登陆注册
15299900000010

第10章

At the close of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth century, the Church of Scotland was composed of a somewhat heterogeneous mixture of covenanting ministers, who had lived in the times of persecution; of prelatic clergy whose convictions in favor of Episcopacy were not sufficiently deep to induce them to abandon their livings, and to suffer the annoyances and persecutions to which the more sincere non jurors were exposed and of a race of young men zealous for the Presbyterian establishment, but "only half educated and superficially accomplished." The conforming "curates" were commonly indifferent to religion of every kind, and it was hoped that they would soon die out, and that the heritors and elders, with whom the election of pastors lay, would fill the churches with a learned and zealous ministry.But, in 1711, the Jacobite government of Queen Anne took the power of election from the parish authorities, and vested it in the ancient patrons, being the Crown for above five hundred and fifty livings, and noblemen, gentlemen of landed property, and town-councils, for the remaining four hundred. The effect of this new law became visible in the course of years, in the appointment of persons to the churches who, for good reasons or bad, were acceptable to the government of the day, or were able to secure the favor of the private patrons.Forced upon the people in the first instance, there was a public feeling ready to gather round this law of patronage.From bad motives and from good -- like those which we have traced in England -- there was a desire among the upper, and a portion of the middle and educated, classes to have a clergy suited to the new age which had come in.As the result, there was formed a type of ministers which has continued till nearly our time in Scotland, called "New light" by the people, and designating themselves " moderates," as claiming the virtue of being moderate in all things, though, as Witherspoon charges {18} them, they became very immoderate for moderation, when they rose to be the dominant party.

Most of them refrained in their preaching from uttering a very decided sound on disputed doctrinal points; some of them were suspected of Arianism or Socinianism, which, however, they kept to themselves out of respect for, or fear of, the Confession of Faith, which they had sworn to adhere to; the more highly educated of them cultivated a refinement and elegance of diction, and dwelt much on the truths common to both natural and revealed religion; and all of them were fond of depicting the high morality of the New Testament, and of recommending the example of Jesus.It is scarcely necessary to remark, that this style of preaching did not gain, as it did not warm, the hearts of the common people, who either became callous to all religion, without any zealous efforts being made to stir them up, or longed and prayed for a better state of things.The enforcement of the law of patronage, and the settlement of ministers against the wishes of the people, led to the separation of the Erskines and the Secession Body in 1733, and of Gillespie and the Relief Body in 1753.In the Established Church there still remained a number of men of evangelical views and popular sympathies, such as Willison and Boston, who hoped that they might stem and ultimately turn the tide which was for the time against them.The boast of the moderate party was, that they were introducing into Scotland a greater liberality of sentiment on religious topics, and a greater refinement of taste.The charge against them is, that they abandoned the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, that they could not draw towards them the affections of the people who, in rural districts, sank into a stupid ignorance of religious truth, and, in the crowded lanes of the rising cities, into utter ungodliness and criminality, -- except, indeed, in so far as they were drawn out by the rapidly increasing dissenters, or by the evangelical minority within the Established Church.The collisions of the century took various forms.After the Union with England, dancing assemblies, theatres, and wandering players (with Allan Ramsay to patronize them), dancing on the tight-rope, cock-fighting, gambling, and horse-racing make their appearance, and receive considerable countenance and patronage from various classes, upper and lower; while {19} ineffectual attempts are made to put them down by civil penalties inflicted by burgher magistrates, and by public ecclesiastical censures, which the zealous clergy rigidly enforce, but which the new-light clergy are anxious to relax.In the turmoil of opinions which sprang up in this new state of things, there are rumors of deism, and even of atheism, being secretly entertained or openly avowed, and of the establishment here and there, in town and country, of "hell-fire clubs," where bold men met to discuss new opinions, and even, it is said, to act mock ceremonies, intended to ridicule the sacraments, and all that is awful in religion.Worse than all, and without being Much noticed, or meeting with much opposition on the part of the clergy of either party, there is the commencement of those drinking customs, which have ever since exercised so prejudicial an influence on the Scottish character.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 未知仙途

    未知仙途

    颤抖的双脚,每一步却又那么的坚定。有些懦弱的性格,却又选择走上了一条注定血腥的道路。迷茫的眼神中,充斥着对未知远方的渴望。在一条一切都是未知的旅途中,机缘、天赋、因果、心性,什么才是最重要的?
  • 柯南之恒久

    柯南之恒久

    没有什么事情,比在你身边来得更快乐。——铃木帆
  • 一代名伎:翻身公主把歌唱

    一代名伎:翻身公主把歌唱

    她是当朝的名伎苏琬儿,琴棋书画女红马术样样精通;然一朝错爱,如坠深渊。深爱的男子只把她当作往上爬的垫脚石,将利用完便送入大牢,饱受折磨。如果这只是一场梦,再次醒来的她该如何选择?树欲静而风不止,且看重生的她如何翻身把歌唱!
  • 侠岚之破碎

    侠岚之破碎

    身为侠岚的儿子,同时又是零的少主,他该做何选择?
  • 乱世魔宗

    乱世魔宗

    蛮荒大陆,看似平静,实则暗流涌动。等待着这片世界上的人是无尽的未知。矮人族,人族,巫妖族,龙族,海灵族,神人族,究竟这个世界上面还有多少未知。有人修炼成神,有人创造改变种族命运。炼气,炼体,制造火器,这个世界究竟多么的复杂。冰霜之地,魂域,无尽海域,赤炎王国,上古神山,升天岛,世界很大,等着你去闯。上古凶兽,神,仙,多少出类拔萃的人主宰这个世界。让我们跟着主角的脚步,踏遍整个蛮荒大陆,看一部真正的史诗级的玄幻小说。
  • 白色眷恋

    白色眷恋

    因为不满皇马6比2的比分,中国青年律师沈星怒砸啤酒瓶,结果电光火石间,他穿越成了佛罗伦蒂诺的儿子,且看来自09年的小伙子如何玩转03年的欧洲足坛
  • 霍总请离婚!

    霍总请离婚!

    6年前的一场意外,将她之后的生活跟噩梦般浑浑噩噩,6年后,他归来,说到“容妍妍,我可以娶你,绝不会爱你,死了这份心吧!”好...好...你们一步一个算计将她圈在其中只是一枚棋子?当她把离婚协议书递给他时,他却撕个粉碎,“你是我的女人,别想逃!”
  • 星辰魂神

    星辰魂神

    简介:大千世界,群星众耀。六芒之星,各有玄机。天澜大陆,星兽纵横,为了生存,人类之中觉醒了一些可以动用星力的神秘星师,但是星师并不是大白菜,每一个大陆上的人在觉醒后都会有一个属于自己的本命小宇宙,俗称“星域”,在凝出星域后就可以有机会凝出属于自己的本命神星,再凝结出本命神星后,才算是一个真正的星师,然后随实力的增长!星域和本命神星都会有改变!星域越大,凝出的神星越多,那么实力就越大!?
  • 我们是朋友,至青春!

    我们是朋友,至青春!

    嗨!“(????)??嗨,我问你哈,你喜欢我喵?”“媳妇,我咋能不喜欢你呢,乖哈,媳妇,来,姐姐抱。”“靠,我怎么连表个白都有你的存在,你能不能一边待着去,别来挨着我的眼。”“好,你表你的白,姐姐看姐姐的,你就当你姐姐我不存在,乖哈”“就你?还姐姐呢!我看妹妹差不多”“切,姐姐乐意怎么滴,你咬我,咬我,咬我?”“。。。”
  • 那年的樱花树下的爱

    那年的樱花树下的爱

    你是她吗,为什么我觉得你不是她,你是吗?如果你是她,请和我在一起,我会让你开心的,相信我!!!