution to the People, to pray and bless the Elements of Bread and Wine, thereby to set them apart from a Common to a Holy Ufe, which, fo Bleffed, have fuch Relation to Chrift Crucified, as that truly, yet Sacramentally only, they are fometimes called by the Names of the Things they reprefent, that is to fay, the Body and Blood of Chrift; albeit, in Subftance and Nature they ftill remain truly and only Bread and Wine, as they were before; and yet the worthy Receivers, outwardly partaking of the vifible Elements in this Sacrament, do then alfo, inwardly by Faith, really and indeed, yet not Carnally and Corporally, but Spiritually, receive and feed upon Chrift Crucified, partaking of all the Benefits of his Death. The Body and Blood of Chrift being not then Corporally or Carnally in, with, or under the Bread and Wine, yet are as really, but Spiritually, prefent to the Faith of Believers in that Ordinance, as the Elements themselves to their outward Senfes. Ignorant and wicked Men receiving the outward Elements in this Sacrament, but not the Thing fignified thereby, their Unworthiness renders them guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord, to their own Damnation. The Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation is repugnant, not only to Scripture, but even to common Senfe and Reafon.

XXIX. The Lord Jefus as King and the Head of his Church, has appointed a Government in the Hands of Church Officers, diftin& from the Civil Magiftrate: To which Officers the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are committed, by vertue whereof they have Power respectively to retain and remit Sins, to fhut that Kingdom against the Impenitent, and to open it unto Penitent Sinners, by the Ministry of the Gospel, and by Abfolution from Cenfures, as Occafion requires. Church Cenfures are neceflary for reclaiming and gaining offending Brethren, for deterring others, and vindicating the Honour of Chrift, and the Holy Profeffion of the Gofpel, as well as preventing the Wrath of God. For the better attaining which Ends, the Officers of the Church are to proceed by Admonition, Sufpenfion from the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper for a time, and by Excommunication from the Church, according to the Nature of the Crime, and the Me, rit of the Perfon.

XXX. For

XXX. For the better Government and further Edification of the Church, there ought to be fuch Affemblies as are commonly called Sy nods or Councils. Magiftrates may call a Synod of Minifters to confult or advise with, about Matters of Religion. But if Magiftrates are open Enemies to the Church, the Minifters of Chrift of themselves, by vertue of their Office, or they with other fit Perfons, upon Delegation from their Churches, may meet together in fuch Affemblies; who ought Minifterially to determine Controverfies of Faith, and Cafes of Confcience, and to give Rules and Directions for the better Ordering of the Publick Worship of God and Government of his Church; but to handle and conclude nothing but what is Ecclefiaftical; nor intermeddle with Civil Affairs which concern the Common-Wealth, unless by way of humble Petition, in Cafes extraordinary; or by way of Advice for Satisfaction of Confcience, if required by the Civil Magi ftrate.

XXXI. The Bodies of Men after Death, return to Duft, but their Souls, which neither die nor fleep, having an immortal Subftance, immediately return to God that gave them; are received into the higheit Heavens, where they behold the Face of God, and wait for the full Redemption of their Bodies; but the Souls of the Wicked are caft into Hell, and referved to the Judgment of the Great Day; and befides these two Places, for Souls feparated from their Bodies the Scripture acknowledges none. At the Laft Day fuch as are found alive fhall not dye, but be changed: All the Dead fhall rife with the felf fame Bodies, and none other; altho' with different Qualities, which fhall be united again to their Souls for ever; but the Bodies of the Unjuft shall be raised to Dishonour.

God has appointed a Day, wherein the World shall be judg'd by Jefus Chrift. In which Day not only the Apoftate Angels thall be judg'd, but all Perfons that have lived upon Earth, fhall then receive according to what they have done in the Body, whether Good or Evil. The end of God's appointing this Day, was for the manifeftation of his Mercy in the Eternal Salvation of the Elect, and of his Juftice in the Damnation of the Reprobate. Tho' God would have us believe there is a Judgment to come, yet he has concealed the knowledge of the Day of Judgment from Men, that they may fhake off all carnal Security, and be always watchful, because they know not what Hour the Lord will come.

I

CHAP. VI.
Of Trade.

Have already fhewed in feveral Counties of Scotland what Plenty there are of Commodities fit for Exportation, as Corn, Cattle, Hides, Wool, Hemp, Flax, Linnen, Worfted, Stuffs, Timber, Tin, Lead, Cop

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per,

per, Allum, Hops, Fish, Salt, &c. befides other Commodities that the Inland Parts afford in great Plenty, and would turn to great Account if improved to the beft Advantage: But their Fishing is the Branch of Trade which may be carry'd on with more Eafe and Profit in their own Seas, than can be done by any Foreign Nation whatfoever; by reafon of the Conveniency and Plenty of their Loughs and Harbours, which are ftored with almoft infinite Numbers of Fish: They lye very conveniently for a Trade with Denmark, Sweden, Hamburgh, Holland, Ireland, and France; Spain which is the best Market in the World for Fish, as the Hollanders experience, is not above Ten Days Sailing from them with a favourable Wind. Many of the Natives of Scotland have not yet arrived to a fufficient Skill in Agriculture; for which caufe many Tracts of Rich Land lye neglected, or at left but meanly improved, to what they might be; and this is the more to be regretted, because there are many Parcels of Rich Ground both in Scotland and the lands, which it Cultivated, would maintain treble the Number of the prefent luhabitants, and increase and preferve their Cattle; many of which thro' the Scarcity of Hay and Straw, dye in the Winter and Spring for want of Fodder.

It has been long oblerved that the Islands of Scotland, especially the Western, lye more conveniently for carrying on, and bringing the Fishing Trade to Perfection, than any other Parts of Europe.

K. Charles I. first began the Experiment, as I mention'd before, in conjunction with a Company of Merchants; but that Defign mifcarry'd by the Civil War, which unhappily broke out at that Time. The next Attempt was made by K. Charles II. who alfo joined with some Merchants, and this fucceeded well for a Time. Mr. Martin affures us from fuch as faw the Fish that were catched by that Company, that they were reputed the best in Europe of their Kind, and accordingly fetched a greater Price; but this Defign was ruined thus. The King having occalion for Money, was adviled to withdraw that which was employed in the Fishery, at which the Merchants being difpleafed, and difagreeing likewife among themfelves, they alfo withdrew their Money, and that Design has never been renewed fince that Time.

Bat the Revival of this Undertaking, will in all probability be one of the Blettings which this Ifland will reap by the late Happy Union. What can't English Money and Scottish Industry effect?

The Settling a Fithery in thofe Parts, will raife a Nursery of flout and able Seen in a very fhort time, to ferve the Government on all Occafions. A new Colony needs not be planted there, for the Inhibitants of the Wern 1fles are reckoned to be about 50000; many of whom have no Exaployment, and are generally dextrous at the Oar, and only want to be furnished with proper Materials for the Fishing Trade, which would encourage the ictting up other Manufactories. The Commodioufnefs and Safety of the numerous Rays and Harbours in those is, feem, as if Nature had defigned them for promoting Trade. They have fuch abundance of Turt and Peat for Fewel, as

would