make any right progress, without the other two. And if more ministers of the word than one in a church should give themselves mainly, in their preaching and other exercises, to the direction and correction of the conversations of the flock, and to the business of presiding in the difcipline of the church; this, without the influence of that which is pecu. liarly called teaching and exhortation, presupposed to it, and keeping pace with it, would tend to formality, and issue in something like Pharifaical righteousness; yea, it could not long subsist without the other two. And if we suppose seve. ral ministers of the word in one church, giving themselves indifferently to all these, none of them could be done to such purpose, as by every one of them his giving himself most to that wherein he excels. And as each of them would do that part best, so they would themselves most readily grow and improve in that, and be helpful and profitable to one another, as well as to the flock; so that one of them could not say he had no need of the other.

It was through the pride and indolence of bishops, and the people's negligence, in holding fast the apoftolic inftitution, that this wife and beautiful order was broke through, and way thereby made for the revelation of the man of fin. And now, since men have found the wisdom of words, or the wisdom of the scribe, and of the disputer of this world, to be a necessary or useful (as they reckon usefulness) qualification of a bishop, a minister of the word, and that it required much expence to train them up in that wisdom, and then to support them, when trained, in such state as might serve to beget respect to them in the minds of such people as are not so much affected with that authority that is proper to the Christian bishop, they think they do well when they get one bishop in every congregation, with a company of such elders as can neither teach nor preach, nor administrate baptifm and the Lord's supper, nor excommunicate, without a classical presbytery; and these they call ruling elders. And of such elders there is no footstep to be found in the New Testament, nor in all antiquity: for after the rife of one bishop in every congregation, all the prefbyters or el. ders in his presbytery, had power of preaching and admini. strating the sacraments under him. And whereas some of the most knowing in this matter do not insist for such elders as church-officers of divine institution, perceiving the incon. stency of that with the scriptural distinction of the orders VOL. L

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of

of church-officers into two and no more; but contend for them as the representatives of the people, (whose consent in binding and loofing they find in the writings of the ancients, as they might alfo find it in the scripture), to preserve their rights against the incroachments of the bishops; It must be considered, that the scriptural bishops or elders, and the primitive elders, among whom the one bishop presided, were, in the matter of binding and loofing, presiding in the church or the whole flock, of which they were presidents, which was the binding and loosing society. So that the people themselves having a right to be personally prefent, and to consent or diffent, this right is taken from them by such a representation as cannot be manifested to have any founda tion either in the scriptures, or in primitive antiquity.

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by four brethren;

With a DIALOGUE upon it by fix who have as good a right to judge of what is teftified by Jesus Chrift the Lord, in the scriptures, as the Associate Prefbytery, or any other prefbytery.

A nation, and a church of nations shall be of thee! Gen.

XXXV. 11.

Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. Rom. iv. 16. 17.

There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the goSpel of Christ. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we faid before, so say I now again, If any preach any other go Spel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be as. cursed. Gal. i. 6.-9.

First published in the year 1737.]

Unto the moderator and remanent members of the presbytery associated in the cause of the covenanted work of reformation, and testifying against the feveral steps of defection from the fame,

The Representation and Petition of the perfons subscribing,

T

Humbly sheweth,

HAT whereas you must be looked on as the fittest ren to convince gainsayers, by the word of God, and the

readiest to render to every one that asketh you a fcriptural reason of the cause for which you contend with so much zeal, as if your hope depended upon it, we judge it most pro. per to lay before you fome difficulties we have, as to that covenanted work and state of the church, to which you are Bearing witness, earnestly defiring you may take them under your ferious confideration, and do your best to fatisfy us and all others of the truth of your testimony by the word of God. For, who can be heard testifying concerning the covenant and church of God, without the scriptures? Oг, who can oblige us to ferve the Lord Jesus Christ without his ław?

Though this may justly claim the preference to any other thing about which your time may be employed; yet, to fave your time, we chuse to propose our difficulties as briefly as we can, in the manner following.

1. We even find it difficult to reconcile these nations of Britain and Ireland, being all Christians, or disciples of Chrift, and ruled by Christian magiftrates, as his covenanted kingdom, to these words of his, Mark x. 42.-45. " know that they which are accounted to rule over the na“ tions, [των εθνων ] exercise lordship over them, and their

"

"Ye

great ones exercise authority upon them. But it shall not " be fo among you; but whofoever will be great among you, "shall be your minifter; and whosoever of you will be the " chiefest, shall be servant of all: For even the Son of man

came not to be ministred unto, but to minifter, and to give "his life a ransom for many." And, Luke xxii. 24-30 "For whether is greater he that fitteth at meat, or he that " serveth? Is not he that fitteth at meat? But I am among

"

you as he that ferveth. Ye are they which have continued " with me in my temptations: and I appoint unto you a " kingdom, as my father hath appointed unto me; that ye

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may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom, and sit on "thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael."

The more we think on this discourse, with the occafion of it, the less are we able to reconcile it with the nations made Chriftian, and brought or kept in subjection to the minifters of the gospel, by secular power.

2. Nor do we perceive how the following exhortations can apply to a nation of this world, such as Scotland, or how it could remain a nation in obeying it, viz. Luke xii. 29. to " And feek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall "drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind: for all these " things " things do the nations of the world seek after; and your " father knoweth that you have need of these things; but " rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things " shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it is "your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell "that ye have, and give alms: provide yourselves bags " which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth " not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupt "eth: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be "alfo."

As a nation of this world, subsisting in the pursuit of the design of this exhortation would be a thing very extraordinary, we cannot wonder at our Lord's making such distinction as he here makes betwixt his little flock, and the nations of this world.

3. We have not yet seen any thing that is sufficient to shew us the consistency betwixt the covenanted kingdom, concerning which you testify, and our Lord's good confeffion that he witnessed before Pontius Pilate, concerning his kingdom, John xviii. 36. 37. And here, for the sake of brevity, we refer you to the things offered in the explication of that text, in the book, intitled, The testimony of the King of martyrs, which, no doubt, you have seen.

4. Nor can we understand how our Lord's words to the Jewish nation, Matth. xxi. 43. as applied by Peter, 1 Pet. ii. 9. 10. can be applicable to the state of the nation of Scotland, under the national covenant, or of Britain and Ireland, under the folemn league and covenant.

His words are: "Therefore I say unto you, the kingdom " of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation " bringing forth the fruits thereof." And Peter says to the elect, strangers and pilgrims scattered throughout many countries, "Ye are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, "an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew " forth the praises of him who hath called you out of dark" ness into his marvellous light; which in time past were " not a people, but are now the people of God; which "had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

And if you please to compare this with Exod. xix. 5. 6. and Rom. xi. 17.-20. and tell us how the nations were ingrafted in the days of the apostles, and how they were to stand, it would serve much to clear this whole matter.

We have been confidering the several things ordinarily insisted on to shew a scripture-warrant for the covenanted work

to