H municating and anathematizing, perfecuting and deftroying by croifadoes and inquifitions, by maffacres and horrid executions, thofe fincere Chriftians, who prefer the word of God to all the authority of men. The Heathen emperor of Rome may have flain his thousands of innocent Chriftians, but the Chriftian bifhop of Rome hath flain his ten thousands. There is scarce any country, that hath not at one time or other been made the ftage of thefe bloody tragedies; fcarce any age, that hath not in one place or other feen them acted. He exalteth himfeif above all that is called God or that is worshipped; not only above inferior magiftrates, but likewise above bishops and primates, exerting an abfolute jurifdiction and uncontrolled fupremacy over all; nor only above bifhops and primates, but likewife above kings and emperors, depofing fome, and advancing others, obliging them to proftrate themselves before him, to kiss his toe, to hold his ftirrup, to wait bare-footed at his gate, treading even upon the neck, and kicking off the imperial crown with his foot; nor only above kings and emperors, but likewise above Chrift and God himself, making the word of God of none effect by his traditions, forbidding what God hath commanded, as marriage, communion in both kinds, the ufe of the fcriptures in the vulgar tongue, and the like, and alfo commanding or allowing what God hath forbidden, as idolatry, perfecution, works of fupererogation, and various other inftances. So that he as God fitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. He is therefore in profeffion a Chriftian, and a Chriftian bishop. His fitting in the temple of God plainly implies his having his feat or cathedral in the christian church: and he fitteth there as God, especially at his inauguration, when he fitteth upon the high altar in St. Peter's church, and maketh the table of the Lord his footstool, and in that pofition receiveth adoration. At all times he exerciseth divine authority in the church, showing himself that be is God, affecting divine titles and attributes as holiness and infallibility, affuming divine powers and prerogatives in condemning and abfolving men, in retaining and forgiving fins, in afferting his decrees to be of the fame or greater authority than the word of God, and commanding them to be received under the penalty of the fame or greater damnation. Like another Salmoneus he is proud to imitate the ftate and thunder of the Almighty; and is ftiled, and pleased to be ftiled, Our Lord God the pope; another God upon earth; king of kings, and lord of lords. The fame is the dominion of God and the pope. To believe that our Lord God the pope might not decree, as he decreed, ' it were a matter of herefy. The power of the pope is greater than all created power, and extends itself to things celeftial, 'terreftrial, and infernal. The pope doeth whatfoever he lifteth, even things unlawful, and is more than God.' Such REV. Feb. 1759. blafphemies M blafphemies are not only allowed, but are even approved, encouraged, rewarded in the writers of the church of Rome; and they are not only the extravagances of private writers, but are the language even of publie decretals and acts of councils. Sa that the pope is evidently the God upon earth: at leaft there is no one like him, who exalteth himself above every God; no one like him, who fitteth as God in the temple of God, showing bimfelf that he is God. The fubject of the laft differtation in the fecond volume, is St. Paul's prophecy of the apoftafy of the latter times. This apoftafy the apoftle defcribes in his firft epiftle to Timothy, chap. iv. v. 1, 2, 3. Now the Spirit fpeaketh exprefly, &c. which paffage our Author thinks may be better tranflated thus: But the Spirit Speaketh exprefly, that in the latter times fome shall apoftatize from the faith, giving heed to erroneous fpirits, and doctrines concerning demons, through the hypocrify of liars, having their confcience feared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abftain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. The true interpretation and exact completion of this prophecy he now endeavours to fhew; but as he acknowledges that what he has offer ed, in the courfe of this differtation, differs in nothing, but the drefs and clothing, from what Mr. Mede has advanced upon the fubject, we fhall take up no time in giving an account of this part of the doctor's work. In regard to the laft volume we fhall fay but little. The fubject of it is the Revelation of St. John; a book, which, we are not afhamed to declare, we do not understand. We are far, however, from thinking with Dr. South, that this book either finds a man mad, or makes him fo; nor would we be thought to cenfure those learned men, who employ their time and abilities in studying and endeavouring to explain it; on the contrary, we look upon every attempt to throw light upon it, when conducted with modefty and judgment, as highly commendable. Thofe who will give themselves the trouble of perufing what Dr. Newton has faid upon it, will fee, that he has treated his fubject with greater modefty, and has lefs indulged fanciful conjectures, than moft of those who have written upon it before him. After giving an analyfis of the Revelation, the door repre fents the prophecies relating to popery in one view; concluding his work with fome very juft inferences from those inftances of the truth of prophecy which he has produced; and with fome pertinent obfervations on the harmony, variety, and beauty of the prophetic writings: to the underflanding of which, he he juftly fays, human learning is highly neceffary, and particularly a competent knowledge of hiftory, facred and profane, ancient and modern. The History of Scotland, during the reigns of Queen Mary and of King James VI. till his acceffion to the crown of England. With a review of the Scotch history previous to that period; and an appendix containing original papers. In two valumes. By William Robertson, D. D. 4to. 17. 15. in boards. Millar. T has been a common failing among moft hiftorians, to begin with an abrupt detail of events, without any introductory fyftem, which may ferve for a clue to their history; but to lead us to a knowlege of facts, without first unravelling principles, is only to please the imagination, or gratify curiofity, without improving the underftanding. It is the bufinefs of hiftory not only to record truth, but to convey inftruction. Nothing can be inftructive, which is not intelligible and it is often impoffible to have a clear comprehenfion of hiftorical paffages, without being previously acquainted with the nature of the country, the form of the conftitution or fundamental laws, and the manners of the inhabitants. The nature of the country does, in a great meafure, prescribe the particular mode of conftitution; and both generally co-operate to frame the manners of the people: and though, perhaps, accidental caufes, or fome fudden efforts of legiflative policy, may, for a while, fufpend the effects of thefe principles, yet, in procefs of time, they will not fail, in fome degree, to recover their original influence. Their prevalence, is the primary fource from whence we must generally trace the efficient caufes, that immediately produce thofe remarkable events and revolutions, which hiftory commemorates. Without a thorough conception of them, all is confusion and amazement. When we read, for inftance, that to apprehend and punish a criminal in Scotland, often required the union and effort of half a kingdom, and that no less than eleven counties were fummoned by royal proclamation to guard the perfon who was to act as judge, and enable him to enforce his decifions, we ftand aftonished to find fuch an extraordinary armament neceffary to fupport the civil jurifdiction: but when we are previously made acquainted with the antient genius and firit of the Scotch go M 2 -vernment, vernment, our aftonishment ceases; and we immediately comprehend the neceffity of fuch an armed force to protect the adminiftrators of juftice, and fuperintend the execution of legal fentences. The very learned and ingenious Author of the hiftory before us, feems to have been thoroughly apprized of the expedience of leading the reader through a regular progrefs of natural caufes and fundamental inftitutions, before he enters upon a detail of particular events. He judiciously paves the way to the enfuing hiftory, firft by tracing the origin of the Scots; of whom, he fays, we receive the earliest accounts, not from their own, but from the Roman authors. When the Romans, under Agricola, first carried their arms into the northern parts of Britain, they found it poffeffed by the Caledonians, a fierce and warlike people; and having repulfed rather than conquered them, they erected a ftrong wall between the Firths of Forth and Clyde, and there fixed the boundaries of their empire. Adrian, on account of the difficulty of defending fuch a diftant frontier, contracted the limits of the Roman province in Britain, by building a fecond wall, which ran between Newcastle and Carlifle. The ambition of fucceeding emperors, endeavoured to recover what Adrian had abandoned; and the country between the two walls was alternately under the dominion of the Romans and the CaledoAbout the beginning of the fifth century, the inroad of the Goths and other Barbarians obliged the Romans, in order to defend the centre of their empire, to recall thofe legions which guarded the frontier provinces; and at the fame time they quitted all their conquefts in Britain. North Britain was, by their retreat, left under the dominion of the Scots and Picts. The former were probably a colony of the Celta or Gauls; to whom their affinity appears from their language, their manners, and religious rites. They landed first in Ireland, if we may believe the common accounts; and extending themfelves by degrees, came at laft to the coafts oppofite to that ifland, and fixed their habitations there. Fierce and bloody wars were, during feveral ages, carried on between them and the Picts. At length, Kenneth II. the fixty-ninth king of the Scots, (according to their own fabulous authors) obtained a compleat victory over the Picts, and united, under one monarchy, the whole country, from the wall of Adrian, to the northern ocean; and his kingdom became known by its prefent name, which is derived from a people who at first fettled there as ftrangers, and remained long obfcure and inconfiderable. From From this period, our Author obferves, the hiftory of Scotland would merit fome attention, were it accompanied with any certainty. But as our remote antiquities are involved in the fame darkness with those of other nations, a calamity peculiar to ourselves, fays he, has thrown almoft an equal obfcurity over our more recent tranfactions. This was occafioned by the malicious policy of Edward I. of England. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, this monarch called in queftion the independency of Scotland; pretending that that kingdom was held as a fief of the crown of England, and fubjected to all the In order to establish his claim, conditions of a feudal tenure. he feized the public archives, he ranfacked churches and monafteries, and getting poffeffion, by force or fraud, of many hifto̟rical monuments, that tended to prove the antiquity or freedom of the kingdom, he carried fome of them into England, commanding the reft to be burned: and only fome imperfect chronicles efcaped bis rage. The Writer then divides the hiftory of Scotland into four periods. The first reaching from the origin of the monarchy, to the reign of Kenneth II. The fecond from Kenneth's conqueft of the Picts to the reign of Alexander III. The third extending to the death of James V. The laft, from thence to the acceffion of James VI. to the crown of Scotland. The first period, he obferves, is the region of pure fable and conjecture. Truth begins to dawn in the fecond. In the third, the hiftory of Scotland becomes more authentic; and in the laft, is highly interefting and important. Before our Author enters upon the hiftory of the laft of thefe periods, he takes a review of the third æra, which opens with the famous controverfy concerning the independency of Scotland. This queftion our hiftorian examines with great judgment and accuracy. Some of the northern counties of England, he fays, were early in the hands of the Scotch kings, who, as far back as the feudal cuftoms can be traced, held thefe poffeffions of the kings of England, and did homage to them. on that account. This homage, due only for territories which they held in England, was in no wife derogatory from their royal dignity. Nothing is more fuitable to feudal ideas, than that the fame person should be both a lord and a vatial, independent in one capacity, and dependent in another. The crown of England was without doubt imperial and independent, though the princes who wore it were, for many ages, the vaífals of the king of France; and in confequence of their pofleffions in that kingdom, bound to perform all the fervices which a feudal fovereign had a title to exact. The fame, our histo M 3 rian |