and the whole limit thereof round about. Behold, this is the fad ftate of the houfe: and, fince you cannot be duly concerned with knowing the circumftances of it, I fhall hint a little at the visible defects of the visible part of the house among us. 1. Oh! where is perfonal holinefs (to begin at home) among the visible memembers of the houfe! The law of faith, or the covenant of grace, proclaiming accefs to the most holy place, is the law of the houfe; and yet, alas! how little faith is in the houfe! how little believing or entering into the holieft by the blood of Jefus! The law of love, or moral law, as a rule of obedience, is the law of the houfe; but, Oh! how little love to God or man iffuing from that faith! Does not iniquity abound, and the love of many wax cold? There is little to be feen of faith's working by love, but much to be feen of hatred working by unbelief.-It is the law of that houfe, that we love one-another; but, behold, how many are devouring one another, through malice, envy, pride, and contention!-It is the law of the houfe, more particularly, that we have no other god but the most holy God, that we perform no other worship, but moft holy worship; that we reverence his name, as the most holy name; that we fanctify his Sabbath, for a moft holy reft all the day. It is the law of the houfe, that we be moft holy in every relative capacity and flation; that we be, according to our place, holy magistrates, holy minifters, holy parents, holy children, holy mafters, holy fervants.It is the law of the house, that there be no murder, in thought, word, or deed: no whoredom, in thought, word, or deed; no falfe witneffes, no covetous heart in the houfe; nothing but the moft holy place, and the moft holy people: but, ah! where is the fpirit of holi nefs? Where is the exercifes of holy graces, holy faith, holy love, holy penitency? Where is holy preaching, holy hearing, holy finging, holy praying, holy communicating, holy walking? I fuppofe, when matters are thoroughly canvaffed, and seriously confidered, there is little to be found among us, but unholy thoughts, unholy words, unholy actions; and little holy lamenting over our unholinefs. Again, 2. If we look to the public, may we not find matter of lamentation? While it is the law of the houfe of the God of heaven, that nothing be done therein but according to the will of the God of heaven; yet many things are done contrary to his will.It is the law of the houfe, that the house be kept in repair, and do not ly wafle; but, behold the walls are broken down, and the carved work demolished.-It is the law of the houfe, that none be reckoned members of the family but thefe that are a holy nation, a royal priefthood, a fpiritual people, I Pet. ii. 9.; at leaft, with reference to the visible church, that they have a vifible and credible profeffion: it is not thefe that have worldly lordfhips, lairdfhips, and heritages, that have, upon this account, any title to be the members of Chrift's fpiritual houfe and kingdom; for, his kingdom is not of this world; his houfe is diftinét therefrom: fuch may be members of God's house, but not as they are lords, lairds, heritors, gentles, nobles; fome fuch may be called of God into his house, but, "Not many noble, not many great men are called,” I Cor. i. 26. Not many flocked with worldly riches, or worldly wifdom: yet fuch, under the name of heritors, if they be but Proteftants in profeffion, though they were Pagans in practice, feem, in our day, to be declared members of God's fpiritual houfe. But, notwithstanding, it is the law of the houfe of God, Acts i. 23. 26. vi. 3. xiv. 23. as Xaporovnavтss, the original word here demonftrates, that only the true member of the family, wherein every member is a mafter, a king, and a prieft to his God, fhould chufe out from among them, by common fuffrage, the fervants and officers of the houfe. And, indeed, it is the law of every houfe, that no fervant be obtruded upon them by foreigners, against the mind of the house, or against the will of the family; much more is it the law of God's houfe, that neither prince, patron, nor heritor, as denominate only from their temporal estate, should have power over God's fpiritual houfe, in chufing and electing of their fpiritual fervants and officers, to the excluding of the voice and vote of the proper members of the family: yet this law of the houfe is manifeftly violated by fome VOL. V. + X late late Acts in our day *.-Again, it is the law of the house, that the doctrine of the gofpel be maintained with zeal, and damnable doctrine be rejected with indignation; yet, how much hath gofpel-doctrine been condemned and darkened in our day; and damnable doctrine, such as that of Arianifm, flenderly censured ‡; and many corruptions in doctrine either looked over and tolerated, or not fufficiently teftified againft, and that in a time when the house within is polluted with a boundless toleration. of errors without doors?-It is the law of the houfe, that the oath of God be inviolably maintained, and nothing contrary to it be admitted or allowed; yet, how have our folemn oaths to the great God and Mafter of the houfe, viz. our Covenants, both national and folemn league, been folemnly violate, broken, burnt, and buried, and a multitude of finful and unneceffary oaths received and allowed in the room thereof?-It is the law of the house, that the worship of God be most holy, and agreeable to the word and will of God; and that no threshold be fet up befide his threshold, and pofts by his pofts, Ezek. liv. 8. And yet behold abjured fuperftitious worship, and English Popish ceremonies fet up in feveral places of the nations; and the guilt hereof is chargeable upon the houfe, in as far as it is not duly regretted, and fo far as poffible remedied.—It is the law of the house, that the difcipline therein do not degenerate into cruelty towards the children of the family; and yet, what ground to complain, in our day of ecclefiaftical tyranny exercifed towards the people of God, in fettling many congregations? And thus Chrift, in his members, is wounded in the houfe of his friends, and his poor defpifed * Our Author here, without doubt, has his eye upon the A&t of Parliament made in the 10th year of Q. Anne's reign, Reftoring Patronage; and the Act of Affembly, 1732, concerning the Planting of Vacant Churches. Though it be confonant both to fcripture and reafon, and the practice of the church of Scot land, fince the Reformation, that the Lord's people, or multitude of difciples, have a right to choose their spiritual guides, (A&s i. 23. 26 vi. 3. xiv. 23.) yet thefe acts denudes the Chriftian people of this liberty to elect their spiritual overfeers; the firft, by lodging the power folely in the hands of the patron; and the next, by vefting heritors and elders with the alone right of election. It is probable, our Author means the Acts of Affembly, Annis 1720, 1722, condemning the doctrine of the Marrow of Modern Divinity. See above, Vol. I. p. 232. Vol. II. p. 304, 305. This hath a reference to the Procefs against Profeffor Simfon, formerly briefly cleared up, Vol. II. p. 466. Vol. IV. P. 148. people people obliged to fay of the watchmen, "They fmote me, they wounded me, they took away my vail from me."-It is the law of the houfe, that the government therein be beautiful, orderly, and holy; and that the feveral under-governors of the houfe have an orderly walk and converfation, both in their private families and in their public managements; and that they be clean that bear the veffels of the Lord: yet, how many efficers and eldersin the church live very loofly, and neglect the worship of God in their families? And fome of them fit in our National Affemblies, that yet join with the Church of England in their fuperftitious worship, when in that nation, to the reproach of the Prefbyterial profeffion.--It is the law of the houfe, that fafts and thankfgivings be appointed therein, when providence calls for it; and yet, how is this turned into difuctude, and the church lofing ground and feeming to give up with, inftead of afferting and exerting her intrinfic power; and feemingly furrendering it to the hand of the civil magiftrate, whofe power ought not to be privative, but cumulative, in this matter? Secular power, and fpiritual, in a Chriftian land, ought to be fweetly fubfervient one to another, but ought not to be blended or confounded together, nor deftructive one of another. It is the law of the houfe, that the Lord and King of the houfe be exalted, and that his royal headship and fovereignty be afferted, in oppofition to all that affume to themfelves a fovereignty, in all caufes, civil or ecclefiaflical *; yet this duty hath been fearfully neglected, and the Lord of the houfe many ways affronted in his own family.-It is the law of the houfe, that fince God orders his own children to plead with their mother, when any confufion takes place in the family, in order to the redreffing of what is grievous; that the mother regard the pleading, and redrefs accordingly and yet, when the children have done fo in our day, fhe hath given a deaf ear, and deeper wounds t, inftead of favour *Alluding to the wicked Act of Supremacy made Anno 1661, after CharlesII.'s Reftoration, declaring him head over all perfons, and in all caufes, civil and ecclefiaftic. Inconfiftent both with the Scriptures and our Standards. See Conf. Faith, ch 30. §. 1, 2. ch. 25. §. 6. ch. 23. §. 3. with the Scriptures quoted. Our Author here, no doubt, alludes both to the conduct of the Alfembly, Annis 1720, 1732.-By the first (viz. 1720.), the Affembly, by their fifth Act, concerning the Marrow, condemn a bundle of propofitions, containing doc X 2 able able answers. O, if this may fet them a-pleading with their Father in heaven, who hath faid, "When he builds up Zion, he will appear in his glory, and he will regard the prayer of the deftitute, and not defpife their prayer: this fhall be written for the generations to come, and the people which fhall be created fhall praife the Lord."-In a word, it is the law of the house, that there be no schiẩm nor divifion there, because, "A houfe divided against itfelf cannot ftand;" and yet, how many divisions take place? And, how many grounds are daily laying down for fchifm, and matter of offence given by multiplied receffions from reformation-principles and practices? "Offences muft come, but wo to them by whom they come." It were endless to speak of all the particulars wherein the law of the houfe is violate; only thefe are fome of the most obvious to me, which I fpeak of as matter of lamentation, that ye may know on what account you need to be concerned for the house of God, and to pray for the welfare of Jerufalem, and the reparation of her walls. This is the ftate of the house visible in our day, Upon the top of the mountain, the whole limit thereof, is become most unholy: behold, this is the ftate of the houfe. And yet, for all this, there remains fome good thing in the church of Scotland, notwithstanding all the evils that tako place: As, 1. There is a goodly number yet of worthy, faithful, and able minifters of the gofpel, whereof fome, perhaps, are but betrayed by the power of temptation, and the ftrength of carnal reafoning, to fall in with these meafures in the Lord's houfe, which, after calm and fedate confideration, they will be loth to juftify, and will be forry for therefore, trines of the greatest importance. Which conduct, induced feveral minifters, among whom our Author was one, to give in a Reprefentation to the Affembly 1721, fetting forth, That it appeared to them, that the forefaid condemnatory act and fentence wounded many gofpel-truths; yet the affembly 1722, though partly convinced of the fact, were fo far from repealing the Act 1720, that they, by their feventh Act, rather farther explained, corroborated, and confirmed the faid fifth Ac, and fo gave a deeper wound to truth. See Vol. I. p. 232. Vol. II. p. 304.-The affembly 1732, not only lent a deaf ear to the Reprefen tations and Petitions that were prefented to them, for the Redrefs of Grievan ces, but utterly rejected them; and gave deeper wounds, by their A&t lodging the fole power of election of minifters into the hands of a conjunct meeting of heritors and elders. See above, p. 298. 2. There |