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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A73631 Quæres concerning the state of the Church of Scotland Calderwood, David, 1575-1650. 1638 (1638) STC 4362.5; ESTC S124661 7,010 16

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great name of God Remember of the breach of the Oath made unto the Gibeonites IIII. IOyning all the three former Quaeres together I aske If ever a Realme professing Christian Religion so universallie in such puritie with such Libertie for so many yeares together and sealing their profession with such solemne promises oathes and subscriptions if there were any such to bee found in any Historie that did make such defection as if they did if the heavie judgement of God did not overtake them Or secluding the consideration of our oathes subscriptions and solemne Covenants I aske If any of the Reformed Churches in any Realme or Province professing the Gospell in the same puritie and so many yeares as we haue done hath made so great defection as many of us haue done Have they returned to their vomit taken up that which they rejected condemned remaining still a reformed Church and not overturned with force of armes If not then suppose wee had never sealed our profession with such solemne seales our defection is singular and our punishment will bee exemplarie unlesse wee repent recover what is lost and defend what remaineth uncorrupted V. WHereunto doth this defection tend Doth it not tend first to persite conformitie with the English Church then at last will it not ende in full conformitie with the Roman Kirk The intent of the first is professed by his Majestie in expresse termes extant in print and therefore bee not deceaved with the promises and protestations of our usurping and pretended Prelats As for example They will say to you his Majestie careth neither for Hee Saint nor Shee Saint but for dayes dedicat to Christ They lie For his Majestie observeth both He She Saints dayes as well as dayes dedicat to Christ So howbeit you could digest both a Christmas Preaching and a Christmas Pye which once yee lothed ye must and shall ere it bee long doe as much for Saint Bartholomew Virgin Mary the Innocents and all the rest of their Saints for five Ceremonies ye shall have fiftie yea a hundred All the Relicts of Rome which are lying like stincking filth in their Church shall be communicated to us the paterne of their Altar their Service their Hierarchie and Romish policie shall bee set up in our Church This defection tendeth yet further to wit to conformitie with Rome What meaneth the Bishop of Spalato in the Preface before his fifth Booke to exhort his Majestie to proceed as hee hath alreadie begunne to restore the Christian Church to unitie Papist Lutherian Formalist and Calvinist must then all be reconciled together united in one How I pray you are wee united to the English Church Wee must yeeld all to them they will not yeeld any thing at all to us no not a hoofe sayd Whitgift Bishop of Canterberrie neither are they urged to yeald any thing unto us But wee are unmercifully dealt with to yealde unto them Shall wee for conformitie with the Lutherian the next day except of his monstrous opinions other fond ceremonies after the same maner and the third yeare for reconciliation with Rome drinke of the diep of her abhomination Or how shall that great worke come to passe Neither England nor Rome giveth the least token of their comming towards us Yet wee must play the fooles and turne our face to them and take our journey first to England then to Rome The Bishop of Spalato hath not ridden all the foordes of Tweed well whatsoever is intended this our conformitie will of it selfe tend in the end to full Poperie For suppose wee should give place to these disturbers of our Church who for their owne gaine and glorie have laide aside all respect to Gods glorie the gaining of soules and the wee ll of their Brethren yet Popery should increase more mightilie as it hath done in our neighbour Church VI. WHether our conformitie end at last in conformitie with Rome or not What reason have wee to leave our conformitie with the pure Apostolicall Churches or the best Reformed Churches in forraine Nations Brightman compareth our Church the rest of the best Reformed to the godlie Church of Philadelphia the English to the glorious lukewarme Church of Laodicea Shall wee cast off our conformitie with Philadelphians and conforme to Laodiceans Is not their Church government the same that it was this day 100. yeares since in time of the grossest darkenesse and blindnesse Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons Chancelours Officials Commissaries exercising Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction in their spirituall Courts as they did in time of Poperie excluding both Preaching and ruling Elders from the Governement of their owne Parishes and the ioynt governement of the Church excommunicating suspending depryving by their owne sole authoritie medling with Testamentarie and other causes not belonging to Ecclesiasticall Consistories the Bishop taking to himselfe the sole administration of spirituall Iurisdiction over many hundreth Churches yea deputing the same to Civilians Chancelours Officialls and medling with the administration of Civill Affaires as best beseeming his Grandeur This Bishop is not Pauls Bishop nor yet the Bishop which was first erected in the Ancient Church Hee differeth as farre from him as the Consull in a Senate doth from a King or Monarch So seeing hee is neither the divine nor humane Bishop Hee must bee that Satanicall brought in by the Antichrist It were wearisome to goe through the calling and functions of their Suffraganes Deanes Canons and Prebandaries Organists Singing boyes Pistlers Gospellers Priests Deacons who are halfe Priests their Fasts their Eawes their Feast-dayes their Crossing Kneeling Bishopping Houseling of the sicke Baptisme by supposition private Baptisme Copes Capes Tipets Surplices Rochets Churching of women Marriage toyes Funerall rittes the gestures waried superstitiouslie at Service the forme of their Prayers and the rest of their Ceremonies It sufficeth that the best worthiest among them hath continually pleaded against them that they had never quyet possession in their owne Church that they were disused in many Congregations in the latter yeares of Queen Elizabeth of worthie memorie till they got strength againe immediatlie after the Kings Coronation that they are obtruded onely by authoritie not liked off by many of the Formalists themselves who doe temporise only with a bad conscience how shall wee then conforme to a Church enthraled and under bondage How many times have the godlie among them put up their Prayers to God and preferred petition to King and Parlament for the Church policie of Scotland and the libertie of that pure Profession which we have enjoyed many yeares and shall that our glorious Garland bee stamped underfoot The morning clouds which eclipsed the beginning of their Reformation remaine unscattered to this day and shall they bee suffered to come within our horizon Not in our morning but after many yeares at the noone tyde of our day to obscure the glorious Gospell which hath shined to us in as cleare and pure brightnes as euer to any nation Consider the