diuerse Heads and Diuisions that Decencie and Order might be preserued and Confusion shunned This superioritie of Priesthood continued till the new Couenant of Grace in all which time if equalitie of Priests had beene conducible to the Weale of the Church without doubt the Lord of the Church would haue established it Secondly after this Ceremoniall Law our Sauiour Christ ruled his Church as chiefe Bishop of our Soules hee adioyned no Elders to himselfe at his death hee gaue command to his Disciples to rule the Churches where they should gouerne throughout the World Wee reade that they did excommunicate alone that they did ordaine Ministers alone and did by supreme Authority rule both the Affaires and Goods of the Church Beza confesseth that Peter alone strucke Ananias and Saphira that Paul ordayned Timothie and Titus that hee prescribed Lawes to them and their Churches this plat-forme of Paritie was not so much as heard of in the time of Persecution Saint Paul did write to the Bishops of Ephesus and Smyrna and to seuerall Bishops of other Churches to them hee giueth Directions and them hee reprooueth which had beene very vnfitting if his Authority had not beene aboue other Ministers All Records witnesse that seuerall Bishops succeeded the Apostles at Rome Constantinople Ierusalem Antioch Alexandria and other places All the Councells giue preheminence to Bishops and to the Councells the Fathers consent To come to later times they whom you magnifie aboue all others did protest by their Writings That if Bishops would leaue Superstition and embrace the true Religion they would most willingly submit themselues to their Episcopall Iurisdiction as most godly and expedient for the Church Melancthon did testifie much to this purpose saying That if the Authoritie of Bishops were reiected a greater Tyrannie would follow Zancheus greatly extolled Bishops Bullinger Glocer and diuerse other Learned Protestants in Swethland and Germanie with Camerarius and Sturmius did the like Beza himselfe complayneth That his wordes against Roman Bishops were wrested against our Bishops But suppose that Beza Daneus Carpenter Golart Perot Tauergues Polan Snecan and the like haue written all which you would haue maintayned or doe yet hold shall the Church of Great Brittaine allow what they haue written for Oracles No there is no reason they should For who would not bee ashamed to oppose those and their followers to the practice of the Primitiue Church of Iesus Christ his Apostles Fathers Councells Canons to all Writings of Antiquity and to the most part of our owne Times All these by Practice or Decrees haue annulled Paritie and consequently all kinde of Gouernment grounded vpon it All Legall Courses haue censured against you the Parliaments the most Honourable Courts in the I le of Great Brittaine or else-where haue declared against you the Church Assemblyes wherein as Members you had Voyces haue found the nullitie of your cause and all these ioyning in one haue enioyned you to obedience and conformitie There resteth nothing on your side but exclayming bragging and libelling which will neuer be otherwayes censured by the Wise then the fumosities of idle Dreame-venting Braynes who assuming to themselues an vncontrouled Liberty leaues all Lawes without defence and exposeth Magistracie to Obloquie at their pleasure But as all Legists and Schoole-men determine priuate much lesse publike Lawes are neyther grossely to bee ieasted at carelesly disgraced or fondly to bee dealt withall Consider warily of this Point least Iustice correct such by Roddes as will not bee ruled by Reason So I come to the Third Part of my Taske and then to an end THE THIRD PART I Haue shortly leuelled at if not hit the most materiall Accidents and Circumstances of the Controuersies which long haue troubled the Peace of our Church of Scotland with their bad Effects and how contrary your opposition is to the best Institutions of former times Now after I haue runne poste through the Fauours of your gracious Soueraigne I will vnfold my sincere Wishes and so close vp all His Maiesties prouident care fore-seeing that your violent Platformes would in the end procure the ouerthrow of your cause did so long giue way to your inconsiderate proceedings till without greater inconuenience to the Church and State hee could not forbeare to represse them in which course I pray you consider with mee what Legall course hath his Maiesty taken what Lenitie hath hee vsed what mollifying Balmes of louing Admonition hath hee applyed to so long festred Sores Hee hath called many Generall and Prouinciall Assemblyes for settling or remoouing many needlesse Controuersies amongst you Hee hath in Royall Person beene present with you perswaded you by many Learned Orations graue Exhortations and Princely Admonitions Hee hath oft times confuted your vngrounded Assertions with Reason when hee might haue repressed them by his Royall Authority What vnseemely misdemeanour wee haue seene in the presence of such a King my Penne without blushing is not able to expresse Yet these hath his more then Humane Clemencie ouerpast and by the Load-stone of infallible Demonstrations and inuincible Arguments hath drawne the most Iudicious and Learned amongst you to assent to the Truth and leaue such factious courses Witnesse hereof were Learned Master Rollocke Master Nicholson and Master Cooper whose Workes will pleade their cause The first of these vpon his Death-bed did expostulate with his dearest Friends how much your hard censure of his honest Labours in the Affaires of the Church had shortened his dayes The last two after they were preferred to the place of Bishops and euer before had painefully laboured in the Lords Haruest were so detracted by your vniust Calumnies and profited so little in their sincere Intentions that very Griefe in the Autumne of their age did consummate their dayes But yet if I should insist vpon his Maiesties Clemencie towards you I should exceede my limitted Taske Hee hath spared the Liues of such of you as were guilty of High Treason hee hath vpon submission recalled such as were banished and eyther restored them to their owne or better Places Finally hee hath left nothing vndone that may make his Kingly Wisedome admired his Mercie aduaunced and you in case of further Contumacie vncapable of the like Royall Fauour hereafter I speake not this to aggrauate your Faults neyther fawningly to insinuate vpon Maiestie but least any of you should surmise that you haue beene wronged that the Lawes haue beene rigorously extended against you or that his Maiesties proceedings hath beene iniurious towards you But as I am in good hope of you so my earnest Wishes are that my friendly counsaile may seize on your future actions You know or may know that hitherto you haue onely procured a fruitlesse Reformation and in the end without doubt you will bee the cause of greater Euils if by more wholesome aduice you obuiate not the Dangers to which your inconsiderate Zeale hath subiected you the Axe of Iustice threateneth the Roote of the fruitlesse Tree of your disobedience and eminent
Coast they haue many different Enemyes some ready to slander them some more ready to amplifie such scandall and some most ready to beleeue it Magnes mendacij credulitas Credulitie is the Load-stone of Lyes and Enuie will creepe where it dare not goe But if any haue lost their first Loue if any be neyther hot nor cold if any haue stumbled at the Threshold in such sort that they cannot sit well that entred ill it is time they returne whence they are fallen and confirme the things that remayne Great is the weight of their fault eorum causa abhorrebant a Sacrificio Domini It is the weakenesse of humane frailtie rather to take poysonable Receits out of Gold-glistering Boxes then wholesome Medicines from course cleanely Vessels of Clay But it were better wee had Elias Hunger or Samsons Thirst in taking our Meat from a Rauen or our Drinke from the Iaw-bone of an Asse rather then to deface them or cast contempt vpon their Calling The holy Angell would giue no sentence of Blasphemie against the common Slanderer but increpet te Dominus It is noted in the Ecclesiasticall Historie That the ancient Synods when they depriued any Bishops neuer recorded the Offence but buried it in perpetuall silence C ham purchased his Fathers Curse for reuealing his Fathers disgrace Many good Fathers spoke seuerely against the vnworthinesse of Bishops One sayth Sacerdotes nominamur non sumus another sayth Nisi bonum opus amplectaris Episcopus esse non potes but these nor no other euer did put doubt of the lawfulnesse of the Calling and Ordination of Bishops The second cause of Controuersies is in multiplying of them by men whom the Church neuer wanteth and who loues the salutation of RABBI not so much in Ceremonie and Complement as in inward Authoritie which they seeke ouer mens Mindes in drawing them to depend vpon their Opinion and to seeke Knowledge at their Lippes These are the true Successors of Diotrephes Louers of Preheminence and doe delight vpon another sort of Spirits which doe adhere to them Quorumque gloria in obsequio stiffe Fellowes who in zeale follow mightily after those vpon whose Oracles they depend and are for the most part men of young Yeeres or superficiall Vnderstanding or both and carryed away with enticing apparencie of Singularitie Goodly Names and Pretences Pauci res ipsas sequuntur plures nomina rerum plurimi Magistrorum the matter controuerted is least thought vpon Yet about these Controuersies are wreathed and interlaced such accidentall or priuate Emulations and Discontentments as ioyned together breake foorth into such contention as violates eyther Truth Sobrietie or Peace Some will be no longer ex numero others side themselues before they know the right hand from the left Transeunt ab ignorantia ad preiudicium they leape from Ignorance to a preiudicate Opinion and neuer take sound Iudgement in their way so that inter iuuenile consilium senile preiudicium omnis veritas corrumpitur when such are indifferent and not partiall then is their Iudgement weake and vnripe through want of yeeres and when it groweth to strength it is so forestalled by preiudicat opinions that it is made vnprofitable Betweene these two the Truth is encroached vpon Supreme Powers contemned and the Honorable Names of Puritie Reformation and Discipline are trampled vpon and made the subiects of contention The third occasion as I obserue of our Controuersies is an extreme vnkind detestation of some former Heresie or Corruption already acknowledged or conuicted Vpon this Root haue most of the Heresies and Schismes of the Church sprung whilest men haue grounded their Zeale and measured the bonds of most perfect Religion by the furthest distance from the Errors last condemned but these be Posthumi Haeresium filij Heresies or Schismes that arise from the ashes of such as are already extinct Some thinke it the true Load-stone to try which Doctrine is good and sound by measuring which is more or lesse opposite to the Church of Rome be it Ceremonie Pollicy or Matter of Gouernment yea if it be matter of greater moment that is euer most perfect which is remooued most degrees from that Church and that euer polluted or blemished that participateth in any apparencie with it But is it reason I pray you because wee differ from the Roman Church in the adoration of the Elements and substance of the Eucharist shall wee also abandon the reuerent modest comely and commendable receiuing thereof vpon our knees No wee must keepe the good and reiect the bad It is a consideration of much greater wisdome and sobriety to bee well aduised Whether in the generall demolition of the Church of Rome in Scotland all mens actions being imperfect some good was not purged with the bad The Husbandman doth not disclayme his heape of Corne because it is mixed with Chaffe neyther doth the Fisherman refuse his Draught of Fish because there is some Weeds in the Net or doth God separate himselfe from the faithfull Soule because it is polluted with humane corruptions It was the ancient custome of the Fathers saith Augustine to approue rather then reiect the good things which they did find in the very Heresies and Schismes The fourth cause of our Controuersies I take to be the partiall affectation and imitation of Geneua and forraine Churches a matter which in former times hath much troubled the Church for many of our Ministers in the time of their Persecution as they call it or rather Prodigals flight hauing been conuersant with the Churches abroad and receiued a great impression of the Gouernment there maintained violently seeke to intrude the like into our Churches But conueniamus in eo quod conuenit non in eo quod receptum est alibi let vs not apishly imitate euery new coyned Custome Non quod optimum sed e bonis quod proximum est eligendum of good things not that which is best but sometimes that which is readiest is to be chosen I wish wee might striue with other Churches as the Vine with the Oliue which of vs beareth best Fruit not with the Thistle and Brier which of vs is most vnprofitable Our Church in the I le of Great Britaine praysed be God is not to plaint it is established and setled in the fulnesse of Peace in the sinceritie of Doctrine and in the Wisedome of Policie and Discipline The Word is truely preached by many godly learned and famous Pastors the Policie Discipline established by the Ciuill Magistrat in former times in most parts of this I le now confirmed by a Religious and Learned King who from his Cradle hath laboured to see the Church flourish in vnitie and peace Shall then the affected paritie of a few transported with wrong ends disturbe this Peace God forbid Or shall the Gouernment of the Church bee committed to the confused Synods Presbyteriall Meetings and Parochiall Sessions of those whose Voyces are numbred not weighed Talia consilia non minuunt malum
sed augent potius The fift cause of our continued fierie Contentions is the passionate and vnbrotherly practices against the persons of others for their discredit and suppression First the Seperatist goeth about to condemne the Gouernment of Bishops as an Hierarchie remaining to vs of the corruption of the Roman Church and then not finding footing in so sinking a ground he desireth reformation of certaine Ceremonies which hee supposeth to be superstitious as Kneeling at the receiuing of the Sacrament Church-Liturgie Musike the wearing of Surplus and the like Lastly they dreame vnto themselues an onely and perpetuall Gouernment of the Church which without consideration possibilitie or foresight of perill must be erected and planted by the Magistrate and heere some stay Others goe further on in following Knox his damnable Doctrine and say the same Gouernment must bee reared vp maintained and accepted by the people at the perill of their saluation without attending the aduancement thereof by other Supreme Authoritie then their owne and from this Source floweth the inordinate zeale of some ignorant phantasticall or singular and vnquiet Spirits amongst the Gentry and Citizens who in singular humors for popular applause with Simon will be baptized with companie But I wish such remember that in seeking Truth in Disobedience without Peace at once they lose Truth Loue Peace their Adherents and themselues Such coales of Zeale are like the Alchymists Elixar about which much is spent more talked and it neuer brought to passe Let the Quintessence of your Wits be extracted all your Obseruations capitulate all your Experiments abstracted and all your Arguments vnited all will end with great losse and vanish in smoake You shall but by seeking such Reformation and bringing of Impossibilities into the Church for matters triuiall hazard the ouerthrow of those of greater weight and of peace for euer But perhaps you will say that the Bishops maintayne as well Abuses as good Ordinances and that your reasonable Demands are Vilipendit or not answered but I answere as they haue formerly done to the like immodest Challenge That as there is no Element which is not through many commixtions depraued from the first simplicitie so no Church euer breathed in so pure an Ayre as it might not complayne of some thicke and vnwholesome euaporations of Error or Sinne. If you challenge Immunitie it is rather presumption then true wisedome If too many sinnes of practice hath thickned the Ayre of our Church yet hath not one Heresie infected it There is no Calues in our Dan and Bethel none of Ieroboams Idolatrye They confesse that there bee many Imperfections in the Church as Tares amongst the Corne which according to the Wisedome taught by our Sauiour are not with strife to be pulled vp but to grow together till the Haruest They grow not to an absolute defence of all the Orders of the Church or of the abuse of good Institutions neyther doe they stiffely hold that nothing is to bee innouated as if it would make a breach vpon the rest They know that Leges nouis legibus non recreatae acceseunt Lawes not refreshed with new Lawes waxe sowre They are not ignorant that taking away of Abuses supplanteth not good Orders but confirmeth them and that a contentious retayning of a Custome is as turbulent a thing as Innouation Therefore as good Husbandmen they are euer pruning and stirring in their Vineyard or Field not vnskilfully or vnseasonably yet haue they euer somewhat to doe But in the ordering of these things confused Paritie is not Iudge Priuate Profession is one thing and publike Reformation another euery man must doe that in the mayne none this but such of whom God sayth I haue sayd you are Gods Quis sum is the question of a good man but Quis es of an enuious Eye that can see others and not it selfe Looke to your owne charge in feeding Gods People committed to you and following your ordinary Callings Doe not like bad Husbands gadde abroad to other mens Houses neyther bee busie Bishops in other mens Diocesses Set not your Teeth on edge with the sowre Grapes of others If the Rulers of the Church cast not out Abuses and vnworthy Ordinances the sinne is theirs if a man vnworthy enter the sinne is his But if you will not enter because such a one is entred the sinne is yours You shall not answere for other mens Faults but for your owne Neglects other mens sinnes cannot dispence with your dutie There is a concinnitie of Members and sympathie of Affections in Gods House The Head must not despise the Hands or other inferior Members neither these Members enuy the Head you are to obey Presume not then vpon your owne Worth or contend by Malice to ouer-rule neither vpon your priuat Authoritie obtrude to the Church such Gouernment which neuer had beeing but in idle Speculation Beleeue mee Brethren too much Presumption gnaweth the Bones of the Spirit euen to the Marrow of Ignorance and when Malice and Enuy are coupled with Presumption and Ignorance and are kindled against the Modestie of the Vertuous the flame by reflection burneth those that kindle it and lighteth those that are detracted till they attaine to the path and possession of Honor. To this former complaint you adde that you are charged as if you did deny Tribute vnto Caesar and withdraw from the Ciuill Magistrate the Obedience which is due which you haue euer performed and taught I wish from my heart you could cleare your selues of these too true suggestions But the amplification of this Point falleth to bee in the second part of this Discourse to which I leaue it You say further That Inquisitions and Examinations haue beene too strictly vrged against you That the Bishops are too sudden in silencing such numbers of you That they ought to keepe one Eye open at the Good which you doe and not to looke with both Eyes vpon the Euill which they suppose you doe where now euery inconsiderate Word or light Escape is a Forfeiter of your Voyce and Gift of Teaching These bee the causelesse Complaints vniustly conceiued against your Mother the Church and supreme Authoritie who haue neuer ceased by Motherly loue and Royall fauours to reclayme you But since fayre meanes cannot preuayle and that your Offences are greater then your seruice Iustice may change the Bonds of Recompence into due punishment The Warrants of all former times hath allowed greater seueritie then euer hath beene inflicted vpon you Wise Generals punish mutinous persons more seuerely then Robbers or Adulterers Corah and his company were more fearefully plagued then the Idolatrous Israelites Who cannot rather suffer a lewd Seruant then an vndutifull Sonne though hee pretend a fayre colour for his Disobedience When Nature offendeth Law there Law may be iustly executed on Nature You accuse iustly Apostasie and Seperation in others and shall the Church suffer the least Seisure in you But if you hated your Sinnes more and Peace lesse Prelacie would trouble you
doth not teach but correct another In the meane time what Preaching is or who may be sayd to preach you make no question but sure I am that many of you that call hotely for a Preaching Minister are the first that ought to be sequestred from so holy a Function These Errors and mis-proceedings you doe fortifie and intrench by being addicted to your owne Opinions and impatient to heare contradiction or arguments that applaud not your humors I know some of you thinke it a tempting of God to heare or reade that which with good reason may bee sayd or written against you as if there were a quod bonum est tenete without omnia probate going before This may suffice to offer vnto you a view and consideration whether in these things you doe well or not and to asswage the partialitie of your followers I know you haue the gift of Exhortation and I suppose charitably that you haue Zeale and hate of Sinne but take heede you want not Knowledge and Loue Where the noyse of Contention is so great that the Truth cannot bee heard it is to bee wished the Preachers were dumbe or the Hearers deafe The last cause of such Controuersies is the vndue publishing and debating of them which Point needeth no long Discourse Onely I say That Characters of Loue are more proper for Debates of this nature then Fire-brands of Zeale That all direct or indirect Glances at mens persons were euer in the like cases dis-allowed That whatsoeuer is pretended the People are not fit Iudges but rather the quiet priuate Assemblyes and Conferences of the Learned Qui apud in capacem loquitur non disseptat sed calumniatur The Presse and Pulpit would bee freed from these Contentions neyther Promotion on the one part or Hate on the other should continue these Challenges and vnwarrantable Cartells That further all Preachers ought to bee of such good temper that in matters of Controuersie they may in Wisedome and Conscience dayly inculcate and beate vpon Peace Silence and Cessation But because I shall haue occasion to speake of this more fully hereafter I end the first Part of this Discourse THE SECOND PART IT is not vnknowne to you how dangerous and hurtfull the effects of the long stirres about the Gouernment of the Church of Scotland haue been and had proued in Church and State if the sedulous Animaduersions of a wise and fore-seeing King had not preuented the same I cease to speake of the scandall that hath beene giuen to Religion thereby how many wicked or ignorant people haue beene confirmed in Atheisme how many weake Christians haue beene discouraged in the progresse of their Profession what Sects and bad Opinions haue growne vp in corners these that should and without doubt would haue repressed them being by Domesticall Brawles thwarted and hindered All of sound iudgement may perceiue what aduantage the common Enemy hath taken that by such preposterous Anarchie Learning was not onely contemned but the Rewards thereof diminished the ancient Discipline of the Church ouerthrowne the Ignorant made Iudgers of the Rewards of Learning and the Learned Fathers of the Church Markes for Licentious Youths armed with Malice to shoot at The height of this Fury hath extended it selfe beyond Confusion Tumult and Scandall how oft haue these tumultuous Practices reached to the height of Lease-Maiesty by intending to conferre your head-lesse Gouernment on whom you pleased and how you pleased without the Authoritie of any Supreme Power If I might instance this by bringing those vpon the Stage whose Errors you haue followed rather then their Goodnesse I might aske you what Fennor did in his Booke entituled Axiomata Coelestis Canaan Beza in his Booke de Iure Magistratuum in subditos Coppinger and his followers in England Or to come home to our selues what did Knox in his Letter written from Diepe or in his foure inuenomed Positions blowne out by the second blast of his foule-breathed Trumpet To descend and come to our owne Times mine owne Eyes did behold that bold head-lesse Insurrection knowne by the seuenteenth of September But praysed be God that Fire was soone quenched and that Fruit rotten before it was ripe although some of the Prime Nobilitie were inuited or rather coniured if it had beene possible to take Armes in defence of your lame Cause But let that blacke prodigious Day bee inuolued in darke Hieroglyphicks and buried in perpetuall silence least future Ages heare of it or Erostratus complayne that hee is robbed of his Fame for burning Diana's Temple Lastly and more lately from the ashes of these combustible Practices did Phoenix-like arise that deformed wrested Pamphlet maliciously dispersed but alreadie learnedly confuted and defaced by that Reuerend Father Doctor Lindsay Bishop of Brighen But here I will stay my hand and play no more at this Weapon least I turne the Point against my selfe or by thrusting home giue the Veine to some of your Vitall parts You know my meaning they were not the greatest sinners vpon whom the Tower of Siloah did fall Vnus peccat alter plectitur but I will gently close with you in generall tearmes and onely tell you That these Ryots of singular Insolencie were sufficient to haue exasperated the most mercifull Prince to haue rooted out the memorie of such Spirits who vnder pretext of Reformation neuer aymed at other end in contempt of Regall Authoritie then Translation of Church-Gouernment to confused Paritie orderlesse Synods and to Mechanicke Parochiall Sessions What this Reformation did profit in building of Gods house or repayring of it as you pretended and what strange fruits it had produced before this time if God by his seruant our Soueraigne had not wrung the Sword out of your hand let sound Iudgement giue Verdict If you will goe a little along with me and suruey vpon what grounds these proceedings misdemeanors were builded you shall finde they had none at all but imaginary Speculation vnable to vphold a quiet minde much lesse both Church and State First there can bee nothing more absurd more against all Law Practice and Reason then the paritie of Church-Gouernment or Parochiall Iudicature which you haue so long maintained and which was vpon false Grounds broached to ouerthrow the Bishops and auert the ancient Discipline of the Church To make this cleare I aske you if there can be any Gouernment without Superioritie and Distinction of Places Can Ciuill or Spirituall Estates bee better gouerned then by one armed with Power and Eminencie aboue others Is not Gods owne Citie Spirituall Ierusalem a gathering and vniting of Saints into a Diuine Pollicy whereof the forme is Order which as in all actions so in the Gouernment of the Church is most necessary Hence Paul reioyceth of the Colossians Faith and Order Looke backe againe and behold when Almightie God gaue Magistrates and Lawes to his Church hee appointed vnder the supreme Magistrate one High Priest to haue the Superintendencie of the Affaires of the Church and vnder him