that they and their families had to subsist upon), rather than sin against God and desert the cause of civil and religious liberty, which, together with serious religion, would, I am persuaded, have sunk to a very low ebb in the nation, had it not been for the bold and noble stand these worthies made against imposition upon conscience, prophaneness, and arbitrary power. They had the best education England could afford, most of them were excellent scholars, judicious divines, pious, faithful, and laborious ministers, of great zeal for God and religion, undaunted and courageous in their Master's work, standing close to their people in the worst of times, diligent in their studies, solid, affectionate, powerful, awakening preachers, aiming at the advancement of real vital religion in the hearts and lives of men, which it cannot be denied, flourished greatly wherever they could influence. Particularly they were men of great devotion and eminent abilities in prayer, uttering as God enabled them from the abundance of their hearts and affections; men of divine eloquence in pleading at the throne of grace, raising and melting the affections of their hearers, and being happily instrumental in transfusing into their souls the same spirit and heavenly gift. And this was the ground of all their other qualifications; they were excellent men, because excellent,

instant, and fervent in prayer. Such were the fathers and first formers of the Dissenting interest. Let my soul be for ever with the souls of these men."

The Test Act excludes Dissenters from filling public offices, except they take the sacrament at the established church, which some think cannot be consistently done by any conscientious Dissenter. Hence loud complaints have been raised respecting this exclusion, since, as members of the civil community, they are entitled to all the common privileges of that community. The Test Act was originally levelled against the Roman Catholics. The Dissenters have made several unsuccessful applications for its repeal. The question was warmly agitated in the House of Commons, 1787, and on each side numerous publications issued from the press. The chief argument urged for the continuance of the Test Act is, the safety of the established church. The principal arguments alledged for its repeal are, that it is a prostitution of the Lord's Supper, and that to withhold civil rights on account of religious opinions, is a species of persecution.

The Dissenters as a body, have not been unfruitful of great and learned men. Among their ornaments are to be ranked Baxter, Bates, Howe, Owen, Williams, Neal, Henry, Stennet, Evans, Gale, Foster, Leland, Grosvenor, Watts, Lard

ner, Abarnethy, Doddridge, Grove, Chandler, Gill, Orton, Furneaux, Farmer, Towgood, Robinson, Price, Kippis, and Priestley. Though it may happen that among Dissenters sufficient encouragement is not given in certain cases to men of talents and integrity, yet among their more liberal denominations, it must be confessed, that a Dissenting minister may, unawed by a conclave of cardinals-a bench of bishops-or a board of ministers-exercise in its fullest extent the right of private judgment, which is the pride and pleasure of the human mind. In Pierce's Vindication of the Dissenters, Towgood's Letters to White, and Palmer's Protestant Dissenter's Catechism, are stated the grounds upon which their dissent from the established church is founded.

KIRK OF SCOTLAND.

THE members of the Kirk of Scotland are, strictly speaking, the only Presbyterians in Great Britain. Their mode of ecclesiastical government was brought thither from Geneva by John Knox, the celebrated Scotch Reformer, who has been styled the apostle of Scotland, for the same reason that Luther was called the apostle of Germany.

Contrary to the Episcopalians, the Presbyte

rians maintain that the church should be governed by Presbyteries, Synods, and General Assemblies. The title Presbyterian comes from the Greek word geoCuregos, which signifies senior or elder. In the Kirk of Scotland there are fifteen synods and sixty-nine presbyteries. Their articles are Calvinistic, and their General Assembly is held annually in the month of May at Edinburgh. Dreadful scenes took place in Scotland previous to the establishment of Presbyterianism in its present form at the revolution, and its confirmation in 1706, by the act of union between the two kingdoms. During the commonwealth, Presbyterianism was the established religion, but on the restoration Episcopacy was introduced in its room. So averse, however, were the Scotch to the Episcopalians, and so harsh were the measures of the Episcopalian party, that the whole country was thrown into confusion. Leighton, the most pious and moderate prelate amongst them, disgusted with the proceedings of his brethren, resigned his bishopric, and told the king, "He would not have a hand in such oppressive measures, were he sure to plant the Christian religion in an infidel country by them; much less when they tended only to alter the form of church government." On the other hand, Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrew's, adopted violent measures, which terminated in his death. For in 1679, nine

ruffians stopped his coach near St. Andrew's, assassinated him, and left his body covered with thirty-two wounds. On the monument of this unfortunate prelate, in one of the churches of St. Andrew's, I have seen an exact representation in elegant sculpture of this tragical event.

It was in these troubled times that the Presbyterians drew up their famous solemn league and covenant, whereby they bound themselves to effect the extirpation of episcopacy; and however useful they may have found it, yet, assuredly, it was not dictated by the spirit of true religion. The Scotch church, however, is now considerably improved in sentiment and liberality, and some of their clergy stand foremost in the several departments of literature. Robertson, Henry, Leechman, Blacklock, Gerard, Campbell, Blair, and Hunter, all deceased within these few years, are among its principal ornaments. In a selection of sermons, entitled the Scotch Preacher, will be found a pleasing specimen of the pulpit compositions of the Scotch clergy, delivered on particular occasions.

SECEDERS.

DISSENTERS from the Kirk or Church of Scotland, call themselves Seceders; for as the term Dissenters comes from the Latin word dissentio,