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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

QVAERES CONCERNING The state of the Church OF SCOTLAND DEVT. 27.18 Cursed be hee that maketh the blinde to goe out of the way and all the people shall say Amen Re-printed in the yeare 1638. Quaeres concerning the state of the Church of Scotland Quaeres I. WAS there ever any Realme since Christs Incarnation professed Christian Religion so universially through all the parts thereof even to the utmost corners in such puritie both for Doctrine Discipline and publike worship with such libertie and for so many yeares together as our Realme hath done In the Apostles dayes we read not of whole Cities let bee kingdomes to have professed the name of Christ Soone after the departure of the Apostles sundrie corruptions entred into the Church and the mysterie of iniquitie which was working under ground in their time was advaunced by little and little till it came to the full ripenesse Neither was there any Nation free from the open profession of Paganisme the first 300 yeares Since Constantines time that Christianitie began to prevaile above Gentilisme there hath been no Church which hath not beene defiled with much superstition and corrupted with many errours till the dayes of late Reformation From the first time of reformatiō to this houre no reformed Church hath spred it self so universally through any Kingdome with such puritie of profession but either their profession is not so universal being intermingled with Papists Anabaptists Lutherians or not so pure as in our neighbour Church II. WAS there ever any Nation which sealed their profession with Oathes Covenants and Subscriptions so universallie and so oft as our Church hath done How often hath the Confession of Faith called the Kings Confession been subscribed by persons of all Estates through the Realme or by particular persons from time to time as occasion was offered to require their subscription A more fearfull oath cannot be conceaved then is taken in the end of that Confession in these words Promising and swearing by the great Name of the Lord our God That wee shall continue in the obedience of the Doctrine and Discipline of this Church shall defend the same according to our vocation and power all the dayes of our lives under the paines conteined in the Law and danger both of Body and Soule in the day of Gods fearefull judgement This is the Promissorie oath The Assertorie oath whereupon it is grounded is this Wee therefore willing to take away all suspition of hyprocrisie and of such double dealing with God and his Church protest and call the Searcher of all hearts for witnesse That our minds and hearts doe fully agree with this our Confession Promise Oath and Subscription So that wee are not moved for any worldly respect but are perswaded only in our Consciences through the knowledge and love of Gods true Religion printed in our hearts by the holy Spirit as wee shall answer to him in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed To underlye the paines conteined in the Law and danger both of Body and Soule in the day of Gods fearefull judgement and to answere to him in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed are not lightlie to be considered but to bee pondered deeplie and ever to be remembred specially when we have to doe with this our Confession III. I appeale to every mans Conscience Whether wee have adhered to all the generall particular clauses of this our Confession or not When wee say in this Confession that wee detest and abhorre the Antichrist his five bastard Sacraments with all his Rites Ceremonies and false Doctrine added to the ministration of the true Sacraments without the Worde of God his cruell judgement against Infants departing without the Sacrament his absolute necessitie of baptizing doe wee not protest that wee will abhorre and detest confirmation one of the five bastard Sacraments kneeling which is a Rite added to the ministration of the Supper without the warrand of Gods Word and invented by the Antichrist private Baptisme which is grounded upon the necessitie of baptisme and doubting of the Salvation of all Infants dying unbaptized When wee protest wee abhorre and detest his dedicating of dayes do wee not condemne observation of aniversarie holy dayes And when wee protest wee detest and abhorre not onely his owne worldly Monarchie but also his wicked hierarchie Doe wee not condemne the degrees of Bishops and Archbishops When wee say wee abhorre and detest all contrarie religion and doctrine to wit to the former Confession mentioned immediatelie before and the Christian faith receaved believed and defended by the Church of Scotland but chieflie all kinde of Papistrie in generall and particular heads even as they are now damned and confuted by the Word of God and Kirk of Scotland Doe wee not condemne Archbishops Bishops Holie dayes Kneeling Confirmation private Baptisme seeing all these particular heads were damned by our Church either in the former Confession the first or second Booke of Discipline and Acts of generall Assemblies before the sayd Confession was sworne to and subscribed and if any preased to practise them after they were damned the censures of the Church was inflicted upon them Have wee not of late failed in all these particulars and consequentlie violated our oathes promises and subscriptions underlying the danger both of body and soule in the day of Cods fearefull judgement unles we repent which wee cannot seriouslie doe except wee recover so farre as in us lyeth what is lost to the losse of any temporall thing whatsoever to the spending of the least droppe of our blood and defend what is yet reserved whole and sound with the same hazard For what is that hazard or losse in comparison of all the paines conteined in the Law and danger both of body and soule in the day of Gods fearefull judgement Let no man deceive himselfe thinking to deceave God with evasions and shifts The Searcher of all hearts knoweth what was thy meaning when thou saydest Wee call the Searcher of all hearts to witnes that our mindes and hearts doe fullie agree with this our Confession Promise Oath and Subscription And what was the meaning of the Church of Scotland with which thou protested thou would not use double dealing was too manifest both in practise preaching and the authentick Records aboue mentioned And put the case the particular heads above specified had beene a matter indifferent howbeit they were not so esteemed by our Church yet who can denie but thus farre at least was intended to eschew all occasions and provocations to tyrannie superstition and therefore the oath howbeit in a matter indifferent was lawfull and so remaineth as long as they remaine occasions and provocations to tyrannie and corruption yea as long as the forbearance of them is not proved to be a sinne For great regard should be had even to a rash oath if it be not or proue not unlawfull for the reverence wee ought to carrie to the

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