m
into a Presbytery. Among their causes of separation (or rather of
deciding that the Kirk had separated from them) was the salary of
Emeritus Professor Simson. The new Presbytery declared that the
Covenants were still and were eternally binding on Scotland; in fact,
these preachers were "platonically" for going back to the old
ecclesiastical claims, with the old war of Church and State. They
naturally denounced the Act of 1736, which abolished the burning of
witches. After a period of long-suffering patience and conciliatory
efforts, in 1740 the Assembly deposed the Seceders.

In 1747 a party among the Seceders excommunicated Mr Erskine and his
brother; one of those who handed Mr Erskine over to Satan (if the old
formula were retained) was his son-in-law.

The feuds of Burghers and Antiburghers (persons who were ready to take or
refused to take the Burgess oath), New Lights and Old Lights, lasted very
long and had evil consequences. As the populace love the headiest
doctrines, they preferred preachers in proportion as they leaned towards
the Marrow, while lay patrons preferred candidates of the opposite views.
The Assembly must either keep the law and back the patrons, or break the
law and cease to be a State Church. The corruption of patronage was
often notorious on one side; on the other the desirability of burning
witches and the belief in the eternity of the Covenants were articles of
faith; and such articles were not to the taste of the "Moderates,"
educated clergymen of the new school. Thus arose the war of "High
Flyers" and "Moderates" within the Kirk,--a war conducing to the great
Disruption of 1843, in which gallant little Auchterarder was again in the
foremost line.

CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LAST JACOBITE RISING.

While the Kirk was vainly striving to assuage the tempers of Mr Erskine
and his friends, the Jacobites were preparing to fish in troubled waters.
In 1739 Walpole was forced to declare war against Spain, and Walpole had
previously sounded James as to his own chances of being trusted by that
exiled prince. James thought that Walpole was merely angling for
information. Meanwhile Jacobite affairs were managed by two rivals,
Macgregor (calling himself Drummond) of Balhaldy and Murray of Broughton.
The sanguine Balhaldy induced France to suppose that the Jacobites in
England and Scotland were much more united, powerful, and ready for
action than they really were, when Argyll left office i