sequences a decreeted Non-juror his being there may have you will see, unless, right or wrong, he go down the stream. Fail not to write about this, for our election is to be on the 20th of February next. The parish of Bothkennar, where the curate was, have given a call (I mean the honest people concerned there) to Mr Gray at Dollar. But I fear it will not do; for he is obstinate against it. I am sorry you have wanted Waterland's Sermons; but the truth is, a brother who had the exercise on Col. i. 15, begged it only for a day or two, and has kept it these six weeks; but it shall be sent you very soon. I hope, in March next, to send you two dozen or so of the Widow's Mite. My dear brother, I am oppressed and sore broken; pray for me. The Lord has set me in a stormy post, not within, but from other airths without this place; but I dare not complain. O to be faithful and honest! I am still tugging at Baptism, and was to have finished what I had to read of Strong on the Covenant; but every day gives me a new avocation. Our people in the neighbour church are looking we will do our business by new doctrine and new overtures; so that it will be easy to complete the union.

You see what a long letter I have writt you. Fail not to write soon and freely to me. Mrs Ladely will send it. My service to your kind spouse. I ever am, your own in much love.

January 28, 1721.

I am sorry you could not be active in your late ordination. I fear Lady Boquhan is dying at London. The physicians there conclude her case desperate.

MY DEAR BROTHER,-By the date of the enclosed you will see that I am not careless in writing to you; but the storm hindered. I have little thing to add; only our presbytery last Wednesday continued Mr Gray at Dollar, and refused his transportation to Bothkennar. Our presbytery are as one against the overtures; and I hear that representations are coming in from the several sessions, in the whole of this country, against them; and I apprehend the consequences of them, should they not be dropt, will be worse than those of the oath. I have been oppressed defending you, it being given out here that you was for them; and I wish you would furnish me with some other arguments than what you dropt to me at your own house, that so I may clearly vindicate you, especially to friends. I have been at some pains reading them, and I like them still the longer the worse. I have also been revising (sed hoc tibi soli) a draught of a representation, by some South-country brethren, against the act of the Assembly condemning the Marrow; and, indeed, I like the representation as to the doctrine of it fully as ill as the Marrow, yea, much worse. But a conference is proposed. And, indeed, there is an absolute necessity that the Assembly's act be rectified; for never did I see its equal. Mr Hamilton positively declines to give a double of the queries and his answers, because he says he promised not to do it until the Commission be over. But I have still hope fully to satisfy you. I think that those who give

Letters to Wodrow, vol. xv. No. 23.

their second guinea for your book will seek receipts. The Widow's Mite will be printed in a week or two. I expect a long and particular letter from you, when now you receive two from me. I salute your spouse and family, and still am your own.

I have Waterland, but must read him a second time. You shall have it very soon.

LETTER CXCVIII.

OVERTURES ON KIRK-SESSIONS.

To Mr John Warden, Minister at Gargunnock.

REV. DEAR BROTHER,—I had not yours of January 28, and the other, without date, till March 1, when taking my horse to go in to Edinburgh, so that I was nearly obliged to delay my answer till I returned on Saturday last. Yesterday and this day our Presbytery met for privy censures and ordinary business, and this night is the first spare hour I have had since yours came to hand. As to the Act of Assembly upon the Marrow, I wrote some time since my opinion of the passage that gives the occasion of stumbling, which, I fancy, has been communicated to Mr Boston, and other brethren in the South. If we had not unhappy mutual jealousies, and still endeavour to put the harshest constructions upon things, when capable of better, I persuade myself such who are one at bottom would agree better. You have done good service in endeavouring to prevent a new paper war upon that score. I see nothing to hinder your writing to the leading men at Edinburgh, for a calm conference, which I do not think they will decline. I heard not one syllable upon that score at Edinburgh. Your election to the Assembly, February 20, was passed long ere I had yours; and I see no strait of your coming to the Assembly, and acting

according to light. I was never for bringing in Non-jurors to any thing as a party, and the fore-edge I hope is much off. We ought, indeed, to use all prudence that we give no needless irritation; but, when duty comes in, he that walketh uprightly walketh most wisely and surely.

In your last letter you press me to give my defences as to the Overtures, which you intimate your dissatisfaction with in the other. Had you stated the objections against them, I should have had the easier work; but, it seems, in your country it's a great fault to be for them, and sufficient to put one to be on his defence, and need a second, too, without anything said against them but loud outcry of danger, prelacy, &c. But to waive jesting in this matter, that, I'll own, is in its present situation very melancholy, and looks like somewhat worse than I am willing to express, I was upon the Committee who collected the Overtures from the old ones, and the remarks of Presbyteries before us. I did, indeed, expect some opposition to what relates to general sessions; but, as to what is since termed the negative, even in the first way of expressing it, I never had one thought that a minister in the Church of Scotland would have had any difficulty about it; and I am yet more stunned to hear that the restriction of it, as transmitted by the Assembly, is as little pleasing as it was. Indeed, I could not foresee that it was to be made a handle of to raise a cry against the general sessions, which, I know, was the only thing that stuck with my old friends at Glasgow; and Mr Anderson, at the last Assembly, came in upon the matter to what was transmitted about the negative, and he and Mr Clerk both owned as much as I have said above to myself. The spring of the apprehensions and jealousies that are taken up against both, (for, I suppose, there is no other thing save the negative and general sessions objected against,) was this:-Mr Anderson took a suspicion these two were levelled against him and his call to Glasgow, which, I can say for myself, never came in my mind, neither could it, for this reason, that Mr Anderson had the general session for him as well as the particular session, and that par. 8th had no relation to calls, which

VOL. II.

2 N

expressly afterwards are lodged in elders and heritors. As to the last, I want not my difficulties about them. This suspicion, though founded upon a plain nullity, led him to publish his letters last year, in a style and with airs I shall say nothing of. But, if we had taken that method of appeal to the people upon the oath, or if the brethren for the Overtures had made returns of the same nature, what a pitiful plight would the country have been in. This winter, the same methods, (bating that of printing,) and much worse, have been taken to raise a flame and fire, and country elders have been drawn to sign untruths, and many other ways used, I am really confounded to think upon, in persons professing godliness; of which I shall be more particular when we meet. Forgive one who has facts and history in his head, to have digressed a little on this unhappy history.

As to argument, if I know myself, I lie as much open to conviction as if I had not been at the framing of the Overtures. 1 have carefully and impartially read Mr Anderson's letters; I heard the reasonings at the Assembly, and in our Presbytery last week, save one, where we had eight ministers for the debated Overture, four against it, who, with the elders, (yet not all either,) dropt it; and, after all, I have not yet heard anything that affords me a reason to alter my opinion, which yet I am very willing to do on better information.

That which has been very injuriously called the negative, is what I hear is most objected against; and I shall begin with it, and with all frankness, as I still do to you, give my sentiments. To rid marches in the powers of the different officers of Christ's institution, in all supposed cases, in my opinion is not the work of laws ecclesiastical, and, therefore, came not in upon the Overtures. All that ever I understood to be in par. 8th was a sist in case of heats and debates in a session, till superior judicatories took up the differences. We did not at all offer to determine the weight of elders' votes, and, whether a minister's vote was only equal to one of theirs, or he should be concluded by his elders. These are questions cast up since by others, which we had not in our view to de