popery, and an act anent preaching catechetical doctrine, of the same import as that against the Marrow, followed, and the next meeting of assembly was appointed for the eleventh day of May following.*

tion by him; that whatsoever Christ did for the redemption of mankind, he did it for you." Page 120. "For as much as the holy scripture speaketh to all in general, none of us ought to distrust himself, but believe that it doth belong particularly to himself." The same is asserted, pages 121, 122, 123, 124, 131, 136, 137, 175, 176, 177, and in many other places in the book. This notion of saving faith appears contrary to scriptures, Isa. 1. 10. Rom. viii. 16. 1 John v. 13. and to Confess. cap. 18, § 1, 3, 4. and to Larger Catechism, Quest. 81, 172. All which passages shew, that assurance is not of the essence of faith, whereas the passages cited from the Marrow, &c. appear to assert the contrary, making that saving faith commanded in the gospel, a man's persuasion that Christ is his, and died for him, and that whoever hath not this persuasion or assurance hath not answered the gospel call, nor is a true believer.

Of Universal Atonement and Pardon.

Page 108. "Christ hath taken upon him the sins of all men." Page 119. "The Father hath made a deed of gift and grant unto all mankind, That whosoever of them all shall believe in his Son, shall not perish," &c. i. e. (whosoever believes or is persuaded that Christ is his, for this must be the sense according to the former passages), "Hence it was, that Christ said to his disciples, "Go and preach the gospel to every creature under heaven." That is, go and tell every man without exception, that here is good news for him, "Christ is dead for him."-Even so our good King, the Lord of heaven and earth, hath, for the obedience and desert of our good brother Jesus Christ, pardoned all our sins." To the same purpose pages 127, 128. Here is asserted an universal redemption as to purchase, contrary to John x, 10, 15, 27, 28, 29, and xv. xiii. xvii. Titus ii. 14. Confess. cap. 3. § 6. cap. 8. 8. Larger Catechism, Quest. 59.

Holiness, not necessary to Salvation.

From page 150 to 153. "And if the law say good works must be done, and the commandments must be kept, if thou wilt obtain salvation, then answer you and say, 'I am already saved before thou camest; therefore I have no need of thy presence,Christ is my righteousness, my treasure, and my work. I confess, O law! that I am neither godly nor righteous, but this yet I am sure of, that he is godly and righteous for me.'" Page 185."Good works may rather be called a believer's walking in the way of eternal happiness, than the way itself." This doctrine tends to slacken people's diligence in the study of holiness, contrary to Heb. xii. 14. 2 Thess. ii. 13. Eph. ii. James ii. 20. Confess. cap. 13. § 1. Larger Catechism, Quest. 32. Confess. cap. 15. § 2.

10. Isa. xxxv. 8.

* Printed Acts of Assembly, 1720.

The passing of the above act against the Marrow, was a cause of deep sorrow to many eminent ministers and seriously disposed people. Messrs. Thomas Boston, Gabriel Wilson, and Henry Davidson, brought the subject before

Fear of Punishment, and Hope of Reward, not allowed to be Motives of a
Believer's Obedience.

Page 181. "Would you not have

believers to eschew evil, and do good, for fear of hell, or hope of heaven? Answer, No indeed,- -for so far forth as they do so, their obedience is but slavish." A great deal more to this purpose is to be seen, pages 175, 179, 180, 182, 183, 184, and appears contrary to Psal. xlv. 11. Psal. cxix. 4, 6. Exod. xx. 2. James i. 25, and ii. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. 1 Tim. iv. 8. Col. iii. 24. Heb. xi. 6, 26. Rev. ii. 10. 2 Cor. v. 9, 10, 11. Heb. xii. 2, 28, 29. 2 Pet. iii. 14. Confess. cap. 16. 2. and 6.

That the Believer is not under the Law, as a rule of Life.

Page 150. "As the law is the covenant of works, you are wholly and altogether set free from it." And page 151. "You are now set free, both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works." Page 216. "You will yield obedience to the law of Christ, not only without respect, either to what the law of works either promiseth or threateneth, but also without having respect to what the law of Christ either promiseth or threateneth. And this is to serve the Lord without fear of any penalty, which either the law of works or the law of Christ threateneth," Luke i. 74. See also pages 5, 153, 180, 156, 157, 163, 199, 209, 210. contrary to scriptures, Exod. xx. 2. Mat. v. 17, &c. Rom. iii. 21. and xiii. 9. James i. 25. and ii. 8, 10, 11, 12. and Confess. cap. 19. § 5, 6.

The six following Antinomian paradoxes are sensed and defended, by applying to them that distinction of the law of works, and law of Christ.

Pages 198, 199. 1mo, A believer is not under the law, but is altogether delivered from it. 2do, A believer doth not commit sin. 3tio, The Lord can see no sin in a believer. 4to, The Lord is not angry with a believer for his sins. 5to, The Lord doth not chastise a believer for his sins. 6to, A believer hath no cause neither to confess his sins, nor to crave pardon at the hand of God for them, neither to fast, nor mourn, nor humble himself before the Lord for them."

Expressions in the Marrow, &c.

Page 192. "A minister that dares not persuade sinners to believe their sins are pardoned, before he see their lives reformed, for fear they should take more liberty to sin, is ignorant of the mystery of faith." And page 27. "Christ undertook to suffer under the penalty that lay upon man to have undergone." And page 117. The covenant of works was twice made; first with man, and a second time God was on both sides." Page 115. "The

the presbytery of Selkirk, who laid it before the synod of Merse and Teviotdale, but the synod gave them no redress. Application was then made to Mr. James Hog, the original recommender of the Marrow, proposing that redress should be demanded at the bar of the next assembly. A Representation was accordingly drawn up, and after various consultations, and many prayers, signed by twelve ministers of the church of Scotland, viz. Mr. James Hog, minister at Carnock,

law practised his whole tyranny upon the Son of God, and because it did so horribly and cursedly sin against his God, it is cursed and arraigned, and as a thief and cursed murderer of the Son of God, loseth all his right, and deserveth to be condemned; the law, therefore, is bound, dead, and crucified to me." Page 126. "Whosoever is married to Christ, and so in him by faith, he is acceptable to God the Father, as Christ himself." Page 127. "And so shall the love and favour of God be as deeply insinuated into you, as it is into Christ himself." Page 144. "Whence it must needs follow, that you cannot be damned except Christ be damned with you; neither can Christ be saved, except ye be saved with him." Page 145, 146. "Say unto Christ with bold confidence, I give to thee, my dear husband, my unbelief, my mistrust, my pride, my arrogancy, my ambition, my wrath and anger, my covet-^ ousness, my evil thoughts, affections, and desires: I make one bundle of those, and all my other offences, and give them unto thee, 2 Cor. v. 21. And thus was Christ made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."" Page 207. " Nor yet as touching your justification and eternal salvation, will he love you ever a whit the less, though you commit never so many great sins."

These are collected out of many other exceptionable positions contained in that book, which, for brevity's sake, are omitted.

And the General Assembly having had the said passages, and several others, read to them from the said book, and having compared them with the texts of holy scripture, articles of our Confession of Faith, and of the Larger Catechism of this Church above cited,-The General Assembly found, that the said passages and quotations, which relate to the five several heads of doctrine above mentioned, are contrary to the holy scriptures, our Confession of Faith, and Catechisms; and that the distinction of the law, as it is the law of Christ, as the author applies it, in order to sense and defend the six Antinomian paradoxes above written, is altogether groundless; and that the other expressions above set down, excerpted out of the said book, are exceeding harsh and offensive. And therefore the General Assembly do hereby strictly pro hibit and discharge all the ministers of this Church, either by preaching, writing, or printing, to recommend the said book, or in discourse to say any thing in favours of it: But, on the contrary, they are hereby enjoined and required to warn and exhort their people, in whose hands the said book is, er may come, not to read or use the same.

Thomas Boston, minister at Ettrick, John Bonnar, minister at Torphichen, James Kid, minister at Queensferry, Gabriel Wilson, minister at Maxton, Ebenezer Erskine, minister at Portmoak, Ralph Erskine, minister at Dunfermline, James Wardlaw, do. James Bathgate, minister at Orwell, Henry Davidson, minister at Galashiels, William Hunter, minister at Lillies-leaf, and John Williamson, minister at Musselburgh, to be presented to the assembly in May, 1721. In this Representation, these ministers lay before the assembly with all humility, their objections to the act condemning the Marrow, and humbly crave its repeal, and also, that the assembly would take such steps as to remove the offence given by certain clauses in the eighth act of said assembly, for preaching catechetical doctrine.

The assembly, according to appointment, met at Edinburgh on the eleventh day of May, 1721, John, earl of Rothes, being again commissioner, the Rev. Thomas Black of Perth, moderator. The Representation of the twelve brethren was given into the committee of bills, upon Tuesday the sixteenth. On Wednesday, the seventeenth, they expected it to come before the assembly, but the assembly, being that day dissolved, on account of the indisposition of the king's commissioner, referred the Representation to their commission without reading it, empowering the commission to "call the subscribers of that Representation before them or their committees, and ripen and prepare these matters concerning doctrine for the next assembly, but not to give a final decision therein," of course, it lay over till the next assembly, which was appointed for the twelfth day of May, 1722.

In the meantime, the chevalier de St. George continued to buoy up his own hopes, and those of his friends, in the best way he could, and having had a son born to him, Charles Edward, afterwards the pretender, in the year 1720, he addressed, to his friends in Scotland, through the medium of Lockhart of Carnwath, the following letter, dated March 4th, 1721-"The increase of my family, will, I am sure, have been agreeable news to you, and I thank God, they continue all in very good health; I wish I had as comfortable an account to send you as to other matters, for the present situation of

Europe is such, that it is not possible to form, as yet, any solid judgment of matters. I have many great and true friends, both in France and Spain, and as soon as it shall be possible for these nations to think of foreign affairs, there is all the reason to hope that one or 'tother, if not both, will find it their own interest to befriend me, and, in the meantime, all means are using to make such friends effectually useful on a proper juncture. It is a melancholy thing to be always preaching patience, but I hope a very little more will serve, for it is not possible that affairs can long remain in the violent situation they are in, and it is not, I think, flattering one's self, to believe they will soon change for the better, which is all I can say on these matters, and pray communicate as much to my friends with you, with many kind compliments in my name,"*

Negotiations were, at the same time, set on foot by that same indefatigable Jacobite, Lockhart, for uniting the Scotish and the English tories-both of whom, if they were not altogether in the interest of James, had yet, from their arbitrary and violent views, a strong leaning towards him—and this he now flattered himself he should be able greatly to forward, by means of the duke of Argyle, who, being beset with the squadrone, he hoped would be willing, for the sake of his own personal views, to agree to almost any thing. Nothing less than the sole management of Scotland could satisfy his grace's ambition, but he was sadly thwarted, at this time, by the squadrone, under the direction of the duke of Roxburgh, and, on the election of a peer to fill the place of the earl of Annandale, lately deceased, though he would have had the duke of Douglas, or the earl of Morton elected, was obliged, in order to divide the tories, to propose the earl of Eglinton, a notorious Jacobite, whom he seems to have thought a more manageable subject than the earl of Aberdeen, who was the object of the squadrone. So many of the tories, however, stuck by the squadrone as did the business, and carried it for Aberdeen. "Next day after it was over" [the election], says Lockhart in a letter to the chevalier, "a friend of Argyle's came to me,

Lockhart Papers, vol. ii. p. 56.