ro been very paffive in the business." Butlet any perfon only read thefe Letters, and recollect the candour and fteadfastnefs of the man, and he will eafily perceive what a vile reflection upon his memory this would involve. Nor can it be pleafant either to his friends, or his connections to have fuch conjectures detailed, as would infinuate a dereliction of principle. His conduct while he lived was fair and unimpeachable; and now when he is gone, we are warranted, only to conclude that he would have continued the fame fteady advocate for our Confeffion, our Catechifms and Covenants, he had ever been. Hear his fentiments and counfels addreffed to Students in divinity and to his younger children in the immediate profpect and expectation of appearing before his God and his Judge. "ADDRESS TO STUDENTS OF DIVINITY," &c. "You have ftated yourselves public witneffes for Jefus Chrift, who profess to adhere to, and propagate his injured truths,-and to commemorate with thankfulness the remarkable mercies, which he hath bestowed on our Church and Nation, and to teftify against and mourn over our own and our fathers' fearful backflidings from that Covenanted work of Reformation once attained in our land. See that you be judicious, upright, conftant and faithful in your profeffion. I now approach death heartily fatisfied, with our excellent Westminster Confeffion of Faith, Catechifms and Form of Church Government, and cordially adhering to the Covenants, by which our fathers folemnly bound themselves and their pofterity to profefs the Doctrines and practife the duties therein contained. I look upon the Seceffion, as indeed the caufe of God but fadly mismanaged and dishonoured by myfelf and others.- -Study to fee every thing with 'your own eyes but never indulge an itch after No VELTIES! Moft of thofe which are now esteemed fuch, are nothing but OLD ERRORS which were long ago jufly refuted, varnifhed over with fome new expreffions.--If I miftake not the Churches are entering into a fearful cloud of apoftacy and trouble! But he that endureth to the end fhall be faved. Be ye faithful unto death and Chrift fhall give you a crown of life. But if any man draw back God's foul fhall have no pleasure in him"!!! His advices to his children when dying conclude thus. up "Adhere conftantly, cordially and honeftly to the Covenanted Principles of the Church of Scotland, and to that Teftimony which hath been lifted for them. I fear a generation is rifing up which will endeavour filently," (O how prophetic!)" to let flip these matters, as if they were afhamed to hold them faft, or even to fpeak of them. May the Lord forbid that any of you confederacy against Jefus Chrift and his caufe! This from a dying father and minifter, and a witnefs for (Signed) "JOHN BROWN." Chrift." fhould ever enter into this After fuch folemn admonitions, and published to the world, must not that man be a fool, or fomething worfe, who would employ the name of Mr. Brown of Haddington, to recommend the very evils which he faw coming upon the Seceffion Churches, and against which he hath given fuch faithful warnings both to his pupils and his children? The righteous are often taken away from the evil to come. But had he lived to witness the late proceedings of Synod refpecting the magiftrate's power in religion, and the obligation of our public Covenants on pofterity, are we not warranted to fay without any vaunt, that from the proteftations he has made in the preceding quotations, a moft unequivocal pledge is given to what fide of the queftion he would have chofen to have caft in his lot? As to the fubject of the 2d Letter, the obligation of our public Covenants on pofterity, this doctrine muft ftand or fall, with what is maintained in the preceding one. The arguments adduced are clear and conclufive in its favour: and upon the obnoxious terms,. 66 we shall endeavour the extirpation of Popery and Prelacy," ufed in the Solemn League and Covenant, the few things he has faid are fufficient to take off all objection to them, with any unprejudifed mind. And whoever will be at the trouble of looking into the fermons, preached before the Parliament and Westminster Affembly, at the taking of the Solemn League and Covenant, and upon other public occafions, he will find all ground of objection to the terms, as involving the deftruction of men's perfons, completely removed. If then the language ufed admit of a favourable interpretation, and the conduct of the Covenanters corieIpond with that interpretation, how exceedingly uncandid, at this diftant period, to dig up out of the ashes of the dead, where it had been fo formally and with all due honour laid to reft, an objection which can have influence upon no mind, but fuch as are unacquainted with the replies, by which it has been long ago repelled? It only remains for me to apologize for the length of this paper, and to add my moft fervent defire, that thefe Letters be univerfally read, and read without prejudice; and that all who read them may receive the truth in the love of it, fo as either to be recovered out of error or farther established in the prefent truth. Renton, 19th Sept. 1803. WILLIAM TAYLOR. CONTENTS. Objections in favour of Toleration of grofs Herefy, Blafphemy, and ì. God alone is the Lawgiver and Lord of men's conscience, 44 2. Every man has a natural right to judge for himfelf---He is to follow the dictates of his own confcience. Even the law of God is a rule to him as he understands it in his own confcience. To force him to do any thing contrary thereto, is to force him to fin; and to punish him for following its dictates is to punish 3. To allow magiftrates fuch power---is to render Christians the 4. To restrain men from what they think right in religion, and efpecially to punifh them for it, is contrary to that Christian 5. Even under law, Mofes tolerated men's divorcing of their wives for flight caufes; much more does the gospel difpenfa- 6. Gamaliel's counfel, Refrain from thefe men---was certainly pru- 7. Under the Gospel it is promifed, that--there should be none to hurt or destroy in God's holy mountain, 8. Our Saviour commands his fervants to let the tares grow with 9 By rebuking his difciples, who would have commanded fire from heaven to confume thefe Samaritans who refufed him lodg- ings---our benevolent Saviour plainly intimated, That under the gospel, magiftrates ought to lay no reftraint on heresy, 12. Such is the reasonableness and glory of divine truths, that if they be but freely, clearly and diftinctly preached, their native 13. Chrift---hath appointed for his Church, rulers of her own, who govern her in every duty of religion, 14. The Church hath fufficient power in herfelf to obtain every end neceffary to her own welfare--- 15. For almoft three hundred years after Chrift, the truths of the gofpel gloriously prevailed againft error, and corruptions with- out any care of magiftrates--- 16. It is horrid cruelty---to punish men for believing, teaching, 17. As men's natural and civil rights nowife depend upon their being orthodox Chriftians, magiftrates ought to protect them in these privileges, be their opinions and worship what they 18. Magiftrates ought not to rule their fubjects by the Bible, but by the civil law of the nation--- 19 Magiftracy being an office, not founded in revelation, but in the law of nature, the whole execution of it ought to be re- 21. To allow magiftrates a power of judging, making and execut- ing laws about religion---altogether confounds the kingdom of 22 Magiftrates not being proper judges of the doctrines of reve- lation, cannot be capable to judge concerning religious mat- 23. If magiftrates, as fuch, have a power of judging in religious matters, then Heathen magiftrates inuft alfo be allowed to make laws concerning religion--- 24. To allow magiftrates a power of judging about the matters of religion will make them Church-rulers, 25. To allow magiftrates to judge in matters of religion for others ---is to render them lords of men's faith and confcience--- 88 26 In Rom: xiii. where the power of magistrates is defcribed--- only the commands of the fecond table of the moral law are fub- |
