together with the general diflike of the covenant at the Restoration and Revolution, are internal evidences, that but a part, perhaps a fmall part, of the Scots took the covenant.”

ANSW. 1. I boldly defy you to invalidate the proofs I have brought to the contrary. Nay, for ought I know, you cannot produce one of thefe perjured Prelatifts, that pretended that only the fmaller part of the Scotch nation took the covenant, especially in 1590, 1638, & 1643.

2. Were the Highland chiefs, and the grofs ignorance of the islanders, occafioned by the negligence of the curates, a whit more able to withstand the enlightening and heart-bowing power of God, so remarkably manifefted on thefe occafions, than K. Charles and many others on the continent? Have we not produced evidence that multitudes of the Highlanders entered into the reformers' covenant, 1638, and were not Argyle, Mar, and many other Highland chiefs zealous covenanters? Did not

fuch as were otherwife minded take the covenant of 1581, as imposed by the Privy Council according to its original meaning? Did not even the Doctors and Prelatic inhabitants of Aberdeen take that bond, without approving the Council's limitation of it to its original meaning?

3. You can produce no evidence that the covenanting work was not carried on in the Scotch islands, but fuch as we have, that never a Hebrew child was circumcised on the 8th day, from Ifaac to John Baptist;--or that never a weekly Sabbath was obferved from the creation till the manna fell around the Hebrew camp, i. e. want of positive evidence to the contrary,--and that too in places, of which, to this moment, we have little account, except what relates to their fituation, foil, product, or the like.

4. It is highly absurd to pretend, that the so ge

neral difregard of the covenants, twelve or forty years after the laft taking of them, is internal evidence that few had taken them. Will it irrefragably prove, that Adam was never made after the image. of God, or taken into covenant with him, because within a few days or hours he had become a finner, hating both God and his covenant---or that devils were never created holy and happy, because within a few days they had left their first eftate? Will the general concurrence of the Hebrews in worshipping the golden calf, prove that they had not entered into folemn covenant with God, about forty days before? Will their fubfequent apoftafies, prove that but few of them had covenanted with God, under Joshua, Afa, Joafh, Hezekiah, Jofiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah? Will Peter's fearfully henious and repeated denial of Chrift, prove that he had not, a few hours before, folemnly engaged against it?

OBJECT. IV. "Force or fear caufed many to covenant."

ANSW. 1. Though force or fear should have rendered the manner of covenanting unacceptable to God, they cannot render void an oath which is fworn.

2. I Will never contend, that the penalty annexed by law to the refufal of the covenant in 1643, or even on fome other occafions, was proper. But, after a laborious fearch, I find no proper evidence, that any force was ever used in Scotland to make any take the covenant, except in 1639, by Montrofe and Munro, two military men, without any warrant from either Church or State, the former, if not both of whom afterward turned out a malignant murderer of his covenanting brethren. Never, Sir, pick up or retail the mere inventions of perjured violaters of these covenants, who were glad to fay any thing to conceal or excuse their own wickednefs.

3. In 1638, when the covenanting was most univerfal, the bishops and fome other anti-covenanters, afraid of profecution for their enormous debts, or for their oppreffive and other wicked deeds,-and perhaps chiefly to calumniate the covenanters at court, did flee their country. But none were oblig ed to do fo for refufing the covenant. Fear of danger probably reftrained fome from reviling a Bond which the nation fo highly esteemed. But none, that I know of, were thereby conftrained to fwear it. Some mobs happened, occafioned by the king's fufpenfion of the common exercife of the civil law, and the fiting of its courts. But these were detefted by the zealous covenanters, and not one of them appears either to have been intended, or to have iffued in favour of the covenant. If the influences of God's Spirit, and the affecting appearances of his Providence as at Sinai or in the apoftolic age, awed or allured numbers to take the covenant whofe hearts were not fincere before him,--fhould we quarrel with the Almighty on that account? -But, Sir, Henderson, Dickson, and Cant, who being the principal leaders of the covenanting work that year, affirm to the doctors of Aberdeen, who were eager to have detected them of falsehood, if it had been poffible, "No pastors in our knowledge have been either forced to flee or have been threatened with the want of their ftipends for refufing their fubfcription; but fome have of their own accord, gone to court for procuring protection against their creditors,-and have made lies between the king and his people. Others have wilfully refused to abide with their flocks for no reason, but because the people have fubfcribed. Arguments have been taken from (promifed) augmentation of ftipends to hinder fubfcription. Fear of worldly lofs rather hinders men to fubfcribe, than fcruples of confcience.--The prelates

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flight feems rather to have proceeded from inward furies of accufing confciences, &c.In this day of the Lord's power, his people have most willingly offered themselves in multitudes like the dew of the morning. Others, of no fmall note, have offered their fubfcriptions, and have been refufed till time fhould try their fincerity, from love to the caufe, and not from the fear of man. No threatenings have been ufed, except of the deferved judgments of God, nor force, except the force of reason from the high refpects which we owe to religion, to our king, to our native country, to ourselves, and to our pofterity *."

4. Since the covenanting work was fo remarkably countenanced by the Holy Ghoft,---attended with perhaps more fincere mourning for fin,--.more ferious repentance and folid converfion to God, than hath within an equal fpace of time and place, happened any where in the world, fince the apoftolic age, and fince the covenanters in their vow deponed, that they, covenanted without any worldly refpect or inducement, as far as human infirmity would allow,-Take heed, Sir, left after your objection hath manifested the carnality, felfishness, and diffimulation of your own religious appearances.

-God, at laft, fhould publicly expofe you as a blafphemer of his great work, and a malicious flanderer of his people, as wilfully perjured.

OBJECT. V. "It is impoffible our covenanters could understand their bonds, particularly in that

• Anfwers to Doctors of Aberdeen, P. 42, 44.

The General Affembly 1649, in their act, Sef. 19th, appear fo far from forcing men into their covenant, that they earnestly enjoin and appoint the utmost caution to be used for preventing fach perfons' taking of it as did not fincerely approve it, and refolve to profecute the ends of it.

which relates to Popery in the national covenant, or to prelacy in the Solemn League."

ANSW. 1. Ignorance indeed hinders a right and acceptable fwearing of oaths or covenants, but cannot invalidate their binding force if once they be fworn; otherwise millions in Britain would through ignorance, be freed from all their folemn engagements in Baptifm and the Lord's Supper; and thousands freed from all obligation of their oaths of allegiance or fidelity to magiftrates; or even their oaths to declare the truth and nothing elfe, in witnefs bearing. Candidates for the miniftry needed but keep themfelves in a great measure ignorant of the doctrines of the Confeffion of Faith and duties of the minifterial office, in order to render their ordination vows or fubfcriptions altogether unobligatory.

2. Being trained up in the abominations of Popery or prelacy, or having frequent accefs to witnefs them, our covenanting ancestors, who had common fenfe, might have more knowledge of them, than moft clergymen in Scotland now have; even as a common failor, who hath ferved 20 years in a man of war, may have more knowledge of her tackling and other pertinents, than all the learned doctors of fix British univerfities.

OBJECT. VI. " If nothing be engaged to in these covenants, but what God hath declared or required in his word, they never could lay any obligation upon the covenanters, much lefs a perpetual obligation upon their pofterity: It is abfolutely inconfiftent with found philofophy, Chriftianity or common fenfe to imagine that any human deed can bind to any thing declared in the word, or required by the law of God."

A NSW. 1. Then it feems the common Proteftant doctrine of our Confeffion of Faith, which in your ordination vows you folemnly declared to be founded