Volume 2

Biographia Scoticana, or, A brief historical account of the most eminent Scots worthies : noblemen, gentlemen, ministers, and others, who testified or suffered for the cause of Reformation in Scotland ; from the beginning of the sixteenth century, to the year 1688 / originally compiled by John Howie; now revised, corrected and enlarged, by a clergyman of the Church of Scotland, and enriched with a preface and notes, by William M'Gavin.

  • Howie, John, 1735-1793.
Date:
1828-9
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Biographia Scoticana, or, A brief historical account of the most eminent Scots worthies : noblemen, gentlemen, ministers, and others, who testified or suffered for the cause of Reformation in Scotland ; from the beginning of the sixteenth century, to the year 1688 / originally compiled by John Howie; now revised, corrected and enlarged, by a clergyman of the Church of Scotland, and enriched with a preface and notes, by William M'Gavin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    were united to the Saviour, and saved by his grace. Hence they were addressed as saints and faithful in Christ Jesus. That persons of an opposite character crept in unawares, is admitted by the divine record; but the apostles instructed the churches to put away all such when their real character was discovered. While persecution continued, few would seek to be joined to the church who were not really converted to God ; for one who does not really believe the gospel, who of course has no interest in it, can have no encouragement or motive to lay down his life for the gospel’s sake. The devil, therefore, found it necessary for the attainment of his object, to stay the sword of persecution when he found he could not prevail by means of it; and his violence was stayed for a good while before his deceit was so manifest as to excite any alarm. Christianity being legally constituted the religion of the empire, it followed as a thing of course, that the empire should be all of one church, and subject to one pastor. Bishops, especially metropolitans and patriarchs, as the chief among them were now called, were men of great power and influence* The emperors found it necessary for the peace of their do- minions, to stand on good terms with them. But if every kingdom had had a church and bishop of its own, independent of every other, there would have been danger of that kingdom pursuing its own separate interests, and so breaking the peace and integrity of the empire. This was soon perceived, and he who had the honour to be the emperor’s own pastor, or bishop of the imperial city, began to put forth a claim of jurisdiction over all other bishops, and to be head of the universal or Catholic church, as that of Rome has ever since called herself. But it required almost two hundred years of incessant intrigue? and persevering encroachment, to get this claim legally ad- mitted and established ; and after all, it was so established in the western part of the empire only, and never extended to the Catholic Church; for the patriarch of Constantinople retained his claim to the primacy of the Greek church, or eastern empire. On the breaking up of the empire, the western part of it, comprehending almost all Europe, settled down into ten dis- tinct sovereignties, which are usually understood to be pre- figured by the ten horns of the Apocalyptic Beast, Rev. xiii. 1 — 9. This beast, I suppose, signifies the Roman empire in