Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n
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A33543
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A continuation of the historical relation of the late General Assembly in Scotland with an account of the commissions of that assembly, and other particulars concerning the present state of the church in that kingdom.
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Cockburn, John, 1652-1729.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing C4805; ESTC R2774
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64,454
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78
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about their Necks could not but in all reason and Justice expect that when the Lord should return to have mercy upon Zion and put the Government of his House in the Hands of his own Servants to manage the Affairs of his Church that we should be eased of this unsupportable Burthen And can it be supposed any feigned submission Mr. Iohnston can now give for this World's sake can either satisfie our Consciences or persuade us of his Sincerity in this matter whose Principles have been to follow Courses to maintain that wicked Hieratchy Nor can it be suppos'd the Reverend Presbytery who have it in their Power to ease us of this Burthen will instead thereof wreath this Yoke yet upon our Necks and thereby sink us under it and make our Bondage yet more grievous to be born Seventhly The Presbyterian Party in the Parish are all Unanimous never to submit to Mr. Iohnston's Ministry nor to own him in that Station whatever may be the Event and if the gratifying of him and his Adherents in this matter be the way to secure and settle Presbyterian Government it may easily be conjectured when it is considered that there is no Person for him who is not an Enemy openly declared in Judgment and Practice against Presbytery which but corresponds to Mr. Iohnston's own Declaration and Judgment in his Case for when Summons were given him to appear before this Reverend Presbytery he did even then disown their Authority affirming he would not appear before them having another Presbytery of his own to whom he would answer but not to them or he would answer to the Council Eighthly It is not to be doubted but a disappointment in this matter will occasion such a rupture amongst us as will not be easily healed And what the end or event of that may be who can tell Nor can it be expected or judged just to impose upon us the keeping up of a Meeting-House to prevent other inconveniences since there is a Legal Maintainance due to the Faithful Ministers there in whose Ministry the Presbyterians there pretend the largest share Ninthly How can it be supposed that this Man is of Presbyterian Principles or a Friend or Well-wisher to the late Happy Change in the Government of Church and State since all his Familiarity is with such as are well known to be Friends to neither nor have we an instance of any thing done by him to signifie his satisfaction with the Change except his Praying for K. W. and Q. M. which is not doubted was done by Advice to keep off a present stroke And it was observed and generally talked of when he was ordered to read that Proclamation for Praying for their Majesties he did read it but with that contempt in his reading sitting on his bottom and muâ—â—ering it that his manner of reading of it made many think there was more contempt in doing thereof than if he had forborn it And such like there having been a Solâ—mn Day of Thanksgiving appointed to be kept and a Proclamation issued out from the Convention of Estates for that effect for his own security he preached one Sermon that Day but spoke not one word to the occasion of it As also there being of late a Solemn Day of Humiliation to be kept by appointment of Parliament and general meeting of Ministers for Happy Success in the King's Expedition for Ireland c. he preached that Day but was so general and unconcerned as no hearer could have judged by his discourse one Sentence in his Sermon relating to the occasion which cannot but give a discovery of the Man's Spirit and Principles by which he is led whatever he may pretend to the contrary And it is no wonder to see him contemn Authority who affirms neither Church nor State to be right Tenthly How true a Friend he is to the Protestant Religion and Protestants for its sake may be conjectured by his Charity to the poor banished Protestants who were lately forced to fly from Ireland For there having been a publick Collection appointed to be gathered for their necessary Supply he not only neglected to intimate the Appointment to his Hearers and press them to that Duty of Charity but it was commonly said he used all the means he could to dissuade such as he had influence upon to contribute any thing in that Charitable Supply and the event was answerable to his design and desire for nothing was collected in that Church for that use nor did any Person within his Association contribute one Farthing thereto From what is said it may appear what just grounds there are for trying Mr. Iohnston anent his pretended Ministry and the Exercise of it at Brunt-Island which is left to the Reverend Presbytery's Consideration and their definite Sentence for his removal from amongst us as to his pretended Ministry is humbly expected and waited for This is given with Protestation to add further as there shall be occasion And beside all that is said Mr. Pitcairn was called to the Ministry of Brunt-Island and appointed by the Synod of Fife to serve there long before Mr. Iohnston's intrusion amongst us so that Mr. Iohnston can have no just pretence Sic subscribitur THO. NAIRN Remarks upon the foresaid LIBEL given in against Mr. GEO. JOHNSTON THE First Article will be confessed and none except the ignorant composers of the Libel will have the worse opinion of Mr. Iohnston on that account As to the Second it may be said That Mr. Iohnston might as well take a Presentation from K. Iames who was undoubted Patron of the Church of Brunt-Island as the Presbyterians an Indulgence from the same King the one is no Crime the other cannot be well justified because contrary to standing Laws and because they knew the Design was to make way for Popery which Mr. Iohnston is less a Friend to than the Presbyterians are Whereas it was said That he was deserted of the People of Fala the contrary is very well known for that People had a great love to him and he was in good esteem amongst them They expressed a great deal of regret when he parted from them and if there were any who ran to the Presbyterian meeting-house while he was there they were very few and very inconsiderable His manner of Institution to the Church of Brunt-Island was not singular nor yet irregular according to the practice of the Church and can be no reasonable prejudice against him Nor is it true That the other Ministers of that Presbytery disowned him for they always did and still do entertain a Brotherly Correspondence with him As to the Third It might have been true That the Presbyterians entertained a Jealousie of him and their groundless Jealousie might have raised a Prejudice against his Ministry But notwithstanding of that Mr. Iohnston is very capable of doing good in that Parioch because the Presbyterians are not near the number of the People of another Persuasion who love Mr. Iohnston's Person and are
wont to do from the Episcopal Ministers being found in Edinburgh he was shut up in Prison and detained several Months till of late with difficulty he hath procured his enlargment So little reason is there to talk of their Harmony and Union except it be in the opposition which both make to the Episcopal Party that the Cameronians to distinguish themselves the better from the other Presbyterians have taken up a new Name viz. That of the Society they do not add of Iesus lest they should be taken for the Disciples of Ignatius Loyola Those of this Sect sometimes begin their Meetings at Ten or Twelve at Night or at the dawning of the Morning and they use to be well armed with Swords and Staves and I 'm told there have been hard blows given betwixt them and the other Presbyterians in the Southern and Western Shives as happened in the late times so now we may expect variety of Sects and Opinions which will ruin Religion as well as disturb the publick Peace and Quiet For Fanaticism is a Spiritual Vertigo which makes people reel and stagger from side to side and run about till they fall into Atheism and gross Impiety To return to the Commissiâ—n which sat down again upon Wednesday the Fifteenth of April When they were met Sir William Leccart the King's Sollicitor came and presented to the Moderator a Letter from the King which was not received with that Respect which was due The Moderator without rising from his Seat bad him give it in to the Clerk telling him That there was very much noise of that Letter For indeed it was not only talked of but also several Copies of it were spread up and down both City and Country Then the Moderator turn'd to the Clerk and said Man take off the Scab of the Wamb of it and see what 's within it for so as is said he called the King's Seal upon it This Letter was the effect of that Address which those Commissionated by the Episcopal Clergy who were still in place made to the King before his going to Flanders whither also Two of them followed him viz. Dr. Canaries and Mr. Lesk that they might even there negotiate the Affairs of their Party and get that stop put to the Proccedings of the Presbyterians which was promised them but which could not be presently given because of the King's haste to go beyond Seas This is a true Copy of the Letter To the Right Reverend and Our Well-beloved Ministers and Elders Commissioners of the General Assembly of the Church of our ancient Kingdom of Scotland Right Reverend and Well-beloved We greet you well WHereas there hath been humble Application made to us by several Ministers for themselves and others who lately served under Episcopacy in that our ancient Kingdom We have thought good as well for the Good and Advantage of that Church as the Publick Iustice and Welfare of the Nation and the Interest of our Government to signifie our Pleasure to you That you make no distinction of Men otherwise well qualified for the Ministry who are willing to join with you in the Acknowledgment of and Submission to the Government of Church and State as it is by Law now established though they have formerly conformed to the Law introducing Episcopacy and that ye give them no vexation or disturbance for that cause or upon that head and that in regard many of these Ministers are turned out summary without any Sentence or Order of Law if such shall be called to be Ministers of any Congregations by plurality of Heritors and Elders we judge it reasonable that you admit them where there is no just Cause to the contrary without making any difficulty Whereas some of these Ministers complain of Severities and Hardships by several Sentences pronounced against them we think fit to give you opportunity to review what Cases shall be brought before you that your selves may give such just Redresses as the matter requireth before we take any further notice of these Complaints We will assure you we will protect you and maintain the Government of the Church in that our ancient Kingdom by Presbytery without suffering any invasion to be made upon it And therefore we will expect That you will avoid all occasions of Divisions and Resentments and cordially unite with those that will agree with you in the Doctrine of the Protestant Religion and own the Confession of Faith which the Law hath established as the Standard of the Communion of that Church And it is our Pleasure That during our absence out of Britain until we give our further Directions that you proceed to no more Process or any other Business and dispose your selves to give out your best Means for healing and reconciling Differnces and apply your selves to give impartial Redresses upon any Complaints that shall be offered unto you against Sentences already past that we be not obliged to give our selves any further trouble thereanent So we bid you heartily farewel Given at our Court in the Hague Feb. 13. 1690. and of our Reign the Third Year Sic subscribitur by his Majesty's Command JO. DALRYMPLE When this Letter was read the Anger and Displeasure of the Brethren was to be seen in their Countenances One said that there was no regard to be had to it because the King's Hand was not at it Another replied That whether it had come only from the Secretary himself or been sent by the order of the King there was no reason to take any notice of it or be concerned with it for it proceeded from a mistake and mis-information as if they had turned out any summarly without any Sentence or Order of Law whereas they were conscious of no such thing It is reported of the Moderator That when the Contents of this Letter were first imparted to him he said If the King had not so many Men at his back he would make two of it But a Person of Honour assured me That when he was speaking to him of it his answer was That the King would be as wise to let these matters alone After much deliberation it was resolved to write an Answer to the King and to send two of their number to negotiate their Affairs with his Majesty and to remove the Prejudices he might have conceived against them by false Representations The Persons who were thought fit to be sent were Mr. Iohn Law and Mr. David Blair The Letter which they were to carry with them was but once read publickly nor did the Moderator suffer any at the time to propose his Judgment about it for he said That there was a private Committee appointed for that matter and so he desired every one to come in apart by himself and there to declare his Mind what he would have added to it or taken away from it Which was done either to keep the thing more secret or that the Draught of the Letter which the Moderator and other leading Men had made might pass