in 1651: Vol. IV. 296), Mr. James Wood of
St. Andrews, old Mr. David Dickson, now Professor of Divinity in
Edinburgh, and our perpetual friend Baillie. The minority, or
Protesters, were led by such ministers as Mr. James Guthrie of
Stirling, their first oracle, Mr. Patrick Giliespie of Glasgow
University, Mr. John Livingston of Ancram, Mr, Samuel Rutherford of
St. Andrews, and Mr. Andrew Cant of Aberdeen; with whom, as their
best lay head, was Johnstone of Warriston. Peace-makers, such as Mr.
Robert Blair of St. Andrews and Mr. James Durham of Glasgow,
negociated between the two sides; and Mr. Robert Leighton, in his
Edinburgh Principalship, looked on with saintly and philosophic
indifference. He hoped that, while so many brethren "preached to the
times," one brother might be allowed "to preach on eternity" and that
the differences on earth would "make heaven the sweeter." In fact,
however, the controversy was not merely a theoretical one. Not only
was it involved whether the two last General Assemblies, of 1651 and
1652, swayed as they had been by the Resolutioners, should be
recognised and their acts held valid, and what should be the spirit
and constitution of the Kirk in future: present interests were also
involved. It had been to the Protesters that Cromwell had turned with
greatest liking and hope, both on political grounds and from
spiritual sympathy, when he was fighting in Scotland; and, since the
beginning of his Protectorate, _they_ had been most in favour.
Early in 1654 three of their number, Mr. Patrick Gillespie, Mr. John
Livingston, and Mr. John Menzies, had been summoned to London to
advise the Protector; they had been there two or three months; and
the effects of their advice had been visible in an ordinance about
vacant Kirk-livings very favourable to the Protesters, and generally
in a continued inclination towards the Protesters in the proceedings
of the English Government in Scotland. The ministers and others
ejected by Cromwell's visitors had been mostly of the Resolutioner
species; and one of Baillie's complaints is that Protesters, whether
fit or not, were put into vacant livings by the English, and that
only Scotsmen of that colour were conjoined with the English in the
executive and the judicatories. Till 1656 all this had been very
natural. The dregs of Stuartism, and consequent antipathy to the
Protectorate, had persisted till then most visibly among the
Resolutioners.[1]

[Footnote 1: Bail