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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05345	A full confutation of the covenant lately sworne and subscribed by many in Scotland; delivered in a speech, at the visitation of Downe and Conner, held in Lisnegarvy the 26th. of September, 1638. Published by authority.; Speech, delivered at the visitation of Downe and Conner, held in Lisnegarvy the 26th. of September, 1638	Leslie, Henry, 1580-1661.	1639 (1639)	STC 15497; ESTC S102367	22,621	42

Craig for the detecting of some disguised Papists who by Equivocation or out of hope of Papall dispensation did for feare of the Laws subscribe unto the former confession That negative confession I say was never confirmed by any Parliament What Confirmation it had was onely from the Kings mandate whom they procured not only himselfe to sweare and subscribe but also to command all his Subjects to do so But here I pray you to consider first What age the King was of then not full Fifteen yeeres by foure moneths And how easie a matter was it to abuse his tender youth Let us therfore appeale from K. Iames a minor unto himselfe when he was of riper yeeres And we shall find that he did utterly disallow of that fact insomuch that in the Parliament held the yeere 84. he procured the first confession to be confirmed but without any mention of the latter and so in divers Parliaments following And in the Conference at Hampton Court he did fully manifest his dislike of that Negative confession saying that Mr. Craig with his I renounce and I detest did multiply so many particulars that simple people were not able to conceive And so being amazed did either fall backe into Popery or remaine still in their ignorance And saith he If I should hold my selfe to that forme the confession of my faith must bee in my Table-booke and not in my head So that it hath no civill confirmation at all But you will say that a Sinodicall confirmation by a generall Assembly held at Edenburgh another at Glasgow wherunto I answer that the act of the Synod had onely relation unto the Kings mandate For thus the words runne Forasmuch as the Kings Majestie hath set forth and proclaimed a Godly Confession of faith This present Assembly doth appoint that all Ministers shall conforme themselves therunto under paine of deprivation So that whatsoever strength is in the Synodicall confirmation depends upon the force and vigor of the Kings mandate while that was in force the confirmation of the Synod was in force and that being expired the confirmation of the Synod is likewise expired But the Kings mandate is expired because upon mature judgment hee did retract and disallow it in his life time and though he had not yet the same being a personall act of the Kings without the consent of the States of Parliament is now certainly expired with his royall breath For Mortuo mandatore expirat mandatum So that indeed this Confession which they now urge so violently upon the Kings Subjects hath no legall confirmation at all And as it hath no confirmation So it never had the honour to be received into the body of the Confessions of reformed Churches as was the former Confession neither indeed was it worthy for it is not a Confession of faith at all but a Confession of unbeleefe The author tels us not what he doth beleeve but what he doth not beleeve And I hope you will all confesse that faith consists in assenting to revealed truths and not in dissenting from errors Besides is it not more fit for a Minister to teach his people positive truths of Christian Doctrine then to spend his time in telling them of unknown heresies And as that Negative Confession is not the nationall confession of that Church so the Oath that is now ministred is not the same with that which was received by the Kings Majesty and his Subjects in the yeere 81 as is pretended But is substantially different from it in many respects 1 In the former Oath or Covenant they did swear with the King and by his commandement and their is no doubt but it is most lawfull for Subjects if the matter of the Oath be true and Lawfull to swear by the commandement of the king to whom primarily and Originally belongs the power to minister an Oath and to others only by Commission and power delegated from him But this new Oath is not only without the King but against him and flat contrary to his commandement For since the time that his Majesty manifested his Royall pleasure requiring them to renounce their covenant they have proceeded and sworn many thousands of people So that I am sure by the Lawes of our Kingdome they are in a great Premunire 2. In the first Oath or Covenant there is no bond of mutuall defence But in this new Oath there is a bond of mutuall defence of one another Against all persons whatsoever the King himselfe not excepted 3. Although there had been such a bond of mutuall defence in the former Covenant yet ought it not to be in this for Subjects may lawfully make a Covenant of mutuall defence by Armes by the consent of the King who only hath the power of the Sword within his dominions But they who made this late Covenant had not the Kings consent but did it contrary to the Kings expresse will and pleasure wherein they have violated the lawes of their own kingdome which they were bound to maintaine for by an act of Parliament Anno 1585 all leagues or bonds of mutuall defence made without the privity and consent of the King are expresly forbidden And as in this respect their Covenant is contrary to the Lawes of their kingdome So I am sure it is contrary unto the Law of God for I never knew any Divine who doth not maintain that unto the undertaking of a just warre there is required not only a good cause but also lawfull authority A just cause of warre doth not warrant every man to undertake warre though against a stranger much lesse against the King against whom no cause though never so just can make a warre undertaken by his Subjects warrantable But a just cause doth only warrant the King or supreme Magistrate in whom authority is originally and Primarily and without whose commission the Warres undertaken by private men are no better then robbery and murther That rash and heady adventure of the Israelits against the Canaanites Num. cap. 14. v. 44. was without authority for neither Moses nor the Arke went up with them and therfore Moses doth call their attempt a presumption and they prospered accordingly for they were smitten unto Hormah a name answerable unto the event namely destruction Lastly this Oath is not the same with the former because it contains not only the old Covenant or confession but also their owne interpretation of it For they do plainly insinuate that Episcopall government and the 5. Articles of Perth are abjured in that Confession Now it is reasonable that a few factious spirits who are the Authors of this conspiracy should take upon them to interpret a Nationall confession and obtrude their interpretation upon the whole Church forcing all men to sweare unto it This were too much though their interpretation were true because it wants publique authority and approbation But indeed the interpretation is most notoriously false and like the glosse of Orleance which destroyes the Text. Episcopall government is

treasonable fact But the seditious ministers being assembled in Synod and taking themselves to be the Supreame Judicatory did pronounce that Treasonable fact to be most just and lawfull threatning with all the sentence of Excommunication against all who did not subscribe unto their judgement therein They did usually inveigh against the King in their Sermons and rayle at him io his face for to bring him in hatred with his owne Subjects And when some of them were convented before the Councell-boord for so doing they declined his Majesties authority alleadging that he was no Judge over them in Church-matters They used ordinarily to proclaime Fasts without the Kings privity especially when some factioners were about to attempt some great enterprize against the King And then the Ministers were taught all to sing one song crying out upon the abuses of the Court and State whereby they set the people a madding All this you may read more at large in the Kings declaration printed Anno 1585. I will now adde some other of their practises that come within the compasse of my own remembrance When the Earle of Bothwell was in the act of Rebellion against the King and had divers times attempted to take away his Majesties life there were great gatherings in Scotland for the relief of Geneva then straitly besieged by the Duke of Savoy The Ministers who were the Collectors gave a great part of it to maintain the Earle in his rebellion against the King Afterwards when the Gawries conspired against his Majesty and he miraculously rescued by the vasour of his Servants his Majesty desired that there might be a publick thanksgiving in all Churches within the Realme for his deliverance But divers of the ministers the ringleaders of that faction did refuse and did plainly insinuate that they did neither beleeve the King nor his Nobles nor his Servants who were witnesses that ever there was such a conspiracy But that it was a plot of the King to murder the Gawries I shall not need to tell you of the 17th day of December Therein none of you who hath not heard in what feare and danger of life the King was then by an insurrection which was raised by the seditious Sermons of some of these fiery preachers One thing I cannot omit how that they called a Nationall Assembly to be held in Aberdeen the King suspecting the event as he had good cause and having long before by Act of Parliament all Authority in causes Ecclesiasticall and particularly for calling of Assemblies declared to belong to his Royall Person He sent to inhibit them by open Proclamation but they would not desist whereupon being questioned they declined the Kings authority contrary to the Lawes of that Ki●gdome for which they were indired found guilty and condemned of Treason Yet that mercifull Prince did neither take life nor goods from them But only banished six of them And when some of these could not live abroad upon the acknowledgment of their offence he not only gave them leave for to returne but also provided livings for them And yet one of these who holds both his life and his living by the Kings mercy Dr. Sharp is at this day a principall Firebrand in this Rebelli●n And thus they used King JAMES which occasioned him in that golden Treatise intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to protest that he had found more truth and honesty in the barbarous high-land-men and bloody borderers then ever he did in the men of that Faction Thus have I given you a brief taste both of their Doctrine and Practice concerning the opposing of Princes But here lest this should be thought a Nationall sinne and so Jerusalem upbraid her sister Samaria I will shew unto you that they of this faction in England had been as deep in this condemnation but that God be praised they had not so much power And besides that some there have suffered death for their seditious practises against authority in seeking to bring in their new Discipline as Hacket Coppinger and others You may judge of the intentions and desires of the rest by their writings One of them who wrote a Book intituled A Dialogue of whice Devils which was a most fit Title for these mens Books for if ever there were white Devils or Devils transformed into Angels of light it is in their persons who under the pretence of Sanctity labour to bring in all manner of disorder into the Church and confusion into the Common wealth That Author sayes expresly that If Princes do hinder the bringing in of their Discipline they are Tyrants and being Tyrants they may be deposed by their Subjects Another who calls himself Stephanus Junius saith Miles c. Is is lan full for the people by force of Arms to resist the Prince if he hinder the building of the Church A third railes at Queen Elisabeth for exercising that lawfull Authority in causes Ecclesiasticall which was united unto her Crown resembling her unto all the wicked Kings and others who took upon them unlawfully to intrude themselves into the Priests office as unto Saul for his offering of sacrifice unto Ozias for his burning of incense Yea and to Nadab and Abihu for their offering of strange fire It is well known how that Martin in his first Book threatned fists And the Authour of the second Admonition sayes plainly that There is many a thousand that desire the same that he doth and that great troubles will come of it if it be not proviaed for Another of that crew directing his speech unto the Bishops saith that The Presbytery must prevail Demonst of disciplin in the Preface And if it come to passe by that means that will make your hearts to ake then blame your selves I could present unto you a great deal more of such stuffe but I will onely alledge one passage of Master Cartwright whom for his learning I honour far above all that ever were of that faction he saith that the Church is not in the Common wealth but the Common wealth in the Church and therefore as a wise man will not frame his house to his hangings but his hangings to his house So the Church is not to be fitted unto the Common wealth but the Common wealth unto the Church Whereupon it will evidently follow that as in his opinion there ought to be a parity in the Church so likewise a parity in the Common wealth so that it is more then manifest that the thing which they aime at is to have no King at all And therefore it is remarkable how that the Traitour Calderwood in his blasphemous Book called Altare Damascenum doth not onely rail against King James charging him with perjury persecution but also doth inveigh against all Kings whatsoever saying Naturâ insitum est o●n●bu● reg●bus in Chris●um odium It seemes this mad deg did not remember Gods promise made unto his Church That Kings should be her Nursing-fathers and Queens her Nursing-mothers And God

A FULL CONFUTATION OF THE COVENANT Lately Sworne and Subscribed by many in Scotland Delivered in a Speech at the Visitation of Downe and Conner Held in Lisnegarvy the 26 th of September 1638. Published by Authority My sonne Feare the Lord and the King and ●…eddle ●o● with them that are Seditious Proverb 24.12 For Rebellion is as the sinne of Witchcraft 1 Sam. 15.23 LONDON Printed by John Raworth for George Thomason and Octavian Pullen and are to be sold at the Rose in St. Pauls Church-yard 1639. After the names of the Clergie were called the Visitor spake in this manner AND now my brethren of the Clergy and all you Gentlemen of the Laity I intreat your attention while I shall expresse my self in some things that concern my Pastorall charge Some things I have to say that concern the Clergie onely Some things that concern the Church-wardens And some what that doth concern both the Clergie and the Laity As for you of the Clergie There is generally a great fault in you in the neglect of Catechizing You know that you are bound to it by the Canons of the Church bound by an act in my first Visitation and though ye regard neither of these as I know many of you do not yet consider I beseech you that ye are bound to it in conscience for Catechizing is the easiest and most profitable way of instruction The Apostle calls it the doctrine of the beginnings of Christ Heb. 6.1 which must be layed before a man can be led forward unto perfection It is milk for babes whereas preaching is meat for men that are of age who have their wits exercised to discern both good and evill But you cannot abide to give milk Heb. 5.14 and are all for strong meat albeit there are many of you who are not well able to chew it This is the true cause of the ignorance of the people for they not having been instructed in the grounds of Religion are not able to understand any part of a Sermon It is one of the great stratagems of our adversary the devill that when he cannot draw men wholly from the service of God he makes them to single out some part of it and to magnifie that with a neglect of all other parts as namely Preaching amongst you which is grown to that esteem that it hath shuffled out of the Church both the publique prayers which is the immediate worship of God and this duty of Catechizing and is now accounted the sole and onely service of God the very Consummatum est of all Christianity as if all Religion consisted in the hearing of a Sermon Unto whom I may say in the words of the Apostle What Is all hearing Is the whole body an eare 1 Cor. 12. Or tell you in the words of a most Reverend prelate That if you be the sheep of Christ you have no mark of his sheep but the eare-mark And therefore to conclude this point If you will will not hereafter make conscience of this duty of Catechizing Then the conscience of my duty will inforce me to proceed against you according to the Canons of the Church As for the Church-wardens I have a double complaint against them One That whereas by their place they are to look unto the fabrick of the Church the greatest part of your Temples are kept no better then Hog-styes I know that it is one of the mysteries of iniquity in their Religion that God is most purely served when he is worshipped slovenly in a poor and homely cottage and that any cost is too much to be bestowed upon Gods service They are much like unto the officers of Julian the Apostate who when they saw the stately vessels of the Temple cryed out En qualibus vasis ministratur Mariae fil●o what stately plate is this for the Carpenters sonne But my second complaint is yet greater They are bound by their Oath to present all known disorders within their Parish especially them who do not repair unto the Church to hear Divine service and to receive the Sacrament according to the orders of this Church Yet they present none at all And indeed the Church-wardens especially in the A●ds and Claneboyes are of all others the most disorderly men the very ring-leaders of the separation and it is for that cause they are chosen that others may not be presented So that it seems unto me that too many of them in Scotland have entred in a mutuall bond to defend one another by Arms So their fellows in this Diocesse have entred in a mutuall bond to defend one another by their Oathes But here I tell them plainly that I will proceed against them First for the neglect of the repair of their Churches Next for their non-conformity Thirdly for not presenting notorious offenders And lastly for their perjury And if they think my authority too weak to overtake them in regard of the great Patronage and countenance they have I will deliver them over unto a Court that is able to deal with them My last complaint will hold me longer It strikes both against the Clergy and the Laity for their generall non-conformity and disobedience unto the Orders of this Church You of the Clergy have all Sworn subscribed and promised absolute conformity And yet when you come amongst your people you slide back and for a colour of obedience read some part of the Service it may be the Lessons and a few Collects as if it were left unto your power to mince the Service of God cutting and carving upon it as you please I must tell you that those who will not be tyed neither by oaths Subscriptions nor promises There is nothing will tye them but a coercive power But they of the Laity are yet worse they will hear no prayer at all While divine Service is reading they walke in the Church-yard and when prayer is ended they come rushing into the Church as it were into a Play-house to hear a Sermon But ere it be long I hope a course shall be taken that they who will hear no prayers shall hear no Sermon I know that the thing which doth encourage you in this your disobedience is the present Insurrection in Scotland You think and some of you do not stick for to speak it that they will inforce the King for to yeeld unto all their demands and amongst the rest procure unto you a liberty to live here as you list But deceive not your selves for howsoever in Scotland some thinke themselves strong enough to resist their Prince yet I thanke God you are not so many here but the Kings Laws and authority is well able to overtake you And be assured that their insolent opposition against our most Pious Prince will make you that are of their Faction to be more narrowly look'd unto here then otherwise you would have been for now that our neighbours house is on fire it is high time to look to our own And surely methinks