unanswerable challenge of monor polizing the specious name of the Church of Scotland to us excluding them because we have receded from old standing Ecclesiastick Laws without any other warrand then new Civil Laws contrary to them and upon that account charge us with Schism unwarrantable separation from them having no Evasion left us but that we are the more numerous part of the Clergy which scarce makes our Separation tolerable far less justifiable But that which is as unbecoming us as unacceptable to them is your pleading no Alteration which will stumble your Readers with prejudice in the very entry For how ever difficult it be to prove the necessity of such an intire Alteration as Presbyterians desire yet they can easily pitch upon many things which we cannot ingenuously deny should be altered And the book entituled the Reformed Bishop writen by one of our Clergy opens a wide door to them Yea we are all of us too sensible that our interest has been scrued up to so dangerous heights by the Laws that there is no stable Basis left to establish it in the Consciences of those who own it And we have Reason to fear lest those odious superstructures of the Magistrates unbounded Supremacy over the Church such rigorous impositions on the Consciences of Subjects and so cruel persecution of all Dissenters which by an excess of Zeal we have erected to be the securities of our cause may so much discommend the whole Fabrick of our Government as to endanger the total ruine thereof And I have alwayes thought it a great flaw in the Episcopal Government in Scotland that as it hath been built upon no other Foundation and advanced by no other Methods then Civil Laws rigorously executed so these are framed in such an Arbitrary and persecuting stile that the least turn of Affairs will render them as odious as before they were grievous to all moderate and judicious Men of both parties And finally it surpasseth my imagination what hath incouraged you to add in this Juncture It s evident that the whole present Juncture of Affairs hath a bad Aspect on us and we can expect little Favour from such as duely consider the same What hath infatuated you to such an unaccountable confidence Alace your Reasons can never cancel these unhappy Addresses to the King so fresh in the remembrance of all Men That of the Primat sent to King in name of the Clergy to thank him for the Liberty granted to the Papists so full of base sycophantry and abject flattery that even the Popish King was ashamed of it which I fear be printed at Fdinburgh before the Convention though ye tempt them not to the remembrance of it and that other most unseasonable Testimony of our Loyalty expressing our Detestation of the P. of Orange his coming to England as an unjus t and unnatural Invasion signed by the Bps to their eternal s hame Neither will ever this Paper of yours counterpoise the P. of Orange His Declaration in reference to Scotland wherein we are represented as the grievance of the Nation and the necessity of an Alteration insinuated as clearly as could be done without directly reflecting on our Laws which though he doth not approve yet he Judgeth unseasonable as yet to condemn Nor Finally can all ye say for our vindication outcry the loud voice of the Rigorous Persecution and violent Oppression and innumerable Grievances which may be too justly charged on our party and the Presbyterians are too apt to represent and aggredge so as to extort pity and compassion even from the hardest hearted of our Grandies without such an irritating remembrance as you are But to come to your Reasons Presbyterians will think them weak enough though ye had not wronged them by such a vain Title I wish ye had forborn the first which is too Theologick and so not only discovers the Author to be of the Clergy who are little regarded when pleading for their own Interest but doth also give our Adversaries too large a Field wherein they are best acquainted and most expert Ye might have satisfied your self only with Politick Arguments which are the most proper and suitable to our cause and would seem to be the Sentiments of some Judicious Pers on of another Quality agenting it and so be a great deal more acceptable and considered with the less prejudice But I see no kind of reason in your Paper which Presbyterians cannot answer without any difficulty and with great advantage Your first Reason hath three things in it which though it be sufficient simply to deny because meerly asserted yet our Adversaries will not pass them so bluntly they give too fair an occasion to them of giving the sharpest and sorest wounds to our cause that it can meet with and of prepossessing mens Cons ciences with such evident Convictions in their favour as will render all your other Reasons ineffectual for perswading them to favour us The I. thing in it is That Episcopacy hath the advantage of Apostolick Constitution a very fair Plea and plausible Pretence which ye would exceedingly oblige the greater and better part of your Beethren by making good But how can we expect this of you when the Learned Hamond who excells all that ever took that Plea in hand for him notwithstanding all his wrested Criticisms of Scripture and stretched Allegations from Antiquity hath not fully satisfied us in this point so that all the Sober and Learned among us except a very few Judge Church Government a point of Indifferency not peremptorly determined by Christ or His Apostles and that Episcopacy is preferable only for its Conveniency And whether the Report be true that Dr. Burnet hath acknowledged its Inconveniency for Scotland I know not But I have heard some of the most Judicious of our Clergy ingenuously confess that though to a People unbiassed with prejudices as in England that were to chose their Church Government Episcopacy is preferable to Presbytery yet to the People of Scotland who are possessed with such invincible prejudices in favours of Presbytry as the Church Government which commenced with their Reformation from Popery and has been establi shed by so many full and free Church Judicatories and Ratified by the Civil Sanction of three Successive Parliaments wherein three Kings Successively were Personally present and with no less In s uperable prejudices against Episcopacy as a Relict of Popery which amongst other corruptions they were Reformed from and as an Innovation Introduced Advanced and. Established by Arbitrary and Violent Methods not only without but against the Consent of the Ministry and finally as an incouragement of Ignorance Profanity and Error to the paving the way for Popery to such a prejudiced and byassed People Episcopacy is both inconvenient and intolerable And Presbyterians do so well know that the sentiments of many of your Brethren differ from yours in this point that they will not only redicule you as Ignorant of the Scriptures wherein the Names
charged on the whole party and for less on their principles which have a quite contrary tendancy And ingenuously by Presbytry will be judged by few to have such a tendency to Tyrranny over the Church Pragmatick meddling with the State as Episcopacy as its constitute in Scotland hath And they will desire all Judicious men to cons ider whether Idleness Ambition and Avarice in the Clergy Ignorance Worldly mindedness and Profanity among People Be not the effects of Episcopacy and indeed so manifestly have these abounded under Episcopal Government that the most part will decide the question in their Favours against us But I cannot wonder enough what could move you to think much more deliberately to write of the Hypocrisie immortality and Antiâ—…ristian genus of the Presbyterian party seeing thes e things may not only be retorted with great Advantage but cannot justly and ingenuosly be charged on the Generality of presbyterians you may assure your self this will tempt them to draw up a Black Lybel against the Bishops and Generality of our Clergy as alas they have too large grounds for recent in the remembrance of the Nation and they will think it enough to tell you calmly and soberly that if persons unsutableness to their profession be Hypocrisie if the grossest of scandals and open profanity be immoralitie And finally if violent persecution be the Effect and Evidence of an Antichristian genius All these things are more applicable to Episcopals then presbyterians So that all these Reffections directed against them will rebound on our selves And I am afraid they will stick faster to us then to them because they not only agree to the general Sentiments of all Ranks of people but their Observations and Experience of them is late and recent Whereas the mos t part of old Malignants who were formerly carried away with prejudices against presbytry under the pretences of Loyalty have turned Fanaticks since and as persons convinced of their mistakes both of the presbyterian cause Interest which they opposed and the Episcopal which they owned have thought it their duty so to do though to the exposing themselves to the Reproaches and other Persecutions of the Episcopal party in their greatest power And it is indeed very observable that those who intertain prejudices against the presbyterian Government are either Young Men who never saw it in its integrity and living under a Government contrary to it have not heard any other account of it then of the failings and exorbitancies of some of that Profession which are not the native product of their Principles but such excesses as the Biass of the Age and Circumstances they lived in drove them into or else old Turncoats and violent Persecutors who to justifie their change of their Profession and their Persecution of these who adhere to it make it their work to fix an Odium on Presbytery and by their frequent impudence in reproaching it have at last deluded themselves into an obstinate belief of their own invented Calumnies Your last Reason is That if the Church of England continue as it is as undoubtedly it will and Scotland be reduced to presbytery then considering the boundless and restless spirit of presbytery Scotland will impose sicut ante an Vniformity on England in Doctrine and Discipline which will commence a new Civil War the thoughts of which cannot but breed horror in all reasonable Men. Sir The only Foundation of these your Apprehensions is the Solemn League tho you mention it not which altho it be a touchy point yet presbyterians can abundantly vindicate the same s o as to prevent the fears of all Judicious Men whom they will desire to consider that it obliges the members of the Church of Scotland to no other thing in reference to England then what is Antecedently their duty towards it and all other Reformed Churches by virtue of the Sympathy and Communion that every part of the Catholick Visible Church ought to have with any other part of it That its Obligation is to be measured by the general rules of Judgement Truth and Righteousness that it is chiefly obligding to oppose Popery and to endeavour the peace and happiness of both Nations and finally that it obligeth no Man to any thing but what is proper to him in his station and therefore all your fears of a Civil War betwixt England and Scotland from this ground are but Melancholick Apprehensions if so be that the Prince of Orange shall be King of Britain and so long as he and the English Parliament think it inexpedient to seek and he and the Scots Parliament think it inexpedient to give assistance for the alteration of the English Church Government from Episcopacy to Presbytry But many fear upon more solid Grounds that the house of Commons in England clip your Bishops wings by degrees as either to rid the Nation of them at length without the assistance of Scotland or else bring them to such a tollerable Mediocrity as will render them more acceptable to all the English Nation then a Civil War can be suppos ed will be to any English Presbyterians who are so ballanced betwixt the opposition of these of the Episcopal perswasion in the one hand and of the Independent on the other that there is no party in England either more moderate or Cautions when they are Thus you see how weak a Defence of our cause these your Reasons now appear to be after they are considered tho with more calmness and tenderness then you can expect from a Presbyterian who se answer to them to your disgrace and our disadvantage I wish may be prevented by this Friendly freedom of mine with you and I would advise you to wait a little longer till there be some better product of the Labours of your Brethren who are studying this Controversie harder then ever in order to a learned and elaborate Vindication of Episcopacy and Refutation of Presbytry to which if this paper can any way be subservient I allow you to communicate it to your Brethren that they may be the more sober cautious in mannaging the controversie but I pray you let it not come to the sight of any Presbyterian least they print it to the publick Affront of our cause and I disswade you as your Friend from the Resolution that I hear you are upon of printing your Reasons whatever emendations you make in them for it is an old Maxime in crist non movendum and the Presbyterians modest silence amidst the present Advantages they have will be more commended then any thing we can writ for our vindication in the dangerous circumstances that we are in at present And Sir I am hopeful that you will not think your self disoblidged by this friendly Duty from Sir Your Real Friend and Humble Servant FINIS
Homogenious and therefore also the mos t sutable and excellent Order of the Church making the Government of particular Churches and of the Vniversal Visible Church to agree together with an excellent Harmony and most orderly Decency I am Naturally of such an ingenuous Temper that I had not the confidence to reply that the Members of the Oecumenick Cnuncils were Diocesan Bishops because I not only knew that presbyters have been admiâ—…ed Members and voted as well as Bishops and that presbyterian as well as Episcopal Churches must be allowed their Delegates in case of an Oecumenick Council without any other power than that of the Representatives of the Church that sends them Repre senting their Brethren and not having power over them lodged in their single person But I perceive the strength of the Argument did not at all consist in the Quality of the Members of a General Council whether Bishops or Presbyters but its Frame and the Method of its Acting and Exerting its Authority And finally I have been greatly ashamed and quite confounded when they asked Whether an Erastian head an Episcopal Body and a Presbyterian Tail would orderly agree together to make an intire Church Government and laughing at the monstruous Fabrick of our Government by such a mixâ— ure told me that we Atâ—ribute an Ecclesiastical Supâ—emacy to the King to unite him to our interest that we may abuse and proâ—…itute his Power and Authority in prosecuting and promoving it And that we make use of Parochial Sessions from the Example of Presbytry though Lay Elders be contrary to our principles for amusing the Consciences of Ignorant People into the more willing subjection to us as nothing differing from Presbyterian Ministers But that Episcopal preeminencies and benefices are the chief Design of all to satisfie the Ambition Avarice of the leading men amongst us to be a shelter and incouragement to the ignorance idleness and profanity of the râ—st of us Thus ye see how they have treated me in this point who though I come short in point of obstinate Confidence yet I understand the Controversie betwixt Presbyterians and us better then many of my Brethren and have had greater advantages so to do then the most part of them And I nothing doubt but ye will meet with the like usage from your Adversaries to your publick shame and affronting our cause if ye prevent it not The next thing is that Episcopacy is the best Adapted for preservation of peace Presbyterians will acknowledge that it is a very calm gentle and peaceable Government to scandalous Sinners and in this has the Advantage of being more acceptable then the Presbyterian to such not knowing that favour to their Sins is cruelty to their Souls And yet I have heard some of our own Perswasion say that the Presbyterian Government amidst all its severity was more favourable then the Episcopal because though they were greedy of Folks repentance yet they were not greedy of their Purses But ye may assure your self it will be accounted the height of impudence so much as to have mentioned peace as the native effect of Episcopacy and all the World will be appâ— aled unto whether our Bishops have not been the chief troublers of Israel and whether the connivence to say no more of the Episcopal Government aâ—… Popery and profanity which are the only peaceable Effects it can pretend to in Scotland doth Counterballance its Rigour and cruelty against Non-conformity even when accompanied with Exemplary Sobriety Piety and Loyalty or whether it doth not exceedingly aggredge the same and render it the more odious to all that compare its favour to thâ—se with its severity to this And ingenuously whatever be in their imputing to Episcopacy Tyranny over Mens Consciences as its native effect yet it is so sadly evident that it hath Extremly degenerated thereunto in this Church and Kingdom that we cannot doubt but it will meet with an eas ie belief from most part of the Nation in spite of all your confident Assertions to the contrary they will grant that Presbytery hath been so unfortunate as not only to be rendred unacceptable to our Kings being at a distance in another Nation by the cunning Misinformations of Self-seeking Courtiers the Calumnious Instigations of English Bishops ignorant of the Genious of Scotland and the Pragnatick Influence of Jesuits whose greatest Eye sore it is But also to be made a Mask to the Politick Design of Incendiaries and Vsurpers tho they retained it no longer then their Designs behoved to be kept close and by this means to be miscontrued as the chief cause of War and Blood s hed by these who understand not the Intrigues of Affairs but after they grant you all this nothing they will confidently accuse Episcopacy that it hath been both so cruel and shameless as even of choise to turn the most Serene peace solid Happiness that ever this Nation was blessed with at the Restauration of K. Charles the 2d into a perpetual Tragedy of Persecution Oppression and of Arbitrary Government manifestly of design to Introduce and Establish it self without the Conjunction of any other Malign influence imaginable Though perhaps a popish party stroke in to an After Game finding Episcopals as foreward as they could wish to ruine presbyterians though to the weakning of the Protestant Interest hoping that if they should not be ruined by us yet they should be so weakned and Exasperaced as to be easily gulled by their pretended Moderation to a concurrence with them for the razing down the securities of the Reformed Religion by the Penal Laws against Papists which by a total desuetude we had rendred contemptible to shelter themselves from our Rigorous and severe Laws against them that so at Length popery might swallow us up both And no Thanks to us that the papists were disappointed of their Design by the presbyterians greater zeal against popery then Resentment at our greater Severity to them then to Papists which when I consider I have a strong Apprehension that the Lord is about to reward their Faithfulness to their Principles as Protestants with a Legal establishment of their Government in its integrity under a Presbyterian King according to their wishes So that you see what ever else you ascribe to Episcopacy your was folly to maintain peace In the last place you say That Episcopal Government is found by Experience to be the best Adapted for preservation of Unity And why not say they the Papal Government for Unity amongst Bishops as well as the Episcopal for Uniâ—y amongst Presbyters But they will speak more home and accuse us of Schism in reâ—…ding from the unrepealed Acts and Constitutions of the Church And sâ— Father the Schism on Episcopacy intruded into the Church by meer Civil Laws and violently pressed upon all by the Sword of Persecution Without any due pains or proper methods used for preparing the Nation for its reception And albeit that the present divisions amongst Presbyterians
are much talken of yet judicious Persons will impute them rather to the want of Presbyterian Government in the full and free exercise of its Authority then to the weakness of the Government in it self and I am informed that lately both Parties are endeavourting an Union and resolve to Act Unitly against us and when the Moderation of the One and the Zeal of the Other party are Joined and Tempered together They will make a more Formidable Figure both as to Counsel Action then if they had never been divided And though likewise the former Divisions betwixt the Remonstrators and Publick Resolvers are not forgotten and serve to highten the prejudices of such as are not acquaint with the mysterious Intrigues of these times Yet they who knew how cunningly they were fomented under Boord by the Kings Courtiers on the one hand and that wylie Fox Croniwel on the other will not Impute them to the Presbyterian Government as its native Effects especially seeing that the chief Motive that induced the Vsurper to rob them of the priviledges of free General Assemblies was the fear of their Union which he knew could eas ily be affected by it last and surest remedie that amidst their Intestin Divisions he might the more easily setle hims elf in his Usurped power without any opposition from them of whose Conscientious Loyalty he had greatest Jealousies and fear But alace what can we say for our vindication if they charge us that while we boast of Unity we have not kept the Unity of the Faith. For they know well enough that as some of our Clergy are Socinian the vilest of Hereticks so also that the Generality of the Learned amongst us are gross Arminians who were condemned as Hereticks by that Famons Synod of Dort to which our Famous K James the 6th Sent Representatives from the Churches in Britain And thus they represent our pretended Unity under Bishops so unconcerned with the Purity of Doctrine to be rather Odious and Detestable then Harmonious and Commendable whereas the Commendation of this Church for its Unitie under Presbyterian Government is so great in all the Reformed Churches And was so frequently upbraided to the English Bishops by K. James the 6th from the displeasure he had at the Scots Heresies and Schisms abounding in England that Presbyterians will scarce think thems elves oblidged to an Apology for any Divisions that were or Schism that is among them Sir I have stayed the longer upon your first Reason because it is the Basis of all the Controversie And as it is unbecoming the Wisdom and Piety of the Ensuing Convention to be Acted meerly by Politick Considerations in so weighty a Concern Wherein the Glory of God and the Souls and Consciences of all in the Nation are so deeply Interessed So that if your Adversaries by a fair and full answer not only enervate this Reason but turn the edge of it upon us they may so prepossess the Consciences of the Members in their Favours that all your other Reasons will avail little though they were better then they are But that I may proceed Your Second Reason is That the most part of the Gentry and Burgesses have taken the Test and therefore can never without Perjury Vote for the Introduction of Presbyters or choose such Commissioners as are suspected to Favour that way Sir the Presbyterians will not fail to tell you that you loss your 1st Reason by this 2d For if the Test be Obligatory to every point then also to maintain the Kings Prerogative whereof this is a chief one by Law that he may alter or dispose of the External Government of the Church according to his pleasure which whosoever is sworn to he can no longer for shame plead for Episcopacy upon such grounds as you propose in your former Reason unless he renounce that Oath in part as not Obligatory and as to some parts of it presbyterians themselves will approve it so far as concerns the maintaining of the Protestant Religion and the Renounciation of popery And I have heard them Applaud the Faithfulness of the last parliament in keeping this part of their Oath For they know that the chief thing designed in the first overture of it was only the Security of the protestant Religion though there were such Additions made to what was intended for that end as might weaken break or ensnare that party in parliament that first motioned it being lookt upon as too Jealous of and Zealous against popery and as for these Additions no wonder they except again st the Obligation of them seeing that even we our selves did express s o much of our Aversion thereat at first so long as we expected by our General clamours against it to procure an Exemption from the Imposition thereof And as our fear of Loosing our Benefices rather then our Inclinations determined us and the fair Colour of the Explication given by the Council though alace what signifies the Explication of an Oath that must needs be taken in the Genuin Sense of the Words encouraged us to swear it so doubtless the rest of the Nation swore it with great Reluctancy rather from a regard of their Places and Interests then GOD and their Consciences which generally at first accused them of Perjury that took it as being obviously contradictory in it self and in many things contradictory to their Light until the Generality and frequency of the Guilt abated the sense of it and therefore cannot be expected will be very precise in adhering to it to whatever confidence many have arrived for justifying it in their Discourse to which length as is every part of it few have come yet the remorse of their Consciences for it is not totally extinguished at least is not turned to a sense of its Obligation in every point and to be plain with you there must be an Alteration less or more This is both designed and desired by all Ranks of Persons They all agree in this tho they disagree in the measure of it And next to the settling the Prince of Orange in the Throne it is one of the chief designs of the Convention so that your Arguing from the Obligation of the Test is altogether vain especially seeing it is so unhappily framed that if it bind up from any it equally binds up from all endeavours of any Alteration whatsoever any manner of way of the established Government either in Church or State and when upon this account its Obligations will and must be trampled upon It cannot but be very unacceptable to plead no Alteration for fear of Perjury but truly understand not how every Alteration can be accounted Perjury in reference to any Article in the Test for that part of it which strikes most directly against any Alteration is meerly Assertory not promissory neither does it peremptorly assert that there should be no Alteration but only that there is no Obligation by the Covenants to endeavour it and it can hardly be expected that those
whose particular Disadvantage by their losing their place is the publick Advantage of the Nation And finally you inferr That the Regular Clergy will be turned out which will reduce the Church to such amazing hardships that the Gospel shall not he preached in three parts of the Kingdom there not being an hundred qualified Presbyterians in Scotland Sir It should be your desire and mine both that all the Insufficient Scandalous and Erroneous among the Clergy were turned out and their places were Vacant till able Men were provided rather then filled with such men who do far more obstruct then promove the Edification of the Church without the hope of being better supplied And alace I 'm affraid that two parts of three of our Clergy may be too justly reduced to one or other of these three Classes So that by my best Information the Presbyterian partie if ye join their Ministers Preachers and young Men Ready for the Ministry together With such also as have diverted themselves to other Imployments because of the Discouragements of the Times and are willing and ready to serve the Church if there were incouragement for the Ministry they have moe qualified men amongst them then there are Sufficient Sober and Orthodox Men amongst our Clergy so that they could within less then a year furnish the one half of the Congregations in Scotland And when from about an hundred and some more they have in a year and an halfs space accreasced and amounted to so many without the help of Universities We may easily calculate how short a time will increase them to the compleat Number But I am hopeful that they will admit any Learned Sober and Orthodox person amongst us upon very easie terms our acknowledgeing Presbyterian Government to be lawful our guilt of Separation from them and of taking the Test And I know none of us that will choose rather to be turned out by refusing then kept in their places upon accepting such favourable Terms Your 4. Reason is That if Presbytery be not thus established in its integrity but all that Alteration turn to a Non-Episcopacy and the present Presbyters continue in their Offices Then our deplorable Schisms and Divisions shall continue without a Remedy or else the Magistrate will take upon him the Government of the Church and we shall have downright Erastianism Sir The foolishness of this Argument is so obvious that I think I may spare my pains in shewing it unto you One would think it the voice of a Presbyterian proving the necessity of an entire Alteration rather than of an Episcopal pleading no Alteration at all Presbyterians will grant all you say and turn the mouth of this Cannon directly against your self by Arguing thus If Episcopacy be contained then our deplotable Schisms and Divisions shall be Remediless also we shall still have downright Erastianism and how can ye evade the force of this Argument of your own I see not For it is evident by experience that we may dispair of ever gaining the Presbyterians to a compliance with us seeing that so many years violent Persecution hath rather alienated them from us beyond all hope of either Reconciliation or Accommodation And it is as undeniable that there is not so gross Erastianism in the World as is established by Law and complicated and tuisted with the Episcopal Government in Scotland Yea they will further baffle you by reasoning with you thus If Presbytery were established in its Integrity our deplorable Division would easily be healed and we should be altogether quite of Erastianism and ye cannot shelter your self from this more then the former Argument For it is more then probable that few of us would refuse to comply with Presbytery when once established by Law and it is too much to be suspected that the present bitterness of many of our Clergy again st Presbyterians proceeds from their Consciousness to themselves of their insufficiency profanity or Heterodoxy and perhaps also Cruelty which makes them despair of Admission into the Brotherhood of the Presbyterians And it is certain that there are no Principles contrary to Erastianism more then the Presbyterian For they allow not any Ecclesiastick Power of Jurisdiction to be lodged in any single Person though Ecclesiastick much less Civil and yet they do neither exeem Church Men from their Subjection to the Magistrates power as his Subjects nor the Church from the Magistrates care as her Nursing Father Their Principles in this point are very Rational for though they deny Ministers to be as directly subjected to the Magistrate in their Ecclesiastick apacity as Ministers as in their Civil Capacity of Subjects Yet they ascribe as much power to him in reference to the Church as any Wise and Pious Magistrate will require they grant the Magistrate hath a restitutive power for reparing a broken Church though not a Constitutive of constituting the frame of its Government and building such a Fabrick of a Church as he pleases A power Convocative for calling Church Assemblies to meet for the Government of the Church though not a power Coercive of hindering them to meet at all A power Defensive of defending the true Religion and the Doctrine Worship Government and Discipline of the Church though not a power Determinative to determine concerning these things at his pleas ure a power Concursive to concur by his Civil Sanction with the Determinations of the Church and confirm their Obligation on his Subjects though not a power Coactive to force the Church to follow his Dictates in things Ecclesiastick And in a word they grant him all Power even in Ecclesiasticks that is Cumulative to the Churches Advantage though they deny him to have any Privative power to the Churches prejudice Whereas Episcopacy in Scotland has no other Basis but gross Erastianism so that you see how much you may be foild with your own Weapons And ye may expect a challenge to express the ingenuity of your fears of continued Divisions and Schisms and of downright Erastianism by quiting the Episcopal way wherein ye Act the Schismatick in receiding from the standing Laws of the Church in compliance with New Civil Laws and approve Erastianism in adhering to the Test Your fifth Reason is That the Establishment of Presbytery will have almost pernicious Influence on the Protestants Religion in this Island if ever Popery set up its head c. Sir I confess it is more proper for you to shew the Inconveniencie that will follow if Presbytry be established then if not Yet I suspect you be as unhappy in this as in the former Argument The greate st Advantage that I find in your Reasons is that you touch upon some things concerning which it is unseasonable and dangerous for Presbyterians fully to express themselves But alas you do here but touch on that which is the very Sore and Weakest Side of Episcopacy for you cannot be ignorant of the General Complaints of and prejudices at our Government As not only a shelter and covert
THE SOBER CONFORMISTS ANSWER TO A RIGID CONFORMISTS REASONS Why in this Juncture no Alteration should be made in the GOVERNMENT of the CHURCH of SCOTLAND Prov. 26.4 Answer not a Fool according to his folly lest thou also be like unto him Verse 5. Answer a Fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own Conceit M. D. Dickson Papists hate nothing in Prelacy but what is Presbyterian and Presbyterians hate nothing in it but what it Popish M. R. Blair The Bishops of England are like the Kings of Judah some good some bad The Bishops of Scotland are like the Kings of Israel not a good one amongst them all Published by a Lover of Peace and Truth Printed in the Year MDCLXXXIX REASONS Why in this Juncture no Alteration should be made in the GOVERNMENT Of the CHURCH of SCOTLAND Reason I. BEcause Episcopal Government has not only the Advantage of Apostolick Constitution and Natural Reception by all Christian Churches from CHRIST to Calvin but also is found by Experience to be the best Adapted for preservation of Order Peace and Vnity Rea. 2. Because the most of the Gentry and Burgesses have taken the Test and therefore can never without perjury vote for the Introduction of Presbytry or chuse such a Commissioner as may be suspected to favour that way Rea 3. If Presbytry be voted then returns upon you the Solemn League and Covenant as is evident not only from the present proceedings of the Presbyterian Preachers but also from the Natural Exigence of the thing it not being possible to conceive a Foundation for parity without it and if the Covenant return then beside the many impieties of that Oath it must make the most considerable of the Nation either perjured or miserable And no Man can have any publick place either in Church or State but such as shall do pennance for taking the Test and not only so but a great part of the Laity of the Nation must be reduced to great straits both in reference to Conscience and Interest and the present Regular Clergy be turned out which will reduce the Church to such Amazing Hardships that the Gos pel shall not be preached in three parts of the Kingdom there not being an hundred qualified Presbyterians in the Kingdom Rea 4. Because if presbytry shall not be thus established in its integrity but all that Alteration turn to a Non-Episcopacy and the present Presbyters continue in their Offices then our deplorable Schisms and Divisions will continue without a remedy or else the Magistrate will take the Government of the Church upon him and we must have downright Erastianism Rea 5 Because the establishment of Presbytry will have a most pernicious influence upon the Protestant Religion in this Island if ever Popery set up its head For the Churches of England and Scotland must stand on different bottoms so will be obliged to justifie themselves by different Arguments which will prove very hard for Scotland seing Presbytry will divid it from England which opens a door to the re-entry of Popery which cannot but aleniate the Affections of the Church of England from us which considering our own weakness will expose us a prey to the common Enemy Rea. 6. To be for Presbytry in this Juncture will exceedingly disoblige the Princess of Orange whose principles are known to all Europe in this matter and the Prince also who has no inclination for the Alteration of the Government of the Church as he hath now abundantly declared Rea. 7 Let all thinking Men but reflect upon the Natural Tempter of Presbytry and view it in its Tyrannical pragmatick Medling and Domineering effects which many good Men yet living of all Qualities have severely felt Let them likewise consider the Hypocrisie immorality and Antichristian genius of that party and then let them vote for it if they think fit Rea 8 If the Church of England continue as it is as undoubtedly is will and Scotland be reduced to Presbytry then considering the boundless and restless spirit of Presbytry Scotland will impose sicut ante an uniformity in Doctrine and Discipline upon that Nation which will commence a new Civil War the thoughts of which cannot but breed horrour in all reasonable Men. SIR IF the wounds of a Friend be better than the kisses of an Enemy they should be far more acceptable then the wounds of an Enemy And therefore I expect ye will not be displeased with my Freedom in this line designed for preventing your more severe and shameful Treatment by our Adversaries to whom ye have given great advantage by some Reasons ye have writen why in this Juncture there s hould be no Alteration of the Government of the Church of Scotland of baffling our cause so unseasonably and weakly defended by you For albeit there are many sober Presbyterians whose generous compassion of our present staggering condition would not allow them to give you such an humbling Repartee as ye give too large ground for yet as we deserve it not at their hand who have been so cruel to them in their low condition so we cannot expect it from every one of them especially when they are at once encouraged by the many Disadvantages of our pre sent circumstances and irritated by your extreme bitterness against them and therefore I advise you would recal all the copies of it which I am hopeful have not yet spread far for in genuously they are so weak that few of our perswasion will be at the pains to transcribe them and I think they will be more careful of our Reputation then to suffer them to come to the hands of any Presbyterian as through time they may if you prevent it not But lest your vanity make you confidently contemn my counsel I shall take a little pains to abate your confidence by shewing you how easily and advantagiously our Adversaries with whom I have frequent converse can answer you But I must first express my Dissatisfaction with the title ye give your paper so lyable to the most perplexing Exceptions can be made against us I doubt not but ye have heard I have heard it so often how lamentably Arch-Bishop P was baffled of late by Mr. Roger at Glasgow upon the like occasion given him Weare too conscious to our selves that the sole support of our interest is but Civil Laws though the Bishops were at the making them and that all Ecclesiastick Authority is on their side And therefore ye would be inextricably puzled if they put the Question to you Which of the two is the Government of the Church of Scotland that which is only introduced by Civil Laws without any Eeclesiastick Authority contrary to the standing Laws of the Church never yet repealed by any Church Judicature or that which is established by many National Assemblies of the Church though contrar to posteriour Acts of Parliament made without any consequent far les s Antecedent Determination of any Church Judicatory They may likewise give you an