the Supremacy and the Erastian Designe as hath been shown above And what a preparative this was let any judge I know the Indulged themselves will say they are free of all compacting And I shall not accuse them further than I know or have ground Yet this is certaine that the Kings Letter mentioned such and such Instructions to be given to all the Indulged it is also certaine that this Letter was not altogether unknown to them And when the Instructions which the Council in plain Expressions calleth termes on which they granted the Indulgence the samine was accepted were tendered unto and put in the hand of each of these in particular who were called before the Councel Anno 1673. I heard not of their expressing their Dissatisfaction with these Termes so as to quite the benefite or as we say to cast the bargane thereupon And if all the Ministers that shall ever hereafter be admitted to preach the Gospel in Scotland must follow this example and give but an implicite consent unto these or the like termes imposed by the Council where shall then our Gospel Liberty be And what shall then become of the Liberty of our Church And how shall the Ministers then be called the Servants of Christ and not the Servants of Men 10. By the very subjecting to the Councils Instructions to regulat them in the exercise of their Ministrie they become thereby as formally subject unto them in Matters Ecclesiastick as any inferiour Civil-Officers such as Sheriffs Justices of Peace Baylies c. who yet it may be shall as little observe all their Instructions as the Indulged haue observed theirs this subjecting of the Ministrie in its exercise unto the Magistrate is a manifest enslaving of the same to the unspeakable prejudice of the Gospel and hurt of the Church 11. What prejudice it is to the Church to want the free and full exercise of Discipline that in the lawful Courts of Christ needeth not here to be told And yet in this Indulgence there was an accepting of the exercise of the Ministrie without the full exercise of Discipline save what was to be had in a sinful way by compliance with Prelacie and so a tacite at least consent given unto this want It will not be of advantage here to say that the Field-Preachers or Non-indulged Ministers have no Discipline yet preach For all their preaching is sub cruâ—e not having so much as frâ—edome to exerce any part of their Ministrie and so are allowed of God to do all they can when they cannot do all they would and beside it is alledged without ground for with no lesse signal countenance they exercise some Acts of Discipline such as receiving of penitents than they preach and in both are countenanced as His â—mbassadours But the indulged are under the lee sheet of the Supremacie having full peace countenance and protection as much as in our best times and when our Church was most flourishing and yet dispense calmely with the want of Church-Discipline in Presbyteries and Synods and how some of their Sessions guide and are constitute is none of our Glory 12. Nor needeth it be told what prejudice will inevitably follow upon the want of Ordination whereby a Succession of the Ministrie is keeped up and the word committed to faithful men according to Christs Appointment who may serve the Lord in the Work of the Gospel in their Generation How quickly upon the want of this a faithful Ministriâ— shall of necessitie cease every one may see And yet the Indulged have accepted of the exercise of their Ministrie on such termes or in such a way as doth utterly incapacitate them for going about the Necessary Work of Ordination Their Transgressing their Bounds and violating the Injunctions upon their peril if so be they do so that they may ordaine some in order to the keeping up of this Ordinance is in so far commendable but is not sufficient to expiat the guilt of accepting the Indulgence which was thus clogged as their whole relinquishing of the Indulgence betaking themselves to the Fields with the rest of their Brethren would prove a commendable after-wit but would not say that there was no evil in their accepting of the Indulgence but the contrary rather VII How hereby our Cause and Ground of Suffering is vvronged THE Lords good hand of Providence having so ordered it that once a considerable Company were willing to endure Hardshipe Want Tribulation for the Truths sake and therefore choosed suffering rather than sin which howbeit it was upon some accounts sad and afflicting yet upon the account that the Cause of Christ was owned the Work of Reformation not condemned but accounted still the Work of the Lord was no small matter of Joy Though it might have been expected that few or none of all the Ministers that had seen the great Works of the Lord should have so relinquished the Interest of Christ and embraced what once they had abjured yet we ought to bless the Lord that so many abode steadfast in the day of Temptation But how joyful so ever it was to see such a goodly Company adhering to their Principles and fully following the Lord it cannot but be as sad and afflicting upon the other hand to see this goodly Bulk wretchedly broken and to see men stepping off and that such Men and so many such and that after such a way as cannot but be accounted a falling off from formerly received Principles and from the Cause and Ground of our Sufferings Now that the Embracers of this Indulgence are justly chargable herewith may appear from these Particulars 1. It was a part of the Reformation which through the special goodness of God our Church at length after long wrestling attained to that the people should be restored to their Right and Privilege of Calling and making a free Choise of their own Pastors according to the example of the pure and primitive Church And it was because they would not renounce this way of entrie that so many Ministers were thrust out from their Congregations by the Act of Councel at Glalgow But in the Indulgence there was an entering into the Pastoral Charge of a people upon the Act and Call or Order of Council without this Free and Full Election of the people The Nominal Call that was precariously had thereafter as to some was but a mock-call and no foundation of their Relation unto these places as hath been seen And how the Councils Act and Order was exclusive thereof is manifest and confirmed by the Instance of Mr Weer's Process Sure as the Election here was null there being none to choose upon and the Call prelimited because the Councils Order did set such an indulged Man over them whether they would or not so the making a shew of seeking or of getting a Call from the people after the Ground of the Relation was already laid was the exposeing of that Order of Christs to ludibrie 2.
9. Doth it not hence appear that this was a manifest Usurpation of the Power and Privilege of the Church And what can the silence of such as were indulged as to this when they accepted of the Indulgence from such as were in the very giving thereof openly and avowedly declaring this their Usurpation and Incroachment say before the world but that they acquiesced thereunto This matter was not hid under ground It was plaine enough to all who would not put out their owne eyes that the King was assuming to himself Church-power and was robbing the Church of her Privileges and to make way for the full accomplishment thereof did here command and authorize his Councel to appoint such and such Ministers so and so qualified to such and such places as they thought good with this manifest certificate that they must expect no Church-censures to be inflicted on them for any crime or misdemanour they shall be charged with and be found guilty of but by the Civil Magistrates immediatly not Causatively that is causing Church-Judicatories do it but doing it immediatly themselves Who then can justifie them and their practice in accepting so thankfully as they did that Indulgence without the least word of a Testimonie against all these open and manifest Incroachments and that at such time when the designe of tyrannizing over the Church in an Erastian way was so palpable and might be seen and known of all who would but open their eyes But there is another thing which here occurreth We see here that these Indulged Persons are standing immediatly under the Censure of the Civil Magistrate not only for transgressing of the Orders and Instructions given but also as must necessarily follow for any other failing and transgression not specified as for example for Fornication Sabbath-breaking and other Sins and Scandals deserving Deposition or Suspension For put the case that some of them which yet I have no cause to fear should commit any such scandal as did deâ—erve or were usually punished by Suspension or Deposition who shall inflict this Censure upon them but the Councel There is no Church-Judicatorie having power over them for that effect and they are not under the Prelates And we cannot think that they may commit such crimes and continue in the Ministrie Nor may we suppose that they will suspend or depose themselves 8. Moreover we must remark here that the Councel is to take notice of their speeches in pulpit who are induâ—ged and to punish them yea to turne them out immediatly if they be found to have uttered any sedicious Discourse By which we see that the Councel is made the immediat formal judge of Ministers Doctrine for under the pretext of sedicious Doctrine they may judge and condemne the most innocent and orthodox truthes No Anti-Erastian Divine will grant this unto the Civil Magistrate And though it be true that the Civil Magistrat can only and properly judge of what is truely sedicious and can only civilly punish for such crimes Yet our Divines never granted that the Magistrate might in prima Instantia examine and judge of Ministers Doctrine when alleiged to be sedicious or treasonable Nor did our Church in her pure times ever yeeld to this Our Church-Historie tels us that Mr. Andrew Melvine that faithful and zealous Servant of Christ would not answer before the King and the Councel for his alleiged treasonable discourse in Sermon until he had first given-in a plaine and formal Protestation and the like was done by worthy Mr David Black upon the like occasion and the Protestation was approven and signed by a good part of the Church of Scotland 1596. And we know also upon what ground it was that that famous late Martyr for the Liberties of the Church Mr Iames Guthrie was questioned and put to suffer Now where was there any thing spoken by the Indulged to bear witness to their adhering to the Church of Scotland in this point of truth What was said that might declare their dissent from this piece of Encroachment Was not their silence here and accepting of the Indulgence in the manner as it was accepted without any publick Testimonie for the Church of Scotland and her Liberties a Declaration that they were willing that all their Doctrine should be immediatly and in prima instantia judged and examined by the Councel and consequently that our Predecessours in offering Protestations in this case were to be condemned and that Mr Guthrie died as a fool 9. We may remark a snare laid in the Letter to catch moe for it is appointed that such of the outted Ministers who have lived peacably and orderly here is a DiscriminatioÌ„ made no less scandalous to the commended than dangerous to the rest and are not reentered or preseÌ„ted as aforesaid shall have allowed to them foure hundereth merks scots yeerly c. And that such as will give assurance to live so for the futureÌ„ be allowed the said yeerly maintainance Seing it is not unknown what is properly here understood by living peacably and orderly any may see what a snare is laid here to catch others But some will say what is that to the Indulged I think it speaketh very much to them for had they not accepted of this Indulgence that temptatioÌ„ had been removed from the door of others who now seeing them without any scruple accepting of the Indulgence offered and granted unto them in special only upon the account and in consideration of their being peacable and orderly livers are emboldeÌ„ed to take that gracious gift and accept of that Princely benevolence upon the same account and gape for a greater morsel Viz. a Vacancie And will not others who are not fast rooted be ready to engage and give-in security that they may also taste of the Kings graâ—uity and so sell their conscieÌ„ce and fidelity at as good a price as they can And if it fall out otherwise as I wish and hope it shall that none shall accept of those baits under which the hook is so conspicuous yet no thanks to the Indulged who have so fairly broken the ice for them I know a scandal may be given when not taken and such as give the scandal are guilty before God of destroying those for whom Christ died Rom. 14 15. And that word of our Saviour Mat. 18 6. Luk. 17 1 2. Mark 9 42. is very dreadful But who so shall offendone of these little ones which beleeve in me it were better for him that a mils one were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea I know they will say They are far from this hazard having done nothing but what is duâ—y and necessary duty But though I grant it an indispensible duty for Ministers to preach the Gospel and to be instant in season and out of season yet they might have preached without the Indulgence as others did and yet do and the accepting of the Indulgence was not the only necessary opening of a
Multitudes of the Non-conforme Ministers were ejected and cast-out of their Places and Congregations because they would not acknowledge the Power and Interest of Patrons nor accept of their Presentations unto Flocks But in this Indulgence as we saw above the Interest of Patrons is reserved entire Though they should say That they sought no Presentations from Patrons nor had they any active hand therein it will not much avail For even several of the ejected Ministers might have been free of ejection if they could in Conscience have yeelded to so much and acquiesced in this that the Patron should have signified to the Bishop his presenting of such a Person and that without his express Consent or Formal Acceptance thereof Yea how many had the Presentation willingly and cheerfully offered unto them undesired 3. It is the chiefe Corner stone of our Reformation and the fundamental point whereupon all the wrestlings and sufferings of our Church from the beginning have been stated viz. That Christ is the alone Head of the Church But by the Indulgence another head is acknowledged beside Him when thereby it was declared that the Indulged held not their Ministrie of Christ alone as we saw above on the first head and first particular thereof 4. So by the rest of the Particulars mentioned under that head we see how many wayes there was in this Indulgence a defection from former Principles and a falling off from our grounds all which we need not here repeat 5. We fall from our Principles and from the cause upon which our sufferings are stated when we cede and yeeld to Adversaries seeking to overthrow the pillars and grounds of Presbyterian Government And in how many Particulars Presbyterian Principles are by this Indulgence receded from we have seen above in the 2 head 6. It hath been the Lot of the Church of Scotland from the very beginning to be put to wrestle against the Powers of the Earth encroaching upon the Prerogatives of Jesus Christ and the Privileges of his Church and in contending for the same against all such Usurpation did the faithâ—ulness and steadfastness of our worthie renowned Predecessours appear and shine forth and upon the account of their faithful adhering to the Truth and bearing witness against all Usurpations made upon the Rights of the Church and on the Jurisdiction of Christ sole King of Zion and for declining Judicatories acting by usurped Authoritie were they all alongs put to suffer in their Freedom Persons Goods c. by Tossings Citations Letters of Horning Confinements Imprisonments Confiscation of goods Relegations Sentences unto death and Banishments But now what a falling off this ground ceding to Usurpations Homologating of the Supremacie Establishment of Erastianisme is in the Indulgence is manifest from the Particulars mentioned under the 3. and 5. head 7. We need not forget what was one maine ground of the actings of our worthie and valiant Predecessours in the yeers 1637 and 1638. viz. That Ecclesiastick causes should be determined by Lawful Ecclesiastick Judicatories and Civil causes by Parliaments and other Civil Judicatories But to Homologate a Power in the Civil Magistrate as such to cognosce upon and judge in Church affairs immediatly and formally is to condemne all these actings and all the actings of Church and State since upon that ground and a plaine relinquishing of that foundation And that by the accepting of the Indulgence such a power is acknowledged to be competent to the Civil Magistrate as such hath been manifested above in several Particulars Let us here but name that one Instance of the Councils sole judging of the fitness and Qualifications of a Person for such or such a charge in reference to his setling there as Pastor of the place which is an Ecclesiastick cause and hath been alwayes so accounted But it will be said No man needs question their abilities some having been Ministers in the most eminent places of the Kingdom For answer I shall not question their abilities though it may be the carriage of some of them hath been such since this defection began as would make a Conscientious Church-Judicatory not a little averse from admitting of them within their bounds if the Acts of our General Assemblies by which they stand censurable were in any regarde But however the Civil Magistrate is here made sole competent judge of this fitness and by what right he hath appointed these to go to the places particulary designed he may appoint others to go to such places for which no Church-Judicatory acting conscientiously would judge them Qualified And who can challenge them upon this account seing they are sole judges themselves 8. In King Iames his dayes several faithful and honest Ministers were banished from their own Churches and confined in other places of the Land and seeing no hope of getting the Civil Sentence taken off were necessitate to accept of a call to serve the Lord in the places where they were confined but we never finde that they took the Charge of such or such a Flock upon the Edict or Act of Council enjoining them thereunto 9. Who ever heard before in our Church Ministers compeating before the Privie Council and there receiving Directions Instructions Rules and Canons directing them how to regulate themselves in the exercise of their Ministerial Function And when the Indulged Persons did thus who can assoile them from a plaine Defection from our Cause and Principles Put the case that some Ministers had done so in the Year 1649. how would they have been looked upon by our General Assembly Or if our Parliament and Council Anno 1648. had turned out such as were against the Duk 's Engagment and thereafter had ordered them to go to such and such places of the Land as they thought fit giving them withall such Instructions as here were given to the Indulged if these Ministers had carried but just as our Indulged did I leave to all to judge whether or not they had been looked upon as Deserters of our Cause 10. We know what sufferings those faithful men underwent when after so long imprisonment they were at length condemned at Linlithgow Anno 1606. for declining of the Privie Council when about to judge them in the matter of a meeting keeped or offered rather to be kept at Aberdeen But now we finde severals Indulged called before the Privie Council there to be judged concerning their Baptizing of some Children within the Covenant a matter no less unquestionably Ecclesiastick than was that meeting at Aberdeen and in stead of giving-in a Declinature we heard of nothing but of a simple excuse that they had not seen those Orders plainly showing that if they had seen them they had obeyed them was not this a manifest defection from our Principles and Cause 11. I might mention under this Head the Indulged persons their forsaking and laying aside at the command or desire of the Council that useful and commendable piece of our Reformation I mean the Lectures or