orders. raccas, to be refitted at the King's dock. gate of 36 guns, to obey the governor's The prize remained in Cadiz bay fafely moored, with fome of our own officers and crew, till her condemnation arrived from Gibraltar. Feb. 19. the governor fent for the conful, and told him he was obliged to fend troops aboard the prize, having received orders from court to detain her. The conful (Mr Goldsworthy) protefted against it in the ftrongest manner, as it was contrary to our treaties, and an open violation of the laws of nations. The governor ordered all the artillery on the walls to be loaded, gunners with their matches lighted, and fix companies of grenadiers to be ready with nineteen rounds of shot. Two companies took poffeffion of the prize, feized our arms, magazines, &c. two other companies marched to the forts, and the other two marched on board the Antigallican at the Caraccas, which lay like a hulk, for the guns, arms, fails, mafts, &c. were in the King's warehouse. In the evening, the governor, being confcious of the illegality of fuch proceedings, fent orders to withdraw the troops from on board the prize and the Antigallican, after having broke open feveral chefts, and carried away every thing they could find of the officers and crew, and the very beef that was dreffing for dinner. Feb. 26. the governor fent, and told our conful, he had orders to deliver the prize to the French conful. Capt. Fofter was fent for, and acquainted with the governor's intention. He told him he would put the prize in his hands till there was a hearing at the court. But the governor refused it, and would inftantly deliver up the prize to the French conful. The captain, as there were English colours flying on board, faid they should never be ftruck but by force; and then withdrew, and went on board. The governor, terrified at the captain's refolution, confulted with Adm. Navarro what to do, and demanded his affiftance of fhips to execute his orders. The Admiral prudently denied any; but the governor infifting in the King's name, he was obliged to comply, and ordered the America, a 60 gun fhip, and a fri March 2. The fhip being along-fide the prize, and the frigate on her bow, fent an officer on board, and ordered the English colours to be ftruck; which the captain forbid; but at the fame time offered to receive thirty or forty of the Spaniards aboard, till the affair was decided at Madrid; which he refused: and at ten both the Spanish ships began to fire, and continued, with the lower deck with round fhot and grape, for three quarters of an hour. At the fecond broadfide our colours was fhot away. They ftill continued firing half an hour after, and killed one feaman, and wounded feven, five of whom are fince dead. The prize never fired a gun, nor made any refiftance. An officer came on board, and took our captain on board the commodore, and fent him afhore. The captain, with Conful Goldfworthy, waited on the governor, to know his further commands. March 3. In the morning fome Spanifh troops were fent on board the prize, with the town-major, the French conful, and Monf. Rofe, her late fupercargo, and fent all our officers and crew afhore; where they were received by fol diers, and conducted instantly to prison, or rather to a dungeon; and a little time after they feized Capt. Fofter, at our worthy conful's house, and carried him to the fame prifon, without any provifion or necefiaries, but what the conful fupplied us with. March 5. A courier arrived from Sir Benjamin Keene, our ambassador at Madrid, with an order to our conful from Mr Wall, the Spanish minister, to the governor of Cadiz, "to stop all proceedings whatfoever against the prize; upon which the captain and crew were difcharged from prison; " and to confult with our conful alone, and to let her remain in our poffeffion, but not to fuffer her to depart from this port till further orders: " upon which our conful demanded re-poffeffion of the prize, which he refused. March 6. The condemnation of the prize arrived from Gibraltar, and was condemned After this we were told in the public papers, firft that the prize was reftored to the French conful; and next, that, on the 18th of March, fhe was delivered back to Capt. Fofter; that the governor of Cadiz was difgraced for his partiality; and that the French conful was ordered to make good all damage done to the captors, and reprimanded for endeavouring to impofe on the Spanish court; who had taken fuch care of the British property, that the hatches, &c. when the Captain retook poffeffion of her, were under the Spanish seal, and in the fame fafe condition as when the poffeffion was taken from him. That the prize was restored to Capt. Fofter, feemed to be certain from the following, called a letter to the Hon. Mr Pitt, late one of his Britannic Majesty's principal fecretaries of state. SIR, WE the managers and owners of the private fhip of war the Antigallican, together with the laudable affociation of Antigallicans established at the Lebeck's head in the Strand, muft think ourselves loft to all sense of honour, gratitude, and concern for our country, were we not to take the earlieft opportunity to return you our fincereft thanks for your seasonable and ready execution of his Majesty's orders on our behalf, in regard to our fhip and prize, which has been so long detained in the bay of Cadiz, by the cruel, treacherous, and partial behaviour of the governor, after killing and wounding feveral of our men, and imprisoning our officers and the rest of the crew, in open violation of the most folemn treaties, notwithstanding she was before legally condemned to us. The eafinefs of our access to you, the polite treatment we met with in your office, and the generous protection of our rights, filled every heart with joy rather to be conceived than expressed, as well knowing that your undertaking this affair was more than an omen of its fuccefs. Your whole behaviour in the affair has been fo noble, fo steady, and uniform, that we are at a lofs where to admire you most, in the defign, the prosecution, or the event. Believe us, Sir, when we fay, that, after paying our profound duty to his Majefty on this occafion, we think ourselves bound in gratitude to acknowledge you as the next immediate caufe of the reftitution of our ship and prize; and we do with true fincerity of heart moft ardent ly with and pray, that his Majesty may never want a minister like you to hear with impartiality, to advise with candour and judgment, and with the most fteady refolution to procure a proper redrefs for the grievances of his Majesty's fubjects. We are, with the utmost deference and respect, Sir, your most obliged and moft obedient humble fervants. Lebeck's head, April 15. 1757. But how greatly were people furprifed, when they read the following paragraph, first published in the London Chronicle! "The letter faid to be writ to Mr Pitt, by the owners of the Antigallican privateer, is looked upon as the most audacious forgery that has been put in practice for fome time. The ufe of fuch an artifice to raise the price of a share or fhares in the privateer, gives too much reafon to think, that the court of Madrid has very good ground for ordering the prize to be reftored to the French. Indeed we are credibly informed, that fome of the balls fired by the privateer came on fhore at Corunna." [The rest of the foreign, all the English, and fome Scots affairs, are deferred, to make room for the proceedings of prefbyteries and the fynod of Lothian, which came late to hand.] doctrines in controverfy between the fynod and Mr Mair, and then gave in the following overture, which was unanimoufly agreed to by the fynod. "That in order to remove Mr Mair's difficulties, and to give him all fatisfaction as to the gospel offer and call, the fynod declare, that they adopt the following expreffions on that head, which are contained in the Illuflration of the grounds upon which the fynod have laid him under the cenfure of fufpenfion, p. 96. [xvii. 568.] "True faith proceeds upon that teftimony which the gospel bears concerning the perfon, offices, fatisfaction, and righteousness of Chrift, in themselves confidered, with the intrinfic fuitablenefs and fufficiency thereof for the finner, the offer of all made to him in the free promife, and the Lord's call requiring his acceptance thereof; and thus the good of the covenant is brought within the reach of a particular applying faith, in a record bearing the finner's claim or right of free access to the fame. And herein faith acts moft properly as faith; crediting, faying Amen, and fetting to the feal to the divine teftimony." And they likewife affert, in Mr Mair's own words, in his Reafons of dissent, with a review af the procedure of fynod, &c. p. 103. (xviii. 159.1, That the door of the houfe of mercy is opened in the offer, and the call warrants to enter:" and by offer they underftand "the whole of the revelation and exhibition of Chrift unto us in the gospel; and fo all his names of office and relation, all his words of grace and promife, as held forth to finner's of Adam's family as fuch:" and this offer, they own, is fuch as gives a claim of right unto what is offered, fo as we have immediate warrant, by the confidence of faith, to take poffeffion of thefe as our own mercies, and thus enter into reft by faith." 66 "That Mr Mair retract and give up with that tenet, That Chrift's death was at pointed for all men, as a random intentionally laid down in the name and fiead of every one: and that he acknowledge, that this tenet or opinion doth not belong to the ground' upon which finners may be invited to Chrift, nor to the plead ableness of Chrift's fatisfaction and righteousness at the bar of law and justice. "That he own, that he doth not take it upon himself pofitively and abfolutely to determine, that the purchase of Chrift admits of a further and larger confideration than is treated of in our ftandards. "And that Mr Mair teftify his acquiefcing in this overture, by receiving his paper of diffent returned, out of the moderator's hands: and the fynod, upon his fo doing, take off the fentence of fufpenfion, and restore him to ministęrial communion with them, as formerly." After reafoning with Mr Mair upon this overture, he defired to have it under his confideration till the next federunt: which was granted. In the afternoon he gave in a paper in anfwer to the overture, in fubftance as follows. "1. I obferve, that though the quotation from the Illuftrations, &c. would feem to agree with my fentiment, yet while there is in the context what to me feems an evident contradiction of what otherwife charity would apprehend to be there meant, it would at leaft require a great deal more time, and more particular understanding of the mind of the fynod as to the confiftency of one part of thefe with another, before I can declare my fatisfaction on that head. 66 2. As to giving up with the tenet, That Chrift's death was appointed for all men, &c.; I believe there may be ftill fo much of miftake between the fynod and me, as hitherto we are not able to understand one another about it; and I defire not to act at a venture therein; though I have as plainly as I could declared what I think might fatisfy. "3, As to common benefits, or the further and larger confideration of the purchase of Chrift than is treated of in our ftandards, I must refer to what I have formerly faid. 4. As to falling from my diffent, there are other things, befide the difficulties here specified, that stand in the way thereof. 46 May the Lord direct the fynod to what what is indeed for his glory, the real as to the most part of the objects of his maintenance of truth, and good of fouls, death, with other dreadful confequenhowever I should fink under the preffures ces. Mr Mair, on the other hand, aron me upon this mournful occafion." gued, That Chrift died formally and proLong reafoning enfued with Mr Mair, perly for the elect, and for them only; for inducing him to fall from the contro- but for all others materially and improperverted tenets [xvii. 157. xviii. 412.]; yet in refpect of, not merely inby,trinfic, but appointed fufficiency: that the death of Chrift was ordained for all men, as a ransom intentionally laid down in their room, quoting 1 Tim. ii. 6. Who gave himself a ransom for all; and that this intentional laying down of the ranfom in the room of all, is a ground of faith. This was faid, on the part of the fynod, to be an erroneous opinion, everfive of the doctrine of the gospel, and the true ground of faith. which he declined, contending that they were not erroneous. Then a motion was made, "That if Mr Mair would shew an inclination to take his controverted tenets into confideration till next meeting of fynod, for a further examining thereof, with a view to retract the fame upon being brought to a conviction of the error contained in them, as no less than a retraction of his erroneous tenets in the iffue would fatisfy the fynod, they might delay further procedure in this affair till next meeting." Mr Mair declined to take the matter into further confideration, declaring that he had no dubiety about his principles. In the course of the reafoning, it was argued on the part of the fynod, that they had never pretended to charge error fimply upon this propofition, That Chrift died in fome fenfe for all men; feeing it might be used in this found fenfe, (which yet was faid to be a very improper fenfe of the words), viz. That the atonement which Chrift has made by his death, is, in its own nature, fufficient for all men, or is of an intrinfic fufficiency for them all, and as fuch is equally and freely fet forth to all the hearers of the gospel, for their applying the fame to themselves; as also that, in its own nature, it has a peculiar afpect or relation to finners of mankind, in contradiftinction from fallen angels, as being an atonement made by the Son of God in man's nature, under the law of the covenant of works, which men only were under, he having fulfilled the whole die as well as the whole do of that covenant: But that to affert, That Chrift died in fome sense as a furety-prieft in the law room and place of all men, fuftaining all their perfons, and fuffering as their reprefenting head, was an erroneous pofition, contrary to the fcripture, and to the doctrine of all the reformed churches; and implying our Lord's having died in vain We are told, upon the beft authority, that Mr Mair chufes to exprefs his fentiments upon the fubject to the following purpofe, viz. That "the death of Chrift was intentionally laid down in refpect of Jufficiency for all, fo as to be proponable by all who hear the gospel, at the bar of law and juftice, as the payment of their debt, with the full affurance of faith,—which must have a record or teftimony to fix upon:" and fays it is utterly out of his reach to conceive how this can take place, if it is an error to fay, that Chrift did in any fenfe fulfil that furety-righteousness for all." He alfo thinks, that in fome "univerfal fcriptures, fuch as 1 Tim. ii. 6. the matter is expreffed in fuch a manner as neceffarily holds forth Chrift's death in the name or room of all :" and "fees not how it can be more fuitably expreff ed, than by his dying materially or improperly for them; neither can find a fafer term whereby to express this material univerfality, than that of an ordinate fufficiency." And he complains that the fynod did cut off any hopes of harmony on the head, by their abfolutely perfifting in the condemnation of the expreffion, That Chrift in any fenfe died as a furety-prieft for all, or in their room and vice," [i. e. ftead.] On the other fide we are as certainly informed, that the fynod admit, as readily as Mr Mair can do. "That the death of Chrift is proponable by all who hear ference betwixt the fynod and him to an iffue, or to fall from venting and teaching his erroneous tenets formerly condemned by the fynod, refusing to withdraw his diffent; and in regard he has hitherto disobeyed the fentence of fufpenfion [xvii. 409.]; that therefore a queftion be put, for depofing him, and laying him under the leffer excommunication, with certification, that if he shall not retract his diffent, with the feveral erroneous tenets maintained by him, and condemned by the fynod, they will afterwards confider upon proceeding against him by the highest cenfure of the church, as they fhall fee caufe." The queftion was then put, Depofe, and Excommunicate, with certification, or Not? Twenty-two minifters and twelve elders voted Depofe, &c. the reft, viz. two minifters, befides the moderator, and fix elders, did not vote. The fynod confifts of fifty-two minifters, whereof forty are fettled in Scotland, two in England, eight in Ireland, and two in North America. Only twenty-five were prefent at this meeting, all of them settled in Scotland. hear the gospel, at the bar of law and juftice, as the payment of their debt, with the full affurance of faith;" but that they affert, that this is founded upon the intrinfic value and fufficiency of the death of Chrift, as the death of a divine Redeemer in the human nature, with the general and free exhibition of it by the gofpel, and the free call which every gofpel-hearer has, to apply or appropriate this ranfom by faith; that juftifying faith, in any hearers of the gospel, acquiefces in the death of Christ, as the payment of their debt, not as formerly intended, but as presently sustained for the payment of their debt, at the bar of law and juftice; and that as Chrift's intention of paying the debt of the elect can be no ground of faith to others, nor yet to themselves, being what they cannot know before faith; so all the hearers of the gospel are equally warranted to appropriate his death to themselves by faith, upon the aforementioned ground, without any refpect to divine intentions about whofe room and ftead he died in That they admit of all the fufficiency which can be ascribed to the death of Chrift in its own nature, and to the revelation which is made of it by the gospel; and that all this fufficiency was intended or ordained to be fuch as it really is but that they cannot acknowledge any fuch intention or ordination about Chrift's death, as should fignify that he was fubftituted in the room and ftead of all, and fuftained the perfons of all in dying, or of any others than those who are eventually redeemed by his death; nor can they acknowledge that the doctrine of any fuch intention or ordination belongs to the ground of true faith, or has any warrant in the fcriptures and that they plead, that faith could have no ground at all in Christ's intention of dying materially and improperly in the room and ftead of all, fuch as might confift with the eternal perdition of the most part of all for whom he fo died. At laft a motion was made, and agreed to, "That in regard Mr Mair has declined to acquiefce in the overture propofed for bringing the matter of dif Sentence was paffed accordingly, and intimated to Mr Mair, by Mr Andrew Arnot minifter at Midholm, moderator. On which Mr Mair read, and then gave in a long paper. In this paper he declares his adherence to the holy fcriptures, and to the Westminster confeffion of faith and catechifms; and his abhorrence of all Arminian tenets and doctrines, whether more grofs or refined: alledges, that the charge of refined Arminianifm laid against him is most false and calumnious; that that charge, as now managed, is really laid and levelled against the truth of the gospel; and that while the fynod have most unjustly laid that charge against him, they have themfelves run into both Arminian and Socinian errors, and have gone into Independent principles with respect to the privileges of the church, both under the Old and New Teftament: complains of the fynod's fetting-up new terms of communion, of their precipitancy in paffing the act from which he had diffented, and of putting captious queftions to him and |