PREFACE.

THE design of the following work is to give the history of the sufferings of the Church of Scotland during the reigns of the royal brothers,-to preserve the memory of the sufferers, and shew the cause of their sufferings,-to shew us what we have to expect, should ever any of the pretended race of the Stuarts fill the British throne-and, if possible, to convince us of the unspeakable obligations a good and gracious God has laid us under, in delivering these nations from the tyranny of their oppressors.

It is but a general and imperfect account that is given of the sufferings of the Church of Scotland in this period by the English historians; for they had neither proper informations nor materials. The Rev. Mr Robert Wodrow, minister at Eastwood, is the only person who has given a large account of these things in his excellent history; but, as that work is contained in two large volumes in folio; so there are but few that have either time to peruse it, or can afford to purchase it; and since the reducing such a performance into a more narrow compass was thought proper, for making the history of this period more universally known, I was prevailed with, by many of my friends, to undertake the difficult task.

The worthy historian, just now mentioned, had excellent materials for his performance, having in his hands the records of the nation, besides original papers and well attested narratives from those who were immediately concerned, or were present at the facts he has recorded; and many gentlemen and ministers, related to the sufferers, favoured him with well attested accounts of the sufferings of particular persons, as his preface sufficiently declares: so that it is easy to see what labour and pains he must have been at in composing a work from such a multitude of papers he had to peruse, there being no historian before him from whom he could have much assistance. As this, I think, is a sufficient excuse for the voluminousness of his history, so it shews the expediency of this undertaking.

The account that is here given is indeed tragical, for it is the history of a most cruel and bloody persecution, and opens a scene that may justly fill us with horror. The laws against the sufferers were written in blood, and executed by a military force. All methods of cruelty were made use of by a prelatical faction, who not only invaded the properties of the subject, but even the prerogatives of the Mediator as the only

head of the church. Many were exorbitantly fined, unjustly imprisoned, oppressed by soldiers, plundered by dragoons and a lawless Highland host. Multitudes were forced to wander about in dens and caves of the earth. Not a few were tortured by boots, thumbkins, fire matches, &c. Some were be. headed, others were hanged and quartered; women, as well as men, suffered death; some of them were hanged, and others drowned; prisons were crowded, and ships were loaded with prisoners, who were banished from their native country of whom many perished, &c. &c. &c.

But what had they done? Were they murderers of fathers or murderers of mothers? Were they thieves or robbers? Quite the reverse; for they were pious and religious persons. Their enemies indeed have pretended that it was not so much for religion as rebellion that they suffered. Accordingly Sir George Mackenzie, in his Vindication of the reign of king CHARLES II. has the assurance to say, p. 17. That there did not die, upon any public account, twelve in all that reign; and that not one died for any principle of religion, unless it be thought a religious principle to die for actual rebellion;' and elsewhere, p. 8. That no man in Scotland

per

ever suffered for his religion;' than which nothing can be more false; and the following history will sufficiently refute the many lies and malicious misrepresentations in the advocate's Vindication, and clearly shew, that whatever steps the sufferers took were the effect of unparalleled cruelty and unsupportable oppression. It is well known, that, though no people could be more attached to any prince, than the Scots PRESBYTERIANS were to King CHARLES II. and no prince was ever under greater obligations to protect any subjects, and maintain them in the inviolable possession of their religious and civil liberties, than Charles was to protect them; yet he was no sooner restored, but he and his wicked ministry proclaimed to all the world their horrid dissimulation, ingratitude and jury. For, notwithstanding the covenanted ties which lay upon the king and all the nation, they overturned the presbyterian settlement, which all, with uplifted hands, had sworn to maintain, established prelacy, which, with the greatest solemnity, they had sworn to extirpate, and obliged all to make a declaration against the COVENANTS, and persecuted those who could not comply; so that presbyterians were counted rebels, because they could not perjure themselves, according to the example of the king and his ministers, nor submit to prelacy and the supremacy; because they esteemed diocesan bishops as contrary to the word of God, and therefore could never own and acknowledge them without acting contrary to their consciences. They likewise locked upon the ecclesiastical su

premacy as an usurpation of Christ's throne and dignity; especially as it was asserted, in the preamble of Act 1. Session 2. parl. 1. Charles II. That the ordering and disposal of the external government and policy of this church doth properly belong unto his majesty, as an inherent right of the crown.' Their non-compliance with these things was the cause of their suffering in the manner related in the following work.

It is true, many of them took arms in their own defence, being constrained thereto by horrid oppression and dismal tyranny, and at last some renounced the authority of the two tyrants, but not till after they had been denounced, intercommunod, and put from under the protection of the laws of their country; and if that was rebellion, so was the Revolution, but the accusations of their enemies on this score deserves very little regard, since, after the Revolution, the forfeitures passed in these two reigns were reversed by act of parliament, and they who were most active, in the defence of themselves and their religious and civil rights, are expressly mentioned, as Mr John King, Mr John Kid, Mr William and Alexander Gordons elder and younger of Earlstoun, Henry Hall of Haughhead, Mr Cargill, Mr Robert Bailie of Jerviswood, Archibald carl of Argyll, George earl of Melvil, nay, and Mr James Renwick, &c. &c. &c. The reader may see the act in the last number of Mr Wodrow's appendix to his second volume.

Little regard, I conceive, is to be paid to what others have alleged, that many of them threw away their lives, and that they suffered only for trifies; nay, if that was the case, was it not base for the ministers of state, and others in this dismal period, to shed the blood of so many innocent people for trifles? But was it a trifling matter to act against their consciences, to renounce their principles, to own the authority of a prince who had usurped the authority of Christ over his own church, and that in the very exercise of his usurpation? But I shall not here anticipate what the reader will, I hope, find cleared up in the history. In short, they were brave martyrs for their religion and liberties, and a covenanted work of reformation, in opposition to popery, prelacy, erastianism, &c. and it is well known, that whatever resistance was made by any presbyterians during the sway of tyranny and arbitrary power, yet they of that denomination have ever shewn themselves strict adherers and firm friends to legal government.

As the following history is intended to preserve the memory of those who suffered for their religion and liberties, so it gives us a view of what may be expected, should ever the pretender, or any of his race, ascend the British throne; or should ever prelacy, not to speak of popery, be established in Scotland.

It is a just observation of the author of the Memoirs of the Church of Scotland, p. 194. That episcopacy never got ground in that kingdom but by violence, and never failed to exercise what power it had there to oppress and destroy its opposers, being always animated with a spirit of persecution in the church, and absolute tyranny in the state,' as will appear most evident from the following work; in which we have a view of the dismal methods the prelates and their abettors were pleased to take to support their power, and that they never ceased to vent a spirit of persecution against their fellow protestants while they were able; and there are not wanting proofs that the episcopalians have shewn the same inclinations to this day, and only want an opportunity to give farther demonstrations of them. As they were inveterate enemies to the Revolution, so they have made many attempts, since that time, to overturn our present happy settlement, and bring us again under their intolerable yoke; but by the interposition of a kind Providence, all their counsels have hitherto been defeated, and all their measures disconcerted. And happy was it for these nations that it was so; for, had they succeeded we could have expected nothing but that the same bloody scene, that is here presented, would have been opened again, and the same methods of oppression and tyranny made use of. It has been alleged, that we had nothing to fear, because their king, as they call him, would have come under the most solemn engagements to maintain the protestant religion. But who will question that? Is it possible for him to come under stronger engagements than King Charles II. or make fairer promises than his pretended father James VII.? The pope, no doubt, would give him liberty to swear all the oaths that could be invented, and break them too whenever it should be in his power. Popish princes may promise and swear whatever they have a-mind, but they cannot perform what they please, because their consciences are in the keeping of others, to whom they stand solemnly engaged, as their infallible guides in matters of religion.

Had therefore the Jacobites been so numerous or powerful as to succeed in their designs, and raise the pretender to the throne, to what dreadful circumstances must the nation have been reduced? would not the pretender have resented, to the highest, the opposition made by the presbyterians to his pretended father and himself, or the inviolable attachment they have retained to the Revolution-settlement, and the protestant succession in the illustrious house of Hanover.

As all firm protestants in England appeared against every attempt made in favour of that abjured race, so the presbyterians in Scotland were exceeded by none in standing up for

the present happy establishment. With what firmness and constancy, with what boldness, resolution, and courage did they espouse and plead for this cause even in the presence of the rebels themselves, when it was not in their power to oppose their ravages! How ministers exposed themselves to the fury of the enemy by praying for king George, preaching against popery and rebellion, &c. &c. is well known. What then must they, and all the other hearty friends of their king and country expect, should it ever be in the power of the emissary of Rome and France to revenge his quarrel? If their sufferings were so great under Charles and James, what they must be under this bigotted tool is easy to conceive.

This work is also designed to convince all true protestants, especially those of the Church of Scotland, what obligations we are under to God, for the remarkable interposition of his providence, in delivering these nations from the intolerable yoke of a race of tyrants, who did all they could to establish arbitrary power, and subvert the constitution of the kingdom; a race who paid no regard to promises, oaths, and laws; a race who studied more to gratify the French king, than how to consult the happiness of their own subjects: for who can read an account of the miseries of the nation under their tyranny, and not see the greatness of that mercy in delivering us from them? Especially when we consider, that the same providence, to which such a deliverance was owing, has frequently since appeared in defeating all the attempts that have been made to enslave us.

But have our returns of gratitude been answerable to the greatness of our mercies? What means then that deluge of atheism, blasphemy and profaneness, that so much abounds? Whence are the complaints of the more serious in all places of the nation, of a lamentable course of defection from our Reformation-principles? And, in a particular manner, whence is it that so many worthy persons have seceded from the judicatories of the Church of Scotland? And how comes it, that many of those, who have not seceded, are so much dissatisfied with the conduct of these judicatories? For my own part, though I look upon secession to be a very tender point, yet I cannot in charity think that some of those who have seceded however they may have carried matters too far, have acted without any provocation; but, as I knew not the springs of the conduct of the different parties now in Scotland, I shall only say, that where divisions prevail, matters are generally carried to extremities on all hands, and, in order to a reconciliation, concessions ought to be made by all the parties, if it can be done without making truth a sacrifice to peace. May God himself heal our divisions, put a stop to our defections,