Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence Display'd

"back; I have wooed, and courted, and kissed, and clapt you in Christ's Name; but all this will not do. I ken what you'll say now Sirs, How "but you're scornful Mr. John, even as Christ would have us Mr. John;

ye ken weel enough Mr. John, that Lads do not marry Lasses now, except 'they have a Tocher,* and we have no Tocher good to give Christ. We "have no Faith, no Charity, no Hope, no Humility, nor no Christian Grace, "nor no Virtue, and so Christ will not take us to Bed with him, though we were never so fain do it. I tell you, Sirs, you're a' the better that ye hae none of all these; Christ loves ye the better. I warrant, Sirs, you'll think this odd Preaching, but I prove't to you by a homely Example : A young Man being to visit his Mistress one Morning, came to her Cham"ber-Door (which stood agee; †) he knockt (here the Teacher knockt on his Tub) once and again, but no Body making Answer, he put ope the Door, came in, and found her a-Bed. She got up in her Sark, and said, Dear Sir, do not come near me, for I'm naked. Indeed (said he, folding his "Arms about her) I love you a' the better, ye're sweetest when you're "naked. Just so, Sirs, Christ will love you the better, that you are naked, "stark naked, naked of Grace and all good Things."

I have often heard blind Mr. Best at Utrecht, use this Expression in his Prayer, "O Lord, confound that Man of Sin, that Child of Perdition, that "Antichrist the Pope of Rome: Thou must confound him, thou shalt con"found him, good Lord, I will have you confound him."

One who having been lately a Schoolmaster at St. Phillane in Fyfe, and was turned out by the Episcopal Minister there, because he endeavoured to debauch a Maid, and force a married Woman, but is now a godly Zealot; when he was passing his Trials for the Ministry before the Presbytery of Cupar in Fyfe, he had this Expression in one of his Prayers: "O Lord, lay aside thy Mediatorial Office, and come down and see what we are 66 doing To-day."

I have heard a Knight, who was present, give an Account of the second Part of a Story, before mentioned. The Preacher was lecturing on the fourth Chapter of Jonah. He stood at the Back of a Chair, in which sat a good handsome Lady, whose bare Shoulders were his Cushion. So after he had read the Chapter, he spoke thus: "Beloved, I shall not trouble you with this Father's Sentiment, or this learned Man's Opinion about "the Sense of the Words (as the Curates do), but I shall give you the Meaning of the Holy Ghost, Beloved? (Humph.) And what's the "Meaning of the Holy Ghost, Beloved? Why here's a Discourse between "a good God and a cankard|| Prophet. What says the good God, Beloved? (Humph.) My Love Jonas, my Love Jonas, (Here the Parson clapt the Lady's Shoulder.) What gars§ you be angry, Jonas? (Humph.) And “what said the cankard Prophet, Beloved? (Humph.) Sir, should you "send me of an Errand, and not make my Words good? (Humph.) Well,

A good Portion. + Ajar. + Smock, Il Pettish. ? Makes.

"but what says the good God, Beloved? (Humph,) My Love Jonas, (Here he clapt the Lady's Shoulders again) do you not know that I have "in the Town more than six-score thousand Persons, that know not their Right-hand from their Left, Jonas, and would you have me destroy my own People? (Humph.) Well, what says the cankard Prophet to all "this, Beloved? (Humph.) Should you make me a Liar for you and your "People too Sir? I scorn it Sir."

Mr. Rymer preaching at St. Andrew's, upon that Text, Little Children, it is your Father's Pleasure to give you a Kingdom, said, (This was much about the Rabbling Time.) Who are the little Children here spoken of? Why, I'll tell you, even the Rabble, as they are called, they are God's little Children, who work his Work, and therefore look for a Reward." Another Time he told them, "That he was not reputed a good Husbandman, who did not muck* his Land well. Now Sirs, said he, except you "get your Hearts mucked with the Sharn of Gracet you'll never thrive." July the 24th, 1692.

NOTES of the Sermon of Mr. John Wyllie, Minister of the Gospel at Clackmannan.

HE first Sunday of the Year, 1718, Mr, Wyllie took his text from the first chap. of St. John, and 1st verse: the Words are, "And he sayeth unto them, verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." On discoursing on these words (says he), I shall draw a note or two, First, from God's condescension to us poor wretches, in allowing us to see another new year. Now, you young lasses and young lads will be all looking out for bonnie wallies at this time of the year; but come all to me, and I'll give you bonnie wallies; I'll give you bonny wallie grace; I'll give you bonny wallie Christ Jesus; but this is gibbers to a hantle of you. 2dly, Ye lasses that think yourselves of a higher rank than the common sort, must have a gold ring; and not satisfied with a simple gold ring, but you must have a pickle hair; not content with that either, but ye must have a stone to put above all; so ye call that a hair ring.

Some notes of a lecture of his, beginning the seventh chapter of Proverbs, 10th verse, "And behold there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtile of heart." Ye see from the preceding part of the chapter, and we told you in our lecture, last Lord's day, the character of the young man that met this whore: that he was a senseless, simple, silly fool; and maybe, Sirs, had nae parents or friends to look after him, and got gear before he got wit to guide it. Now, in this, and some of the following verses, ye see her character, and a bonny ane it is. Ye see she was in a harlot's attire, and she was subtile and cunning like all whores. Verse 11. "She is loud and stubborn, her feet abide not within her house. Verse 12. Now she is without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner. Verse 13. She caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him," impudent whore that she was. Verse 14. "I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows." I'se warrant, she thought she might

begin upon a new score, just like a hantle folks, they think they're right enough, if they go to the kirk on Sunday, although they go to the Devil all the week through: and some of you, Sirs, will e'en gang frae a communion table and play the whore. Verse 15. "Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee." Impudent lying jade, she would have taken the first man that she met with for all that. Ye see, Sirs, what arguments she used to incite that daft young lad to lust. Verse 16. "I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt;" and bonny linen they made it ere they parted. This harlot was just like a quean in this town, I've forgot her name, Sirs; they call her Ross-Helen Ross; she was not content with the men of this parish, but she bid to seek ane in the next. She got the miller's son of Alloa, they call him Charlie Allan, o'er by at a place they call Wightman's Glen, and there he got her with bairn; and that was e'en the same thing as if it had been done in the bed covered with tapestry and the linen of Egypt. Here was another incitement to lust: Verse 17. "I have perfumed my bed. with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Verse 18. Come let us take our fill of love until the morning; let us solace ourselves in love. Verse 19. For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey. Verse 20. He hath taken a back of money with him, and will come at the day appointed." Now this was another incitement, that her husband was gone abroad, that nobody was to disturb them; but whether her husband was gone about his lawful business, or if he was gone a whoring as she did, I shall not determine. Verse 21. "With such fair speech she caused him to yield." Now you see, Sirs, what pains women are at to entice men to ly with them. But I'll tell ye, the men exceed the women very far; for their vile lust comes to such a height, that they're e'en sometimes forc'd to take cold water to quench it. But does ony of you ken what lust is like, it is just like oil, it slips into the belly.

In a sermon of his about the Swedish plot, he said, "What think ye, Sirs, of the rebels? Had they laid down their arms when they left Perth, they had all been indemnified; but ye see, any of them that had any sense, are gone abroad, and are plotting on still; and the poor silly bodies that staid at home are e'en as willing to rise as ever. But what will be their end, Sirs? I'll tell you, they'll ne'er give over their plotting, till God plot them all quick in hell."

In another Sermon of his, he said, " Speir at any of the rebels, Are ye for King George? What will his answer be? E'en God damn me then.""

In another Sermon, he said, "Now, Sirs, I've been letting you see this year and a half the ill of that idolatrous worship of the Church of England, and now I shall give it the heel strop, and show plainly, that all that are of that communion are damned, unless they repent; and I shall prove it from this Scripture: 'The Wages of Sin are Death.' Now, is not this plain, Sirs?"

He said, in another Sermon, That a hantle graceless folk in this world think that they have a way of lying with another man's wife without committing sin; but I'll no tell you the gait of it Sirs, for fear some of you should try it."

He endeavoured to prove that Christ died for the Presbyterians from this piece of scripture, "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews."

Mr. Wyllie being told by Sir John Schaw of Greenock, about the time of the Spanish invasion, that the King of Spain's Ambassador, at the Hague, had been begging the States of Holland, upon his knees, to intercede for peace with the King of Britain.-The Sunday after, he had for a part of his lecture these words, viz., "The Lord will rebuke the proud," says he, that's the King of Spain; but for as proud as he once was, I think he is now a little humbled; for his Ambassador has been begging the States of Hol land, upon his bare knees, to intercede with our King for peace. You that have Jacobite friends gae hame and tell them that. And observing two girls laughing, calls out, What! laughing at the Word of God. Gae soon out of the Kirk. Put them out, Sirs. Get ye! they'll hae a black bargain that gets ye; for the deil has his arms hard and fast about baith of your necks."

A woman standing before his congregation for calling another a whore, and being asked by the minister to give satisfaction to the people for her sin, said, she did not know any great fault that she had been guilty of. He cries out, "Ye obdurate creature, I excommunicate you from Christian society, and debar you from all the privileges of Christ's kirk."

Reproving a man and woman for fornication, he said, "Ah! Sir, ye bid be puddling in the deil's dub;" and to the woman, he says, "Ah! Mistress, ye would not let the de'il's whip alane."

Reproving a man and his wife for antenuptial fornication, he said, "Sir, ye think that nae sin, because it was done with your own wife; but antenuptial fornication is a meikle greater sin than other fornication; for ye might have waited a while, and done it God's gait."

On the fast day, that was kept for the plague, he said in his prayer, "O Lord, sin and impiety abounds now in this land, and ye have given us many warnings and if nothing will mend us, the Lord e'en send the plague among us, and send it soon."

After the forenoon's sermon, he calls 'J S-, fornicator with Janet Vannan: Janet Vannan, fornicatrix with J-S-. That rascal S-promised me to be here the day, but the de'il has run away with him. He would not sit along with this woman; but I think, since they sinned together, they might sit together. And since he has not come, if the Session thought fit, (for I'll do nothing without them) we had e'en best let the de'il keep him for the two last Sundays he sat there, he behaved liker a light fool than a penitent sinner; for he powdered his wig, and put on his new cloaths, and almost stared me out of countenance; but Janet, poor thing

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