the same or like evils on all proper occasions; upon which protestation and declaration, as containing a testimony against the act of Assembly 1732, and asserting their privilege and duty to testify publicly against the same or like defections, other three ministers gave in a written adherence under form of instruments, and then all the four withdrew, not resolving to carry their testimony any further, but to return to their charges, and act in conformity with their protestation, as Providence should give them opportunity. And probably there had never been a Secession if matters had rested here; but the prevailing party were determined to screw church authority to a far greater height, and accordingly, about eleven o'clock the same night, the four brethren were summoned by the Assembly's officer, to compear at the bar of the General Assembly to-morrow, at ten o'clock before noon. When, in obedience to this citation, they came next day to the bar, without a question put to them, they were immediately ordered to retire with a Committee, who were instructed to deal with them about withdrawing their protest. This Committee, after some time spent with them, returned and made report, "That the four brethren continued firmly resolved to adhere to their protestation." Thus, without relating any of the reasons advanced by them in support of their resolution, whereupon the Assembly, by a great majority, ordered, "That the said four brethren appear before the Commission in August next; and in case they do not shew their sorrow for their conduct, and retract as said is, the Commission is empowered and appointed to suspend them from the exercise of their ministry; and in case they act contrary to said sentence of suspension, the Commission in November is empowered and appointed to proceed to a higher censure against them." As the Commission in August that year passed the sentence of suspension contrary to the mind of many of their members, several of whom, both ministers and elders, dissented therefrom, so their proceeding in August to a higher censure was carried only by the Moderator's (Mr John Goldie) casting vote. Thereafter the said Commission came to their final sentence, which stands in their minutes in the following terms: "The Commission did and hereby do loose the relation of Mr Ebenezer Erskine at Stirling, Mr William Wilson at Perth, Mr Alexander Moncrieff, Abernethy, and Mr James Fisher, Kincleven, to their respective charges; and do hereby prohibit all ministers of this church to employ them, or any of them, in any ministerial function; and the Commission do declare the churches of the said ministers vacant from and after the date of this sentence." This arbitrary procedure laid the four brethren under the necessity of declaring their Secession (not from the Church of Scotland, but) from the prevailing party in the judicatories thereof, who had now cast them out from ministerial communion with them; and this their Secession, given in at that time in writing under form of instruments, was chiefly founded upon the following grounds, viz. That the said prevailing party were carrying on a course of defection from our reformed principles, and particularly were suppressing ministerial freedom and faithfulness, in testifying against the present backslidings of the Church, and inflicting censures upon ministers, for witnessing, by protestations and otherwise, against the same. Though Mr Erskine did not join in the Secession as it was first stated in November 1733, yet he concurred with other ministers in the protestations which were taken against the censures passed upon the four brethren at that time; and afterwards, when he saw no probability of the judicatories redressing the grievances complained of by the seceding ministers, he, together with the Rev. Mr Mair of Orwell, gave in a declaration of Secession from the present judicatories of the Church of Scotland to the reverend Presbytery of Dunfermline, (whereof they were members), met there the 16th of February 1797. This declaration was presented to the Associate Presbytery met at Orwell on the 18th of the same month; and the Presbytery finding that the grounds thereof were the same upon the matter with those upon which they themselves had some time ago declared their secession from the said judicatories, they unanimously agreed to receive and admit them as members of the Associate Presbytery. The following part of Mr Erskine's adherence to Mr Mair's declaration discovers that great man's usual wisdom and moderation: "I think myself obliged to join with the Associate Presbytery, not as they are a judicatory of ministers separate from the Church of Scotland, but as a part of that same church constituting themselves, in the Lord's name, distinct from the present judicatories of this church, and witnessing against their defections; insomuch that, by this deed, I intend and understand no withdrawing from ministerial communion with any of the godly ministers of this national church that are groaning under or wrestling against the defections of the times, even though they have not the same light with us in every particular contained in the foresaid testimony; nor do I hereby preclude myself from the liberty of returning and joining with the judicatories of this church upon their returning to their duty, and though I desire to abhor and shun all divisive principles and practices, yet I judge it my duty to endeavour through grace to follow after that peace that has truth for the ground and ornament of it, to cleave unto Jesus Christ, who is the center of all true and holy union." Mr Erskine published many works in prose; as his Sermons, his "Faith no Fancy," &c. He also published several pieces in poetry. Of these Mr Bradbury says: "Mr Erskine's poems are greatly to be esteemed, for the sweetness of the verse, the disposition of the subjects, and, above all, for that which animates the whole, the savour of divine and experimental knowledge." In his younger years, at leisure hours, he composed his Gospel Sonnets. Of this he says, "The main scope of the gospel is, to exclude all self-confidence, and stain the pride of man, to bring in self-denial, and exalt the glory of Christ; to extol his righteousness, by which he has magnified the law, and made it honourable; to exhibit such a way of salvation to sinners, as shall most advance the honour of all the divine perfections which shine most brightly in the face and person of Jesus Christ; and to bring men to such a true and lively faith of the free grace and mercy of God in Christ, as will be the only solid root and spring of true peace, heart-holiness, and pracitcal godliness; this," says he, is my great desire and endeavour to fall in with, in these times." He adds, "Some chapters of these Sonnets are calculated mainly for pointing out the difference between law and gospel, justification and sanctification, faith and sense, which I have more largely insisted on, because I apprehend, that the more people have their minds spiritually and evangelically enlightened, so as to have just and distinct apprehensions of these subjects, the more will the life of holiness and comfort take place in them, and the life of glorious liberty and freedom, both from the power of corruption and the prevalency of mental confusion, discouragement, and despondency; as our Lord Jesus says, John viii. 32. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Many Christians are kept in great bondage, partly by legal doctrine, and partly by their own legal disposition, both much owing to dark and confused apprehensions of these weighty points, and particularly of the difference between the covenant of works and of grace, or between the law and the gospel."-This excellent piece was highly prized by the celebrated Mr Hervey, and lay constantly on his table; indeed, numerous editions shew, it has met with great and deserved acceptance. It has been translated into Welch. About the year 1738, he emitted his poetical paraphrase on the Song of Solomon, which also has been acceptable. Of this he says, 66 I judge that a song upon the subject of fellowship and communion with Christ is not unseasonable in these evil days, wherein the songs of the temple are like to be turned into howlings, and wherein the Bride, the Lamb's wife, is ready to hang her harp upon the willows. How desirable were it, if this little book were proving a mean to sing away her sorrows." He published some elegies, on the death of the Rev. Messrs Cuthbert of Culross, Plenderleith of Saline, Mair of Culross, Moncrieff of Largo, Hamilton of Stirling, Bathgate of Orwell, and Brisbane of Stirling. He also had a chief hand in the first part of that judicious treatise usually called the Synod of Fife's Catechism. His works for many years were circulated in single sermons, and did much good, but in 1765 all of them, both in prose and verse, were collected into two large folio volumes by the Rev. Mr Fisher of Glasgow; they have since been printed in ten octavo volumes in different editions, and have still a constant and large demand from the religious public. In a letter to Mr Whitefield Mr Erskine says, "It refreshes me to hear that any of my poor writings in verse or prose have been and are blessed in this or any other part of the earth. If I travel in pen as far as you do in person, and contribute my mite for spreading gospel light, I rejoice in it, and bless his name for it, who has ordered this beyond my views and expectations."-He preached his last action sermon from Matthew xii. 21. “ In his name shall the Gentiles trust."-He preached this with much animation and many tears. He was seized in the end of September 1752, with a nervous fever, which lasted but a short time. On the eighth day of the fever, he fell asleep in the Lord, in the 68th year of his age, and 42d of his ministry. While on his death-bed, company was forbid him by order of his physicians, and therefore few had the benefit of his last advices and dying conversation. He was buried in the church-yard of Dunfermline, on Thursday, the 9th of October. His corpse was attended to the place of interment by an inconceivable number of spectators, deeply and justly regretting the loss of so valuable a minister.-Mr Erskine was twice married. His first marriage was with Margaret Dewar, a daughter of Dewar of Lassodie: She bore him ten children. His second marriage was with Margaret Simpson, daughter to Mr Simpson, writer to the signet, Edinburgh, who bore him four children, and survived him some years. Three of his sons of the first marriage were ministers in the Association; viz. Rev. Messrs Henry, John, and James. The first was ordained minister of Falkirk: the second at Leslie; and the third at Stirling. All of them died in the prime of their age, when they had given the world just ground to conceive high expectations of their usefulness in the church. He was very happy in his family, in a letter to a friend he says, "A good wife is from the Lord, I have one wife in heaven, and I have now the second on earth, and I think I had them both from him. I sought, and he gave, glory to free grace through Christ, without which I could neither seek nor get. I have two sons with Mr Wilson our Professor of Divinity, they seem as yet to be promising youths, but O pray for them that they may be fitted with others for usefulness in the Lord's vineyard." LINES ON MR RALPH ERSKINE. "His silver tongue did living truth impart, Death called him home, he tunes his harp above." To the Rev. Mr MVICAR, West Kirk, Edinburgh. REV. AND DEAR BROTHER, Dunfermline, December 7, 1730. Your kind sympathizing letter came to my hand on Saturday, when I was alone in my closet, and my soul eating bitter herbs in great plenty, insomuch that I could not read your compassionate line without bedewing it with tears of sorrow at the occasion of it, and joy upon occasion of the Lord's goodness in stirring you up to take a lift of my burden, which I take to be one of the fruits and effects of his sympathy, who is the great burden bearer, and who has said, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." * Mr Erskine, in delivering his sermons, used to raise his hand in the manner represented by the portrait, Dear Brother, I may say with Ezekiel, chap. xxiv. 18. "I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died," I lectured in the forenoon, preached in the afternoon, heard the exercise in the evening, and after that saw some sick persons, and all that time the Lord saw it fit to hide it from my eyes, that my dear wife was dying; though I knew she was in distress that day and two or three days before, yet it was not reckoned mortal by any but herself, for she many a time expressed her apprehensions of death, not only then, but a long time before, and it is part of my grief, that these advertisements were so overlooked by me, and that I had so little will to believe what I now find to be true. Her last words expressed the deepest humiliation and greatest submission to the sovereign will of God, that words could manifest, and thereafter she shut up all with that "O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory?-thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ;" which she repeated two or three times over; and yet, even at this time, I knew not they were her dying words, till instantly I perceived the evident symptoms of death, in the view whereof I was plunged into a sea of confusion, when she in less than an hour after, in a most soft and easy manner, departed this life. She was one that had piety and seriousness without any show or noise, virtue and industry without vanity or levity, and the greatest kindness and care, especially towards me, all the life time we had together, which was 16 years. And now my groaning is sometimes heavy, and yet my stroke is heavier than my groaning, but it is the Lord and therefore it becomes me to be dumb, and not to open my mouth because he did it. O pray to him that he may sanctify this providence, and that Christ himself may be more than ever the desire of my heart, seeing he has taken away the desire of my eyes with a stroke. And to encourage to seek this on my behalf, you may plead his own promise on which I think he has caused me to hope, viz. That he will be with me in trouble, and that he will not altogether leave me, but that his Spirit shall be in me, as a well of living water springing up to everlasting life. That he will lead the blind by a way they know not, that he will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight, and some other such like words of grace as these. Meantime I see need, great need, for such a stroke and affliction, as a rod to correct me for my faults-as a furnace to purge me from my dross-as a bridle to restrain me from my rebellion-as a spur to excite and stir me up to my duty and work-and as a glass wherein I may see both more of my own sinfulness and more of the glory of God. And as I indeed see his holiness, righteousness, and truth, in this dispensation, so I would fain hope to see his grace, mercy, and loving kindness therein more clearly than as yet the dark side of the cloud allows me. May the Lord help my unbelief, and increase my faith. Pray that my five motherless young ones may be the objects of our everlasting father's care and love, they and I need the continued sympathy of godly friends in many respects, and especially that of our never-dying everliving friend, Jesus Christ. Rev. and Dear Brother-As iron sharpens iron, so your sympathy |