[462] 'And it may be truly said, as the Church of Scotland hath had no detractors, but such as were ignorant of her, or misinformed about her, or whom faction, partiality, prejudice, wickedness, or love of unlawful liberty did inspire; so no person or party hath endeavoured hithertil to root out Presbytery, but the Lord hath made it a burdensome stone unto them.' _Naphtali_, sig. B 2 rev. 'The Lord's wrath shall so meet his enemies in the teeth, wheresoever they turn, that they shall be forced to forsake their pursuing of the Church.' _Dickson's Explication of the First Fifty Psalms_, p. 115.
[463] 'The true children of the Kirk are indeed the excellent ones of the earth, and princes indeed, wherever they live, in comparison of all other men who are but the beastly slaves of Satan.' _Dickson's Explication of the First Fifty Psalms_, p. 312. Another high authority carefully identifies 'the true religion' with 'the true presbyterial profession.' See _An Enquiry into Church Communion by Mr. Alexander Shields, Minister of the Gospel at Saint Andrews_, p. 126. His remark applies to the 'Burgess-oaths.'
[464] Fergusson gives an ingenious turn to this, and says that it was their duty to praise their own profession, not for their own sake, but for the sake of others. 'It is the duty of Christ's ministers to commend and magnify their office, not for gaining praise and esteem to themselves, 2 Cor. iii. 1, but that the malice of Satan and his instruments may be hereby frustrated, 2 Cor. xi. 12, who labours to bring that sacred calling into contempt; that so it may have the less of success upon people's hearts.' _Fergusson's Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 180.
[465] 'Neither is there any mediate authoritie betweene the Lord and his ambassadours, in the affaires of their message; he only sendeth them; he alone gives them to be pastors and doctors, etc.; he alone shall judge them; he alone shall reward them; to him alone they must give an accompt of their dispensation; and he himselfe alone doth immediatlie rule them by his spirit and word.' _Forbes' Certaine Records touching the Estate of the Kirk_, p. 435. In reference to these amazing pretensions, the Scotch clergy were constantly terming themselves the ambassadors of the Deity; thereby placing themselves infinitely above all other men. See, for instance, _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, pp. 86, 100, 160. _Durham's Law Unsealed_, pp. 85, 96. _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, p. 402. _Fergusson's Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, pp. 17, 273. _Shields' Enquiry into Church Communion_, p. 72. _Binning's Sermons_, vol. ii. p. 118, vol. iii. p. 178. _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, p. 122. _Monro's Sermons_, p. 207. _Gillespie's Aaron's Rod Blossoming_, pp. 240, 413. _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 166. _Rutherford's Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty of Conscience_, p. 41. _Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error_, p. 274. _Gray's Great and Precious Promises_, pp. 50, 74. _Fleming's Fulfilling of the Scripture_, p. 429. _Cockburn's Jacob's Vow, or Man's Felicity and Duty_, p. 401. _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Book of Job_, pp. 461, 479.