ople,
and robbing and burning their houses and corns; and now that they were
driven out of their bounds by the good providence of God accompanying
the king's forces with success against them."

The Presbytery of Auchterarder had now to deal with a matter, small in
itself, which, nevertheless, created considerable stir in the Church
Courts, and ultimately led to secession. On December 11, 1716, Mr
William Craig, student of divinity, appeared before them for license.
The Presbytery being deeply impressed with "the errors of the times,"
examined him strictly as to his soundness of faith. Further
consideration of the matter having been delayed for about a month, Mr
Craig was again (January 15, 1717) before the Presbytery; was asked by
them to sign the answers formerly given by him, and though he "seemed
to scruple a little at something of the wording" of some of them, he
finally did so, and was licensed. His signature still stands at that
date in the Presbytery's copy of the Confession of Faith. The most
famous statement signed by him was to the following effect:--"And
further, I believe that it is not sound and orthodox to teach that we
must forsake sin in order to our coming to Christ and instating us in
covenant with God"--language capable of bearing an Antinomian meaning,
and soon to be known as the "Auchterarder Creed." At next meeting of
Presbytery (February 12, 1717) Mr Craig came back, representing that he
was troubled with scruples anent the paper he had subscribed, that he
had done so hastily, and that he now wished to explain his explanation.
The Presbytery, after hearing him, resolved to declare his license null
and void, and in the end he had to appeal to the Assembly. The
Assembly of 1717 was somewhat startled at the theological language of
Auchterarder, ordered the Presbytery to restore Mr Craig's license,
declared the chief article of the new creed to be "unsound and most
detestable," and asked them to explain its meaning to a meeting of the
Commission. The Presbytery was of course able to show that their
meaning was both pious and orthodox, and that they had been only a
little over-zealous for the purity of the faith. In the old
Auchterarder fashion, they had been thinking for themselves, instead of
taking ready-made opinions from other people. One good result of the
commotion was that Presbyteries were henceforth prohibited from putting
queries of their own, preliminary to license, but "those and