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gun, carried on and concluded that War, were confidered as one Body, moved by the fame Spirit, and acting on the fame Principles; and the Extravagancies of any one Set were imputed to all the Reft, though in their Views, Principles and Management, they were as diftinct from one another, as from thofe who affumed to themselves the Name of ROTALISTS.

Such was the State of Things, and fuch the Temper of Men at the Refloration, when the Bishops and Clergy, who had been fretted and irritated, did not recover their Temper and Charity with their Preferments; but remained too much under the Power of Wrath, Revenge and Hatred to any who, during the former Troubles, had oppofed them. The Presbyterians, who were the most powerful Party of the Diffenters, were principally aimed at, and Calumny became one of the Engines of Perfecution, which was indefatigably wrought upon; though we fhall do them the Jufice to own, That many of them might really have perfwaded themfelves of the Truth of thofe black Representations, which they laboured to infufe into others; For, as we have mentioned, they had accustomed their Minds to think the fame Way of all who could not comply with the Establishment: So that all the Difractions of the late Times, and the monftrous Opinions of Sects which then fprung up or grew to a Height, were charged on the Presbyterians. Their Doctrines and Principles were declared to be of the fame Stamp and Tendency with their alledged Practice, they were wrefted and perverted, the moft foreign Inferences were drawn from them, and the moft falfe Imputations made; and whatever an ignorant or angry Difputer pleafed to fancy of them, and afterwards confidently to affirm, was believed to be their genuine Doctrine by the unthinking Multitude.

And as the fame Fiercenefs, Heat and Uncharitablenefs have continued to embitter and enrage many even till our Times, the fame Methods of Falfhood and Calumny are ftill followed, and the prefent Church of Scotland ufed in the fame Manner with our Fathers, loaded with all the former Reproaches, and blackned by each of thofe falfe and abfurd Imputations; fo that our Doctrines and Principles are extremely mistaken, both by those who differ from us in our own Country, and by the Members of our neighbouring Church, who give frequently Reprefentations of them very different from what we are confcious they really are; fo that were a Stranger to judge of our Conftitution and Doctrine, from the Notions of them fpread thro' the Writings of that Side, he muft form a very falfe and injurious Idea of both, nor could we blame him for contemning and abhorring fuch a Party, as 'tis given

out we are.

Were our Principles only blackned with the most malicious Slanders, by fuch as openly favour Popery, and fhow an Inclination to make too great Advances to Rome, or by Men of haughty and paffionate Minds, who are impatient of the leaft Contradiction, and have accustomed themfelves to put the harsheft Construction

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On Things, and treat every Body that is fo prefumptuous as to differ from them, with Rudenefs and ill Language; we should have rather pitied them than retaliated Injuries,and endeavoured to bear it with Patience and an Eafinefs of Mind, knowing that Truth and Charity must be always exposed to fuch Ufage, from thofe of their Adverfaries in whom Heat and Darkness are the governing Powers, and that a wife Man will ever lay his Account to meet with it, while there are fe many who whet their Tongues like a Sword, and bend their Bows to Shoot their Arrows, even bitter Words, that they may fhoot in fecret at the Perfect.

We fhould have alfo with as much Indifference and Calmness neglected the fcurrilous abufive Invectives, which Writers of a meaner Rank abound with; or the railing of Common Pamphleteers, who write to vent their Gall and ill Nature, or to gratifie the Bigotry, and Rancor of others, fince thefe are not to be reafoned with, and what they fay will feldom make a difadvantageous Impreffion upon any that are tolerably endowed with Humanity and Underftanding.

But what affects us more fenfibly, and feems to be in a peculiar Degree the Misfortune of our Church, is, That many of better Senfe and Temper have taken up with the fame falfe Notions of it, and act according to the Prejudices which have been inftilled into them; and it were eafy to inftance feveral late Writers of our neighbouring Church, diftinguished for their Learning and Moderation, and beyond the leaft Sufpicion of favouring Popery or Tyranny, who yet feem to have entertain'd very mistaken Ideas of our Doctrine and Government, to have look'd at them in a wrong Light, and taken up too much of the unfair Colours under which Enemies represent them.

All thefe make us regard our Confeffion of Faith as of more than ufual Importance with respect to this firft End, which moyed Churches to compofe and publifh Creeds, the clearing their Principles, &c. from Calumnies and Miftakes. As our Fathers therefore did at the Reformation, we alfo beg now fo evident and eaty a Piece of Justice, that the World would form their Sentiments of our Doctrine and Government upon that plain and open Account given of them by our felves, in the Confeffion of Faith embrac'd by the Church of Scotland, The Directory, Books of Difcipline, and others of publick Authority amongst us; fince thofe Principles alone can with any Reafon be imputed to us, which the Church hath owned: And it were the higheft Injuftice, to attribute any Opinions to Perfons who difclaim them, and without any better Proof that they are theirs, than the Word of an Adverfary, who may have ignorantly taken up with a falfe and imperfect Notion of them himself, or have been influenc'd by his envious and angry Paffions to give them the most odious Turn, and reprefent them to the Disadvantage.

And it is equally unreasonable to charge an Error or an Extravagancy, which any particular Member of a Society may fall into,

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upon the whole Body, while, perhaps, there is not one other that compofes it of the fame Sentiments: And yet, how common a Method is this, whereby warm and forward Men exert their Party-Zeal, in Defiance of Truth and Charity? How oft has it been thought fufficient to juftify the Charge of Fanaticism upon the Presbyterians, if an unwary Expreffion or two, or perhaps an Enthufiaftical Notion could be culled out of one of the meaneft Writers of that Denomination, tho' utterly difown'd by the reft; and to blacken the whole Body with all that abufive Language and fcandalous Treatment, that they can afford any Colouring to, from the Behaviour or Writings of any who may pretend, and that falfly, to be of her Communion?

Whereas the true Account of any Party can only be had from their own Writings, and above all from the publick Declarations of their Faith, and Opinions agreed upon by joint Confent of the whole Body: And we flatter our felves, that we have a more favourable Plea than fome others, to appeal from the flandrous or miftaken Judgments that are frequently made of us, to those authentick Vouchers of our real Principles; becaufe the Members of our Church have hitherto been unacquainted with the Method practifed elfewhere of fubfcribing Articles, the primitive and obvious Senfe whereof is contrary to the inward Thoughts of the Subfcriber; nor have they learned the Art of diftinguishing away the Defign and Significancy of fuch Tefts of Doctrine; and fubtilizing the folemneft Declarations into fo thin and airy a Form, that they can fubfift without any Reality, and be complied with, while Principles of an intirely different Complexion may be both believed and propagated: For, fo far as we know, there is not one Church-man in Scotland (and we are pretty fure that none will adventure to own the contrary) who does not mean, by fubfcribing her Confeffion, to acknowledge his fincere Belief of all the Doctrines contained in it, as all the World muft understand the Words in the plaineft and eafieft Senfe; upon which Account, it is in a peculiar Manner neceffary, in order to form a juft Reprefentation of our Church, to ftudy her Confeffions, and take their Meafures of her from them.

Were this the Method followed by fome learned Men of our neighbouring Church, or thofe amongst our felves who feparate from us, they would poffibly be convinced with how little Justice fuch heavy Charges have been brought against us, our Govern ment treated with Contempt, and our Doctrines loaded with fancied Abfurdities, or vilified by ignominious Epithets; and we doubt not, but, upon a fair and impartial Hearing, tho' they mayn't approve of every Part, they'll yet be perfwaded into a milder Õpinion of the Whole, and more favourable Sentiments of thofe of our Perfwafion.

It were inconfiftent with the Nature of a Preface, to mention all the Particulars wherein this might be illuftrated; we fhall therefore only inftance in Two or Three Heads. They will fee from

the

the 23d Chapter of our Confeffion concerning the Civil Magistrate, how falfe a Bottom all the heavy Imputations laid on us by angry Adverfaries lean upon, as if we were Enemies to Order and Government, and our Principles were inconfiftent with the Peace of Society, and the Regard due to lawful Superiors, fo that no Man could favour us, and at the fame Time be a Friend unto Cefar! Since, from the Account there given of our Principles concerning Civil Government, it will appear, that no Church maintains Doarines which conduce more to its real Dignity and Stability, or gives lefs Encouragement to the Spirit of Faction, and the Cla mours of feditious and ungovernable Minds.

Our Church gives the nobleft and moft awful Original to the Magiftrate's Power, the Authority of God himfelt, who hath or dained them to be under him over the People; and armed them with the Power of the Sword; and thereby begets a becoming Fear and Veneration for the Rulers of a State. It reprefents this Infti tution as defigned to promote the moft glorious Ends, and the ufe fulleft and lovelieft Purposes, the Glory of God, and the publick Good: And under fo amiable a View, our Church endears it to the Affections, and recommends it to the fincereft Efteem; and the cheerful Obedience of its Members; and fo fecures the Authority and Majefty of the Prince upon the Happinefs of Mankind, and the trueft Intereft of thofe that obey, which is a firmer as well as a nobler Foundation, than the Doctrines of thofe who divest Government of every fweet and amiable Character, while they render it at the fame Time formidable and hateful, by clothing it with Fears and Horrors, and thereby indeed fap its Foundations, and rob it of its Glory and Beauty; and in what they call the fu preme Governor, they draw the Image of a grim and frightful Idol, that may be fervilly bowed to and adored, but can never be efteemed or loved.

In a Word, that Chapter of our Confeffion will fhow, that our Church allows every Thing to a Monarch that is fuitable to the Excellency of that God by whom he reigns, that is worthy of his own Honour, or can enable him to accomplish the great and ufeful Ends of his Inftitution; and that our Principles are inconfiftent with nothing but the Domination of an arbitrary Tyrant, and the inglorious paffive Obedience of a Slave. And in one Thing, I am afraid, we exceed our most furious Accufers in their Zeal for the Honour of Princes, fince the 4th Paragraph of that fame Chap ter afferts, That Ecclefiaftical Perføns are not exempted from their Jurif diction.

If we pafs from the Government of the State to that of the Church, a very odious Idea is given of us, as if, by being Oppofers of the Hierarchy, we overturned the facred Privileges of the Gofpel-Ministry, or cut the Sinews of Ecclefiaftical Authority and becaufe our Conflitution was not framed upon the fame Model with that of our neighbouring Church, we are pronounced a faétious and licentious Sect, Enemies to Order, Promoters of Con

fufion and an unreftrained Liberty, and zealous for levelling Principles in the Church and the State.

Thefe,together with the other Calumnies whereby we are blackned on this Occafion, will appear in many Refpects falfe and injurious, and without any Colouring afforded them by our real Principles, fince from a Confideration of the 25th, 30th, and 31ft Chapters of our Confeffion, with the Directory, &c. it will be evident, that, how little foever our Opinions footh and flatter the Pride and Vanity of earthly Minds, tho' they be not calculated for the afpiring Schemes of Ambition, and muft lay their Account to be vilified and contemned by thofe who adore worldly Greatness, and thirst after a Power over the Confciences of Mankind, or grafp at a Dominion above their Brethren, fuch as the Lords of the Gentiles exercife, and in all other Refpects they promife as little of the Pomp and Authority of earthly Rulers, yet our Church, far from patronizing Confufion and Disorder, maintains it as a fixed Principle, That the Lord Jefus, as King and Head of his Church, hath therein appointed a Government in the Hand of Church-Officers, diftinct from the Civil Magiftrate, and attributes to thefe Church-Officers all the Power that is neceffary for the facred Ends of their Appointment, or needs be wifhed for by fuch as have no fecret Defign of being Lords over God's Heritage, but can content themfelves with being Helpers of their Joy; fuch a Power as is fufficient to keep the Ministry pure and uncorrupted, by admitting none into that Number who appear unworthy of fo holy a Character, and turning out any who may have unawares crept in, and become, by their Ignorance, Laziness, or diffolute Lives, a Scandal to their Office, and of no Ufe to the Purpofes of Chriftianity.

Nor does our Church in any Refpect enervate the Vigour of Dif cipline, or the Force of Cenfures against profane and vicious Members, who ufurp the Chriftian Name which they make themfelves unworthy of; fuch fhe allows her Spiritual Rulers to exclude from the Society of vifible Chriftians, or to admonish and rebuke with all Authority. And, however fenfible we are of numerous Defects, and fhall eafily acknowledge that in many Inftances we ftand in need of further Reformation; yet we believe we may with fome Meafure of Confidence be allowed to glory in it, that there is no Church, which in the Exercife of Difcipline, comes nearer to the primitive Model, and the Example of thofe better Times, when all the Parts of Difcipline were levelled at the reclaiming of Offenders, the difcouraging of Vice, and the maintaining the Purity of the Chriftian Society; when no Cenfure, and much lefs the last and folemnest Act of Ecclefiaftical Power, was proftituted to mean and unworthy Purposes, and thereby expofed to a general Contempt; when the Strength and Force of Difcipline confifted in its Influence upon the Reafon and Confciences of Mankind, and Excommunication it felf had only a fpiritual Efficacy, and was dreaded by Chriftians as the greatest Punishment, from the Terrors wherewith it filled guilty Minds, and the Power it gained in the Hearts and Breafts of Sinners, and stood in no

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