LETTER LX.

NEWS.

To the Rev. Cotton Mather, D.D. &c.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,-I sent you a long account of our circumstances in this country by Mr Zuil in February, and I presumed to write to you, from Edinburgh, in May, with a young gentleman, Mr Erskine, who are both come to stay some time at Boston. Nothing from you hath come to my hand these eleven or twelve months, but I cannot but take hold upon every occasion that offers, to cultivate a friendship I value so much, and I flatter myself there are by this time more than one letter from you on their way hither, though they be not come to hand.

It refreshes me to hear from some of our people in Glasgow, that your venerable parent is yet alive. Let this make my humble respects acceptable to him.

you

My Lord Pollock, now in this place, lays it upon me to give him and his thanks for the letters and papers you favour me with, and I communicate with him, and earnestly desires the continuance of as full accounts of the state of the interests of religion with you, and through America, and wherever your excellent correspondence reaches, as may be. Your letters very much refresh him in his old age.

Very little offers from this country at this time. We are at present in quiet, but how long we know not. The evil temper of malignancy at the work of our Lord continues among too many, and the clemency of the government is much abused by a restless party. We have some hints of new attempts from abroad, but the rod is in the hand of our God.

The Committee of Assembly is sitting just now at Edinburgh,

anent Mr Simson's process, and are not yet come to any resolution. The last Session of Parliament have delayed the reimposition of the oaths upon us here, which is a great mercy, for that flame which our different practices upon that score raised is but too much yet among us. I send you a paper which was given in to the Members of Parliament on that subject.

Abroad, great things are upon the wheel, and we are waiting for the vision that tarrieth. Last week we had the accounts of an entire victory over the Infidels at Carlowitz,' where their treaty was made; and the Highflyers in France are daily more and more uneasy to the Regent, and the breach 'twixt him and the Pope seems widening. I am longing to hear the thoughts of your Rev. father and your own, and those with you, with whom the secret of the Lord is, upon the present state of providences through the world. What shall the end of these things be!

It is but this day I hear of a ship going from Glasgow to you, and I am obliged to break off, that my servant may not miss this occasion. It is as waters to a thirsty man to me to hear from you; and I presume to beg you'll miss no occasion of letting me hear from you, and favouring me with all that offers from your country. May the Lord multiply his blessings upon you and yours, and all the fearers of his name with you, and signally serve himself of you, to the praise of the glory of his grace in Christ, in whom I am, Rev. Dear Sir, your affectionate and very much obliged,

R. W.

Eastwood, Aug. 22, 1716.

1 By Prince Eugene, who obtained this victory over the Turks on the 5th of August 1716.

VOL. II.

LETTER LXI.

HOME NEWS.-QUERIES RESPECTING FOREIGN CHURCHES.

To the Rev. Mr Robert Black, Minister at Rotterdam.

REV. DEAR BROTHER,-Doubtless you have full accounts of things with us from better hands than mine; however, to show my good will, I shall hint at some things as they come in my head. There is now an open door for planting the north more wide than we have had since the Revolution. The bulk of the intruders and incumbents there joined openly with the Pretender, and kept his fasts and thanksgivings, and are skulking up and down, and a good many of the gentlemen who stood in the way of planting churches are now retired or feigning subjection. I am told there are thirtysix vacancies or thereby in the Synod of Aberdeen.' The Commission for visiting Aberdeen College meet this week or the be

"In the Presbytery of Aberdeen there are seven vacancies, in Kincardine three, in Alford seven, in Ellon two, in Fordyce six, in Turriff three, in Old Deer three; besides what Episcopal ministers are yet to be deposed, which are about six in number." The people in these parts were generally favourable to the Pretender, and appear to have felt no desire that their churches should be filled up with evangelical and godly ministers. "There are a great many in this Synod that are heart Jacobites, and the spirit of Jacobitism so much prevails with the people to this day, that where there are any vacancies, whoever goes to preach, he is sure either of a well paid skin, or else gets the back of the church-yard dyke to preach at, the congregation consisting generally of 20 or 30, not exceeding 50 persons." Many of the ministers in the North at that period were persons not very likely to reform the people. "My uncle, [Professor Blackwell of Aberdeen,] and Mr Fordyce, and many more, told me, that in the Presbytery of Turriff there is not an honest man a minister. The Presbytery of Alford had a meeting lately at Alford town, the seat of their Presbytery, where, after their work was over, they went all together, and took their bottle that very hearty, that they fell out among themselves, and beat one another's skins to very good purpose, being all beastly drunk; but this came not before the Synod, being done away privately."-(Mr David Brown's Letter to Wodrow, dated Aberdeen, October 8, 1716.)

ginning of the next.' In these two Colleges there are, except our professors, but one or two of the masters who have not been dipt

The Commission appointed consisted of twenty-one persons. Their first meeting was in King's College, Old Town of Aberdeen, and fifteen of the Commissioners were present. After their Commission was read, the Earl of Rothes was chosen Lord President. The Masters of the College were then called, and each of them asked if he had taken the oaths to his Majesty King George, to which all of them, except Mr Fraser, sub-principal, replied they never knew that law had obliged masters of colleges to take them. They were next asked if they had prayed for King George, the Prince, and the Royal Family, in express terms; and all of them answered that it had been customary with them, all along, only to pray for "the King" in general. Witnesses were then called, and being asked whether they ever saw Principal Middleton, or any of the rest of the masters, in the church, where the Pretender was prayed for by the name of King James; three of them deponed, that they saw the Principal twice in the church, the Civilist Mr John Gordon several times, Mr Richard Gordon, son of the Civilist, and Mr James Urquhart, every day, and Mr James Gordon, Humanist, and Dr Patrick Urquhart, in the College Kirk, once, when one Barclay preached, before he took possession of the cathedral. Two witnesses deponed that they saw Mr Richard Gordon and Mr James Urquhart at a bonfire at the Cross of Old Aberdeen on account of the l'retender's arrival, where they were drinking healths; and several deponed they saw illuminations in Principal Middleton's chamber windows in the college, and likewise in his own house, and in Mr James Urquhart's windows; as also that they saw bonfires at the college gate on several occasions, and that Principal Middleton caused the bells to be rung. At one bonfire there, for the pretended victory at Dunblane, King George was burnt in effigy with the devil and a horn in his head at his right hand, and several noblemen on his left. Their foundation charters were next called for, together with the rest of the papers, mortifications, acts, &c., and it was found that they had kept ten thousand pounds Scots among them every year, which ought to have been bestowed on bursars, according to the mortifications, besides many mcrtifications unsubscribed, that they can give no account of, and many debts contracted, they could not tell how or upon what occasion.

After

The Commission next met at Marischal College, New Town, Aberdeen. reading their Commission, the Masters were called for. Mr Blackwell, afterwards Principal, being asked if he had prayed for King George, the Prince, and Royal Family, in express terms, during the late Rebellion, answered he did. The same question being put to Mr William Smith, Mr Alexander Peacock, and Mr Alexander Muir, knowing that their practice during the Rebellion was such, that they could not stand a trial, they demitted their situations. One of the Regents, Mr William Meston, was admitted during the Rebellion, after having delivered a violent harangue against King George, and in favour of the Pretender, but when the Rebellion was extinguished fled to France; and upon an examination of the admission book, which the masters for some days denied to the Commissioners, it was found that all the masters had subscribed to the admission of Mr Meston, except Dr Liddel, Professor of Mathematics, against whom it was proven that he was in the church several days

in the Rebellion, and a clean house will now be made, since the King becomes patron of Marischal College. The persons named are several noblemen, the Justice-Clerk, my Lord Cullen, Sir James Stewart, the Laird of Meggins, and Kelraick, Principal Stirling, Principal Haddow, Mr Samuel Johnstone, and some other ministers. Mr Simson's committee is just now sitting, and have gone through the libels, and this week the witnesses are to be before them. This is a matter I meddle very little with, lest I should be reckoned a party on the account of my relation to his predecessor; but I'll be glad to hear what are people's sentiments of this matter with you, and particularly your professors, some of which are some way concerned.

The delay of a reimposition of the oaths, of which no doubt you have heard, makes our differences at present less sensible, but I want not melancholy impressions of matters, when they come to be reimposed, and, in the meanwhile, our love is evidently cooled one to another, and we are far from what we ought to be. Yet this summer there has been somewhat of a coming nearer to the Assembly's rule in some places than formerly.

Our Jacobites are as uppish almost as ever. I own they are the best party-men, and the most stedfast to an ill cause I almost ever heard of. In the north they are renewing their insults, and bearding the friends of the government, and declaring their expectations of another attempt from abroad.

In Ireland matters are not as were to be wished. At the last Synod there in June they have quit our Confession of Faith, and come in [to] a loose uncertain formula, any body almost may subscribe, as the terms of their legal toleration they are seeking.

This is all that offers on our present circumstances. You know my Athenian temper, and I have a great deal of things in my when and where the Pretender was prayed for by the name of King James. The Commission having adjourned to the 10th of October at Edinburgh, appointed the masters of both colleges to attend at that meeting, and left the inspection of the papers relative to both colleges to two committees.—(Letters to Wodrou, vol. xi. No. 155.) -Meston was the author of a scurrilous and disreputable poem, directed against the Church, and in praise of his own faction.