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

not abjured in the Negative confession nor so much as mentioned If any man shall say That Episcopacy is included under the Popes wicked Hierarchy which there is denied he will prove himself ridiculous for it is well known unto all that ever looked into the Ecclesiasticall history that the Church was governed by Bishops 600 yeers before the Popes wicked Hierarchy began And as that government was not abjured so neither is it any innovation at all for it is evident that in the yeere 81. they had Bishops and it is yet to be seen registrate in the Books of Councell and subscribed by the Commissioners for the time how that but a little time before the publishing of that Confession the generall Assembly did agree with his Majesties Regents in his minority Kings declaration that the estate of Bishops which is one of the estates of Parliament should be maintained and authorized But about foure or five yeeres after about the yeere 83. the generall Assembly tooke upon them contrary to their own subscriptions to discharge the estate of Bishops and to declare the same to be unlawfull commanding all the Bishops in the kingdome to dimit their places and Jurisdictions under paine of Excommunication and in like manner commanding the King and his Councell under the like payne not to choose any others in their place But when that wise King saw their proceedings and how they took more upon them then ever the Bishops had done and under the pretence of their new discipline trod upon his Scepter labouring to establish an Ecclesiasticall tyranny of infinite Jurisdiction and perceiving withall that their new erected government was the mother of all faction confusion and rebellion And that it tended to Anabaptisme and popularity and to the overthrow of his State Crowne and kingdome 1584 he called a Parliament and by the consent of all his States hee overthrew their Presbytries and restored againe the Bishops to their places But indeed at that time the Sonnes of Zerviah were too strong for him that hee could never invest the Bishops with their full power and authority untill that happy time that his Majesty came unto the Crowne of England And then not long after by a free Generall assembly held at Glasgow he did not erect but ratify and confirme the estate of Bishops The acts of which Assembly were immediately after confirmed by Act of Parliament So that Episcopacy is no Innovation as is pretended in this last Oath And as for the 5. Acts of Perth Assembly they were never intended to be abjured in the Negative confession for there is no mention of any of them neither can they be comprehended under popish rites Kneeling at the Communion is no popish rite for I have upon another occasion proved it to be the gesture used in the Primitive Church at the receiving of the Sacrament And that the first that ever did sit after their fashion was the Pope to expresse his state So that we may justly charge them that the gesture which they use is abjured in that confession amongst the rest of popish rits The Five Holy-dayes established by the Assembly of Perth are not Popish rites but such as were observed in the Church since the dayes of the Apostles as may appeare by that bitter contention between the Easterne and Westerne Churches about the observation of Easter And as for the other three Articles for private Baptisme the Communion of the sick and Confirmation of Children There is no man in his right wits who will not acknowledge that they were in use many hundred yeeres before Popery was hatched and are in themselves things not onely lawfull and expedient but in some cases necessary But yet they will say that these things are abjured in generall termes when they sweare to continue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline of that Kirk For answer wherunto I shall desire you to consider First that they say not they will continue in the present discipline of this Kirk as these new men doe interpret it but indefinitely that they will continue in the discipline of this Kirk Secondly albeit they had said so yet by the discipline we must understand that discipline which was established by authority and Law And not that which was violently brought in by some factious Ministers and their adherents Now I have shewed that Episcopall government was ratified and confirmed by divers Acts of Parliament but never dissolved by any and that their Presbyteriall government was put down by act of Parliament but never established by any Thirdly say that by discipline we should yeeld to understand that discipline which then was used though brought in by private authority Yet certainly it ●●s never their intent to sweare to maintaine that ●●scipline in all particulars without alteration or ad●●tion for such an oath had been simply unlawfull because that thereby they should have made a per●●●uall Law concerning ceremonies and rites which 〈◊〉 themselves and must be changeable according 〈◊〉 the Exigency of the times And so if that inter●●●tation which is now given of the words were ●●…e it would follow 1 That their negative Confession were directly ●●ntrary unto their positive Confession which is the ●nly true Nationall confession of the Church of Scotland For in that confession in the 20th Article touching matters of Policy and order they say Not that we thirk that one policy and one order in Ceremonies can be appointed for all ages times and places For ●s Ceremonies such as men have devised are but temporall ●o may and ought they to be changed when they rather suffer Supersition then that they edifie the Church using the ●ame So that by these mens Interpretation here is Confession against Confession The positive Confession declares matters of Policy and order to be alterable and such as upon occasion both may and ought to be changed But these men do so interpret the negative Confession and Covenant as if they were bound by an oath to preserve the same Orders that were used in the yeer 81. inviolably for ever 2 Such an Interpretation is against all right reason For the condition of the Church being changeable the same Orders cannot be convenient for her at all times As the same policy is not fit for the Church in all places so neither for one and the same Church at all times 3 Such an Interpretation shall condemne the practice of the ancient Church which did upon occasion often change her rites as namely dipping in Baptisme which she changed from once into thrice and again from thrice into once 4 It is contrary to the Judgement of all Divines Mr. Calvin tells us that In externall discipline and Ceremonies Christ would not particularly prescribe what we sho●… to follow Quod istud pendere a temporum varietate pravideret And again he saith That sometimes it profiteth and is expedient that there be a difference in these things lest men should think that Religion were tyed unto outward

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

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

who is never worse then his word hath made his promise good for never were there so great Instruments for the propagation of the Gospel the inlargement of Christs kingdom and the procuring of the peace of the Church as Christian Kings have been and amongst them all never any more then our most gracious King that now is and his most renowned Father whom those men did so much oppose and traduce But what do I need to remember matters of old for the Children are worse then the fathers and their present practise now in Scotland doth surpasse all the in quities of their Fathers and will make them to bee forgotten Now Bishops and conformable Ministers whose persons had wont to be esteemed sacred are stoned beaten wounded and drag'd out of their Pulpits a thing which was never used by the Heathens against their Priests of what lewd condition or quality whatsoever And yet those are they who sweare to be good examples to others of all godlynesse sobernesse and of every duty they owe to God and man Now what Godlynesse Sobernesse or righteousnesse hath been in such proceedings the like wherof hath not been heard amongst the heathen Let all the world judge Before they had wont to assault us onely with their tongues which are sharper then arrowes and with their pens which are as light as Geese quils But now they are come as Tettullian sayes A stilo ad machaeram from words to blowes That we may say with Bernard Leones evasimus sed incidimus in Dracones We escapd the mouthes of Lyons but have fallen into a den of Dragons for these sure are Cerastes Fiery flying Dragons But would to God their madnesse had stayed here They have not onely done wrong unto Gods Prophets but also touched his annointed entring into a mutuall league and covenant against him arming his Subjects taking Oathes of them to maintain their cause blocking up his Castles refusing all his Majesties most gracious offers for peace and indeed proclaiming a plain defiance unto him Good God! Can they be Christians that do these things Or have they any warrant for this out of Gods word which commands us to be subject to Superiour powers and that for conscience sake even then when all Kings were enemies unto Christian Religion Or have they any example for those proceedings out of Pious antiquity The Christians in the Primitive Church when they were led as sheep to the slaughter all the day long and suffered the most exquisite torments that could be devised Yet would never take Armes for to resist the Prince but put on this resolution Arma nostra preces Lachrymae Yea when these persecuting Emperors had occasion of warre against the barbarous nations the Christians were the Emperours best and most faithfull Souldiers so terrible unto their enemies that they were called the thundering Legions And S Austin doth highly commend them for their faithfull service unto the heathen Emperours who did most cruelly spill their blood onely for their profession of Christ And let no man say it was for want of power that they did not defend themselves by armes for it is well known that if they had thought it lawfull to resist the Emperour by Armes they were of that number power and resolution that they had been able to have shaken the foundations of the Empire But now it seemes that these men of whom I speak have learned another Divinity and think that they are bound to stand to the defence of their dread Soveraigne the Kings Majesty his person and authority in the defence and preservation of the true religion as they have express●d in their late Printed confession of faith wherunto they have sworn so that they do plainly insinuate that they are no further bound to defend the Kings person and authority then he doth stand in the defence of the true Religion And that onely must be accounted the true Religion which they themselves do best like of If the King will not maintain that then for all this last Oath they are freed from their Alleigance wherein they have more then justified the Iesuites in all their rebellious practises and the Iesuites can well tell how to take advantage thereof for it is not long since a Iesuite wrote a Book in the defence of the Loyalty of their Order alledging that Protestants had allowed the rebellion of Subjects against Princes as much as any of their Order had done and gives instance in Buchanan Knox and Goodman But Andreas Rivetus a Professor of Leiden answering the Iesuite doth professe that all Protestants do condemne that doctrine and ascribes the rashnesse of Buchanan and Knox Praeferbido Scotorum ingenio ad audendum prompto And now it feares me that ere it be long another Iesuite shall publish a Book to prove that the present insurrection in Scotland is a greater rebellion then was the Papists Gun-powder-plot in regard that the Gun-powder-Treason was but the act of a few discontented Gentlemen and the thousand Papist in England not guilty of it but in the present Rebellion of the Puritanes they have ingaged a great part of that Kingdome and many who indeed know not what the matter meanes and so that this may be called the common sinne of that Sect whereas the other cannot be charged upon the Religion of the Papists But you will say it is Religion that moveth them What did ever the true Religion allow of rebellion Tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum I know they pretend the defence of the nationall confession of their Church and the Oath received by their forefathers in the Yeere 1581 by the Kings example and commandement But if it be so I will subscribe their Covenant also which is the greatest curse I can lay upon my mortall enemy Therfore to take away that vaine pretence wherewith they blind you and many other simple people I will here make it evidently appeare First that that negative Confession wherunto they did swear in the yeere 81 is not the nationall Confession of the Church of Scotland and Secondly that the Oath which they have now administred is not the same which the King his Family States and Subjects did sweare at that time But Substantially different from it in many points And first that Negative Confession is not the nationall Confession of the Church of Scotland But the nationall Confession is that which twenty yeeres before being penned by Mr. Knox and his fellow-ministers and contayning the positive grounds of Divinity was approved by the Parliament held in the yeere 1560 and afterwards was ratified by a Parliament in the yeere 1567 and registred in the body of that Act of Parliament and so confirmed by a number of Parliaments since that time The same is likewise received into the body of the Confessions of all the reformed Churches and acknowledged for the Confession of the Church of Scotland But as for that Negative Confession consisting in the abjuring of Popish errors and penned by Mr.