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A65265
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Historicall collections of ecclesiastick affairs in Scotland and politick related to them including the murder of the Cardinal of St. Andrews and the beheading of their Queen Mary in England / by Ri. Watson.
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Watson, Richard, 1612-1685.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing W1091; ESTC R27056
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89,249
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232
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passge into France But the walls of Leith were not to be blown down by this breath nor was it strong enough to fill the sails for her passage into France A stronger wind blew out of the Town which so dispelled the Congregational Brethren that glad was he who could shelter himself and many grew desperate of the cause But Iohn Knox by power of the spirit when but a spark or two of rebellion was left could ever blow it up into a flame which he began now at Sterlin in a Sermon upon the 80. Psalm v. 4 5 6 7. and encreased it in another afterwards some where else upon Iohn 6. exhorting the Congregation that they should not faint but that they should stiâ—l row against the contrarious blasts till that Iesus Christ should come so that onely the day of judgement is to put an end to the Presbiterian commotions But nothing can be done without a Covenant which An. 1560. was entred at Edenburgh That what person soever will plainly reject their godly enterprises and will not concur as a good and true member of their Common-wealth they shall fortifie the authoritie of Council to reduce them to their duty c. The issue of this as of all their Covenants was to put many quiet conscientious people to the choice of either extream without the priviledge of a detestable neutrality Do as we do Rebel or perish whereby they never faild of an Army that should guard the gospell with an unparalell'd villany and resist the Queen Regent unto her death which fell out very opportunely while they lay at the siege before Leith being if not procur'd by their means very evidently hastened by their malice denying Her Majesty the benefit of some drugs for which she sent to her Apothecary and Chyrurgeon and in her inrecoverable condition not indulging her free speech with some Lords joyntly though of their own faction and what curtesie they granted being clogged with the ungrateful presence and more unpleasing discourse of Iohn Willock Brother-rebel-preacher with Knox who was sent on purpose to set the Queens conscience on the rack and torture it to despair if he could By all these unchristian proceedings having speeded on their impatient wishes and fretted open a passage for that Royal soul to expire they become soon Lords not onely of the Congregation but Countrey and having eleven points of the law their young Queen and her Husband being absent in France upon advantage enough they capitulate with their Majesties for the twelfth In which pacification the Deputies from France would not medle with the matter of Religion but agreed that a certain number of Noblemen should be chosen in the next Convention and Parliament to be sent to their Majesties to whom they shall expose those things that shall be thought needful for the State of that business In the interim the Brethren I 'le warrant you were not idle but after publick thanksgiving at Edenburgh for their deliverance that is to say for the death of their Queen upon whom they heap though they name her not a heavy load of calumnies in their prayers A Committee sits to distribute Ministers and so Knox is made Primate of Edenburgh or in it rather of Scotland that being the fountain head from whence all future Rebellion must stream by Goodman to St. Andrews by Heriot to Aberdeen by Row to St. Iohnston c. And though they will have no Bishops they 'l have Over-seers {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Spotswood for Lothian Winram for Fife c. And now to work they go to drive the stray-doctrine and discipline of the Countrey into the Parliament pound at Edenburgh Please your Honours comes presently from the supplicant Barons Gentlemen and Burgesses A Confession of Faith with a more imperious preface or title from the Presbytery out of Matth 24. And this glad tidings of the Kingdome shall be preached through the whole world for a witness unto all Nations and then shall the end come that is the Presbyterian Scot shall pull down all Government in the world establish the Kingdome of Iesus Christ upon the earth and then the end shall come the work is done 't is fit then the wages should be paid especially since by this new engine they draw Christ into their Covenant chap. 11. rebellion into the fifth Commandement under the notion of saving the life of innocents and repressing Tyranny resisting authority if they take it to passe the bounds of the Magistrates office not suffering innocent bloud to be shed if they may gain-stand it ch. 14. Likewise they dash all moral vertues at a stroak restrain the power of Gods Grace from effecting due obedience to his Law ch. 15. Confine the Catholick Church to themselves and such as shall communicate with them denying all other Christians the undeniable benefit of their Baptism ch. 16 18. which they say notwithstanding ch. 21. was instituted of God to make a visible difference betwixt his people and those that are without his League Pretend to reconcile these contradictions making both true at a time This Church is invisibly known onely to God who alone knoweth it whom he hath chosen c. ch. 16. and yet the notes signs and assured tokens whereby the immaculate Spouse of Christ Iesus is known to whom from the horrible Harlot the Church malignant we affirm are c. Defraud Antiquity and lineal descent in an undivided continuity the reverence rendred by the Primitive Fathers of the Church to be paid by us for the first knowledge benefit of the Gospel and yet at the same time running to the Ancients for strengthening the authority of the Canon For the doctrine taught in our Churches say they is contained in the written Word of God to wit in the Books of the New and Old Testaments in those Books we mean which have been reputed by whom but Bishops and Episcopal Doctors no Preâ—byterian canonical Depriving the Church of her just priviledge in interpreting the Scriptures under a pretence of bestowing it upon the Spirit distracting Christians hereby in matter of opinion without extraordinary divine revelation as in the point of Justification wherein St. Paul and St. Iames seem to differ and in matters of practice by the example of St. Peter and St. Paul Gal. 3. All this in one ch. viz. 18. frame a plausible excuse for negligence in or after the receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ch. 21. Exclude all but Preachers though Priests or Deacons from the efficatioâ—s administration of the Sacraments annexing the power and vertue of the same to divine revelation or operation of a Sermon and so defrauding many that have had legitimate imposition of hands call'd Ordination of the character exercise of that power Justifie such as resist Supream powers doing that which appertaineth not to their charge ch. 24. so taking away the glory of Christian
his Age nor had they been if preserved applicable to all times according to the variety of which and other circumstances the Decretalls multiplied and so will Ecclesiasticall Canons increase in number or be alterable for necessity or decency unto the end What presseth most in the tenth Article Sir Iohn declineth and therefore no wrong is done him if he be thought imprudently to have said c. That Religion that is to say so much of it as Henry 8. turn'd off was to be abolished and destroyed as then in England where whatsoever good reformation hath since been made a great deal of Murder Rapine and Injustice was acted and countenanc'd by what King and to what purpose the world knowes And the Cardinal with his Clergy had good reason beside private interest to prevent so passionate and sacrilegious a change in Scotland Some moderation Sâ—r Iohn shews in permitting S. Augustines Monks to stand for not whom alone but others of ancient institution as much may be pleaded if S. Basils Rule and the historical passages of S. Hierom and other holy Fathers be duly read whose Convents were made no brothel houses nor swine-sties nor was their worship such as to devote them unto the devill and yet much reverence they gave unto the Reliques of Christian Martyrs They that afterward made counterfeits for gain of proselytes or money may the better sort dispute the point of piâ— fraus with his Knightship and the worse with his hypocriticall corrupted Sectaries who pretend to as great miracles in having Gods Spirit at their call and the power of all his Ancient Prophets in their Night-caps The habits of Monkâ— which he excepts against were in the purest times impos'd upon them and fitter it may be were they for a Cloyster than those by which the tribe of precisians will since be distinguished in the Chuâ—ch Yet am I not so angry with Sr. Iohn Borthwick for his separate singularity in opinion as to justifie the sentence pass'd upon him to be executed in effigie while absent and in person when he could be chatched my portion being not with them that condemn Hereticks to fiâ—e and faggot but if he did as commonly such unquiet spirits do under the pretence of conversion instigate the people against the government of that Kingdome because not of his Religion I referre him to the Laâ— and should no otherwise have wisht his pardon than upon a serious acknowledgement of his fault What folâ—ows in Fox's Acts of a conference between the Bishop of Dunkelden and Dean Thomas a Canon of St. Colmes Inch I cannot judge of finding little or nothing about it in their own Historians nor can I credit one particular of the Bishops stout saying I thank God I never knew what the Old and New Testament was howsoever rise the Proverb which he pretends to be so common in Scotland Ye are like the Bishop of Dunkelden that knew neither New nor Old Law no more than the like in Buchanan That upon a strict enquiry at Dundee after the Readers of the New Testament most of the Priests who sure were licensed profest so much ignorance of the Book as they contentiously averr'd it to be written by Martin Luther thereupon rerejected it and required the Old And somewhat to be suspected is that which comes after That the Dean with six other Friars and a Gentleman were burn'd principally upon these articles of the Deans preaching every Sunday on the Epistles and Gospels and their eating of flesh in Lent for which more moderate penance to my knowledge is inflicted in other Catholick Countryes at this day and that ancient Canon is not wantonly abused upon reasonable causes dispensations without any great difficulty are obtained And therefore another story of like nature countenanc'd by Buchanan and most passionately laid forth by Knox of four hanged in St. Ionhstons for eating one poor Goose on a Friday which could not afford each of them a leg and a wing hath little of my belief and indeed the lesse because I find them conceal what Fox out of no meaning I ghess to deal more impartially inserteth Their hanging up the Image of St. Francis nailing Rams horns to his head and a Cows rump to his tail and some of them interrupting Friar Spense in his Sermon maintaining the established doctrine of those times the necessity of prayer to Saints whereupon followed such a tumult of the people as hazarded his life which murder would have been more unjustifiable before God and man than the hanging up four or four hundred of them for attempting that on the person of one which might and did draw after it the destruction of many not in halters upon a legal sentence but by the sword rebelliously imployed as well agaâ—nst their Prince as their fellow subjects which will appear too evidently in the sequel of this story I shall not follow every little Martyr to the stâ—ke â—et not any of them is there but I shâ—uld heartily commiseraâ—e if I were as we I persâ—aded as some Historians seem to be that he suffered clearly for the tenderâ—ess of his consciâ—nce or by the merciless cruelty of his mâ—licious Judges But when I discover in most theâ—r prâ—aâ—hing praying discâ—ursiâ—g designing câ—unselling such a â—â—irit of virulency agaâ—nst their Romane Adversaries which must â—e censur'd incompetible with that Christian charity which the best patteâ—ns the most exemplary sufferers in the primitive times decâ—â—red principally at their death when very few of them can be so justified in their strictness of Religion as they are most evidently to be condemned for sedition whatsoever indirect proceedings may be observed in their tryalls whatsoever accumulative articles were by mistake or wilfull injury cast upon them I cannot so commend them for their vertues as to flatter posterity by the example into their errours Therefore passing by a multitude of petty Saints whom Knox and Buchanan canonize as they go some of whom may be feared to deserve no other red letters in the Calender than themselves whose names are deeply dyed in the bloud which is not little shed upon the rebellious practices they prescribed I will discuss onely the passages about one more signal than the rest out of whose ashes the Scotish Reformation was raked and beside the murder of the Cardinal a consequent rebellion advanced chiefly upon the reputation of his name though I will not alledge it as apparently founded in his doctrine The man I mean is Mr. George Wisheart of Bâ—nnets Colledge in Cambridge where he is famed to have lived a very studious and religious life yet not without some such singular eccentrick motions from the custome of other honest men in his time as gave some part of his piety the character of Melancholy and the impress of cruelty to some severity in his discipline An instance of the former in his Wearing and sleeping in Canvas which his sheets and shirâ—s freez-mantle