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A01039
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An ansvvere to M. I. Forbes of Corse, his peaceable warning
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Calderwood, David, 1575-1650.
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1638
(1638)
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STC 11143; ESTC S102458
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22,575
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36
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onely this much M. Knox within a yeere after hee was exyled out of England after the death of King Edward in his admonition directed to England ranketh kneelâ—ng among the superstious orders which prophane Christs true Religion In a letter directed from Deep anno 1559 to Mistresse Lockâ— hee calleth the crosse in baptisme kneeling at the Lords table Diobolte all inventions In the first book of discipline hee and the rest of his fellowes contrivers of the booke forbid celebration of the Communion at Easter for the avoyding of the superstition of the time The observation of Christmasse cireumcision epiphanie they judge ought to bee utterly abolished that the obstinate maintainers and teachers of such abominations as are there reckoned in the first head of which observation of dayes is one ought not to escape the punishment of the civill Magistrate In the Parliamenâ— holden in the yeere 1567 it was declared that whosoever refused to participat of the Sacraments as they were then publickly ministred in this reformed Kirk were not true members of this Kirk An act was likewise made corcerning the Kings oath to bee given at his Coronation to maintaine the due administration of the Sacraments then received which was ratified in the Parliaments following anno 1581 and 1582. Againe in the yeere 1572. it was ordained by act oâ— Parliament that such as did not communicate and partake of the Sacraments as they were then truely ministred if they continue obstinate shal be reputed infamous unable to stand in judgement c. The right administration of the Sacraments is set down in the first book of discipline and the booke of common order prefixed to the Psalmes in meâ—ter whereunto Ministers were referred by acts of the generall assemblies holden in the yeares 1562 and 1564. In the generall assembly holden at Edinburgh anno 1566 the lattet confession of Helvetia was approved but with speciall exception against the same five dayes which are now urged upon us In the assembly holden anno 1575. complaints were made against Ministers and readers because they assembled the people to prayer and preaching upon certaine festivall dayes An article was formed to be presented to the Regent craving that all dayes heeretofore keeped holy in time of Papistrie beside the Lords day bee abolished and a civill punishment bee inflicted upon the observers In the assembly holden in Aprile anno 1577 it was ordained that the visitor with the advice of the synod shall admonish Ministers and readers that read preach or minister the communion at Christmasse or Easter or such superstitious times to desist under the paine of deprivation King Iames in the assembly holden anno 1590 praised God that our Kirke was sincerer that Geneva it selfe because they observed Christmasse and Easter without warrant which our Kirk did not In the booke of common order before the Psalmes it is said that the Sacramenes are noâ— ordaind of God to be used in private orners as charmers and sorcerers use to doe but left to the Congregation and necessarly annexed to Gods Word and seales of the same In the Assembly holden at Edinburgh in October 1581 it was ordained that the Sacraments be not ministred in private houses but solemnely according to the good order hitherto observed under the paine of deposition from the function of the Ministerie It is cleare then that the five articles are contrare to the doctrine and practise of the Kirke of Scotland and therefore abjured in the Confession of faith It followeth then that wee have made two breaches upon the Confession and Covenant for maintaining the same for which the LORD hath threatned us with moe novations and alteration of the whole frame of our Religion Had we not need then to renew our Covenant and promise to repare our breaches so farre as lyeth in us As for antiquite and other reformed Kirkes their judgement corcerning the five articles the writer of these late printed bookes whom you taxe either alledge their authoritie against the same articles or cleare their meaning or answere with respect No well reformed Kirk hath received kneeling or bishoping Some observe holy dayes but would be ridde of them We may safely have fellowship with such Churches if wee communicate not with their corruptions As for the agreement betwixt the oath and Covenant about these things with the 21 article in the Confessien extant in the acts of Parliament wee can find no disagreement The first booke of discipline in the head of the policie of the Kirk distinguisheth betwixt thinges necessarie to bee observed in everie Kirk and things variable to bee ordered by everie particulare Congregation There everie particular Kirk is allowed to have a particular policie of their owne without prejudice of the common and geneâ—all as whether to conveene this or that daye of the weeke to the Sermon or how many dayes For the whicâ— and many like there can bee no generall order set downe That booke of discipline was penned by the same persons who drew up the Confession They meant never that the five articles or the like superstitious rites and ceremonies were variable as appeareth by that which I have alreadie alledged M. Knox who had a chiefe hand in that Confession maintained after his first Sermon in publicke in a convention of gray and black Friers at S. Andrewes that the Kirke had no power to devise significant ceremonies But these are properly called ceremonies not politick constitutions for order and decencie And the other Confession which you call the negative condemnes signes brought into the Kirk without or against the the word of God Significant ceremonies beeing condemned the crosse and the surplice or other superstitious apparell cannot bee received You taxe the royall Mandat if you alledge opposition betwixt the old Confession and the other which you call the negative but wee call the generall with a rejection of Popish errours as an appendicle Before I come this length I perceive your reasons for not authorizing or subscribing this Confession at this time have not beene applauded unto by his Majestie and the Lords of secreet Counsell What will you doe now will you stay your subscription till his Majestie subscribe or will you joyne with the Covenanters or will you subscribe with reservation howsoever if you will The case is altered You were unwilling before but now I will not for the reasons containd in the Protestation made at the crosse of Edinburgh the 22 of September where-unto I adhere To the fourth Chapter IN your former chapter you seemed onely to except at our interpretations But now you seeme to offend at the matter For you saye that in so farre as the matter of an oath is unlawfull or unlawfull plâ—asing or displeasing to GOD it ought to bee kept or broken which is uncontroverted but not to the purpose unlesse you would insinuate that there is some bad matter in the Confession And so should it never have beene sworne to or subscribed from the first houre
Kirk and Estates which hath approved and ratified it You say that short Confession hath humane privat authoritie and is respected for the Penner and many well affected christians subscribers But that in this regard wee are no more tyed to this Confession then any part of Augustin Ambrose Luther or Calvins workes approved by manie good Chistians nor that the obligation of the subscribers can be extended beyond their owne persons and lifetimes But wee have told you already that it is the Confession of the Kirk of Scotland approved by the Kirk of Scotland and subscribed universally by direction of authoritie at two sundrie times which is more than to bee penned by M. Craig and subscribed by many good Christians or hath beene done to any part of Aagustine Ambrose Luther or Calvins workes Beza set forth a notable Confession of faith which is approved by many good Christians yet is esteemed only as a private worke But so is not the generall confession of the Kirk of Scotland The orthodox confession of a reformed kirk deserveth greater respect than the treatises or works of Ambrose Luther c. Sunt enim hae Confessiones orthodoxae tanquam tabulae authentica privatorum Doctorum scriptis anteponendae as is said in the Latine preface to the Confessions of faith There is good reason for it for humane authoritie admitteth degrees The publick is more valide than a private Sententia communi omnium assensu recepta longé probabilior erit sententia ea quam unus alter statuit One man speaking according to Scripture is to bee prefered before a great assembly of doctours speaking without criptures But then his judgement is preferred because of Gods authoritie not for his owne Bâ—r wee are now comparing private men with a whole Kirk ceteris paribus in regard of themselves and consider humane testimony or judgement qua tale in so far as it is humane To conclude this point Wee are aswell tyed to the generall Confession as to that which you call the nationall for the generall is nationall aswell as the first In the meane time you have showne litle respect either to the penner or subscribers for you call it the negative Confession the short negative Confession The supreme authoritie civill you distinguish in royall or legall and the legall you make also royall So then the royall power is royall or legall Or you meane the royall power is either conjunct with the Estates as in making Lawes because ne civiles quidem leges ex fua solius authoritate ferre potest as saith Burthillus contra Becani controvers pag. 66. or without their concurrence as in giving remissions c. But this you may call the royall Prerogative The power legall you should call legislative or law giving power which Polititians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the power of execution or administration of justice shuld bee also legall and ruled by the lawes This short Confession you say had never authoritie legall for it was never ratified by act of Parliament but all the civill authoritie it had was only royall by the Kings mandat You would say imposed by vertue of his royall prerogative I believe that his Majestie professing lately in his Declaration that hee would not urge the Service booke farther but in a legall manner would not impose upon us subseription to the Confession of Faith by his royall mandat but in a legall manner I am sure there is as great reason for the one as for the other But wee have shewed already that it hath beene ratified by act of Parliament universally recived subscribed which is equivalent to a Parliament But more of this anone You saye Authoritie ecclesiasticall was given to this Confession by two nationall Synods But I have cited moe which you have omitted whether of set purpose or otherwise I referre to your owne conscience You saye the Authoritie synodicall immediat was that approbation whereby these Synods declared this Confession to bee a true Christian faithfull and godly Confession and that such as truely professe Iesus Christ ought to agree thereto That by this reason it tendeth to manifest a divine authoritie of the confession of the doctrine thereof and in respect of the matter so approved doth equallie oblish all Christians Wee have already cleared that point of divine authoritie wherein you have fumbled As for the other point wee doe think that all good Christians should embrace our Confession Wee beeing persuaded when wee subscribe that it is the undoubted trueth grounded upon the written Word But our intention was not to set downe a Confession of faith whereunto all Christians in the world should bee tyed but only such as will bee members of this Kirk and to make knowne to the world what wee professe For as it is well observed in the preface to the harmonie of Confessions If every man bee commanded to make Confession of his Faith so often as Gods glorie the edification of the Kirk shall require what a wonderfull and strange thing ought it to seeme if Cities if Provinces if whole Kingdomes have made profession of their Faith When they were falselie charged by the Popish sort that they had gone from the doctrine of the true Kirke You acknowledge you are obliged to reverence the judgment of a nationall Synod of our Kirk in matters substantiall Why not in matters also rituall and disciplinarie for these I suppose you oppose to matters substantiall Yet in matters substantiall you professe you are no more oblidged to hearken to those two Synods than to the preceeding or following or to the Synods in forraigne Kirks or to the ancient Councells that is only by restriction Yet you ought to depart from us if you bee not of us if your judgement bee not conforme to the judgement of our Kirk The ecclesiasticall authoritie mediat given by these Synods to this Confession you make to bee their injoyning Ministers to give obedience to his Majesties commandement anent the said Confession Is the ordinance of the Assembly ecclesiasticall mediaâ—e authoritie You vanish in your distinctions An ordinance of an Assembly floweth immediatly from the ecclesiasticall authoritie or power of the Assembly But you prove your mediat authoritie ecclesiasticall thus Nothing is spoken in these statutes but in relation to the Kings Majesties mandat and for a time but that doth not make the power ecclesiasticall mediate but only adjâ—vant or concurrent I will tell you more the Proclamation had taken small or no effect if it had not beene seconded with the authoritie of the generall Assembly Yea it had beene a dangerous preparative to command Ministers to crave subscriptions to a Confession of Faith not approved by the Kirk The worke was good but the order preposterous In the yeere 1589. the assembly began and desired Commissions to be given to that effect and gave in a roll of such as they had nominat to bee Commissioners which was performed by the secret Counsell You must knowe