advanced that the Government of the Church by Congregational Elderships Classical Presbyteries Provincial National Assemblies is aggreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westmnster and voted concâ—uded in both houses of Parliament After this the Malignants in England being crushed in all their Projects the King renders himself to the Scots in New castle by whom because by Covenant they were not obliged to defend him but only in defence of Religion Liberty which he had been destroying and they defending because in this war he did directly oppose oppugne these conditions under which they were only to defend him and therefore they had all alongst carried towards him as an enemy as he to them And because by the same Covenant they were obliged to discover render to condign punishment all Malignants Incendaries of whom he was the chief and to reâ—ain the Peace Union of the Kingdoms which could not be retained in maintaining their destroyer And to assist mutually all entered into that Covenant which he was fighting against he was delivered up into the English and kept under restraint in the Isle of Wight untill he received his just demerit for all his oppressions Murders Treachery Tyranny being condemned execute Ianuar. 30. anno 1648 9 Which fact though it was protested against both before after by the Assembly of the Church of Scotland out of zeal against the Sectarians the executioners of that extraordinary Act of Justice yet it was more sor the manner than for the matter and more for the motives ends of it than for the grounds of it that they opposed themselves to it and resented it For they acknowledged remonstrated to himself the Truth of all these things upon which that sentence execution of Justice was founded And when a wicked Association Unlawful Engagment was on foot to rescue him they opposed it with all their might Shewing in their Answers to the Estates that year 1648. and Declarations Remonstrances the sinfullness destructiveness of that Engagment that it was a breach of the Commandments of God of all the Articles of the Covenant Declaring withal they would never consent to the Kings Restitution to the exercise of his Power without previous assurance by solemn Oath under his hand seal for settling of Religion according to the Covenant By which it appears they were not so stupidly Loyal as some would make them Yet indeed it cannot be past without regrate that there was too much of this plague of the Kings-evil even among good men which from that time forth hath so infected the heads hearts of this Generation that it hath almost quite extinct all Loyaltie to Christ and all zeal for Religion Liberty Then it began to infuse diffuse its Contagion when after the death of Charles the first in the year 1649. they began after all that they had smarted for their trusting these treacherous Tyrants and after that Grace had been shewed them from the Lord their God by breaking these mens yokes from from off their necks and puting them again into a Capacity to act for the good of Religion their oun safety and the peace safety of the Kingdom to think of joining once more with the people of these abominations and taking into their bosoms these Serpents which had formerly stung them almost to death Hinc ilâ—â— lachrimae en origo Scaturigo nostrae defectionis There was indeed at that time a Party faithful for God who considering the many breaches of the Solemn League Covenant and Particularly by the late Engagment against England did so travel that they procured the Covenant to be renewed with the Solemn Acknowledgment of sins Engagment to duties which was Universally subscribed sworn through all the Land wherein also they regrete this tampering with Malignants And therefore the Lord did mightily save defend them from all their Adversaries subdued them at Stirling and in the North. They did also give warning concerning the young King that notwithstanding of the Lords hand against his Father yet he hearkens unto the Counsells of these who were Authors of these Miseries to his Father by which it hath come to pass that he hath hitherto refused to grant the just necessary desires of the Church Kingdom for securing of Religion Liberty And it is much to be feared that these wicked Counsellers may so far prevail upon him as to ingage him in a war for overturning the Work of God and bearing doun all those in the three Kingdoms that adhere therto Which if he shall do cannot but bring great wrath from the Lord upon himself throne and must be the cause of many new great Miseries Calamities to these Lands And in the same warning by many weighty reasons they prove that he is not to be admitted to the exercise of his power without security for Religion Liberty And when the bringing home of the King came to be voted in the Assembly there was one faithful witness Mr Adam Kae Minister in Galaway protested against it fore shewing fore telling what mischeef misery he would bring with him when he should come These things might have had some weight to demur the Nation from medling with that perfidious Traitor But all this serves only to aggravate the sin shame of that distraction which hath procured all this destruction under which the Land mourns to this day That notwithstanding of all these Convictions warnings yea and discoveries of his Malignancy Treachery inclinations to Tyranny They sent Commissioners and concluded at Treaty with him at Breda During which Treaty the Commissions which he had sent to that bloody villain Montrose his Cut throat Complices to raise an Armie wast invade the Countrey with fire sword the second time were brought to the Committee of Estates discovering what sort of King they were treating with Whereupon after serious Consulting not only together but with the Lord And after many debates what to do in such a doubtfull case wherein all was in danger the Estates concluded to break off the Treaty and recall their Commissioners To which intent they sent an Express with Letters to Breda which by providence falling into the hands of Libberton a true Libertine false betrayer of his trust Country was by him without the knowledge of the other Commissioners delivered unto the King who consulting the Contents of the Packet with his Jesuitical Hypocritical Cabal found it his interest to play the fox being disappointed at that time to play the Tyger and dissemble with God man. And so sending for the Commissioners he made a flattering speech to them shewing that novv after serious deliberation he vvas resolved to comply vvith all their Proposals Where upon the poor cheated Commissioners dispatch the post back with Letters full of praise joy for the satisfaction they had received The Estates perceiving themselves
though he be a Royal Vassal of the Kingdom Princely Servant of the people yet he is not their deputy because he is really their Soveraign to whom they have made over their Power of governing protecting themselves irrevocably except in the case of Tyranny and in acts of Justice he is not countable to any and does not depend on the people as a deputy But on the other hand the people is superior to the King in respect of their fountain power of Soveraignty that remains radically virtually in them in that they make him their Royal Servant and him rather than another and limit him to the Laws for their oun good advantage and though they give to him a Politick Power for their oun safety yet they keep a Natural Power which they cannot give away but must resume it in case of Tyranny And though they cannot retract the power of Justice to govern righteously yet it is not so irrevocably given away to him but that when he abuseth his power to the destruction of his subjects they may wrest a sword out of a mad mans hand though it be his oun sword and he hath a just power to use it for good but all fiduciary power abused may be repealed They have not indeed Soveraignity or power of life death formally yet in respect they may constitute a Magistrate with Laws which if they violate they must be in hazard of their lives they have this power eminently virtually Hence in respect that the Kings Power is and can be only fiducial by way of trust reposed upon him he is not so superior to the people but he may ought to be accountable to them in case of Tyranny which is evident from what is said and now I intend to make it further appear But first I form the Argument thus We can oune no King that is not accountable to the people Ergo we cannot oune this King. To clear the Connexion of the antecedent consequent I adde Either he is accountable to the people or he is not If he be accountible to all then he is renouncible by a part when the Collective body either wil not or cannot exact an account from him when the Community is defective as to their part it is the interest of a part that would but cannot do their duty to give no account to such as they can get no account from for his Maleversations This is all we crave If he be not accountable then we cannot oune him because all Kings are accountable for these reasons 1. The Inferior is accountable to the Superior the King is inferior the people superior Ergo the King is accountable to the people The proposition is plain if the Kings superiority make the people accountable to him in case of transgressing the Laws then why should not the peoples superiority make the King accountable to them in case of transgressing the Laws especially seeing the King is inferior to the Laws because the Law restrains him and from the Law he hath that whereby he is King the Law is inferior to the people because they are as it were its parent and way make or unmake it upon occasion and seeing the Law is more powerful than the King and the people more powerful than the Law we may see before which we may call the King to answer in Judgment Buchan Iure Regni apud Scot. That the King is inferior to the people is clear on many accounts for these things which are institute for others sake are inferior to those for whose sake they are required or sought a horse is inferior to them that use him for victory A King is only a mean for the peoples good A Captain is less then the Army a King is but a Captain over the Lords Inheritance 1 Sam. 10. 1. He is but the Minister of God for their good Rom. 13. 4. Those who are before the King and may be a people without him must be superior to him who is a posteriour and cannot be a King without them let the King be considered either Materially as a Mortal man he is then but a part inferior to the whole or formally under the reduplication as a King he is no more but a Royal Servant obliged to spend his life for the people to save them out of the hand of their enemies 2 Sam. 19 9. A part is inferior to the whole the King is but a part of the Kingdom A Gift is inferior to them to whom it is given a King is but a gift given of God for the peoples good That which is Mortal but accidental is inferior to that which is eternal cannot perish Politically a King is but mortal and it is but accidental to Government that there be a succession of Kings but the people is eternal one generation passeth away another generation cometh Eccles. 1. 4. especially the people of God the portion of the Lords inheritance is superior to any King and their ruine of greater moment than all the Kings of the world for if the Lord for their sake smite great Kings slay famous Kings as Sihon Og Psal. 137. 17-20 if he give kings famous kingdoms for their ransome Isai. 43. 3 4. then His people must be so much superior than kings by how much His Justice is active to destroy the one and His Mercy to save the other All this proves the people to be superior in dignity And therefore even in that respect its frivolous to say the king cannot be accountable to them because so much superior in Glory Pomp for they are superior every way in excellency And though it were not so yet Judges may be inferior in rank considered as men but they are superior in Law over the greatest as they are Judges to whom far greater than they are accountable The low mean condition of them to whom belongs the power of Judgment does not diminish its dignity when the king then is Judged by the people the Judgment is of as great dignity as if it were done by a superior king for the Judgment is the sentence of the Law 2. They are superior in power because every constituent cause is superior to the effect the people is the constituent cause the king is the effect and hath all his Royaltie from them by the Conveyance God hath appointed so that they need not feâ—ch it from Heaven God gives it by the people by whom also his power is limited and it need be diminished from what they gave his Ancestors Hence if the people constitute limit the power they give the King then they may call him to an account and judge him for the abuse of it But the first is true as is proven above Ergo The Major is undenyable for sure they may judge their oun Creature and call him to an account for the power they gave him when he abuses it though there be no Tribunal formally Regal above him
shall be found to conduce for so good ends Which are the Words of the National Covenant clearly condemning Oaths Bonds given to Malignants which are divisive of them that adhere to and Unitive with them that oppose the Covenant and impeditive of resolutions to prosecute the ends thereof So in the Solemn League Covenant Art. 4. We are obliged to oppose all such as make any faction or parties amongst the people contrary to this League Covenant but by these Oaths Bonds such factions are made c. And by Art. 6. we are obliged to assist defend all those that enter into this Covenant contradicted by all the later Oaths Bonds and not to suffer our selves directly or indirectly by whatsoever combination to be divided from this blessed union whether to make defection to the contrary part or to give our selves to a detestable indifferency c. Which we do when we divide our selves from these that refuse these Oaths and makes defection unto the party that impose them And in the Solemn Acknowledgment of sins Engagment to duties We are sworn § 6. to be so far from conniving at complying with or countenancing of Malignancy Injustice c. that we shall not only avoid discountenance these things c. but take an effectual course to punish suppress these evils All which we counteract contradict when we take any of these Oaths or Bonds In the Second place by a Particular induction of the several kinds of these Oaths Bonds the iniquity of each of them will appear and the Complex iniquity of the smoothest of them the Oath of Abjuration compared with every one of them will be manifest And consequently the honesty innocency of Sufferers for Refusing them will be discovered I. The first in order which was a Copy to all the rest was the Declaration ordained to be subscribed by all in publick Charge office or Trust within the Kingdom Wherein they do affirme declare they judge it unlawful to Subjects upon pretence of Reformation or any other pretence whatsoever to enter into Leagues Covenants or take up armes against the King and that all these Gatherings petitions protestations that were used for carrying on of the late troubles were unlawful seditious And particularly that these Oaths the National Covenant and the Salemn League Covenant were and are in themselves unlawful Oaths Here is a Confederacy required against the Lord at which the Heavens might stand astonished an unparalelled breach of the Third Command Which could no more be taken in Truth Righteousness than an Oath renouncing the Bible but it hath this advantage of the rest that it is some what plain And the iniquity legible on its front 1. That it is a renouncing of Solemn Sacred Covenants perpetually binding to Moral indispensable duties the wickedness whereof is evident from what is said above 2. It makes perjurie of the deepest dye the necessary sine qua non qualification of all in publick Office who cannot be presumed capable of administrating Justice when they have avowed themselves perjured perfidious and not to be admitted among heathens let be Christians nor trusted in a matter of ten shillings money according to the Laws of Scotland 3. It renounces the whole Work of Reformation and the way of Carrying it on as a Pretence and trouble unlawful seditious Which if it be a Trouble then the Peace they have taken in renouncing it must be such a Peace as is the plague of God upon the heart filling it with senslessness stupidity in His just Judgement because of the palpable breach of Covenant or such a Peace as is very consistent with the Curse vengeance of God pursuing the quarrel of a broken Covenant 4. It condemns the taking up armes against the King which shall be proven to be duty Head 5. Besides that hereby the most innocent means of seeking the redress of Grievances that Religion Risings Law practice of all Nations allowes is condemned Yet in effect for as monstrous as this Oath is the Complexe of its iniquity is couched in the Oath of Abjuration in which many of these Methods of Combinations Risings Declarations of war against the King and Protestations against his Tyranny which were used in the late Troubles for carrying on the Reformation are abjured in that a Declaration is renounced in so far as it Declares war against the King and asserts it Lawful to kill them that serve him Which yet in many cases in the Covenanted Reformation here renounced were acknowledged practised as Lawful besides that it hath many other breaches of Covenant in it as will be shewed II. The next Net they contrived to catch Consciences was the Oath of Allegiance Supremacy Wherein they that took it for testification of their faithful obedience to their most gracious redoubted Soveraign Charles King of Great Britain do affirme testifie Declare that they acknowledg their said Soveraign only supreme Governour of this Kingdom over all persons in all Causes And that no forreign Prince hath any jurisdiction power or superiority over the same and therefore do utterly renounce all forreign power and shall at their utmost power defend assist maintain his Majs jurisdiction foresaid and never decline his power The iniquity of this Oath is very vast and various 1. It is a Covenant of Allegiance with a King turned Tyrant and enemy to Religion Subverter of the Reformation and overturner of our Laws Liberties and therefore demonstrate to be sinful both from the first General Argument against Oaths and from Head. 2. 2. It cannot be taken in Truth Righteousness or Iudgement beause the words are general very comprehensive and ambiguous capable of diverse senses when he is affirmed to be supreme over all Persons and in all Causes and to be assistest maintained in that jurisdiction Who can be sure in swearing such an Oath but that he may thereby wrong others wrong Parliaments in their Priviledges wrong the Church in her Liberties and which is worse wrong the Lord Jesus Christ who is Supreme alone in some Causes Can an Oath be taken in Truth Righteousness to assist him in all encroachments upon Causes that are not subordinate to him and in invading all those Priviledges of Subjects which are Natural Civil Moral Religious for if he be supreme in all Causes then all these depend upon him be subordinate to him And can it be taken in Iudgement and with a clear mind when it may be debated doubted as it is by some whether the obligation of it is to be considered as circumstantiate specificate to the present Object of it supposing him a Tyrant or in a more abstract notion as it might be tendered in the sense of its first Authors as it was taken in King Iames the 6. his dayes And as they plead for taking the English Oath of Allegiance as it was accepted by the
Peers and had it before they erected and constituted Peers or Primores There is no distinction of quality in interests of Nature though ther be in Civil order but self defence is not an act of Civil order In such Interests people must not depend upon the priority of their superiours nor suspend the duties they owe to themselves and their neighbours upon the manuduction of other mens greatness The Law of Nature allowing self defence or the defence of our Brethren against unjust violence addeth no such restriction that it must only be done by the conduct or concurrence of the Primores or Parliaments 2. The people have as great Interest to defend their Religion as the Peers and more because they have more souls to care for than they who are far fewer And to be violented in their Consciences which are as free to them as to the Peers is as unsupportable to them yea both are equally concerned to maintain Truth and rescue their Brethren suffering for it which are the chief grounds of war and if the ground of the defensive war be the same with them and without them what reason can be given making their Resistence in the one case Lawful and not in the other Both are alike obliged to concur and both are equally obnoxious to Gods threatened Judgments for suffering Religion to be ruined and not relieving rescuing Innocents It will be but a poor excuse for people to plead they had no Peers to head them What if both King Nobles turn enemies to Religion as they are at this day shall people do nothing for the defence of it then Many times the Lord hath begun a Work of Reformation by foolish things and hath made the least of the flock to draw them out Ier. 49. 2. and 50. 45. and did not think fit to begin with Nobles but began it when powers Peers were in opposition to it and when He blessed it so at length as to engage the publick Representatives to oune it what was done by private persons before they never condenmed 3. The people are injured without the Nobles therefore they may resist without them if they be able for there can be no Argument adduced to make it unlawful to resist without them which will not equally make it unlawful to do it with them 4. It s true the Primores are obliged beyond others and have Authority more than others to concur but Separately they cannot act as Representatives judicially They have a Magistratical power but limited to their particular Precincts where they have Interest and cannot extend it beyond these bounds And so if they should concur they are still in the capacity of subjects for out of a Parliamentary Capacity they are not Representatives 5. All the power they can have is Cumulative not Privative for deterior conditio Domini per Procurationem fieri non debet Why then shall the Representatives betraying their Trust wrong the Cause of the people whose Trustees they are Nay if it were not Lawful for people to defend their Religion Lives Liberties without the concurrence of Parliaments then their case should be worse with them than without them for they have done it before they had them and so they had better be without them still 6. People may defend themselves against the Tyranny of a Parliament or Primores or Nobles Ergo they may do it without them for if it be Lawful to resist them its Lawful to wave them when they are in a Conspiracy with the King against them 5. We disallow all war without real indeclinable Necessity and great grievous wrongs sustained and do not maintain it is to be declared or undertaken upon supposed Grounds or pretended Causes And so the Question is impertinently stated by our Adversaries Whether or not it be Lawful for Subjects or a party of them when they think themselves injured or to be in a capacity to Resist or Oppose the Supreme power of a Nation For the Question is not if when they think themselves injured they may Resist but when the injuries are real Neither is it every realitie of injuries will justify their Resistence but when their dearest nearest Liberties are invaded especially when such an invasion is made as threatens inâ—luctable subversion of them Next we do not say that a parties esteeming themselves in a Capacity or their being really in a Capacity doth make Resistence a duty except caeteris Paribus they have a Call as well as a Capacity which requires real Necessity and a right to the action and the things contended for to be real legal Rights really illegally encroached upon their Capacity gives them only a Conveniency to go about the duty that is previously Lawful upon a Moral ground No man needs to say who shall be Judge the Magistrate or people For. 1. All who have eyes in their head may judge whether the sun shine or not and all who have common sense may judge in this case For when it comes to a Necessity of Resistence it is to be supposed that the Grievances complained of and sought to be redressed by armes are not hid but manifest it cannot be so with any party only pretending their suffering wrong 2. There is no need of the formality of a Judge in things evident to Natures eye as Grassant Tyranny undermining overturning Religion Liberty must be Nature in the acts of necessitated Resistence in such a case is Judge party Accuser Witness all Neither is it an act of Judgement for people to defend their oun Defence is no act of jurisdiction but a priviledge of Nature Hence these common sayings vim vi repellere omnia jura permittunt And defendere se est juris Naturae Defensio vitae necessaria est a jure Naturali profluit 3. Be Judge who will the Tyrant cannot be Judge in the case for in these Tyrannical Acts that force the people to that Resistence he cannot be acknowledged as King and therefore no Judge for it s supposed the Judge is absent when he is the party that does the wrong And he that does the wrong as such is inferior to the innocent 4. Let God be Judge and all the World taking cognizance of the evidence of their respective Manifesto's of the State of their Cause 6. We condemn Resing to revenge private injuries whereby the Land may be involved in blood for some petty wrongs done to some persons great or small And abhor revengful Usurping of the Magistrats sword to avenge our selves for personal injuries As Davids killing of Saul would have been 1 Sam. 24. 10 12 13. 1 Sam. 26. 9 10. To Object which in this case were very impertinent for it would have been an act of offence in a remote defence if Saul had been immediatly asaulting him it could not be denied to be Lawful and it would have been an act of private revenge for a personal injurie and a sinful preventing of Gods promise of Davids
others that touch the Majestie of God doth not appertain to Kings chief Rulers only but also to the whole body of the people and to every member of the same according to the vocation of every man and according to that possibility occasion which God doth minister to revenge the injury done against His Glory And that doth Moses more plainly speak in these words of the same Chapter If in any Citie which the Lord thy God giveth thee thou shalt hear this bruite there are some men sons of Belial Plain it is that Moses speaks not nor giveth charge to Kings Rulers Judges only but he commands the whole body of the people yea and every member of the same according to their possibility And who dare be so impudent as to deny â—his to be most reasonable just For seeing God had delivered the whole body from bondage and to the whole multitude had given His Law and to the twelve tribes had distributed the Land of Canaan was not the whole every member addebted to confess the benefits of God and to study to keep the possession received which they could not do except they kept the Religion established put out iniquity from amongst them To the carnal man this may seem to be a rigorous severe judgement that even the Infants there should be appointed to the cruel death and as concerning the City and spoill of the same mans reason cannot think but that it might have been better bestowed than to be consumed But in such cases let all creatures stoup and desist from reasoning when Commandment is given to execute His Judgment I will search no other reasons than the Holy Ghost hath assigned first that all Israel should fear to commit the like abomination And secondly that the Lord might turn from the fury of His anger Which plainly doth signifie that by the defection Idolatry of a few Gods wrath is kindled against the whole which is never quenched till such punishment be taken upon the offenders that whatsoever served them in their Idolatry be brought to destruction c. I have inlarged so far upon this Period that it may appear there is nothing now in Controversy between the suffering reproached party now in Scotland and either their Friends or Enemies which could fall under our Reformers inquiry but they have declared themselves of the same sentiments that are now so much opposed And therefore none can condemn the present heads of suffering except also they condemn the Reformers judgment and consequently the imputation of novelty must fall PERIOD IV. Containing the Testimony of the first Contenders against Prelacy and Supremacy from the year 1570. to 1638. HItherto the Conflict was for the Concerns of Christs Prophetical Priestly Office against Paganisine Popery But from the year 1570. And dounward the Testimony is stated and gradually Prosecuted for the Rights Priviledges Prerogatives of Christs Kingly Office which hath been the peculiar Glory of the Church of Scotland above all the Churches in the Earth that this hath been given to her as the word of her Testimony and not only Consequentially Reductively as all other Churches may challenge a part of this dignity but Formally Explicitely to contend for this very head The Headship Kingship of Iesus Christ the Prince of the Kings of the Earth and His Mediatory Supremacy over His oun Kingdom of Grace both visible Invisible This is Christs supremacy a special radiant Jewel of His Imperial Croun which as it hath been as explicitely incroached upon in Scotland by His Insolent Enemies as ever by any that entered in opposition to Him so it hath been more expressly witnessed and wrestled for by His suffering Servants in that Land than in any place of the world This was in a particular manner the Testimony of that Period during the reign of King Iames the Sixth as it hath been in a great measure in our day since the year 1660. Which as it is the most important Cause of the greatest Consequence that Mortals can contend for So it hath this peculiar Glory in it that it is not only for a Truth of Christ of greater value then the standing of Heaven Earth but also it is the very Truth for which Christ Himself died considered as a Martyr And which concerns Him to vindicate maintain as a Monarch The Witnesses of that day made such an high account of it that they encouraged one another to suffer for it as the greatest Concern being a witness for Christs Glorious free Monarchie which as it is the end of the other two Offices so the Testimony is more Glorious to God more honourable to His Son and more Comfortable to them then the Testimony either for His Prophetical office or for His Priesthood because His Kingdom was specially impugned at the time As Mr Forbes Mr Welsh write in a Letter to the Ministers at Court. The Corruptions Usurpations wronging this Truth that they contended against were Prelacy and the Kings Supremacy in Ecclesiastical matters which will be usefull to hint a litle how they Prosecuted the Conflict When Sathan whose Kingdom was then declining by several instruments means both by force fraud did endeavour to put a stop to the Reformation by reintroducing the Antichristian Hierarchy of Prelacy when he could not reestablish the Antichristian Doctrine of Popery he left no means unessayed to effectuate it And first he began to bring the name Bishop in request that was now growing obsolete odious by reason of the abuse of it as it ought to be still for though the name be found in the Scriptures yet neither is that Catechrestical application of it to Prelats to be sound nor was there any other reason for the translation of it after that manner except it were to please Princes seeing the native signification of it is an Overseer proper and common to all faithfull Pastors And indeed his first essay reached litle further then the bare name for they were to be subject to tryed by Assemblies and hardly had so much power as Superintendents before But it was a fine Court-juggle for Noblemen to get the Church revenues into their hands by restoring the Ecclesiastical titles and obtaining from the titulars either Temporal Lands or Pensions to their dependers so they were only Tulchan Bishops a Calfeskin to cause the Cow give milk Yet though this in our day would have been thought tollerable The faithful Servants of Christ did zealously oppose it Mr Knox denunced Anathema to the Giver and Anathema to the Receiver And the following Assembly condemned the office it self as having no sure warrant authority nor ground in the Book of God but brought in by the folly corruption of mens invention to the overthrow of the Church and ordained all that brooked the office to dimit simpliciter and to desist cease from preaching while they received de novo admission from the
Generall Assembly under the pain of excomunication Hereby they were awakened animated to a more vigorous Prosecution of the establishment of the House of God in its due Government In pursuance whereof the Assemblies from that time untill the year 1581. Did with much painfulness faithfulness attend the work untill by perfecting of the Second Book of Discipline they compleated their work in the exact Model of Presbyterial Government in all its Courts Officers Which was Confirmed Covenanted to be kept inviolate in the National Covenant subscribed that year by the King his Court Council and afterwards by all ranks of People in the Land. Whence it may be doubted whether the impudence of the succeeding Prelats that denyed this or their perjury in breaking of it be greater This was but the first brush a brisker assault followes Wherein for the better establishment of Prelacy that what it wants of Divine right might be supplyed by the accession of humane Prerogative and not only Diocesan but also Erastian Prelacy might be set up to destroy Christs Kingdom advance Sathans the Earle of Arran his wicked Complices move the King contrary both to the Word Oath of God to usurp the prerogative of Jesus Christ and assume to himself a blasphemous Monster of Supremacy over all Persons in all Causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil But this also the faithful Servants of God did worthily valiantly resist and at the very first appearance of it gave in a Grievance to the King anno 1582. That he had taken upon him a spiritual Power which properly belongs to Christ as only King Head of the Church the Ministerie execution whereof is only given to such as bear office in the Ecclesiastical Government in the same so that in the Kings Person some men press to erect a new Popedome as though he could not be full King of this Commonwealth unless as well the spiritual as temporal Sword be put in his hand unless Christ be rest of His Authority and the two Jurisdictions confounded which God hath divided which directly tendeth to the wrack of all true Religion Which being presented by the Commissioners of the General Assembly the Earle of Arran asked with a frouning Countenance who dare subscribe these treasonable Articles Mr Andrew Melvin answered we dare will subscribe render our Lives in the Cause And afterward that same Assembly presented Articles shewing that seeing the spiritual Jurisdiction of the Church is granted by Christ and given only to them that by preaching teaching overseeing bear Office within the same to be exercised not by the injunctions of men but by the only Rule of Gods Word hereafter no other of whatsomever degree or under whatsomever pretence have any colour to ascribe or to take upon them any part thereof either in placing or displacing of Ministers without the Churches admission or in stopping the mouths of Preachers or puting them to silence or take upon them the judgment of tryal of Doctrine c. But in contempt contradiction to this and to prosecute exert this new usurped Power Mr Andrew Melvin was summoned before the secret Council for a Sermon of his applying his doctrine to the Times Corruptions whereupon he gave in his declinature against them as incompetent Judges and told them they were too bold in a Constitute Christian Church to pass by the Pastors Prophets Doctors and to take upon them to judge the Doctrine and to control the Ambassadors of a Greater then was there which they neither ought nor can do There are saith he Loosing a litle Hebrew Bible from his girdle my Instructions Warrant see if any of you can control me that I have past my injunctions For this he was decerned to be warded in the Castle of Edinbrugh but he being informed that if he entered in ward he would not be released unless it were for the scaffold he conveyed himself secretly out of the Countrey Hereafter when the Parliament 1584. had enacted this Supremacy and submission to Prelacy to be subscribed by all Ministers the faithful first directed Mr David Lindsey to the King desiring that nothing be done in Parliament prejudicial to the Churches Liberty who got the Prison of Blackness for his Pains And then when they could not get access for shut doors to Protest before the Parliament yet when the Acts were proclaimed at the Cross of Edinburgh they took publick Documents in name of the Church of Scotland though they were but two that they protested against the said Acts and fled to England leaving behind them reasons that moved them to do so And Mr Iames Melvin wrote against the subscribers at that time very pertinently Proving first that they had not only set up a new Pope so become Traitors to Christ and condiscended to that chief error of Papistrie whereupon all the rest depend but further in so doing they had granted more to the King than ever the Popes of Rome peaceably obtained c. And in the end as for those that Lamented their oun weakness feebleness he adviseth them to remove the publick slander by going boldly to the King Lords and shew them how they had fallen through weakness but by Gods power are risen again and there by publick note witness taken free themselves from that subscription and to will the same to be delete renouncing detesting it plainly and thereafter publickly in their Sermons and by their Declaration retractation in writ presented to the faithful manifest the same let them do with stipend benefice Life it self what they list This I insert because this Counsel is now condemned and when poor people offended with Ministers subscriptions of Bonds other Complyances desire acknowledgments of the offence they reject it as an impertinent imposition and plead they are not obliged to manifest any retractation but to an Ecclesiastical Judicatory To which I shall say nothing here but this is no novelty After this it is known what bickerings the faithful witnesses of Christ had in their Conflicts with this supremacy upon the account of Mr David Blacks Declinature which they both advised him to approved when he gave it in against the King Conncil as Judges of his Doctrine And the Commissioners of the General Assembly ordained all to deal mightily with the power of the word against the Councils encroachments for which they were charged to depart forth of Edinburgh After which he added a second Declinature Declaring there are two Jurisdictions in this realme the one Spiritual the other Civil the one respecting the Conscience the other externals c. Therefore in so far as he was one of the spiritual office-bearers and had discharged his spiritual Calling in some measure of grace sincerity should not nor could not be Lawfully judged for preaching and applying the word by any Civil power he being an Ambassadour Messenger of the Lord Jesus having his Commission from
up the spirits of these few who stood in the Gap to oppose resist the same and to begin the work of Reformation in the Land since which time the silence of some Ministers the complyance of others hath had great influence upon the backslidings of many amongst the people who upon the discovery of the evil of their way complain that they got not warning or that if they were warned by some others held their peace or did justify them in the course of their backsliding we can look upon such Ministers no otherwise than upon these that are guilty of the blood of the Lords people and with whom the Lord will reckon for all the breach of Covenant defection that hath been in the Land The Priests lips should preserve knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts but such as are departed out of the way and have caused many to stumble at the Law therefore hath the Lord made them contemptible before all the people according as they have not kept His wayes but have been partial in His Law because they have lost their savour He hath cast out many of them as unsavoury salt Further more to evidence the Purity power of zeal burning blazing in these dayes in their Contendings against Publick Enemies on all hands I shall instance some of their Acts Testimonies clearly condemning the manifold Complyances of this Generation and which may contribute somewhat to Justifie the reproached preciseness of a Remnant standing at the furthest distance from them There is an Act for Censuring the Complyers with the publick Enemies of this Church Kingdom Gen. Ass. Edinb Iunij 17. 1646. Sess. 14. where they judge it a great scandalous provocation grievous defection from the publick cause to comply with these Malignants such as Iames Graham then was in any degree even to procure Protections from them or to have invited them to their houses or to have drunk Iames Graham his health or to be guilty of any other such Gross degrees of Complyance censured to be suspended from the communions ay while they acknowledge their offence And yet now for refusing these degrees of complyance for not having the protectior of a Pass from the wicked courts of malignant enemies by taking a wicked oath and for refusing to drink the Kings health a greater Enemy then ever Iames Graham was some poor conscientious people have not only been murdereâ— by Enemies but mocked condemned by professores There is an Act likewise declaration against all new oaths or bonds in the common cause imposed without consent of the Church Gen. Ass. Edinb Iuly 28. 1648. Sess. 18. Enjoining all the members of the Church to forbear the swearing or subscribing any new oaths or bonds in this Cause without Advice concurrence of the Church especially any negative oaths or bonds which may any way limit or restrain them in the duties whereunto they are obliged by National or Solemn League Covenant Yet now for refusing Oaths not only limiting in Covenanted duties but contradicting condemning many material Principles of the Covenanted Reformation many have not only lost their Lives but also have been condemned by them that are at ease having a wider conscience to swallow such baits It is known how pertinacious the most faithful in those dayes were in their contendings against Associations in any undertaking for the cause with persons disaffected to the true state thereof I need not give any account of this were it not that now that Principle is quite inverted and poor Adherers to it for their abstracting substracting their concurrence with such promiscuous Associations are much hated flouted therefore I shall give some hints of their sentiments of them In their Answer to the Committee of Estates Iulij 25. 1648. Sess. 14. the Gen. Assembly sayes It was represented to the Parliament that for securing of Religion it was necessary that the Popish Prelatical Malignant party be declared Enemies to the cause upon the one hand as well as Sectaries upon the other and that all Associations either in forces or counsels with the former as well as with the latter be avoided And in their declaration concerning the Present dangers of Religion especially the unlawful Engagment in War Iulij ult 1648. Sess. 21. They say suppose the ends of that Engagment be good as they are not yet the means wayes of Prosecution are unlawful because there is not an equal avoiding of rocks on both hands but a joining with Malignants to suppress Sectaries a joining hands with a black devil to beat a white devil They are bad Phisicians who would so cure one disease as to breed another as evil or worse we find in the Scriptures condemned all Confederacies Associations with the Enemies of true Religion whether Canaanites Exod. 23. 32. and 24. 12 15. Deut. 7. 2. or other heathens 1. King. 11. 1 2. More Arguments against Associations may be seen in that excellent discussion of this useful Case Concerning Associations Confederacies with Idolaters Infidels Hereticks or any other known enemy of Truth or Godliness by famous Mr G. Gillespie published at that same time whereunto is appended his Letter to the commission of the General Assembly having these golden words in it words fitly spoken in that season when he was a dying at the begining of the Publick Resolutions Having heard of some motions beginings of complyance with these who have been so deeply engaged in a war destructive to Religion the Kingdoms Liberties I cannot but discharge my conscience in giving a Testimony against all such complyance I know am perswaded that all the faithful witnesses that gave Testimony to the Thesis that the late Engagment was contrary destructive to the Covenant will also give Testimony to the Appendix that complyance with any who have been active in that Engagment is most sinful unlawful I am not able to express all the evils of that complyance they are so many But above all that which would highten this sin even to the Heavens is that it were not only a horrid backsliding but a backsliding into that very sin vvhich vvas specially pointed at punished by the prevailency of the Malignant party God justly making them thorns scourges vvho were taken in as friends Alas shall we split twice upon the same rock yea run upon it when God hath set a beacon on it yea I may say shall we thus out face out dare the Almighty by protecting His our Enemies by making peace friendship with them when the anger of the Lord is burning against them I musâ— here apply to our present condition the words of Ezrah 9. 14 O happy Scotland if thow canst now improve not abuse this Golden opportunity but if thou help the ungodly love them that hate the Lord wrath upon wrath and wo upon wo shall be
Witnesses did gradually ascend to the pitch it is novv arrived at I. These Enemies of God having once got footing again with the favour and the fawnings of the foolish Nation went on fervently to further and promote their wicked design and meeting with no opposition at first did encourage themelves to begin boldly Wherefore hearing of some Ministers peaceably Assembled to draw up a Monitory Letter to the King minding him of his Covenant Engagments promises which was though weak yet the first witness warning against that Heaven-daring wickedness then begun they cruelly incarcerate them Having hereby much daunted the Ministry from their duty in that day for fear of the like unusual outragious usage The Parliament conveens Ianuar. 1. 1661. without so much as a Protestation for Religion Liberty given in to them And there in the first place they frame take the Oath of Supremacy Exauctorating Christ and investing His usurping Enemy with the spoils of his robbed Prerogative acknowledging the King only supreme Governour over all persons in all Causes and that his power Iurisdiction must not be declined Whereby under all persons all Causeâ— All Church Officers in their most properly Ecclesiastick Affairs Concerns of Christ are comprehended And if the King shall take upon him to judge their Doctrine Worship Discipline or Government he must not be declined as an incompetent Judge Which did at once enervate all the Testimony of the 4th Period above declared and laid the foundation for all this Babel they have built since and of all this war that hath been waged against the Son of God and did introduce all this Tyrannie absolute power which hath been since carried to its Complement and made the Kings Throne the foundation of all the succeeding perjurie Apostasie Yet though then our Synods Presbytries were not discharged but might have had access in some Concurrence to witness against this horrid Invasion upon Christs Prerogative and the Churches Priviledge no joint Testimony was given against it except that some were found witnessing against it in their singular Capacity by themselves As faithful Mr Iames Guthrie for declining this usurped Authority in prejudice of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus suffered death and got the Martyrs Crown upon his head And some others for refusing that Oath arbitrarly imposed were Banished or Confined when they had gained this Bulwark of Christs Kingdom Then they waxed more insolent and set up their Ensigns for signs and broke doun the carved Work of Reformation with axes hammers In this Parliament 1661. They past an Act Rescissorie whereby they annulled declared void the National Covenant the Solemn League Covenant Presbytrial Government and all Lawes made in favours of the Work of Reformation since the year 1633. O horrid wickedness both in its nature so attrocious to condemn rescind what God did so signally seal as His oun Work to the conviction of the world and for which He will rescind the Rescinders and overturn these Overturners of His Work and make the curse of that broken Covenant bind them to the punishment vvhom its bond could not oblige to the duty Covenanted And in its design end so base detestable for nothing but to flatter the King in making way for Prelacy Tyranny Popery and to indulge the licenciousness of some debauched Nobles who could not endure the yoke of Christs Government and to suppress Religion Righteousness under the ruines of that Reformation But O holy astonishing Justice thus to recompense our way upon our own head to suffer this work cause to be ruined under our unhappy hands who suffered this Destroyer to come in before it was so effectually secured as it should not have been in the power of his hand whatever had been in his heart swelled with enmity against Christ to have razed ruined that Work as now most wickedly he did and drew in so many into the guilt of the same deed that almost the whole Land not only consented unto it but applauded it by approving countenancing another wicked Act framed at the same time by that same perfidious Parliament for an Anniversary Thanksgiving commemorating every 29. of May that Blasphemy against the Spirit Work of God and celebrating that unhappy Restauration of the Rescinder of the Reformation which had not only the concurrence of the universality of the Nation But alas for shame that it should be told in Gath c even of some Ministers who afterwards accepted the Indulgence one of which a Pillar among them was seen scandalously dancing about the bonefires And others who should have alarmed the whole Nation quasi pro aris focis to rise for Religion Liberty to resist such wickedness did wink at it O how Righteous is the Lord now in turning our Harps into mourning Though alas we will not suffer our selves to this day to see the shining Righteousness of this Retribution And though we be scourged with Scorpions brayed in a Mortar our madness our folly in these irreligious frolicks is not yet acknowledged let be lamented Yet albeit neither in this day when the Covenant was not only broken but Cassed declared of no obligation nor afterward when it was burnt for which Turks Pagans would have been ashamed afraid at such a terrible sight and for which the Lords Anger is burning against these bold burners and against them who suffered it and did not witness against it was there any publick Testimony by protestation or Remonstrance or an publick witness though the Lord had some then and some who came out afterward with the Trumpet at their mouth whose heart then sorrowed at the sight And some suffered for the sense they shewed of that Anniversary abomination for not keeping which they lost both Church Liberty It s true the ordinary Meetings of Presbytries Synods were about that time discharged to make way for the exercise of the new power conferred on the four Prelats who were at Court reordained Consecrated thereby renouncing their former Title to the Ministry But this could not give a discharge from a Necessary Testimony then called for from faithful Watchmen However the Reformation being thus rescinded razed and the House of the Lord pulled doun then they begin to build their Babel In the Parliament anno 1662. by their first Act they restore reestablish Prelacy upon such a foundation as they might by the same Law bring in Poperie which was then designed and so settled its Harbinger Diocesan Erastiar Prelacy by fuller Enlargment of the Supremacy The very Act beginneth thus For as much as the ordering disposal of the external Government of the Church doth properly belong to his Maj. as an Inherent right of the Croun by virtue of his Royal Prerogative Supremacy in Causes Ecclesiastick what ever shall be determined by his Maj. with advice of the Arch Bishops and such of the
afflicted the Kingdoms of the world and affected not only their backs in bearing the burden thereof but thir hearts into a Lethargick stupor of insensibleness and their heads in infatuating intoxicating them with Notions of the Sacredness incontroulablness of Tyrannie and their hands in infeebling and fettering them from all attempts to work a Cure Or else it hath had another effect on many that have been sensible of a touch of it even equivalent to that which an ingenious Author Mr Gee in his Preface to the Divine right Original of the Civil Magistrate to which Mr Durham is not absonant expounds to be the effect of the fourth vial Rev. 16. 8 9. when in these Dog-dayes of the world power is given to the Sun of Imperial especially Popish Tyannie by their exorbitant streaches of absolute Prerogative to scorch men with fire of furious oppressions they then blaspheme the Name of God which hath power over these Plagues in their Mal-content Complaints grumblings grudgings and Murmurings under the miserie but they do not repent nor give Him Glory in mourning over the causes promeriting such a Plague and their oun accession in exposing themselves to such a scorching sun nakedly without a Sconce Certainly this would be the remedy that Conscience would suggest and Interest would incite to an endeavour either of allaying the heat or of subtracting from it under a shelter by declining the oblique Malignity of its Scorching rayes But will the world never be a wakened out of this Dream dotage of Dull stupid subjection to every Monster that can Mount a Throne Sure at length it may be expected either Conscience from within as Gods deputy challenging for the palpable perversion of this His excellent Ordinance Or Iudgments from without making sensible of the effects of it will convince confute these old inveterate Prejudices And then these Martyrs for that universal Interest of mankind who got the fore-start and the first sight of this will not be so flouted as fools as now they are And who knoweth what Prelude or Preparative fore-boding presaging the doun fal of Tyranny may be in its aspirings to this hight of arbitrary absoluteness and in the many questions raised about it and by them imposed upon Consciences to be resolved If we consider the object of this question as Conscience can only clear it so in nothing can it be more concerned It is that Great Ordinance of God most signally impressed by a very Sacred illustrious Character of the Glorious Majestie of the Most High who hath appointed Magistracy in which considering either its fountain or Dignity ends or effects Conscience must have a very great Concern The fountain or efficient cause of Magistracy is high sublime The powers that are be of God not only by the all disposing hand of God in His Providence as Tyranny is nor only by way of naked approbation but by Divine institution And that not only in the general by at least a Secondary Law of Nature but also the special investiture of it in Institution Constitution is from God and therefore they are said to be ordained of God to which Ordinance we must be subject not only for wrath but also for Conscience sake which is the Great Duty required in the fifth Command the first Commandment with Promise that hath the Priority of Place befor all the Second table because the other Commandments respect each some one Interest this hath a supereminent influence upon all But Tyrannical powers are not of God in this sense And it were Blasphemie to assert they were of the Lords Authorization Conscience cannot bind to a subjection to this Again the Dignity of Magistracy ordained for the maintenance of Truth righteousness the only foundations of peoples felicity whether temporal or eternal including the bonds boundaries of all obedience subjection for which they are intended to which they refer is supereminent as that Epithet of higher added to the powers that are of God may be rendered making them high sublime in Glory whose highest prerogative is that being Gods Ministers they sit in the Throne of God anointed of the Lord judging not for man but for the Lord as the Scripture speaks To this Conscience is concerned in duty to render honour as due by the Prescript of the fifth Commandment but for Tyranny Conscience is bound to deny it because not due no more than obedience which Conscience dare not pay to a Throne of Iniqulty and a Throne of the Devil as Tyranny may be called as really as Magistracy is called the Throne of God. Next Conscience is much concerned in the ends of Magistracy which are the Greatest the Glory of God and the good of Mankind And in the effects of it the maintenance of Truth Righteousness Religion Liberty Peace Safety and all choicest external blessings But the ends effects of Tyranny are quite Contrary Domineering for pleasure and destroying for profit Can we think that Conscience is nothing Concerned here that these great ends shall be subverted and the effects precluded and to that effect that Tyrannie not only be shrouded under a Priviledge of impunity but by our subjection acknowledment of it as a Lawful power encouraged into all enormities and Licensed to usurpe not only our Liberties but Gods Throne by an uncontroulable Soveraignty But if we Consider the subjective Concern of Conscience it must be very great when it is the only thing that prompts to subjection that regulats subjection and is a bottom for subjection to lawful powers If it were not out of Conscience men that are free born are naturally such Lovers of Liberty and under Corruption such lusters after Licenciousness that they would never come under the Order of this Ordinance except constrained for wraths sake but now understanding that they that resist the power resist the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation they must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for Conscience sake If Conscience were not exercised in regulating our duty to Magistrats we would either obey none or else would observe all their Commands promiscously Lawful or unlawful and would make no difference either of the matter commanded or the power commanding but now understanding that we must obey God rather then man and that we must render to all their dues fear to whom fear honour to whom honour Conscience regulats us what whom to obey And without conscience there is litle hope for Government to prove either beneficial or permanent litle likelyhood of either a reall regular or durable subjection to it The discernible standing of Government upon conscientious grounds is the only thing that can bring in conscience a conscientious submission to it it being the highest most kindly principle of and the strongest most lasting obligation to any relative duty It will not be Liberty of Conscience as sayeth the late Declaration
the more vigour without suspending it upon their precedency For now they can pretend to no precedency when they do not answer the end of their erection and do not seek the publick good but their oun private advantage they cease to be the Ministers of God of the people and become private persons And reason will conclude that when the Ephori or Trustees betray their Trust and sell or basely give away the Liberties Priviledges of the people which they were entrusted with the people cannot be brought into a remediless condition if a Tutor waste destroy the pupills estate the Law provides a remedy for the pupil Ius popu vind cap. 15. pag. 335. 336. The remedy in this case can only be as every one must move in his oun sphere while all concur in the same duty So if any in higher place become not only remiss but according to the influence of their power would seduce others into their Apostasie it is their duty to resist endeavour their Reformation or removal And if these more eminently entrusted shall turn directly Apostates obstructive destructive to common Inteâ—â—â—â— the people of an inferior degree may step forward to occupy the places assert the Interests which they forefault desert Neither is this a breach of good order for Ordor is only a mean subordinate to intended for the Glory of God the peoples good and the regulation thereof must only be admitted as it is conducible not repugnant to these ends A Generals command to his souldiers in battel does not impede the necessity of succession in case of vacancy of any charge either through death or desertion even of such as in quality may be far inferior to those whose places they step into Naph Pag. 151. Prior Edition I do not assert this for private peoples aspiring into the Capacity of Primores or Peers but that they may do that which the Peers desert and dare not or will not do if the Lord put them in a Capacity to do it And more plainly I assert that if the Peers of the Land whose duty it is principally to restrain repress Tyranny either connive at it or concur with it and so abandon or betray their Trust then the Common people may do it at least are obliged to renounce reject disoune allegiance to the Tyrant without the peers For which I offer these reasons 1. Because all men have as much freedom Liberty by nature as Peers have being no more slaves than they because slavery is a penal evil contrare to nature and a miserie consequent of sin and every man created according to Gods image is res Sacrâ— a Sacred thing And also no more subjects to Kings c. than they freedom being natural to all except freedom from subjection to Parents which is a Moral duty most kindly natural and subjection of the wife to the husband c. but otherwise as to Civil Politick subjection man by nature is born as free as beasts No Lyon is born King of Lyons nor no man born King of men nor Lord of men nor Representative of men nor Rulers of men either supreme or subordinate because none by nature can have those things that essentially constitute Rulers the calling of God nor gifts and qualifications for it nor the election of the People 2. The original of all that power that the 〈◊〉 or Representatives can claim is from the people not from themselves from whence derived they their being Representatives but from the peoples Commission or Compact when at the first constitâ—tion of Parliaments or publick Conventions for affairs of State necessity put the people who could not so conveniently meet all to confer that honour burden upon the best qualified who had chief Interest by Delegation Hence if the people give such a power they may wave it when perverted and act without their oun impowered Servants 3. The peoples power is greater than the power of any delegated or constituted by them the Cause is more than the effect Parliament-men do represent the people the people do no not represent the Parliament They are as Tutors Curators unto the people and in effect their servants deputed to oversee their publick affairs therefore if their power be less the people can act without them 4. It were irrational to imagine the people committing the administration of their weighty affairs unto them did denude themselves of all their radical power or that they can devolve upon them or they obtain any other power but what is for the good advantage of the people therefore they have power to act without them in things which they never resigned to them for they cannot be deprived of that natural aptitude natures birth right given to them by God Nature to provide the most efficacious prevalent means for the preservation of their Rights Liberties 5. As the people have had power before they made Peers and have done much without them So these Primores could never do without them therefore in acts of common Interest the Peers depend more upon the people than the people does upon them 6. All these primeve rights that gave rise to Societies are equal to both People Peers whereof the Liberty to repress reject Tyranny is a chief one The People as well as Peers have a hard in making the King and other Judges also as is clear from Deut. 17. 14. Iudg. 9. 6. 1 Sam. 11. 15. 2 King. 14. 21. therefore they may unmake them as well as they To seek to preserve the ends of Government when they are over-turned is essentially requisite to all Societies and therefore common competent to all Constituents of these Societies Superiours or inferiours The Glory of God Security of Religion the end of all Christian Government doth concern all equally As every one equally is bound to obey God rather than man so violence in this case destroyes both the Commonwealth maketh the end the means of Government and the injured persons obligation thereto to cease and this equally to every man of Private or publick Capacity In the Concern of Religion at least We must not think because we are not Nobles or in Authority that the care of it or Reformation thereof does nothing pertain to us Nay in that and carrying on the work thereof there is an equality As in the erection of the Old Testament Tabernacle all the people were to contribute a like half a shekel Exod. 30. that it might be for a rememberance before the Lord. Hence it followes if we disoune the Supreme Ruler and the inferior confederate with him and cannot have the Concurrence of others Now through the manifest notorious Perversion of the great ends of Societie Government the bond thereof being dissolved we Liberated there-from do relapse into our Primeve Liberty Priviledge and accordingly as the similitude of our Case exigence of our
him as King which was one great cause of his persecuting them It s true he persecuted them also for other things as for their not denying Christ So are we persecuted for many other things than for our simple disouning of the King yet this is reckoned as a distinct cause of their suffering by Mr Mede on the Revel Part. 1. Pag. 43. Gees Magist. Origin ch 10. Sect. 7. Pag. 361. The same last cited Author shewes that when Albinus Niger Cassius successively usurped the Empire having none of them any Legal investure the Christians declined the recognition of their Claim and would not oune them and that upon this Tertulian sayes Nunquam Albiniani nec Nigriani vel Cassiani inveniri potuerunt Christiani that is the Christians could never be found to be Albinians or Nigrians or Cassians meaning they were never ouners of these men for Magistrats And so may we say Pudet inveniri inter Carolinianos Iacobinianos hujus temporis Not unlike is the passage of Ambrose who in favors of Valentiniaâ— the rightful Governour contested against Maximus the Tyrant and not only disouned him but excommunicated him for which he was threatened with death And yet it is observable that when Maximus offered to interpose his power in defence of Ambrose that he might not be banished by Iustina the Empress he would not accept of the help of Maximus whose power he disallowed disouned Whence I observe that it is not without a Precedent for a Minister to disoune a Tyrant to refuse favour from him yea and to excommunicate him yea even without the concurrence of his fainting brethren for all which some of our faithful Ministers have been much condemned in our day especially Mr Donald Cargil for excommunicating Charles the Second Iames Duke of York as if such a thing had never been done before Whereas we see what Ambrose did to Maximus And this same faithful Minister Ambrosius Minister at Millain in Italy did also hold out of the Assembly of the Christians Theodosius the Emperour though a most vertuous Prince for that grievous Scandal committed by him against the innocent people at Thessalonica in killing so many of them in a Passionate transport But 3. since this objection of the Primitive Christians is much insisted on both against this and the head of defensive Armes I shall further take notice of several distinctions that do make the difference between their case Ours very vast 1 There is a great difference betuixt a Prince of the common Religion of his Subjects but distinct from some of them whom yet he does not seek to entice to his Religion but gives them liberty the benefite of the Law as other Subjects which was the case of many in these primitive times sometimes And a Prince by all means both foul fair pressing to a revolt from the true and to embrace a false Religion In this case which is ours with a witness it must be granted we should be wary that we neither engage with him nor oune Allegiance to him when he would withdraw us from our Allegiance to God. 2 There is a great difference betuixt a Prince persecuting the true Religion which only a few of his subjects here there did profess who in regard of their Paucity were never in capacity to be looked upon as the body of the people impowering him as their publick Servant which was their case And a Prince persecuting that Religionâ— which was professed by the body of the Nation when they sett him up In this Latter case men of great sense have denyed he should be ouned for a Prince because then he is stated against the Common good This was our case under the former King and yet under this though all Professors be not now persecuted the publick Religion Ancient Reformation is persecuted in a few whom he intends to destroy and in their destruction to bury it 3 There is a difference betwixt a Prince Persecuting Religion publickly ouned received of his subjects yet never approved nor confirmed by Law as it was not in the primitive times And a Prince persecuting Religion ratified established by the Laws of the Land which is our case It will seem clear to every soul not benighted with Court darkness that he then deâ—acto and ipso jure falleth from his right in this case because now he is not only stated against the common good but against the very Laws by which the Subjects must be ruled Then he ruleth not as a Prince to whom the Law giveth his Measures Bounds but rageth as a Tiger Tyrant and ought to be carried towards as such 4 There is a difference betwixt a Prince suppressing that Religion established by Law which he never professed nor never gave his consent to these Laws as might be the case of some of the Arian Emperours though it be unlawful for any people to set up any Mortal over them who is not in this case bound to the good behaviour And a Prince opposing oppressing that Religion which himself hath professed and is ratified by Laws with his oun consent which was our case under the former King who did give the most solemn Ratification of them that ever was given but afterwards most perfidiously retracted it As also this Apostate Papist did somtime profess himself Protestant and consented to the Laws establishing it and the Penal Statutes against Papists though now he is going about to raze all and ruine that alone valuable Treasure of our Nation Religion 5 There is a difference betwixt a Prince consenting to Laws establishing Religion which he now persecuteth which might have been the case of Iulian the Apostate And a Prince who not only consented to these Laws but who did upon these very terms no other get receive his Croun Scepter that he should preserve the Religion as Reformed and protect as a Father the Professors thereof and maintain the Laws establishing it which yet he perfidiously perniciously being once settled in the Government Breaks Casts Cassats Overturns which was done by Charles Or And a Prince who will neither be bounded by the Laws he consented to nor be bound to the Observation of any Laws whatsoever but challenges it as his prerogative Royal to be absolute above all Laws and denying all Security upon terms is free to destroy Religion Liberty and all the valuable Interests of the Nation when he pleases This is Iames his Character 6 There is a difference betwixt a Prince breaking the main only Article of his Covenant in a fit of fury rage being transported upon some Mistakes which was the case of Theodosius the Emperour And a Prince not only violating this upon deliberation but plainly Declaring that neither Oath nor Declaration can or will bind him but these being made void he will destroy without restraint all these Covenanted priviledges This was the case of Charles Or And a Prince who as he never will come
according to the sworn Covenant yow say nothing to the point in hand that sure is not your meaning 3 whoever promises so much of peaceable living under his Maj. Authority leaveing out the exposition of the 5. Command may upon the very same ground subscribe the bond refused by the Godly and so yow pass from the Covenant and make all these bypast Actings of this Kirk State these years by-past to be horrid Rebellion and how deep this guilt drawes consider 5. This would infer though the King should send and kill us we must not resist nor defend our oun lives yet being an Oath against the Sixth Command which enjoineth Natural self preservation it should be intrinsecally sinful and it s all one to swear to non-preservation of self as to swear to self Murder 6. I hope to make it appear in the 5. Head that this is against the practice of Nations the Law of Nature and the Word of God. Yet all this Complex iniquity is clearly comprehended in the Oath of Abjuration in terminis abâ—uring all war against the King. VI. There were some other Oaths frequently obtruded upon people for refusing which they have suffered great cruelties that can hardly be described by any name Nor can their imposition have a paralel in any age or place for illegaltty inhumanity arbitrariness odiousness These were the Oaths of Inquisition or Super inquirendis Whereby people were pressed to answer the Inquisitors according to all their knowledge of things they were interrogate upon and delate discover Intercommuned persons in their Wanderings or such whose names were in their Porteous Rolls c. And power was given to single Souldiers to press these Oaths upon whom they pleased The iniquity of which is monstrous for 1. This was the worst Kind of Combination with these blood-hound to abett assist them in their pursuing after the Lords people Which is worse than to be bare consenters to such wickedness or to be onlookers to their affliction in the day of their Calamity but like that sin charged upon Edom that they delivered up those of His that did remain in the day of distress Obad. vers 13. 14. for these that took Oaths obliged themselves to do all they could to deliver up the Remnant that escaped and if they did not no thanks to them if they could not their sin was in their willingness if they would not and yet swore would contribute their help towards it by telling of all they knew that was horrid perjury false swearing 2. This could be no wayes capable of the qualifications of an Oath not only because the matter is wicked unnatural to discover may be the husband or Children or nearest relations to please men or save their oun life which was a great tentation and therefore in it there could be no delibaration in swearing but also for the doubtful perplexity confounding the mind that they either could not or durst not tell of all they knew and yet sware to do it 3. It is against the Covenant which obliges to discover Malignant enemies and assist our Covenanting Brethren and not to discover them and assist Malignant enemies which is a perfect inverting the fourth sixth Articles of the Covenant 4. It is contrary to clear precepts in Scripture to assist defend our Brethren to make our shaddow as the night in the midst of the noon day and hide the Outcast and bewray not him that wandereth Isai. 16. 3. 5. The illegality of this imposition makes it very absurd that every pitiful Officer or Souldier should be impowered to impose exact Oaths and impannel examine Witnesses about alledged Criminals Yet the monstrousness of this Oath serves to aggravate the Oath of Abjuration in that the Abjurers do renounce their part of disoune the Declarers of that abjured Declaration and so do as much as from them is required to give them up for a prey to their hunters yea they declare them Murderers in that they abjure their Declaration as asserting Murder And consequently they must be obliged to discover them to their acknowledged Judges VII The Abominable Test comes next which needs no other refutation than to rehearse it the substance whereof was a Solemn Swearing that they Ouned sincerely professed the true Protestant Religion contained in the confession of faith recorded in the first Parl. of K. Iaemes the 6 and that they would adhere thereunto all the dayes of their life and never consent to any change or alteration contrary thereto but renounce all Doctrines principles practices whether Popish or Fanatical contrary thereto And they swear that the King is the only Supreme Governour of this Realme over all persons in all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil and promise to bear faith true allegiance to the Kings Maj. his heirs Lawful successors and to their power shall assist defend all rights jurisdictions prerogatives belonging to them And affirme it unlawful for subjects upon pretence of Reformation or any other pretence whatsoever to enter into Covenants or to convocate conveen or assemble to treat consult or determine in any matter of State Civil or Ecclesiastick without his Maj. special command or to take up Armes against the King or these Commissionate by him And that there lies no obligation on them from the National Covenant or Solemn League Covenant to endeavour any change or alteration in the Government either in Church or State as it is now established by the Laws of the Kingdom and they shall never decline his Maj. power jurisdiction And finally they swear that this Oath is given in the plain genuine sense meaning of the words without any equivocation mental reservation or any manner of evasion whatsoever This is the Complement of a wicked Conspiracy couching in its Capicious bosome the Complication of all their Mischiefs comprehending all explaining all the former which indeed cannot be taken with any equivocating evasion that can escape either the Stigma of nonsense self contradiction or the censure of Atheisme irreligion or the sentence of Divine vengeance against such baffling the Name of God. The best sense that can be put upon it is that which a poor Sot expressed when it was tendered to him prefacing thus before he took it Lord have mercy upon my Soul. For. 1. It is not consistent with itself there being such contradictions between that confession of faith and the following part that no man can reconcile Some whereof may be instanced as followes 1 In the 11. Art. of that confession entituled of Christs Ascension it is said that Christ is the only Head of the Church Just Lawgiver in which Honours Offices if man or Angels presume to intrude themselves we utterly detest abhore them as blasphemous to our Soveraign Supreme Governour Christ Jesus and a litle before in that same Article it is said this Glory Honour prerogative He alone among the Brethren
Some had y r hands struck off hanged others beheaded Some hanged quartered 〈◊〉 Some Tortured by bools thumbkins firematches Some taken instantly shot in 〈◊〉 fields Some banished others perished in ship-wrack women hanged others drowned of stakes in the sea A Hind let loose OR An Historical Representation of the TESTIMONIES Of the Church of Scotland for the Interest of Christ vvith the true State thereof in all its Periods TOGETHER WITH A Vindication of the present Testimonie against the Popish Prelatical Malignant Enemies of that Church as it is now stated for the Prerogatives of Christ Priviledges of the Church and Liberties of Mankind and sealed by the sufferings of a Reproached Remnant of Presbyterians there witnessing against the Corruptions of the Time. WHEREIN Several Controversies of Greatest Consequence are enquired into and in some measure cleared concerning hearing of the Curats owning of the present Tyrannie taking of ensnaring Oaths Bonds frequenting of field meetings Defensive Resistence of Tyrannical Violence with several other Subordinate Questions useful for these times By a Lover of true Liberty Psal. 94. 20. Shall the Throne of iniquity have fellowship with Thee that frameth mischief by a Law Prov. 28. 15. As a roaring Lion a ranging Bear so is a wicked Ruler over the poor people Hos. 8. 4. They have set up Kings but not by me they have made Princes and I knew it not Revel 12. 11. And they overcame him by the bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony and they loved not their Lives unto the Death Printed in the Year MDCLXXXVII The Preface to the Reader Christian Reader PResuming it is thy desire to answer the holy honourable designation I accost thee with I shall take the Confidence to assure thee it is my design to answer in some measure the expectation which the Title of this Treatise would offer in the hope that wherein I come short as I indeed confess not only my jealous fears but my sensible conviction of my insufficiency for such a great undertaking thy Christian tenderness will impute it to my weakness and not to any want of worth in the Cause I manage which is truly worthy weighty noble honourable in the esteem of all the Lovers of Christ that have Zeal for his Honour in exercise And therefore as it gives me all the encouragement I have in dependance on his furniture whose Cause it is to make such an Essay So it animates my ambition albeit I cannot manage it with any proportion to its merit yet to move the Christian Reader to make enquiry about it and then sure I am he will find it is Truth I plead for though my plea be weak All I shall further say by way of Preface is to declare the Reason of the Title and the design of the work Though Books use not to be required to render a reason of their names which often are arbitrarly imposed more for the Authors fancy and the times fashion than for the readers Instruction yet seing the times injuries do oblige the Author to conceal his name the Title will not obscurely notify it to some for whose satisfaction this is mainly intended and signify also the Scope of the subject which aims at giving goodly words not suggared with Parasitick sweetness nor painted with affected pedantry but fairly brought forth in unhampered freedom for the beauty of the blessing of humane Christian Liberty in its due true boundaries This was the subject of a discourse as some may remember on that Text whence this Title is taken Gen. 49. 21. Naphtali is a hind let loose In prosecuting of which the Speaker with several others falling at the same time into the hands of the hunters to learn the worth of that interrupted subject from the experience of the want of it an occasion was given and interpreted by the Author to be a Call to study more the preciousness of that priviledge predicated of Naphtali which is the right an◠property of the wrestling Tribe of Israel the persecuted witnesses of Christ now every where preyed upon And now providence having opened a door for delivering himself as a roe from the hand of the hunter he thought it his duty and as necessary a piece of service as he could do to the Generation to bring to light his Lucubrations thereupon With an endeavour to discover to all that are free born and are not contented slaves mancipated in a stupid subjection to Tyrants absoluteness that this Character of Naphtali satisfied with favour and full with the blessing of the Lord that he is a hind let loose from the yoke of Tyrannical slaverie is far preferable in the account of all that understand to be Christians or men to that infamous Stigma of Issachar the sin shame miserie of this age to be a strong Ass couching under two burdens and he saw that rest was good and the Land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant unto tribute But to all that are not altogether strangers in our Israel it will appear that this Title is not ineptly applied to the subject and design of this Treatise The party whose Case and Cause and Contendings are here treated of being known to have the same situation of residence in Scotland that Naphtali had in Israel viz. the West and the South Deut. 33. 23. will be found among all our Tribes most appositely to bear the signature of Naphtali who in their wrestlings for the Interest of Christ and the Liberties of his Israel have mostly jeoparded their lives in the high places of the fields and chiefly to deserve his Elogy being a hind called wild by nick-name in the scorn of them that are at ease but truly weak in their present wilderness Condition to wrestle against the force fraud of their Cruel cunning hunters who cease not when they have now got the rest of the Roes and hinds of the field made fast asleep under the bondage of the Lions dens Mountains of Leopards by a pretence of a falsely so called Liberty of Conscience to seek and pursue the chase of them for a prey Yet really they are let loose and not only suffered to run loose as a prey to the hunters by the unwatchfullness of their keepers but made to escape loose by the mercy of the Mighty one of Iacob from the nets of the hunters and snares of the foulers and from the yoke of the bondage of these beasts of prey to whose Authority they will not oune a willing subjection And being such hinds so let loose they make it their work to give goodly words for the worth and honour and Royalties of their Princely Master and for the precious Liberties wherewith he hath endoted and entrusted his Spouse and Children and to keep the goodly words of his patience untill he return as a Roe or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Bether This being
prudence now adayes is either bogled at or exposed to scorn Contempt and reason if roundly written except it meet with an honest heart is commonly read with a stammering mouth which puts a T before it and then it is stumbled at as Treason This Essay does expect no Entertainment from any but such who resolve to harbour Truth be the hazard what will even when the world raises the Hue Cry after it and from such who are really groaning either by suffering or Sympathie under the same grievances here represented There is a Third which makes it not a litle difficult the quality quantity intricacy of the matter here to be confined to such a Compend All which together considered do infer a fourth difficulty that hardly can it get a pass through the Press which is blocked up against all such books that may offer a manifestation of the innocency of that people and the injustice inhumanity of their enemies which is their only hope of preventing the worlds knowledge condemnation of their actings Yea there is a fifth that wants not its own difficulty that though the Press were patent yet an empty Purse from a poor impoverished people will as readily preclude all access to it as if it were locked up by Law but both together make it hard But there is a sixth disadvantage yet more discouraging that the man as well as the money is wanting to manage the business And this needs no other proof than the necessity of my poor pen to undertake it instead of a better It must needs be very low with that people that stand in need of such a pitiful patrociny as mine is Our persecuted brethren elsewhere have this advantage of us that they have Champions to espouse their quarrel which we have not but only such who as they are reputed in the world so in their own sense owne themselves to be very unaccomplished for such work and under this invincible disadvantage also that being forced to a wandering and unsetled life they have no conveniency nor can be accommodated with time nor helps to performe it and so circumstantiated that either it must be done at this time and in this manner or not at all In the seventh place we are at a greater loss than any suffering people in that among all other bitter ingredients we have this Gall also in our Cup that they that suffer most among us have not the comfort benefit of the Sympathie of others that sufferers use to have from good people The reason of this makes an Eight discouragement besides what is said above that not only is the Case Cause of that poor persecuted wasted Witnessing Remnant obscure in it self and not known in the world nay not so much as in the very neighbouring Churches of England Ireland but also more obscured by the malice of Enemies traducing calumniating reproaching that righteous Remnant whom they intend to ruine not indeed as Hereticks which is the case of other suffering Churches wherein they have the advantage of us also that thô the name be more odious yet it makes the notion of their Cause and the nature of their enemies more notour and is more effectual to conciliate Sympathie from all that know that Protestants are persecuted by Papists under the notion of Hereticks But we are at a loss in this that our Persecuters at least the most part of the Executioners of the Persecution will not as yet avouch that Protestanism is Heresie though we want not this Nick-name likewise from the Chief of them that are professed Papists but as Schismaticks Seditious Rebells Traitors Murderers holding Principles inconsistent with Government to wit their Tyranny and the peace of humane Society to wit their Association against Religion and liberty and therefore to be exterminated out of the world And this Imposture covering all their mischiefs hath prevailed so far with the blinded world that under this brand the Consideration of their Case Cause is buried without farther inquirie This were yet more tolerable from open enemies if there were not another more pressing discouragement in the Ninth place peculiar to them in Scotland that having to do with treacherous as well as Truculent Enemies as they have been much destroyed by open force so much more by fraud while by ensnaring favours some have been flattered from the Testimony others disdaining suspecting as well as deprived of and secluded from these favours have sâ—uck to it hence Defection brought on Division and Division Confusion which hath reduced the Reformation to a ruinous heap In the next place as the Consequent of the former while the purer Remnant have been resolutely prosecuting the Testimony and not only keeping themselves free of and standing at the surthest distance from all degrees of Complyance but also witnessing against their Brethren involved in them and thinking it their duty to discountenance them in these Corruptions backslidings they have been therefore reproached and misrepresented very industriously as Ignorant imprudent transported with blind Zeal Extravagant wild Separatists espousing new nice notions Rejecters of the Ministry Imposers on the Ministry Denyers of all Government Usurpers of an imaginary Government of their oun that died as fools and as guilty of their oun blood By which odious invidious obloquies they have easily prevailed with many both at home abroad that are more credulous than considerate to beleeve these things of them Hence with prejudicate people a contrary Representation will find difficult acceptance However this Moreover is another great disadvantage and renders an Essay to vindicate their sufferings very uneasie that they are thrust at tosted on both hands by Enemies professed friends And by Enemies that are not all Papists but professed Protestants ouning the same fundamentalls in opinion though in practice not holding the same Head And by friends that not only are Protestants but Presbyterians under the bonds of the same Solemn Sacred Covenants the obligation whereof they still oune And not only so but such whose Piety Godliness cannot be doubted This is a Gravamen grievous to bear greatly aggravates the difficultie Finally the greatest of all is that not only their Cause is rendered odious but must be confessed truly to be odd someway singular and therefore will seem strange surprising to Strangers to hear an account of extraordinary sufferings for upon extraordinary Causes which never were formerly stated as heads of suffering For now it is the Dragons chiefest stratagem with us like to be the most subtil ensnaring successful of any that ever he set on work since ever he began this War with the Lamb which yet I hope will prove as fatal to his Interest as the former to bring the sufferings of Christs witnesses to such a state that may seem to spectators litle or nothing relative to Religion that so he may destroy both them and their Testimony unlamented and by that Trick divert
time the Witness for Christ is in a great measure killed Other Churches which are keeping contending for the word of Christs patience are so wasted almost worn out with Persecutions afflictions calamities that after they have been are so much daylie killed for the Word of God the Testimony of Jesus it may well be said there hath been is a great slaughter of the Witnesses And it were hard to determine which of them can give the largest most lamentable account of their sufferings or which of them have had the greatest most grievous experiences of the Treachery Truculency Violence Villanie of Atheistical Papistical Enemies whether the Reformed Church of France howling under the paw of that devouring Lyon the French Tyrant or the Protestants of Hungary under the tearing Clawes of that ravenous Eagle the Tyrant of Austria or those of Piedemont under the grassant Tyranny of that litle Tyâ—er of Savoy The accounts they give in print the reports they bring with them in their flight from their respective Countreyes the litle Hints we have in Gazetts News Letters must needs enforce a conviction if not extort a Compassion of the greatness of their pressures that with such a parity that it is doubtful which preponderats I shall not make comparisons nor aggravate nor extenuate the sufferings of any of the Churches of Christ beyond or below their due measures But will presume to plead that Scotland another Ancient sometimes famous Reformed Church be enrolled in the Catalogue of suffering Churches besides these mentioned and crave that she may have a share of that Charity Sympathy which is the demand desire of afflicted Churches of Christ from all the fellow members of that same body And so much the rather is this her due that whereas among all the rest of the Churches Christs witnesses are killed in some particular respect each of them have their own proper complaint of it some upon the account of Persecution some of defection division c. Of this it may be said in all respects both the witnesses of Christ and a witness for Christ are killed with a witness This is the Case of the sometimes Renouned famous faithful fruitful Reformed Covenanted Church of Scotland famous for unity faithful for verity fruitful in the purity of Doctrine Worship Discipline Government which now for these 27 years past under the Domination of the late Tyrant present Usurper of Brittain hath been so wasted with oppression wounded with Persecution rent with Division ruined with defection that now she is as much despised as she was before admired And her Witness Testimony for Reformation is now as far depressed suppressed in obscuritie as it was formerly declared depredicated in glory honour And yet which should move the greater commiseration her witnessings wrestlings Tryalls Tentations have not been inferiour in manner or measure quality or continuance to any of the forementioned Churches thô in extent not so great because her precinct is not so large whereby the number of her oppressed murdered Children could not be so multiplyed though her Martyrs be more and the manner of their Murder more illegal than can be instanced in any of them during that time A particular enumeration or enarration whereof cannot be here exhibited but is referred reserved to a peculiar Treatise of that Subject which ere long the world may see Only I shall give a compendious account of the kinds causes grounds and Heads of their sufferings who have been most slighted least sympathised with though they have sustained the greatest severities of any and inend endeavour to vindicate the Merit of their Cause in the most principal heads upon which their sufferings have been stated Whereby it will appear to impartial men that will not be imposed upon there hath been yet is a great grievous some way uparalleled Persecution in Scotland at least inferiour to none Which hath not hitherto been culy considered with any proportion to the importance thereof But thô this be the Scope it is not the summe of what is intended in this Discourse The Method I have proposed to prosecute it withall will discover it Which is 1. To give a brief summary account of the Series Succession success result of the several Contendings of the Witnesses of Christ against His Enemies in Scotland from time to time that it may appear whether or not the present sufferings as now stated can be condemned if the former be approven 2. To rehearse some of the chief means methods measures that the Popish Prelatical Malignant saction have managed for the ruin of this witnessing Remnant some of the most signal steps of sufferings sustained by from these within these 27 years by which it will appear that the Persecution in Scotland hath been very remarkable though litle regarded both in respect of the injustice illegality inhumanity of the Persecutors in respect of the innocency Zeal ingenuity of the Persecuted 3. To clear the state vindicate the merit of the cause of their sufferings as to the most material heads of it that are most controverted at this time In the first of these I must study all compendious brevity as may consist with the clearing of my Scope which is not to enlarge an Historical deduction of the rise result progress prosecution occasion continuation of every Controversie the Church hath had with her several Adversaries in several Periods But only to hint at the chief Heads of their contendings with a design to make it appear that the most material Heads of sufferings that are now condemned as new nice notions have been transmitted from age to age from the beginning even to this present time through all the Periods of this Church PERIOD I. Comprehending the Testimony of the Culdees IT is not without reason reckoned among the peculiar prerogatives of the renouned Church of Scotland that Christs conquest in the conversion of that Nation is one of the most eminent Accomplishments of Scripture Prophecies of the propagation of His Kingdom in the New Testament Dispensation Not only because it was when called out of Gentile Paganisme among the rudest of Heathen Nations in the ackowledgment of all among the uttermost parts of the Earth which were given to Christ for His inheritance possession Whereunto He had hath still undoubted right by His Fathers grant by His oun purchase and took Infeofment of it by a glorious conquest of that Land which the Roman Armes could never subdue erected His victorious Trophees there whither their Triumphs could never penetrate obtaining thereby accomplishing that predicted Song of praise From the uttermost parts of the Earth have we heard Songs even Glory to the righteous Which gives us grounâ— to expect that however Christs Interest there be now very low and like to be
upon thee from the Lord. Whereunto is subjoined his dying Testimony to the same purpose wherein are these words But if there shall be a falling back to the sin of complyance with Malignant ungodly men then I look for the breaking out of the wrath of the Lord till there be no remedy This was the warning of a worthy dying Man. Notwithstanding of which many other warnings witnessings a course of complyance was commenced by the pulick Resolutioners and continued in to this day wherein that faithful warning of a dying servant of Christ is verified But before I leave this purpose I must obviate an objection that some make use of for strengthening themselves in their incorporations joinings at least in Worship with the corruptions of the time and for condemning conscientious withdrawers That the Godly in those dayes did not separate from the men of these complyances defections as many do now to wit the protesting party did not withdraw from the publick Resolutioners Associators with Malignants I answer first many these the most Godly tender did withdraw even from their oun Ministers and would have gone 40. or 50 myles to hear a faithful Minister at that time yea Ministers themselves in the case of intrusion of the unfaithful would have supplyed the Paroch as if the Church had been vacant and when they could not get access to the pulpit they preached in the fields on purpose to witness against and professedly to withdraw the people from such an unfaithful Intruder as might be instanced particularly for time place if need were But next The Church then though broken by division and under the subjection of strangers deprived of her General Assemblies yet was in a constitut Case enjoying the priviledge power order of Synods Presbyteries to whom the people offended with their Ministers might address themselves for an orderly redress and removal of these Scandals in an ordinary way and so they needed not assume to themselves that power to regulate their communion that in a broken State as now is must be allowed to them And besides both the Ministers at that time who were faithful though they might have proceeded to censure silence the corrupt party as they were obliged yet not only found it difficult by reason of the injury of the times but also thought it best to spare them And the people to bear them as burdens untill as they were still in hopes they should obtain a General Assembly to take order with them but now it is not so And then the defection was but begining and people did not know and could not expect it would go such a length and therefore could not fall upon the rigor of that duty which such disorders call for at first but if they had seen where these beginings would Land them at length I doubt not but they would have resisted those beginings in such a way as would have precluded this imputation of novelty upon our necessitated with drawings III. We have in this Period not only an Illustrious Testimony for the Principle but a continued and unintermitted putting into practice the duty of defensive Armes in resisting the Soverain power malversing abusing Authority to the destruction of the ends of it which resistence was avowed encouraged furthered by the General Assembly both for the defence of themselves and for the help of their Brethren in England Take one expression in their Solemn seasonable Warning to all ranks Feb. 12. 1645. Sess 18. Unless men will blot out of their hearts the love of Religion cause of God and cast off all care of their Country Lawes Liberties c. all being in visible danger of present ruine destruction they must now or never appear actively each one stretching himself to yea beyond his power It is no time to dally or to go about the business by halfs nor be almost but altogether zealous Cursed is he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently If we have been forward to assist our Neighbour Kingdoms shall we neglect to defend our oun Or shall the Enemies of God be more active against His cause than His people for it God forbid In another seasonable necessary warning Iuly 27. 1649. Sess. 27. They say But if his Maj. or any having or pretending power commission from him shall invade this Kingdom upon pretext of establishing him in the exercise of his royal power as it will be an high provocation against God to be accessory or assisting there to so it will be a necessary duty to resist oppose the same These Fathers could well distinguish between Authority and the person abusing it And were not so Loyal as now their degenerate Children are ambitious to shew themselves stupidly stouping to the shaddow thereof and yet will be called the only Asserters of Presbyterian principles But we find they put it among the Characters of Malignants to confound the Kings honour Authority with the abuse pretence thereof and with Commissions warrants Letters procured from the King by the Enemies of the cause Covenant as if we could not oppose the Latter without increaching upon the former But here an Objection or two must be removed out of the way before we go forward One is from the Third Atticle of the Covinant where there seems to be a great deal of Loyaltie obliging to defend the Kings Maj. his person Authority in the preservation defence of the true Religion Liberties of the Kingdoms that the world may bear witness with our consciences of our Loyaltie And that we have no thoughts or intentions to diminish his Majesties just power greatness I Ans. There is indeed a deal of Loyaltie there and true Loyaltie because Lawfully limited being qualified with subordinate unto the preservation defence of the true Religion Liberties of the Kingdom as the makers of the Covenant do expound it in the Assembles declaration against the unlawful Eugagment Iuly ult 1648. Sess. 21. not that Reverse Loyaltie which makes duties to God conditional limited and duties to thee King absolute unlimited as our Loyalists do now And I wish others were free of it who have sworn Oaths of unlimited Alledgiances to maintain the King in any power unto which his force aspires and to justify this their Loyaltie will bring in this Article of the Covenant with a distorted sense reading it backward that we in the preservation defence of Religion must preserve defend the King As if Religion obliged to defend him do what he will. It were better such pretended Covenanters denyed the Covenant than to be such a reproach to it in wresting its genuine sense But I have adduced the sense of the best Interpreters of it the General Assembly Next when they entered under the bond of this Covenant they did it with a purpose to oppose all his invasions upon Religion the Liberty of the people and to
former Principles and betray the Cause Fifthly That he being admitted before satisfaction vvould soon endeavour an overturning of the things vvhich God hath wrought and labour to dravv publick administrations concerning Religion Liberty into that course Channel in vvhich they did run under Prelacy and before the work of Reformation Whence they warn that every one take heed of such a snare that they be not accessery to any such design as they would not bring upon themselves their families the guilt of all the detriment that will undoubtedly follow thereupon of all the miseries it will bring upon the Kingdoms And therefore who soever attempt the same oppose themselves to the cause of God and will at last dash against the Rock of the Lords power which hath broken in pieces many high lofty ones since the begining of the work in the Kingdoms 2 I shall here insert the Act of the West-Kirk declaring their mind very manifestly West Kirk August 13. 1650. The Commission of the General Assembly considering that there may be just ground of stumbling from the K. Maj. refusing to subscribe emitt the Declaration offered to him by the Committee of Estates and the Commission of the General Assembly concerning his former carriage resolutions for the future in reference to the Cause of God and the enemies friends thereof Doth therefore declare That this Kirk Kingdom doth not oune or espouse any Malignant Party or Quarrel or Interest but that they fight meerly upon their former Grounds Principles and in the defence of the Cause of God and of the Kingdom as they have done these twelve years past And therefore as they disclaim all the sin guilt of the King and of his house so they will not oune him nor his interest otherwise than with a subordination to God and so far as he ounes prosecutes the Cause of God and disclaims his his fathers opposition to the Work of God and to the Covenant and likewise all the enemies thereof And that they will with convenient speed take unto Consideration the Papers lately sent unto them by Oliver Cromwel and vindicate themselves from all the falshoods contained therein especially in these things wherein the quarrel betwixt us that party is Mistated as if we ouned the late Kings proceedings and were resolved to prosecute maintain his present Maj. Interest before without acknowledgment of the sin of his house and former wayes satisfaction to Gods people in both Kingdoms A. KER Aug. 13. 1650. The Committe of Estates having seen considered a Declaration of the Commission of the General Assembly anent the stating of the quarrel wherein the Army is to fight do approve the same and heartily concur therein Tho Henderson In the 3 place It is specified in the Causes of wrath as one of the steps of defection Art. 9. Step. 5. That a Treaty should have been closed with him upon his subscribing demands after he had given many clear evidences of his disaffection enmity to the work people of God That these demands which he was required to subscribe did not contain a real security a real abandoning of former Malignant courses principles and cleaving to the Work of God It was not a paper or verbal security which we were bound to demand of him but a real one and to intrust him without this was but to mock God and deceive the world and to betray destroy our selves by giving up all precious Interests of Religion Liberty unto the hands of one who was in a course of enmity to them That both before and in the mean time of the treaty he had given evidence of his enmity in many instances there condiscended upon particularly that he authorized Iames Graham to invade this Kingdom and incouraged him by Letters to go on in that Invasion even whilest he was in termes of a Treaty with us as appeared by bringing into our hands the Authentick Commission it self and sundry Letters under his own hand Next in the same Causes of wrath among the sins of the Ministrie in relation to the publick § 10 11 12 13. That they agreed to receive the King to the Covenant barely upon writing without any apparent evidences of a real change of principle That they did not use freedom in showing what was sinful in reference to that Treaty but went on therein when they were not satisfied in their consciences for fear of reproach of being mistaken That they were silent in publick and did not give Testimony after a discovery of the Kings Commission to Iames Graham for invading the Kingdom That they pressed the King to make a Declaration to the world whilst they knew by clear evidences that he had no real conviction of the things contained therein PERIOD VI. Containing the Testimony through the continued Tract of the present Deformation from the year 1660. to this day NOw comes the last Catastrophe of the Deformation of the Church of Scotland which now renders her to all Nations as infamously despicable as her Reformation formerly made her admired envied which in a Retrograde motion hath gradually been growing these 27 years going back through all the steps by which the Reformation ascended till now she is returned to the very border of that Babylon from whence she took her departure and reduced through defection division and persecutions to a confused Chaos of almost irreparable dissolution and unavoidable desolation Through all which steps notwithstang to this day Scotland hath never wanted a witness for Christ against all the various steps of the Enemies advancings and of professed friends declinings Though the Testimony hath had some singularities some way discriminating it from that of former Periods in that it hath been more difficult by reason of more desperate dreadful assaults of more enraged enemies more expert experienced in the accursed art of overturning than any formerly In that it hath been attended with more disadvantages by reason of the Enemies greater prevalency and Friends deficiency and greater want of significant Assertors than any formerly In that it hath been intangled in more multifarious intricacies of questions and debates and divisions among the Assertors themselves making it more dark and yet in the end contributing to clear it more than any formerly In that it hath been intended extended to a greater measure both as to matter manner of contendings against the Adversaries and stated upon nicer points more enixely prosecuted tenaciously maintained sealed with more sufferings than any formeriy In that it hath had more opposition contradiction and less countenance from professed friends to the Reformation either at home or abroad than any formerly And yet it hath had all these several specialities together which were peculiar to the former Testimonies in their respective Periods being both Active Passive both against Enemies Friends And in cumulo stated against Atheisme Popery Prelacy Errastian
of Scotland did now suffer a violent villanous rape from a vermine of vile Schismatical Apostates obtruded imposed upon her instead of her able painful faithful succeseful Pastors that the Lord had set over her and now by their faintness the Enemies force robbed from her And none now allowed by Law to administer the Ordinances but either Apostate Curats who by their Perjurie Apostacy forfaulted their Ministry or other Hirelings Prelatâ— Journey-men who run without a Mission except from them who had none to give according to Christs Institution the seal of whose Ministry could never yet be shown in the Conversion of any sinner to Christ but if the tree may be known by its fruitâ— we may know whose Ministers they are ut ex ungue Leonem by their Conversions of Reformation into Deformation of the Work Cause of God into the similitude of the Roman beast of Ministers into Hirelings of their Proselytes into ten times worse children of the Devil then they were before of the power of Godlyness into formality of Preaching Christ into Orations of Morality of the purity of Christs Ordinances into the vanity of mens Inventions of the beautiful Government of the House of God for Edification to a Lordly preheminence Domination over consciences in a word of Church State Constitutions for Religion Liberty all up side doun into wickedness slavery These are the Conversions of Prelacy But now this astonishing blow to the Gospel of the Kingdom introducing such a Swarm of Locusts into the Church And in forcing a Complyance of the people with this defection and that so violently rigorously as even simple withdrawing was so severely punished by severe Edicts of fyning other arbitrary punishments at first what did it produce did it awaken all Christs Ambassadours now to appear for Christ in this clear clamant case of Confessing Him and the freedom Purity of His Ordinances Alas the backwardness bentness to backsliding in a Superseding from the duties of that day did make it evident that now the Lord had in a great measure forsaken them because they had forsaken Him. The standart of the Gospel was then fallen and few to take it up The Generality of Ministers Professors both went Conformed so far as to hear the Curats contrary to many points of the Reformation formerly attained contrare to their Covenant Engagments and contrare to their oun principles practice at that same time scrupling and refusing to keep the Bishops visitations and to Countenance their Discipline power of Iurisdiction because it was required as a Testification of their acknowledgment of Complyance with the present Government And yet not scrupling to Countenance their Doctrine usurped power of Order required also by the same Law as the same Test of the same Compliance submission It s strange that some yet doe plead for persisting in that same Complyance after all the bitter Consequents of it Other Ministers Lay altogether by in their retired recesses waiting to see what things would turn to Others were hopeless turned Farmers Doctors others more wyllie staid at home Preached quietly in Ladies Chambeâ—â— But the faithful thought that this Tyrannical ejection did 〈◊〉 or could not unminister them so as they might not Preaâ—â—â— Gospel where ever they were as Ambassadours of 〈◊〉 but rather found themselves under an indispensible necessity to Preach the Gospel and witness for the freedom of their Ministry and make full proof of it in preaching in season out of season and thereupon as occasion offered preached to all such as were willing to hear but at first only in private houses and that for the most part at such times when Sermons in publick surceased a superplus of Caution But afterwards finding so great difficulties and Persecutions for their house Meetings where they were so easily attrapped were constrained at last to keep their Meetings in the fields without shelter from cold wind snow or rain Where testifieing both practically particularly against these Usurpations on their Masters Prerogatives and witnessing for their Ministerial freedom contrary to all Law-Interdictions without any Licences or Indulgences from the Usurper but holding their Ministry from Jesus Christ alone both as to the Office exercise thereof they had so much of their Masters Countenance success in their labours that they valued neither hazards nor hardships neither the contempt of pretended Friends nor the Laws nor threatnings of Enemies adjudging the penalty of death it self to Preachers at Field Conventicles as they called them Now having thus overturned the Church Government by introducing Prelacy to advance an absolute Supremacy the effects whereof were either the Corruption or Persecution of all the Ministrie Encouragment of profanity wickedness the enerease advancment of Popery Superstition Error cruel impositions on the Conscience and oppressions for Conscience sake by the practices of cruel Supra-Spanish Inquisitions and all manner of outcryes of outragious violence villany The King proceeds in his design to pervert evert the wel modelled moderated Constitution of the State Government also by introducing advancing an Arbitrary Tyranny the effects whereof were an absolute Mancipation of Lives Liberties and estates unto his lust pleasure the utter subversion of Lawes and absolute impoverishinâ—â— the people For effectuating which he first procâ—â— lasting Imposition of intollerable Subsidies Taxatiâ—â— to impoverish that he might the more easily enslave the Nation Next a further recognizance of his Prerogative in a subjection of persons fortunes whole strength of the Kingdom to his absolute arbitrement in a Levy of Militia of 20000 footmen 2000 horsemen sufficiently armed with 40 dayes provision to be ready upon the Kings call to march to any part of his Dominions for opposing whatsoever invasion or insurrection or for any other service The first sproutings of Tyrannie were cherished by the cheerfull stupid submission generally yeelded to these exorbitances under which they who suffered most were inwardly Malecontents but there was no opposition to them by word or Action but on the contrary generally people did not so much as scruple sending out or going out as Militia-men never adverting unto what this Concurrence was designed demanded and given for Nor what an accession it was in the nature influence of the mean it self and in the sense intention of the Requirers unto a Confederacy for a Complyance with and a Confirmation strengthening of Arbitrary Tyrannie After the fundamental constitutions of both Church State are thus razed rooted up to confirm this Absolute Power he contrived to frame all inferior Magistrats according to his mould And for this end appointed that all persons in any publick Trust or Office whatsoever should subscribe a Declaration renouncing abjuring the Covenants whereby Perjurie was made the chief indispensible qualification and Conditio sine qua non of all that were
like lightning or like the Sun in its Meridian beauty discovering so the Wonders of Gods Law the Mysteries of His Gospel and the Secrets of His Covenant and the Sins Duties of that day that a numerous issue was begotten to Christ and His Conquest was Glorious Captivating poor slaves of Satan and bringing them from his power unto God and from darkness to Light. O! who can remember the Glory of that Day without a melting heart in reflecting upon what we have lost and let go and sinned away by our Misimprovements O that in that our day we had hearkened to His voice and had known the things that belonged to our peace A day of such power that it made the People even the bulk body of the People willing to come out and venture upon the greatest of hardships and the greatest of hazards in pursuing after the Gospel through Mosses Moors inaccessible Mountains Summer Winter through excess of heat extremity of cold many dayes night-journeyes even when they could not have a probable expectation of escaping the Sword of the wilderness and the barbarous fury of bloody Burrio's raging for their prey sent out with orders to take kill them it being now made Criminal by Law especially to the preachers Convocaters of those Meetings But this was a day of such power that nothing could daunt them from their duty that had tasted once the sweetness of the Lords presence at these persecuted Meetings Then had we such Humiliation-dayes for personal publick Defections such Communion-dayes even in the open fields and such Sabbath-Solemnities that the places where they were kept might have been called Bethel or Peniel or Bochim and all of them Iehovah-Shammah wherein many were truly Converted more Convinced and generally all Reformed from their former immoralities That even Robbers Thieves and Profane Men were some of them brought to a saving subjection to Christ and generally under such restraint that all the severities of heading hanging c. in a great many years could not make such a Civil Reformation as a few dayes of the Gospel in these formerly the Devils Teritories now Christs Quarters where His Kingly Standart was displayed I have not Language to lay out the inexpressible Glory of that day But I will make bold to say two things of it first I doubt if ever there was Greater dayes of the Son of Man upon the Earth since the Apostolick times than we enjoyed for the space of Seven years at that time And next I doubt if upon the back of such a lightsome day there was ever a blacker night of darkness defection division confusion and a more universal impudent Apostasie than we have seen since The world is at a great loss that a more exact complete account demonstrating both these is not published which I am sure would be a fertile Theme to any faithful pen. But this not being my scope at present but only to deduce the steps of the Contendings of Christs Friends His Enemies I must follow the threed of my Narration Now when Christ is gaining Ground by the preached Gospel in plenty in purity power the Usurpers Supremacy was like to stagger and Prelacy came under universal Contempt in so much that several Country Curats would have had but scarce half a dozen of hearers and some none at all And this was a General Observe that never failed that no sooner did any poor Soul come to get a serious sense of Religion and was brought under any real Exercise of Spirit about their Souls Concerns but as soon they did fall out with Prelacy and left the Curats Hence to secure what he had possessed himself of by Law and to prevent a dangerous Paraxisme which he thought would ensue upon these Commotions the King returned to exerce his innate Tyranny and to emit terrible Orders and more terrible Executioners bloody Emissaries against all Field Meetings which after long patience the people at length could not endure but being first chased to the Fields where they would have been content to have the Gospel with all the inconveniences of it and also expelled from the Fields being resolute to maintain the Gospel they resolved to defend it themselves by Armes To which unavoidable necessity in unsupportable extremity did constrain them as the only remaining remedy It is known for several years they met without any Armes where frequently they were disturbed dispersed with Souldiers some killed others wounded which they patiently endured without Resistence At length the Ministers that were most in hazard having a Price set upon their heads to be brought in dead or alive with some attending them in their wanderings understanding they were thus appointed for death judged it their duty to provide for the necessary defence of their lives from the violence of their Armed Assaulters And as Meetings increased diverse others came under the same hazard which enforced them to endeavour the same remedy without the least intention of prejudice to any Thus the number of Sufferers increasing as they joyned in the Ordinances at these persecuted Meetings found themselves in some probable Capacity to defend themselves and these much endeared precious Gospel Priviledges to preserve the Memory of the Lords great Work in the Land which to transmit to posterity was their great design And they had no small encouragment to endeavour it by the satisfying sweetness comfort they found in these Ordinances being perswaded of the justness of their Cause and of the groundlessness of their Adversaries quarrel against them And hereunto also they were incited prompted by the palpableness of the Enemies purposes to destroy the Remainder of the Gospel by extirpating the Remnant that professed it Wherefore in these circumstances being redacted to that strait either to be deprived of the Gospel or to defend themselves in their Meetings for it And thinking their turning their backs upon it for hazard was a cowardly deserting duty and palpable breach of Covenant-Engagments abandoning their greatest Interest They thought it expedient yea necessary to carry defensive Armes with them And as for that discouragment from the difficulty danger of it because of their fewness meanness it did not deter or daunt them from the endeavour of their duty when they considered the Lord in former times was wont to oune a very small party of their Ancestors who in extremity jeoparded their lives in defence of Reformation against very potent powerful Enemies These now ouning the same Cause judged themselves obliged to run the same hazard in the same circumstances and to follow the same method durst not leave it unessayed leaving the event to God considering also that not only the Law of Nature Nations doth allow self defence from unjust violence but also the indissoluble obligation of their Covenants to maintain defend the true Religion one another in promoving the same made it indispensible to use
Land of the violence of that beast of prey and attempted to cut him off which failing he then escaped but afterwards was apprehended and being moved by the Councils Oath and Act of Assurance promising his life he made Confession of the fact Yet afterwards for the same he was arraigned before the Justiciary and the Confession he made was brought in against him and witnessed by the perjured Chancellour Rothes and other Lords contrare to their Oath Act produced in open Court to their indeleble infamy whereupon he was tortured condemned executed But Justice would not suffer this Murder to pass long unrevenged nor that Truculunt Traitor Iamos Sharp the Arch-Prelat who was the occasion cause of it and of many more both before after to escape remarkable punishment the severity whereof did sufficiently compense its delay after ten years respite wherein he ceased not more and more to pursue persecute make havock of the Righteous for their duty until at length he received the just demerit of his perfidie perjury apostasie sorceries villanies and murders Sharp arrowes of the Mighty coals of Iuniper For upon the 3. of May 1679. several worthy Gentlmen with some other men of Courage zeal for the cause of God and the good of the Country executed righteous Judgement upon him in Maguâ— Moor near St Andrews And that same moneth on the Anniversary day May 29. the Testimony at Rutherglen was Published against that abomination of celebrating an Anniversary day kept every year for giving thanks for the setting up an usurped power destroying the Interest of Christ in the Land And angainst all sinful unlawful Acts emitted executed published prosecuted against our Covenanted Reformation Where also they burnt the Act of Supremacy the Declaration the Act Recissory c. in way of retaliation for the burning of the Covenants On the Sabbath following Iun. 1. A field Meeting for the Worship of God near to Loudoun-hil was assaulted by Graham of Claverhouse and with him three troups of horse Dragoons who had that morning taken an honest Minister and about 14 Country-men out of their beds and carried them along with them as Prisoners to the Meeting in a Barbarous manner But by the good hand of God upon the Defendents they were repulsed at Drumclogg and put to flight the Prisoners relieved about 30. of the Souldiers killed on the place and 3. of the Meeting and several wounded on both sides Thereafter the people retreating from the pursuit consulted what was expedient in that juncture whether to disperse themselves as formerly or to keep together for their necessary defence The result was that considering the craft cruelty of those they had to deal with the sad consequents of falling into their hands now more incensed than ever the evil effects that likely would ensue upon their separation which would give them access to make havock of all they judged it most safe in that extremity for some time not to separate Which Resolution coming abroad to the ears of others of their Brethren determined them incontinently to come to their Assistence considering their necessity and their oun lyableness to the same common danger upon the account of their endeavours of that nature elsewhere to defend themselves being of the same judgement for maintaining of the same Cause to which the were bound by the same Covenants and groaning under the same burdens they judged therefore that if they now with held their assistence in such a strait they could not be innocent of their Brethrens blood nor found faithful in their Covenant To which they were encouraged with the Countenance success the Lord had given to that Meeting in that defensive Resistence This was the Rise Occasion of that Appearance at Bothwel-bridge which the Lord did in His Holy Soveraignty confound for former Defections by the means of Division which broke that litle Army among themselves before they were broken by the Enemy They continued together in amiable amicable peace for the space of 8 or 9 dayes while they endeavoured to put out keep out every wicked thing from amongst them and adhered to the Rutherglen-Testimony and that short Declaration at Glasgow confirming it Representing their present purposes endeavours where only in vindication defence of the Reformed Religion as they stood obliged thereto by the National Solemn League Covenant and the Solemn Acknowledgment of Sins Engagment to duties Declaring against Popery Prelacy Erastianisme and all things depending thereupon Intending hereby to comprehend the defection of the Indulgence to witness against which all unanimously aggreed Until the Army encreasing the Defenders Daubers of that defection some Ministers and others came in who broke all and upon whom the blood of that Appearance may be charged The occasion of the breach was first When in the sense of the obligation of that Command when the host goeth forth against thine enemies keep thee from every wicked thing an overture was offered to set times apart for humiliation for the publick sins of the Land according to the practice of the Godly in all ages before engaging their enemies and the laudable precedents of our Ancestors that so the Causes of Gods wrath against the Nation might be enquired into confessed and the Lords Blessing Counsel Conduct to upon present Endeavours might be implored And accordingly the Complying with abjured Erastianisme by the acceptance of the ensnaring Indulgence offered by received from the Usurping Rulers was condescended upon among the rest of the grounds of fasting humiliation so seasonably necessarely called for at that time The Sticklers for the Indulgence refused the overture upon politick considerations for fear of offending the Indulged Ministers Gentlemen and provoking them to withdraw their Assistence This was the great Cause of the division that produced such unhappy destructive effects And next whereas the Cause was stated before according to the Covenants in the Rutherglen-Testimony Glasglow-Declaration wherein the Kings Interest was waved These Dividers drew up another large paper called the Hamiltoun-Declaration wherein they assert the Kings Interest according to the third Article of the Solemn League Covenant Against which the best affected contended protested they could not in Conscience put in his Interest in the State of the Quarrel being now in stated opposition to Christs Interests and inconsistent with the meaning of the Covenant and the practices of the Covenanters and their own Testimonies while now he could not be declared for as being in the defence of Religion Liberty when he had so palpably overturned ruined the Work of Reformation and oppressed such as adhered thereunto and had burnt the Covenant c. Whereby he had loosed the people from all obligation to him from it Yet that contrary faction prevailed so far as to get it published in the name of all whereby the Cause was perverted betrayed and the former
over all persons therein And that it is unlawful for Subjects on any Pretence or for any Cause whatsoever to rise in Armes against him or any Commissionated by him and that I shall never so rise in Armes nor assist any who shall so do And that I shall never resist his power or Authority nor ever oppose this Authority to his person but shall to the utmost of my power assist defend maintain him his heirs lawful successors in the exercise of their Absolute power Authority against all deadly And by the same absolute power giving his ful ample Indemnitie to all the foresaid sorts of People under the foresaid restrictions Here is a Proclamation for a Prince That Proclaims him in whose name it is emitted to be the greatest Tyrant that ever lived in the world and their Revolt who have disouned him to be the justest that ever was For herein that Monster of Prerogative is not only advanced paramount to all Lawes Divine humane but far surmounting all the lust impudence insolence of all the Roman Sicilian Turkish Tartarian or Indian Tyrants that ever trampled upon the Liberties of Mankind who have indeed demanded absolute subjectio◠surrender of their Lives Lands Liberties at their pleasure but never arrived at such a hight of arrogance as this does to claim absolute obedience without reserve of Conscience Religion Honour or Reason Not only that which ignorantly is called Passive never to resist him not only on any Pretence but for any Cause even thô he should command his Popish Ianizaries to murder massacre all Protestants which is the tender mercy burning fervent charity of Papists but also of absolute Active obedience without reserve to assist defend maintain him in every thing whereby he shall be pleased to exercise his absolute power thô he should command to burn the Bible as well as the Covenant as already he applauded Iohn Gib in doing of it and to burn and butcher all that will not go to Mass which we have all grounds to expect will be the end of his Clemency at last Herein he claims a power to command what he will and obliging subjects to obey whatsoever he will command A power to rescind stop disable all Lawes which unhinges all stabilitie and unsettles all the security of humane societie yea extinguishes all that remains of natural Liberty Wherein as is wel observed by the Author of the Representation of the threatening dangers impending over Protestants Pag. 53. It is very natural to observe that he allowes the Government under which we were born and to which we were sworn to be hereby subverted changed and that thereupon we are not only absolved acquited from all Allegiance to him but indispensably obliged by the ties engagments that are upon us to apply our selves to the use of all means endeavours against him as an Enemy of the People subverter of the legal Government But this was so gross and grievously gripping in its restrictions as to persons as to the place as to the matter allowed the Presbyterians in Preaching that it was disdained of all and therefore he behoved to busk it better and mend the matter in a Letter to the Council the Supreme Law of Scotland bearing date March 31. 1687. of this tenor Whereas we did recommend to yow to take care that any of the Presbyterians should not be allowed to Preach but such only as should have your Allowance for the same and that they at the receiving the Indulgence should take the Oath contained in the Proclamation These are therefore to let you know that thereby we meant such of them as did not solemnly take the Test but if nevertheless the Presbyterian Preachers do scruple to take the said Oath or any other Oath whatsoever and that you shall find it reasonable or fit to grant them or any of them our said Indulgence so as they desire it upon these termes It is now our will pleasure to grant them our said Indulgence without being obliged to take the Oath with power unto them to enjoy the benefite of the said Indulgence during our pleasure only or so long as yow shall find they behave themselves regularly peaceably without giving any cause of offence to us or any in Authority or trust under us in our Government Thus finding the former Proposal not adequately apportioned to his design because of its palpable odiousness he would pretend his meaning was mistaken thô it was manifest enough and mitigate the matter by taking away of the Oaths altogether if any should scruple it whereas he could not but know that all that had sense would abhor it yet it is clogged with the same restrictions limited to the same persons characterized more plainly and peremptorly with an addition of Cautions not only that they shall not say or do any thing contrare to the wel peace of his reign seditious or treasonable but also that they behave themselves regularly peaceably without giving any cause of offence to him or any under him which comprehends lesser offences than sedition or treason even every thing that will displease a Tyrant and a Papist that is all faithfulness in seasonable Duties or Testimonies But at length lest the difformity disparity of the Proclamation for the Toleration in Scotland and the Declaration for Liberty of Conscience in England should make his Pretences to Conscience suspect of disingenuity and lest it should be said he had one Conscience for England and another for Scotland therefore he added a third eke to the liberty but such as made it still an ill favoured patched project to destroy Religion true Liberty in another Proclamation dated at Windsor Iune 28. 1687. wherein he sayes Taking into our Royal Consideration the sinistrous Interpretations which either have or may be made of some Restrictions mentioned in the last we have thought fit by this further to declare that we will Protect our Arch-bishops c. And we do likewise by our Soveraign Authority Prerogative Royal and Absolute power suspend stop disable all penal Sanguinary Lawes made against any for Non-conformity to the Religion established by Law in that our Ancient Kingdom to the end that by the Liberty thereby granted the peace security of our Government in the practice thereof may not be endangered we hereby straitly charge all our Loving subjects that as we do give them leave to meet serve God after their oun way in private Houses Chappels or Places purposely hired or built for that use so that they take care that nothing be Preached or taught which may any way tend to alienate the hearts of our People from us our Government and that their Meetings be peaceably publickly held and all persons freely admitted to them and that they do signify make known to some one or more of the next Privie Councellors Sheriffs Stewards Bailiffs Justices of the Peace or Magistrats
goodness that if we shall at any time be otherwise represented your Maj. will not give credit to such information until yow have due cognition thereof and humbly beseeching that those who promote any dsloyal Principles practices as we disoune them may be looked upon as none of ours whatsover name they may assume to themselves May it please your most excellent Maj. graciously to accept of this our most hmble Address as proceeding from the plainness sincerity of Loyal thankful hearts much engaged by your Royal favour to continue our fervent Prayers to the King of Kings for Divine illumination conduct with all other blessings Spiritual Temporal ever to attend your Royal Person Government which is the greatest duty can be rendered to your Maj. by Your Maj. most humble mast faithful most obedient Subjects Subscribed in our Names and in the name of the rest of our Brethren of our Persuasion at their desire Which received this Gracious return The Kings Letter to the Presbyterians in his ancient Kingdom of Scotland We love yow well and we heartily thank yow for your Address we resolve to Protect yow in your Liberty Religion properties all our life And we shall lay doun such methods as shall not be in the power of any to alter hereafter And in the mean tune we desire yow to Pray for our Person Government To which may be added that kind Complement of the Chancellors Gentlemen My Master hath commanded me to tell yow that I am to serve yow in all things within the compass of my power These Gentlemen needed not to have been sollicitous that those who avouch an Adherance to the Covenanted Reformation and avow an opposition to Antichristian Usurpers which they call promoting Dislayal principles practices might not be looked upon as of their Confederacy for all that abide in the principles Practices of the Church of Scotland which they have deserted and that desire to be found Loyal to Christ in opposition to His and the Churches and the Countries Declared Enemy would count it a sin scandal laying them obnoxious to the Displeasure of the Holy Jealous God who will resent this heinous Indignity they have done unto His Majestie if they do not Address themselves unto Him for pardon of the iniquity of this Address which is the desire of those whom they disoune that they may find Grace to do so and a shameful Reproach exposing them to the Contempt of all of whom they expect Sympathie to be reckoned of their Association who have thus betrayed the Cause the Country These mutual Complements so like the Caresses of the Romish whore whereby she entyces the Nations to her fornication between the Professed Servants of Christ and the Vassals of Antichrist if they be cordial would seem to import that they are in a fair way of compounding their differences and to accommodate their oppositions at length which yet I hope will be irreconcileably maintained kept up by all true Presbyterians in whose name they have the impudence to give out their Address But if they be only Adulatory flattering Complements importing only a Conjunction of tails like Samsons foxes with a Disjunction of heads and hearts tending towards distinct opposite Interests then as they would suite far better the Dissmulations of Politicians than the Simplicity of Gospel-Ministers and do put upon them the brand of being men-pleasers rather than Servants of Christ so for their dissemblings with Dissemblers who know their Complements to be and take them for such they may look to be paid home in good measure heaped up running over when such methods shall be laid doun as shall not be in the power of any to alter when such designs shall be obtained by this Liberty and these Addresses that the after bought wit of the Addressers shall not be able to disappoint However the Address it self is of such a dress as makes the thing addressed for to be odious and the Addressers to forefault the respect merit the indignation of all that are friends to the Protestant Presbyterian Cause as may appear from these obvious Reflections 1. It was needful indeed they should have assumed the name of Presbyterians though it might have been more tolerable to let them pass under that name if they had not presumed to give forth their flatteries in the name of all of that Persuasion and to alledge it was at their desire which is either an illuding equivocation or a great untruth for though it might be the desire of the men of their oun persuasion which is a newly start up opinion that Interest hath led them to espouse yet nothing could be more cross to the real desires of true Presbyterians that prefer the Truth of the Cause to the external peace of the Professors thereof and call it the humble Address of Presbyterian Ministers for otherwise it could never have been known to come from men of the Presbyterian persuasion seeing the Contents of this Address are so clearly contrary to their known Principles It is contrary to Presbyterian Principles to Congratulate an Antichristian Usurper for undermining Religion and overturning Lawes Liberties It is contrary to Presbyterian Principles to justify the abrogation of the National Covenant in giving thanks for a Liberty whereby all the Lawes are called disabled therein confirmed It is contray to Presbyterian Principles to thank the King for opening a door to bring in Poperie which they are engaged to exstirpate in the Solemn League Covenant It is contrary to Presbyterian Principles to allow or accept of such a vast Toleration for Idolaters Hereticks as is evident above from all their Contendings against it which is also contrary to the Confession of faith generally ouned by Presbyterians as may be seen in the place forecited Chap. 20. Par. 4. It is contrary to Presbyterian Principles to consent to any Restrictions Limitations Conditions binding them up in the exercise of the Ministerial function wherewith this Liberty is loaded clogged whereby indeed they have the Liberty of the Publick peaceable exercise of it without any hazard of present Persecution but not without great hazard of sin and incurring the guilt of the blood of Souls for not declaring the whole Counsel of God which Addressers cannot declare if they Preserve an intire Loyaltie in their Doctrine as here they promise 2. There is nothing here sounds like the old Presbyterian strain neither was there ever an Address of this stile seen before from Presbyterian hands It would have looked far more Presbyterian like instead of this Address to have sent a Protestation against the now openly designed introduction of Poperie and subversion of all Lawes Liberties which they are Covenanted to maintain or at least to have given an Address in the usual Language of Presbyterians who used alwayes to speak of the Covenants and Work of Reformation But here never a word of these but of
Loyaltie to his excellent to his Gracious and to his Sacred Majestie of Loyaltie not to be questioned an Entire Loyaltie in Doctrine a resolved Loyaltie in Practice and a servent Loyaltie in Prayers And all that they are solicitous about is not lest the Prerogatives of their Master be encroached upon and the Liberties of the Church be supplanted and Religion wronged but lest their Loyaltie be questioned and they be otherwise represented And all that they beseech for is not that the Cause of Christ be not wronged nor Antichristian Idolatrie introduced by this Liberty but that these who promove any disloyal Principles Practices may be looked upon as none of theirs wherein all their encouragment is that they persuade themselves from his Maj. justice goodness that he will not give credite to any other information until he take due cognition thereof Here is a Lawless unrestricted Loyaltie to a Tyrant claiming an absolute power to be obeyed without reserve not only professed but solicitously sought to be the Principle of Presbyterians whereas it is rather the Principle of Athiestical Hobbes exploded with indignation by all rational men This is not a Christian Loyaltie o◠profession of Consciencious Subjection to a Minister of God for good who is a terror to evil doers but a stupid subjection absolute Allegiance to a Minister of Antichrist who gives Liberty to all evil men seducers This is not the Presbyterian Loyaltie to the King in the defence of Christ His Evangel Liberties of the Country Ministration of Iustice punishment of iniquity according to the National Covenant And in the preservation defence of the true Religion Liberties of the Kingdoms according to the Solemn League Covenant but an Erastian Loyaltie to a Tyrant in his overturning Religion Lawes Liberties protecting encouraging all iniquity This Loyaltie in Doctrine will be found Disloyaltie to Christ in a sinful shameful silence at the wrongs done to Him and not declaring against the Invasions of His open Enemies This Loyaltie in Practice is a plain betraying of Religion Liberty in lying by from all opposition to the open Destroyer of both And this Loyaltie in Prayers for all blessings ever to attend his person Government will be found neither consonant to Presbyterian Prayers in reference to Popish Tyrants nor consistent with the Zeal of Christians and the Cries of all the Elect unto God to whom vengeance belongs against Antichrist and all his Supporters nor any way conforme to the Saints Prayers in Scripture nor founded upon any Scripture promises to pray for a blessing to a Papists Tyrannie which cannot be of Faith and therefore must be sin It were much more suitable to pray that the God which hath caused His Name to dwell in His Church may destroy all Kings that shall put to their hand to alter destroy the House of God Ezrah 6. 12. 3. This Address is so stuffed with sneaking flatteries that it would become more Sycophants Court-Parasites than Ministers of the Gospel and were more suitable to the Popish Prelatical Malignant faction to congratulate rejoice in their professed Patroh Head and fill the Gazetts with their Adulatory Addresses which heretofore used to be deservedly inveighed against by all Dissenters than for Presbyterians to take a Copy from them and espouse the practice which they had condemned before and which was never commended in any good Government nor never known in these British Nations before Oliver's Usurpation Charles his Tyranny flatterie being alwayes counted base among ingenuous men But here is a Rhapsodie of flatteries from the deep sense they have of his Maj. gracious surprising favour finding themselves bound in duty to offer their most humble hearty thanks to his Sacred Maj. the favour bestowed being to them valuable above all earthly comforts One would think this behoved to be a very great favour from a very great friend for very gracious ends But what is it In not only puting a stop to their long sad sufferings which were some ground indeed if the way were honest but this not only supposes an also what is that but also granting us the Liberty which is either a needless Tautology for if all Sufferings were stopped then Liberty must needs follow or it must respect the qualifications of the Liberty flowing from such a Fountain absolute power through such a Conveyance the stoping all penal Lawes against Papists in such a Forme as a Toleration for such Ends as overturning the Reformation introducing Poperie This is the favour for which they offer most humble hearty thanks more valuable to them than all earthly comforts thô it be manifestly intended to deprive the Lords People at the long run of the Heavenly Comforts of the Preached Gospel Sure if they thank him for the Liberty they must thank him for the Proclamation whereby he grants it and justify all his Claim there to Absoluteness being that upon which it is superstructed and from which it emergeth And so become a listed faction to abett oune him in all his attemptings engaged now to demean themselves as that he may find cause rather to enlarge than to diminish his favours which can be no other way but in assisting him to destroy Religion Liberty at least in suffering him to do what he will without control O what an indeleble reproach is this for Ministers who pretend to be set for the defence of the Gospel thus to be found betraying Religion through justifying magnifying a Tyrant for his suspension of so many Lawes whereby is was established supported 4. It were more tolerable if they went no further than flatteries but I fear they come near the border of Blasphemie when they say that the Great God hath put this in his Royal heart which can bear no other Construction but this that the holy Lord hath put it in his heart to assume to himself a blasphemous absolute power whereby he stops suspends all Penal Lawes against Idolaters and gives a Toleration for all Errors Or if it be capable of any other sense it must be like that as the Lord is said to have moved David to number the People or that Rev. 17. 17. God hath put it in their hearts to fulfill His Will and to aggree aud give their Kingdom unto the Beast But to bless God and thank the Tyrant for this wicked Project as deliberate purposed by men I say is near unto Blasphemy And again where they say they are firmly resolved by the help of God so to demean themselves as his Maj. may find cause rather to enlarge than to diminish his favours this in effect is as great Blasphemy as if they had said they resolved by the help of God to be as unfaithful Time-serving Silent Ministers as ever plagued the Church of God for no otherwise can they demean themselves so as he may find cause to enlarge his favours towards
by what orders was given the severitie of prosecuting and the expressions of some great ones since that nothing less than the utter ruin and desolation of these Shires was consulted and concluded and that expedition at that time calculated for that end for what else can be imagined could induce to the raising 10 or 11000 barbarous Savages the joyning them to the standing forces and with such cruel orders the directing them all to the West where there was not one person moving the finger against them neither could they pretend any quarrel If it was not the faithfulness of the People there in their Covenanted Religion and their hoplessness of complying to their Popish and Tyrannical designs and therefore no course so feasible as to destroy them So for dispatching thereof order is given forth that whosoever refuseth to subscribe that Hell-hatched bond must instantly have 10 20 30 40 moe or fewer according to his condition as he is poorer or richer of these new Reformers sent to him to ly not only upon free Quarters to eat up and destroy what they pleased but also for the more speedy expedition ordered to take a six pence for each common Souldier a day and the Officers more according to their degrees and so to remain till either the bond was subscribed or all destroyed Nor was these Trusties deficient to further their purposes in prosecuting their orders Who coming to their Quarters used ordinarly to produce a Billgate for near to as many more as came and for these absents they must have double money because their Landlord was not burthened with their maintenance and where that was refused would take the readiest goods and if any thing remained not destroyed and plundered at their removeing which was not transportible rather then the owner should get any good of it they would in some places set fire to it as they did with the Corn-stacks It would require several great volumes to record the many instances of horrid Barbarities Bloods and Villanies of that wicked expedition so that what by free Quarterings Exactions Robberies Thifts Plunderings and other acts of Violence Crueltie many places was ruined almost to desolation all which the faithful choosed rather to suffer than to sin in complying and albeit their oppression was exceeding lamentable and their loss great yet that of the complyers was greater and sader who lossed a good Conscience in yielding to them and compounding with them 5 Then the Country behoved to pay the Souldiers for all this Service and hire them to do more by paying the imposed Cess whereby they were sharpened into a greater keenness in Cruel executions of their Orders returning to those places of the Country whether they had chased the Persecuted People who still kept their Meetings where-ever they were though they could not attend them but upon the hazard of being killed either in the place where some had their blood mingled with their sacrifice or fleeing or be exposed to their dreadful Cruelties more bitter than death For then it was counted a greater Crime and punished with greater severity for Persons to hear a faithful Minister Preach than to commit Murder Incest Adulterie or to be guiltie of Witchcraft or Idolatrie or the grossest abominations for these have past unpunished when some for their simple presence at a Meeting have been executed unto the death Then also when some were forced to flee into the English border for shelter there also were Parties ordered to pursue those poor hunted Partridges who could not find a hole to hide their head in There we lost a valiant Champion for Truth and truly zealous Contender for the Interest of Christ that universally accomplished Gentleman Christian Tho. Ker of Heyhope who was cruelly murthered in a rancounter with a Party of the English side Thereafter followed that Lamentable stroke at Bothuel where about 300 were killed on the field and about 10. or 1100 taken Prisoners and stript brought into Edinburgh in a merciless manner After which first two faithful painful Ministers Witnesses of Christ Mr Iohn Kid Mr Iohn King received the Croun of Martyrdom sealling that Testimony with their blood and many others after them for the same Cause Then the Enemy after the manner used before first to wound our head and then put on a hood upon it as they have done alwayes after a Mischief and intending a greater offered their Bond of peace on termes that clearly condemned the Cause never to rise in armes against the King c. by which bond many of the Prisoners after they had lyen several weeks in a Church-yard without the shadow of a house to cover them night day were Liberate And many of the rest by the persuasion of some Ministers at whose door their blood lied as well as at the Enemies took that bond and yet were sent away with others that did not take it in a Ship bound for America between 2. and 300. in all who were all murdered in the Ship being shut up under the hatches when it split upon a rock in the North of Scotland except about 50 persons whereof many to this day are Living Witnesses of such a Cruelty III. Hitherto only the Common Rules Rudiments of the Art of Persecution were put in practice exactly quadrating with the Rules of Adam 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 for introducing of Poperie in his Polit. Lib. 2. Cap. â—8 which are 1 To proceed as Musicians do in tuning theâ—â— Instruments gradually 2 To press the examples of some eminent men to draw on the rest 3 To banish all Arch Hereticks at once that is the most zealous Witnesses of Christ or at least with all expedition by degrees 4 To put them out of all power trust and put in friends to the Catholick Interest 5 To load the Protestant Opinions as are most obnoxious with all odious Constructions 6 To discharge all Private Conventieles 7 To 〈◊〉 execute rigorous Lawes against the most dangerous 8 To foment all quarrels among Proteâ—â—â—â—ts and strengthen the Party that is ready to comply 〈…〉 and many other of a deeper Projection greater â—erfection were fallen upon afterwards equallingâ— the most mischievous Machins of Spanish Inquisition 〈◊〉 the Methods that effectuated the desolation of the Church of 〈◊〉 that were exactly followed as they are related in Clarks Martyrology Especially the last of Cantzens Rules was industriously observed in the Device of the Indulgences both before after Bothwel which contributed more to the rending ruining the Remnant 〈◊〉 expose the Faithful to rage cruelty than any thing for when by these ensnaring favours many were drawn away from their duty the rest that maintained it and kept 〈◊〉 the Testimony were both the more easily preyed upon and more cruelly insulted over Hence the few Field-Meetings that were kept were more fiercely pursued after Bothwel than the many before and more cruel Lawes were made against them and more bloody executions than I can find
Test of their acknowledgment but they would not accept Deliverance on these termes that they might obtain a better Resurrection Which so enraged the Tygrish Truculency of these Persecuters that they spared neither age sexe nor Profession the tenderness of youth did not move them to any relenting in murdering very boyes upon this head nor the gray hairs of the aged neither were women spared but some were hanged some drouned tied to Stakes within the Sea-mark to be devoured gradually with the growing waves and some of them of a very young some of an old age Especially after the murder of the never to be forgotten Martyr Mr Cargil the multitude of merciless Sufferings upon this account cannot be enumerated which encreased far beyond all the former steps after the Lanerk Declaration which was burnt with great Solemnity by the Magistrats of Edinburgh in their robes together with the Solemn League Covenant which had been burnt before but then they would more declaredly give new demonstrastrations of their rage against it because they confessed and were convinced of its being conforme unto founded upon that Covenant And because the Incorporation of Lanerk did not because they could not hinder the publishing of it therefore they were threatened with the loss of their Priviledges and forced to pay 6000 Merks Upon the back of which the Sufferings of poor People that ouned the Testimony were sadder sharper and further extended than ever Some being banished for Souldiers to Flanders c. some to be sold as Slaves in Carolina and other Places in America to empty the filled Prisons and make room for more â— which were daylie brought in from all quarters and either kept languishing in their â—asty Prisons or Thiefes holes in bolts irons to make them weary of their life or dispatched as Sacrifices and led as dumb Sheep to the slaughter without suffering them to speak their dying words for beating of Drums or disposed of to Masters of Ships to be transported in Slaverie 5. Had they satisfied themselves with murdering them out of hand it would have been more tolerable and reckoned some degree of mercy in comparison of their malice which after all their endeavours to murder their Souls by ensnaring Offers enslaving Bonds blasphemous contradictory Oaths and multiplying captious Questions to catch the Conscience or at least vexe the Spirits of the Righteous whom they could not prevail with to put forth their hands into iniquity did proceed to invent all exquisite torments more terrible than death Some at their first apprehending were tortured with Fire-matches burning and for ever thereafter disabling their hands Then laid fast locked up in great Irons upon their legs where they lay many Moneths in the cold of winter without any relaxation Some were tortured with the Boots squeezing out the marrow of their legs Others with Thumbkins piercing bruising the bones of their thumbs And some tormented with both one after another and besides kept waking nine nights together by watchful Souldiers who were sworn not to let the afflicted person sleep all that time 6. All this Tyranny had been the more tolerable if they had kept within any bounds of colourable or pretended shadow of legality or in any consonancy to their oun wicked Lawes or exemplars of any former Persecutions But in an ambition to outdo all the Nero's Domitians Dioclesians Duke d' Alva's or Lewis de Grands they scorned all formes as wel as Justice of Law and set up monstrous Monuments of unprecedented illegalitie inhumanitie For when after all their hornings harrassâ—ngs huntings searchings chasings catchings imprisonments torturings banishments and effusions of blood yet they could not get the Meetings crushed either in publick or private nor the zeal of the poor Wanderers quenched with whom they had interdicted all harbour supply comfort refreshment converse or corrospondence and whom they had driven out of their oun all other habitations in Touns Villages or Cottages to the Deserts Mountains Moors Mosses in whose hags holes they were forced to make Dens Caves to hide themselves but that they would still meet for the Worship of God either in Publick though mostly in the cold winter nights or in their Private fellowships for Prayer Conference and to rescue their Brethren and prevent their Murder in these extremities would surprize and take advantages of the Souldiers now then They then raged beyond all bounds and not only apprehending many innocent persons against whom they had nothing to accuse them of but because they could not satisfie them in their Answers sentenced and executed them all in one day and made an Act to do so with all but allowed the bloody Souldiers to murder them without either Tryal or Sentence Especially after the Apologetical Declaration affixed on the Church-doors they acted with an unheard of Arbitrariness For not only did they frame an Oath of Abjuration renouncing the same but pressed it universally upon pain of death upon all men women in City Country and went from house to house forcing young old to give their judgement of that Declaration and of the Kings Authority c. to ridicule and reproach and make a Ludibrum of all Government yea impowered Souldiers common Varlets to impannel Juries condemn cause to be put to death innocent Recusants and having stopt all Travel Commerce without a Pass signifying they had taken that Oath they gave power to all Hostlers Inn-keepers to impose Oaths upon all Passengers Travellers Gentlemen or Countrymen who were to swear that their Pass was not forged And Prisoners that would not take the Oath were according to the foresaid Act condemned sentenced execute all in one day and early in the morning that the People might not be affected with the Spectacles of their bloody Severities Yea Spectators also that gathered to see the execution were imposed upon and commanded to give their judgement whether these men were justly put to death or not And not only so but after that they gave Orders Commands to to the Souldiers to pursue the chase after these Wanderers more violently and shoot or other wise put them to death wherever they could apprehend them Whereby many were taken instantly most inhumanely murdered IV. In the begining of this killing time as the Country calls it the first Author Authorizer of all these Mischiefs Charles II. was removed by death Then one would have thought the Severity would have stopped And the Duke of York succeding in his late Proclamation would make the world beleeve that it never was his principle nor will he ever suffer violence to be offered to any mans Conscience nor use force or invincible necessity against any man on the account of his persuasion Smooth words to cover the mischiefs of his former Destructions and the wickedness of his future designs To which his former celebrated saying that it would never be well till all the south-syd of Forth were
persons twice once to have their ears cut and be banished and after the lopping of their ears some have been re-examined and Sentenced to death and execute 23. They have Sentenced some and hanged them both in one day Others early in the morning both to surprize the persons that were to die and to prevent Spectators of the sight of their Cruelty Others have been kept in suspense till the very day hour of their execution 24. Not only have they murdered serious zealous Followers of Christ in taking away their Lives but endeavoured to murder their Names and to murder the Cause for which they suffered loading it with all Reproaches as Sedition Rebellion c. which was their peculiar Policy to bring the Heads of Sufferings to Points that are most obnoxious to mens Censure and accounted most extrinsick to Religion whereby they levelled their-designs against Religion not directly under that notion but obliquely in the destruction of its Professors under the odium reproach of enemies to Government 25. But chiefly they labour to murder the Soul defile the Conscience and only consult to cast a man doun from his excellency which is his integrity that is a Christians Croun and that they would rather rob him of as any thing either by hectoring or flattering him from the Testimony which they endeavour by proposing many offers with many threatenings in subtile termes And pretend a great deal of tenderness protesting they will be as tender of their blood as of their oun Soul which in some sense is true for they have none at all of their oun Souls and purging themselves as Pilate did and charging it upon their oun head 26. They will be very easie in their Accommodations where they find the poor man begining to faint and hearken to their overtures wherein they will grant him his life yeelding to him as cunning Anglers do with Fishes And to persuade him to some length in complying they will offer Conference sometimes or reasoning upon the Point to satisfie informe his Conscience as they pretend but really to catch him with their busked hook 27. If they have any hope of prevailing they will change a mans Prison and take him out from among the more strict fervent in the Cause that might sharpen strenghen his zeal and put him in among the more cool remiss 28. Sometimes they used to stage several together whereof they knew some would Comply to Tantalize the rest with the sight of the others Liberty and make them byte the more eagerly at their bait to catch the Conscience But when they had done all they could Christ had many Witnesses who did retain the Croun of their Testimony in the smallest Points till they obtained the Croun of Martyrdom and attained to the Croun of Glory Speaking boldly to them without fear or shame and disdaining their flattering Proposals but looking on them under a right notion as stated there in opposition to Christ whereby they found this Advantage that hence they were restrained from all sinful tampering with them or intertaining any discourse with them but what was suitable to speak to Christs enemies or doing any thing to save their life but what became Christs Witnesses who loved not their lives unto the death Of whom universally this was observed that to the Admiration of all the Conviction of many enemies the Confirmation of many friends the Establishment of the Cause and the Glory of their Redeemeâ— they went off the stage with so much of the Lords Counâ—enance so much Assurance of Pardon Eternal Peace so much hope of the Lords returning to Revive His Work and Plead His Cause again in these Lands that never any suffered with more meekness humility composure of Spirit and with more faithfulness stedfastness resolution than these Worthies did for these despised reproached Truths for which their surviving Brethren are now Contending Suffering while others are at ease PART III. THE PRESENT TESTIMONY Stated and Vindicated in its Principal Heads BY what is above premitted the Reader may see the Series Succession of the Testimony of Christs Witnesses in Scotland from time to time in all the Periods of that Church how it hath been transmitted from one generation to another Doun to our hands how far it hath been extended and what Increments it hath received in every Period how it hath been opposed by a Continued Prosecution of an hereditary War against Christ by an Atheistical Papistical Prelatical and Tyrannical faction and how it hath been concerted contended for maintained sealed actively passively by an Anti-pagan Anti-Popish Anti-Prelatical Anti-Erastian Anti-Sectarian and Anti-Tyrannical Remnant of the Followers Professors Confessors Martyrs of Christ in all Ages Now it remains in the third last Place to consider the Merit of the Cause as it is now Stated to see whether it will bear the weight of those great Sufferings wherewith it hath been sealed I hope all the Lovers of Christ who have an esteeâ— â—ven of His reproaches above all the Treasures of Egypt will grant that if these sufferings be Stated on the least or lowest of the Truths of Christs then they are not Misstated noâ— built upon a bottom that will not bear them or is not of that worth to sustain them For Certainly every Truth the least of Truths is of greater value than any thing that we can suffer the loss of for it yea of infinitely greater value than the whole world So that if I prove these Heads of Suffering to be Truths wherein Conscience is concerned the Cause will be sufficiently vindicated from the loadings lashings of such as prefer Peace to Truth ease to dutie who to Justify their oun backwardness detastable lukwarmness call some of them only State questions about things Civil and not Gospel-Truths and Heads to State suffering upon And if they be Truths Duties the Cause will some way be rendered more Illustrious that it is Stated upon the smallest hoofs hair-breadths of the Concerns of Christs Declarative Glory as being a greater witness of its Ouners Love Loyalty to Christ and of their pure tender zeal for His honour than if for more substantial fundamental Truths which a Natural Conscience may reclaim to Decline when for the meanest Circumstantials of Christs Truths they dare are ambitious to bestow their dearest blood But if the Complexe of them be impartially Considered no unprejudiced Arbiter will suffer himself to have such extenuating Impressions of the present Word of Patience Testimony of the suffering Remant in Scotland this day But it will appear to be a very weighty worthy Concern as any that either Men or Christians can be called to Witness for being the Priviledge of all mankind the Duty of all Christians and the Dignity of all Churches to assert It is for the Glory Croun Prerogatives and Imperial Regalia of the King of Kings with reference to His
is either Positive Active or Negative Passive The first is when a party not only leaves Communion with a Church whereunto they were formerly joyned but also gathers up new distinct Churches different from the former under another Government Ministrie Ordinances disouning those they left The latter is when the faithful Remnant of a declining Church standing still refusing to concur with the backsliding part of the same Church after they have become obstinate in their defections holds clossly by adheres unto the Reformation attained This Famous Mr Rutherfoord in his due Right of Presbytries pag. 253. 254. sheweth to be Lawful and calleth it a Non-Union as that in Augustines time when the Faithfâ—l did separate from the Donatists which is Lawful laudable 3. Mr Rutherfoord there proceeds to distinguish between a separation from the Church in her worst most part and a separation from the best least part and these who separate from the worst greatest part do notwithstanding retain a part of and a part in the Visible Church because they do not separate from the Church according to the least best part therof as the Godly in England who refused the Popish Ceremonies Antichristian Bishops Hence it will follow that though now People should withdraw from Communion with the greatest part of the Church which is now Corrupted they cannot be counted Separatists because they hold still Communion with the better thô lesser part Moreover he saith Pag. 254. 255. That there may be Causes of Non-Union with a Church which are not sufficient causes of separation Lastly he tells us ibid. Pag. 258. When the Greatest part of a Church makes defection from the Truth the lesser part remaining sound the Greast part is the Church of separatists thô the manyest greatest part in the actual exercise of Discipline be the Church yet in the case of right Discipline the best thô fewest is the Church For Truth is like life that retireth from the manyest Members unto the heart and there remaineth in its fountain in case of dangers So that it is the major part which hath made defection that are to be accounted Separatists and not such who stand to their principles thô they cannot comply or joyne with the corrupt Majoritie Thus the Apol. Relat. rehearsed his words Sect. 14. pag. 292. 293. 4. There may be a Lawful withdrawing where the Ordinances Ministrie are not cast at as the Apol Rel. saith ibid. 291. So then so long as people do not cast at the Ordinances but are willing to run many miles to enjoy them nor cast at the Church as no Church thô they sadly fear that God shall be provoked by this dreadful defection which is carried on by these men their favourers to give her a Bill of divorce nor at the Ministrie for they love those that stand to their Principles dearly and are most willing to hear them either in publick or private 5. It is granted by all that write against Separatists that separation from a Church is Lawful when the case so falleth out that union cannot be kept up with her without sin Voet. Polit. Eccles. pag. 68. quest 17. 6. The Grave Author of Rectius Instruendum Confut. 3. Dial. Chap. pag. 7. c. allowes every Separation is not Schisme even from the Church which hath essentials yea and more than essentials If it be from those thô never so many who are drawing back from whatever piece of duty integrity is attained for this is still to be held fast according to many Scripture Commands So Elias when Gods Covenant was forsaken was as another Athanasius I and I only am left in point of tenacious integrity 7. Next he sayes if we separate in that which a National Church hath commanded us as her Members to disoune by her standing Acts Authority while those from whom we separate oune that Corruption 8. Likewise he there asserts there is a Lawful forbearance of Union Complyance with notorious Backsliders in that which is of it self sinful or inductive to it which is far from Separation strâ—ctly taken The Commands of abstaining from all appearance of evil and hating the garment spotted with the flesh do clearly include this 9. He addes many things will warrant Separation from such a particular Minister or Congregation which will not warrant Separation from the Church National nor infer it by Mr Durhams acknowledgement on Scandal pag. 129. for if Scandals become excessive he allowes to depart to another Congregation 10. Lastly he sayes There is a Commanded withdrawing from Persons Societies even in Worship the precepts Rom. 16. 17. 2 Cor. 6. 17. Prov. 19. 27. Act. 2. 40. will clearly import this by Consequence Surely the Ministers Professors adhering to the Reformatâ—on must be the true Church of Scotland thô the lesseâ— number These Souldiers who keep the Generals Orders are the true Army not the deserters of the same But Secondly it being in part cleared by these Assertions what is our mind in this Controversie I shall lay coun from Scripture Oracles all the Causes Cases justifying warranding withdrawing from any Ministers with application of all of them to the Curats and accommodation of some of them to all that the Wanderers withdraw from with Arguments endeavouring to evince the Validity of them and evidencing they are not new Notions but the same Grounds which approven Authors have improved in this Controversie I shall omitt the ordinary Criticismes in stating the Question in distinguishing betuixt hearing joyning in Worship and ouning them as our Ministers and submitting to them c. And only essay to prove this Thesis We cannot without sin oune Church Communion in Gospel Ordinances with the Prelats or their Curats as Our Ministers but must Withdraw from them and any other guilty of the like Corruptions which we can make out against them I shall not resume what Confirmations this Thesis is strenthened with from the Testimonies or Church Constitutions of former Periods which are premitted in the foregoing discourse Nor make any repitition of the Circumstances of our present Condition Represented above which contributes to clear it but shortly come to the Arguments I. It is necessary that we must acknowledge them Ministers of Christs and his Ambassadours cloathed with his Commission from whom we receive the ordinances of the Gospel For otherwise they must be looked upon as Thieves Robbers Usurpers and strangers whom Christs sheep will not nay must not hear Iohn 10. 1 5. And how shall they preach or be heard except they be sent Rom. 10. 15. for such whom we know may not Lawfully preach we cannot Lawfully hear These from whom we may receive the Misteries of God we must account Ministers of Christ 1 Cor. 4. 1. and Ambassadours for Christ standing in his stead beseeching us to be reconciled to God 2. Cor. 5. 20. Hence such as we doubt to acknowledge Ministers of Christ cloathed with His
solemnly these Nations were engaged both to keep out put out this Generation of Prelatists now prevailing The obligation of which yet lyes upon all the Inhabitants of the Land with a binding force both in regard of their forme and object and end Hence if the Curats be Covenant breakers and we also in ouning them then we cannot oune them without sin But the Curats are Covenant breakers and we also in ouning them Ergo The Minor may be manifest by an indiction of all the Articles of the Solomn League Covenant broken by them and all that oune them 1. That Doctrine worship discipline Government in the 1. Ar sworn to be preserved propagated was the Presbyterian then established which our Church was in possession of which they have opposed their ouners resiled from and have not maintained 2. We are engaged in 2. Art. to endeavour the extirpation of Prelacy and its dependents which is diametrically opposite to ouning of Curats can we oune them whom we are bound to abhor and submit to them whom we are bound to extirpate Surely this were to rebuild what we have destroyed see Napht. p. 104. And since in relation to Poperie Heresie Schisme this Article obliges us to disoune not to hear Papists Schismaticks why not also in relation to Prelatists who are the greatest Schismaticks 3. They have established homologated an Erastian Supremacy to the Prejudice of true Religion and the Liberties of the Church Kingdom and their ouners have abetted contenanced the same and not preserved either the Liberties of Church or Kingdom contrary to the 3. Art. 4. They have not only concealed Countenanced Malignant Enemies to this Church Kingdom but have themselves been reall Incendiaries hindering the Reformation of Religion making factions Parties amongst the People contrary to this League Covenant And their hearers are so far from bringing them to Condign Punishment that they have strengthened their hands in their avowed opposition to the Covenants contrary to the 4 Art. 5. They have broken our Conjunction in firme peace union and yet their hearers have not marked avoided these Causers of Divisions contrary to Scripture and the 5 Art. 6. Instead of assisting defending all these that entered into this League Covenant c. they have been the greatest Persecuters of all them that adhered to it And their ouners have suffered themselves by combination or perswasion or terror to be divided withdrawn from their suffering Brethren and have made defection to the contrary part and given themselves to a detestable indifferency in this cause contrary to the 6. Art. 7. Instead of humbling themselves for their sins and going before others in the example of a real Reformation they have obstinately defended their breach of Covenant and have been Patrons Patterns of all deformations And their ouners hearers have not repented of that neither when they countenance such Covenant-breakers profane persons nor of their not labouring for the purity power of the Gospel when they seek it from such impure hands Neither do they go before others in Reformation when they are such bad examples of defection contrary to the conclusion of the Covenant This Argument will also strike against hearing of such Ministers that have made themselves guiltie of the same or equivalent breaches of Covenant XII Finally for Unions sake and to avoid Schisme in the body we must withdraw from them This may seem another Paradox but it is apparent if we consider that there should be no Schisme in the body but that the members should have the same care one for another 1 Cor. 12. 25. And that for to prevent remede this the Apostle beseeches us to mark them which Cause Divisions offences contrary to the Doctrine which we have learned avoid them Rom. 16. 17. Now then if the Prelats and their Curats be Schismaticks Separatists and dividers then we must avoid withdraw from them But so it is that the Prelats their Curats are Schismaticks Separatists and dividers Therefore we must avoid withdraw from them The Minor I prove from all the Constituents of a formed Schisme Separation sinful division 1. They that start out from under due relations to a Church and from her Ministry are Schismaticks Separatists dividers But the Prelats and their Curats have started out from under due relations to the Covenanted Church of Scotland from her Ministry in being so unnatural rebellious Children as have broken their Mothers beauty bands order Union razed her Covenanted Reformation in doctrine worship Discipline Government 2. These who withdraw from the Communion of a true Church and therefore are Censureable by all her standing acts are Schismatical Separatists But the Prelats and their Curats have withdrawn from the Communion of the true Church of Scotland and therefore are censureable by all her standing acts in that they have made a faction Combination repugnant to the Communion of this Church and all her established order 3. Those who Separate from a Church whose Principles Practices are subservient to that Churches true Union Communion and right establishment are properly Schismaticks But the Prelats and their Curats have Separated from this Church whose Principles practices are subservient to its true Union Communion and right establishment for they could never yet impeach or challenge any Principle or practice contrary to the word of God or not subservient to true Union order but their Principles practices are stated in opposition to her purity Reformation 4 Those who innovate the worship Government ouned established in a true Church are Schismaticks But the Prelats and their Curats have innovated the worship Government of the true Church of Scotland in bringing a Doctrine new odd and not the voice of this Church and their worship over and above the corruption adhering to it is the worshiping of an innovating party contrary to our Churches established order 5. They that make a rent in the bowels of the true genuine Church are the Schismaticks But the Prelats and their Curats have made a rent in the bowels of this Church and have caused all the divisions in this Church 6. Those that divide themselves from the fellowship of a pure Church either in her Ministry Lawful Courts Ordinances are the Schismaticks But the Prelats and their Curats have divided themselves from the fellowship of this pure Church in her Ministry Lawful Courts Ordinances in that they have caused the ejection of her Ministry dissipation of her Assemblies and subversion of her pure Ordinances 7. Those that break union with such to whom they were under obligations to adhere are Schismatical dividers But the Prelats and their Curats have broken Union with such to whom they were under obligations to adhere both from the antecedent morally obliging duty and from the superadded obligation of the
same subject both in Thesi Hypothesi whosoever shall offer to rule Arbitrarly does immediatly cease to be King de jure seeing by the fundamental Common Statute-Laws of the Realme we know none for Supreme Magistrate Governour but a limited Prince and one who stands circumscribed bounded in his power Prerogative Ill effects of animosities Pag. 17. 7. From what is said this is the result that it is essentially necessary to a Moral power Authority to have a right title without which we can oune none but as a Tyrant sine Titulo For what is Authority but a right to rule if then it have not a right it is not Authority This will be undeniable if we consider that as Private dominon or Property consists in a right to enjoy So Publick dominion in a right to rule Some things indeed are exposed to the common arbitrary use of every man and also at the begining by reason of the fewness of mankind Dominion was not reduced to distinct Property yet now upon the Multiplication of Occupants of necessity it must be stated by peculiar appropriation from the Law of Nature and by the Grant of the Supreme King who hath given the earth to the Children of men Psal. 115. 16 not to be catched up as the food of beasts which the stronger seise and the weaker get only what the other leave them but divided by right as an Inheritance by Him who separated the Sons of Adam and set the bounds of the People Deut. 32. 8. Especially Publick Dominion cannot be without a foundation for its relation to the subjected and must be so tied up that it may be said this man is to command and these are to obey I shew that Authority is from God both by Institution Constitution so that the Subjects are given to understand such an one is singled out by God to sustain this Authority by prescribing a rule for mens entry into the Authoritative relation whereby He communicates that power to them which is not in others and which otherwise would not be in them Hence it is that Orderly admittance that must give the right and upon mens having or not having such an entrance to it depends the reality or nullity of the power they challenge Where therefore there is no Lawful Investure there is no Moral power to be ouned otherwise Iohn of Leyden his Authority might have been ouned the unlawfulness of such a power consists in the very tenore it self and if we take away the use or holding of it we take away the very being of it it is not then the abuse of a power Lawfully to be used but the very use of it is unlawful But in the Usurpation of this Man or Monster rather that is now mounted the Throne there is no Lawful investure in the way God hath appointed as is shewed above Ergo there is no Moral power to be ouned To clear this alitle further it will be necessary to remove the ordinary Prentences pleaded for a Title to warrant the ouning of such as are in power Which are three chiefly viz. Possession Conquest and Hereditary Succession The first must be touched more particularly because it hath been the originate error spring of all the stupid mistakes about Government and is the pitiful plea of many even Malecontents why this Mans Authority is to be ouned asserting that a person attaining occupying the place of power by whatsoever means is to be ouned as the Magistrate But this can give no right for 1. If Providence cannot signify Gods approbative ordination it can give no right for without that there can be no right But Providence cannot signify His approbative Ordination because that without the warrant of His Word cannot signify either allowance or dissallowance it is so various being often the same to Courses directly contrary and oftentimes contrary to the same Course sometimes favouring it sometimes crossing it whether it be good or bad And the same Common Providence may proceed from far different Purposes to one in Mercy to another in Judgment And most frequently very disproportionable to mens wayes Providence places sometimes wickedness in the place of Iudgment and iniquity in the place of righteousness Eccless 3. 16. that is not by allowance By Providence it happens to the just according to the work of the wicked and to the wicked according to the work of the righteous Eccless 8. 14. No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them all things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked Eccel 9. 1. It were a great debasing of the Lords anointed to give him no other warrant then sin hath in the world or the falling of a Sparrow 2. Either every Providential Possession in every ease gives a title Or God hath Declared it as a Law that it shall be so in this particular matter of Authority only The first cannot be said for that would justify all robbery Nor the second for where is that Law found Nay it were impious to alledge it for it would say there is no unjust Possessor or Disorderly occupant but if he were once in the Possession he were right enough And then Usurpation would be no sin 3. If none of the Causes of Magistracy be required to the producing of this Possessory power then it cannot give or have any right for without the true Causes it cannot be the true effect and so can have no true right to be ouned But none of the Causes of Magistracy are required to the production of this neither the Institution of God for this might have been if Magistracy had never been instituted Nor the Constitution of men for this may usurp without that 4. That which must follow upon the right and be Legitimated by it cannot be ouned as the right nor can it give the title But the Possession of the power or the Possessory exercise thereof must follow upon its right and be legitimated by it Ergo A man must first be in the relation of a Ruler before he can rule and men must first be in the relation of subjects before they obey The Commands of Publick Justice to whom are they given but to Magistrats They must then be Magistrats before they can be ouned as the Ministers of Justice he must be a Magistrate before he can have the power of the Sword he cannot by the power of the Sword make himself Magistrate 5. That which would make every one in the Possession of the Magistracy a Tyrant can not be ouned But a Possessory occupation giving right would make every one in Possession of the Magistracy a Tyrant can not be ouned But a Possessory occupation giving right would make every one in Possession a Tyrant for that which enervats takes away that necessary Distinction between the Kings personal Capacity his Legal Capacity his natural his moral power will make every King a Tyrant seeing
their Posterity which would multiply as many Common wealths as there have been fathers since Or if it went by Primogeniture only to the first born that he alone could claim the power which would infer the necessity of an universal Monarchy without multiplication of Common-wealths If it was by his voluntary assignment to whom in what proportion he pleased then the universal Monarchy died with himself and so could not be conveyed at all for either he behoved to give each son a share to be conveyed dounwards to their children in that proportion or whole solide to one So also the former dilemma recurs for if the first be said it will make as many litle Kingdoms as there have been sons of Adam if the second the world should be but still one Kingdom But however it be this could never be the way that God appointed either for raising a Magistratical power where it is wanting or deriving a right to any in being Considering the multiplication division confusion Extinction of families that have been If it be from Fergus the first of this line then either it comes from him as a King or as a Father not the first for the reason above hinted nor as a father for a father may defraud his son of the heritage a King cannot deprive his son of the Crown a father may divide his heritage a King cannot divide the Kingdom among his sons It must then be at length refounded on the peoples Consent 3. If even where lineal succession is Constituted by Law for eviting the inconveniences of frequent elections people are not tied to admit every first born of that line then that birth righr where there is no more cannot make a King But the former is true for they are tied only conditionally so he be qualified and have a head to sit at the helme and not a fool or monster neither are they free to admit Murderers or Idolaters by the Laws of God and of the Land It is not birth then but their admission being so qualified that makes Kings Hence 4. That which takes away the peoples birth-right given them of God to provide for their liberties in the fitest Government that is not to be ouned But to make birth alone a tile to the Crown takes away the peoples birth-right given them of God of providing for their liberties in the fitest Government and fetters their choise to one destructive to these Certainly where God hath not bound the conscience men may not bind themselves nor their posterity But God hath never fettered men to a choise of a Government or Governing line which contrary to the intention of the Oath may prove destructive to the ends thereof Nor can the fathers leave in legacy by Oath any chains to fetter the after wits of posterity to a choise destructive to Religion liberty Israel was bound by Covenant not to destroy the Gibeonites but if they had risen to cut off Isael who can doubt but they were loosed from that obligation for to preserve Cut-throats was contrary to the intention of the Oath so when either Monarchy or the succeeding Monarch proves destructive to the ends of Government the Choice Law or Oath of our fathers cannot bind us 5. If we are tied to the hereditary succession not for the right the successor hath by birth but for our Covenanted allegiance to them whose successor he is then cannot his birth-right be the ground of our Allegiance And consequently hereditary succession cannot make a King But the former is true for in hereditary Crowns the first family being chosen by the suffrages of the people for that Cause the hereditary Prince comes to the Throne becanse his first father and in him the whole line was chosen The hereditary successor hath no priviledge or prerogative but from him who was chosen King. Therefore the obligation to the son being no greater than the obligation to the father which is the ground of that if the father then was ouned only because he was chosen qualified for Government the Son cannot be ouned for any other Cause but as chosen in him and also qualified and admitted with Consent We cannot choose the father as qualified and tye our selves to the Successors be what they will. 6. If a King be not born heir of a Kingdom then is he not King by birth But he is not born heir of a Kindom for a mean cannot be born to inherit the end the King is but a mean for the Kingdoms preservation If the Kingdom be his by birth as an inheritance why may he not upon necessary occasions sell his inheritance but if he sell it then all confess he is no more King. 7. If that which makes a King cannot be transmitted from father to son then succession by birth cannot make a King But the former is true The Royal faculty of Governing cannot be transmitted Solomon asked it from God he had it not from his father nor can he be born to the honour of a King because not born with either the gift or honour to be a Iudge God maketh high low not birth Nor can the Call Constitution of a King according to the will of God be transferred from father to son for that cannot be in Gods way without the intervening Consent of the people that cannot make him a born King. 8. If no Dominion can come by Nature as is proven before then can no man be a born King Nature birth cannot give them a Scepter in their hand nor Kingly Majestie they must have that alone from God the people and may only expect honour from their oun good Government Kings as Plutarch sayes must be like dogs that are best hunters not these who are born of best dogs 9. The peculiar Prerogative of Iesus Christ must not be ascribed to any other But this is His peculiar Prerogative to be a born King of whom it might be truely faid Where is He that is born King of the Iewes And for this end was He born who came out of the womb with a Crown on His Head which no Creature can bear 10. In Scripture we find that a King was to be so so qualified not a stranger but a reader of Gods Word c. Deut. 17. 15. c. he was not qualified by naked birth Hence if all the qualifications requisite in an heir cannot make a King qualified according to the Institution of God then his being heir cannot make him King But the first is true an heir may be an heir without these qualifications 11. We find in the Scripture the people were to make the Kings by that Law Deut. 17. thow shalt choose him whom the Lord chooseth yea neither Saul nor David were Kings till the people met to make them Therefore birth never made them Kings even though the Kingdom was tied to Davids line That was only a Typical designment by special Promise because Christ was to come of that line it was
conveen to ask a King 1 Sam. 8. And without any head or superior they convene make David King notwithstanding of Isbosheths hereditary right Without against Tyrannous Athaliah her consent they convene make Ioash King and cared not for her Treason Treason 2 King. 11. But now the king alone challenges the Prerogative-power of calling dessolving Parliaments as he pleases and condemns all meetings of Estates without his warrant which is purely Tyrannical for in cases of necessity by the very Law of nature they may must convene The Power is given to the king only by a positive Law for orders sake but otherwise they have an intrinsical Power to assemble themselves All the forecited Commands Admonitions Certifications to execute Iudgement must necessarly involve imply Power to convene without which they could not be in a Capacity for it Not only unjust Judgement but no Iâ—dgement in a time when Truth is fallen in the streets equity cannot enter is charged as the sin of the State therefore they must convene to prevent this sin and the wrath of God for it God hath committed the keeping of the Common-wealth not to the king only but also to the peoples Representatives heads And if the king have Power to break up all Conventions of this nature then he hath Power to hinder Judgement to proceed which the Lord Commands And this would be an excuse when God threatens vengeance for it we could not execute Iudgement because ehe King forbad us Yet many of these forementioned reproofs threatenings certifications were given in the time of Tyrannous Idolatrous kings who no doubt would inhibite discharge the doing of their duty yet we see that was no excuse but the Lord denounces wrath for the omission 4 They had Power to execute Judgement against the will of the Prince Samuel killed Agag against Sauls will but according to the Command of God 1 Sam. 15. 32. Against Ahabs will mind Elijah caused kill the Priests of Baal according to Gods express Law 1 King. 18. 40. It is true it was extraordinary but no otherwise than it is this day when there is no Magistrate that will execute the Judgment of the Lord then they who have Power to make the Magistrate may ought to execute it when wicked men make the Law of God of none effect So the Princes of Iudah had power against the kings will to put Ieremiah to death which the king supposes when he directs him what to say to them Ier. 38. 25. They had really such a Power though in Ieremiahs case it would have been wickedly perverted See Lex Rex Q. 19. 20. 5 They had a power to execute Judgement upon the king himself as in the case of Amaziah Uzziah as shall be cleared afterwards I conclude with repeating the Argument If the king be accountable whensoever this Account shall be taken we are confident our disouning him for the present will be justified and all will be obliged to imitate it If he be not then we cannot oune his Authority that so presumptously exalts himself above the People 10. If we will further consider the nature of Magistracy it will appear what Authority can conscienciously be ouned to wit that which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Potestas not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Potentia Authorized Power not Might or force Moral Power not merely Natural There is a great difference betwixt these two Natural Power is common to brutes Moral Power is peculiar to men Narural Power is more in the Subjects because they have more strength force Moral Power is in the Magistrate they can never meet adequately in the same subject Natural power can Moral only may warrantably exercise rule Natural power is opposed to impotency weakness Moral to illicitness or unlawfulness Natural power consists in strength Moral in righteousness Natural power may be in a Reut of Rogues making an uproar Moral only in the Rulers they cannot be distinguished by their acts but by the Principle from which the acts proceed in the one from meer force in the other from Authority The Principle of Natural power is its oun might will and the end only self Moral hath its rise from positive Constitution and its end publick safety The strength of Natural power lies in the Sword whereby its might gives Law the strength of Moral power is in its Word whereby reason gives Law unto which the Sword is added for punishment of Contraveners Natural power takes the Sword Math. 26. 52. Moral bears the Sword Rom. 13. 4. In Natural power the Sword is the Cause in Moral it is only the Consequent of Authority In Natural power the Sword legitimates the Scepter in Moral the Scepter legitimates the Sword The Sword of the Natural is only backed with Metal the Sword of the Moral power is backed with Gods warrant Natural power involves men in passive subjection as a traveller is made to yeeld to a Robber Moral power reduces to Consciencious subordination Hence the power that is only Natural not Moral Potentia not Potestas cannot be ouned But the power of Tyrants Usurpers is only Natural not Moral Potentia not Potestas Ergo it cannot be ouned The Major cannot be denied for it is only the Moral Power that is ordained of God unto which we must be subject for Conscience sake The Minor also for the Power of Tyrants is not Moral because not Authorized nor warranted nor ordained of God by His preceptive Ordinance and therefore no Lawful Magistratical Power For the clearer understanding of this let it be observed there are four things required to the making of a Moral or Lawful Power the matter of it must be Lawful the Person Lawful the Title Lawful and the Use Lawful 1. The matter of it about which it is exerted or the work to be done by it must be Lawful warranted by God and if it be unlawful it destroyes its Moral being As the Popes power in dispensing with Divine Laws is null no Moral Power And so also the Kings power in dispensing with both Divine humane Laws is null Hence that power which is in regard of matter unlawful and never warranted by God cannot be ouned But absolute power which is the power of Tyrants Usurpers particularly of this of ours is in regard of matter unlawful never warranted by God Ergo 2. The Person holding the power must be such as not only is capable of but competent to the tenure of it and to whom the holding of it is allowed and if it be prohibited it evacuates the Morality of the power Korah his Company arrogated to themselves the Office of the Priesthood this power was prohibited to them their power then was a nullity As therefore a person that should not be a Minister when he usurps that office is no Minister So a person that should not be a Magistrate when he usurps that Office is no
further threatens that they should be removed into all Kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh for that which he did in Ierusalem Ier. 15. 4. Certainly these passages were recorded for our Learning Rom. 15. 4. and for our examples to the intent we should not do as they did 1 Cor. 10. 6. and for our admonition vers 11. Whence we may be admonished that it is not enough to keep our selves free of publick sins of Rulers Many of those then punished were free of all actual accession to them but they became accessory to and involved in the guilt of them when they did not endeavour to hinder them and bring them to condign punishment for them according to the Law of God which respecteth not persons or at least because they did not revolt from them as Libnah did There might be other provocations on the peoples part no doubt which the Lord did also punish by these Judgments â—ut when the Lord specifies the sin of Rulers as the particular procuring Cause of the Judgment it were presumption to make it the Occasion only of the Lords punishing them for plain it is if these sins of Rulers had not been committed which was the ground of the threatening execution the Judgment would have been prevented And if people had bestirred themselves as became them in repressing restraining such wickedness they had not so smarted And when that sin so threatened punished was removed then the Judgment it self was removed or deferred It is just necessary that the subjects being Jointly included with their Rulers in the same bond of fidelity to God be lyable to be punished for their Rebellion Apostasie when they continue under the bond of subjection to them But how deplorable were our Condition if we shold stand obnoxions to divine Judgments for the Atheisme Idolatry Murders Adulteries of our Rulers and yet be neither Authorized nor Capacitated to hinder it nor permitted to withdraw our selves from subjection to them But it is not so for the Lords making us responsable for their debt is an impowering us either to repress their wickedness when He gives us Capacity or at least to save our selves harmless from their Crimes by disouning them that being the only way of standing no longer accountable for their faults 12. It remains to Consider the Ends for which Government was institute by God and constitute by men from whence I Argue That Government that destroyes the Ends of Government is not to be ouned But Tyranny and especially this under which we houl destroyes all the Ends of Government Ergo it is not to be ouned The Minor I prove thus That Government that destroyes Religion Safety destroyes all the Ends of Government But this Popish arbitrary Absolute power destroyes Religion Safety Ergo It is evident both from the Laws of Nature Revelation that the Ends of Government are the Glory of God the good of Mankind The first is the Glory of God the ultimate end of all Ordinances to which whatever is opposite is not to be ouned by them that fear Him whatever power then is destructive to Religion and is applyed imployed against the Glory of the Uuniversal King and for withdrawing us from our fealtie obedience to Him is nothing but Rebellion against the Supreme Lord Lawgiver and a Traiterous Conspiracy against the Almighty and therefore not to be ouned And they are enemies to Religion or strangers to it who are not sensible this hath been the design of the present Government at least these 27 years to overturn the Reformed Covenanted Religion and to introduce Popery Hence seeing a King at his best highest elevation is only a mean for preserving Religion and for this end only chosen of the people to be Custos utriusque tabulae keeper of both Tables of the Law he is not to be regarded but wholly laid aside when he not only moves without his sphere but his motion infers the ruine of the ends of his erection and when he imployes all his power for the destruction of the Cause of Christ and advancement of Antichrists giving his power to the beast he is so far from deserving the deference of the power ordained of God that he is to be looked upon treated as a Traitor to God and Stated enemy to Religion all Righteousness The Second End of Government is the good of the people which is the Supreme Cardinal Law Salus Populi est Suprema Lex Which cannot be denied if it be considered 1. For this only the Magistrate is appointed of God to be His Minister for the peoples good Rom. 13. 4. and they have no goodness but as they conduce to this end for all the power they have of God is with this Proviso to promote His peoples prosperity It were blasphemy to say they are His Authorized Ministers for their destruction to which if their Conduct degenerate they degrade themselves and so must be disouned He is therefore in his institution no more than a mean for this end and himself cannot be either the whole or half of the end for then he should be both the end the mean of Government and it is contrary to Gods mould to have this for his end to multiply to himself silver gold or lift up himself above his brethren Deut. 17. 17 20. if therefore he hath any other end than the good of the people he cannot be ouned as one of Gods moulding 2. This only is the highest pitch of good Princes ambition to postpone their oun safety to the peoples safety Moses desired rather than the people should be destroyed that his name should be razed out of the Book of life And David would rather the Lords hand be on him his fathers house than on the people that they should be plagued 1 Chron. 21. 17. but he that would seek his oun ambitious ends with the destruction of the people hath the spirit of the Devil and is to be carried towards as one possessed with that malignant spirit 3. Originally their power is from the people from whom all their dignity is derived with reserve of their safety which is not the donative of Kings nor held by concession from them nor can it be resigned or surrendered to the disposal of Kings since God hath provided in His universal Laws that no Authority make any disposal but for the good of the people This cannot be forfeited by the usurpation of Monarchs but being alwise fixed in the essential Laws of Government they may reclaim recover it when they please Since then we cannot alienate our safety we cannot oune that Authority which is inconsistent with it 4. The attaining this end was the main ground motive of peoples deliberating to constitute a Goverment and to choose such a forme because they thought it most conducible for their good and to admit such persons as fittest Instruments for compassing this end and to establish such
a Papist except upon supposition of his repentance relinquishing Poperie We must pray nothing but according to the Wil of God and it is not the Wil of God that they that have keep will not part with the Mark of the beast should be saved for he is adjudged of God to drink of the wine of His wrath Revel 14. 9 10. So we cannot pray for him as a Christian which he is not Nor as a Papist except that he may get repentance Nor can we pray for him as a King which he is not nor as a Tyrant except that he may repent of relinquish his Tyranny Usurpation for Tyrants as such cannot be saved no more than Papists as such for Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King it is prepared Isai. 30. 33. We cannot then pray for his salvation except we pray for his repentance and relinquishing all his sins and so we must pray for his relinquishing his Kingship and that he may cease to be King for that is his sin that he hath made himself King without God and against the Laws of the Land. And now whilâ— he continues such we must complain in prayer not for his Misgovernment only but for that he Governs and desire to be delivered from him See Gees Magistrates Original pag. 258. But now considering what a Man and what a King he hath been guilty of Murder Adulterie Idolatrie under sentence of the Law both of God Man We can pray no otherwise for him than for a Murderer Adulterer or an Idolater We cannot pray for him as Cloathed with Authority or that the Lord may bless his Government for that is his sin our Miserie that he is a Governour And his Throne is a Throne of iniquity which we dare not pray may have fellowship with God. Can we pray that God would bless him on a Throne of iniquity Could we pray that the Lord would bless a Drunkard in his drunkenness abusing his enjoyments Or a Thief in Stealing his though he used his purchase never so soberly What if prevailing Robbers by Land or pyrats by sea preying upon all passengers should require this as the sign of subjection to them and only condition whereupon such as they apprehended overcame should be suffered to live that they should pray for preservation prosperity to them Would not this be wickedness thus to pray for Thieves Robbers And are not Tyrants the greatest of Thieves that rob destroy twenty for one of private Robbers And do they not require this as such a sign on such a Condition 6. Lastly then the plea will be reduced to this that it is exacted as a Badge of Loyaltie and Sign Tessera Sbibboleth of ouning the Authority Which I have at this length endeavoured to prove cannot be conscienciously Ouned by us in these circumstances And even by this Argument That Authority which we cannot pray for we cannot oune But we cannot pray for this Tyrannical Authority Ergo The Minor I trust is in some measure made manifest by what is said above And so I conclude this Head with that forme of prayer that I use for the King. O Lord God to whom vengeance belongeth shew thy self lift up thy self thow Iudge of the Earth render a reward to the proud Lord how long shall the wicked how long shall the wicked Triumph Shall the Throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee that Frameth Mischief by a Law The Mighty Terrible God destroy all Kings people that put to their hand to alter destroy the House of God. Overturn Overturn Overturn this Throne of Tyraâ—ny and let it be no more until he come whose right it is HEAD III. The Refusing to Swear Subscribe the many unlawful imposed Oaths for which many have suffered great Cruelties Chiefly that of Abjuration which was the Cause of Several their Suffering to Death Vindicated ANother Great Head of Grievous Sufferings in this fatal Period hath been that during this Stated War between Christ and His Enemies in Scotland He hath no wanted Witnesses who in their Wrestlings for the Word of God and the Testimony which they held thought it their duty to refuse all illegally imposed wickedly required Transactions with His Declared Enemies and tampering any manner of way with them in taking or subscribing any of their conscience-conzening Impositions of deceitful destructive Bonds Oaths obtruded by men who have cast off all sense of a Deity or regard to Humanity upon the Consciences of poor people to debauch them and cast them doun from the only excellency or integrity that was left them Whereby though they have missed of their design as to some who through grace have escaped the snares of these fowlers and in resisting have overcome through the blood of the Lamb they have prevailed to inveigle the Generality even of the Professors of this Generation into such a degree of defection wretched Complyance with all their snares that as it Prognosticates universal desolation ineluctable if it be not prevented by Repentance as universal as the Complyance hath been So it proclaims the infamy of the Complyers perjurie as indeleble as their perfidie with whom they have complyed The Consideration of which woful Apostacie in its various steps by which it hath been propogated promoted ought to deter demur all the fearers of God that would not partake of its threatened punishment from venturing any more to come near the brink or border of such precipices and paths of the destroyer when so many have stumbled fallen been hooked snared taken yea not so much as to look near them lest they be left to follow their look but to stand aloof from every appearance of Transacting with these Man-Catchers yea Conscience-Catchers who are so cunning to ensnare destroy as their predicessors to whose sins Judgments also they serve themselves heirs are described by the Holy Ghost Ier. 5. 26. 29. They lay wait as he that setteth snares they sct a trap they catch men their houses are full of deceit therefore they are become great waxen rich shall I not visite for these things saith the Lord Many and manifold have been the snares traps gins laid in the way of Professors of this Generation Nation by these Mischief-hatchers these keen cunning persecuters the party now regnant or rather raging in madness malice against Christ and all that are Loyal zealous for His Interest against their Encroachings thereon Where by they have caught cozened many out of their Conscience have broken the neck of some the Peace of others the heart of not a few Yea no Nation can be instanced wherein so many Oaths Bonds have been imposed on peoples Consciences so nawseating for naughtyness number as well as noxious in their nature in an Age as have been in Scotland within these 27 years past on design to wast all remainder of Conscience or
Puritans in Queen Elizabeths dayesâ— whether it obliges to a King in Idea and in a more general consideration as one who is said never to die Or with reference to such an one as we have a mortaâ— man and an immortal enemy to all those precious Interests for preservation of which he only received his Kingship Whether it must be taken in that of the Imposers practically explained by their administrations or in any other sense alledged more Legal These would be clear before it can be taken with the due qualifications of an Oath 3. As for the Civil part of it or Ecclesiastical no other explanation needeth to be inquired after than what they give forth in their Acts on record The Act of Supremacy to be seen in the Historical Representation of the Sixth last Period pag. 111. senses the Ecclesiastical part of it And the Act for acknowledgment of his Majesties prerogative does sufficiently sense explain expound the Civil part Declaring That it is inherent in the Crown and an undoubted part of the Royal prerogative to have the sole choise appointment of all Officers of State the power of calling holding dissolving Parliaments and all Conventions Meetings of Estates the power of Armies making of peace war treaties leagues with forreign Princes or States or at home by the subjects among themselves and that it is high treason in the subjects upon whatsoever ground to rise in Armes or make any treaties or leagues among themselves without his Maj. Authority first interponed thereto That it is unlawful to the subjects of whatsoever quality or function to convocate themselves for holding of Councils to treat consult or determine in any matters Civil or Ecclesiastick except in the ordinary Judgements or make leagues or bonds upon whatsoever colour or pretence without his Maj. special consent That the league Covenant and all treaties following thereupon and acts or deeds that do or may relate thereunto are not obligatory and that none should presume upon any pretext of any Authority whatsoever to require the renewing or swearing of the said league Covenant c. Whereby it appears that all this screwing up the prerogative to such a pitch is by the Oath of Allegiance to defend all this jurisdiction justified and so these palpable encroachments on the priviledges of the Scots Parliaments that by the fundamental Constitutions of the Government alwayes had a share in making Laws and Peace War These robberies of our Natural priviledges of defending our selves by Armes in case of the Kings Tyranny oppression and of Convocating for Consultations about the best means thereof And these Invasions upon our Ecclesiastical priviledges in keeping General Assemblies for the affairs of Religion Prorenata alwayes strenously contended for as a part of the Testimony yea all these rescindings repealings and condemnings of the Way Manner Methods Measures of promoting the Covenanted Reformation are by this Oath explained by this Act acknowledged to be parts of that supremacy Jurisdiction to be defended maintained As like wise by many wicked Acts since promulgated which promote the Supremacy to a vast degree of Absoluteness which all do interpret what that Supremacy is which is sworn to be maintained to wit pure Tyranny established by Law. See the many grievous Consequences of this laid out at large in Apol. Relat. Sect. 10. 4. Here is absolute Allegiance sworn to an Absolute power Paramount to all Law engaging to faithful obedience to their Soveraign as Supreme over all Persons and in all causes and to defend assist maintain his said jurisdiction and never to decline his power there is no restriction here on obedience nor Limitation on the power nor definition of the Causes nor circumscription of the cases in which that assistance c. is to be given whether they be Lawful or not Now absolute allegiance to an absolute power cannot be sworn by any man of Conscience nor ouned by any man of reason as is proven Head. 2. Arg. 6. It cannot be Lawful in any sense to swear such an Oath to any Mortal nay not to a David nor Hezekiah because to swear unrestricted unlimited Allegiance to any man were a manifest mancipating of Mankind not only to an Ass-like subjection but to a servile obligation to maintain uphold the Persons Government of mutable men be what they will turn to what they will it is known the best of men may degenerate And by this no remedy is left to redress our selves bâ—t our heads hearts and hands all tied up under an engagment to defend assist maintain whosoever doth hold the Government manage it as he pleases This reason will also conclude against the English Oath of Allegiance though it be a great deal more smoothly worded and seems only to require a rejection of the Pope and legal subjection to the King yet that comprehensive Clause makes it border upon absoluteness I will bear faith true allegiance to his Maj. heirs successors and him and them will defend to the uttermost of my power against all Conspiracies attempts whatsoever There are no Conditions here at all limiting the Allegiance or qualifying the Object but an arbitrary imposition of true Allegiance and defence in all cases against all attempts even that of repressing their Tyranny not excepted not only of their persons but of their Dignities if this be not an illimited Allegiance to an absolute power I know not what it is 5. Here is an acknowledgment of the Ecclesiastical Supremacy resident in the King which is the most blasphemous Usurpation on the prerogatives of Christ and priviledges of His Church that ever the greatest Monster among men durst arrogate yea the Roman beast never claimed more And in effect it is nothing else but one of his Names of Blasphemie twisted out of the Popes hands by K. Henry the Eight and handed doun to Q. Elizabeth and wafted over to Iames the 6 th for that was the Original conveyance of it The iniquity whereof is discovered above Head. 1. Arg. 3. But further may be aggravated in these particulars 1 It is only a change of the Pope but not of the Popedâ—m and nothing else but a shaking off the Ecclesiastical Pope and submitting to a Civil Pope by whom Christs Head-ship is as much wronged as by the other And hereby a door is opened for bringing in Poperie as indeed by this Strategem it is brought now to our very doors for by the Act of Supremacy he hath power to settle all things concerning Doctrine Worship discipline or Government by his Clerks the Bishops having all the Architectonick power of disposing ordering ordaining these as he in his Royal wisdom thinks fit 2 By this Church State are confounded whereof the Distinction is demonstrate above making the Magistrate a proper Competent Judge in Church matters not to be declined wherby also he hath power to erect new Courts Mongrel-Judicatories
half Civil half Ecclesiastick which have no Warrand in the Word 3 By this many palpable intollerable encroachments made upon the Liberties priviledges of the Church of Christ are yeelded unto as that there must be no Church Judicatories or Assemblies without the Magistrates consent but that the power of convocating indicting Assemblies do belong only to him and the power of delegating constituting the members thereof that he may dissolve them when he pleases that his presence or his Commissioners is necessary unto each Nationall Assembly that Ministers have no proper decisive suffrage in Synods but only of advice that the Church Judicatories be prelimited and nothing musâ— be treated there which may be interpreted grating upon the prerogative nor any thing whatsoever but what he shall allow approve without which it can have no force nor validity yea by this a door should be opened unto the utter destruction overthrow of all Church Judicatories seeing he is made the fountain of all Church power 4 By this the Magistrate is made a Church member as he is a Magistrate and so all Magistrats as such are Church members even heathens And yet 5 By this he is exempted from subjection to the Ministry because they are made accountable to him in their administrations and in the discharge of their function are under him as Supreme Yea 6 By this the Magistrate is made a Church Officer having the disposal of the Churches Government And not only so but 7 By this he is made a Church Officer of the highest degree being supreme in all Causes to whom Ministers in the discharge of their Ministrie are subordinate And so 8 By this the Church of the new Testament is made imperfect so long as she wanted a Christian Magistrate wanting hereby a Chief Officer yea and the Apostles did amiss in robbing the Magistrate of his power 9 By this the Magistrate might exerce all Acts of jurisdiction immediately by himself seeing he can do it as supreme by his Commissioners in Ecclesiastick affairs 10 Finally By this Oath the King is made the head of the Church being supreme over all persons in all Causes unto whom all Appeals references must ultimately be reduced even from Church Judicatories Those things are only here touched they are more apodeictically confirmed above and may be seen made out at large in Apol. Relat. Sect. 12. But I proceed 6. It is contrary unto the Solemn League Covenant into whose place after it was broken burnt buryed rescinded since they have remitted the subjects allegiance by annulling the Bond of it they substitute surrogate this in its place And therefore none can comply with the surrogation of the second except he consent to the abrogation of the first Oath All the Allegiance we can oune according to the Covenant stands perpetually expressly thus qualified viz. in defence of Religon Liberty according to our first second Covenants and in its oun nature must be indispensably thus restricted Therefore to renew the same or take an Oath of Allegiance simply purposely omitting the former restriction when the powers are in manifest Rebellion against the Lord is in effect a disouning of that limitation and of the Soveraign prerogative of the Great God which is thereby reserved and as much as to say whatever Authority command us to do we shall not only stupidly endure it but actively concur with assist in all this Tyranny See Naph Prior edit Pag. 177. 178. Vindicated at length by Ius Populi chap. 11. By all this the iniquity of the Scots Oath of Allegiance Supremacy may appear and also that of the English Oath of Allegiance even abstract from the Supremacy is in some measure discovered though it is not my purpose particularly to speak to that yet this I will say that they that plead for its precision from the Supremacy annexed seem not to consider the full import of its terms for under the dignities superiorities Authorities there engaged to be upheld the Ecclesiastical Supremacy must be included for that is declared to be one of the dignities of the Crown there as well as here and hither it was brought from thence And therefore those Scots men that took that Oath there and plead that though the Oath of Allegiance in Scotland be a sin yet it is duty to take the Oath in England seem to me to be in a great deceit for the object is the same the subject is the same the duty expected required engaged into is the same and every thing equal in both Yet all this iniquity here Couched is some way Comprehended in implyed by the Oath of Abjuration for the Civil part is imported in abjuring a Declaration for its declaring war against the King Where it is clear he is ouned as King and all part with them that declare war against him being renounced it is evident the Abjurers must take part with him in that war and so assist defend him for being subjects they must not be neutral therefore if they be not against him they must be for him and so under the bond of allegiance to him The Ecclesiastical Supremacy is inferred from that expression of it where some are said to serve him in Church as well as in State which implies an Ecclesiastical subordination to him as Supreme over the Church III. The Tenor of some other Bonds was more smooth subtil as that of the Bond of Peace several times renewed imposed and under several forms but alwayes after one strain engaging to Live Peaceably Whereby many were caught cheated with the seeming saiâ—ness of these general terms but others discerning their faâ—laciousness refused and suffered for it This in the General is capable of a good sense for no Christian will refuse â—o Live Peaceably but will endeavour if it be possible as much as lieth in them to Live Peaceably with all men Rom. 12. 18. that is so far to follow Peace with all men as may consist with the pursuit of holiness 〈◊〉 12. 14. But if we more narrowly consider such Bonds we shall find them Bonds of iniquity for 1. They are Covenants of Peace or Confederacies with Gods enemies whom we should count our enemies and hate them because they hate Him Psal. 139. 21. It is more suitable to answer as Iehu did to Ioram 2 King. 9. 22. What Peace so long as the whoredomes of thy Mother Iezebel and her witchcrafts are so many than to engage to be at Peace with those who are carrying on Babylons Interest the Mother of harlots witchcrafts 2. This cannot be taken in Truth Iudgement Righteousness because of the fallacy ambiguity of the terms for there are diverse sorts of Peace Peaceableness some kind is duty some never It must then be rightly qualified for we can profess pursue no Peace of Confederacy with the enemies of God not consistent with the fear of the Lord otherwise
shall possess And in the 16. Art. of the Kirk Christ is the only Head of the same Kirk And yet in the Test the King is affirmed to be the only supreme in all causes Ecclesiastical 2 In the 14. Art. among good works are reckoned these to obey Superior powers and their charges not repugning to the Commandment of God to save the lives of Innocents to repress Tyranny to defend the oppressed And among evil works these are qualified to resist any that God hath placed in Authority while they pass not over the bounds of their Office And Art. 24. it is confessed that such as resist the supreme power doing that which pertains to his charge do resist Gods Ordinance while the Princes Rulers vigilantly travel in the execution of their Office. And yet in the Test true Allegiance is engaged into without any such limitations And it is affirmed to be unlawful upon any pretence whatsoever to convocate c. or to take up Armes against the King. 3 In the 14. Art. Evil works are affirmed to be not only those that expressly are done against Gods Commandment but those also that in matters of Religion Worshipping of God have no other assurance but the invention opinion of men And Art. 18. among the Notes of the true Church Ecclesiastical Discipline uprightly ministred as Gods Word prescribes whereby vice is repressed and virtue nourished is one In Art. 20. the voice of God and constitution of men are opposed And yet in the Test they swear never to endeavour any change or alteration in the Government of the Church as it is now established whereof many things must be altered yea the whole forme frame of it if these propositions be true as they are 4 In the Test they swear never to consent to any change or alteration contrary to that confession and that all principles practices contrary thereto are Popish fanatical for so they divide them into one of these disjunctively then must all the following principles in their Test be renounced as such seeing they are contrary to that confession in some propositions or Articles And that the Government established by that confession was Presbyterian and this established by the Test is Episcopal 2. It comprehends all the former Oaths Bonds which are cleared above to be sinful Yet for as wicked as it is it must be some way homologated by the Oath of Abjuration excepting the contradiction that is in it Seeing all these oppositions against the King sworn aginst in the Test are abjured renounced in that Oath of Abjuration in renouncing all Declarations of war against the King for if any war can be undertaken against him all these Kinds of opposition must be allowed that are in the Test sworn against VIII In the last place I shall come to consider more particularly the Oath of Abjuration it self for refusing of which the sufferings were more severe being extended even to death or banishment though the words be more smooth than in any of the former which are these I do abjure renounce disoune a late pretended Declaration affixed on several Merâ—at Crosses c. in so far as it declares War against the King and assert it Lawful to kill any that serve his Maj. in Church State Army or Country That the taking of this Oath is a step of Complyance dishonourable to God derogatory to the dayes Testimony contradictory to the many reiterated Confessions of Christs Worthy though poor despised Witnesses sealed by their blood bonds banishments encouraging gratifying to the Enemies of God hardening to backsliding Brethren offensive to the Generation of the Righteous stumbling to all leaving a stain sting upon the Conscience of the Subscriber I shall endeavour to make out by these Considerations 1. Considering the party who imposed it it must be looked upon as a Confederacy with them being tendered upon all the Subjects as a Test of their incorporating themselves with and declaring themselves for their head and syding with them him in this their Contest Contention with a poor Remnant of the Lords people persecuted murdered by them for Truth Conscience sake who issued forth that Declaration against them here abjured Therefore let the party be considered imposing the Oath with such rigour and prosecuting the Refusers with ravenous rage murdering torturing all who did not comply with them declaring a Ware more formally explicitely against Christ as King and all that will dare to assert their Allegiance to Him under an open displayed banner of defyance of Him His than ever Mortals durst espouse avouch The head of that Treacherous Truculent faction both he who was first declared against in that Declaration and he who hath by bloody treacherous Usurpation succeeded to him being such a Monster for Murder Mischief Tyranny Oppression Perfidy that among all the Nimrods Nero's that past ages can recount we cannot find a paralel by all Law Divine humane incapable of Government or any Trust or so much as Protection or any Priviledge but to be pursued by all as a Common enemy to mankind And his Underlings Agents Complices devoted to his lust serving his wicked designs in their respective offices places of trust under him which by his nomination sole appointment they have been erected to established in with the stain indelible Character of perjurie the only qualification of their being capable of any advancement occupying by usurpation intrusion violence the publick places of judicatories and carrying all so insolently arbitrarly and with an effrontry of wickedness despight of all Reason Religion or Justice that they cannot but be looked upon as the most pestilent pestiferous Plague that ever pestered a People The taking then of this Oath by them projected as a Pest to infect Consciences with and pervert them to wicked Truth-deserting Law-perverting Loyaltie and imposed as a Test of Complyance with them and coming off from that litle flock whom they design to devour destinate to destruction must be in their oun esteem as well as of the Generation of the Righteous to their satisfaction and the others sorrow a real incorporating with them an ouning of their usurped power as Judges to administer Oaths giving them all obedience they required for the time to their Authority and all the security they demanded for the Subscribers Loyaltie an approving of all their Proceedings in that matter and transacting tampering bargaining with these Sons of Belial out of fear whereby a right is purchased to that common badge of their ouned professed friends who upon taking that Oath had from them a priviledge allowance to travel traffique where and how they will through the Country denyed to all other that wanted that Badge I mean the Pass or Testificate they got from them thereupon which was the Mark of that secular beast of Tyrannie no less pernicious to
adverse party But this distinction will not be a Salvo to the Conscience For the object declared against is either a King or not if he be not then a Declaration of war against him is not to be abjured if he be King then he is either declared against as King qua Rex perse or as an oppressor or an Abuser of his power the first indeed is to be disouned for a King as King or Lawful Magistrate must not be resisted Rom. 13. 2. But the second to declare war against a King as an oppressor and abuser of his power and subverter of the Laws hath been ouned by our Church State many a time and they have opposed declared war as purposedly against him as he did against them and as really formally as he was an oppresâ—or sure he cannot be an oppressor only per accidens nor does he declare war against the subjects only pes accidens However this hath been ouned alwayes by Presbyterians that war may be declared against him who is called King. And therefore to abjure a Declaration in so far as it declares war against the King will condemn not only that Declaration upon the heads wherein its honesty faithfulness chiefly consists but all other most honest honourable Declarations that have been made emitted by our worthy renouned Ancestors and by our Worthies in our oun time who have formally avowedly explicitely or expressly purposedly designedly declared their opposition to Tyranny Tyrants and their Lawful laudable designs to repress depress suppress them by all the wayes means that God Nature and the Laws of Nations allow when they did ipso jure depose exauctorate themselves from all Rule or priviledge or prerogative of Rulers and became no more Gods ministers but Beelzebubs vicegerents and Monsters to be exterminated out of the Society of Mankind The honestest of all our Declarations of defensive war have alwayes run in this strain And others insinuating more preposterous Loayltie have been justly taxed for asserting the Interest of the Tyrant the greatest enemy of the declarers and principal object of the declared war which disingenuous jugling foysting in such flattering falsifying distinctions in the State of the Quarrel hath rationally been thought one of the procuring Causes or Occasions of the discomfiture of our former Appearances for the Work of God Liberties of our Country 3. This must infer an ouning of his Authority as Lawful King when the Declaration disouning him is abjured in so far as it declares war against his Majestie for in this Oath he is styled and asserted to be King and to have the Majestie of a Lawful King and therefore must be ouned as such by all that take it which yet I have proved to be sinful above Head. 2. Against this it hath been quibbled by some that that Declaration does not declare war against the King expresly as King but only against Charles Stewart by them declared to be no King who set forth the Declaration But this will not salve the matter for then 1 It is a subscribing to a lie in abjuring a Declaration in so far as it did declare a thing which it did not if that hold 2 The enemies impose the abjuring disouning of it in so far as it declares war against their King who had none other but Charles Stewart at that time who was the King in their sense and an Oath cannot be taken in any other sense contradictory to the Imposers even though by them allowed without an unjustifiable equivocation 3 Though he had been King and had not committed such acts of Tyranny as might actually denominate him a Tyrant forefeit his Kingship yet to repress his illegal arbitrariness intollerable enormities and to repel his unjust violence and reduce him to good order Subjects at least for their oun defence may declare a war expresly purposedly designedly against their oun acknowledged King This ought not in so far to be disouned For then all our Declarations emitted during the whole time of prosecuting the Reformation in opposition to our King would be disouned And so with one dash unhappily the whole Work of Reformation and the way of carrying it on is hereby tacitely consequentially reflected upon reproached if not disouned 4. It must infer an ouning of the Ecclesiastical Supremacy when it asserts that some do serve the King in Church as well as in State there is no Distinction here but they are said to serve him the same way in both And it is certain they mean so and have expressed so much in their Acts that Church men are as subordinate and the same way subject to the Kings Supremacy as Statsmen are The absurdity blasphemy of which is discovered above 5. This condemns all killing of any that serve the King in Church State Army or Country for a Declaration is abjured in so far as it asserts it Lawful to kill any such And so by this Oath there is an impunity secured for his Idolatrous priests and Murdering varlets that serve him in the Church for his bloody Councellors and Gouned Murderers that serve his Tyrannical designs in the State for his bloody Lictors Executioners the Sword men that serve him in the Army whom he may send when he pleases to murder us and for his bloody Iust-asses Informers Intelligencing Sycophants the Ziphites that serve him in the Country All these must escape bringing to conâ—ign punishment contrary to the 4. Art. of the Solemn League Covenant and shall be confuted Head. 6. Against this it is excepted by the Pleaders for this Oath that it is only a declared abhoring of Murdering principles which no Christian dare refuse And it may be taken in this sense safly that it is to be abjured in so far as it asserts it Lawful to kill all that are to be imployed by his Maj. or any because so imployed in Church State Army or Country Which never any did assert was Law-ful But though Murdering principles are indeed alwayes to be declaredly abhorred and all Refusers of that Oath did both declare so much and abhorred the thoughts of them yet this evasion is naught for 1 The Declaration asserts no such thing neither for that cause nor for any other but expressly makes a distinction between persons under the Epithet of bloody cruel Murderers and these only whom it threateneth to animadvert upon 2 The only reason of their declared intent of prosecuting these whom they threaten to bring to conding punishment was because they were so imployed by the Tyrant in such service as shedding the blood of Innocents Murdering people where they met them And so that 's the very reason for which they deserve to be killed and therefore foolish impertinent and very absurd to be alledged as a qualification of the sense of that impious Oath 5. If we consider the Proclamation enjoining this Oath and narrating and explaining the Occasions
Plainly declaring they intended no hurt to them if they would hold up their hands they would repute them as enemies to God the Reformation and punish them as such according to their power and the degree of their offence Withall leaving room for Civil Ecclesiastical satisfaction before Lawful settled Judicatories for the offences of such persons as their power may not reach c. And as unwilling to be necessitated to such severe Courses and earnestly desirous they be prevented they admonish them with sorrow seriousness of the sin hazard of their wicked Courses and protest that only Necessity of self preservation and zeal to Religion lest it should be totally rooted out by their insolency did drive them to this threatening Declaration and not because they were acted by any sinful spirit of revange This is all that is contained in that Declaration And if here be any thing there so odious execrable to be so solemnly abjured renounced abhorred in the persence of God for the pleasure of and in obedience to the will of His our enemies let all unbyassed Considerers impartially weigh or any awakened Conscience speak and I doubt not but the swearing subscribing this Oath will be cast condemned I shall say nothing of the necessity or conveniency or expediency or formality of this Declaration but the Lawfulness of the matter complexely taken is so undeniable that it cannot be renounced without condemning many very Material Principles of our Reformation Only Success Incapacity is wanting to justify the manner whole proceedure formality and all the Circumstances of the business If either the Declarers themselves or any other iâ— powered with strength and countenanced with success to make good the undertaking had issued out such a Declaration in the same terms and had prevailed prospered in the Project many that have now abjured it would approve applaud it But passing these things that are extrinsick to the consideration in hand it is the matter that they required to be abjured condemned it is that the enemies quarrelled at and not the inexpediency or informalities of it And it must be taken as they propound it and abjured renounced by Oath as they represent it And therefore the iniquity of this subscription will appear to be great in two respects First in denying the Truth Secondly in subscribing to swearing a Lie. 1. They that have taken that Oath have denied renounced the matter of that Declaration which is Truth duty and a Testimony to the Cause of Christ as it is this day Stated Circumstantiate in the Nation founded upon former among us uncontroverted precedents Principles of Defensive Wars disouning Tyranny repressing the insolency of Tyrants their Accomplices the whole matter being reducible to these two Points Declaring a resolved endeavour of breaking the Tyrants yoke from off our neck thereby asserting our oun the posterities Liberty freedom from his insupportable entailed slavery And a just Threatening to curb restrain the insolency of Murderers or to bring them to condign punishment Whereof as the first is no wayes repugnant but very consonant to the Third Article So the Second is the very duty obliged unto in the Fourth Article of our Solemn League Covenant But all this they have denied by taking that Oath 2. By taking that Oath they have sworn subscribed to a Lie taking it as they represent it abjuring it in so far as it declares c. asserts it is Lawful to kill all imployed in the service of the King in Church State Army or Country which is a manifest Lie for it asserts no such thing Neither will any other sense put upon the words in so far as salve the matter for as thereby the Takers of the Oath shall deal deceitfully in frustrating the end of the Oath and the design of the Tenderers thereof And to take an Oath quatenus eatenus in so far will not satisfie as Voetius Judgeth de Pol. Eccl. P. 213. So let them be taken which way they can either for in quantum or quatenus or si modo it is either a denying the Truth or subscribing a Lie And Consequently these poor people suffered for Righteousness that Refused it HEAD IV. The Sufferings of people for frequenting Field Meetings Vindicated HItherto the Negative Heads of Sufferings have been vindicated now follow the Positive founded upon Positive duties for doing and not denying and not promising engaging to relinquish which many have suffered severely The first both in order of nature and of time that which was first and last and most frequently most constantly most universally and most signally sealed by Sufferings was that which is the clearest of all being in some respect the Testimony of all Ages and which clears all the rest being the Rise Root Cause Occasion of all the rest to wit the Necessary duty of hearing the Gospel following the pure powerful faithfully dispensed Ordinances of Christ banished out of the Churches to private houses and persecuted out of houses to the Open Fields and there pursued opposed and sought to be suppressed by all the fury force rigour rage Cruelty Craft policy power that ever wicked men madded into a Monstrous Malice against the Mediator Christ and the Coming of His Kingdom could contrive or exert yet still followed frequented ouned adhered to by the Lovers of Christ serious seekers of God even when for the same they were killed all day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter and continually oppressed harrassed hunted and cruelly handled dragged to Prisons banished sold for slaves tortured Murdered And after by their fraudulent favours of ensnaring Indulgences Indemnities and a Continued tract of Impositions Exactions and many Oaths Bonds they had prevailed with many and even the most part both of Ministers Professors to abandon that necessary duty And even when it was declared Criminal by Act of Parliament and interdicted under pain of death to be found at any Field Meetings they nevertheless persisted in an undaunted endeavour to keep up the Standart of Christ in following the Word of the Lord wherever they could have it faithfully preached though at the greatest of hazards And so much the more that it was prosecuted by the rage of enemies and the reproach oblequies of pretended friends that had turned their back on the Testimony and preferred their oun ease Interests to the cause of Christ and with the greater fervor that the Labourers in that Work were few and like to faint under so many difficulties What the first Occasion was that constrained them to go to the fields is declared at length in the Historical Deduction of the Testimony of the Sixt Period to wit finding themselves bound in duty to Testifie their Adherence to Continuance in their Covenanted profession their Abhorrence of Abjured Prelacy and
the chief of our fundamental Land-rights and the Cardinal Condition of the established Policy upon which we can only oune men for Magistrats by the Law of the Land And this Testimony by defence of the Gospel and of our oun lives cannot be given expediently any where but in the Fields It is also a Testimony for the freedom Authority of the Gospel-Ministrie and for their holding their unremovable Relation to the Church of Scotland which is infringed by these Tyrannical Acts and maintained by these exercises which is a priviledge to be contended for above beyond all other that can be contended for or defended especially to be maintained against those that have no power or Authority to take it away There will no man quite any of his goods upon a sentence coming from an incompetent Judge And shall Ministers or people be hectored or fooled from such a priviledge by them that have no such power 6. The keeping of Field-Meetings now is a Testimony for our Covenants the ouning whereof is declared Criminal by that same Law that discharges these Meetings in which we are sworn to preserve the Reformation in Doctrine Worship Discipline Government and to defend all the Churches Liberties and to oppose all their Opposites and endeavour their exstirpation And in the Solemn Acknowledgment of sins Engagment to duties we are sworn because many have of late laboured to supplant the Liberties of the Kirk to maintain defend the Kirk of Scotland in all her Liberties Priviledges against all who shall oppose undermine the same or encroach thereupon under any pretext whatsoever Since then the ouning of these Meetings and the Covenants are both discharged together and the ouning of the Covenant does oblige to a publick opposition against the dischargers and an avowed Maintinance of the Churches priviledges whereof this is in a manner the only chief Liberty now left to be maintained to keep Meetings where we may testify against them without dependence on their Toleration it must follow that these Meetings are to be maintained which only can be in the fields with conveniency 7. To give over these Field-Meetings now would be an hardening encouraging of these Enemies in their wicked design of banishing all these Meetings out of the Land which manifestly would be defeat by a resolute refusal of all to submit to their discharging of them and they that do submit and give them over do evidently contribute to the effectuating that wicked design which is certain does not nor will not terminate upon a simple suppression of that sort but further is intended to exstirpate all Meetings for Gospel Ordinances in which there is any Testimony against them To Comply therefore with such a forbearance of them at this time would lay a stone of stumbling before them to encourage them in these their designs when they should see their Contrivance so universally complyed with wherein they might boast that at length they had prevailed to put quite away that eye-sore of theirs Field-Meetings 8. To give over these Field-Meetings now were a stumbling to the poor ignorant people who might think that now it appears that Work was but of men and so hath come to naught and would look upon it as an evidence of fainting succumbing at last in the matter of the Testimony as being quite overcome and that indeed all have embraced accepted this present Toleration and were all alike sleeping under the shade and eating the fruits of such a bramble 9. Finally To give over these Field-Meetings now would be very scandalous to the posterity and to Strangers who shall read the History of our Church to find that as Prelacy came in without a joint Witness and the monstrous Blasphemous Sacrilegious Supremacy was erected without a Testimony in its season So black Poperie it self and Tyranny was introduced by a Toleration which laid them all by from a Testimony against these who formerly had valiantly resolutely faithfully contended against all lesser Corruptions but at last when that came and stricter prohibitions of all publick Meetings but under the Covert thereof were emitted then all were perswaded to comply with that Course How astonishing would it be to read that all these Contendings sealed with so much precious blood should come to such a pitiful Period But I hasten to the Next which is the Second Positive Ground of Suffering HEAD V. The Principle of Testimony for Defensive Armes Vindicated THis Truth is of that sort that can hardly be illustrated by demonstration not for the darkness thereof but for its self evidencing clearness being scarcely capable of any further elucidation than what is offered to the rational understanding by its simple proposition As first Principles can hardly be proven because they need no probation and cannot be made clearer than they are and such as cannot consent to them are incapable of conceiving any probation of them So this Truth of Self-preservation being Lawful because it is congenite with and irradicated in every nature that hath a Self which it can preserve can scarcely be more illustrated that it may do so than that it can do so And therefore to all who have a true respect to their oun as well as a due concern in the Interest of Mankind and zeal for the Interest of Christ it might seem superfluous to make a doubt or debate of this Were it not that a Generation of men is now prevailing that are as great Monsters in Nature as they are Malignant in Religion and as great perverters of the Law of Nature as they are Subverters of Municipal Laws and Everters of the Laws of God Who for ouning this principle as well as using the practice of Defensive Resistence for self preservation against Tyrannical violence have set up such Monuments of rage cruelty in the Murder of many innocent people as was never read nor heard of before It hath been indeed the practice of all Nations in the World and the greatest of men have maintained this principle in all ages But the bare Asserting the principle when extorted by severe Inquisitions was never a Cause of taking the lives of any before this was imposed on the poor Sufâ—erers in Scotland to give their judgement Whether or not such Appearances for Defence as the Tyranny of Rulers had forced people to were Rebâ—llion and a Sin against God Which they could not in Conscience assert and therefore thô many that have suffered upon this head have been as free of the practice of such Resâ—stence as any yet because they would not condemn the principle they have been Criminally processed Arraigned Condemned to the death And against this Truth they have been observed to have a special kind of indignation either because the light of it which cannot be â—id hath some heat with it to seâ—rch them or because they fear the impression of this in the hearts of people more than others knowing that they deserve the
every soul be subject unto the higher Powers whosoever therefore resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God as Resistence by Prayer is with that 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I exhort that Supplications be made for Kings and for all that are in Authority If the Prince be good the one as is unlawful as the other and a sinful resistence of the Ordinance of God to pray against him no less than the other to fight against him Therefore when he becomes a Tyrant destroyer of the Lords Inheritance and an Apostate as I may not pray for him except conditionally but against him as an Enemy of Christ so I may also fight against him as such 2. As Adversaries themselves will grant that Resistence by Prayers tears is more powerful effectual than the other So the Laws of the Land make the one treasonable as well as the other and that deservedly when the Prince is doing his duty but when he turneth Tyrant neither can justly be condemned These things being premitted I shall come shortly to the purpose and endeavour to prove this Truth That it is a necessary duty for a Community whether they have the Concurrence of the Primores Nobles Representatives or not to endeavour in the defence of their Religion Lives Laws Liberties to Resist Repress the Usurpation Tyranny of prevailing Dominators using or abusing their Power for subverting Religion invading the Liberties and overturning the foundamental Laws of their Country Wherein I shall be but short because this Truth is sufficiently confirmed by all the Arguments of the Second Head. Yet I may only hint at many other And prosecute them in this Order First I shall produce some Arguments from the Law of Nature Nations Secondly from the Common practice of all Christian people Thirdly from express Scriptures I. The Arguments of the first Class are very multifarious I shall reduce them to a few as Compendiously as may be and only give the strength of them in a Syllogistical forme without expatiating save where the matters requires 1. The greatest Antagonists of this Truth through the clearness thereof are forced to assert grant such particulars as will by Consequence justify this plea. 1. Barclay contra Monarchum is cited by the Apol. Relat. and Ius Populi asserting that if a King will alienate subject his Kingdom without his Subjects consent or be carried with a hostile mind to the destruction of his people his Kingdom is actually lost and the people may not only Lawfully resist but also depose him Grotius de jure belli lib. 1. cap. 4. asserts the same and adds if he but attempt to do so he may be resisted The Surveyer of Napâ—tali grants the same pag. 23 24. Yea this hath been granted in open Court by the Council of Scotland that in case of the Kings alienating his Kingdoms he may be Resisted Hence 1 If vendition or alienation of Kingdoms or attempts of it do annull a Kings Authority Then an alienation of them from Christ to whom they are devoted by Covenant and selling them to Antichrist as is attempted by this King gives the people a right to Resist him But the former is here conceded Ergo 2 We need say no more to apply the other that carrying a hostile mind to the destruction of the people does forfeit his Kingdom and gives the people right to Resist than that a Papist is alwise known to carry a hostile mind to the destruction of Protestants and all the designs declared these 27 years have been demonstrative efforts of it 2. Dr Ferne acknowledgeth that personal defence is Lawful against the sudden illegal inevitable assaults of the Kings Messengers or of himself in so far as to ward off his blowes or hold his hands As also he alloweth private persons Libertie to deny subsidies tribute to the Prince when he imployeth it to the destruction of the Commonwealth Hence 1 If one man may defend himself against the sudden illegal inevitable assaults of the King or his Messengers Then may many men in defence of their Lives Liberties defend themselves against the surprising Massacres the sudden assaults and much more the devised deliberate assaults of a Tyrants bloody Emissaries which are illegal inevitable as all their furious bloody on-sets have been But the former is here acknowledged Ergo 2 If people may deny subsidies to a King when he employeth it to the destruction of the Commonwealth Then as this justifies the denyal of the Cess imposed for destruction of the Church banishing of the Gospel So this gives them right to Resist him for if he be the power ordained of God not to be resisted then for this Cause tribute must be paid for they are Gods Ministers Rom. 13. 6. and if tribute must not be paid then he is not the power ordained of God and so may be resisted But the former is here allowed Ergo 3. Bodin de Repub. lib. 2. cap. 5. granteth if a King turn Tyrant he may Lawfully at his subjects request be invaded resisted condemned or slain by a foraign Prince Hence if foraign Princes may Lawfully help a people oppressed by their oun Soveraign then people may Resist themselves if they be able and hold in their pains But the former is here granted Ergo The Consequence cannot be denyed for foraigners have no more Power or Authority over another Soveraign then the people have themselves 4. Arnisaeus de Author Princip c. 2. n. 10 granteth that if the Prince proceed extrajudicially without order of Law by violence every private man hath power to resist So the Surveyer of Naphtali ubi supra grants so much of a womans violent resisting attempts against the honour of her chastitie and tending to ensnare her in sin whereof her non-resistence makes her guilty Hence 1 If every extrajudicial violence of a Prince may be Resisted Then also all Contrajudicial violence against Law or reason must be opposed for that is more grievous and all their violences wherein they do not act as Judges must be resisted and that is all together for in none of them they can act as Judges But the former is here granted Ergo 2 If a woman may defend her Chastity against the K. lest her non-resistence make her guilty Oh if all women had been of this mind the Country would not have been pestered so with the Kings bastards Then may a Nation or any part of it Resist a Tyrants attempts upon the honour of their Religion entycing them to fornication with the Mother of harlots lest their non-resistence make them guilty But the former is here yeelded Ergo 5. That same Arnisaeus cap. 4. saith Of the former to wit he who is called a Tyrant in title it is determined by all without any difficultie that he may be Lawfully repulsed or if by force he be gotten into the Throne he may warrantably be thence removed because he hath not any Jot of power which
Loc. defendeth thus I say it was done by the Law of God for Deut. 18. 20. God decerned that the false Prophet should die and chap. 17. the same is said of private men women who would worship Idols But chap. 13. not only is death threatened against a seducing Prophet but a Command is added that no man should spare his Brethren thirdly it is Commanded that the whole City when it becometh Idolatrous should be cut off by fire sword And Levit. 24 14 16. it is Statute that the Blasphemer should not live to which we may adde the Law or equity of Taliation for these Prophets of Baal caused Iezebel Ahab kill the Servants of the Lord. See Ius Pop. cap. 20. Pag. 425. Upon this also Mr Mitchel defends his fact ubi supra Also Elijah by virtue of that precept Deut. 13 gave commandment to the people to destroy Baals priests contrary to the command of the seducing Magistrate who was not only remiss negligent in executing Justice but became a Protector defender of the Seducers then in that case I suppose the Christians duty not to be very dark 9. This Idolatrous Tyrannical house was afterwards condignly punished by Iâ—hu 2 King. 9. And 10 chapt who destroyed all the Idolaters who were before encouraged protected by that Court chap. 10. 25. This extraordinary fact was not justified by his Magistratical Authority for that was as extraordinary as the fact it self and conferred as a mean to accomplish the fact He had no Authority by the peoples suffrages nor was he acknowledged as such by the Court or body of the people only the Lord gave it extraordinarly But it is not the imitation of his assumption of Authority that is here pleaded for but the imitation of his fact in extraordinary cases when not only Tyrants Idolaters pass unpunished but their insolency in Murdering the Innocent is intolerable Mr Knox vindicates this at length ubi supra and shewes that it had the ground of Gods ordinary Judgement which commands the Idolater to die the death And that thô we must not indeed follow extraordinary examples if the example repugn to the Law but where it agrees with and is the execution of the Law an example uncondemned stands for a Command for God is constant and will not condemn in ages subsequent what He hath approved in His Servants before See the Testim of Period 3. above and Ius pop cap. 20. pag. 418. 10. When Athaliah the Mother of Ahaziah had Tyrannized six years at length Iehojada with others made a Conspiracie against her to depose her and make Ioash King which when it was discovered she cried Treason Treason as indeed it would have been so if she had been the Lawful Magistrate for it was an attempt of Subjects against her that had the possession of the Soveraign power But Iâ—â—â—â—da commanded the Captains to have her forth without the ranges and him that followeth her kill with the sword And they laid hands on her and she was slain 2 King. 11. 14 16. That this is imitable in the punishment of Tyrants is cleared above If therefore it be Lawful for Subjects to kill Usurping Tyrants and such as follow them to help them under whom nevertheless people might have a life then it must be Lawful for private persons to put forth their hand against their Cut-throat Emâ—ssaries in a case of necessity when there is no living for them 11. When Amaziah turned Idolater Tyrant after the time that he turned away from following the Lord they made a Conspiracy against him in Ierusalem and he fled to Lachish but they sent to Lachish after him slew him there 2 Chron. 25 27. This fact is before vindicated by Mr Knox Period 3. afterward Head 2. and Head 5. 12. When Esther made suite to reverse Hamans Letters the King granted the Iewes in every City not only to gather themselves together and to stand for their life but also to destroy to slay and to cause to perish all the power of the people and Province that would assault them both litle Ones Women and to avenge themselves on their Enemies And accordingly in the day that their enemies hoped to have power over them the Iewes gathered themselves to lay hand on such as sought their hurt and smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword Esther 8. 11 13. chap. 9. 1 5. c. They had indeed that Law of Nature fortified by the Kings accessory Authority as Valentinâ—â—â— by his Edict granted the like Liberty to resist any unjust invader to depopulate the Lands of his Subjects ut digno ilico supplicio subjugetur ac mortem quam ininabatur accipiat And the like of Arcadius is extant in Codice Iustinaneo titulo Quomodo liceat unicuique sine judice se vindicare vel publicam devotionem But that doth not exclude the Lawfulness of such Resistences in case of necessity without publick Authority So here it was not the Kings commandment that made the Iewes avenging themselves Lawful if it had not been Lawful before without it it gave them only Liberty to improve that priviledge which they had from God and Nature Surely their power of Resisting did not depend on the Kings Commandment as is proven Head 5. Ergo neither their power of avenging themselves to prevent their Murder by their enemies Which they could and were obliged to do if there had been no such Authority Ergo it was not only suspended upon the Kings Authority And as for Hamans sons and adherents being Agagites they were obliged by a Prior Command to avenge themselves on them on all occasions by that Command to destroy Amalek Therefore it must be Lawful even without publick Authority in some cases of necessity to prevent the Murder of publick Enemies by laying hands on them that seek the hurt of all the people of God. Secundly There are some Precepts from which the same may be concluded 1. There is a Command and the first Penal Statute against Murderers we read Gen. 9. 6. Whoso sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed Here the Command is given in general to punish Capitally all Murderers but there may be some that no Magistrate can punish who are not here exempted to wit they that are in Supreme Authority and turn Murderers as was said above Again the Command is given in general to Man involving all the Community where the Murderer is in guilt if his blood be not shed as we find in the Scripture all the people were threatened punished because Judgement was not executed and when it was executed even by these that were no Magistrates the Wrath of God was turned away Whereof there are many examples above Further if the Command to shed the blood of Murderers be given before the Institution of Magistracy then in case of necessity to stop the Course of Murderers it may be obeyed When there is no Magistrate to execute
to death while it is yet morning Judg. 6. 31. Moreover as Mr Mitchel adduces the example very pertinently we see that the people of Israel destroyed Idolatry not only in Judah wherein the King concurred but in Ephraim and in Manassâ—h where the King himself was an Idolater and albeit they were but private persons without publick Authority for what all the people was bound to do by the Law of God every one was bound to do it to the uttermost of his power Capacity Mr Mitchel offers this place to vindicate his fact of shooting at the prelate Deut. 13. 9. Wherein sayes he it is manifest that the Idolater or intycer to Worship a false god is to be put to death by the hand of those whom he seeks to turn away from the Lord Which precept I humbly take to be Moral and not meerly Iudicial and that it is not at all Ceremonial or Levitical And as every Moral precept is Universal as to the extent of place so also as to the extent of Time persons The chief thing Objected here is that this is a Judicial precept peculiarly suited to the Old Dispensation which to plead for as a Rule under the New Testament would favour of Jewish rigidity inconsistent with a Gospel Spirit Ans. How Mr Knox refells this and clears that the Command here is given to all the people needs not be here repeated but it were sufficient to read it in the foregoing Representation Period 3. Pag. 30. as it is also cited by Ius Pop. Pag. 212. c. But these General Truths may be added concerning the Iudicial Laws 1. None can say that none of the Judicial Laws concerning political Constitutions is to be observed in the New Testament for then many special Rules of Natural Necessary equity would be rejected which are contained in the Judicial Laws of God Yea all the Laws of equity in the World would be so cast for none can be instanced which may not be reduced to some of the Judicial Laws And if any of them are to be observed certainly these Penal Statutes so necessary for the preservation of Policies must be binding 2. If we take not our measures from the Judicial Laws of God we shall have no Laws for punishment of any Malefactors by death juris Divini in the New Testament And so all Capital punishments must be only humane Constitutions and consequently they must be all Murders for to take away the life of man except for such Causes as the Lord of our life to whose Arbitriment it is only subject hath not approven is Murder as Dr Ames saith de homocidio Conscience Lib. 5. cap. 31. quest 2. For in the New Testament thô in the general the power of punishing is given to the Magistrate yet it is no where determined neither what nor how Crimes are to be punished If therefore Penal Laws must be taken from the Old Testament the Subject of executing them as well as the Object must be thence deduced that is what is there astricted to the Magistrate must be so still and what is permitted to the people must remain in like manner their Priviledge since it is certain the New Testament-Liberty is not more restricted as to Penal Laws than the Old. 3. Those Judicial Laws which had either somewhat Typical or Paedagogical or peculiar to the then Iudacial State are indeed not binding to us under that formality thô even these Doctrinally are very useful in so far as in their general nature of equity of proportion they exhibite to us some Documents of Duty But those Penal Judgements which in the matter of them are appended to the Moral Law and are in effect but accurate determinations accommodations of the Law of Nature which may suit our Circumstances as well as the Jewes do oblige us as well as them And such are these Penal Statutes I adduce for that Blasphemy Murder Idolatry are heinous Crimes and that they are to be punished the Law of Nature dictates and how and by whom in several cases they are to be punished the Law judicial determines Concerning the Moral equity even of the strictest of them Amesius de Conscienc lib. 5. de Mosaicis appendicibus praeceptorum doth very learnedly assert their binding force 4. Those Judicial Laws which are but Positive in their forme yet if their special internal proper Reason Ground be Moral which pertains to all Nations which is necessary useful to Mankind which is rooted in and may be fortified by humane reason and as to the substance of them approven by the more intelligent Heathens those are Moral and oblige all Christians as well as Jewes And such are these Laws of punishing Idolaters c. founded upon Moral grounds pertaining to all Nations necessary useful to Mankind rooted in fortified by humane Reason to wit that the Wrath of God may be averted and that all may hear fear and do no more so wickedly especially if this Reason be superadded when the case is such that innocent honest people cannot be preserved if such wicked persons be not taken order with 5. Those Judicial Laws which being given by the Lords immediate Authority thô not so solemnly as the Moral Decalogue are neither as to their end Mortuae dead nor as to their use Mortiferae deadly nor as to their nature Indifferent nor in any peculiar respect restringible only to the Jewes but the transgressions whereof both by omission commission are still sins and were never abolished neither Formally nor Consequentially in the New Testament must be Moral But such as these Penal Laws I am speaking of They cannot be reputed among the Ceremonial Laws dead as to their end and deadly as to their use or indifferent in their nature for sure to punish the Innocent upon the account of these Crimes were still sin now as well as under the Old Testament and not to punish the Guilty were likewise sin now as well as then If then the matter be Moral and not abolished the execution of it by private persons in some cases when there is no access to publick Authority must be Lawful also Or if it be Indifferent that which is in its oun nature Indifferent cannot be in a case of extreame necessity unlawful when otherwise the destruction of our selves Brethren is in all humane consideration inevitable That which God hath once Commanded and never expressly Forbidden cannot be unlawful in extraordinary cases but such are these precepts we speak of Therefore they cannot be in every case unlawful Concerning this case of the obligation of Judicial Laws Ames de Conscienc lib. 5. cap. 1. quest 9. 6. Those Laws which are predicted to be observed executed in the New Testament times cannot be Judicial or Judaical restricted to the Old But such is this In the day that a fountain shall be opened for thâ— house of David for sin for uncleaness which clearly points at Gospel-times It is said the
Cause doth require may upon the very same Principles again joine associate for our better defence Preservation as we did at first enter into Societies Naph P. 150. yet whatever we may do in this case We are not for presumptuous Assumptions of Authority which maleversers have forefaulted Neither are we for new erections of Government but are for keeping the Societie of which we are members intire in an endeavour to have all our fellow members united unto God to one another in Religion Liberty according to the bond of the Solemn League Covenant Certain it is that Greater Societies under one Government may in some cases make a Secession divide into Lesser without sedition or else how would there be now so many distinct Common-wealths in the world seeing at first all was under one head and how comes it to pass that there are so many Kingdoms in Europe when it can be instanced when all or the most part were under on Roman Emperour But this in our Circumstance is no way expedient neither was it ever in Projection But our aim is to abstract our selves inoffensively and maintain our rights that remain unrobbed and to adhere clossly to the fundamental Constitutions Lawes Laudable Practices of our native Kingdome 11. We oune the obligation of our Sacred Covenants unrepealably indispensibly binding to all the duties of Christian subjection to Magistrates But we deny that hereby we are bound either to maintain Monarchy especially thus perverted nor to oune the Authority of either of the two Monarchs that have Monarchized or Tyrannized over us these 27 years past For as to the first we assert that that which is in its oun nature Mutable cannot be simply sworn unto to be maintained preserved but Hypothetically it most else it were simply sinful since it were to make things in their oun nature and in the Providence of God changable unchangable yea it were a doun right swearing not to comply with but to spurn against the various vicisitudes of Divine Providence the great Rector of the Universe And it is unquestionable that when things alterable unalterable are put in the same Oath to make the Engagment Lawful the things must be understood as they are in their oun nature and no otherwise else both the Imposer the Taker grievously transgress the former in taking upon him what is in the power of no Morta and a Contradicton to the Prerogative of the Immorta God and the other in ouning that power as just Hence when these two fall to be in the same Oath they must be so understood as it may not be made a snare to the conscience of the Sweaer For it may fall so out in the Providence of God that the Preservation of both is in all respects made impossible And an adhesion to the one may so far interfere with the Preservation of the other as if the Mutable and that which hath no objective obligation be stuck to the other which with the loss of all Interests we are to maintain must be abandoned yea that which was sworn to be maintained as a mean only a mutable one too may not only cease to be a mean but may actually destroy the main end and then it is to be laid aside because then it inverts the order of things Hence also it may be questioned if it were not more convenient to leave out those things that are alterable in themselves out of the same Oath with things unalterable and put them in a distinct Oaths or Covenant by themselves as we see Iehojadah did 2 King. 11. 17. He made a Covenant between the Lord and the King the people that they should be the Lords people between the King also the People Here are two distinct Covenants the one made with God about things eternally obligatory wherein King people engage themselves upon level ground to serve the Lord and Joash the King his treacherous dealing with God in that matter brought the Curse of that Covenant upon him The other Covenant was Civil about things alterable relating to Points of Government Subjection And as he by virtue of that prior Covenant had obliged himself under the pain of the Curse thereof to carry as one Covenanted to God with the people and so not to Tyrannize over his brethren So the people by virtue of that same Covenant were to yeeld obedience but in nothing to acknowledge him as having power or Authority to countermand Gods Command Neither had it been an act of disloyaltie to have broken doun his Groves which he had with the addition of the guilt of Perjurie set up and to have bound his ungrateful hands from the blood of the Gracious Zechariah A perfect parallel to our Case under the former dominator save that it was out-done as to all dimensions of wickedness by him To speak more plainly the Religious part of our Covenant is of an Eternal obligation but as to the Civil part it is impossible it can ever be so unless it be well Cautiously understood that is unless instead of any species of Government as Monarchy c. we put in Magistracy it self For this is that power which is of God but Monarchy c. is only a humane Creature about the creation whereof men take a Liberty according to what suits them best in their present Circumstances And as to this Species of Monarchy men are never left at Liberty to cloath therewith any inept or impious Person And they are perfectly loosed from it 1. when that Species of Government becomes opposite to the ends of Government and is turned Tyranny especially when a legal establishment is pretended then it affects with its contagion the very species it self The house is to be pulled doun when the Leprosie is got into the walls foundation 2. when as it is exercised it is turned inept for answering the end of its erection and prejudicial to the main thing for which Government is given to wit the Gospel and the coming of Christs Kingdom hence it is promised to the Church Isai. 49. 23. Kings shall be nursing fathers to the Church And Isai. 52. 15. It is promised to the Meâ—iator that Kings shall shute their mouths I. e. never a word in their head but out of reverence respect to His absolute Soveraignty they shall take the Law from Him without daring to contradict far less to take upon them to prescribe in the House of God as they in their wisdom think fit 3. when Providence without any sinful hand makes that species impossible to be kept up without the ruine of that for which it was erected when things come to this push pinch whosoever are cloathed with the power are then under an obligation to comply with that alteration of providence for the safety of the people else they declare themselves unworthy of rule and such who would sacrifice the interest of the people to their particular interest in
be amiss to transcribe some of the words of the Edict of the Estates General to this purpose It is well known say they that a Prince Lord of a Countrey is Ordained by God to be Soveraign Head over his subjects to preserve defend them from all injuries force violence and that if the Prince therefore faileth therein and in stead of preserving his subjects doth outrage oppress them depriveth them of their Priviledges Ancient Customs commandeth them and will be served of them as slaves they are no longer bound to respect him as their Soveraign Lord but to esteem of him as a Tyrant neither are they bound to acknowledge him as their Prince but may abandon him c. And with this aggrees the answer of William Prince of Orange to the Edict of Proscription published against him by Philip. the II. There is sayes he a Reciprocal Bond betwixt the Lord his vassal so that if the Lord break the Oath which he hath made unto his vassal the vassal is discharged of the Oath made unto his Lord. This was the very Argument of the poor suffering people of Scotland whereupon they disouned the Authority of Charles the Second 4. The Monarchy of France is very absolute yet there also the State hath taken order with their Tyrants not only have we many instances of resistances made against them but also of disouning disabling invalidating their pretended Authority repressing their Tyranny So was the two Childerici served So also Sigebertus Dagabertus and Lodowick the II. Kings of France 5. The great body of Germany moves very slowly and is inured to bear great burdens yet there also we find Ioanâ—a of Austria Mother of Charles the 5. was put to perpetual sonment which example is adduced by the Earle of Mortoun in his discourse to the Queen of England whereof I rehearsed a part before vindicating the deposing disouning Queen Mary of Scotland If saith he we compare her with Ioanna of Austria what did that poor wretch commit but that she could not want a litle lustful pleasure as a remedy necessary for her age And yet poor Creature she suffered that punishment of which our Dame convicted of most grievous Crimes now complains Buchan Rer. Scotic l. b. 20. pag. 748. The Duke of Saxon the Landgrave of Hesse and the Magistrats of Magdeburgh joined in a war against her Son Charles the 5. and drew up a conclusion by resolution of Lawyers wherein are these words Neither are we bound to him by any other reason than if he keep the conditions on which he was created Emperour By the Laws themselves it is provided that the Superior Magistrate shall not infringe the right of the inferior if the Superior Magistrate exceed the Limits of his power and command that which is wicked not only we need not obey him but if he offer force we may resist him Which Opinion is confirmed by some of the greatest Lawyers and even some who are Patrons of Tyranny Grotius none of the greatest enemies of Tyrants de jure belli lib. 1. cap. 4. n 11. sayth out of Barclaius with him that the King doth loss his power when he seeketh the destruction of his subjects It was upon the account of the Tyranny of that bloody house of Austria over the Helvetians that they shook off the rule Government of that family and established themselves into a Republick And at this present time upon the same accounts the Tyranny Treachery of this Imperial Majestie the Hungarians have essayed to maintain justify a revolt in disouning the Emperour now for several years 6. Polland is an Elective Kingdom and so cannot but be fertile of many instances of casting off Tyrants Henricus Valesius disouned for fleeing and Sigismuadus for violating his faith to the States may suffice Lex Rex Q. 24. Pag. 217. 7. In Denmark we find Christiernus their King was for his intollerable Cruelty put from the Kingdom he and all his Posterity and after twenty years did end his life in Prison 8. In Swedland within the Compass of one Century the people deposed banished the two Christierns and dethroned imprisoned Ericus for their oppressions Tyranny and for pursuing the destruction of their Subjects 9. The Portugieses not many years ago laid aside and confined Alphonsus their King for his rapines Murders 10. Some Dukes of Venice have been so disouned by these Common-wealths men that laying aside their Royal honours as private men they have spent their dayes in Monasteries Buchan de jure regni apud Scotos 11. If we will revolve the old Roman Histories we shall find no small store of such examples both in the time of their Kings Consuls Emperours Their seventh King Tarquinius Superbus was removed by the people for his evident Usurpation Neque enim ad jus regni quicquam praeter vim habebat ut qui neque populi jussu neque Patribus Authoribus regnavit sayth Livius i.e. for he had nothing for a right to the Government but meer force and got the rule neither by the peoples consent choise nor by the Authority of the Senators So afterwards the Empire was taken from Vitellius Heliogabulus Maximinus Didius Iulianus Lex Rex ub supra 12. But it will be said Can there be any Instances of the Primitive Christians adduced Did ever they while groaning under the most insupportable Tyranny of their Persecuting Emperours disoune their Authority or suffer for not ouning it To this I answer 1. What they did or did not of this Kind is not of moment to inquire seeing their practice Example under such disavantages can neither be known exactly nor what is known of it be accommodated to our case for 1 they were never forced to give their judgement neither was the question ever put to them whether they ouned their Authority or not if they transgressed the Lawes they were lyable to the punishment they craved no more of them 2 They confess themselves to be strangers that had no establishments by Law and therefore they behoved to be passively subject when in no capacity to resist there was no more required of them Yet Lex Rex Quest. 35. pag. 371. cites Theodoret affirming Thâ—n evil men reigned through the unmanlyness of the subâ—ects 3 Their examples are not imitable in all things They were against resistence which we doubt not to prove is Lawful against Tyrannical vioâ—ence Many of them refused to flee from the fury of Persecuters They ran to Martyrdom when neither cited nor accused And to obtain the Croun thereof they willingly yeelded up their lives Liberties also to the rage or Tyrants We cannot be obliged to all these 2 Yet we find some examples not altogether unapplicable to this purpose When Barochbach the pretended King of the Iewes after the destruction of Ierusalem set himself up as King in Bitter a City in Arabia the Christians that were in his precincts refused to oune