:6~16 The HISTORY of the PuttiTAN9. VoL. 1!. King '' with the palace or mitre of the greatefl: prelate in Britl1-in. Bleffed Charles !I. " b G d h l h £h I66I. e o , w o 1at ewed mercy to fuch a wretch, and has revealed ~ " his fan in me, and made me a minifl:er of the everlafl:ing go(pel; and " that he has defigned, in the midfl: of much contradidion from Satan " and the world, to feal my miniil:ry upon the hearts of not a few of " this ,people, and e(pecially in the congregation and prefbyteJy of Stir– " fin." There died with him on the fame fcaffold, young captain lb. p. 152. Govan, whofe lafl: words were the[~, " I bear witnefs with my blood >153, ·« :to the perfecuted government of this church, by fynods and prefbyte– '" ries. I bear witnefs to the fo\emn league and covenant, and feal it " with my blood. I likewife tefi:ify againfr all popery, prelacy, idolatry, " fuperfrition, and the fervice book, which is no better than a relic of " the romijb idolatry-- " Soon after this, the righ ts of patronages were reil:ored, and all the prefbyterian minifl:ers filenced, though the court had not a fupply of men of any fort to fill up their vacancies. The account that bilhop Burnet gives of the oldfcots prefbyterian mi– fCharaqer of nifrers, who were poifeifed of the church livings before the refroration, the old (cots · k bl d d r 1 · 1· 1· 11. Th re!b teriIS. very remar a e, an eterves a p ace 111 t 11s 11u:ory. " ey were ~ns. ylb. p. " (fays he) a brave and fol~mn people; their fpirits were eager, and their 156, I 57·· " tempers fower, but they had an appearance that created refpt:Cl:; they " vi!ited their pariilies much, and wert: fo full of fcripture, and fo ... ready at extempore prayer, that from that they grew to praCl:ife ex– " tempore fermons; for the cufl:om in Scotland .was, after dinner or fup– " per, to read a chapter in the bible, and when they happened to come " in, if it was acceptable, they would on a fudden exponnd the chapter; " by this means the people had fuch a vaft degree of knowledge, that " the poor cottagers could pray extempore. Their preachers went all ·« in one traCt in their !ermons, of doCtrine, reafon, and ufe; and this " was fo methodical, that the people could follow a fermon quite ~' through every branch of it. It can hardly be imagined to what a " degree thefe minifi:ers were loved, and reverenced by their people. " They kept fcandaluus perfons under fevere difcipline; for breach of " the fabbath, for an oath, or drunkennefs, they were cited before the ·" kirk feffions, and folemnly rebuked for it; for fornication they fi:ood " on the fl:ool of repentance in the church, at the time of woriliip, for ~' three days, receiving admonition, and making profeffions of repen– " tance, which fame did with many tears, and exhortations to others to . " take warning by them ; for adultery they fat in the fame place fix " months covered withfackcloth. But with all this (fays the biiliop), " they had but a narrow compafs of learning, were very affeCted in "' their deportment, and were apt in their fermons to make themfelves " popular,
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