more study than those that have come abroad; especially the Biblia Americana. And if he will have them to lie for ever buried, I am entirely satisfied in his will, and wisdom, and justice; and his grace, in what has been already done, will be sufficient for me. However, I will wait upon Him, with hopes that he who raises the dead will, in his own time and way, bring into the service of his kingdom what it has no occasion for. We are sorry for any share that our dear Scotland may have in the universal decay of real and vital PIETY, in which the Church every where (and here also) is languishing. But the most grievous tidings that ever came over the Atlantic to us, are what we hear of the fearful apostacy, in so many of our English brethren going off to Arianism, or to Gentilism; and the Laodicean temper of so many more who have withheld the testimonies which the labouring truth has called for. My younger brother has twice made suitable appearances on this lamentable occasion. I have also, in my poor way, written over to London the sentiments of our ministers on this deplorable degeneracy. Our God will shortly do some wonderful things; will show wonders to the dead. You will speedily have a general peace. And then, the next news will be-things which we looked not for! But, my dear friend, while you are labouring and not fainting, and in the patience of the kingdom, you will have the Lord of it graciously strengthening and succeeding of you. said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Sir, your affectionate brother and servant, Boston, New England, 12 d. 9 m. 1719. Yea, he hath In Him, I am, Co. MATHER. Sir, you will give my most humble service unto my Lord of Pollock and his lady, to whom I present the little book, entitled " The Best Espousal." will remember me to Mr Jameson and Mr Clark, when you see them. LETTER CLXX. ARIANISM IN ENGLAND.- To Dr Cotton Mather. REV. DEAR SIR,-Yours of the 12th of November I had in due time, with the enclosed valuable performances. Forgive me when I complain only to your[self] of a supposition you make, as if any thing from you, be it never so large, could be burdensome to me, or interrupt my studies. The kind and useful correspondence you have honoured me with now for a good many years, I have still reckoned one of the greatest satisfactions kind Providence has allowed me; and though you may now know what disproportioned returns you are to look for from me, yet I now presume to make a claim on your undeserved goodness and friendship; and the oftener and at the greater length I hear from you, you oblige me more than I can express. I am in your debt for the good opinion you are pleased to entertain of that toilsome and laborious work I have for some years been taken up with. As soon as the first volume is published you may expect to have it, and I embrace with thankfulness your kind offer of help to disperse it in dear New England. Since the printing of my Proposals many new materials are come to my hand, which, with other things, have retarded it a little ; but I have a prospect of beginning it now very soon, if the Lord will. It probably will swell to near 500 sheets. Your kind supports, and Dr Frankius' remark, have been very seasonable to me, considering what I have and am like to meet with discouraging; but I leave all upon the Lord and his wise Providence. We are here with you bemoaning the frightful apostacy of so many among our neighbours to Arianism and Emlynism,' and the violence of multitudes who yet, I hope, are not in the snare of the devil, against confessions and subscriptions. I rejoice in the glorious appearances your excellent brother has made for the precious truth. Little offers from this country that I can yet write fully of. We are alarmed with the outbreaking of horrid witchcraft upon the family of a nobleman about twenty miles east from this, the Lord Torphichen. A son of his, about twelve years, it seems, has been seduced into the devil's service some years ago, and strange things are done by him and about him.2 Several are taken up, and lawyers have taken a precognition; what the issue is, you shall hereafter know, if the Lord will. Meanwhile, let us pray that the visible and invisible kingdom of Satan may be weakened and destroyed, and do our best to promote our Redeemer's kingdom. May you be long useful for grand 1 Emlynism, so called from Mr Thomas Emlyn, a Non-conformist minister, who became an Arian, and wrote various treatises in defence of that system, particularly, "An Humble Enquiry into the Scripture Account of Jesus Christ," for which he was prosecuted by the Dissenters; and the jury having found him guilty of blasphemy, he was sentenced to pay a fine of L. 1000, and suffer a year's imprisonment. The fine was afterwards commuted for L.70, but he remained in confinement two years. His works were collected in 2 vols. 8vo, by his son, Sollom Emlyn, Esq. • This account was communicated to Wodrow by Mr Williamson of Musselburgh, as follows:—" I can only tell you now, that having been with Mr Anderson of Falkirk, my sister at Abercorn, Mr Kid of Queensferry, and some others in that bounds, anent the affair of Torphichen witches, I find there is truth as to the substar.ce of the report going; though, by often telling, some circumstances do vary. It's certain my Lord's third son has been dreadfully tormented, thrown up and down the room, candles put out, and endeavours made to get him away. There was a fast on this account. Mr Brisbane got one of the women to acknowledge an image of the child, which, on search, was found in another woman's house; but they could not know what kind of matter it was made of. Two women, who have confessed, are since dead, and told the devil would kill them for confessing. The matter is not over; many are still delated by the child; but some who have been of very entire fame being named, it's suspected it may be one of Satan's stratagems to bring some innocent persons into suspicion among the guilty. I hope to get more distinct accounts, which, when they come to hand, shall be communicated."--(Letters to Wodrow, vol. xiv. No. 170.)-Both Wodrow and Cotton Mather were firm believers in witchcraft, a belief which was quite common in their time. services in it, as you have been! Pray continue to send all your remarkable providences, your hopes and fears, as to the times we are fallen into, and whatever you publish. Allow me to expect, by every opportunity, the satisfaction of hearing from you. I have enclosed my dutiful respects to your venerable parent; and am, Rev. Dear Sir, yours most affectionately. Feb. 10, 1720. LETTER CLXXI. CASES OF DRUMMOND OF CRIEFF AND HOG OF CARNOCK.- To the Rev. Mr Thomas Hoog, Minister of the Gospel at Rotterdam. [Mr HOG, or Hoog, was born at Larbert, in August 1655. His father, the Rev. Thomas Hog, was minister of the united parishes of Larbert and Dunipace. Having received his education at the High School of Edinburgh, and at the University of that city, he first intended. to follow the profession of law, and was for some time placed under a Writer to the Signet; but he soon changed his purpose, and entered upon the study of theology. He was licensed to preach the gospel March 7, 1678, and, during the same year, was privately ordained. In 1679 he went over to Rotterdam, where, for about half a year, he assisted his uncle, the Rev. John Hog, minister of the Scottish Church in that city, whose colleague, the Rev. Mr Fleming, the Author of "The Fulfilling of the Scriptures," had, when on a visit to Scotland, been thrown into Edinburgh jail, and kept prisoner for some months. From his knowledge of the dead languages, Mr Hog, in 1686, was appointed by the magistrates of Tergoes, in Zealand, to the office of Rector of the Latin School in that town. In 1689 he was admitted minister of the English Church at Delft; and, in 1694, he became minister of the Scottish congregation at Campvere. After this, he was earnestly solicited to undertake the pastoral charge of the parish of Clackmannan; he also received an invitation to be. come second minister of Ayr; and another to be assistant and sucressor of Mr James Frazer, Culross. These situations he declined ; but he was induced to accept of a call to be the colleague of Mr Brown in the Scottish Church in Rotterdam, and was admitted May the 10th 1699. In 1701 he received an invitation to become Professor of Divinity in King's College, Aberdeen, and felt much inclined to fill that office; but the hostilities in which England and Holland were involved with France rendering it dangerous for him to leave Rotterdam, he continued there in his charge. It appears that Mr Hog received an offer of a similar situation in a Dutch university. He died on the 6th of January 1723. “ 'He was confined to his chamber for several months, and, during his last illness, he afforded a gratifying spectacle of humble yet firm reliance on the divine promises, and an assured hope of a blissful eternity. At home and abroad he was respected for his piety, talents, and worth. If his imaginative powers were not remarkable, there was much of solidity and good sense in his intellectual character."-(See Dr Steven's History of the Scottish Church, Rotterdam, pp. 140-144, and p. 150.)--ED.] REV. AND DEAR SIR,-Yours of the 21st December came to my hand pretty soon;' and it deserves a longer apology than I shall trouble you with, that I am so late in acknowledging a letter I longed for, and which was very satisfying when it came. The plain fact was, this some few days after the receipt of yours the 9th or 10th of January, orders came down from the government to put the laws in execution against the Non-jurors, and this a little diverted me from answering my friends' letters. I wish I had not had this excuse to make, and so I imagine will you. Whatever be the issue of that affair, which is yet in dependence, I can assure you I was uneasy till I got some breathing, that I might acknowledge yours, and show my willingness to entertain a correspondence I so very much value, and you so very kindly offer. As to the Auchterarder affair,2 besides what I wrote before, the This letter of Mr Hoog's is not preserved among Letters to Wodrow. 2 We have already mentioned (p. 399) the dissatisfaction produced by a sermon which Mr Drummond preached, September 18, 1718, at the admission of Mr David Shaw to Auchterarder. For some of the statements contained in his sermon, which were substantially those of the Marrow-men, he was libelled before the Synod of Perth and Stirling, and the articles charged against him were expressed in very gross and heterodox terms. In his answers to the libel, which were large, consisting of |