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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>THE <HI>HAMMER of PERSEC&V;TION:</HI> Or, The My&s;tery of Iniquity, In the PERSECUTION Of many Good People in <HI>SCOTLAND,</HI> Under the GOVERNMENT OF <HI>OLIVER</HI> Late Lord Protector, And continued by others of the &s;ame Spirit; Di&s;clo&s;ed, with the Remedies thereof.</P>
<P>By <HI>Rob. Pittilloh,</HI> Advocate.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Pro. 26.24, 25.</HI></BIBL> <P>He that hateth, di&s;&s;embleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him. When he &s;peaketh fair, believe him not: for there are &s;even abominations in his heart.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Pro. 11.21.</HI></BIBL> <P>Though hand joyn in hand, the wicked &s;hall not be un|puni&s;hed: but the &s;eed of the righteous &s;hall be &s;aved.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Pro. 16.2.</HI></BIBL> <P>All the ways of man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the Spirits.</P></Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>L. Chapman.</HI> 1659.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="5" REF="2">
<P><GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="2+ pages">the apple of who&s;e eye is touched when they are touched: he &s;uffereth no man to do them harm, but rebukes Kings for their &s;ake, &s;aying, <HI>Touch not mine Anointed, and do my prophets no harm.</HI> He &s;hall &s;ay to the&s;e on the left hand, <HI>In as much as ye did not to one of the&s;e little ones, ye did it not to me,</HI> Mat. 25. Fourthly, in an e&s;pecial manner the advancement of the glory and kingdom of Je&s;us in the de&s;truction of <HI>Baby|lon,</HI> and the freedom of his Church, calls for <HI>Englands</HI> care towards the godly in <HI>Scotland. What&s;oever ye do, whether ye eat or drink, or what&s;oever ye do, do all to the glory of God.</HI> The words of the Army in their Declaration at <HI>Mu&s;lebrough</HI> in <HI>Anno</HI> 1650 are, <HI>We found our hearts extraordinarily stirred up by the Lord to a&s;&s;i&s;t the Parliament again&s;t the King, being a|bundantly &s;atisfied in our Judgments and Con&s;ciences, that we were called forth by the Lord to be in&s;trumental to bring about that which was our continual prayer to God,</HI> (viz.) <HI>the de&s;truction of Antichri&s;t, and the deliverance of his Church and People.</HI> Thou&s;ands of the Lords Saints are living in this faith, and not without &s;trong Scriptural Grounds, that the times and days are now come, wherein the Lord hath &s;o made bare his Arm to plead <HI>Sions</HI> controver&s;ie, that he will not withdraw till her hoofs become iron, and her horns bra&s;s; till the weak become as <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>David</HI> as an Angel of God; till the light of the Moon become as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun as the light of &s;even days; till there be upon the bells of the hor&s;es, <HI>Holine&s;s to the Lord;</HI> and the pots in the Lords hou&s;e be like the bowls before the Altar; and there be no more the Canaanite in the hou&s;e of the Lord of Ho&s;ts. <HI>The Lord alone &s;hall be exalted in that day,</HI> and wo will be to tho&s;e who are found at ea&s;e in <HI>Zion,</HI> with their hands upon their loyns, not regarding the work of the Lord, when they are called to be in&s;trumental for advan|cing his glory, in furthering the liberty of his Saints, and breaking the yoke of the Oppre&s;&s;or in pieces. La&s;tly, the &s;ixth Command, <HI>Thou &s;halt not kill,</HI> not onely forbids the ta|king away of the life, and all degrees thereof, but al&s;o com|mands the performing of all Chri&s;tian diligence, for the pre|&s;ervation thereof, and all things nece&s;&s;ary therefore, accor|ding
<PB N="6" REF="3">to the calling of every one of the commanded. It was the voyce of the Murderer, <HI>Am I my brothers keeper?</HI> and it was the heroick re&s;olution of the Reubenites and Gadiets, when the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> went into the Land of <HI>Canaan; We our &s;elves will go ready armed before the children of I&s;rael, until we have brought them unto their place. We will not return unto our hou&s;es, until the children of I&s;rael have inherited every man his inheritance.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd kind of tyes, are the voluntary Ingagements under which the hone&s;t party in <HI>England</HI> have come, in refe|rence to the hone&s;t party in <HI>Scotland,</HI> which are,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Obligation of the League and Covenant where|by they are obliged to take what is done to another as done to them&s;elves, in the pro&s;ecution of the true ends of the Covenant; and albeit we neither de&s;ire to idolize the Cove|nant, (as many do) nor to mention it as a ground to advance any Antichri&s;tian De&s;igne, as others with too much impu|dence have done, nor to lay it down as the onely ground of the duty of the godly party in <HI>England;</HI> yet are we a&s;&s;ured in the con&s;ciences of all &s;uch who fear an Oath, who have lift up their hands to the mo&s;t High, and &s;worn by his great Name, in &s;o far as is agreeable to his will, it is Obligatory be|fore him who is a &s;wift witne&s;s again&s;t the fal&s;e &s;wearer, and will not hold him guiltle&s;s who takes his Name in vain; and he is guilty of the height of Perjury, and a Denier of the glo|rious Attributes of the Almighty, who having ingaged before God, Angels and Men, in a mutual defence, with tho&s;e who &s;hall pur&s;ue the true and lawful ends of the Covenant, ac|cording to the plain and candid meaning thereof, leaves them as a prey unto their enemies, to be troden under foot with contempt and reproach, as myre in the &s;treets. The cur&s;e repre&s;ented in the &s;imilitude of a flying Roll twenty cu|bits long, &amp; ten broad, (for containing multitudes of Woes) &s;hall enter into the hou&s;e of him that &s;wears fal&s;ly by the Lords Name, and it &s;hall remain in the mid&s;t of his hou&s;e, and &s;hall con&s;ume it with the timber thereof, <HI>Zach.</HI> 5.24. If the Oath ra&s;hly given to the Gibeonites by <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and the Elders of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> without asking the mind of the Lord, was
<PB N="7" REF="3">&s;o Obligatory, that in <HI>Davids</HI> time becau&s;e of <HI>Sauls</HI> &s;laying the Gibeouites, and violating the &s;ame, there was a Famine for three years, year after year, upon the Land; and for an expiation &s;even of the &s;ons of <HI>Saul</HI> were hanged up before the Lord, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 21. how may they tremble, who make no con&s;cience of keeping Oaths in the days of Go&s;pel-light &s;worn in truth, in judgment and in righteou&s;ne&s;s?</P>
<P>The &s;econd particular we &s;hall remember as a voluntary tye, is, The Declaration of the Army at <HI>Mu&s;lebrough</HI> in <HI>Scotland, Aug.</HI> 1. 1650. when their hearts were in a tender frame, and they were ready to jeopard (not knowing at what hour) their lives in the high places of the field for that cau&s;e, in pro&s;ecution whereof, there hath been &s;o much luke-warmne&s;s &s;ince; wherein fir&s;t, they declare, page 5. <HI>Let us here &s;peak for our &s;elves; yea, the Lord &s;peak for us, who knows our hearts and all our ways, we value the Churches of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who are the lot of Gods inheritance, ten hou&s;and times above our lives: yea, we do ble&s;s the Lord, we are not onely a rod of iron to da&s;h the common enemies in pieces, but al&s;o an hedge (though very nuworthy) about Chri&s;ts Vineyard; and if we know our own hearts, where ever the lot of Gods inheritance &s;hall appear to be found in</HI> Scotland, <HI>we &s;hall think it our duty to the utmo&s;t hazard of our lives, to pre&s;erve the &s;ame.</HI> Secondly, they declare and appeal, page 7. <HI>We could be contented, &s;hould we not thereby idolize the Covenant, to march to any Ingagement with you, if called thereto by the Lord, with the Covenant on the tops of our pikes, and let the Lord judge who hath ob&s;erved the ends of the Covenant be&s;t you or we.</HI> Thirdly, page 8. they declare their wi&s;h and expectation: <HI>And thus we have in the naked plainne&s;s of our &s;ouls, opened our hearts unto you, our dear bre|thren, that fear the Lord in</HI> Scotland, <HI>where ever you be found, in the highe&s;t Councils or poore&s;t Cottages, who though ye be &s;cattered, the Lord will in his due time bring you together, and bind you up as his jewels, and make you one with tho&s;e that fear the Lord among&s;t us.</HI></P>
<P>From which we &s;hall humbly de&s;ire all that fear the Lord in the Army, in the Parliament, who&s;e Army they were, and in the Churches, who then a&s;&s;i&s;ted them in their prayers, and incouraged them by their mi&s;&s;ive Letters, in &s;incerity, as in the &s;ight of God, who &s;earcheth the hearts and tryeth the reins, to ask their own hearts the&s;e few que&s;tions.</P>
<P>From the fir&s;t, if the Churches of Chri&s;t in <HI>Scotland,</HI> and the lot of Gods inheritance there, &s;hould require us to be a hedge about
<PB N="8" REF="4">them, and protect them from their enemies, whether Papi&s;ts, Ma|lignants, or &s;uch of the National Church as are tyrannical in their principles; could we refu&s;e their de&s;ire, without being e&s;teemed hypocrites before God, and di&s;&s;emblers with men? We called God to be a witne&s;s of our &s;incerity: and if our practi&s;e become contrary, would he not be a &s;wift witne&s;s again&s;t us?</P>
<P>From the &s;econd, &s;ince while in judgment and practi&s;e we main|tained the liberty of Gods people, whether Bapti&s;ts, Indepen|dents, or others, wor&s;hipping God in &s;pirit and truth, (albeit in different external Forms) we &s;olemnly appealed to God again&s;t tho&s;e who were onely for a National Church, and for this to fight again&s;t us with their King, to judge whether they or we had ob|&s;erved the ends of the Covenant be&s;t; and the Lord gave judge|ment on our &s;ide: if we &s;hould refu&s;e to protect, defend and main|tain the godly in <HI>Scotland,</HI> in Covenant with us, albeit &s;eparated from the National Church, we were not &s;uch as de&s;erted tho&s;e ends, and laboured to make the Almighty a Lyar?</P>
<P>From the third, if the godly in <HI>Scotland</HI> &s;hould de&s;ire us, in a lawful way to remove &s;uch impediments as may hinder their ga|thering together among them&s;elves, and becoming one with us, and it being in our power we &s;hould refu&s;e; could our wi&s;hes and de&s;ires be e&s;teemed to have come from an hone&s;t and upright heart? Or rather might they not be looked upon as empty Com|plements to delude &s;imple and credulous &s;ouls? It is a good Chri|&s;tian policy whereby men may finde out the deceit of their hearts in pro&s;perity, to con&s;ider what frame they were in, in the time of difficulty, and to look upon that as the fitte&s;t time for &s;olid re&s;o|lution to follow duty impartially.</P>
<P>The third and la&s;t tye, is that of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parlia|ment at <HI>Dalkeith</HI> in <HI>Anno</HI> 1652. wherein they declare they will protect and incourage &s;uch as walk &s;oberly and chri&s;tianly, albeit &s;erving God in a different way from the Presbyterian and Natio|nal Church; wherein we humbly conceive the faith and credit of the Nation of <HI>England</HI> is ingaged.</P>
<P>The &s;econd particular to be con&s;idered, is, of how great con|cernment the right &s;ettling of all Judicatories, and places of Tru&s;t in <HI>Scotland,</HI> is to the &s;afety and well-being of the godly there. And truly, if narrowly con&s;idered, it is of &s;o great concernment, that on this depends their whole well-being or evil-being, as to their condition in the world: <HI>the hone&s;t Magi&s;trate</HI> onely being
<PB N="9" REF="4">a prai&s;e to tho&s;e that do well, and a terrour to tho&s;e that do e|vil; but if otherways, the horn of the wicked is lifted up on high, &amp; he that calls for ju&s;tice maketh him&s;elf a prey; their lives lye open to their malice: albeit a Tyrannical and Antich&s;tian Ma|gi&s;trate cannot take it from them without &s;ome &s;hadow of Law; yet how many under pretext of Law, without any ju&s;t and legal ground, have come to an untimely end by the oppre&s;&s;ion of the Magi&s;trate; <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and many others can te&s;tifie. The &s;ecurity of all their worldly e&s;tates derived to them by a right from their fathers, or purcha&s;ed by their own indu&s;try, lyes at the Magi&s;trates door; &s;ometimes whiles they are active in pur&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">|ing for what is their own; &s;ometimes whiles they are pa&s;&s;ive, de|fending what they have acquired: and where they are hateful to Authority, former experience hath &s;hewed, even from tho&s;e who had large profe&s;&s;ions of piety, they have met with much partiali|ty, and been witne&s;&s;es to the preferring of one before another. Their future preferments, and all which they may acquire for the time to come, hangs much upon the plea&s;ure of the Magi&s;trate: if any hath bred his Children in the knowledge of the Law, when they come to plead at the Bar, if the Judges check, frown, rebuke, or threaten them, their Clients will be few, and their imployment vani&s;h: if to be a Phy&s;itian, he will get few Patients: if to teach Liberal Sciences, he can be admitted to no profe&s;&s;ion: if to be a Merchant, yea, a Shooemaker, or Taylour, or the meane&s;t of cal|lings, the influence of Authority tends much to his advantage or di&s;advantage. Their good name, which is as a pretious oyntment, lyes open to the Obloquies of all. Their external peace depends much upon the Magi&s;trate in things civil: where his di&s;plea&s;ure is intimated again&s;t a per&s;on or profe&s;&s;ion, others become horns in his &s;ides, and pricks in his eyes. In things &s;piritual, the Ec|cle&s;ia&s;tical Powers, when &s;trengthned by Authority, per&s;ecure with zeal; and when di&s;owned by Magi&s;trates, keep them with|in their own bounds. Hence, and from nothing el&s;e, hath it flowed that &s;ome in eminent Authority have lately been relaxed from excommunication, when others of no more guilt have continued under their &s;entence. To which we might add the concernment of Se&s;s, Exci&s;e, Cu&s;toms and Quarterings, in all which ca&s;es Magi|&s;trates may ea&s;e or oppre&s;s, if not rightly principled, and that in a way &s;o &s;ubtile, that it is hard to get remedy. <HI>Many will &s;eek the favour of the Prince,</HI> Pro. 19.6. and <HI>the fear of a King is as the roaring
<PB N="10" REF="5">of a Lyon,</HI> Pro. 20.2. And as the &s;treams are found in a Nation; &s;o the Prince, the &s;upreme Authority and Fountain whence they flow, are e&s;teemed to be.</P>
<P>The third particular is, what have been the Plots and Practi&s;es of the Adver&s;aries of the Libertie of the true Church of Chri&s;t the&s;e five years by-pa&s;t, to en&s;lave and bring them in &s;ubjection in their Liberties both Civil and Spiritual in <HI>Scotland.</HI> After <HI>Worce|&s;ter</HI> fight when the condition of the Nation was brought to a &s;et|tled and full calm, without enemies appearing, except &s;ome un|con&s;iderable Tories or Mo&s;s-troopers in the <HI>Highlands</HI> &amp; Borders, the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> in <HI>Scotland</HI> intimating much tenderne&s;s to the godly there, and afterwards the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament met toge|ther at <HI>Dalkeith,</HI> giving them further incouragement by their pub|lick Declarations, they thought the winter had been pa&s;t, and that the Voyce of the Turtle &s;hould &s;till have been heard in their Land: whereupon tho&s;e that feared the Lord, &s;poke often one to another: a willing people &s;eemed to be coming forth in the beauties of holine&s;s in the day of Chri&s;ts Power. There were many and frequent meetings of the godly in <HI>Edenburgh</HI> and <HI>Leith</HI> among them&s;elves, and with Chri&s;tians in the Army come from <HI>England,</HI> who had been groaning under the burden of a National Church, con&s;titute of members for the mo&s;t part meerly men of this world, often praying and &s;peaking on the Word, with and to one another in order to a Chri&s;tian fellow&s;hip in a Go&s;pel-way. Ma&s;ter <HI>Thomas Charters,</HI> Mini&s;ter at <HI>Kilbrayde,</HI> declared him&s;elf for &s;eparation: Mr. <HI>John Rue,</HI> Mini&s;ter at <HI>Aberdeen,</HI> left his Natio|nal Mini&s;try, and became principal of the Colledge of the Old Town: Mr. <HI>John Meinzies,</HI> Mini&s;ter at <HI>Aberdeen,</HI> cea&s;ed from &s;prinkling Infants for &s;everal years: Mr. <HI>Seatown,</HI> Mini|&s;ter in the Old Town of <HI>Aberdeen,</HI> demitted his place: Mr. <HI>Willi|am Young&s;tone,</HI> Mini&s;ter at <HI>Doors,</HI> declared him&s;elf a Bapti&s;t: Mr. <HI>John Forbes,</HI> Mini&s;ter at <HI>Kincardine,</HI> declared the &s;ame: Mr. <HI>Mer|cer,</HI> a Mini&s;ter nigh <HI>Aberdeen;</HI> and Mr. <HI>John Young,</HI> Mini&s;ter at <HI>Bir&s;e,</HI> verbally covenanted to make progre&s;s with &s;uch as were &s;eparated; and a very con&s;iderable number of Mini&s;ters, Magi|&s;trates, and the vulgar &s;ort of people, &s;eparated from the promi&s;|cuous con&s;titution of a National Church, a&s;&s;ociated them&s;elves together, and in pre&s;ence of the mixt multitude did break bread together, as a &s;eal of their re&s;olution never to return to the errour of the multitude any more. But in a &s;hort &s;pace hereafter,
<PB N="11" REF="5">the zeal of their Patrons became cold, and they not onely found want of freedom and protection from tho&s;e of whom they ex|pected it, but &s;o &s;oon as <HI>Oliver</HI> was lift up to the Throne, &s;ome heads of the Presbyterian Faction were &s;ent for: and to ingra|tiate him&s;elf with them, (intimating tacitely it was his Law, that no Mini&s;ter in <HI>Scotland</HI> &s;hould have allowance of a Livelyhood, but a National Presbyterian) he ordered that none &s;hould have &s;tipends as Mini&s;ters, or receive a ratification in order to their livelyhood from the Commi&s;&s;ioners for Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Affairs, which were to enter in the Mini&s;try, but &s;uch as had te&s;tificates from &s;ome four of a &s;elect party, being thirty in all, conde&s;cend|ed upon in his order, of the hone&s;t Presbyterian party. And al|beit the greater part of them refu&s;ed this Epi&s;copal Dignity, as coming from &s;uch an hand, yet many made u&s;e of it for e&s;tabli&s;h|ing their own Creatures in the Mini&s;try. But not re&s;ting here, after his further e&s;tabli&s;hment, when his Council was &s;ent down to <HI>Scotland,</HI> the Commi&s;&s;ioners for Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Affairs having formerly u&s;ed &s;uch moderation, that if any wronged by a Presby|tery or A&s;&s;embly had complained to them, and called for redre&s;s, they would have heard both parties; and finding the Plaintiff unju&s;tly vexed, whether by depo&s;ition or &s;u&s;pen&s;ion, they would have continued his Livelyhood with him: then the per&s;ecution came to a greater height, <HI>(viz.)</HI> the rigid Presbyterians finding they had not as ample power to depo&s;e, and thru&s;t out as to im|po&s;e and &s;et up upon a new addre&s;s to his late Highne&s;s, a fre&s;h Order or Mandate by way of letter was &s;ent to the Council, whereupon they might no more di&s;pute the &s;entence of a Presby|tery, or Provincial A&s;&s;embly, but <HI>fide implicita,</HI> were forced to approve depo&s;itions, and ratifie admi&s;&s;ions, giving warrant to the intrants for taking up the Livelyhood belonging to the place right or wrong, whereby (albeit we &s;hall not deny it was a pre&s;|&s;ing burdning to &s;ome of their &s;pirits) the Sufferers of the Mini|&s;try were brought to an harder condition then ever they were in the time of the Bi&s;hops, or in the flouri&s;hing times of the Na|tional A&s;&s;emblies: in which times if any had &s;uffered wrong in a Synod or Presbytery, he had the benefit of appeal, and might have been redre&s;&s;ed by the Bi&s;hop or National A&s;&s;embly; but under <HI>Oliver</HI> his late Di&s;cipline, he could have nothing for his Livelyhood, though unju&s;tly taken from him, but the production of an Act of the general A&s;&s;embly, ordaining that no Mini&s;ter
<PB N="12" REF="6">depo&s;ed &s;hall have any part of the &s;tipend belonging to that place from which he is depo&s;ed after his depo&s;ition. On the other hand, the Magi&s;trate began much to run in the &s;ame channel: My Lord <HI>Hopton,</HI> one of the Commi&s;&s;ioners for admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice, was left out of the Commi&s;&s;ion, for his hone&s;ty and affection to a Commonwealth. There was but one Commi&s;&s;ary in all <HI>Scot|land</HI> declaring him&s;elf of the Bapti&s;ts judgment, Mr. <HI>Claud Ha|milton,</HI> who was fir&s;t removed from <HI>Edenburgh</HI> to <HI>Striveling,</HI> and thereafter driven from all. Mr. <HI>Dundas</HI> &s;upervi&s;or to the Me&s;&s;en|gers, a Bapti&s;t, was likewi&s;e removed without fault. There was but one Sheriff, Clerk and Keeper of a Regi&s;ter of &s;ea&s;ings a Bap|ti&s;t in all <HI>Scotland,</HI> Mr. <HI>Archbald Weir,</HI> and he was pur&s;ued for a Drunkard, (albeit innocent, and of a blamele&s;s conver&s;ation) and a contemner of Ordinances: under which &s;uffering in the grief of his &s;pirit he dyed. There was but one Clerk to the Peace of this Judgment, Mr. <HI>Alexander Dick,</HI> and be&s;ide that he was forced to part with the intere&s;t he had in the Clerk&s;hip of the Commi&s;|&s;ariat of <HI>Hadington</HI> in favor of another, a number of Gentlemen of the County appeared again&s;t him, before the Council, de&s;iring that he might be put out. There was but one Schoolma&s;ter of this Judgment, Mr. <HI>David Pear&s;one,</HI> and he was forced to go for <HI>England</HI> to purcha&s;e a Livelyhood, where in his grief he dyed at <HI>Newca&s;tle.</HI> There was but one Collector for the Publick, <HI>James Lind&s;ay,</HI> of this Judgment, and he was laid a&s;ide. Mr <HI>Robert Gordone</HI> in Judgment for &s;eparation, kept in place (as is to be pre&s;umed) becau&s;e related to a per&s;on of Power greater then him|&s;elf; but yet degraduated from being Clerk to the Exchequer, to be Pre&s;enter of the Signatours. I &s;hall not mention the ba&s;e u&s;age I met with my &s;elf, le&s;t I &s;hould &s;eem to be fi&s;hing to my ownner, but leave the di&s;covery of it to its own time. But concerning Mini&s;ters and &s;uch as were Students of Divinity, and their relations, this was the con&s;equence; Mr. <HI>Rue</HI> his wife, a woman of a thou&s;and for eminency in piety, of the Bapti&s;ts Judgment, overwhelmed with grief, died under the burden. Mr. <HI>Meinzeis</HI> returned to his old practice. Mr. <HI>Sea|tone</HI> left the Country. Mr. <HI>Yong&s;tone</HI> had another Mini&s;ter put in his place over his head by his Lord <HI>Patron;</HI> whereupon he was forced to &s;ell a little inheritance he had, and thereafter died of grief. Mr. <HI>Forbes</HI> was threatned with the lo&s;s of his livelyhood, and &s;entence of excommunication, and died under the burden of
<PB REF="6">his grief. Mr. <HI>Burnet,</HI> &s;on to the <HI>Laird of Leyes;</HI> Mr. <HI>Malice,</HI> and divers others, for their Judgments, were forced to flee out of the Nation. Upon the&s;e actings of the adver&s;e party, and &s;ufferings of the other, the begun reformation was bla&s;ted in the bud, the wea|ker &s;ort being terrified, and &s;uch as continued con&s;tant, being &s;catte|red and made the object of the wrath of their enemies, many were retired to the holes of the rocks, and the &s;ecret places of the &s;tairs. And hence the great mi&s;take of &s;ome in <HI>England</HI> appears, who think all <HI>Scotland</HI> to be Presbyterians, and for a National Church.</P>
<P>It is not their judgment, but the greatne&s;s of the &s;tumbling-block which lies before them, that keeps many in this fellow&s;hip: and we do confidently believe, before this day there had been thou&s;ands in <HI>Scotland</HI> &s;eparated from the National Church, who would have jeo|parded their lives for the godly in <HI>England,</HI> if they had met with that freedom and encouragement which ju&s;tly they expected, when fir&s;t the Engli&s;h came to <HI>Scotland:</HI> albeit having &s;everal times within the&s;e five years by-pa&s;t travelled thorow the greate&s;t part of that Nation, I could never learn of four National Presbyterian Mini|&s;ters that would put up one Prayer to God for the Commonwealth, to gain who&s;e favour &s;o much pains is taken. But at fir&s;t <HI>Nicodemus</HI> came to Chri&s;t but by night, and many that believed on him dur&s;t not confe&s;s him for fear of the Jews. It requires more then the &s;trength of an infant Chri&s;tian under ordinary Di&s;pen&s;ations, <HI>To for|&s;ake all that a man hath and follow Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>We humbly conceive the &s;upreme Authority, from what hath been &s;aid, will rather be convinced it is their Chri&s;tian duty to &s;earch out and gather together the outca&s;ts of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> formerly di&s;per&s;ed, and put marks of honour upon &s;uch jewels of Chri&s;t, then to receive this or any other &s;uch Li&s;t from which for the mo&s;t part &s;uch are bani&s;h|ed; and therefore we &s;hall &s;ay little thereto: yet conceiving the hand of <HI>Joab</HI> may be in the matter, &amp; that <HI>Robert Andrew</HI> would not imagine he had &s;uch an intere&s;t in <HI>Scotland</HI> as of him&s;elf to make a Li&s;t of per&s;ons fit for all places in that Nation, for preventing the like in time coming, we &s;hall give it the&s;e few Characters.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is made up, at lea&s;t altered or addition made thereto by him, who for al|ledged mi&s;demeanours was lately put out of charge in the County of <HI>Pearth,</HI> upon the accu&s;ation and complaint of &s;everal Gentlemen there. Whether ju&s;tly or un|ju&s;tly we &s;hall not determine; but while the latter appears, not only he ought not to be a maker of li&s;ts, but he ought not to come in any Li&s;t for a place him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Secondly, It is carried on clo&s;ely and &s;ecretly from his Country-men, both here and in <HI>Scotland,</HI> more concerned to be acce&s;&s;orie both to the knowing and making thereof then him&s;elf: and he that doth truth, comes to the light that his deeds may be made manife&s;t that they are wrought in God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in this Li&s;t there are per&s;ons nominated for &s;everal places and offices which are not vacant, <HI>(viz.)</HI> to be Commi&s;&s;ary of <HI>Edenburgh;</HI> to be Ju&s;tice Clerk, albeit none of the &s;aid offices are vacant: in &s;o far
<PB REF="7">as Mr. <HI>Claud Hamilton</HI> was appointed Commi&s;&s;ary of <HI>Edenburgh;</HI> and Mr. <HI>Alexander Hamilton,</HI> Ju&s;tice Clerk, both of them by the Parliament, or &s;uch as had power derived from the Parliament to di&s;po&s;e of the &s;aid places by Autho|rity of Parliament, before the 20 of <HI>April,</HI> in <HI>Anno</HI> 1653. In regard whereof, they are continued in their places as formerly, by vertue of the late Act of Indempni|ty, although their places have &s;ince been di&s;po&s;ed to other: which was done with|out accu&s;ation, guilt, or mi&s;demeanour proved again&s;t any of them.</P>
<P>Fourthly, as we are informed by hone&s;t per&s;ons who have &s;een this Li&s;t, all Scots men &s;eparated from the National Church, are excluded therefrom, except &s;uch who&s;e eminency would have been as the &s;ons of <HI>Zerviah,</HI> too hard for him. Where by the way we &s;hall de&s;ire it may be remembred, while we &s;peak of his Li&s;t, it is to be under&s;tood as it was at fir&s;t, when &s;een by &s;everal hone&s;t per&s;ons here, and not as it may be &s;ince by alteration.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, we offer to prove, he hath not onely &s;ecluded them, but al&s;o declared in pre&s;ence of &s;everal witne&s;&s;es, <HI>Gilbert Gardia</HI> of <HI>Tallifru&s;ckie,</HI> and <HI>William Dua|das</HI> late &s;upervi&s;or to the Me&s;&s;engers (both Bapti&s;ts) uncapable of any place what&s;oever; of whom the fir&s;t is known to be pious, able &amp; of a blamele&s;s conver|&s;ation, who meerly for con&s;cience &s;ake about 17 years &s;ince, &s;uffered the &s;entence of excommunication by the National Mini&s;try in <HI>Scotland;</HI> and &s;ince for the &s;ame cau&s;e clo&s;e impri&s;onment by their power above a years &s;pace and an half, in which he was put in the mo&s;t di&s;graceful place among the whores, thieves, murderers and witches: and when extremity of &s;ickne&s;s threatned him with death, neither Phy|&s;itians nor his friends were admitted to vi&s;it him; and thereafter was confined nigh five years to the great ruine and de&s;truction of his e&s;tate by this and other oppre&s;&s;ions, partly open and partly &s;ecret, without the lea&s;t tincture of guilt layed to his charge, except the following the light of his own con&s;cience. The other was in office &s;ix or &s;even years formerly without being que&s;tioned for ignorance, neg|ligence, or infidelity in his office, or blame in his conver&s;ation to this day, albeit he be likewi&s;e excommunicated for following the light of his con&s;cience. In regard whereof, rea&s;on can make no other &s;ence of this a&s;&s;ertion, but becau&s;e they are a|gain&s;t &s;prinkling of infants, therefore they are incapable, and con&s;equently all Bapti&s;ts are incapable of publick office in the&s;e Nations, becau&s;e they are &s;uch: wherein how much the Churches of Chri&s;t are concerned, and all a&s;&s;ertors of true &s;piritual liberty, we leave to all unbya&s;&s;ed per&s;ons to con&s;ider.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, &s;eeing it may be alledged, in regard the Parliament of them&s;elves are un|acquainted with per&s;ons fitly qualified for places in <HI>Scotland,</HI> a Li&s;t from &s;ome mu&s;t be had; and if &s;o, from whom mu&s;t it proceed? We an&s;wer, if any &s;uch Li&s;t be nece&s;&s;ary, we humbly conceive it ought to come from the congregated Chur|ches in <HI>Scotland,</HI> (whereof there are two in <HI>Edenburgh</HI> and <HI>Leith,</HI> one of Indepen|dents, another of Bapti&s;ts, a&s;&s;i&s;ted with &s;uch moderate godly Presbyterians as the Parliament &s;hall think fit, and members of the Army there acquainted with the affairs of the Nation.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Becau&s;e they onely being of that latitude in their charity, as to love and e&s;teem all hone&s;t per&s;ons capable of places, albeit differing in judgment from them&s;elves, can onely of Incorporations be look|ed upon as unbya&s;&s;ed in their Con&s;titution, and impartial in making up a Li&s;t.</HI> 2. <HI>They only in that Nation are Incorporations to rational charity of pure and &s;piritual principles, all others being made up of a mixed multitude, clean and unclean.</HI> 3. <HI>Some of their number are Engli&s;h Judges of un|que&s;tionable integrity, and abundantly accompli&s;hed for the knowledge of the nature of all places in that Nation, and the qualifications of all per&s;ons fit to be put therein, having been &s;ix or &s;even years experienced in the practi&s;e of the Scots Law, and well acquainted with the greate&s;t part of per&s;ons con&s;iderable in the Nation, by riding the Circuits twice a year, the&s;e five years by-pa&s;t, where they were attended by Sheriffs, Ju&s;tices of Peace, Freeholders, and others. La&s;tly, it is mo&s;t agreeable to the purpo&s;e of God upon the Wheels, who will overturn, overturn, overturn, until he come who&s;e right it is; and who hath promi&s;ed and will fulfil it in his appointed time,</HI> The Kingdom and Domi|nion under the whole Heaven, &s;hall be given to the people of the Saints of the mo&s;t High, who&s;e Kingdom is an everla&s;ting Kingdom, and all Dominions &s;hall &s;erve and obey him, <HI>Dan.</HI> 7.27.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
