the right stating of the Warre the nixt would be the carying on of it by such men who had given constante proofe of their integrity To put all the power of the Kingdome in their hande whose by past miscariadges had given just occasion to suspect their designes and firmenesse to the interest of God before their owne or any other mans would fill the hearts of the people with jealousies and feares and how wholsome an advice this was experience hath now too cleerly demonstrate To make the world know our further resolutiones to medle with civile affaires the Warner is pleased to bring out against us above 80 yeares old stories and all the stuffe which our malicious enemy Spotsewood can furnish to him from this good author he alledges that our Church discharged merchants to traffique with Spaine and commanded the change of the mercat dayes in Edenburgh Ans Both these calumnies are taken of at length in the Historicall Vindication After the Spanish invasion of the yeare eighty eight many in Scotland kept correspondence with Spaine for treacherous designes the Inquisitors did seduce some and persecute others of our merchants in their traffique the Church did deale with his Majestie to interceed with the Spanish King for more liberty to our country men in their trading and in the meane time while an answer was returned from Madrile they advertised the people to be warry how they hazarded their soules for any worldly gaine which they could find about the inquisitors feet As for the mercat dayes The Church medled not with the munday mercat but by way of supplication to Parliament I grante it was a great griefe to the Church to see the fabbath day profaned by handy labour and journeying by occasion of the munday-mercats in the most of the great tounes for remedie heerof many supplications have been made by the Assembly to the Parliament but so long as our Bishops satte there these petitiones of the Church were alwayes eluded for the praelats labour in the whole Iland was to have the sunday no Sabbath and to procure by their Doctrine and example the profanation of that day by all sorts of playes to the end people might be brought back to their old licentiousnes and ignorance by which the Episcopall Kingdome was advanced It was visible in Scotland that the most eminent Bishops were usual players on the Sabbath even in time of divine service And so soone as they were cast out of the Parliament the Churches supplications were granted and acts obtained for the carefull sanctification of the Lords day and removing of the mercats in all the land from the Munday to other dayes of the week The Warners nixt challenge of our usurpation is the assembly at Edinburgh 1567 their ratifying of acts of Parliament and summoning of all the country to appeare at the nixt assembly The Church once for safty of the infant Kings life with the concurrence of the secrete counsel did cal an extraordinary meeting Ans If the Warner had knowne the history of that time he would have choysed rather to have omitted this challenge then to have proclaimed to the world the great rottennesse of his own heart at that time the condition of the Church and Kingdome of Scotland was lamentable the Queen was declared for popery King James's Father was cruelly without any cause murthered by the Earle of Bothwell King James himselfe in his infancy was very neare to have been destroyed by the murtherer of his Father there was no other way conceivable of saftie for Religion for the infant King for the Kingdome but that the Protestantes should joine together for the defence of King James against these popish murtherers For this end the generall assembly did crave conference of the secrete counsel and they with mutual advise did call for a meeting of the whole Protestant party which did conveen at the time appointed most frequently in an extraordinary and mixed assembly of all the considerable persons of the Religion Earles Lords Barrons Gentlemen Burgesses and Ministers and subscribed a bond for the revenge of King Henryes death and the defence of King Iames his life This mixed and extraordinary assembly made it one of the chiefe articles in their bond to defend these Actes of the Parliament 1560 concerning religion and to endeavour the ratification of them in the nixt ensuing Parliament As for the assemblies letter to their Brethren for so frequent a meeting at the nixt extraordinary assembly it had the authority of the secret counsel it was in a time of the greatest necessity when the Religion and liberties of the land were in evident hazard from the potent and wicked counsels of the popish party both at home and abroad when the life of the young King was daily in visible danger from the hands of them who had murthered his Father and ravished his Mother Lesse could not have been done in such a juncture of time by men of wisedom and courage who had any love to their Religion King and country but the resolution of our praelats is to the contrary when a most wicked villaine had obtained the connivance of a Queen to kill her husband and to make way for the killing of her Son in his Cradle and after these murders to draw a nation Church from the true Religion established by Law into popery and a free Kingdome to an illegall Tyranny in this case there may be no meeting either of Church or State to provide remedies against such extraordinary mischiefes Beleeve it the Scotes were never of this opinion What is subjoined in the nixt paragraph of our Churches praesumption to abolish acts of Parliament By the lawes and customes of Scotland the Assembly praecieds the Parliament in the reformation of Ecclesiastical abuses is but a repetition of what is spoken before Not only the lawes of Scotland but equity and necessity referres the ordinary reformation of errours and abuses in Religion to the Ecclesiasticall assemblies what they find wrong in the Church though ratified by acts of Parliament they rectify it from the word of God and thereafter by petition obtaines their rectification to be ratifyed in a following Parliament and all former acts to the contrary to be annulled This is the ordinary Methode of proceeding in Scotland and as I take it in all other States and Kingdomes Were Christians of old hindred to leave paganisme and embrace the Gospell till the emperiall lawes for paganisme and against Christianity were revoked did the oecumenicall and National Synods of the auncients stay their reformation of heresies and corruptions in religion till the lawes of State which did countenance these errors were cancelled Was not popery in Germany France and Britaine so firmely established as civil lawes could doe it It seems the Warner heer does joyne with his Brother Issachar to proclaime all our Reformers in Britaine France and Germany to be Rebells for daring by their preachings and Assemblies to change these things
of the sabbath day the suppression of heresy and shisme and repentance for the sins of the time place wherein they live This is a crime whereof few of the Warners friends were wont to be guilty of their shamefull silence and flattery was one of the great causes of all the sins and calamities that have wracked the three Kingdomes the streame of their sermons while the enjoyed the pulpit was to encourage to superstition and contempt of piety to sing asleepe by their ungracious way all that gave eare unto them The man is impatien t to see the Pastors of Holland or any where to walk in another path then his own and for this cause would stirre up their Magistrats against them as it was his and his Brethrens custome to stirre up the Magistrats of Britan and Ireland to imprison banish and heavily vex the most zealous servants of God only for their opposition to the praelats profanity and errours The Warner I hope has not yet forgotten how Doctor Bramble and his neighbour Lefly of Down did cast out of the Ministry and made flee out of the Kingdome men most eminent for zeale piety and learning who in a short time had done more good in the house of God then all the Bishops that ever were in Ireland I meane Master Blaire Master Levingston Master Hamilton and Master Cuningham and others The Warner needed not to have marked as a singularity of Geneva that there all the Ecclesiasticks quâ tales are punishable by the Magistrats for civil crimes for wee know none of the reformed Churches who were ever following Rome in exeeming the Clergy from saecular jurisdiction except it were the Canterburian Praelats who indeed did skarre the most of Magistrats from medeling with a canonical coat though defiled with drunckenesse adultery scolding fighting and other evils which were too common of late to that order But how does hee prove The pretended declaration of King Iames was Bishop Adamsons lying libel that the Scots Ministers exempt themselves from civill jurisdiction first saith he by the declaration of King James 1584. Ans That declaration was not from King James as himselfe did testify the yeare thereafter under his hand but from Master Patrike Adamson who did acknowledge it to bee his owne upon his death bed and professed his repentance for the lyes and slaunders wherewith against his conscience hee had fraughted that infamous libell His second proofe is from the second booke of discipline Chapter II Though alwayes in England yet never in Scotland had Commissarie any jurisdiction over Ministers It is absurd that Commissaries haveing no function in the Church should be judges to Ministers to depose them from their charges Ans Though in England the Commissary and officiall was the ordinary judge to depose and excommunicat all the Ministers of the diocese yet by the Lawes of Scotland no Commissaries had ever any jurisdiction over Ministers But though the officialls jurisdiction together with their Lords the Bishops were abolished yet doth it follow from this that no other jurisdiction remaineth whereby Ministers might be punished either by Church and State according to their demerits is not this strongly reasoned by the Warner His third proofe is the case of James Gibson Iames Gibson was never absolved by the Church from his Proces who had railed in pulpit against the King and was only suspended yea thereafter was absolved from that fault Ans Upon the complaint of the Chancelor the alleadged words were condemned by the generall assembly but before the mans guiltines of these words could bee tryed hee did absent himselfe for which absence he was presently suspended from his Ministry in the nixt assembly he did appeare and cleared the reason of his absence to have been just feare and no contumacy this hee made appeare to the assemblyes satisfaction but before his processe could be brought to any issue he fled away to England where he died a fugitive never restored to his chardge though no tryell of his fault was perfected Master Blacks appeale from the counsel cleered The fourth proofe is Mr. Blacke his case heereupon the Warner makes a long and odious narration If wee interrogat him about his ground of all these Stories he can produce no warrant but Spots-woods unprinted book this is no authentick register whereupon any understanding man can rely the writer was a profest enemy to his death of the Scottish disciplin he spent his life upon a Story for the disgrace of the Presbytery and the honour of Bishops no man who is acquainted with the life or death of that Author will build his beleefe upon his words This whole narration is abundantly confuted in the historicall vindication when the Warner is pleased to repeat the challenge from Issachars burden hee ought to have replyed something after three yeares advisement to the printed answer The matter as our registers beare was shortly thus in the yeare 1596 the Popish and malignant faction in King James his court grew so strong that the countenance of the King towards the Church was much changed and over all the Land great feares did daily increase of the overthrow of the Church discipline established by Law The Ministers in their pulpits gave free warning thereof among others Mr. Black of Saint Andrews a most gracious and faithful Pastor did apply his doctrine to the sins of the time some of his Enemies delated him at Court for words injurious to the King and Queen the words hee did deny and all his honest hearers did absolve him by their testimony from these calumnies of himselfe hee was most willing to be tryed to the uttermost before all the world but his Brethren finding the libelled calumnies to bee only a pretence and the true intention of the Courtiers therein was to stop the mouthes of Ministers that the crying sins of the time should no more bee reproved in pulpits they advised him to decline the judgement of the counsel and appeale to the generall assembly as the competent judge according to the word of God and the Lawes of Scotland in the cause of doctrin for the first instance they did never question but if any thing truely seditious had been preached by a Minister that he for this might be called before the civill Magistrat and accordingly punished but that every Minister for the application of his doctrine according to the rules of scripture to the sins of his hearers for their reclaming should be brought before a civill court at the first instance they thought it unreasonable and defired the King in the nixt assembly might cognosce upon the equity of such a proceding The Ministers had many a conference with his Majestie upon that subject often the matter was brought very neare to an amicable conclusion but because the Ministers refused to subscribe a band for so great a silence as the Court required against his Majesties countenancing of treacherous Papists and favouring the enemies of religion a
goe along with us to mantaine in doctrine and practise a necessity even in times of persecution that the Church must meet for the worship of God and execution of Ecclesiastick disciplin among their owne members In this the doctrine and practise of the Scots is according to their setled lawes uncontroverted by his Majestie If the Warner will mantaine that in reason and conscience al the Churches of the world are oblidged to dissolve and never more to meet when an erroneous Magistrat by his Tyrannous edict commands them to doe so let him call up Erastus from the dead to be disciplined in this new doctrine of the praelats impious loyalty The third principle is that the judgment of true and false doctrine of suspension and deprivation of Ministers belongeth to the Church The finall determination of all Ecclesiastick causes by the Lawes of Scotland is in the generall assembly Ans If this be a great heresie it is to be charged as much upon the state as upon the Church for the acts of Parliament give all this power to the Church neither did the lawes of England or of any Christian state popish or protestant refuse to the Church the determination of such Ecclesiastick causes some indeed doe debate upon the power of appeales from the Church but in Scotland by the law as no appeale in things civill goes higher then the Parliament so in matters Ecclesiastick none goes above the generall assembly Complaints indeed may goe to the King and Parliament for redresse of any wrong has been done in Ecclesiastick Courts who being custodes religionis may by their coercive power command Ecclesiastick Courts to rectifie any wrong done by them contraire to Scripture or if they persist take order with them But that two or three praelats should become a Court of delegats to receave appeales from a generall assembly neither Law nor practise in Scotland did ever admit nor can the word of God or any Equity require it In the Scotes assemblies no causes are agitat but such as the Parliament hath agreed to bee Ecclesiastick and of the Churches cognisance no Processe about any Church rent was ever cognosced upon in Scotland but in a civill Court it s very false that ever any Church censure much lesse the highest of excommunication did fall upon any for robbing the Church of its patrimony The divine right of discipline is the tenet of the most of praelats Our fourth challenged principle is that wee maintain Ecclesiastick jurisdiction by a divine right Ans Is this a huge crime is there divine in the world either Papist or Potestant except a few praelaticall Erastians but they doe so If the Warner will professe as it seemes hee must the contradiction of that which he ascribes to us his avowed tenet must bee that all Ecclesiastick power flowes from the Magistrat that the Magistrat himself may execute all Church censures that all the Officers appointed by Christ for the governement of his Church may bee laid aside and such a kind of governors bee put in their place as the Magistrate shal be pleased to appoint that the spirituall sword and Keies of heaven belong to the Magistrate by vertue of his supremacy al 's wel as the temporall sword and the Keies of his earthly Kingdome our difference heere from the Warner will not I hope be found the greatest heresie Our last challenged principle is All the power of the Church in Scotland is legall and with the Magistrats consente that wee will have all our power against the Magistrat that is although hee dissent Ans It is an evill comentare that al must be against the Magistrate which is done against his consent but in Scotland their is no such case for all the jurisdiction which the church there does enjoy they have it with the consent of the Magistrat all is ratified to them by such acts of Parliament as his Majestie doth not at all controvert Concerning that odious case the Warner intimats whither in time of persecutiō when the Magistrat classheth with the Church any Ecclesiastick disciplin be then to be exercised himselfe can better answer it then we who with the auncient Christians doe think that on all hazards even of life the church may not be dissolved but must meet in dens and caves and in the wildernes for the word and Sacraments and keeping it selfe pure by the divine ordinance of discipline The prelats rather then to lay aside their owne interest will keepe the King and his people in misery for ever Having cleered all the pernicious practises and all the wicked Doctrines which the Warner layes upon us I think it needles to insist upon these defenses which he in his aboundant charity brings for us but in his owne way that he may with the greater advantage impugne them only I touch one passage whereupon he make injurious exclamations that which Mr. Gilespie in his theoremes wryts when the Magistrate abuses his power unto Tyranny and makes havock of all it is lawfull to resist him by some extraordinary wayes and meanes which are not ordinarily to bee allowed see the principles from which all our miseryes and the losse of our gracious Master have flowed Ans Wee must heere yeeld to the Warner the great equity and necessity that every doctrine of a Presbyter should be charged on the Presbytery it selfe and that any Presbyter teaching the lawfulnesse of a Parliaments defensive armes is tantamont to the Churches taking of armes against the king These small unconsequences wee must permit the Warner to swallow downe without any stick however wee doe deny that the maxime in hand was the fountaine of any our miseryes or the cause at all of the losse of our late Soveraigne Did ever his Majestie or any of his advised counsellers declare it simply unlawfull for a Parliament to take armes for defence in some extraordinary cases however the unhappines of the Canterburian Prelats did put his Majestie on these courses which did begin and promote all our misery and to the very last these men were so wicked as to refuse the lousing of these bands which their hands had tyed about his misinformed conscience yea to this day they will not give their consent that his Majestie who now is should lay aside Episcopacy were it for the gayning the peaceable possession of all his three Kingdomes but are urgers of him night and day to adhaere to their errours upon the hazard of all the miseries that may come on his person on his family and all his people yet few of them to this day durst be so bold as to print with this Warner the unlawfulnes of a Parliaments armes against the Tyranny of a Prince in any imaginable case how extraordinary soever CHAP. III. The Lawes and customes of Scotland admitte of no appeal from the generall assembly IN this chapter the challenge is Appeals in Scotland from a generall assembly were no lesse irrationall then illegall that
seveer Sentence was pronounced not only against Master Black but also all the Ministers of Edinburgh In the meane time malcontented States-men did adde oyle to the flame The tumult of the seventeenth day of December was harmelesse and no Minister guilty of it and at the very instant while the Ministers and their friends are offering a petition to his Majestie they subborne a villane to cry in one part of the streets the Ministers are slain and in another part of the streets that the King was killed whereupon the People rush all out to the streets in their armes and for halfe an howr at most were in a tumult upon meere ignorance what the fray might be but without the hurt of any one man so soone as it was found that both the King and Ministers were safe the people went all peaceably to their houses This is the very truth of that innocent commotion whereupon the Warner heere and his fellowes elsewhere make all their tragedies None of the Ministry were either the authors or approvers thereof though diverse of them suffered sore troubles for it CHAP. V. No Presbyterian ever intended to excommunicat any supreame Magistrat THE Warner in his fifth chapter chardges the Scotes for subjecting the King to the censure of excommunication and bringing upon princes all the miseries which the popes excommunications of old wont to bring upon Anathematised Emperours Ans The praelats ordinarly but the Presbytery never were for rash excommunications It does not become the Warner and his fellowes to object to any the abuse of the dreadfull sentence of excommunication no Church in the world was ever more guilty of that fault then the praelats of England and Ireland did they ever censure their own officialls for the pronouncing of that terrible sentence most profanly against any they would had it been for the non-payment of the smallest summes of mony As for the Scotes their doctrine and practise in the point of excommunication is as considerat as any other church in the world that censure in Scotland is most rare and only in the case of obstinacy in a great sin what ever be their doctrine in generall with all other Christians and as I think with the praelaticall party themselves that the object of Christian doctrine Sacraments and disciplin is one and the same and that no member of Christ no sone of the Church may plead a highnes above admonitions and Church censures yet I know they never thought it expedient so much as to intend any processe of Church animadversion against their Soveraigne To the worlds end I hope they shal not have againe greater grievances and truer causes of citation from their Princes then they have had already It may be confidently beleeved that they who upon so pregnant occasions did never so much as intend the beginning of a processe against their King can never be supposed in danger of any such proceeding for time to come How ever The Praelats flatter Princes to their ruine we love not the abused ground of the Warners flattering of Princes to their owne great hurt is it so indeed that all the sins of princes are only against God that all Kings are not only above all lawes of Church and State but when they fall into the greatest crimes that the worst of men have ever committed that even then their sins must not be against any man or against any law such Episcopall doctrin spurrs on princes to these unhappy praecipies and oppressed people unto these outrages that both fall into inextricable calamities CHAP. VI. It grieves the Praelats that Presbyterians are faithfull Watchmen to admonish Princes of their duty THE sixth Chapter is spent on an other crime of the Presbytery The Scots Ministers preaching for justice was just and necessary it makes the Presbiters cry to the Magistrat for justice upon capitall offenders Ans What hes Presbytery to doe with this matter were it never so great an offence will the Warner have all the faults of the praelaticall faction flow from the fountaine of Episcopacy this unconsequentiall reasoning will not be permitted to men below the degrees of Doctors But was it a very great crime indeed for Ministers to plead the cause of the fatherlesse and widowes yea the cause of God their Master and to preach unto Magistrats that according to Scriptures murtherers ought to die and the Land bee purged from the staine of innocent blood when the shamefull impunity of murther made Scotland by deadly fends in time of peace a feild of warre and blood was it not time for the faithfull servants of God to exhort the King toexecute justice and to declare the danger of most frequent pardons drawne from his hand often against his heart by the importunity and deceitfull information of powerfull solicitors to the great offence of God against the whole land to the unexpressible griefe and wrong of the suffering party to the opening also of a new floodgate of more blood which by a legall revenge in time easily might have been stopped Too much pitty in sparing the wilfull shedders of innocent blood ordinarlie proves a great cruelty not only to wards the disconsolat oppressed who cry to the vicegerents of God the avenger for justice in vaine but also towards the soule of him who is spared and the life of many more who are friends either to the oppressor or oppressed As for the named case of Huntly let the world judge Huntlyes notorious crymes whether the Ministers had reason often to give Warning against that wicked man and his complices Beside his apostacy and after-seeming-repentance his frequent relapses into avowed popery in the eighty eight he banded with the King of Spaine to overthrow the religion and government of the whole Iland and after pardon from time to time did renew his treasonable plots for the ruine of Britain hee did commit many murders he did invade under the nose of the King the house of his Cousin the Earle of Murray and most cruelly murdered that gallant Nobleman hee appeared with displayed Banner against the King in person he killed thereafter many hundreds of the Kings good people when these multiplyed outrages did cry up to the God of heaven was is not time for the men of God to cry to the judges of the earth to doe their duty according to the warrant of many Scriptures what a dangerous humour of flattery is this in our Praelats not only to lull asleep a Prince in a most sinfull neglect of his charge but also to cry out upon others more faithfull then themselves for assaying to breake of their slumber by their wholesome and seasonable admonitions from the word of God The nixt challenge of the Scotes Presbyters is that they spoile the King of his Tythes Never any question in Scotland betwixt the King and the Church for Tythes and patronages first fruits patronage and dependence of his subjects Ans The Warner understands not what he writes
the Kings Majestie in Scotland never had never craved any first fruits the Church never spoiled the King of any Tythes some other men indeed by the wickednesse most of Praelats and their followers did cousin both the King and the Church of many Tythes but his Majestie and the Church had never any controversie in Scotland about the Tythes for the King so far as concerned himselfe was ever willing that the Church should enjoy that which the very act of Parliament acknowledgeth to bee her patrimony Nor for the patronages had the Church any plea with the King the Church declared often their minde of the iniquity of patronages wherein they never had from the King any considerable opposition but from the Nobility and gentry the opposition was so great that for peace-sake the Church was content to let patronages alone till God should make a Parliament lay to heart what was incumbent for gracious men to doe for liberating congregations from their slavery of having Ministers intruded upon them by the violence of Patrones Which now at last blessed be God according to our mind is performed As for the dependence of any vassals upon the King King Iames avowes himselfe a hater of Erastianisme it was never questioned by any Presbyterian in Scotland What is added in the rest of the Chapter is but a repetition of that which went before to wit the Presbyters denying to the King the spirituall government of the Church and the power of the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven such an usurpation upon the Church King James declared under his hand as at length may be seen in the Historicall vindication to be a sinne against the Father Son and Holy Ghost which puts in the hand of the Magistrat the power of preaching and celebrating the Sacraments a power which since that time no Magistrat in Britaine did assume and if any would have claimed it none would have more opposed then the most zealous patrones of Episcopacy The injurious invectives which the Warner builds upon this his Erastian assertion wee passe them as Castles in their aire which must fall and evanish for want of a foundation Only before I leave this Chapter let the Warner take a good Sentence out of the mouth of that wyse Prince King James to testifie yet farther his minde against Erastianisme His Majestie in the yeare 1617 having come in progresse to visit his auncient Kingdome of Scotland and being present in persone at a publick disputation in Theologie in the Universitie of St. Andrews whereof also many both Nobles and Church-men of both Kingdomes were auditors when one of those that acted a part in the disputation had affirmed and went about to maintaine this assertion that the King had power to depose Ministers from their Ministeriall function The King himself as abhorring such flatterie cried out with a loud voice Ego possum deponere Ministri caput sed non possum deponere ejus officium CHAP. VII The Presbyterie does not draw from the Magistrat any paritie of his power by the cheate of any relation IN the seventh chapter the Warner would cause men believe many more of the Presbyteries usurpations upon the civill Magistrate The Presbytery cognosceth only upon scandals and that in sewer civil things then the Bishopscourts were wont to meddle with The first is that all offences whatsoever are cognoscible in the consistory upon the case of scandals Ans First the Presbyterie makes no offence at all to come before the consistory but scandall alone Secondly these civill offences the scandall whereof comes before the Presbytery are but very few and a great deale fewer than the Bishops officiall takes notice of in his consistoriall court That capitall crimes past over by the Magistrate should bee censured by the Church no society of Christians who have any discipline did ever call in question When the sword of the Magistrat hes spared a murderer an adulterer a Blasphemer will any ingenuous either praelaticall or popish divine admitte of such to the holy table without signes of repentance The Warners second usurpation is but a branch of the first that the Presbyterie drawes directly before it selfe the cognisance of fraud in barganing false measures oppression and in the case of Ministers brybing usury fighting perjury c. Ans Is it then the Warners minde that the notorious slander of such grosse sins does not deserve so much as an Ecclesiastick rebooke Shall such persons without admonition be admitted to the holy communion Secondly the named cases of fraud in barganing false measures oppression come so rarely before our Church-judicatories that though these thirty yeares I have been much conversant in Presbyteries yet did I never see nor doe I remember that ever I heard any of these three cases brought before any church assembly In the persone of Ministers I grant these faults which the canons of the Church in all times and places make the causes of deprivation are cognosced upon in Presbyteries but with the good liking I am sure of all both papists and praelats who themselves are free of such vices And why did not the Warner put in among the causes of church mens deprivation from office and benefite adultery gluttonny and drunkennes are these in his c. which he will not have cognoscible by the Church in the persons of Bishops and Doctors The Warners third challenge amounts to an high crime that Presbyterian Ministers are bold to preach upon these scriptures which speake of the Magistrats duty in his office or dare offer to resolve from scripture any doubt which perplexeth the conscience of Magistrats or people of Husband or Wife of Master or Servant in the discharge of their Christian duty one to another What ever hath been the negligence of the Bishop of Derry yet I am sure all the preaching Praelats and Doctors of England pretended a great care to goe about these uncontroverted parts of their ministerial function and yet without medling with the Mysteries of State or the depths of any mans particulare vocation much lesse with thejudgement of jurisdiction in politicall or aeconomicall causes As for the Churches declaration against the Late engagement The Churches proceedings in the late engagement cleered from mistakes did it not well become them to signify their judgement in so great a case of conscience especially when the Parliament did propone it to them for resolution and when they found a conjunction driven on with a cleerly malignant partie contrary to solemne oathes and covenants unto the evident hazard of Religione and them who had been most eminent instruments of its preservation was it not the churches duty to give warning against that sinne and to exhort the ring leaders therein to repentance But our Warner must needs insist upon that unhappy engagement and fasten great blame upon the Church for giving any advice about it Ans Must it be Jesuisitisme and a drawing of all the civill affaires to the Churches barre in
imployed that all should be such who had given no just cause of Jealousy no man did question but all who were to have the managing of that warre should be free of all just causes of Jealousy which could be made appeare not to halfe a dossen of Ministers but to any competent judicatory according to the lawes of the Kingdome The Warner has not been carefull to informe himselfe where the knot of the difference lay and so gives out his owne groundlesse conjectures for true Historicall narrations which he might easily have helped by a more attentive reading of our publick declarations The second fault he finds with our Church is that they proclaime in print their dissatisfaction with that ingagement as favourable to the malignant party c. Ans The Warner knows not that it is one of the liberties of the Church of Scotland established by law and long custome to keep the people by publick declarations in their duty to God It is one of the liberties of the Church of Scotland to publish declarations when men are like to draw them away to sin according to that of Esay 8. v. 12.13 What in great humility piety and wisedome was spoken to the world in the declaration of the Church concerning that undertaking was visible enough for the time to any who were not peremptor to follow their owne wayes and the lamentable event since has opened the eyes of many who before would not see to acknowledge their former errours but if God should speake never so loud from Heaven the Warner and his party will stoppe their eares for they are men of such gallant Spirits as scorne to submit either to God or men but in a Romane constancy they will be ever the same though their counsels wayes be found never so palpably pernicious The third thing the Warner layes to the charge of our Church is The leavy was never offered to be stopped by the Church that they retarded the leavies Ans In this also the Warner shewes his ignorance or malice for how sore soever the Levy as then stated mannaged was against the hearts of the Church yet their opposition to it was so cold-rife and small that no complaint needs bee made of any retardment from them So soone as the commanders thought it expedient there was an Army gotten up so numerous and strong that with the ordinary blessing of God was aboundantly able to have done all the professed service but where the aversion of the hearts of the Church and the want of their prayers is superciliously contemned The Church was not the cause of the gathering at Mauchlin Moore what mervaile that the strongest arme of flesh bee quickly broken in peeces The fourth charge is most calumnious that the Church gathered the country together in armes at Mauchline moor to oppose the expedition Ans No Church man was the cause of that meeting a number of yeomen being frighted from their houses did flee away to that corner of the Land that they might not be forced against their conscience to goe as souldiers to England while their number did grow and they did abide in a body for the security of their persons upon a sudden a part of the Army came upon them some Ministers being neare by occasion of the communion at Mauchlin the day before were good instruments with the people to goe away in peace And when the matter was tryed to the bottom by the most Eagle-eyed of the Parliament nothing could be found contrary to the Ministers protestation that they were no wayes the cause of the peoples convening or fighting at Mauchlin The paralell that the Warner makes betwixt the generall assembly and Parliament is malicious in all its parts The assembly is helpfull and not hurtfull to the Parliament For the first though the one Court be civill and the other Spirituall yet the Presbyterians lay the authority of both upon a divine fundation that for conscience sake the Courts civil must be obeyed in all their Lawfull commands alsewell as the assemblyes of the Church God being the author of the politick order as well as the Ecclesiastick and the revenger of the contempt of the one alswell as of the other But what doth the Warner meane to mock at Ministers for carrying themselves as the Ambassadors of Christ for judging according to the rule of Scripture for caring for life eternall is he become so shamefullie impious as to perswade Ministers to give over the care of life eternall to lay aside the holy Scripture and deny their ambassage from Jesus Christ behold what Spirit leads our praelats while they jeere the World out of all Religion and chase away Ministers from Christ from Scripture from eternall life Of the second part of the parallell that people are more ready to obey their Ministers then their Magistrats what shall be made all the power which Ministers have with the people is builded on their love to God and religion how much so ever it is a good Statseman will not envy it for he knowes that God and conscience constraine Ministers to imploy all the power they have with the people to the good of the Magistrat as the deputy and servant of God for the peoples true good The Warner heer understands best his owne meaning while he scoffes at Ministers for their threatning of men with hells fire Are our Praelats come to such open proclamations of their Atheisme as to printe their desires to banish out of the hearts of people all feare not only of Church-censures but even of hell it selfe whither may not Satan drive at last the instruments of his Kingdome The third parte of the paralell consists of a number of unjust and false imputations before particularly refuted What he subjoines of the power of the generall Assembly to name Comittees to sit in the intervalls of Assemblies The appointment of comittees is a right of every court as well Ecclesiastick as civil it is but a poore charge is it not the dayly practise of the Parliaments of Scotland to nominat their Comittees of State for the intervalls of Parliament Is it not ane inhaerent right to every Court to name some of their number to cognosce upon things within their owne spheare at what ever times the court it selfe finds expedient how ever the judicatories of the Church by the lawes of the Kingdome being authorized to meet when themselves think fit both ordinarly and pro re nata their power of appointing Comittees for their owne affaires was never questioned and truely these Comittees in the times of our late troubles when many were lying in waite to disturbe both Church and State have been forced to meet oftner then otherwise any of their members did desire whose diversion from their particular charges though for attendance on the publick is joyned with so great fashery and expence that with all their heart they could be glade to decline it if feare of detriment to the