I the presbyterian ministers and families, now by oppression and violence brought to a starving condition, could endanger the same. It is a hard pass poor sufferers are brought to, when they are discharged to meet together, and pray to God in their distresses, and all subjects are expressly discharged to relieve them in their distresses, without the bishops' warrant.

1664.

Forasmuch as it is notour, that seditious and scandalous persons. Their divers ministers, who have gone reasonable repairing to Edinburgh and other off their charges or are outed by law, do burghs, for overlooking their children at ordinarily repair to Edinburgh, and other schools, and other necessary business, is burghs and places expressly forbid by acts of pretended to be for seditious correspondcouncil, and do there, in open contempt of his ences and meetings, for purposes not majesty's authority and acts of parliament named. I know no correspondence they and council, hold their meetings, and keep entertained, unless it was in letters, for seditious correspondences, and use con- strengthening one another in their suffering trivances for seducing and debauching his lot, and these they might write without majesty's subjects, from the duty and obe- being in burghs. They were all of them dience they owe to the laws and authority loyal in their practices, and never had any established, to the scandal of religion, and share in any thing seditious. This was endangering the public peace and quiet another punishing proclamation for one, or therefore, the lords of his majesty's privy rather no fault, mere nonconformity in council ordain a macer to pass to the market- presbyterian ministers: and the number of cross of Edinburgh, and, in his majesty's punishments inflicted for this one reason is name and authority, to command and charge now growing so great, that I do reckon it all those persons who have been removed up. Some at this time remarked, that all from the charge of the ministry since the the former proclamations proceeded from the first of January, 1661, to remove themselves prelates' fear of, or hatred to presbyterian forth of the burgh of Edinburgh, within forty-ministers: but this proceeds from pure eight hours after the publication hereof, and envy: and the true reason of it was, the not to remain or reside therein, or in any bishops and their curates were uneasy at the other places prohibited by act of council, respect and kindness evidenced to ministers dated August 13th, 1663, unless they ask in the streets of Edinburgh. When Mr. and obtain license to go about their lawful Douglas, Mr. Hutcheson, or other known business, from the lords of his majesty's privy presbyterian ministers, were in town, they council, or from the bishop of the diocese. had so many salutations and caps, that it With certification, that if, after the publica- galled those of the other side, who were tion hereof, they be found to repair to, or but little regarded except from fear. And reside in Edinburgh, or other forbidden no great wonder, for their practice, converplaces foresaid, they shall be seized upon, sation, and doctrine, the great things which and put in sure firmance, until they receive ought to create respect to a minister, comthe punishment provided by law, against manded but very little to them. In short, the movers of sedition. And ordain these it was evidently hard and unreasonable to presents to be printed and published, that banish presbyterian ministers from the town none pretend ignorance." of Edinburgh, and other burghs. Popish priests, and professed papists, were entirely at their liberty, while some of the king's subjects, who had done no fault, but stood to their known principles against bishops and prelacy, are discharged to be seen in royal burghs, and within six miles of a bishop's house, however necessary their affairs were. The reader must conclude without my remarking it, that as the taking away of civil liberty, paves the way, and makes room for church-tyranny, so this ecclesiastical tyranny, like a kindly child of such a parent, encourages slavery, and removes the small remains of any thing like

I cannot but observe here, and it holds in a good many acts of this time, that the managers not only lay the severest hardships upon presbyterian ministers, hinder them to pray to God, to get relief from men, and see to the education of their children at schools, unless they will own the bishops so far as to take a warrant from them; but, in their acts, load them without any ground and reason, or permitting them to answer for themselves, and charge them with crimes of a very deep nature, of which they were entirely innocent; or at best, misrepresent things, so as they might be reckoned

liberty. I go on to the hardships of par- tion was lodged in bis sole person. ticular persons this year,

SECT. IV.

1664.

The number of old ministers, this
way cast out of their churches, was but
small in comparison of such who were laid
aside, as being ordained since the year

Of the Sufferings of particular presbyterian | 1649, and so the instances of their sufferings

ministers, gentlemen, and others, this year, 1664.

THE actings of the high commission court this year, were the most considerable branch of the church of Scotland's cross, and, together with the acts of council with their procedure, have, in some measure, been laid before the reader upon the former sections; and it remains that I give the accounts come to my hand, of the trouble some other particular persons were brought under; and I begin with that of ministers.

must be fewer. The hardships of two of this kind offer themselves this year, with pretty singular. circumstances, and they were both very great men, on different sides in the former unhappy breaches; Mr. James Wood, divinity professor, at St. Andrews, and Mr. William Guthrie, minister of Fenwick, in the shire of Ayr, and presbytery of Irvine. The account of them will let us understand somewhat more of the methods, temper, and spirit of the time I am describing; and then I shall give the hardships of some other particular persons, and their sufferings, from the council books.

Towards the beginning of this year, the learned, grave, and singularly pious Mr. James Wood, exchanged this present life for the crown of righteousness. We have had somewhat of him before. Under pres

Sharp, and as, after the restoration, he lamented much that he had been deceived by this unhappy man, so he regretted that he had been led into some heights on the side of the public resolutions; for which, when things opened out, and appeared in their true state, he was much grieved. The bishop at first did not much harass Mr. Wood; he was an old dying man, and his heart broken with the change brought in upon this once beautiful church, and the primate expected to be soon rid of him ; yet he behoved to be turned out, as we have seen.

Since the general ejection of the younger presbyterian ministers, by the act of Glasgow, the bishops endeavoured to weed out the elder presbyterian ministers, one after another gradually, that they might possess the house alone. Indeed those worthy aged men were, upon many accounts, eye-bytery he had been colleague to Mr. James sores to them. Wherever an old minister, settled before the year 1649, was found, summons was sent him to appear before the bishop in his diocesan meeting. I find none who obeyed the citation after the first diocesan meetings, when, alas! more than might have been expected, both elder and younger, did conform. When ministers did not obey, and remained at their charge, the bishops, piece by piece, as they best might, without disobliging noblemen and other heritors concerned, deposed the minister in absence. In some places the prelate made the fashion of calling the roll of his curates at their meeting, that they might give their assent unto the presbyterian minister's deposition, which they were not backward to; but this was only a form they used, or not, at their pleasure. In the dioceses of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, the curates were told, without any ceremony, that they had no share in the government. And when some of the inferior clergy began to grumble, they were reprimanded by the bishop of Edinburgh, and made to know, that the power of jurisdic

In

But if Mr. Wood suffered not in his body, as some of his brethren did, yet the archbishop, it seems, was resolved he should be wounded in his name and reputation after his death, if not sooner. order to this, the primate saw good once or twice to give Mr. Wood a visit, when on his deathbed in St. Andrews. He was now extremely low in his body, and spoke very little to Mr. Sharp, and nothing at all about the changes made, or the state of public affairs. However, the consequent

for him. We have heard some ministers | meddling, that famous Mr. Wood, 1664. were in prison some time upon this account, my brother-in-law, now at his rest, and brought before the high commission. I was sick some ten or twelve weeks before have not seen any large account of their I did certainly know how it was with him, procedure with them, only I find, that when as your lordship may know from the enclosed Mr. Tullidaff and the notar came before from him to me. When he earnestly importhem, both of them declared, that Mr. Wood tuned me to see him, considering our near had dictated the above written testimony, relation, and the concerns of my only sister, word by word, and that the notar wrote it and her six children now to be orphans, I at his desire, and attested it, as was his could not refuse to satisfy him, being under office to do. Here the primate once more no interdiction to the contrary. Mr. Wood got the lie given him to his face; and when finding himself under a necessity to leave a they had continued in prison some time, testimony behind him, I did with some and nothing worthy of death or bonds could others, subscribe a witness to the truth of be fixed upon them, the bishop was forced this deed, as done by him; which, being to dismiss them without any further punish- present at the time, I could neither in conment, having shown his malice, and got science nor ingenuity refuse, especially since shame for his reward. it was so well known to all the world who knew him, that that was his fixed judgment, and that when a dying it did so much afflict him, that any report to the contrary should have gone of him. And whereas it is like it will be said by some, that it is forgery, and not his own deed, or at best extorted from him when he knew not what he did or said, I shall for my own, and especially for the worthy dead man's just vindication, beg leave to say a few things." Here Mr. Carstairs enlargeth at a considerable length, upon all the circumstances of Mr. Wood's forming that testimony, and declares, the motion of it was not suggested to him by himself or others, but he formed it most spontaneously, sedately, and deliberately; that he at that time was ordering his other affairs, and the physicians did not despair of his recovery; that in conversation he did more than once express himself at large upon the head of presbyterian government, and more fully than in his testimony; that he dictated it, and caused scroll it, and read it over, and transcribe it; and after he again heard it read, signed it; and that he was most distinct and edifying after that, and to his death, as to his soul's exercise and state. After this Mr. Carstairs adds, “So that if it were otherwise convenient for me to appear before the commission, it would be no difficulty humbly to justify my carriage all the time I was at St. Andrews. Neither doth iny necessary not compearing proceed from any the least contempt of his majesty's authorit

Mr. Carstairs thought fit, on many considerations, to abscond, and did not compear only that his noncompearance might not wrong the cause, nor be imputed to his disloyalty, or contumacy against any who bore commission from the king, he wrote a letter to the chancellor at this time, a copy of which is before me, too long to be insert here: however, I shall give some passages of it, because they will set the circumstances of presbyterian ministers, and this affair, in some further light. After an apology for his taking upon him to write to the chancellor, he says, "Some days ago I received a citation to appear before the commission, designing no particular day or place, to answer for some misdemeanours, as keeping conventicles, and disturbing the public peace. As for keeping conventicles, I suppose it will be difficult, if not impossible, for my accusers, to prove me guilty of any contravention of the law, even in their sense of conventicles: and for disturbing the public peace, I hope none who know me will look upon me as so disposed; whereof this may be some evidence, that since I was outed of my ministry at Glasgow, which is now two full years, I have had so little pleasure to see any person, or to be seen, let be to meddle towards the disturbing the public peace, that I have been sometimes three, sometimes six weeks, sometimes two full months, that I have never come out of doors-so abstract have I been from