shall not be such enemies to it in time to come Moreover your pie fraudes have not a little advanced your courses for though the generall cause of all this uproare was pretended to be for defence of religion lawes and liberties yet to speake under the Râ—se it flowed from private causes and respects for not to speak of the contempt of Monarchy nor of private frettinâ— against Soveraignty by malecontents the course his Majesty was taking with the tythes to deliver the ministry and meaner sort of the Laitie from that which was counted bondage and slaverie made many fret to see themselves robbed of that clientely and dependance of the Clâ—rgie and Laitie and of that power command and superiority which by the tye of tythes they did enjoy Some had their private quarrels against the Bishops many could not abide to see them preferred to be on his Majesties ounsell c. And a great hatred was working against them for being the chiefe instruments that the Ministers maintenance was augmented and many of the Tythes restored backe againe which made many thinke that in the end all the tythes and Church-lands would returne to the ancient owner whereby many would be brought to a poore estate if the tythes were taken from them and some who have made Churches their habitation would not have a dwelling place at all and some others being ambitious of preferment both in Church and Policie were no small causes of all this uproare Now howbeit from those and such like other motives this disorder hath come yet it s well dissembled by you in taking this opportunity to work your private intended ends by making the multitude believe that all is for defence of Religion Lawes and liberties which otherwise would be destroyed His Holinesse our Pope did never laugh more heartily than when it was told him that you made the people believe that the book of Common Prayer was penned at Rome and sent to the King and that it was nothing but the masse turned into English and that the King was a Papist and intended to change the Religion That your Bishops were Pensioners to the Pope and that all who would not subscribe your covenant are Papists truly he commended your Policie to catch children with wiles and men with lies The aspersions you have cast upon King Bishops and Anticovenanters will make you noble It 's a good policie still to complaine of Court and State and to prie into great mens lives to picke out some fault and to make faults where we finde none still with Absalom saying The men who have good and right causes 2 Sam. 15.3.4 have no man to heare them Oh that I were made Iudge in the land that every man which hath any sâ—it or cause might come unto me and I would do him justice Thus the silly multitude will lightly apprehend that you are blamelesse who doe so narrowly trie and crie out against the faults of others whom howbeit you do not wound yet in the vulgar opinion you do greatly staine and blot them Finally we have both suffered much of our enemies for our practise against Kings and Princes in cutting them away that are enemies to the religion We need not be ashamed to confesse that the armour wherwith such kings are killed are forged in our shop you know that Hackes and Coppinger who wrote to Scotland to Iames Gibson that he with the advise of the brethren might tell their opinion concerning the spirit that moved them the act that they had in hand to be done for the delivery of T. Cart wright out of prison and killing of all their withstanders That which Ravillack did effectu was no more praise-worthy than that which they did affectu all those our works are not to be accounted points of treason but onely sensible expressions of our Heroicall Zeale to the defence of Religion which ought to be more deare to us than Kings or Princes father or mother brother or sister all those cords must be broke and bonds cast from us when we see them to set themselves to take counsell against the Lords Annointed Such men of courage who put their life in their hand and cut off such wicked men ought to be so farre from being counted traitors that they should be rewarded for doing it as your Buchanan sayes Knox in his history of Scotland commends the privie murdering of the Cardinall of S. Andrewes perpetrated by Norman Lesley sonne to the Earle of Rothsey and Iames Melvin cals it a godly fact and propones it as an example to be followed by the posterity In your Zions plea and other papers you speak excellently of that Heroicall fact of Felton your Martyr Du. Buck. and pathetically exhort the Nobles of the Land to follow his footsteps saying God hath chalked out the way unto you God having offered himself to guide you by the hand in giving this first blow will you not follow home the sprinkling of the blood of the wolf if we can fâ—llow the Lord in it may prove a meanes to save us The counsell of Hushai to Absalom forteth well with this businesse that all Israel should be gathered from Dan to Beersheba as the sand on the sea in number who may with the ropes of their Prayers joyned to the power of your hands draw the city of their Babel into the river of destruction untill there be not one small stone found You have most zealously embraced this profitable exhortation and albeit your intended work tooke but small successe yet let not this interruption bequench your zeale nor cause your heroicall spirits to saile but be forward in this cause and let all your words be spoken by Talents that authority may see that you do not scare it Let our example encourage you and your example encourage us It was to this purpose manfully said by one of you Payne epist to F. Our zeale to Gods glory our love to his Church and the due planting of the same in this horeheaded age should be so warm and stirring in us as not to care what adventure we giâ— and what censure Wee abide c. The Iesuites and Seminaries their diabolicall bolanesse he wrongs us in his epithet seing he followeâ— our way will cover our faces with shame It s true indeed so long as we are not able to resist and make out party good by strength of hand there is a necessity that we must suffer and like the poore man we must use entreaty for it s our wisdome to consider the times when we may be forward and when not Hence it was that in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth when your power was little that your answer was humble for when the State and Clergie of England charged your sort of men with faction sedition and schisme and iudged that if you were curbed betimes you would bring desolation on Church policie your answer was mild though it might seeme to your adversaries mixt with passion pride and
and promised for their parts to be quiet yet do not you so till your King shall performe all your demands From that which hath been done by you 5.6 and repeated by me I see other two errours banished which I conjoyn for brevities sake lest my Epistle should encrease to a Treatise viz. That the King is no more to be President nor supreme Governour in causes Ecclesiasticall It is the folly of your Divines to make the Moderator of your Assemblies to be unto the King or his Delegate in Assemblies as the Chancelor in the Parliament is to the King or his Deputy in Parliaments But I extoll your courage who now conclude with us Bellarminâ— Ad Regium officium pertinet ut legibus edict is suis â—am fidem teneri quam sacerdotes tenendam docent c. It s the duty of Kings by their Lawes Edicts to cause that faith to be kept which the Priests teach should bee kept For the spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets But is Saul also among the Prophets Is it true that the Anticovenanter sayes that in your Ecclesiasticall judicatories called 1 Sessions 2 Presbyterles and 3 Synods there wil be in the first sometimes twelve sometimes sixteene in some places 24. Lay-Elders for one Priest Secondly in your Presbyteries Lay-elders of equal power and number Thirdly in your Synods as many Lay-elders with their Assessors as there is Priests all which Lay-elders have as great power in matters of Doctrine and Discipline as the Priests themselves to judge and passe Definitive sentence c. But I trust it is not so for I heare that they are offended to be called Lay-elders and will be called Ruling-elders and Ecclesiasticall persons and so I doubt not but they have received orders from you And therefore seeing Ecclesiasticall persons among you have the managing of Church-affaires the civil Magistrate must be content to execute what you decree neither ought he to judge otherwise then you judge neither can he hinder you to make Lawes in the Church For as Stapleton sayes very learnedly with you Oves non possunt judicare pastores Let the sheep-heards judge of the sheep who must follow them as Christs sheep heard his voyce and followed him Therefore you have most valiantly shaken off that yoke of the Kings supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall Novembâ— 29. 1638. Proâ—â—t in Juhi 1638 5 5. and at the Crosse of Glasgow proclaimed to the world against the Kings Proclamation for raising the Assembly that your Assemblies are the supreme judicaterie in all causes ecclesiasticall and since supreme its independent from the King 〈◊〉 appeale from 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Câ—â—â—â—â—ll â—oâ—â—e generall Assembly and Parliament 〈…〉 3. and your reason is good for that which is superiour cannot be subject to that which is inferiour Now as Bellarmine also sayes Regimen Ecclesiasticum sublimius est Politico The Ecclesiasticke government is higher then the Politicke for Principatus politieus institutus est ab hominibus de jure gentium at principatus ecclesiasticus est à solo Deo de jure divino The Politicke Government is institute by men and of the Law of Nations but the Church Government is from God alone and of Divine institution Therefore you conclude right that the king hath no more power to appoint officers in the Church then you have power to appoint officers of state for his Court. In Zions Plea pag. 289. You answer well to the Protestants objection thus If any object the Magistrates interposed anthority it 's quickly answered That his power is not to weaken any ordinance of God but for guarding and making good all Gods ordinances with the Sword And in your protestation at Edenburgh 18. December 1638. you bring from your Booke of Discipline a full and perfect description of the Kings authority in Church matters which is this To assist and maintaine the discipline of the Kirk and punish them civilly who will not obey the censures thereof And in your answer to the Marquesse of Hamilton his Declaration you say That the Supreme Magistrate as a Son of the Kirke ought to receive the true meaning of the Kirke and cause it to be received by those whom God hath subjected unto him Yea it is so fâ—rre from being a prerogative due to the Supreme Magistrate to bee Supreme governour in causes Ecclesiasticall that it is a favour granted unto him to have any precedencie in Synods without voycing except hee would become a ruling Elder and have accommission to come Therefore it is most remarkable which you say in your Protestation 29. Novem 1638. at Glasgow After 39 Nationall Assemblies of this Nationall Church where neither the Kings Majesty nor any in his name was present At the humble and earnest desire of the Assembly His Majesty graciously vouchsafed His presence either in His owne Royall person or by a Commissioner not for voiting or mukiplying of voyces but as Princes and Emperours of old in a Princely manner to countenance that meeting and to preside into it for externall order c. And this is all that wee grant to Emperors and Princes in our Disputes against Protestants And I pray you what Royalist can answer the Arguments which you have borrowed from us all their answer is that they exclaime that you do borrow your Arguments from your enemies yet not so great enemies as they suppose for the Jesuite is called the Popish Puritan and the Puritan is called the Protestant Jesuite and I trust that the like may be said of us which is said of Christ and Franciscus Turs lâ—â— Exue Franciscum tunica laceroque cucullo Qui Franciscus â—rat jam tibi Christus erit Francisci exuviis si qua licet indue Christum Jam Franciscus â—rit qui tibi Christus â—rat And wee are both by Papists and Protestants though unjustly branded with these vile Epithers Ludavâ—de Câ—â—zam to bee called Holy Divels the Standard-bearers of persidionsnesse the Architypes of Rebellion the Bellows of Sedition the Emissaries of the Divel the Kings evill and the Incendiaries of the whole world c. and our Thuan is so farre out of Love with us that hee sayes our Societie is Nata Magistratum convellere nata ministris Subtrahere obsequium Praesulibusque suum But albeit there were some odâ— between us what is that to them since they bee good for you who found fault with him who said Mutemus clypeos Danaumque insignia nobis Aptimus Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat Who can blame you while you say Protestat 18 Novemâ—â— 1638. that if Princes shall have such power in Assemblies and in matters of Religion then all Religion and Church-government should depend absolutely upon the pleasure of the Prince and hee may change it as he will So sayes learned Stapleton in his dispute against the Protestant Doctrine Posita hac potestate nec in una provincia velregno din erit fidei unitas
vel cultus religionis conformitas quia finguli principes quod ipsis melius videbitur flatuent quoruÌ„ decretis siro sistatur perpetua erunt besla This power being granted to Kings then Unitie of faith and worship and conformity of religion will not remaine lorg in one province or kingdome because every Prince will ordaine that which see meth best in his eyes To whose decrees if resistance be made there will follow perpetuall warre But this power being granted to the Church which cannot erre in her Synodicall acts there shall ever be Unity of faith depending upon the infallibility of Church Assemblies For I see in the seventh place that you do acknowledge the infallibilitie of generall Councels or Assemblies For that Assembly which you did hold at Glasgow lately Covenanters inâ—â—â—at for Deâ—â—nsive § 7. is to you so infallible that long time before you doe professe that you did swear for judgement and practice to adhere to the determination of it And now of late Julii 1. 1639 do protest before God and the world that you will still adhere to it And you have good reason so to do for if generall Assemblies may erre then say we â—â—lâ— de auâ—â—â— coâ—â—â— or Cap. 4. Possent merito revocari in dubium omnes damnatae hareses concilia nullo honore digna essent All heresies which are condemned may againe be called in question and our Assemblies esteemed worthy of no honour And therefore you may justly feare upon this ground that your Assembly might erre and that you may be branded with errour in your decrees and have all called in question again which you have condemned As for us of Rome condemne your Assemblies who will we shall never doe it but rather desire that you may still appoint the same Commissioners for your future assemblies therein to confirme all which they had decreed in the former for your acts of abjuring Episcopacie the Articles of Perth Service book Book of Canons pleaseth us very well howbeit we doe not throughly approve the reason of your acts You have thrust away and excommunicated your Bishops because you think them Antichristian so doe we excommunicate your Bishops because they are Antichristian But you think them Antichristian because you make it an Article of your Negative faith that they are a part of the Popish Hierarchie And we thinke them Antichristian because they are not so neither doe they acknowledge the Pope for their Head but doe declaime against him and the greatest wound that ever we have received is from such Bishops as they are as Cranmet Latimer Ridley Hooper Jowell Bâ—lson Andrewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stupor mundi Whitgift Babington Abbots King Downame Ussher Morton Davenant Montague Hall White and that Arch-enemie of yours and ours Canterbury with divers others whom I like not to recite In this particular King James is opposite to us both because as Becanus well observeth he holdeth Recan de prim Reg. Angl. ca. 7. Jacobi Regis praesa monit that Bishops have their jurisdiction immediately from God while he saith Episcopos esse in Ecclesia debere tanquam institutionem Apostolicam ac ordinationem proinde divinam contra Puritanos contraque Bollarminum semper sensi qui negat Episcopos à Deo immediatè suam jurisdictionem accepisse Sed nihil mirum à Puritanis cum stare cum Jesuitae nihil aliud quà m Puritano-papistae sunt I ever thought that Bishops ought to bee in the Church as an Apostolicall institution and therefore a divine ordinance against Puritans and against Bellarmine who deny that Bishops have their jurisdiction immediately from God but no marvell that Bellarmine takes the Puritans part seeing Jesuits are no other thing but Puritan-papists And in that same place the King sheweth that from a generall Councell convocated by Christian Princes for the settling of Religion he would have Jesuits and Puritans excluded whom he calleth by a common title novitios furiosos incendiarios and sayes Ibidem Mihi praecipuus labor fuit dejectos Episcopos restituere Puritanorum anarchiam expugnare My chief labour was to restore the Bishops that were cast downe and to overthrow the anarchie of Puritans Wee thanke you also for removing the Articles of Perth for they were not rightly established for your Church did esteeme those ceremonies to be onely things indifferent commended and commanded by Authoritie for Decency and Order The not observation whereof was held no damnable sinne if it were without contempt of Authority and without the case of scandall and at the most your Church did hold that those ceremonies were onely significant and not operative as we hold But if they had been rightly established you should have observed them as things necessary to salvation and as parts of Gods worship which under paine of damnation ought to be performed and that they are sâ—gns operater working grace in those who observe them And therefore seeing your Church did not hold this opinion of them they aâ—e not Popish Ceremonies and so not ours and whatsoever you have more that is not ours we request you to abjure it The condemning also of the Service-book is most acceptable unto us because it is not our Masse-book and that you may see how much we hate it Be it known to you that by venue of the Popes Bull many yeers agoe we will suffer no Roman Catholike to goe to the Church so long as the Service-booke is reading either in England or Ireland and yet we will permit them to goe to their Sermons and of all Sermons we sympathize best with yours So that it seemeth a most unfortunate booke having both us and you for its enemies And since I am fallen upon this point let me relate an Historie that passed between a Covenanter an Anticovenanter as it was reported to me concerning this booke that you may make yâ—ur use of it The Covenanter demanded the cause why he could refuse to joyne with them in a Supplication to his Majestie against the book of Common Prayer seeing there were so many hands of able Ministers subscribing the same and obliging themselves to make it good that it was 1. Superstitious 2. that it conteineth the maine essentiall parts of the Masse 3. that it openeth a doore to let in all Poperie The Anticovenanter answered thus or to this effect Because such unjust aspersions are cast upon that poore Book which doth not containe so many Lines as it doth suffer Lyes hated be all that love not truth Papists and Puritans striving who shall speake most against it I shall bee so farre from becomming a causlesse enemy to it that I cannot deny it my friendship and helping hand But because you are so furious and I for speaking but one word in its favour have beene hotly persecuted with tongues and hands too it will be better to be possessed with a Lethargie then to appeare in defence of this Lyturgie which the most part even of the Ministrie hath
it by the civill sword wee doe absolve subjects of their oath of Allegeance as wee did in the holy League of France tying all to us by covenant very like unto yours and in the end took up armes against the King for Kings fall from their authority when they fall from religion as you say in your Covenant The Kings authority and true religion are so strictly joyned together that they stand and fall together And therefore you do well to limit your obedience unto him so long as he defends the Religion and Lawes wherein if hee faile by oath of Covenant you have made a mutuall band of defence against him so that what is done to the least of you shall be done to you all in generall and particular And so if he shall doe any harme to the meanest Kitchin boy you are all in generall particular bound to take his part against your King Now all this could not bee lawfully done without a Dispensation and Absolution from your oath of Allegeance taken long before the Covenant Our enemies say that they who thus being absolved from their oath of Allegeance doe take up armes against their Prince will have such successe in the end as Radulphus Duke of Swevia whom Gregorie the seventh absolved from his oath of Allegeance to Henry the fourth the Emperor received in battel against the Emperour and hopes that they shall make the like confession as he did Heâ—mold in Chron Slaâ—orum cap. 29. For he being deadly wounded in the right hand said to his company You see how my right hand is sore of a hurt it is the hand whereby I sware to my Lord and Master that I would never annoy him that J would never lye in ambush to intercept his glory but the Popes commands brought me to this to breake my Oath and usurpe an honour which was not due to me You see what end it is come to J have received this mortall wound upon the hand that brake this Oath Let them then who have incited us to do so consider in what manner they urged us for feare that we be not brought to the downefall of damnation c. But be not you troubled nor afraid of shadowes Covenanters inform for Defensive §. 4. 2. But let unity be earnestly recommended as that which strengthens the cause and will make you invincible Your successe hath been great hitherto so that you may have confidence for the time to come You have also dispensed with the Oath of Canonicall obedience for I cannot thinke that you would exact of your Clergie the Oath of your Covenant except you did first give them a dispensation for their former Oathes For all have sworne the Oath of Canonicall Obedience some once some thrice and all admitted since the yeare 1618. had sworne to Perths Articles and present government of the Church and now have taken the direct contradictory Oath and abjured them all And therefore it was not ill advised by you to make an Act in your generall Assembly at Glasgow Novemb. 1638. declaring the nullity of the Oath exacted by Prelates of intrants and of their bonds of Conformity But here I must tell you that you are gone a little beyond us in your dispensation with the Oath of Allegiance to your King and taking the Oath of mutuall defence against him for according to our practise you ought by all meanes endeavoured to recall him from his errours and being obstinate then to excommunicate him for as our Tolet sayes well Licet sit notorium crimen principis non absolvuntur vasalli à juramento ut bene dicit Cajemnus ante denunciationem ab Ecclesia quâ factà non solùm sunt absoluti ab obedientia sed tenentur non obedire nisi forte propter periculum vitae vel damnum bonorum temporalium Albeit the crime of the Prince be notorious yet the Vassals are not absolved from their Oath as Cajetan sayes well before the sentence be denounced by the Church which being done they are not only absolved from obedience but also are bound not to obey except perchance for danger of their life or losse of temporall goods And Emanuel Sa sayes the same Emanuel Sa in voce Tyrannus Tyrannicè gubernans justè acquisito Dominio non potest spoliari sine publico judicio latâ verò sententià potest quisque fieri executor Potest autem deponi à populo etiam qui illi juraverat obedientiam perpetuam si monitus non vult corrigi A Tyrant that ruleth tyrannically cannot have his justly acquired Dominion taken from him without publike judgement but the sentence being given any man may be the executioner and he may be deposed by the people who have sworne perpetuall obedience unto him if after admonition he will not be amended And then it followeth clearely which Suarez saith Suarez lib. 6. cap. 3. Si subditi juramento soluti sunt quamvis rex ille proditionem vocet omnisque regni aut reipublica conspirationem revera tamen talis non est sed justa defensie vel justum bellum seu supplicium If the Subjects be absolved from their oath albeit that the King call it treason and a conspiracie of all the Kingdome and Common-wealth yet certainly it is no such thing but a just defence or just warre or punishment But I must crave your pardon for saying that you went beyond us for there are some of us as hot-blouded as your selves De fide certum est quemcunque Principem Christiâ—â—um si à Religione catholica deflexerit Philopat 2. pag. 109. alios avocare voluerit excidere statim omni potestate dignitate idque ante prolatam Papa sententiam posséque debere subditos si vires habeaut istinsâ—â—â—â— Hareticum ex hominum Christianorum dominatu ejicere It is certainly a matter of Faith that whatsoever Christian Prince shall depart from the Catholike religion and shall withdraw others doth immediately fall from all power and dignity even before the Popes sentence be given and that the Subjects may and should if they have strength cast forth such an Heretick from the dominion of Christian men To this purpose your Reformer Knox sayes well Knox to England and Scotland fol. 78. If Princes be Tyrants against God and his Truth their Subjects are free from their Oath of Obedience And in his History of Scotland pag. 343. he sets the Nobility on work saying God hath appointed the Nobility to bridle the inordinate appetite of Princes and in so doing they cannot be accused as resisters of Authority And againe Knox Appeal fol. 33. It is the duty of the Nobility to represse the rage and insolencie of Princes and then he conjoynes the Nobility and the people together against the Supreme Magistrate saying Ibid. fol. 28. 30. The Nobility and Commonalty ought to reforme Religion and in that case may remove from honours and may punish such as God hath condemned Deut. 12. of
's easie to help that keepe those under who are not zealous in your cause let them not be acquainted with your mysteries nor be chosen Commissioners for assemblies if there be any matter of importance to be commended to the people send either conjunctly or severally some zealous ministers to their pulpits to rouze up the multitude and put the like edge upon such cold-rise ministers and if they become not more zealous put them in feare of Deprivation If you feare any division among the Commons it 's likely that some of them have seene the Kings extraordinary savour toward them but you ought to be carefull that they see not the Kings Proclamations and if any have seen them let them be perswaded that his Majesties Proclamations have this only end to divide them and then to destroy them and that all other faire promises shall have no reall performances Be not you behind the King in your promises to them also and howbeit you have a hundred thousand pound to take of them yet be not suddaine but by delaying put them in hope that you will never exact it For if you goe now to exact it it will make them repine and grumble and say instead of Salâ—mons easie yoke we are oppressed with Rehoboams heavie burdens and so make a rupture and returne every man to his tent and in the end submit themselves to their Salomon againe And especially let the ruling Elders command their ruled Elders or ministers to be diligent in season and out of season to keepe the multitude in their zealous humour for if they doe not uncessantly blow upon them they will be like mare mortuum and never be moved Cease not to possesse them with an evill opinion of all that oppones themselves to your courses either by word or writing make them believe that all that writ against your confederacie are unnaturall enemies to their Countrie and that it is not against your faction which they doe but against Church and Kingdome and suffer no man to deny this to be a Nationall quarrell or to call it a Faction and all that refuse to cast in their lot with you call them the cursed inhabitants of Meroz that will not help you against the mightie And let all that follow their King be called the Kings faction according to the example of your progenitors who called all that followed the Queen a faction which they would punish as Traitors whensoever God should put the sword of justice in their hands Knox. hist of the Church of Scotland pag. 364. that is when they should find themselves able to depose the Queen as they did and represse her Subjects There is another thing which I desire you to remember to try where those ministers that have beene most opposite to our doctrines and practises have had their residence in the ministerie that you may place able and zealous men for our cause in those same places to build up the people which they have destroyed This worke is well begun by you in bringing Henderson from the Countrie to the town of Edinburgh Dikson to Glasgow and Rhetorfort and Blair who could not get libertie to vent our Doctrine elsewhere to S. Andrews and in particular let them bee carefull over the studients in Colledges â—uo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem testa diu And as for those who like the men of Succoth and the inhabitants of Meroz refused to joyne with you it s well that you did not take the th rnes of the wildernesse and bryers to teach them to beat downe their houses this may content them albeit you restore not their goods which you tooke while you plundered their houses Though they be busie seeking it yet you are not bound according to our rules Nullus tenetur cum vitae periâ—ulo Tolet. lb. 5. cap. 37. aut famae rem alterius restituere sunt enim vita fama nobili oris ordinis quam res No man is bound 01 with the danger of his life or good name to restore another man his goods againe for life and a good name are of a more noble order then goods are for albeit there be no danger of your life to restore every man his owne yet your name is not safe for if you restore to each man his goods againe at least it will be a tacite acknowledging of your robberie and that is hurt some to a good name But some say that it is a matter of conscience to restore a mans goods againe which is better then a good name yea the way to recover a good name but I refer this to the schooles I have some matter of expostulation with you but I will be loth to do it now who have begun to congratulate with you for that sweet Harmonie both in opinions and reasons which is of late grown up amongst us Rome was not builded in one day we must not look that at the first you can receive all our doctrine though in a short time you have profited much Et vos conversi convertite fratres Master Cant could preach at Glasgow in what need England and Ireland standeth of the Covenant where some have their eares cut for the defence of the truth and are groaning under the tyrannie of the whore of Babel And since so it is you should pitie the blindnesse of those people who have not a learned man in England or Ireland to lead them but the blind leadeth the blind But I perceive you are not negligent herein your Ironicall preterition is most notable while you say Answer to the Mâ—â—quesse of Hamiltons declaration We do not meddle with the Kirks of England or Ireland but recommend to them the patterne showne on the Mount But what patterne of the mount is this I pray you is it the Patterne showne by you on Dunce hill called by your preachers mount Sion with an armie against the face of your King if it be so it s a worthie patterne that requireth imitation But if the Patterne on the mount be the Patterne of your discipline you doe well herein to imitate your progenitors for they were desirous to have Episcopacie throwne downe in England as you are now or as wee are desirous for their pride is so great that the least of them sayes that they have no more dependance from the Pope then he from them that their calling and place is of as great power and authoritie as his is within his diocesse thus limitating the universall Bishop as if hee were onely a Diocesian Yea they are not ashamed to say that all the Popish bishops are but equivocally called Bishops and univocally are the Popes slaves for as they have their power and authority from the Pope so are they tyed to his obedience by oath Romans pentifici veram obedientiam spondeo acjuro Form Iuâ—â— Bulla Pii 4. I promise and sweare to give true obedience to the Pope of Rome So that as the Bishops of Apulia