ceremonias à maioribus hominibus religiosissimis usurpatas quod advarios pietatis usus valeant exercitia quedam sunt quibus mens externarum rerum sensu significatione ad divinum cultum ipsumque Deum attrahitur in Ecclesia retinendas ubi abrogatae fuerant restituendas esse statuimus Andrews stricturae p. 13. Chrisme salt candles exorcismes signe of the crosse ephata and the consecration of the water those being all matters of ceremonie are therefore in the Church power on good reasons either to retaine are to alter For their tenets in the sacrament of the supper wee shall speak anone of them in the head of the masse 4. They tell us that our dispute about the five bastard sacraments is a plaine logomachie (y) Andrews stristurae p. 11. The whole matter about the five Sacraments is a meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. They tell us that not only infants after their baptisme but even men baptised in perfect age who before baptisme gave sufficient count of their faith yet they may not be esteemed full Christians while they have received confirmation by the imposition of hands and that alone by a Bishop (z) pokling altare p. 165. And because the competentes were persons of full age they received also consumation by imposition of hands ut pleni Christiani inveriantur About the orders they tell us that they agree with the papists in their number that the reason why they want their Acolits sub-deacons and the rest is but their Churches pouerty (zz) Andrews stricturae p. 12 The five orders is a point not worth the standing on while the revenues of the church were able to mantaine so many degrees it can not be denyed but that there were so many but by the Churches owne order neither by commandement nor example of Scripture but what is this to the present estate of the Church scarce able to mantaine twon Which can scarce wel mantaine the two orders of priests and deacons But which in their questions is worst of all they side here with the papists in giving to all the protestant Churches a wound which our enemies proclame to be mortall fatall incurable They tie the conferring of ordours by a full divine right to the office of bishops they avow that the lawfull use of all ordination and outward ecclesiastick jurisdiction is by God put in the hands of their persons alone Other reformed Kirks therefore wanting bishops their ministers must preacù celebrate the sacraments administer discipline not only without a lawfull warrand but also against the ordinance of God When they are put in minde of this great wound given by them to all other reformed Churches they either strive to cover it with the fig-tree-leaffs of an imagined case of necessity which never was or else plainly to passe over it as immedicable ( c.) Heylens antid sect 3. pag 8. Let the bishops stande alone on Apolicall right and no more then so and doubt it not but some will take it on your word and then plead accordingly that thing of apostolicall institution may bee laid aside When Bishop Andrews had learnedly asserted the episcopal order too bee of Christ institution I have heard that some who were there in place did secrerly interceed with King Iames to have had it altered for fear forsooth of offending our neighbour Churches Andrews resp ad epist. 3. Molm p. 195. Dixi abesse ab ecclesiis vestris aliquid quod de jure divino sit culpa autem vestra non abesse sed injuria temporum non enim tam propitios habuisse Reges Galliam vestram in Ecclesia reformanda quam habuit Brittannia nostra Interim ubi dabit meliora Deus hoc quoque quod jam abest per Dei gratiam suppletum iri Relatum inter haereticos Aerium qui Epiphanio credat vel Augustino necesse est fateatur tu qui damnes Aerium quo nomine damnas An quod se opposuerit consensui universalis ecclesiae Idem quisentit an non itidem se opponit ac eo nomine damnandus erit Montag antid page 138. Ordinationis jus autoritatem ita credimus annexam episcoporum personis ut a nemine non episcopo ordinato consecrato possit aut de beat adhiberi irritam ordinationem omnem pronunciamus quae non a legitimo canonico more proficiscatur quod si a se oriantur aliqui non missi ingerant caelesti huic muneri functioni manus viderint ipsi quid sint responsuri olim summo sacerdoti cujus partes usurpant nos nostras non aliorum tuemur vocationes Yea not only they ty ordination and jurisdiction to the person of bishops but of such bishops who must of necessity shew the derivation of al their power from the Pope as was shown before 6. In matrimonie they will keep not only the popish sacramentall words and signes the popish times of lent and other dysmall-dayes except the bishops give their dispensation but also they will have the whole matrimoniall causes ruled by the popes cannons yea which is more they avow that the Cannon-law by acts of parliament yet unrepealled stands in vigour amongst them (a) Dow p. 184. By his favour I must tell him that neither the law of God nor of the King doth disallow the use of the old canons and constitutious though made in the time of popery and by the pope or popish prelats which are not contrary to the law of God or the King If he desire proof of this let him consider whether the statute 25. Hen. 8.19 do not say as much as I affirme which having regulated diverse things touching the exercise of ecclesiasticall jurisdiction At last the statute concluds with this proviso provyded also that such Canons constitutions ordinances and synodals provinciall being already made not repugnant to the laws customes of this Realme nor to the hurt of the Kings prerogative royall shal now still be used and executed as they were before the making of this act till such time as they be viewed searched or otherwise ordered by the said two thirty persons or the more part of them according to the tenour of this present act It followes then that till these thirtie two persons determine otherwise old Canons may be still executed retaine their ancient vigour authoritie when that will be I know not but as yet I am sure it hath not been done Except in some few things which are directly opposit to some late laws of the land and that Cannon-law they will haue extendid as far down as the very councel of Basil (b) Femal glory pag. 128. With this pious and gratefull ordinance I conclude the visitation of our incomparable Ladie he meanes the act of the late Councell of Basile which ordained a festivall fo that visitation And as far up as the constitutions of the first Popes (c) Pocklingtoun altar pag. 52. There
to goe kill one another alone for the bearing up of Prelates tailes and that of Prelates as unworthie of respect as any that ever wore a Mytre Let our kindred let our friends let all the Protestant churches perish let our own lives estates run never so evident an hazard yet the Prelates pride must be borne up their furious desire of revenge must be satiate all their Mandamus in these dominions must be execute with greater severitie and rigour then those of their brethren are this day in Italy or Spaine or those of their grand-father at Rome To us surely it is a strange Paradox that a Parliament of England The Canterburian faction deserveth not so well of England that armes in their favour ought to be taken against Scotland so wise grave equitable a Court as in all bygone times it hath ever proven should bee thought in danger at any time let be now to be induced by any allurement by any terrour to submitt themselves as Varlets and Pages to the execution of the lusts the furies and outragious counsels of Canturberrie and his dependars for they know much better then we that the maine greevances both of their Church and State have no other originall no other fountaine on earth but those men Who other but they have keept our most gracous Prince at a distance from the Countrie almost ever since he came to the Crowne For whose cause have Parliaments these many yeares beene hindred to meet and when they haue met beene quickly raised to the unspeakable grief and prejudice of the whole land and of all our friends abroad By whose connivence is it that the idolatrous Chappels of both the Queenes in the most conspicuous places of the Court are so gorgeous and much frequented Whose tollerance is it that at London three Masse-priests are to bee found for one Minister that three hundreth of them reside in the cittie in ordinat and six thousand at least in the countrie If yee trust the Jesuites Catalogue to Rome Whence comes their immunitie from the Lawes who have sett up Cloysters for Monks Nuns let bee houses for open Masses in divers cities of the Kings dominions Why is our correspondence with the Pope no more secret but our Agents avowedly sent to Rome his Holinesse Nuntioes received here in state and that such ones as in publick writs have lately defamed with unspeakable reproaches the person and birth of that most sacred Queene Elizabeth Such actions or at least long permission of such abominations doe they flow from any other but his Grace the head heart of the Cabbine Counsell Did any other but hee his creatures his legs and armes hinder alwaies our effectual alliance with the Sweeds French when their armies did most flourish in Germanie for the relief of the oppressed Churches Why was that poore Prince the king of Boheme to his dying day keept from any considerable help from Britaine How was these young Princes the other yeare permitted to take the fields with so small forces that a very meane power of a silly commander beat them both tooke the one captive and put the other in his flight to an evident hazard of his life Who moved that innocent Prince after his escape to take so strange a counsell as the world now speake off and when he was engadged who did betray both his purpose and person to the French king could any without the Cabbine understand the convey of such matters and within that Cabbine does any come without his Graces permission Is not that man the evident author of all the Scotish broyles Are not his Letters extant his holy hands interlynings of the Scotish service to bee seene his other writtes also are in our hands making manifest that the beginning and continuance of that cursed worke hath no spring without his braine When the King himselfe after ripe advertisement and all about him both English and Scots had returned in peace who incontinent did change the face of the Court and revive that fire which in the heart of the Prince and all his good Subjects was once closse dead That a Parliament of England will not onely let such a man his complices goe free Wee offer to instruct by the writâ— of our partie their unsupportable crimes but to serve his humour will bee content to ingadge their lives and estates for the overthrow inslaving of us their best neighbours that over our carkases a path-way may be made for Bishops now and at once for the Pope and Spaniard â—o â—red on the neck both of their bodies and souls we canÌ„â—t beleeve Yet if any such things should be propâ—unded for what dare not effronted impudence attempt we would require that sage Senat before they passe any bloudy sentence of war against us to consider a little the quality of that party for whose cause they take arms we offer to instruct to the ful satisfaction of the whole world of free imprejudicat mindes not by flying reports not by probable likelihoods not by the sentences of the gravest most solemne judicatories of this land our two last generall assemblies late parliam who at far greater length with more mature advisement did cognosce of those causes then ever any assembly or parlia among us since the first foundation of our Church kingdom did resolve upon any matter whatsoever All those means of probation we shall set aside and take us alone to the mouth of our very adversaries If by their own testimonie we make it evident that beside bookes ceremonies and Bishops which make the proper particular quarrel of this nationall Kirk against them they are guilty of grosse Arminianisme plaine popery and of setting up of barbarous tyrannie which is the common quarrell of the Kirk of England of all the reformed Kirks and of all men who delite not to live dye in the fetters of slavery If we demonstrate not so much by their preachings and practises amongst us as by their maximes printed with priviledge among your selvs which to this day though oft pressed thereto they have never recanted If wee shew that yet still they stifly avow all the articles of Arminius a number of the grossest abominations of popery specially the authoritie of the Sea of Rome that they urge conclusioÌ„s that will force you without any reluctance so much as by a verball protestation not onely to give way unto any iniquitie whatsoever either in Kirk or State whereto they can get stollen the pretext of the kings name but also to lay down your neck under the yoke of the king of Spaine if once he had any sitting in this Yle without any further resistance though in your Church by force that Tyrant should set up the latine Masse in place of the Bible and in your State for your Magna-Charta and acts of Parliament the Lawes of Castile though in your eyes he should destroy the whole race of the royall familie
King before Starchamber speach having magnified the Kings mercie for saving the life of Bourtoun and his companions is bold to advise the King not alwayes to bee so mercifull in these words Yet this I shall bee bold to say that your Majestie may consider of it in your wisedome that one way of government is not alwayes either fit or safe when the humours of the people are in a continuall change especially when such men as those shall work upon your people and labour to infuse into them such malignant principles to introduce a paritie in the Church or Commonwealth Etsi non satis sua sponte insaniant instigare Heylen in his moderat answer pag. 187. hath many reasons and examples to prove that Burtoun and his like deserved no lesse than publick execution And yet these men are so gentle to Papists that they glory in their meeknesse towards them professing that to the bitterest of the Iesuits they have never given so much as a course word So Canterburie in his Epistle the other yeare to the King before the relation of the conference God forbid that I should ever offer to perswade a persecution in any kinde against the Iesuits or practice it in the least for to my rememberance I have not given him or his so much as course language But alasse it is gone now beyond boasts when they are the second time upon the very point to kill millions of the Kings best Subjects to dash together all his dominions in a bloody warre as pitchers one upon another for the confirmation of their intollerable tyrannie where long it hath beene tottering and the reerection of it where it s owne unsupportable weight hath caused it to fall As for the power of princes King Charles hates all tyranny the most of those this day who are Christians and especially our gracious Soveraigne are very well content to be limited within the bounds of the laws which themselves and their predecessors have setled in the church and state of their dominions to make the preservation of those laws and of their subjects liberties ecclesiastick and civill according to them the greatest glorie of their prerogative royall (o) His majesties speach in Parliament 28. p. 75. The peoples liberties strengthen the Kings prerogative and the Kings prerogative is to defend the peoples liberties To give assurance of their resolution never to abolish any old or bring in any new act either in church or state without the concurrence of Assemblies and Parliaments p Neither to impose any taxation on their subjects goods without their free consent there to given by their Commissioners in Parliament (q) Proclam at Yorck April 25. 1639. VVe heartily declare and faithfully promise that althogh we be now in armes they shall be no wayes used either to force upon that our native Kingdome any innovation of religion or to infringe any of the civill liberties or the laws thereof accounting it our glory to preserve libertie and freedome among them according to their laws Therefore wee do once again by this renew our former promises for the mantenance of religion and laws and this we do in all sinceritie of heart we take God the searcher of all hearts to witnesse that as we are defender of the true Protestant religion which we from our heart professe so we trust we shall by his goodnesse continue in the same and never shall permit any innovation to creep in this or any other of our kingdomes One of the articles of Dunce pacification is this VVe are further graciously pleased that according to the petitioners humble desires all matters ecclesiasticall shall be determined by the Assemblies of the Church and matters civill by the Parliament and other inferior Iudicatories established by law which accordingly shall be keeped once a year or so oft as the affairs of the Church and kingdome shall require the extending of the prerogative to the making of new laws or abolishing of old to the imposing of taxes by simple proclamation without Parliament our Prince doth so far abhorre that he condemned a certaine writ for importing his Majesties intertainment of such motions Yea his Majestie by his Atturney generall called the Earl of Bedfoord and other noble personages to censure for keeping such a writ wherein did ly so pernicious positions (r) The which seditious discourse and writting the authors thereof intended should be dispersed as if the same had been intertained by your Majestie with purpose to put it in execution and to alter the ancient laws of this kingdome and to draw all things to your Majesties absolute will and plessure and to dispose of your Subiects goods without their consent and to make and repeale laws by your Maiestise proclamation only with out consent of parliament which if it should be beleeved by your people could not but raise infinit discontentment amongst them the consequence whereof might bee of extreame and almost inevitable danger to your Maiesties person and to the whole frame of the kingdome Where some Princes misled through passion mis-information have deviat so far from the path of justice as to intend by violence and armes the overthrow of the true religion and ancient (q) Cant. relat p. 112. In some kingdome there are diverse businesses of greatest consequence which cannot be finally and binedingly ordered but in and by Parliament and particulary the statute laws which must bind all the Subjects can not be made or ratified but there the supreme Magistrate in the civill state may not abrogat laws made in Parliament though he may dispense with the penaltie of the law quoad hic nunc liberties of their subjects the opposition which the subjects are forced to make in this case against the oppression of their Prince our gracious Soveraigne hath been so far ever from counting of it rebellion of which crime the greatest royallists in England wont alway to absolve it (Å¿) Bilson of subjection pag. 280. Neither will I rashly pronounce all that resist to be rebells Cases may fall out even in Christian kingdomes where people may plead their right against the Prince and not be charged with rebellion As for example if a Prince should go about to subject his Kingdome to a forraine realme or change the forme of the common wealth from imperie to tyranny or neglect the laws established by common consent of Prince and people to execute his own pleasure In those and other cases which might be named if the nobles and commons ioine together to defend their ancient and accustomed libertie regiment and laws they may not well be counted rebels Ib. By superior powers ordained of God we do not mean the Princes privat will against his laws but his precepts derived from his laws and agreeing with his laws which though it be wicked yet may it not be resisted by any subject with armed violence but when Princes offer their subjects no justice but force and despise all laws to
observationem hoc sensu promittere id est ut a subditis observentur se effecturum ad earum observationem teneri eum confitemur sed religionis potius quam iustitiae legalis observatione 3. That the prince alone is the lawgiver both in church and state (x) Iohannes Wemius pag. 26. Legum latio praecipuum est supremae dominationis ac maiestatis caput Ib. pag. 74 Legum ecclesiasticarum principes latores sunt nec differunta civilibus ecclesiastica natione cause efficientis 4. That in maters ecclesiasticall they themselves alone without the advice of any of the Cleargie may lawfully make what canons they please and compell their Cleargie to embrace them (y) Iohannes Wemius pag. 59. Potestatem in ecclesiasticis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posse a princibus iure suo extra concilia exerceri docent quas ita tulerunt leges imperatores atque iis Regis legibus Ecclesiasticis quae legi devinae non repugnant nequit quit bona cum conscientia obedientiam detrestare quamvis non accessent ad earum constitutionem Pastorum ecclesiae consensus Ib. p. 93. Etiamsi extra concilia jubendi autoritatem habeat Princeps tamen libentius obsequuntur subditiillis principum statutis quibus pastorum in conciliis honorantur iudicia 5. That it is a part of the Kings prerogative to have power to impose upon all his subjects such confessions of faith such liturgies such canons as he thinks meetest without the advice of any church Assembly (z) Large declaration p. 222. Did not wee and our Councell be equall authority command these innovations of canons liturgie Was not then ye Prelats practice of then as well warranted as this confession of faith and the band annexed which were never brought in by acts of Parliament or Assembly but meerly by our royall Fathers prerogative and put in execution by the authority of his councell 6. When it is his pleasure to call an Assembly the members of that ecclesiastick court are onely such as he is pleased to call whether of the Clergie or of the Laitie ( ) Johannes Wemius pag. 66. Laicos saepe à principibus advocatos in Concilia videre est quibus non modo consultivam sed definitivam vocem permitterent Iste fuit electionis mittendorum ad Concilia modus ut Ecclesiarum presulibus quos vellent mittendi liberam plerumque potestatem permitteret princeps quod illis exploratius quam sibi esset qui ad eam provinciam aptiores Non quod principi penitus neganda sit quod autum aut nonnulli particularis personarum quae consilio eum leges Ecclesiasticas laturum adjuvent designatio Istud enim esset principum juri detrahere Ex singulis diaecesibus moderatus aliquis numerus eruditorum ac prudentiorum Presbyterorum Diaconorum Laicorum à principe aut metropolita principis delegate eligebatur 7. That when they are called only the Princes voice is decisive the voice of all the rest at most but consultive or if any of them become decisive it is by the Princes favour or at least permission (a) Iohannes Wemius pag. 89. Consultivam habent vocem Pastores tanquam juris divini consulti definitivam princeps ut judex dante illis consilii his judicii potestatem Legis latore Deo penes quem solum summa in spiritualibus imperii residet Ib. pag. 70. Vocem habere qui congregantur Presbyteros non qua Presbyteri sed qua Ecclesiarum sunt legatià principe vocati Ib. pag. 74. Definitiva sententiae dictio corum est qui à principe summo moderatore eos consulente vocemque decisivam iis dante vocantur Ib. Asserimus non agitato in conciliis fuisse saltem quae majoris momenti essent negotia nisi quatenus ea princeps per legatos proponeret aut patribus descripta traderet 8. That church Assemblies are only politick conventions not grounded upon any devine right and so to be used or disused as the prince shall think expedient (b) Iohannes Wemius pag. 126. Nullo in scriptura mandato nititur concilia celebrandimos sed à principibus Ecclesiae curam suscipientibus cum non essent principes à pastoribus ipsis volentibus ortum habuit 9. That it is in the power of all Soveraignes whihher Monarchick Aristocratick or democratick to appoint for the government of the church in their dominions such officers and spirituall courts as they finde most meet and agreable to their temporall estates to erect bishops and put down Presbyteries to erect Presbyteries and put down bishops (c) Iohannes VVemius p. 78. 79. Officiorum Ecclesiae modus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est à principe pastoros Ecclesiae non consulente praescribi posse affirmamamus putantes cum serenissimo nostro Rege summis quibusque imperitantibus concessum esse externam in Ecclesiasticis regiminis formam suis praescribere quae ad civilis administrationis modum quam proxime accedat dummodo à fidei veraeque religionis fundamentis ne tantillum abscedat 10. That all this power to conclude every ecclesiastick affaire which can be subject to the jurisdiction of any ecclesiasticall synod doth belong alike to all soveraignes whether Turkish Iewish Pagan hereticall or Christian and Orthodox (d) Iohannes VVemius pag. 124. Regi omni confertur Ecclesiasticae jurisdictionis potestas per regium quod à Deo habet munus licet Regi tantum Christiano aptitudo oû recte utendi Christi gratia donetur Tamet si primatus ecclesiastici ius perfectius administret Rex Christianus Primatus tamen ius officii seu vocationis non facultatis aut exercitii ratione Rex obtinet Quae Regi supervenit gratia regiam in eo potestatem perficit non facit potestatem non repellit gratiae interna nedum professionis externae defectus Concerning the Kings power in matter of Stat They give to the King power to do in the State what ever he will without the advice of his parliament they teach first that a Parliaments is but his arbitrarie Councell which in making or annulling of his Lawes hee may use or not use as hee pleaseth (e) Ioannes VVemius p. 17. Neque verò putan dum est quia solet rex ex modesta prudenti virium suarum diffidentia non nisi de ordinum consensu leges ferre absolutam ideo ei imponi eiusque successoribus necessitatem illorum obtinendi consensus ac si nullo modo iis liceret perse sine eorundem suffragiis bonas edere constitutiones quibus qua quaeso conscientia non parebunt omnes Ibid. pag. 19. In Monarchia Regis sola voluntas de substantia legis est praevia cum populo consultatio si utilis imò ultilissimae sit necessaria tamen non est Itaque cum imperatore Iustiniano dicendum videtur explosis ridiculosis ambiguitatibus verum conditorem interpretem legum esse solum
of some Parliaments we did recognosce and that alone in their Ecclesiastick part with the good leave of the Kings Commissioner As for the civill sanction of Parliament according to the ordinary Ecclesiastick proceeding of our Church in all by gone times wee did appoint Commissioners from our Assembly to supplicate the Parliament for the abolition thereof Neither doe we meddle at all in our Synods with secular affaires remember what your selfe in your Canons doe pronounce to be the due and lawfull Subject of Ecclesiastick jurisdiction ye will finde that our generall Assemblies did never take in so much matter as ye appropriate to any of your officiall Courts Our act anent the going of Mills and Salt-pans upon the Sabbath-day was but a renovation and that with the Commissioners consent of an old act in a former Assemblie whereat King Iames was present It seemeth it grieveth you to see the Sabbath sanctified among us that yee are but like your brother to whom Sunday is no Sabbath but a day wherein games of all kinde also diverse kindes of Husband labour should publickly be allowed for the crossing of that Jewish Superstition whereby Puritanes abuse that Festivall What further here ye obiect of our unwillingnesse to subscribe at the Counsels direction the Covenant at it was dated in the yeare 1581. without the application of it to your later corruptions which addition we had sworne before yee will finde that we had good reason so to doe your selfe being judge for ye tell us that all these your corruptions even the Service-Booke it selfe are very consonant with that Covenant and that the main end why the Subscription thereof was urged was the cleane quiting of these additions formerly sworne and now by the mercy of God fully approved by the King by his Commissioner by his Counsell by the Assemblie by the articles of Parliament and all but men of your stuffe who resolve to die let all the world about you be never so fickle with the untainted glorie of constant obstinacie In your tenth Paralell Yee act the Iesuite so perfectly 10. Paralell Both out CovenaÌ„t and posteriour proceedings shew us no wayes to be opposite to the oath of alleageance that few hereafter will hope for the praise of going beyond you in their arts your pen drops so many Sentences so many cursed lyes so many blasphemous wrestings of mens words and writs Deny we the Oath of alleadgeance the words of our Covenant and mutuall defence whereupon yee would build that denyall let be that they are approved by our King as said is doe not they stand expresly in King James Covenant yea in the vesy first Confession of our Faitâ— Is not our late Covenant an expresse renewing of our oath of alleadgeance in so strict tearmes as is possible Did our armed defence in that desperate extremitie which your faction put us unto import any danger to the Kings person or Crowne Did we not then before all the world give a sufficient proofe of our humble loyaltie and practice of our Covenant At the very hight of all our advantages and your too well knowne unreadinesse at that time for fighting at the least appearance of his Majâ—sties minde to lay by armes to leave the prosecution of your bloudy desires were we not content to cast our selves at his feete to put our Munition in his hand and all our Castles in his power to be stockes to our feet and roaps to our neckes had our hearts been in the least measure so treasonable as you slander would these have been our actions What ye speake of our Forfathers actions in Queen Regent and Queen Maries dayes ye are into it but answerable to your name a true Jesuite The defence of the Religion and Liberties of the Kingdome against the Guisian usurpations in the minoritie of our Queen and our Queens voluntary dimission of the government to her Sonne King James after many unspeakable misaccidents These and such like proceedings of our Forfathers confirmed by our standing acts of Parliament Iesuites of old wont to blaspheme but all the reformed and none more then the Bishops of England especially Doctor Bilson doe vindicate from their wicked aspersions which yet ye have a stomach to resorbe to spew them out once againe upon our face But yeâ— are priviledged to speake all your pleasure for yee are here on a Stage under the maske of a furious phrentick Iesuite at the back of this curtaine yee may belch out what yee will all is conforme to the person yee sustaine In your eleventh twelve and thirteenth parellel 11. 12 13. Para. Blinde obedience to mens Lawes binding of the conscieÌ„â—e by them works of Supererogation are not ours but your tenets ye doe but toy the three faults ye object to us of blinde obedience of binding the conscience workes of Supererogation we are free of them all But see if ye can free your owne faction of any one thereof for your brethren teach that all men must give quicke obedience unto all their injunctions not only in the midst of their deepest ignorance of any reason for these injunctions but also in the midst of never so many doubts and perplexities and strong inclinations to thinke your acts most unlawfull Ye will admitt neither ignorance nor the greatest doubtings to bee any impediment to the present obedience of your Episcopall injunctions how farre is this from that yee pronounce in us blinde obedience Againe yee make all the commandements of the Church to be branches of the fift command and to be obeyed as the precepts of God which we suppose doe binde the conscience For the third yee teach more merite of workes then Bellarmine yea yee proclaime that the following of the counsels of perfection that the keeping of the three Monastick vowes doth deserve an augmentation as ye call it an Aureola above common happinesse In your fourteenth also yee cast upon us your owne domestick fault of Equivocation 14. Paralell No equivocation used by us in any of our proceedings Are you ignorant how your brethren the Bishops of Scotland did swear their famous caveats In the very time while they were dressing for our Church their Canons and Leiturgie which the large declaration tells us were alwayes in hand from the 16 yeare to the 38 how oft did they swear to many who proponed to them their feares of their underminding practices that they were utterly ignorant of all further novations to bee brought into our Church As for these matters wherein yee make us equivocators we were farre in any of them from that Crime We truely without any equivocation doe thinke our Covenant to be for the King and no wayes against either his persoâ— or authoritie we thinke in our minde that in some cases resistance to Princes is much better service and one day will be so acknowledged then present obedience How oft have Princes professed at last themselves much more beholden to those who with displayed banners hath come against their Campe then