Enemies to the present Government and French Incendiaries or at least such a Crew as would sacriâ—ice all that is dear to us as Men and Christians to their own private Resentments 1. It is very well known and too lately transacted to be forgotten that the States of Scotland in their Claim of Right did demand the Abolition of Prelacy as contrary to the Inclination of the Generality of the People on which Condition amongst others their Majesties accepted that Crown and in pursuance of their Promise have by Act of Parliament abolished Prelacy since and established Presbytery in Scotland as most agreeable to the World of God as well as the Peoples Inclinations Then if their Majesties should be prevailed upon which blessed be God there is no cause to fear to act contrary to their solemn Oaths and the Claim of Right they must needs see that the People of Scotland would have ground enough to plead a Breach of the Original Contract nor could the Church of England for shame condemn them seeing they made use of the same Plea in their Convention and Parliament against King Iames. And in the next place let them but consider that upon the same ground this or any other King may as well break with them and invade the Constitution of their Church which by the Coronation-Oath they have bound him to maintain And whether Charles the Second after he was by them perswaded to break his Oath to the Presbyterians in Scotland made any greater Conscience of maintaining the Civil and Religious Liberties of England Iâ— appeal to themselves And therefore seeing by that excessive Power which they gave their Kings in things sacred meerly to destroy the Presbyterians they found at last that they had put a Rod in their Hands to whip themselves I think they should be cautious how they play that Game over again I do not write this as having any suspicion that their Majesties are so weak as to be prevailed upon to alter the Church-Government in Scotland but meerly to let the World see that they who sollicite them to it are their greatest Enemies and design to shake their Throne and that it is not the Church of England's Interest to countenance our Scots Prelatisâ—â— nor to importune their Majesties on that Head If what is already said be not enough I would earnestly intreat all sober Church-of England-Men to consider what were the Consequences of their meddling in our Affairs and incensing King Charles the First against the Presbyterians in favour of our Runnagate Prelates and their Hirelings And seeing like Causes may have the like Effects they would do well to beware It is not unknown that Scotland is a distinct Nation and ought to be govern'd by their own Laws and Councils and therefore it must needs be an Invasion of the Rights of Scotland for English Ministers of State and Prelates to meddle or give Counsel in Scotish Affairs when not call'd to it And I cannot but think that all reasonable Men will easily grant that the Parliament and General Assembly of the Church of Scotland are better Judges of what is expedient for that Nation than a few English Ministers of State or Prelates and that both of them have reason to reject what Directions or Injunctions come from such a Mint And I would put it to the Consciences of all judicious Church-of England-Men how they would take it if the King were in Scotland that any of the Dissenting Ministers who are really injured as those who preached at St. Hellin and Hiâ—ley Chappels in Lancashire or the whole of them because denied a Comprehension should â—ly thither and by their Interest with Scots Presbyterian Ministers of State and Preachers importune his Majesty to have the Constitution of the Church of England overturned and proâ—ure Orders to have such and such Ministers planted in Churches tho they refuse to satisfy the Law I say in such a case I appeal to their own Consciences how they would take it whether they would reckon themselves obliged to obey or if they would not complain that their Rights were invaded and demand Satisfaction of such Ministers of State c. as Incendiaries and Disâ—â—â—bers of the Harmony between King and Subjects I believe verily they would and that not without good reason tho I am sure the case is much stronger on our side still for the Dissenting Ministers of England are all of them Loyal to his Majesty willing to swear Allegiance and pray for him but so are not our Scots Prelatists And besides his Majesty is really the Head and Fountain of all Power in the Church of England who have not only their Temporal Baronies and Honours from him but are nominated to their Bishopricks by him but so it is not in Scotland where he hath divested himself of the Supremacy and neither bestows Lands nor Honours upon Church-Men Then the case being so the Golden Rule which commands us to do as we would be done by should oblige English-Men not to meddle with our Church no more than they would have us to meddle with theirs and if the Parliament of Scotland do pass over what of that Nature is already done it 's not to be supposed that the Red Rampant Lion is become so much a Calf as not to roar sometime or other and make the fattest and proudest of the Beasts in the Field to tremble as ersâ— of old but I hope and pray that God will avert both the Cause and the Effect The English Bishops did not gain so much by the the last Bellum Episcopale against us that they need to be fond of another and we doubt not to find as much Justice from the Parliament of England now as we found then and have no reason to doubt but King William would be as ready as Charles the First to deliver up his Ministers to the Law if it should be made appear against them that they have been meddling too much in our Affairs I know that our Scots Prelatists possess the Church of England that we think our selves obliged to endeavour the Extirpation of their Hierarchy and upon that account prevail with them to endeavour our Subversion But I would earnestly beg all moderate Men to weigh the following Answers 1. That the reason of entring into that solemn League and Covenant was the Fury which the English Prelates evidenced at that time against the Church of Scotland having excommunicated the same in all the Churches in England forced a Service-Book upon us more exceptionable than their own and in Conjunction with Papists enabled Charles the First to raise 30000 Men against us when the Parliament of England refus'd to concur with him insomuch that that Expedition was called the Bishops War But blessed be God his present Majesty is far from any such Attempt and the English Bishops the chief of them at least are Men of more Moderation So that there is no such cause for us to endeavour the Overthrow of their Hierarchy 2. That the
never be justified And as for the Rebellions he charges us with under King Charles the First let any body peruse Rushworth's Collections or even Sir Richard Baker's Chronicle and tho all the Truth be not written there it will be easy to perceive that the Innovations made upon the Church of Scotland and the Invasions on the Liberties of England were the cause of that Prince's Misfortunes who was misled by a Popish Wife and misinformed by Popish and Prelatical Ministers to his Ruine That unfortunate King put one Affront on our Nation mentioned by Sir Richard Baker that was enough of it self to have made them shake off his Government viz. the demanding of the Crown of Scotland to be brought hither for him to be crowned with which argued such a Degeneracy of Spirit and so much of an alienated Mind from his Native Country that 〈◊〉 a wonder how ever Scots-Men should have own'd him afterwards the greatest Monarch that ever sat upon the English Throne would have gone as far as Scoon and thank'd us too to have had the Honour of it and for a Scots-Man so far to undervalue his native Country as to demand the poor and almost the only remaining Badg of their Honour Antiquity and Independency to be brought into another Nation Quis talia fando temperet a Ne quid aspersus dicam Certainly nothing but an exuberant Loyalty and Esteem for their natural Prince whom doubtless they considered as over-ruled by pernicious Counsel could ever have made that Kingdom put up the Affront And therefore when he persisted to oppress and persecute them upon the account of their Consciences it was no wonder that they re-assum'd the Spirit of their Ancestors and let him know that the Kings of Scotland were never allowed an Arbitrary Power nor did ever any of them usurp it but it prov'd fatal to them or theirs Nor never was the Nation so much degenerate but since the Reign of our Protestant Prelacy who were the Creatures and Supporters of Tyranny for in the times of Popery we had more Grandees than we have now that could tell how to put the Bell about the Cat 's Neck on occasion as Archbald Douglas Earl of Angus did to King Iames the Third but since the Union of the Crowns the fall of our Grandees and the Combination of the English and Scots Mitres Scots-Men durst never say their Head was their own but when they had the Sword in their Hand except it be under this present Government And therefore the Nation of Scotland is mightily obliged to Prelacy Ibid. He charges the Presbyterians with Enthusiasm Our Prelatâ—sts are of late become as fond of this Expression as is the Cuckow of his known Note and I can imagine no other reason why than because they are so accustomed to swallow their Liquor that as the Lecher pleases himself with Baudy Stories so do they with the very word Enthusiasm which is but a Greek Term signiâ—ying pouring in and in this sense I 'll maintain it that it 's more proper to be applied to our Drunken Prelatists than in any manner to us I always understood Enthusiasts to be a sort of Persons who pretended to other Revelations than the written Word for their Rule such as our Quakers and the old German Anabaptists or absit verbo invidia our Prelatists who build more upon the uncertain and superstitious Writings ascribed to some of the Fathers than on the Writings of the Apostles who are the Grandfathers or on the Rationale of a Durandus or the Poetical Whims of any Church Devoto for their unscriptural Ceremonies than on Diviâ—e Revelation which orders us to worship God as he commands and not as we think good in our own Eyes Then seeing the Presbytérians do plead for a strict Conformity to the Scripture as the Rule of Faith and Manners and that our Prelatists admit of By-Rules for which no Reason can be assigned but the Capricio of some fanciful Bigot or corrupted Father let the World judg which Party is most chargeable with Enthusiasm Ibid. He says That the Acts of our General Assemblies do sufficiently vindicate Charles the Second and his Ministers of State from any shadow of Rigour or Cruelty It were easy to answer the Doctor in his own Coin that the knavish Address of the Scots Bishops against the Prince of Orange their opposing him in Parliament and the Barbarities committed upon the Presbyterians by the Prelatists as above related are sufficient to vindicate us from any shadow of Rigour or Cruelty which must by all Men who have not forfeited Sense and Reason be allowed more than a sufficient Answer But further the Doctor would have done well to have cited those Acts and then a more particular Answer could have been given However I 'le guess at his meaning and suppose them to be such as declared against imploying Malignants in Places of Power and Trust which was the Opinion of those called Remonstrators And if so pray good Doctor why is this more culpable than your Church-of England Test which excludes all Dissenters from Places of Power and Trust and that also against his Majesty's Desire in his Speech to the Parliament wherein he did rationally insinuate that the taking off of the same would unite his Subjects in his Service against the Common Enemy If the Copy was bad why does the Church of England follow it Or do you not think that we had as much reason to keep out Prelatists from Places of Power and Trust as you have to keep out Presbyterians Nay I do verily believe there is no true English-man or Protestant who does not see the Mischief which happens daily by the continuance of this Test which obliges his Majesty to make use of such as do betray him continually And whether the Scots Presbyterians were mistaken in their Conjectures that our Prelatists when admitted into Trust would betray our Religion and Liberties let the late Revolution and the Causes of it testify Or if there was any such Act made or intended by any Assembly of the Church of Scotland as disown'd Charles Stuart the Head of the Malignants because of his breach of Covenant and designs to enslave the Nation it must 〈◊〉 be own'd that they were too clear-sighted and that the Church of England do the same in relation to K. Iames who had as good a Right to the Crown according to the Prelatical Principles as ever his Brother had and if Passive Obedience be a true Doctrine ought as little to have been opposed as he Then supposing it true that the Remonstrators were against owning of him on the Accounts aforesaid yet seeing they were not the majority of the Presbyterians and were willing to submit to his Legal Administration swear Allegiance and live peaceably under his Governmâ—nt neither Reason nor Conscience will justify his Proceedings against the Presbyterians in general on that Account or the making of Laws on purpose to fret their Consciences and press the execution of
all such who shall be received into Communion with them in Church-Government be obliged to subscribe the Confession of Faith ratified in the second Session of the Parliament There it 's plain that they arrogate no more Power than what is given them by Law and it 's obvious that by this Act they neither exclude the Prelatists ab officio nor beneficio So that the Church-of England-Men have no reason to complain that their Brethren are severely treated for they have made no such steps towards a Comprehension with the English Dissenters though his Majesty desired it And yet what a racket do they keep because the Scots Episcopal Clergy are only denied a share in the Government of the Church which they designedly seek that they may undermine it and are not ashamed to own it In their Letter to his Majesty Novemb. 13. 1690. at the Close of that Assembly they acquaint him with the Instructions which they had given to those appointed for Viâ—itation concerning the Conformists viz. That none of them shall be removed from their Places but such as are either Insufficient Scandalous Erroneous or supinely negligent and that those of them be admitted to Ministerial Communion who upon due trial shall be found Orthodox Able Godly Peaceable and Loyal and that such who shall be found to have received Wrong in any Inferior Judicatory of the Church should be duly redressed Yet what Clamour what Lies what Obloquy and Reproach have the poor Presbyterians of Scotland been loaded with in blasphemous and virulent Pamphlets publish'd in London by Hindmarsh the late King's Bookseller and promoted and disseminated by that ungovernable Faction And what a clutter did the high-â—lown Courtiers keep about the Scots General-Assembly how industrious to misrepresent them to the King and how restless till they had them dissolved contrary to the Laws and at such a time as we were threatned with a Rebellion at Home and an Invasion from Abroad that so his Majesty having disobliged his only Friends in Scotland might be totally deprived of any Assistance from thence but blessed be God who disappointed their Designs And I hope that moderate and truly Religious Church-of England-Men will henceforth be more cautious in listening to the Calumnies of our Episcopal Clergy when they consider the Moderation of the above-mentioned Acts of the Presbyterian General-Assembly which they have no reason to think of such dangerous Consequence as our Pamphleteers would have them believe and as D M ro in his Papers lately seized by Authority would have further insinuated And that they may have yet a further proof of their Moderation I would pray them to read the seventh Instruction given by the said Assembly to the Commissioners appointed for Visitation viz. That they be very cautious of receiving Informations against the late Conformists and that they proceed in the matter of Censure very deliberately so as none may have just cause to complain of their Rigidity yet so as to omit no means of Information and that they shall not proceed to Censure but upon sufficient Probation And that the World may be farther satisfied in their Impartiality in the fourth Instruction they declared that the Power of the Visiters shall reach Presbyterians as well as others and in the second Instruction they gave them Power to stop the precipitant or unwarrantable Procedure of Presbyteries in Processes If any Proceedings can be more mild or regular let the World judg So that whether Dr. M â— and his Fellow Libellers who impudently assert that there is nothing like Order Moderation or Justice among the Presbyterians be Liars or not let these Acts determine And if there were no other thing to stop the Mouths of all Cavillars the Assembly's Declaration That they would depose no Incumbents simply for their Iudgment concerning Church-Government nor yet urge Reordination upon them were sufficient and if there be any Ingenuity in the Church-of England-Men it may for ever silence them as to their Complaints against our Administration seeing those of their Communion have been and continue still to be so much guilty of a contrary Practice towards Dissenters And further this Assembly whom they branded as void of all Moderation or Humanity made an Act in favour of Mr. Couper Curat of Humby and recommended Mr. Cameron one of the late Conformists to the Privy-Council for Charity which is more than ever was done by any Episcopal Assembly in favour of Presbyterian Ministers Having proved the Falshood of the Episcopal Calumnies against our Church as void of Moderation it remains that I do the same as to the State and tho it be already sufficiently done in my first Answer it will not be amiss to insist on it in this And because contraria juxta se posita magis â—lucescunt I shall exhibit a short Epitome of their Acts of Parliament against us in the two last Reigns and of ours against them in this that the World may see on whose side Justice and Moderation lies Acts of Parliament by Charles the Second and James the Seventh against the Presbyterian Government and Prebyterians in Scotland PArl. 1. Session 1. Car. II. They enacted the Oath of Allegiance asserting the King to be the only Supream Governour over all Persons and in all Causes and obliging the Takers to the utmost of their Power to defend assist and maintain his Majesty's said Jurisdiction against all Persons whatsoever and that they should never decline his Power and Jurisdiction Parl. 1. Sess. 1. Act 2 3 4 5 11. An Acknowledgment of the King 's vast and unlimited-Prerogative was enjoin'd to be subscribed by all in publick Trust over and above the Oath of Allegiance Octob. 1662. The Council not Parliament turn'd out 300 Ministers without Citation or Hearing Parl. 1. Sess. 1. Act 7. Sess. 2. Act 2. They enacted That the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant should have no Obligation and ordered them to be burnt by the Hand of the Hangman Sess. 2. Act 3. They restored Patronages Sess. 1. Act 4. Enacted That none be Masters in any University except they take the Oath of Allegiance and own Prelacy and none should be School-master Tutor or Pedagogue to Children without a Prelate's Licence Sess. 2. Act 5. and Sess. 2. Act 3. Enacted That all in publick Trust or Office renounce and abjure the Covenant on pain of losing their Places and Privilege of Trading Sess. 2. Act 2. Enacted That all Petitions Writing Printing Remonstrating Praying or Preaching shewing any dislike of the King 's absolute Prerogative and Supremacy in Causes Ecclesiastick or Episcopacy be punished as seditious And that no Meetings be kept in private Houses Sess. 3. Act 2. Enacted That all Non-conformed Ministers that presume to exercise their Ministry shall be punish'd as seditious Persons And that all Persons in acknowledgment of his Majesty's Government Ecclesiastical attend the Sermons of the Curats Noblemen and Gentlemen refusing to lose a fourth of their Rents Burgesses their Freedom and a fourth part