Part 36 (1/2)
Upon the 3d of March 1689. when Mr. Linning, he and Mr. Boyd renewed the covenants at Borland-hill in Lismahago, Mr. s.h.i.+elds stood up again before a vast confluence of people, and declared his unfeigned sorrow for his former sin of compliances, &c. to the affecting of all the mult.i.tude, and the abundant satisfaction of the G.o.dly there present, who had been grieved therewith.
At and after the revolution he was of much service to the army, and greatly esteemed by King William. And after his return home he, with the foresaid Messrs. Linning and Boyd, presented a large paper of proposals to the first general a.s.sembly after the revolution[246]; both craving a redress of their grievances, and likewise shewing on what terms they and their people could and would join with them, &c. But this paper being judged by the committee of this a.s.sembly to contain ”peremptory and gross mistakes, unreasonable and impracticable proposals, and uncharitable and injurious reflections, tending rather to kindle contentions than compose divisions[247],” it never once got a hearing, but was thrown over the bar of that a.s.sembly. And yet notwithstanding all this, the three foresaid brethren being resolved to unite with them at any rate, gave in another called the shorter paper, importing their submission, casting down all their former proposals and desires at the a.s.sembly's feet, ”to be disposed of as their wisdom should think fit.”
Which paper he, through their insinuation, was brought to subscribe, and of which, it is said[248], he sadly repented afterwards. For having dropt his former testimony at their feet, who trampled on it, and though they did not rent him, yet they soon found out a way to get rid of him.
For,
Soon after the revolution, he was settled minister at St. Andrews, where he continued in the discharge of his office until the year 1699, that he, with Messrs. Borland, Stobo and Dalgliesh, were pitched upon to go over with his countrymen to the national settlement at Darien in America, where he, by letters under his own hand, gave particular account of matters there; wherein it is evident that his spirit was quite sunk with the divisions, impiety and unrighteousness of too many of that handful, and at last was sadly crushed with the fatal disappointment of that undertaking, by the conduct of the then government; which he shewed, had it been faithfully and well managed, might have been of great advantage to this nation, as well as to the Christian religion; and yet for want of a proper reinforcement, they were either cut off or dissipated. While in Caledonia he preached mostly on Acts xvii. 26, 27. _G.o.d hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of our habitation_. One time, as he and the rest of the ministers made a tour up the country, upon their return they were bewildered in the woods, and hearing the noise of the sea, they got at last to the sh.o.r.e, and so were obliged to pa.s.s through various windings and bendings of the coast under lash of the swelling surges or waves of the sea, being sometimes obliged to climb upon their hands and feet upon the steep and hard rocks, until at last Mr. s.h.i.+elds was like to faint, which troubled them much. Their provision and cordials were spent, at length they came to a welcome spring of fresh water springing out of the rock by the sea side: ”This well (says Mr.
Borland) was to us as that well was to Hagar in the wilderness.--By this well we rested a little, and Mr. s.h.i.+elds having drunk of it, was refreshed and strengthened, and with the help of the Lord we were enabled to proceed on our journey.” After which Mr. s.h.i.+elds and Mr.
Borland escaped death very narrowly, the s.h.i.+p sinking in the harbour of Kingston a very little after they were gone out of it. He died of a malignant fever, June 14. 1700. in a Scot's woman's house at Port-Royal, in Jamaica, a little after he left Caledonia. A kind country woman Isabel Murray, paid the expence of his funeral. His last preaching was from the last words of Hosea, _Who is wise? and he shall understand these things: prudent? and he shall know them, for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them, but transgressors shall fall therein_[249].
And thus the so much famed Mr. Alexander s.h.i.+elds, after he had tasted somewhat of the various vicissitudes of life and fortune, was obliged to die in a strange land. He was a man of a low stature, ruddy complexion, quick and piercing wit, full of zeal whatever way he intended, of a public spirit, and firm in the cause he espoused; pretty well seen in most branches of learning, in arguing very ready, only somewhat fiery, but in writing on controversy he exceeded most men in that age.
His works are the Hind let loose, Mr. Renwick's life, and the vindication of his dying testimony, his own impartial relation, the renovation of the covenant at Borland hill. There are also some lectures and sermons of his in print; a vindication of our solemn covenants, and several of his religious letters both before and since the revolution.
After his death Mr. Linnings published an essay of his on church-communion. But how far this agrees with his conduct at the revolution, or what coherency it hath with his other writings, or if Mr.
Linning had any hand therein, is not my province to determine at present. There are also three pocket volumes of his journals yet in ma.n.u.script, which were, among other valuable papers, redeemed from destruction after Mr. Linning's death.
_The Life of Mr. JOHN d.i.c.kSON._
Mr. John d.i.c.kson born of creditable parents (as some say, related to Mr.
David d.i.c.kson) was sent to the grammar-school, and from thence to the university; where, after he had gone through his courses of learning, he studied divinity, and then pa.s.sed his trials for the ministry; and, being found duly qualified for that office, he was licensed. And, some time before the restoration, was ordained and settled minister at Rutherglen, where he continued for some time a most faithful, diligent and painful preacher of the gospel.
But very soon after the restoration of Charles II. (prelacy beginning to advance in Scotland) he was, upon the 13th of October 1660. brought before the committee of estates, and by them imprisoned in the tolbooth of Edinburgh, information having been given in against him by Sir James Hamilton of Elistoun[250], and some of his paris.h.i.+oners, of some expressions he had used in a sermon alledged to reflect upon the government and the committee of estates, tending to sedition and division. For which he was kept in prison till the parliament sat down, and his church vacated; and though he got out at this time, yet he was exposed to much trouble and suffering afterwards, as now comes to be observed.
After this, Mr. d.i.c.kson was obliged to wander from place to place with the rest of those who could not in conscience comply with the current of defection and apostacy at that time, preaching to such as employed him; wherein he ceased not, in shewing the sinfulness of bonding, cess paying, and of the indulgence, and likewise wrote a faithful warning to the s.h.i.+re of Fife against the same, shewing in the most affecting and striking manner the hazard and evil of such compliance[251].
In 1670. we find he preached at Glenvail, and in June that year he and Mr. Blackadder preached to a numerous congregation at Beeth-hill in Dunfermline parish in Fife. While they were at public wors.h.i.+p upon the Lord's day, a lieutenant of militia in that place came up on horseback to the people, and made a great deal of disturbance, threatening to fright and if possible to scatter them; whereupon one more courageous than the rest stept forward to him, and, after intreating him to remove peaceably, took his horse by the bridle, pulled out a pistol, and told him, He would shoot him dead if he was not silent: And whether he would or would not, he was there compelled to sit on horseback till public wors.h.i.+p was over, after which he had his liberty to go where he pleased.
Upon the back of this horrid insult (as the persecutors were pleased to call it), upon the 11th of Aug. a decreet was obtained by the king's advocate against Mr. d.i.c.kson, Mr. Blackadder and several other ministers, wherein they were charged with holding conventicles in houses and in fields, and being after citation called and not compearing, they were in absence denounced and put to the horn, which obliged them to wander up and down the country, sometimes preaching in the fields where they had opportunity.
And thus continued Mr. d.i.c.kson in the midst of imminent hazards: For, by virtue of a new modelled council June 4th, 1764. there were orders to send out parties in quest of all conventicle preachers (as they were called, who accepted not of the indulgence), amongst whom were Mess.
d.i.c.kson, Welch, and Blackadder, &c. 400 pounds sterling were offered for Mr. Welch, and 1000 merks for Mr. d.i.c.kson and each of the rest. Nay, the soldiers were indemnified and their a.s.sistants, if any slaughter was committed in apprehending them, in case any resistance was made. By which Mr. d.i.c.kson was exposed unto new dangers, but yet he escaped their fury for some time.
But after Bothwel-battle the persecution becoming still hotter, and the searches more frequent, he was apprehended in 1680.; and being brought in to Edinburgh prisoner by some of the guard, under caution to answer before the council Sep. 1st. Accordingly the council ordered him to be sent to the Ba.s.s, where he continued to be prisoner near the s.p.a.ce of eleven years.
While he was prisoner in the Ba.s.s he wrote a most excellent letter to some friends, wherein he not only bewails and laments the apostacy of these lands from G.o.d, &c. demanding what our n.o.ble Scots worthies would think or say, were they then alive to behold the same, but also gives many practical and suitable directions how to behave in following Christ, and owning his cause under the cross, and walking in the furnace of affliction and tribulation, &c.
After he got out of the Ba.s.s, he returned very early at the revolution back to his flock at Rutherglen, where he again exercised his ministerial function, and that upon all hazards.[252] In the year 1698.
Oct. 4th, at the sitting down of the synod at Air, he preached a very free and faithful sermon, upon the duty and qualifications of a faithful watchman from these words, Ha. lxii. 6. _I have fit watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem_, &c.
And although Mr. d.i.c.kson still acceded to the revolution church, yet he was much grieved when he beheld how far inferior the glory of the second temple was to the first, which does most evidently appear from his own words in a letter to one a little before his death (which was in the year 1700.) and which may stand here for his dying testimony, the contents whereof are as follows.
”The conception you have of the dispensation of the Lord towards this poor plagued church, and the temper of the spirits of professors under this dispensation, are not different from what many of the Lord's people are groaning under. There is palpably a sensible difference betwixt what the church now is, and what it was many years ago; yea, what it hath been within these few years. The church hath lost much ground, and is still upon the losing hand, and it seems will continue so until it pleases the Lord to pour down his Spirit from on high, or else by some sharp awakening dispensation rouse up drowzy souls out of the lethargy wherein they are fallen, &c. It is many years since the sun fell low upon Scotland, many a dismal day hath it seen since 1649. At that time our reformation mounted towards its highest horizon, and since we left our building on that excellent foundation laid by our honoured forefathers, we have still moved from ill to worse, and is like still more (unless our gracious G.o.d prevent it) until we slide ourselves out of sight and sense of a reformation. We have been lately trysted with a wonderful deliverance from the slavery of heaven-daring enemy, but not one line of reformation is pencilled upon our deliverance[253]. We have the sh.e.l.l of ordinances and church-government, but want the kernel, the great things of Christ's law; as to contend for his interest is wrapt under a cloud. It is a long time since our covenant and solemn engagements looked pale. They have lost colour and verdure since the rescinding our vows to G.o.d. These covenants are turned skeletons, fearsome and affrighting, and former respect to them is like gradually to dwine away under a consumption. There are some few things that made them the glory of nations that are turned to a shadow:
”(1.) They were the fruits of many prayers, fasting, tears, wrestling, and indefatigable labours of the greatest and best men that ever breathed in our nation, recovering a people sunk into antichristian darkness, to enjoy liberty due to them by Christ's purchase.