you cannot believe what ever you seem to say that they are indeed men worthy such praises but because they are of age and able to speak for themselves I leave it to their wisdom to Apologize for themselves and return you an Answer to your unjust challenge of them And as for the other party wronged by your Byas because they are strangers and came voluntary to assist the furtherance of the great work now in hand whose modesty will not give them leave to speak in their own just defence I shall on their behalfe adde a word Sir You charge the Honourable Reverend Commissioners of the Church of Scotland for comming byased into the Assembly with a Nationall determination being for the jus Divinum of the Presbyteriall Governement This you say was a hinderance also to union in the Assembly That they who have deserved so well should heare ill from such as are not acquainted with their learning or moderation is neither new nor strange but with what face could you a Member of the Assembly charge this upon them Who could not but know how they have alwayes demeaned themselves in the Assembly and what Honorable mention the Assembly had upon all occasions made them and what Testimony they gave unto them for their usefulnes in the Assembly and their moderation in all their debates Have you forgotten these expressions in a Letter sent from the Assembly to the Generall Assembly of the Church of Scotland dated Ianuary 6. 1644. For our better progresse herein viz. in finding out a forme of Church Government we have with all respect considered the severall Papers of your Honourable and Reverend Commissioners touching this head and doe with all thankfulnesse acknowledge the great zeale judgement and wisedome expressed therein as also the excellent assistance and great furtherance of your Reverend Commissioners in this great worke Againe in the same Letter the imployment of your Reverend Commissioners here hath been so managed by them as deserves many thankes and all Honourable acknowledgement not onely from us but from you also Againe in the same Letter the long experience we have had of the great sufficiency integrity and usefulnesse of them all in the great worke of Christ our common Lord and Master inforceth us to be earnest suitors for their continuance for the perfecting of that worke which yet remaines And those expressions in another Letter to the said Generall Assembly dated May 6. 1645. speaking of the said Commissioners To whose indefatigable labours and judicious assistance not only the Assembly and the whole Church and Kingdome of England but yours also and the rest of the Churches of God do owe very much Againe in the same Letter taking notice of a passage in a Letter from the Generall Assembly The Assembly sayes they expresse so much wisedome moderation and tendernesse of affection in so holding forth their owne judgement as not to condemn ours nor to impose upon us in the least degree no more then we upon them these words are added Herein you have 〈◊〉 refreshed us and honoured your selves thereby putting to silence the ignorance of foolish men and shaming the common Enemies of our Reformation and Peace who unjustly traduce you â—â— too tenacious of whatsoever you hold or practise and will part with nothing but rather expect from others a perfect comming up to you in every particular which albeit we never found nor believed yet we have now by this declaration a further ground whereon to erect a more publike and full vindication of your Christian candor moderation before the whole world upon all occasions These things I have exprest in the Assemblies words that the world may see how you deal both with them and the Assembly And from all these passiages what is to be inferred let the Reâ—der judge The Assembly acknowledge their Zeal Iudgement wisdom and moderation expressed in their carriage the great assistance they had from them in their indesatigable labours for which the whole Church both in England and Scotland owes much unto them Nay more saith not the Assembly that they did not so hold out their own judgements as to condemne ours and they â—ought no more to impose any thing upon us then we upon them All which and more râ—â—â—ndis verbis is affirmed in the Letters Now let the impartiall and judicious Reader speak if a Nationall determination did by as them in their concurrence with the Assembly You say it did and the Assembly denyes it Though this might be sufficient to wipe off that unjust aspersion so unworthily cast upon them by your self a Member of the said Assembly present at all these debates and assenting to them or at least not dissenting from them Yet to make it further appear that this your bold and uncharitable censure delivered with so much confidence is notoriously false let their constant cariage in the Assembly speak and I am content your self in your second and more advised thoughts shall be the judge I appeal unto you whether they have not often professed their readinesse to Reform themselves â—s well as â—â— according to the Word of God and according to the Covenant not to ingage uâ—â—o receive their Disciplinâ— beâ—â—use determined already by their Church but to endeavour the Reformation of Religion in the Church of England and Irâ—land in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the Example of the best Reformed Churches and to bring not us to them but all the Churches in the three Kingdoms to the neerest Conjunction and Uniformity Besides their frequent expressions this way let their Paper presented to the Assembly Novemb. 10. 1643. speak for them in these words We be so far from presuming to propose the Reformation of Religion in the Kirck of Scotland for a Rule or patern of Reformation in Religion in the Kirck of England that we are most willing to hear and learn from the Word of God which is the infallible and must be the common Rule to both what needeth to be further Reformed there and are very confident that the same with all thankfulnesse and obedience would be received and imbraced by the generall Assembly of that Kirck Secondly you cannot but know that as the Assembly alwayes waved the Dispute of the jus Divinum in those points that are controverted in most of their Votes rather determining what may be then what must be So none were more forward in this then the said Commissioners Thirdly I appeal unto you whether upon all occasions they did not declare themselves none more zealous in the promoting of any thing that might tend to Peace and accomodation For the promoting whereof their grave and prudent advise counsell and their Christian and Brotherly condescention as occasion was offered hath made them very usefull in the Assembly and deservedly honored by them Fourthly You cannot deny but that the Assembly was ingaged both according to the Covenant and to severall Orders of the Honorable Houses
is by God divelved on the Magistrate If you can finde that either in the Scriptures or warrantable records of the Church I beseech you bring it forth and let the world see you are not alone in venting of this new Divinity to which the Christian world hath been a stranger for so many hundred yeeres Lastly for the full clearing of this truth to all who are willing to receive the truth I desire it may be taken notice of whether the Christian Magistrateâ— have challenged Church Government as a worke proper unto their place If Iesus Christ have divolved it upon that calling why then should not Christian Magistrates have owned so much and challenged their right therein which we reade not that they did We reade indeed of many pious Emperours to whom the welfare of the Church was dear and whose care of the Government of the Church appeared many wayes They 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eusâ—b dovit Constant 424. saw that the officers instituted by Christ in the Church should attend their places in Governing of the same yet they never took upon them the worke of Government it selfe that famous speech which fell from Constantine the Great in the presence of divers Bishops is well known vâ—t quidem intra templum ego autem extra templum a Die â—onstitutuâ— sum Episcopusâ— His meaning was that God had appointed him to see them fulfill the work to which God had called them unto in his Church his Imperiall place bound him to see that done by them but not to fulfill it himselfe For he clearly distinguishes between the administration of the affaires 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 within and without the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was far from him He kept himself where he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where God had set him Secondly we reade that when the Church was troubled with Imperatorum manu â—â— episcoporum confilio beretici reprimebantur Gr. Naz. any unruly Member that would not submit himselfe to Her Government such by the power and authority of the Magistrate were reduced to order For by the Imperiall power and Counsels of Bishops heretickâ—s have been suppressed As Arius was banished by Constant M. Thirdly we find further that when a question hath had much debate in the Church and yet was brought to no finall conclusion the Emperour heard the cause debated and so put an end unto the same as appears in the case of Caecilian and his adversaries which being twice heard in Episcopall Synods the paries not resting in their resolutions at length it was heard and determined before the Emperour but what did he therein onely hearing the cause fully discussed he made such as were refractory give way unto the truth but he did not determine it himselfe Fourthly Emperours were so far from challenging any Power in Ecclesiasticall Government as proper to their places that when it was exercised upon themselves by Church Officers they willingly submitted to it Let that memorable instance of Theodosius witnesse it It is storied of him that having caused in his fury 7000. Thessalonians to be slaughtered afterwards comming to the Church of Millainâ— Ambrose goeth forth to meet him and after Tâ—eod 5. 17. a long speech denies to admit him yea bound him with that heavy sentence of Excommunication with which he stood bound for eight moneths This godly Emperour did not tell Ambrose he had no power to do it He pleaded not that it did belong to his Imperiall Crowne to determine who should be shut out or admitted into the Churche nay rather he acknowledged to Râ—ssinus a principall Officer of his Court the equity of the sentence he could tell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him He knâ—w well that is Ambrose of whom he is speaking what was the Office of Priests and what was proper unto Kings Doth it not appear by that memorable passage that that Christian Emperour was not of your mind to think the Government of the Church was his let as you suppose No he durst not assume that to himselfe which you affectionately strive to lodge in them who never sought it but your bolt is soone shot and forward you are to grant that to the Magistrate which Christian Magistrates never owned nor challenged as their due I beseech you if they had a Divine right unto it why did they not exercise it We have heard that what they did as the Religious Kings of old David Jâ—hosaphat Ezâ—kiah c. they were carefull to see Church Government exercised by such as were appointed thereunto by the Lord If any were disobedient they drew forth their authority against them to make them stoope unto it which gave occasion to the Bishops when they humbly sued to Arcadius to have Iohn banished to say Ecclesiasticall and Civill affaires or duties differ Niceph. 13. 20. The care of the one they say is commended to the Emperor the administration of the other to Church Officers May not all this now observed from the Scripture and read in the constant practise of Christian Magistrates let you see that Gods Church hath ever given the Magistrate that wherewith God hath honoured his place which was his due and that the Magistrate ceast to require more Their care was to move in the sphere wherein God had placed them neither would they go beyond it in stretching their authority to do that whereunto they were not called of the Lord. Now to your construction of Governments mentioned 1 Cor. 12. 28. wee 'll briefly examine what you say herein and that is onely this Christ hath placed Governments in his Church and you findâ— no institution of other Governments besides Magistrates of Magistrates you doe Rom. 13. 1. 2. Sir that Christ hath placed Governments in his Church with the Scriptures affirming it I fully agree As also that there are Civill Magistrates to whom obedience is to be yielded by all I likewise do agree but that there are no other Governments in the Church but the Civill Magistrate I cannot assent to that assertion Nay I conceive your inference from that Text 1 Cor. 12. 28. which Magisterially you lay downe without the least shew of proose where Governments are mentioned therefore the Civill Magistrate must be understood it is an inconsequence and to me of no more validity then his was who said that Tenterton steeple was the cause of Goodwin Sands because these Sands were first discovered when the structure of the steeple was first begunne It s very probable to me that you do expound this Scripture just as a Divine well knowne to you once preaching at the taking of the Covenant did expound Cant. 6. 4. where he brings from a Rabbi a rotten exposition Which was so improbable thâ—â— himselfe sayes of it he doth not deliver it as the true sence of the place yet it did not dislike him because it seemed pretty Or you do herein as he did who when he preached that Hezechiah was the first man that ever was
to have the Reformed Churches and surely the Church of Scotland will be by all not byased with a prejudicate opinion against them acknowledged to be one in their eye And yet I again appeal to you whether the Commissioners in all their debates did not rather endeavour by their Arguments from Scripture and Reason which did take hold on their Consciences to confirm the Propositions in debate then to impose any thing upon the Assembly from the bare Authority of their Church Nay did you ever hear them so much as offer to hold forth the Authority or Practise of their Church as an Argument whereby to perswade to any thing These things I thought good to offer to your second thoughts to chew upon And if all this be granted which I am confident you cannot deny you have good reason to be sorry to use your own words in your Epistle that you should give offence Yet I can not but tell you it is but a poore amends to complement with them in your Epistle and so deeply to charge them in your book in hanging your by as on them who runne so faire to the marke How you have dealt with the Assembly comes now in the last place to be inquired into I confesse I have heard you say that you have not in any passâ—gâ— of your Sermon crossed any of the Votes of the Assembly formeth past and sent up unto the Parliament but when I did peruse the Votes and compare them with divers passages in your Sermon I could not but wonder at your confidence in this and know not what to infer from thence but only this Surely then either you did not well understand what your self had written or else were strangely mistaken in the sence of the Assembly but let the Reâ—der judge If I understand you aright you deny Church Government performed by Church Officers affirming that you see not an institution nor any one act of Government in the whole Bible performed viz. by any Church Officer setting up the Christian Magistrate as the onely Church Governour and that jure Divine And therefore expounding the Governments which Christ hath placed in his Church 1 Cor. 12. 28. By that of Magistrates Rom. 13. â—â— Then you do not onely deny the Ruling Elder to be an instituted Officer but also take away the power of Ruling from the Minister I pray you therefore for my satisfaction and the satisfaction of many others who are much unsatisfied in this particular Reconcils these your opinions and the severall Votes of the Assembly wherein the contâ—ary to all these assertions is plainly assurâ—ed as may be observed in the severall Votes mentioned before You do indeed crave in your Epistle A latitude for your judgement It is not denyed unto you but are you bound in Conscience to hold out your difference of judgement unto the Parliament If so you cannot be ignorant what course was prescribed to the members of the Assembly in case of dissent in any point you should have entred your dissent and brought in your Reasons And then I doubt not but you should have received abundant satisfactionâ— What should put you upon this course I see not except your undervaluing of the Advice and judgement of the Assembly or the over-weening conceit of your own sufficiency that in a work which your self acknowledge doth require the deepest head and the greatest abilities you should think your self more fit to interpose your advice then the whole Assembly If your advice had been only additionall of some thing omitted by the Assembly or in some things of lesser moment differing from the advice of the Assembly it might have been the better born But when you shall as much as in you lyes endeavour to undermine the very foundations and destroy the whole Fabrick of all Ecclesiasticall Government by subverting the Pillars of it this cannot but by sober men be judged a boldnesse that none but your self would have been guilty of Or if your advice had been backed with Reasons that might have been convincing we should have thanked you for your light But when you take liberty to dissent not only from the Assembly here but from all well Reformed Churches without producing the least shâ—dow of proof And so oppose your own private judgement to the Resolutions and Determinations of the Assembly and all other Churches both Ancient and Modern thinking it Confutation enough of their Scripture proofs to tell the world that they take not hâ—ld on your Conscience Who can but blame you for your pride herein as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ipse dixit were sufficient to bear out whatsoever so great a Rabbi saiâ—h Sir Though the advice of the Assembly did not take hold upon your Conscience yet your Covenant should Which you did not onely take your self but incouraged others thereunto in your Sermon Preached and published by Command of the Honorable House of Commons You did lift up your hand unto the most high God and Swear To endeavour the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and example of the best Reformed Churches and to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdoms to the nearest Conjunction and Vniformity in Religion Confession of Faith Form of Church Gouernment Directory for Worship and Catechizing that we and our Posterity after us may as Brethren live in Faith and Love and the Lord may delight to dwell in the midst of us c. But in this New-Modell of Government of yours you have rather endeavoured to hinder this blessed work and to stir up Authority to suppresse it For according to your advice Church Government by Ecclesiasticall Officers as it is generally followed in the best Reformed Churches should not be Reformed but abolished Did you not covenanâ— to endeavour the 〈◊〉 of Schism yet â—how you will acquit your self â—â—rom one of the greater Schismes and rents from â—all the of Christ I doe noâ— yet see when you would â—estroy that Church government which they doe all acknowledge and submit unto and would introduce in the roome of it another in the civill Magistrate which Christs Church did ever yet acknowledge nor did â—ver any Christian Magistrate assume unto himselfe In fine though you slight our Sister Churches I dare noâ— though you at your pleasure â—â—st off that government which Christs Church hath â—ever embraced and fasten all the government thereof upon the Magistrate Give me leave with admiration of 〈◊〉 boldnesse and selfe confidence to conclude with the judgement Quid observabimâ—s quid cligâ—â—us non â—ossumus respuere consuctudinem quam damnare non possumus utpote non extraniam quia non extraneorum quibus scilicet communicamus jus pacis nomen fratâ—râ—itaâ—â—s Tert. de Velandis Virginil Calv. in Am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of two grave Authors The first is Tertullian what shall wâ—â— follow or what shall we câ—use we cannot reject that custoâ—e we cannot condemne it is not strange seeing it comes not from strangers but from them with whom we are sinked in piece and to 〈◊〉 we give the name of Brethâ—â—â— he durst not condemne theâ—â— câ—stome to whom he gave the nâ—me of Brethren and the hand of fellowship yet you dare I and oppose them The Author is learned Calviâ— whose judgement in the Exposition of Scripturâ—â— hath ever by judicious men who sayes â—â—ey are inconsiderate men who give to the Civill Magistrate the power of â—ll things Now in what ranke are you to be placed in who cut your your selfe off from all the Churches with whom you professe an agreement Shall I say to you as Constantine said to Aresiuâ— the Nâ—vatian Provide you a laddâ—r by which you may god to heaven 〈◊〉 Seeing you have no minde to goe hand in hand with your sister Churcheâ— in government but put off all that work to the Civill Magistrate may you not be râ—nâ—ed in the â—oule of those â—nconsiderate men who distinguish â—oâ— between that Civill and Eccâ—esâ—asticall function yet know at length it is good sâ—pere ad sobriâ—taâ—â—m this I wish to youâ— and 〈◊〉 commit you to the Lord. FINIS