Religion & morality > Cloud of witnesses, for the royal prerogatives of Jesus Christ, or, The last speeches and testimonies of those who suffered for the truth in Scotland, in the years 1681-1688, with an appendix, containing the Queensferry paper, Torwood excommunications, &c

APPENDIX.
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the same bottom of a pretended royal jurisdiction over the
church, he attempted, and in a great measure effected, the
establishment of Popish hierarchy, and Romish ceremonies,
by setting up prelates, and bringing in the Perth articles,
flattering some, and overawing others of the ministers into
a compliance therewith ; persecuting the zealous and faithful
contenders for Christ’s headship, and the government of his
divine institution, with vexatious prosecution before high-
commission courts, suspensions from their office, wardings,
confinements, &c. And in like manner Charles I., following
his father’s example and instructions, endeavored, upon
pretence of the same prerogative, to improve upon what his
father had begun, and complete the church’s slavery, by ob¬
truding upon her a liturgy and canons, formed a la mode
d’ Angleterre, collected out of the Romish Mass-book, and
canon law; which put the faithful sons of the church of
Scotland so much wrestling and contending, partly by .hum¬
ble and submissive, yet zealous and faithful addresses, sup¬
plications, remonstrances, and representations; partly by
more bold and daring protestations and associations for
mutual defence, even till they were forced to take arms for
defence of religion, and the liberties of their country. Which
contendings for Christ’s royal authority, and his church’s
liberties, at length, by the blessing of God, issued in a glo¬
rious work of reformation through Britain and Ireland,
wherein the churches of Christ in these lands not only re¬
ceived their former beautiful order, shining purity, and pre¬
cious liberty, but also had several degrees of new attain¬
ments, in purity and uniformity in religion, added thereunto.
But the church’s sun of prosperity is soon at the tropic :
scarce was that spring-time well begun to blossom and bud,
when behold a world of malignant vapours, arising out of
the earth, clouded all her sky again, and turned her spring
to a deplorable winter. Various heresies in England, grow¬
ing Popery in Ireland, public resolutions for advancing
malignants to places of power and trust in Scotland, like so
many inundations breaking in upon the church of Christ,
laid all her pleasant things waste. And no sooner was
Charles II. advanced to the exercise of the royal authority,
but, drowning the sense of all sacred obligations with a glut
of sensual pleasures, he authorised a malignant crew of
statesmen to persecute and destroy the neople of God for