included in the essence of God, it would over-principles. And for that end that his everlast throw the simplicity of the same if they being gospeli may flourish in these lands, while really distinct among themselvs, and that sun and moon endureth. And now, O Lord, *paternitas' be not filiatio Hagio-pueumatos," Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in thy hands ĺ and so the Trinity should differ nothing from recommend my spirit, beging and hopeing for the politheism of the Gentiles, by making pardon to all my sins, and to be receaved to three distinct infinits. And many times have thy eternal glory, through the only righteous I pryed as far as my capacity would follow me, merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour. To whom to try that if it were true, how far I could with the Father and Blessed Spirit, my Sanc. reach in the knowledge of such a thing, but I tifyer, be everlasting praise, honour and glory found always that the more I thought [on it] for now and evermore: Amen. the further I was from it.

Sic Subscribitur,

THOMAS AIKENHEAD.

Copy of his LETTER to his freinds from Edinburgh Tolbooth, the day of his death : January 8th, 1697.

Now these things I have puzled and vexed myself in, and all that I could learn therfrom, is, that I cannot have such certainty, either in natural or supernatural things as I would have. And so I desire all men, especially ingenious Being now wearing near the last moment of young men, to beware and take notice of these my time of living in this vain world, I have by things upon which I have splitt. I declare my the enclosed under my own hand,now when I am abhorrence and detest of any of my failings steping into eternity, breifly as my time could or offences concerning the forsaids, and its my only allow, given a true relation to the world. earnest and only desire and prayer to God for in generall, for whose use I am to give some his mercies sake in the name of Jesus Christ, copies of the enclosed at my last end to the (which way I only expect pardon of my sins, ministers and magistrats who shall be by me, and reconciliation with God) to forgive me my and to my dear and worthy freinds (whom I offences and trespasses. As also, I from my from good ground may term parents) in partivery heart and in grief and sorrow therof, am cular, for whose use I will order this enclosed perplexed and troubled for the base, wicked, principall to be delivered by the bearer, to be and irreligious expressions which I have ut- present, of the original rise, matter, and mantered, altho' that I did the same out of a blindner of my doubtings and inquisitions, for which zeal to that which I thought truth. And I pro- as I am now to die, so I desired not to live furfess and declare, that tho' it do not appear much ther than might have contribute to the glory by outward signes and tokens, yet I cannot of God, and good of his people by my after express how much I detest, abhor and am short time (for which I was demanding a re troubled at the same, withall I acknowledge preive) and my own soul's eternal welfare, by and confess to the glory of God, that in all he my more serious and incessant application to hath brought upon me, either one way or other, the throne of mercy for my great sins, which he hath done it most wisely and justly, and II hope shall be all forgiven by the mercy of hope in his mercy that itwill be better for me that he hath afflicted and punished me in this life, and stopt the current of my sins, than that he had suffered me to go on headlong in my own evil ways, into the miserys out of which I should never have recovered. Likeas I bless God I die in the full perswasion of the true Christian Protestant Apostolick faith, according to the tenor of my petitions given into the lords of justiciary and councill, which are signed by me and in their clerks hands.

And I cannot, without doing myself a manifest injury, but vindicat my innocence from those abominable aspersions in a printed satyr of Mr. Mungo Craig's, who was an evidence against me, whom I have to reckon with God and his own conscience, if he was not as deeply concerned in those hellish notions, (for which I am sentenced) as ever I was, however 1 bless the Lord, I forgive him and all men, and wishes the Lord may forgive him likewise.

To conclude, as the Lord in his providence hath been pleasd in this examplary manner to punish my great sins, so it is my earnest desire to him, that my blood may give a stop to that rageing spirit of atheism which hath taken such footing in Brittain, both in practice and profession, And of his infinite mercy recover those who are deluded with these pernicious

God, through the merits of my Redeemer Jesus Christ, tho alace my time hath been short since my sentence, so I have trifled away and mispent too much thereof, however, as my time hath allowed me, the enclosed will give satisfaction to you in particular, and to the world in generall, and after I am gone produce more charity than hath been my fortune to be trysted hitherto with, and remove the apprehensions, which I hear are various with many about my case, being the last words of a dying person, and proceeding from the sincerity of my heart.

Ther is one thing I hear I am aspersed with, which is not in the enclosed, which is, that I am suspected to have practised magick and conversed with devils, which I here declare in the presence of Almighty God, to be algether false and without any solid ground. I desire you may call for extracts of my petitions to the councell and justiciary, which I relate to in my last speech, which I recommend to your care, that I may be vindicated from any false aspersions.

Sic Subscribitur,

THOMAS AIKENHEAD.

Some Animadversions upon Aikenhead's last words, occur in the book, intitled, " Natural Religion insufficient, and Revealed necessary,

to Man's Happiness, in his present state," &c. written by Thomas Hallyburton, a man of learning and of piety, who was Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews, from the year 17 10, to his death in 1712.

tions, by which they are to be regulated. Those, which are called moral laws, are only the determinations of government, or the cou curring judgment of men, concerning what they think meet to be done for their own ends. That what some judge meet and congruous, others may find unsuitable to their nature and The author, after having set forth the evil ends, and so are not obliged to obey. But, 1. Are of sin, or, as he expresses it, having conde- not all these ungrounded assertions, wherof no scended on a few of those considerations, proof is offered but the author's deluded fancy? whereon he insists for proving sin to be exceed- 2. Has it not been irrefragably demonstrated by ing sinful, proceeds thus: "The Deists, to as many as discourse of moral good and evil, evade the difficulties arising from this evil of that, antecedently to any government among sin, take different courses. Some plainly deny men, we are under a law, the law of nature, any such thing as evil, or that there is any and that this is the will of God. 3. If all thing morally good or bad. Thomas Aiken- these had kept silence, does not the thing itself head, who was executed at Edinburgh, Jan. speak? What can be more evident, than that 8th, 1697, for his blasphemies, in his paper he there is a law of nature, and that this is the delivered from the scaffold, tells us what his law of God. We are certain that we are made thoughts were in this matter, and upon what of rational natures, capable of laws and governgrounds they were built. When in his ra- ment. We are no less sure, that God made us, tional enquiries he came to consider, whether and made us so. It is self-evident, that to him we were capable of offending God, he tells us; who made us, it belongs to govern, and dispose that after much pondering and serious consi- of us to those ends for which we were made. deration he concluded the negative.' The And we by our very beings are bound to obey, famed Mr. Hobbs was not of a very different submit, and subject ourselves to his will and mind: for he plainly asserts, that there is pleasure, who made us, and on whom we every nothing good or evil in itself, nor any common way depend; and therefore his will, if he laws constituting what is naturally just and un- make it known, is a law, and the highest law just: but all things are to be measured by what to us. Again, it is clear that this reason, if we every man judgeth fit, where there is no civil attend to it, tells us, that some things are to be government; and by the laws of society, where done, and some things left undone; such as there is one.' And elsewhere; before men these, that we are to serve, love, obey and hoentered into a state of civil government, there nour him that made us, upholds us, and on was not any thing just or unjust, for as much whom we every way depend; that we are to as just and unjust are the relatives of human carry forward our fellow creatures, as it be Jaws; every action being of itself indifferent." comes those, who have the same original with And whether Spinoza was not of the same us, who are subject to the same rule, are obliged mind, is left to those to judge, who have time to pursue the same ends; and that we are to and leisure to trace his meaning, in his obscure dispose of ourselves, as the author of our naand designedly involved way of writing. But ture allows us. These are all, if not self evisurely this proposition in his Atheistical ethicks dent, yet next to it, and easily deducible from looks very like it, si homines liberi nasce- principles that are so. Further, the reason rentur (liber autem est juxta Spinozam, qui that is implanted in us by God, tells us so; we 'secundum ductum vel ex ducta rationis agit) are to take what it leads us to, while duly used, nullum boni et mali formarent conceptum, as the will of God, and so a law to us. • quamdiu liberi essent.' Mr. Hobbs has been whatever judgement God makes a man with, learnedly confuted by many, such as Dr. Cum-concerning either himself, or other things, berland, Mr. Tyroll, and almost all who write of the law of nature. Spinoza has likewise been examined by Wittichius, and many others. The first, viz. Thomas Aikenhead, his grounds I shall propose and examine.

The first in his own words runs thus, '1 'thought,' says he, a great part of morality, if not all, proceeded ex arbitrio hominum,' as of that of a kingdom or common-wealth, or what most men think convenient for such ⚫ and such ends, and these ends are always ter'minated upon being congruous to the nature of things; now we see that according to men's fancy things are congruous or incongruous to their natures, if not to the body, yet to the thinking faculty.'

The sum of this confused discourse, which probably he learned from Hobbs, amounts to this: God has fixed no law to our moral ac

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it is God's judgement; and whatever is his judgement, is a law to man; nor can be neg 'lect or oppose it, without sin, being in his 'existence made with a necessary subjection 'to God. Such and such dictates being the 'natural operations of our minds, the being ' and essential constitution of which, in right 6 reasoning, we owe to God, we cannot but esteem them the voice of God within us, and consequently his law to us.' [Sir Charles Wolseley's Scripture Belief, pp. 32, 33.]

What he tells us, of men's different apprehensions about what is right or wrong, makes nothing to the purpose. That only shews, that in many instances we are in the dark as to what is good and evil, which is granted; but will not infer, that there is no fixed measure of good and evil. In many general truths, all, who apply themselves to think, understand the

"Edinburgh, June 15, 1681. Francis Borthwick, second son to James Borthwick ' of Harelaw, being often called to have compeared before the justiciary, this day and place, in the hour of cause, to have underlien the law, for the crime of blasphemy com-length mentioned in the criminal letters, 'mitted by him, in so far as being born of Christian parents, and baptized and educated in the Christian faith, and continuing in the open profession thereof, and communion of the Christian and Catholic church, until the age of 14 years, he went abroad to foreign places, to follow the trade of merchandize, where be was seduced to make a shameful apostacy from the most holy faith, and to