On this account, it was improper to care for beauty of any kind; or, to speak more accurately, there was no real beauty. The world afforded nothing worth looking at, save and except the Scotch Kirk, which was incomparably the most beautiful thing under heaven.151 To look at that was a lawful enjoyment, but every other pleasure was sinful. To write poetry, for instance, was a grievous offence, and worthy of especial condemnation, 152 To listen to music was equally wrong; for men had no right to disport themselves in such idle recreation. Hence the clergy forbade music to be introduced even during the festivities of a marriage;153 neither would they permit, on any occasion, the national entertainment of pipers.154 Indeed, it was sinful to look at any exhibition in the streets, even though you only looked at it from your own window.155 Dancing was so for the Soule, p. 501. The Scotch divines were extremely displeased with our eyes. Rutherford contemptuously calls them "two clay windows." Rutherford's Christ Dying, p. 570. Gray, going still further, says, "these cursed eyes of ours." Gray's Great and Precious Promises, p. 53. 151 The true visible Kirk where God's ordinances are set up, as he hath appointed, where his word is purely preached, is the most beautifull thing under heaven." Dickson's Explication of the First Fifty Psulms, p. 341. 152 I have one very late, and, on that account, very curious, instance of the diffusion of this feeling in Scotland. In 1767, a vacancy occurred in the mastership of the grammar-school of Greenock. It was offered to John Wilson, the author of " Clyde." But, says his biographer, "the magistrates and minister of Greenock thought fit, before they would admit Mr. Wilson to the superintendance of the grammar school, to stipulate that he should abandon the profane and unprofitable art of poem-making."" Lives of Eminent Scotsmen by the Society of Ancient Scots, 1821, vol. v. p. 169. Sept. 22, 1649.-The quhilk day the Sessioune caused mak this act, that ther sould be no pypers at brydels, and who ever sould have a pyper playing at their brydell on their mariage day, sall loose their consigned money, and be farder punisched as the Sessioune thinks fitt." Extracts from the Registers of the Presbytery of Glasgow, and of the Kirk Sessions of the Parishes of Cambusnethan Humbie and Stirling, p. 34. This curious volume is a quarto, and without date; unless, indeed, one of the title-pages is wanting in my copy. 153 66 154 See the Minutes of the Kirk Session of Glasgow, in Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of Ministers, vol. ii. part ii. p. 76; also the case of "Mure, pyper," in Selections from the Minutes of the Presbyteries of Saint Andrews and Cupar, p. 72. 155 This notion lingered on, probably to the beginning of this century; certainly to late in the last. In a work published in Scotland in 1836, it is stated, that a clergyman was still alive, who was "severely censured," merely because, when Punch was performing, "the servant was sent out to the showman to request him to come below the windows of her master's house, extremely sinful, that an edict, expressly prohibiting it, was enacted by the General Assembly, and read in every church in Edinburgh.156 New Year's Eve had long been a period of rejoicing in Scotland, as in other parts of Europe. The Church laid her hands on this also, and ordered that no one should sing the songs usual on that day, or should admit such singers into his own private house.157 At the christening of a child, the Scotch were accustomed to assemble their relations, including their distant cousins, in whom, then as now, they much abounded. But this caused pleasure, and pleasure was sinful. It was, therefore, forbidden; the number of guests was limited; and the strictest supervision was exercised by the clergy, to prevent the possibility of any one being improperly happy on such occasions.158 that the clergyman and his wife might enjoy the sight." Perth by George Penny, Perth, 1836, p. 124. Traditions of 15617 Feb. 1650. Ane act of the commissioun of the Generall Assemblie wes red in all the churches of Edinburgh dischargeing promiscuous dansing." Nicoll's Diary, p. 3. See also Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, 1638-1842, p. 201; Register of the Kirk Session of Cambusnethun, p. 35; Minutes of the Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar, pp. 55, 181; Minutes of the Synod of Fife, pp. 150, 169, 175; and a choice passage in A Collection of Sermons by Eminent Divines, p. 51. 157 See Selections from the Records of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen, pp. 77, 78, forbidding any one to "giwe ony meatt or drink to these sangsteris or lat thame within thair houss." The singers were to be "put in prisoun." 158 In 1643 the Presbytery of St. Andrews ordered that "because of the great abuse that is likewayes among them by conveening multitudes at baptismes and contracts, the ministers and sessions are appointed to take strict order for restraineing these abuses, that in number they exceid not sixe or seven. As also ordaines that the hostlers quho mak such feists salbe censured by the sessions." Minutes of the Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar, p. 11. See also Records of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen, pp. 109, 110, complaining of the custom "that everie base servile man in the towne, when he hes a barne to be baptesed, invitis tuelff or sextene persones to be his gossopes and godfatheris to his barne,” &c.; and enacting "that it shall not be lesume to any inhabitant within this burt quhasoever, to invite any ma persones to be godfatheris to thair barne in ony tyme cumming bot tua or four at the most, lyk as the Kirk officier is expresslie commandit and prohibitt that from hence furth he tak vp no ma names to be godfatherís, nor giwe any ma vp to the redar bot four at the most, vnder all hiest censure he may incur be the contrarie, and this ordinance to be intimat out of pulpitt, that the people pretend no ignorance thairof." Not only at baptisms, but also at marriages, the same spirit was displayed. In every country it has been usual to make merry at marriages; partly from a natural feeling, and partly, perhaps, from a notion that a contract, so often productive of misery, might, at all events, begin with mirth. The Scotch clergy, however, thought otherwise. At the weddings of the poor, they would allow no rejoicing 159 and at the weddings of the rich, it was the custom for one of them to go for the express purpose of preventing an excess of gaiety. A better precaution could hardly be devised; but they did not trust exclusively to it. To check the lusts of the flesh, they, furthermore, took into account the cookery, the choice of the meats, and the number of the dishes. They were, in fact, so solicitous on these points, and so anxious that the nuptial feast should not be too attractive, that they fixed its cost, and would not allow any person to exceed the sum which they thought proper to name.160 Nothing escaped their vigilance. For, in their opinion, even the best man was, at his best time, so full of turpitude, that his actions could not fail to be wicked." He never passed a day without sinning, and the smallest 161 159 They forbade music and dancing; and they ordered that not more than twenty-four persons should be present. See the enactment, in 1647, respecting "Pennie bryddells," in Minutes of the Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar, p. 117. In 1650, "The Presbyterie being sadly weghted with the report of the continwance, and exhorbitant and unnecessarly numerous confluences of people at pennie brydles, and of inexpedient and wnlawfull pypeing and dancing at the same, so scandalous and sinfull in this tyme of our Churches lamentable conditioun; and being apprehensive that ministers and Kirk Sessiouns have not bein so vigilant and active (as neid werre), for repressing of these disorders, doe therfor most seriously recommend to ministers and Kirk Sessiouns to represse the same." Ibid., pp. 169, 170. See, further, Registers of the Presbytery of Lanark, p. 29; and Extracts from the Presbytery Book of Strathbogie, pp. 4, 144. 160 See two curious instances of limitation of price, in Irving's History of Dumbartonshire, p. 567; and in Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of Ministers, vol. ii. part ii. p. 34. 161 "What a vile, haughty, and base creature he is-how defiled and desperately wicked his nature-how abominable his actions; in a word, what a compound of darkness and wickedness he is—a heap of defiled dust, and a mass of confusion-a sink of impiety and iniquity, even the best of mankind, those of the rarest and most refined extraction, take them at their best estate." Binning's Sermons, vol. ii. p. 302. Compare Boston's Human Nature in its Four-fold State, pp. 26, 27. sin deserved eternal wrath.162 Indeed, every thing he did was sinful, no matter how pure his motives.163 Man had been gradually falling lower and lower, and had now sunk to a point of debasement, which made him inferior to the beasts that perish.164 Even before he was born, and while he was yet in his mother's womb, his guilt began.165 And when he grew up, his crimes multiplied thick and fast; one of the most heinous of them being the practice of teaching children new words,—a horrible custom, justly visited by divine wrath.166 This, however, was but one of a series of innumerable and incessant offences; so that the only wonder was, that the earth could restrain herself at the hideous spectacle which man presented, and that she did not open her mouth, as of old, and swallow him even in the midst of his wickedness. 167 For it was certain, that in the whole creation, there was nothing so deformed and monstrous as he.168 162 "The least sin cannot but deserve God's wrath and curse eternally." Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error, p. 71. "All men, even the regenerate, sin daily." Ibid, p. 153. 163 Our best works have such a mixture of corruption and sin in them, that they deserve his curse and wrath." Ibid., p. 130. 164" But now, falling away from God, hee hath also so farre degenerated from his owne kind, that he is become inferiour to the beasts." Cowper's Heaven Opened, p. 251. "O! is not man become so brutish and ignorant, that he may be sent unto the beasts of the field to be instructed of that which is his duty?" Gray's Spiritual Warfare, p. 28. "Men are naturally more bruitish than beasts themselves." Boston's Human Nature in its Four-fold State, p. 58. "Worse than the beast of the field." Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation, p. 71. 165"Infants, even in their mother's belly, have in themselves sufficient guilt to deserve such judgments;" i. e. when women with child are “ript up." Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor Prophets, vol. i. p. 255. 166 "And in our speech, our Scripture and old Scots names are gone out of request; instead of Father and Mother, Mamma and Papa, training children to speak nonsense, and what they do not understand. These few instances, amongst many that might be given, are additional causes of God's wrath." The Life and Death of Mr. Alexander Peden, lute Minister of the Gospel at New Glenluce, in Galloway, in Walker's Biographia Presbyteriana, vol. i. p. 140. 167 66 'Yea, if the Lord did not restraine her, shee would open her mouth and swallow the wicked, as she did Corah, Dathan, and Abiram." Cowper's Heaven Opened, p. 257. Compare Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor Prophets, vol. i. p. 507. 168 "There is nothing so monstrous, so deformed in the world, as man. Binning's Sermons, vol. i. p. 234. "There is not in all the creation such a miserable creature as man.' "Ibid., vol. iii. p. 321. "Nothing so miserable." Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule, p. 37 Such being the case, it behoved the clergy to come forward, and to guard men against their own vices, by controlling their daily actions, and forcing them to a right conduct. This they did vigorously. Aided by the elders, who were their tools and the creatures of their power, they, all over Scotland, organized themselves into legislative bodies, and, in the midst of their little senate, they enacted laws which the people were bound to obey. If they refused, woe be to them. They became unruly sons of the Church, and were liable to be imprisoned, to be fined, or to be whipped,' or to be branded with a hot iron,170 or to do penance before the whole congregation, humbling themselves, bare-footed, and with their hair cut on one side, while the minister, under pretence of rebuking them, enjoyed his triumph. All this was natural enough. For the clergy were the delegates of heaven, and the interpreters of its will. They, therefore, were the best judges of what men ought to do; and any one whom they censured was bound to submit with humility and repentance. 173 169 172 169 "December 17th, 1635. Mention made of a correction house, which the Session ordeans persons to be taken to, both men and women, and appoints them to be whipt every day during the Session's will." Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of Ministers, vol. ii. part. ii. p. 67. 170 On the 22d October 1648, the Kirk Session of Dunfermline ordered that a certain Janet Robertson "shall be cartit and scourged through the town, and markit with an hot iron." Chalmers' History of Dunfermline, p. 437. 171 "As they punish by pecuniary fines, so corporally too, by imprisoning the persons of the delinquents, using them disgracefully, carting them through cities, making them stand in logges, as they call them, pillaries (which in the country churches are fixed to the two sides of the main door of the Parish Church), cutting the halfe of their hair, shaving their beards, &c., and it is more than ordinary, by their original' and proper power,' to banish them out of the bounds and limits of the parish, or presbytery, as they list to order it." Presbytery Displayd, p. 4. 172 The Scotch clergy of the seventeenth century were not much given to joking; but on one of these occasions a preacher is said to have hazarded a pun. A woman, named Ann Cantly, being made to do penance, "Here" (said the minister), "Here is one upon the stool of repentance, they call her Cantly; she saith herself, she is an honest woman, but I trow scantly." Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence, p. 125. From what I have read of Scotch theology, I can bear testimony to the accuracy of this book, so far as its general character is concerned. Indeed, the author, through fear of being entirely discredited, has often rather understated his case. 173 As Durham says, in his Exposition of the Song of Solomon, p. 451, “It |