Chapter XXVII: The Curates
“Ap. 25, 1667.—Enquiry was made by the Moderator if all the brethren observed the singing of the doxologies in all their churches every Lord's day. All of them answered that they did sing it, but some that they did not always, and that because the people would not join with them, none singing but the minister and his clerk. However; the Moderator enjoined such to be careful to sing it for the future, albeit they should do it alone.”
“Sep. 6, 1682.—The Moderator enquiring of the brethren severally what obedience they had given to the Acts of Synod requiring them to celebrate the Lord's Supper, to read Scripture before sermon, to say the Lord's Prayer, to require the belief of parents at baptism, to say the doxology, all of them answered that they had obeyed all these acts, except only that of celebrating the Lord's Supper, and that none has observed except the Moderator, because of the paucity of their hearers.”
“Sep. 16, 1685.—All have agreed concerning uniformity of worship, except some three or four of the brethren, who did acknowledge they omitted the repeating of the Lord's Prayer and the doxology several days for want of harmony, for which they were reproved.
On 3rd February, 1685, two plain countrymen were brought before the Earl of Glencairn, Lord Ross, the Laird of Cobistown, and John Shaw, at Paisley, and asked whether they would take the Abjuration Oath and the test. “If to save our lives,” they replied, “we must take the test, and the abjuration will not save us, we will take no oath at all.” They were immediately condemned to death, and at two o'clock the same afternoon were hanged at the Cross of Paisley, the soldiers being ordered to sound their trumpets and beat their drums to drown the psalm-singing of the victims. Many scenes like this took place over the country, and the spirit of the people was broken. But the time of deliverance was at hand. On 5th November, 1688, William of Orange landed at Torbay, and with his subsequent success hope came to the Presbyterians. The curates were rabbled, their prayer-books burned, and by the Revolution Settlement, Presbyterianism became the established religion of Scotland. Whether the ministers of the Abbey suffered much at their ejection, we do not know. Mr. Fullerton was taken under the protection of Lord Dundonald, and probably fared better than some of the other curates, who were subjected to all manner of indignities. He lingered in the neighbourhood of his church, and acted as a chaplain for a time to Lord Dundonald. [24] Afterwards he rose to dignity among the non-jurors, and became Bishop of Edinburgh in 1720.
[24] See Wodrow's Analecta, where there are several notices of Mr. Fullerton after his ejection.