tance; and, in certain instances, so great was the zeal of the people, that they left their own communions, and travelled a day's journey, that they might be present at the communions of those ministers whom they regarded as the champions of the truth.*

The conduct of the Assembly, in this matter, was viewed with a jealous eye by a considerable proportion of the people. The keenness which they had displayed in condemning a book which had been so highly recommended, and the severity which they had exercised towards the representers in censuring them at their bar, were contrasted with the marked lenity which they had previously shown in the case of Professor Simson; and fears were entertained lest the majority of them were more inclined to countenance error than to defend the truth. Nor did the subsequent proceedings of the Assembly, which took place immediately after the settlement of this controversy, tend to diminish these fears; on the contrary, they were such as increased the growing jealousy of the people, and tended to alienate their affections more and more from the ruling party in the church.

Certain rumours having spread abroad that Professor Simson had not only disobeyed the injunctions given him by the Assembly of 1717, but that, in his lectures to the students, he had been guilty of teaching errors still more dangerous than those with which he had formerly been charged, the Presbytery of Glasgow ordered an inquiry to be made concerning the truth of these reports. They appointed a committee to wait upon the Professor, to make him acquainted with the nature of the reports that were in circulation con

*

Carnock, Dunfermline, Orwell, Portmoak, Maxton, and Etterick, were places peculiarly distinguished by the attendance of the people on these occasions. The entertainment, for several successive days, of the strangers who came from all parts of the country to attend these solemnities, was no light tax upon the hospitality of the people, who resided in the neighbourhood of the church. It is but justice, however, to state that it was, in general, exercised in the true spirit of Christian love, and "not grudgingly." Mr. Boston mentions in his Memoirs, the following particulars concerning a sacramental occasion at Etterick, where great crowds of people usually attended, and where, as the district was entirely a pastoral one, the houses of the principal parishioners were, during the sacramental season, converted into a kind of caravansaries for the entertainment of strangers. "The tokens distributed to communicants," says he, "were about 777; the collection on the three days, £77: 13: 4 Scots. There were about nine score strangers in Midgehop; four score of them, William Black, husband of Isabel Biggar aforesaid, entertained, having before baken for them half a boll of meal for bread, bought 4s. 10d. sterling worth of wheat-bread, and killed three lambs, &c., and made thirty beds; and I believe their neighbour's, Robert Biggar, Isabel's brother, would be much the same. This I record once for all, for a swatch of the hospitality of the parish: for God hath given this people a largeness of heart to communicate of their substance, on these and other occasions also. Those within a mile of the church still had the far greater weight on solemn occasions."

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cerning him, and to ask whether or not there was any foundation for them. The Professor declined meeting with the committee, assigning as his reason for doing so, the bad state of his health, which would not permit him to hold a conference with them. He said that if the presbytery had any thing to lay to his charge, they might proceed according to the rules of the church, and he would endeavour to answer them. At the same time, he sent a letter extrajudicially to the presbytery, stating to them what were his views of the doctrine of the Trinity, concerning which he was said to be heretical. The letter not being deemed satisfactory on certain points, a committee of presbytery was appointed to consider it more fully, and to bring in a report upon the subject.

In the mean time, the Assembly met in 1726. At this meeting, the commissioners from several presbyteries stated, that they were enjoined by their constituents to demand that an inquiry be immediately instituted into the reports which were in circulation concerning Mr. Simson's teaching unsound doctrine. The Assembly having learned from the commissioners of the Glasgow Presbytery, that they had already taken up the matter, enjoined them to proceed with all diligence in their inquiry into Mr. Simson's opinions concerning the doctrine of the Holy Trinity; and they showed a laudable zeal for maintaining the purity of doctrine, by appointing a committee of their most influential members, to co-operate with the presbytery in conducting this important inquiry. Neither the presbytery nor committee were, jointly or separately, to pronounce a final judgment, but to report to the next General Assembly the result of their investigation.

The charges preferred against Mr. Simson were, that he had denied the necessary existence of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that, in his lectures, he had taught the students, That the necessary existence of the Son is a thing that we know not; that the phrase Necessary Existence was impertinent, and not to be used when speaking of the Trinity; that the three persons of the adorable Trinity are not said to be numerically one in substance or essence; and that the terms Necessary Existence, Supreme Deity, and the titles of the only true God, may be taken, and are taken, by some authors, in a sense that includes the personal property of the Father, and so not belonging to the Son. He was further charged with having disobeyed the injunction of the Assembly of 1717, whereby he was prohibited from using all expressions and hypotheses that were not consistent with the form of sound words contained in Scripture and the Confession of Faith. Two different libels, founded upon these charges, were put into the Professor's hands, and the depositions of a great number of the students

who attended his lectures, were taken. The Assembly's Committee and the Glasgow Presbytery travailed in the business with a commendable zeal and diligence; and the task which they had to execute was by no means an easy one. The Professor, in conducting his defence, displayed both learning and ingenuity. He stoutly disputed every inch of ground, and endeavoured to bewilder his opponents, by leading them into labyrinths of metaphysics, and of scholastic theology. His defence was evasive in a high degree. At one time he rested it on a legal quibble, and at another on some nice metaphysical distinction. When driven from one subterfuge, he took shelter in another; and by availing himself of every possible plea, which his own ingenuity, or that of his legal advisers, could suggest, he was enabled to protract the process to a considerable length.

When the Assembly met in 1728, the whole of the above charges respecting Mr. Simson's views of the Trinity, after a tedious investigation, and after many keen discussions, which had occupied nearly the whole of the time of this and of the preceding Assembly, were found fully substantiated. A considerable number of the members were for inflicting the highest censure deposition. But the heretical Professor had a powerful party of friends, who fought side by side with him, and who endeavoured to put the most favourable construction on every thing he had either said or done. These struggled hard to obtain the appointment of a committee, who should bring in an overture founded on the whole of the previous proceedings, with the view of guiding the Assembly as to the sentence they should pronounce. This motion they had sufficient influence to carry. A committee was appointed to prepare an overture, which should reconcile all parties. Previous to the appointment of this committee, the Professor had given in to the Assembly a paper, disowning the error with which he had been charged, and expressing his belief in the Necessary Existence of the Lord Jesus Christ; and when the committee met, he presented to them another paper, avowing his belief in the doctrine of the Trinity. This paper was to the following effect:

"The Professor is of opinion, and believes, that there is one only God; that, in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, God the Father, &c. and that the three persons in the Godhead are one substance or essence in number; and is sorry that, in his teaching, he should have said any thing which has given ground to any to think that he taught any thing contrary to this proposition. Jo. SIMSON.'

When the committee gave in their report, they presented this paper along with it; and, after much reasoning, and vari

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ous amendments, the overture, which the Assembly adopted, was in substance as follows:-They found that Mr. Simson, in the papers given in by him to the Assembly, asserted the necessary existence, and the supreme Deity of Christ; and that he affirmed his belief in the existence of three persons in one divine essence; and they declared that his sentiments upon these articles, as expressed in the foresaid papers, were "sound and orthodox;" but, as it had been found proved against him, by this and the preceding Assembly, that he had taught things subversive of these blessed truths, and that he had expressed himself in such terms, as tended to infuse illgrounded doubts and scruples into the minds of men; and, as he had neglected so many opportunities of giving satisfaction to the judicatories of the church, concerning his soundness in the faith, with regard to these important articles, they found themselves obliged, for the honour of truth, and in order to prevent the spreading of error, to testify their high dissatisfaction with his conduct: "And many members declaring, that they thought the said Mr. John Simson deserved deposition, the Assembly, after mature deliberation, considering that the process is not entirely finished, and the other circumstances of the case, as it now stands, did agree to suspend Mr. John Simson from preaching and teaching, and all exercise of any ecclesiastical power or function, until another General Assembly shall think fit to take off this sentence." They further ordered their proceedings to be printed, and to be transmitted, along with the state of the process, to the several presbyteries, that they might give instructions to their Commissioners to the next Assembly, what they wished farther to be done in this matter.

At the next meeting of the Assembly, in 1729, this business underwent another long discussion. The debates upon it continued for eight days; and, during the whole of that time, the Assembly was crowded with spectators, all of whom took the deepest interest in the proceedings. Though several of those who delivered their sentiments, were for inflicting the sentence of deposition, yet it was ultimately carried, by Mr. Simson's friends, that a committee should be appointed to prepare an overture, with a view to the final settlement of the question. When the overture was brought in, it was found to be nothing more than an echo of the one which had been adopted by the preceding Assembly. It simply affirmed the sentence of suspension, previously pronounced, with this addition, that the committee gave it as their judgment, that it was not fit nor safe that Mr. Simson be further employed in teach

Mr. Boston says that the major part of the Assembly were decidedly of this opinion. Memoirs, p. 437.

ing divinity, and instructing youth designed for the holy ministry in this church; and, that the judicatories of the church might have no more trouble about this process, it was declared that, for peace-sake, the whole of this matter should rest here.

Mr. Simson's friends carefully avoided bringing this overture to a vote. They urged the importance of the Assembly being unanimous in their decision upon this subject, and were exceedingly importunate that the overture should be acquiesced in, without any farther discussion. Though several had, only a little before, been loud in their cry for deposition, yet all now seemed inclined quietly to acquiesce, for the sake of peace. One individual alone had the courage to stand up, and avow his dissent. This was Mr. Thomas Boston. When the overture was read, and when the Moderator asked, if the Assembly acquiesced in it, there was a breathless silence over the house for a minute or so. Mr. Boston then rose, and spoke to the following effect:-" Moderator, I find myself laid under a necessity of declaring my dissent from this decision of the Assembly, as I think the censure inflicted by it on Professor Simson, is not adequate to the offence he has given, as to the points of doctrine that have been proved he taught the students under his care, and have been found relevant to infer censure. I cannot help thinking, Sir, that the cause of Jesus Christ, as to the great and essential point of his supreme Deity, has been at the bar of this Assembly requiring justice; and, as I am shortly to answer at His bar for all I do or say, I dare not give my assent to the decision of this act. On the contrary, I find myself obliged, on this occasion, to offer a protest against it; and, therefore, in my own name, and in the name of all that shall adhere to me, and if none here will,"-here he paused for an instant, and looked round him with an air of gravity and importance, and then added, "For myself alone, I crave leave to enter my protest against the decision of this act."* Moderator (Mr. James Alston of Dirleton) interposed, and endeavoured to dissuade him from taking such a step, as it would interrupt the harmony of the decision. But Mr. Boston was firm to his purpose. Having previously prepared a paper, containing his reasons of dissent, he read it aloud, as follows:

The

"I dissent, as judging it (inasmuch as it doth not bear a deposition of Mr. Simson from the office of the ministry, of teaching and preaching the gospel of the blessed God) to be no just testimony of this church's indignation against the dishonour done by the said Mr. Simson to our glorious Redeemer, the great God and our Saviour, and what hath been found both relevant and proved against him by the two imme

Letter from a dissenting minister, in the Appendix to Boston's Memoirs, p. 50. See also Memoirs, p. 438.