have determined but seeing there hath not it must run over the Chronicles In the meane time in such cases as are found it may anticipate instances to the contrary as in Queen Maries dayes and those of Henry the 8. when there was more just reason in respect of Religion if there might be any then now is alleaged and other Arguments such as the Doctrine of the Church of England ever since the Reformation and the like to equipoize this which is asserted gratis and if after disquisition this be not found true the conclusion of the conscience will be according to those premisses According to the example of Gods people c. This is of the same nature with the former warrant and therefore the conscience upon this may proceed as upon that seeing they have not set downe which of Gods people in any age or place upon the like causes have taken the like course till this be represented to the conscience the safest way will be to examine what our Saviour himself and the Apostles and primitive Christians who were assuredly Gods people did hold and practice for doctrine and example in the like if there have ever been or a worse case them is proved or pretended And if they have not resisted or held it lawfull their Princes in the greatest persecutions and utmost danger of Religion and all that could be dear unto them it may raise a conclusion till some stronger reasons can be presented or the errour of these be cleared and taken off what is to be done when we are required to assist a warlike entrance of Subjects with all the other circumstances which attend this action of the Scots made onely upon a beleeved charity of helping their neighbours The summe of all is That if all and every of the materials of this Preface in as much as concernes the Premisses were true our consciences cannot assent to the consequence that it is lawfull for us as Subjects of the Church England though we had not sworn or subscribed to some particulars against which some of the Articles are contrived to assist the Scots or consent to them in this warre which assistance is the generall end of this Covenant Secondly there is not any one member which doth conclude any thing to our consciences to move us to take it neither in the complication doe they conclude Thirdly there is not any particular member of it which doth not either directly or by considerations naturally suggested by them and altogether unforced prevaile with us to the contrary So that till every one of these obstacles and scruples be taken off we cannot without violence to our consciences take this Oath That we shall sincerely really and constantly through the grace of God endeavour in our severall places and callings the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government against our common Enemies the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the Example of the best Reformed Churches And shall endeavour to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdoms to the neerest conjunction and uniformity in Religion Confession of Faith Form of Church Government 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 In the first Article are we to be sworne to endeavour the preservation of the Doctrine Worship and Discipline of the Church of Scotland absolutely or with this added as a restriction against our common Enemies By whom doe we not rightly conceive to be meant the common Enemies to the Churches of England Scotland and Ireland That those words against our common enemies are to be taken restrictively it may be thought because they otherwise should have been vainly added and that by common Enemies those are meant the necessity of the Grammaticall sense implies there having preceded no other division to which this community can referre besides that of England Scotland and Ireland in the Preface So that the word Our must referre to We in the beginning of the Preface whose onely distribution which can referre to common here is that of the Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland Is not therefore the true sense of this part of the Article this viz. I will sincerely really constantly through the grace of God in my calling against those who are enemies for example both to the Articles of the Church of England and those of Scotland both to our Liturgy and their directory for worship both to our Church-Government and to Presbyteriall Government endeavour to preserve their Articles manner of worship and Presbytery If thus it be these things are to be considered If the imposers of this Oath are assured in their Conscience that the Doctrine Worship c. of the Church of Scotland can infallibly be proved out of the Word of God why would they have us sweare to endeavour in our calling of the Ministery to preserve it with a restriction against some men onely and not absolutely and indefinitely Whether is this so free from the scandall of respect of Persons as an oath for the impartiall defence of Truth doth require If they doubt it cannot be infallibly proved how can our Brethren of Scotland without spirituall Tyranny desire an Oath to be imposed upon us Ministers of the Gospell of another Church to endeavour sincerely really c. in our calling viz. by preaching disputing or otherwise the preservation of it thus far Secondly how can we take an Oath to endeavour the preservation of that Doctrine which we neither know what it is as it now stands nor are told in any Declaration or Exhortation to us nor were bound to know or search no opportunity offering it self How then can this Oath be by us taken in judgement Or since we doubt thus though in generall how can it not being of Faith be other then Sinne Whether are we not if any thing shall be by us hereafter found in the Doctrine of Scotland contrary to sound Doctrine bound to endeavour by the second Article to extirpate it and by the first to preserve it As for their Discipline and Government so much as we understand of it though otherwise we never interposed yet being now called to give our consent to it or reason to the contrary we professe it to be such as that we dare not binde our selves by Oath to endeavour its preservation constantly and indefinitely for all time to come till it be evidenced unto us that it hath been in any time before untill this our last age If it shall here be replyed that we are required to endeavour the preservation of their Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government onely against our common enemies that is of us of the Churches of England Scotland and Ireland and so the preservation of it onely so
farre as we all agree this we cannot conceive to be the adequate sense of those words especially according to the intention of the imposers For it is clear as we have already touched that our common Enemies are not onely they who are adversaries to us in that wherein we all three doe agree but those also who in such things wherein we differ amongst our selves are yet by opposing themselves to us all our common Enemies against whom therefore by this Oath we should be bound to preserve to each that also wherein we differ amongst our selves Moreover that that Sense is neither the onely nor the chief Sense intended by the Imposers we have cause to think because if so restrained our Brethren of Scotland in favour of whom we conceive this part of the Article to have been proposed would be no whit secured against the fears of innovations from England if we were onely sworn to preserve unto them those things wherein we all agree at the entring this present League and Covenant Thirdly we desire to know why our Brethren of Scotland should desire it to be imposed upon us by Oath to maintain the Articles of their Religion so far forth as hath been said since our Mother the Church of England never yet hath imposed upon us by Oath to preserve her own known Articles but hath testified her moderation to all in that she hath required subscription onely of all men which were admitted into holy Orders or Ecclesiasticall Benefice or to degrees in the University And yet this was lately judged since the sitting of this Parliament to be too harsh an imposition upon younger Students at their admission to degrees and the urging of it suspended And we know not whether ever it was in use before this age even in any not corrupted Church to command men to swear the maintaining the Articles of their Religion much lesse their Discipline and Church government As to the second thing in this first Article to which we are to swear How can any who are perswaded that there is nothing in the Doctrine of the Church of England which is not consonant to the Word of God without vanity swear to endeavour the Reformation of it according to the VVord of God especially since we have lately protested to defend that Doctrine of the Church of England And how can any who reverently beleeve this Church to be in respect of her Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government established by Law no lesse perfect then any of the Reformed Churches swear to endeavour its reformation in all those according to the example of the best reformed Churches And here by the way we cannot but take notice that this part of the Article is so framed as if there were nothing in the Doctrine c. of the Churches of England and Ireland to be preserved and nothing in theirs of Scotland to be reformed Moreover the best direction for Conscience in examining what is here meant by Reformation will be to consider those instances wherein in the following Articles is declared the Reformation and then if perswaded that there is any thing there exprest as instances of reformation which is not according to much more if against the Word of God how can we take this part of the Oath at least in the sense of the Imposers As touching the third thing an endeavour of Uniformity c. the considerations for direction of conscience will be the same with the second For we are required to swear to endeavour an uniformity and that in the reformation before mentioned and after that reformation so that in whatsoever sense or kind the reformation by them mentioned and after described is not to be undertaken in the same our endeavour for uniformity is not lawfull Lastly in the taking of this first Article we should as we conceive make our selves guilty either of rash swearing or of perjury and that from the necessary consequence of the complication of these two clauses wherein first we should swear to preserve the reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government against our common enemies And secondly to bring the Churches of the three Kingdoms to the neerest conjunction and uniformity in those particulars among ourselves If we endeavour in our callings but by prayer to alter any thing in the Church of Scotland wherein our enemies are theirs also though therein we differ amongst our selves we commit perjury because we swear to preserve it To effect therefore the neerest uniformity in those particulars in the three Kingdoms we are sworn to endeavour to bring the other two Kingdoms to the neerest conformity to the Church of Scotland Now how can we swear to regulate by a rule and to reform by a form which we fully know not and much lesse know to be a fit rule or form without rash swearing sure we are we cannot swear it in judgement and for ought we know not in righteousnesse That we shall in like manner without respect of persons endeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy that is Church-government by Archbishops Bishops their Chancellours and Commissaries Deans Deans and Chapters Arch-deacons and all other Ecclesiasticall Officers depending on that Hierarchy Superstition Heresie Schisme Prophanenesse and whatsoever shall be found to be contrary to sound Doctrine and the power of Godlinesse lest we partake in other men sins and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagues and that the Lord may be one and his Name one in the three Kingdoms How can we swear to this part of the Covenant who doe believe that to endeavour the extirpation of Church-government by Bishops is an act utterly unlawfull for all severall places and callings and especially ours by the Law of God and this Land and to swear it much more sinfull And are we not here bidden to covenant and swear to endeavour the extirpation of Church-government by Bishops To us either the words are ambiguous and to ambiguities we may not swear or rather for we are loath to charge the words with ambiguitie the Grammatical sense according to which the Oath is to be taken speaks so for as to what we hear by some said that onely our Church-government in aggregato by all those Governours together in a collective sense taken formally is to be endeavoured to be extirpated and not each there mentioned first Such interpretation given out is private onely and not by the authority of the imposers and secondly those words and all other c. do manifest that all the formerly mentioned particulars in the parenthesis are to be construed distributively so farre forth as to the extirpation of them To omit that the word Prelacy there interpreted more properly agreeth to Arch-bishops and Bishops then to the rest there mentioned and a Prelacy they would be without them because preferred before Presbyters and if it no more were meant to ejure Bishops then Presbyters or Deacons since as well Presbyters and Deacons make up part of
personall consent and both Houses altered and changed Secondly we demand how far forth we are here to be sworn to endeavour the discovery of all that have been or shall be Malignants c. Is the son hereby ingaged to betray his father the wife her husband the servant his master and to accuse them as Malignants and evill Instruments by hindring the reformation If so hath the Law of God of Nature or of the Land ever commanded it except in the case of high Treason Where God enjoyned to the Jews the discovery of those who should entice them to serve other gods a sin surely as detestable and hainous as to be such as here are to be accounted Malignants c. by hindring the reformation of Religion thus we read Deut. 13. 6. If thy brother the son of thy mother or thy son or thy daughter or the wife of thy bosom or thy friend which is as thine own soul entice thee c. thou shalt not conceal him but thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death where it may be observed That all the persons there by God so particularly recounted in the Text not to be concealed they are onely such as are in a collaterall equall degree as the brother not to conceal his brother the friend his friend or of some inferiority as the husband his wife the father his son But there is expressed no such injunction That the son was to reveal his father or the wife her husband so tender was the God of nature of the respects due to those by whom he hath bestowed upon us our Being Life and Livelihood or whom he hath made a head to others that he did not command inferiours should give in an accusation against such their superiours even in crimes which the Law judged should be punished with death Thirdly whereas we have in the late Protestation vowed to maintain the liberty of the Subject and also are required to bind our selves in this Covenant to preserve the same if the liberties of the Kingdoms include the liberty of the subject Yet contrary hereunto as we conceive we should bind our selves to endeavour that our fellow-subjects may be brought to punishment either such as their offence shall deserve or such as not onely the supream Indicatories of both Kingdoms but any other also having power from them for that effect shall judge convenient by which we should endeavour to put power arbitrary surely since it is not restrained according to the Lawes of our Land in some other then the supream judicatory viz. some deputed from them who may judge it covenient if what they shall judge convenient may be their rule as well sometimes to exceed the Letter of the Law made by the supream Judicatory as otherwhile to mitigate it Yea who may proceed against such Malignants where the Laws are wholy silent and neither have given name to their fault nor prescribed any punishment And whereas the happinesse of a blessed peace between these Kingdoms denied in former times to our progenitors is by the good providence of God granted unto us and hath been lately concluded and setled by both Parliaments we shall each one of us according to our place and interest endeavour that they may remain conjoyned in a firm peace and union to all posterity and that justice may be done upon the wilfull opposers thereof in manner expressed in the precedent Articles Concerning the happy peace between these Kingdoms lately concluded we earnestly prayed and desired that it might have been continued and pray that it may be renewed and are sorry heartily that contrary to the Pacification made by His Majesty and both Parliaments and contrary to the solemn Faith given there is at this time a miserable War begun again between an Army of that Kingdom entring ours without and against his Majesties consent and Declaration and the Forces raised by His Majesty who we have heard hath much deprecated their entring in alledging vehemently that their late solemn Faith and Pacification So that shall it not be in us also Protestatis contraria facto to bind our selves in this Article as willingly we would to endeavour the continuance of a firm peace and union and in the next to assist and defend those who declare that in pursuit of this Covenant they now enter into this Kingdom with an Army which if we look to the late Act of Pacification and may for our selves judge and discern what it is since we are required to swear thereto appears in its self an action as contrary thereto as War to Peace So that this Covenant would bindus to endeavour that which it makes us to abjure We shall also according to our places and callings in this common cause of Religion Liberty and peace of the Kingdoms assist and defend all those that enter into this League and Covenant in the maintaining and pursuing thereof and shall not suffer our selves directly or indirectly by whatsoever combination perswasion or terrour to be divided and withdrawn from this blessed union and conjunction whether to make defection to the contrary part or to give our selves to a detestable indifferency or neutrality in this cause which so much concerneth the glory of God the good of the Kingdoms and the honour of the King but shall all the daies of our lives zealously and constantly continue therein against all opposition and promote the same according to our power against all lets and impediments whatsoever and what we are not able our selves to suppresse or overcome we shall reveal and make known that it may be timely prevented or removed All which we shall do as in the sight of God Whereas we are in the sixt Article required to Covenant in this common cause of Religion which is described in the first Article A reformation of Religion in England and Ireland that we wil assist and defend all those that enter into this League and Covenant against all opposition and that in the close it is implied that we should endeavour to do what we are able to suppresse and overcome whatsoever opposition we conceive it to be against the whole current of the Gospell of Christ the practise and Doctrine of all Primitive Christians whom the world hath ever esteemed for blessed Saints and Martyrs and lastly repugnant to the Doctrine of the best reformed Churches to which we here should swear to conform our selves to endeavour a Reformation of religion by force of Arms against the supream Magistrat's consent Secondly May we swear never to suffer our selves to be withdrawn by whatsoever perswasion from this League and Covenant since the reasons perswading us to it are in no wise Demonstrative What if hereafter we shall see better reasons and stronger motives to forsake it then we have now to take it or shall have then to keep it will not then our consciences better informed force us to break our Oath an Argument that we sinn'd in taking it or our Oath bind
an acceptation of those proffers for Treaty towards accommodation which he so often makes and in case they shall be by any pertinaciously refused joyn themselves with his Sacred Majesty in his just defence Having thus done with the Introduction it follows that we examine the Discourse it self which proceeds in this method First to propound the motives to perswade men to take the Covenant Secondly to answer the objections or scruples which might hinder c. Here before we begin to examine the strength of the motives themselves we observe the different apprehensions of the framers of it for whereas he who framed the Introduction did it seems imagine that the taking of the Covenant might be enforced from the positive Law of God and the Law of Nature the other who was to lay down the Motives was so farre from that as to esteem it necessary towards the same end in the first place to insinuate the example of themselves of the Assembly and others who had already taken it The strength of their perswasive Arguments is this First This Covenant is already taken by the two Houses of Parliament by the Assembly of Divines the City of London and the Kingdom of Scotland Secondly It hath been already seconded from Heaven by blasting the Counsels c. Thirdly It carries in it self such a convincing evidence of Equity Truth and Righteousnesse as may raise in all enflamed affections to take it which is proved because There is almost nothing in this Covenant which was not for substance either expressed or manifestly included in the Protestation of May 5. 1641. Ergo whosoever are not wilfully ignorant or miserably seduced must infallibly take this Covenant For the first of these Arguments First in generall we do not see how the example of either party can reasonably be alledged to direct the Conscience in any controversie Secondly we have reason to believe that farre the greater number both in the City of London and the Kingdom of Scotland could not take this Oath in judgement as being not able to discern of the righteousnesse or iniquity of some of the Articles especially that which concerns Episcopacy so that a chief strength of this Argument from Example consists in the example of themselves who are of the Assembly and made this Exhortation And then we conceive they cannot justly accuse us either of immodesty or presumption if we shall openly professe that they have not in this first Essay of theirs at least which we know to have been published given evidences of so great Judgement Learning or Integrity as may warrant or encourage us in matters of Religion and cases of Conscience to subscribe to the authority of their example To the second Argument which is That it hath been seconded from Heaven c. it cannot conclude to the Conscience till it be sufficiently proved neither can that be without a revelation of the Counsels of God which if the Composer of this part hath obtained it was requisite to the end propounded that he should have made it appear till when it may be beleeved that those instances where the signature of Gods Judgements may the most plainly have been discovered have fallen upon those who have had the greatest share in the raising and managing of those Arms for the maintaining of which this Covenant is ordained So then the whole force of their perswasion will depend upon the third Argument and the proof of it which to avoid any errour in examining shall be again propounded There is almost nothing in this Covenant which was not for substance either expressed or manifestly included in the Protestation May 5. 1641. Therefore this Covenant goeth forth in its own strength with such convincing evidence of Equity Truth and Righteousnesse as may raise in all not wilfully ignorant or miserably seduced inflamed affections to joyn in the Covenant Resp. 1. We are not able by all those wayes of reasoning to which we have hitherto been used to discover the inference which is here made If by the strength of their solid reason it may possibly be made to appear yet we are confident the dependence is so deep and secret that it ought not to the end for which this discourse is declared to be intended have been left unrevealed 2. Whereas the Argument of the evident Equity Truth and Righteousnesse of this is taken from the agreement of it with that Protestation we will assume the matter of that Protestation to have been in the judgement of this Assembly Equall True and Righteous from whence it will follow that if this should according to their principles either immediately or by necessary consequence contradict that Protestation therein they must confesse it to be unequall false or unrighteous and wherein soever it doth positively dissent from it there the Truth Equity and Righteousnesse of it must be confessed to be here no way proved this being premised let us compare together this Covenant and that Protestation There we protested that we would with our lives c. defend the Doctrine of the Church of England indefinitely which is undoubtedly contained in the 39. Articles which in the further Articles of impeachment Jan. 17. 1643. by the Commons assembled in Parliament against the Archbishop of Canterbury are stiled The 39. Articles of the Church England established by Act of Parliament and in the six and thirtieth of those Articles it is avouched that the Book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops and ordering of Priests and Deacons confirmed by Authority of Parliament doth contain all things necessary to such Consecration and Ordering and hath nothing in it ungodly This book asserteth that it is evident to all men diligently reading holy Scripture and ancient Authors that from the Apostles times there have been these Orders of Ministers in the Church Bishops Priests and Deacons which Officers were evermore bad in reverent estimation Wherefore we there protested with our lives c. to defend that it is not ungodly therefore not false Doctrine to say That diligent reading of the Holy Scriptures will help to make it evident that from the Apostles times there have been Bishops which could not be unlesse the Scriptures did testifie that in the Apostles times they were One of the Prayers also lex orandi lex docendi thus begins Almighty God giver of all good things which by thy Holy Spirit hast appointed divers orders of Ministers in thy Church mercifully behold this thy servant now called to the work and ministery of a Bishop and the elected Bishop is afterward required to professe That he is perswaded that he is truly called to this Ministration according to the will of our Lord Iesus Christ And by consequence we there did protest to defend that also and consequently upon their own principles it is unequall and unrighteous to swear to the extirpation of them Again in that Protestation there was nothing concerning the endeavouring the preservation of the Doctrine Discipline and Worship of the Church of
Scotland the Reformation of the Doctrine of the Church of England Moreover in that we protested absolutely the defence of the Kings Person according to our Allegiance which here we do not absolutely swear to to maintain the Laws of the Land the Liberty of the Subject and onely to defend one another so far as lawfully we may which here are omitted Many other differences may be observed If yet they shall say that there is nothing almost in this which is not in that or nothing of moment which must be the meaning if their Argument be of any force at all it may not be thought unreasonable if we desire with leave from His Majestie to renew that Protestation that we may be thereby excused from this League and Covenant After the proposall of their perswasive Arguments they proceed to the taking away of scruples not all or most of such as might arise to the contrary as appears by that which we have humbly represented against the Covenant it self therefore such as they have chosen out probably because they conceived themselves best able for their Answer The scruples which they suppose are such as concern either the King or the Bishops They begin with the extirpation of Bishops where first they design to prove that they may and ought to be extirpated and after they addresse themselves to answer one speciall objection We will therefore in order propound and examine the weight and truth which is in their Arguments The first is but an intimation Some say this Government was never formally established by the Laws of this Land at all If this were true which some say the Argument were not of so great force toward the taking away of this government as it would be of power to confirm us in the belief we have of the venerable institution of this Government when we shall consider that our Predecessors who have been the Authors of our Laws had such an esteem of the government by Bishops that they thought it altogether needlesse formally to establish it by Law Now that this if any positive consideration might be a ground of that which is here intimated if true appears in that if it were true that it were not formally established yet is it so interwoven with many of our Laws that they and it must stand or fall together So that here again we may desire of them to be tender of us who have protested solemnly with our lives to defend the Laws of the Land 2. The life and soul of it is already taken away by an Act c. so as nothing of jurisdiction remains but what is precarious in them and voluntary in those who submit unto them 1. We cannot acknowledge that any essentiall part of Episcopacy such as that which is the life and soul of it must be is or can be taken away from our Bishops whether it be of order or jurisdiction however the outward coercive Power communicated to it by the secular arm hath been in the times of the famous Persecutions and may be again divided from it 2. For the Act of this present Parliament here mentioned we do believe that there was more taken away in it then was intended by the major part of both Houses at the passing of it This we gather out of those words of his Majestie in his Declaration Aug. 12. And whether that Act was penned with that warinesse and animadversion that there was not more determined by it then the major part of both Houses intended at the passing of it let themselves judge 3. However that were we cannot conceive it reasonable that their temporall lurisdiction should be taken away as was suggested that they might the better intend their Spirituall and then an argument made to take away the Spirituall part of their Government also because the former is already parted from them Thirdly That their whole Government is at best but a humane constitution If there be no fallacy in these words it is necessary that whole be taken materially as it includes each severall part and not formally onely and then we answer That the Government so far as to the superiority of Bishops above Presbyters is at least of Apostolicall constitution as is proved in our reasons against the second Article and consequently as to that which is here spoken of it is not lawfull to be taken away Fourthly It is such as is found and adjudged by both Houses of Parliament not onely very prejudiciall to the civill State but a great hindrance also to a perfect Reformation Yea who knoweth not c. We know the danger and if indeed we did not yet the honour and respect we bear to the very name of Parliaments would not suffer us to question the judgement of the two Houses onely in this case which so neerly concerns the Church of God we crave leave to represent that we doe not apprehend how that should be in it self prejudiciall to the civill State together with which the State both anciently and of late we conceive hath flourished and enjoyed a Politicall happinesse beyond most of the Nations of the earth Neither how that should be opposite to a perfect Reformation which in our Consciences we are perswaded and we think may as clearly be proved as most matters in Divinity was instituted by the Apostles and constantly obtained in the purest times of the Primitive Church to which we conceive a Reformation ought to be squared and indeed the chiefest Instruments and Defendants of that Reformation which we by the mercy of God enjoy having been Bishops some of which were Martyrs as Bishop Cranmer Ridley Hooper Latimer Ferrers Jewell Bilson c. We cannot see to what Reformation Episcopacy can be a hindrance unlesse to such a form as supposes that Episcopacy must be extirpated Which moved the well-affected thorowout this Kingdom long since to petition this Parliament as hath been desired before in the days of Queen Elizabeth and King James for a totall abolition of the same In this which is intended for a proof the fourth Argument seeing it is presumed that those who have petitioned for the abolition of Episcopacy are and have beene well affected For a judgement of that we doe onely represent that the same in the dayes of those renowned Princes by those famous Parliaments held in their times were rejected as Ignorant and Seditious And whereas it is said the well affected throughout the Kingdom c. It doth and may appear that since the sitting of this present Parliament and that after discountenance given to that party more then four and fourty thousand men of quality have petitioned for the continuance of our present Church-government besides the City of London the Counties of Dorcet Kent Surrey Westmorland Cumberland Southampton Lancaster Cornwall Oxfordshire Berkeshire Wiltshire the six shires of North-wales and besides the two Universities all the which have petitioned for the same The restriction or what else is here laid down that we are not by this