judices, which truth has not hitherto been able wholly to correct, nor charity altogether to overcome. But there was, as we have said, another party, not so well defined, nor having its object so specifically one, as that we have just been tracing, but far more numerous in its members, more moderate in its views, having its status in the church, and destined, after a while, to produce a far more important revolution, to which it will also be necessary a little to attend. At the head of this party was Mr. John Hepburn, who had been ordained to the work of the ministry, privately, in London, some time previous to the year 1680, in which year, he received a call from the parish of Urr, in Galloway, where he continued preaching, as circumstances would permit, till 1686, when the same people gave him another call, but more generally subscribed; and again in 1689, when the revolution had set the country free from the oppression of the Stuarts, they gave him a third call, with all the legal formalities, which he accepted, before there was any formal presbytery of ministers at Dumfries. Being thoroughly presbyterian in his principles, and, of course, like many excellent ministers of that day, not at all satisfied with the settlement which the church obtained under William and Mary, he, with his adherents, presented a paper to the General Assembly, 1690, entitled, "The Complaint and Humble Petition of many Presbyterian People, living in the several Shires of Scotland," which, though not treated with the same severity as that given in by Messrs. Linning, Shields, and Boyd, was passed over, with • Humble Pleadings for the good old way, &c. pp. 241, 242. This is a most interesting paper, and, while it exhibits distinctly the various public evils which lay heavy upon the minds of the petitioners, breathes much of a humble and pious spirit. We cannot refrain from quoting the concluding paragraph:-"To conclude, Right Reverend, we expect and entreat, that ye will not be offended at our freedom, in what we here represent; but our meaning and end to have differences satisfyingly removed, wil move you to put a favourable construction upon that which a critical disposition might be ready to censure for rashness and ignorance, and meddling in matters wherein we are not concerned. But though we should be condemned and censured with the greatest severity, and be counted yet more vile, we must seek, we must cry for the removing of these stumbling blocks, and condemning these courses, which have done our Lord Jesus Christ so much but any thing like a distinct reply. A paper of grievances, was also, by him and another commissioner, given in, in the name of his people, to king William, at London, in the beginning of the year 1693, to which, after waiting for some considerable time, it does not appear that he received any answer. He was summoned before the synod of Dumfries in the month of October, the same year, to whom he delivered a paper of grievances, which the synod transmitted to the General Assembly, and, in the mean time, laid him under some restrictions with regard to the exercise of his ministry, which he determined not to observe; and, lest they should have proceeded rashly to censure him, he took an appeal "to the next free and lawfully convocat, and rightly constitute assembly." He was accordingly summoned to answer, at the instance of the synod of Dumfries, before the assembly, to meet at Edinburgh December the sixth, the same year; but the assembly being adjourned by royal proclamation to the month of March following, Mr. Hepburn took a formal protest, that he should not be obliged to answer without a new citation. When the assembly met in March 1694, his case was referred to the commission, before which, being previously summoned, he appeared in the month of September following, where, besides the people who went with him as his adherents, the Rev. George wrong, and his children so much hurt, in the standing in the way of their comfortable and edifying communion with the church. Let the famishing and starving case of our souls, through want of the blessed gospel, and our hungering to hear it preached by you, prevail with you to consider our complaints, and let the wounds of our bleeding mother, panting to be healed by the hand of the tender-hearted Physician, have weight with you, not to slight or despise our desires. But if ye shall shut your eyes and ears at them, then we know, at the time, no remedy left us but to complain and protest unto judicatories, and cry, sigh, and groan to the Father of Mercies, who is tender of all his little ones, and is the hearer of prayer, that he may see to it, and heal our backslidings and breaches in his own time and way, and not lay it to your charge that ye have had so little regard to the stumbling and saddening of so many of his poor, broken, bruised, and scattered sheep; and that ye have not had greater care to strengthen the diseased, and to heal that which was sick, and to bind up that which was broken, and to bring again that which was driven away, and to seek that which was lost." Humble Pleadings, p. 151. * Ibid, p. 154. Plain reasons for presbyterians dissenting from the revolution church, p. 151. Mair, minister at Airth, whose case had also been referred to the commission, joined him in a concerted paper, which they called their Demurr, in which they neither fully own, nor fairly deny the authority of the commission. The commission appointed a committee to confer with them, which, after several conferences, made an overture respecting Mr. Hepburn, to the following effect:-" That till the next quarterly meeting of the commission, he exercise his ministry at the kirk of Urr, where once he had some settlement, and that he preach not without the bounds of the said parish, without he have the call of some synod or presbytery, and that he be not questioned for not attending on the presbytery of Dumfries during that time."* To this he replied, "Though I cannot recede from the contents of the paper given in to this commission, nor yet can come under any positive engagement restricting me in the exercise of my ministry, wheresoever in providence I may be clearly called, yet I am willing to declare, my so far desiring the satis, faction of Reverend Brethren, (the scope of whose desire I judge to be, the preventing of schism, to which I look on myself as many ways bound,) as to endeavour the same, whereinsoever I may find it consistent with the faithful discharge of my duty to God, and with the peace of my own conscience." A member of court, the famous Mr. William Veitch, was deputed to converse with Mr. Hepburn in private; but after much reasoning, he adhered to the above as his final answer. Under these circumstances, Mr. Hepburn seems to have been allowed to exercise his ministry till the next assembly, which met in December 1695, by which he was, on the fourth day of January, 1696, suspended from the exercise of the ministry. To this sentence, passed upon him in his absence, and upon grounds which he did not consider valid, Mr. Hepburn paid no regard, nor were the affections of his people in the least alienated from him thereby. On the contrary, the number of his adherents was increased, and so sensible were many of the ministers of the injustice of his suspension, that they refused to read the act of assembly from their pulpits, though specially required by the act itself so to do. * Humble Pleadings for the good old way, pp. 186, 187, Among the unprinted acts of this same assembly, session seventeenth, we find a recommendation to his majesty's solicitor, to prosecute such ministers who, after the censures of the church, continue in their irregularities, which, from the sequel, appears to have been passed with a view to the further harassing this already long and bitterly persecuted individual. In the mean time, his brethren of the presbytery of Dumfries seem not to have been wanting in their efforts to bring him into contempt with the people, for upon the twenty-fifth of June, this year, keeping a fast at Kirkgunzean, after the congregation had assembled," and he going forth of his house to the public worship of God," three members of presbytery, Messrs. William Veitch, R. Paton, and James Guthrie, accompanied by a number of followers, suddenly interrupted him, and, after some conversation, hastened precipitantly to the place where the congregation was assembled, and, to prevent him from preaching, Mr. Veitch, who, himself having suffered a long course of severe persecution, might have learned a little more moderation, rushed into the tent, gave forth a psalm, and began to discourse to the people. Mr. Hepburn quietly withdrew to another place, and forbidding his friends in any way to molest his brethren, began the public worship of God, and was immediately followed by the whole multitude. The three brethren, left to themselves, soon followed, and Mr. Veitch, as the mouth of the three, in the name of the church of Scotland, discharged Mr. Hepburn to preach. Mr. Hepburn replied, he "did, and would preach, in the name of his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, from whom he had received his commission; and the people greatly offended, rising up in some disorder, though they did violence to no one, the brethren of the presbytery departed in great anger." Mr. Hepburn, it is probable, finished the services of the day at his leisure, but, in the course of a month, was summoned before the privy council, to answer to a libel, at the instance of his majesty's advocate, and this through the instigation of some ministers, as he learned from several members of the council afterwards. In consequence of this, Mr. Hepburn • Humble Pleadings, pp. 191, 192. repaired immediately to Edinburgh, and, after conferring with several statesmen, prepared the following answers to the libel, the nature of which the reader must be content to gather from these answers, as the compiler of this has not been fortunate enough to fall in with a copy. "Whereas he [Mr. John Hepburn] is accused of exercising his ministry, and intruding himself into churches, particularly of Urr and Kirkgunzean, within the stewartry of Kircudbright, and of Durrisdeer, in the sheriffdom of Nithsdale, and that without taking the oaths of allegiance, and subscribing the assurance. He answers, 1mo, That he humbly conceiveth his loyalty to k. William (whose right he nothing doubts, more than his possession,) is so generally known, and hath been so many ways manifested, as that he hopes it is not doubted by any to whom himself is known, unless they either be greatly prejudged, or sadly misinformed, he being at all times, and in all dutiful ways, most willing to declare and evidence the same. 2do, As to the exercise of his ministry at Urr and Kirkgunzean, he entered unto the exercise of his ministry in these parishes by the people's call, before the act of parliament establishing presbytery; and as this fixeth a relation betwixt a minister and people, so as he with a good conscience may exercise his ministry among them, so likewise, by the foresaid act of parliament, a presbyterian minister's entering by the call of the people is authorized as a sufficient legal right, for the exercise of the ministry, and enjoyment of the benefice and stipend; and accordingly, the defender's call was sustained by the lords of the session, as a legal title to the parish of Urr; so that his preaching in Urr or Kirkgunzean cannot be called an intrusion, he having both divine and legal right so to do, the people of both parishes concurring in his call at first, and no other minister being established in any of the foresaid parishes as yet. 3tio, As to the defender's preaching in Durrisdeer, it is answered, the said parish is also vacant, and it is but now and then, and for the most part occasionally in his going to and returning from Edinburgh, and that upon the most earnest call and invitation of the people, who are in a destitute condition for want of preaching, being but rarely supplied by the presbytery of the bounds; |