; the
one spiritually procuring the edification of the church, the other by
justice procuring the peace and quiet of the commonwealth, which being
grounded in the light of nature, proceeds from God as he is Creator, and
is so termed by the apostle, 1 Pet. ii. but varying according to the
constitution of men; the other above nature grounded upon the grace of
redemption, proceeding immediately from the grace of Christ, only king
and only head of his church, Eph. 1. Col. ii. Therefore in so far as he
was one of the spiritual office-bearers, and had discharged his
spiritual calling in some measure of grace and sincerity, he should not,
and could not lawfully be judged for preaching and applying the word of
God by any civil power, he being an ambassador and messenger of the Lord
Jesus, having his commission from the king of kings, and all his
commission is set down and limited in the word of God, that cannot be
extended or abridged by any mortal, king or emperor, they being sheep,
not pastors, and to be judged by the word of God, and not the judges
thereof.

A decree of council was passed against him, upon which his brethren of
the commission directed their doctrine against the council. The king
sent a message to the commissioners, signifying, That he would rest
satisfied with Mr. Black's simple declaration of the truth; but Mr.
Bruce and the rest replied, That if the affair concerned Mr. Black
alone, they should be content, but the liberty of Christ's kingdom had
received such a wound by the proclamation of last Saturday, that if Mr.
Black's life and a dozen of others besides, had been taken, it had not
grieved the hearts of the godly so much, and that either these things
behoved to be retracted, or they would oppose so long as they had
breath. But, after a long process, no mitigation of the council's
severity could be obtained, for Mr. Black was charged by a macer to
enter his person in ward, on the north of the Tay, there to remain on
his own expence during his majesty's pleasure; and, though he was, next
year, restored back to his place at St. Andrews, yet he was not suffered
to continue, for, about the month July that same year, the king and
council again proceeded against him, and he was removed to Angus, where
he continued until the day of his death. He had always been a severe
check on the negligent and unfaithful part of the clergy, but now they
had found means to get free of him.

After his removal to Angus he co