their people are generally of better Morals than they are who leave them That we condemn making use of Books in composing Sermons is false We disprove Repeating of other Mens Sermons as it is known some of their most eminent Men have done and that ordinarily But there is an other use of Books then Transcribing large parcells of them If any of ours have done so let them bear their blame I am sure it is not so common with us as it is with his own party After all these Falsehoods he hath the impudence to say that these things are too well known to be denied among us I appeal to all the Nation if ever they heard of most of his Stories till his Book brought them to light yea it is known among us that many of them are down right Lies Our Author in his second Section having said so much against Presbyterians without Book in his first will now make surer work and expose them out of their Printed Books which every one may Read and Judge whether he dealeth fairly with them or not But even here his Candor will be found short of that which becometh a Christian for he chargeth some things on the Presbyterians on account of things written by Men who were as opposite to the Sober Presbyterians as to Episcopal Men what is in others of their Books he doth often misrepresent But the thing will appear more clearly in particulars to be observed as we go along The first he dealeth with is a Sermon of Mr. William Guthry who was an eminent Servant of God he hath now been Dead 20 or 30 years The Sermon be saith is fall of Curseâ— and he citeth one passage in it which I am sure no Presbyterian will approve He saith that Sermon is mightily applauded in the West He is not ashamed to Reproach the Living and the Dead For all that knew Mr. William Guthry will averr that such horrid and rude expressions are not like to have dropped from his mouth I have indeed heard of a Sermon that went under Mr. Guthries Name which was pretended to have been written from his Mouth but by some ignorant and unskilful person and Printed without his Knowledge whether this may not be the Sermon he speaketh of I know not that Sermon I have never seen and therefore cannot tell how faithfully the words are cited by our Author And surely if the people in the West were so taken with it we should have heard more of it I cannot meet with any person who knoweth any thing of it His next citation we are little concerned in Mr. Walwood was one of the Hill Preachers who did not much favour the Soberer sort of Presbyterians neither do I know the truth of what is alledged having never seen that Sermon He cometh next to some of the Sermons that were Preached before the Parliament where he unmannerly and calumniously Reflecteth on a person of great worth and Honour His Majesties high Commissioner the Earl of Melvill others of them which were also Printed he taketh no notice of He falsely as well as in a wickedly scoffing strain asserteth that these Sermons were carefully kept from Malignant Hands For they were exposed to publick Sale and called in the streets as other Prints use to be So that every one who pleased might have them That these Sermons Extol Presbyterian Government with Epithites due to the Gospel as Christs Bride c. is impudently asserted He is challenged to shew where this is done They commend Christs Bride Gods House c. But do never give ground to think that they mean only of Church-Government but evidence that they mean the Reformation of the Church in Doctrine Worship and Discipline whereof Presbyterian Government is but a part and not the chief part These Preachers spake to a Parliament who had under consideration the Christian Reformed Religion contained in the Confession of Faith and therefore had good ground to put them in mind of the great weight of what was before them though Presbytry had deserved no regard What he citeth out of Mr. Spaldings Sermon is very applicable to what I have mentioned Indeed if the Reader will allow all this Mans glosses on these Sermons and think that they mean whatever he fancieth they may be lookt on as absurd enough But let this be observed once for all that tho' Presbyterians never thought that the whole of the Interest of Religion nor the chief part of it lay in the setting up Presbytry yet they look on it as Christs Ordinance and therefore the setting it up is one thing that belongeth to building of the House of God And if he can disprove this Notion of things let him produce his strong Reasons He next dealeth with Mr. Rules Sermon Where first he quarreleth with the Text and from it observeth that their the Presbyterians Texts are generally out of the obscurest places of the old Testament where an intelligent Reader will laugh at his Folly unless he can make it appear first that Mr. R. is Presbyterians in general or either that he always hath such Texts or Presbyterians generally do as he did at this time in chusing their Texts 2. That Isai. 2. 2. is one of the obscurest places of the Old Testament He next affirms that Mr. R. taketh it for granted that the Mountain of the Lord there spoken of is expresly meant of Scottish Presbytry How he can make this appear is hard to guess for no such thing is said or hinted or implyed in any part or passage of that Sermon Yea nor is Presbytry so much as once mentioned either expresly or by circumlocution in it but what the Parliament is there exhorted to is to settle the true Religion among us and to establish the Church in Purity To which we deny not the setting up of Presbytry doth belong It is then a strange notion that he hath that to us the only true Religion is Scotch Presbytry but he thinketh his Tongue is his own who is Lord over him Let any Man read that Sermon and compare it with this Authors Marginal and other Notes he hath on it and he will find that the Man can find no way to reach it but by his own Additions to it not by any thing brought out of the Discourse itself And it may be observed that in that Sermon the Preacher did purposely shun mentioning our differences but pressed in general a Reformation of the Church by Scripture as may be gathered from the Conclusion of his Sermon in these words I have not in this Discourse been very particular in bespeaking your care and zeal for the things controverted among us Partly because time doth not allow to insist on such Debates And partly because I am confident they were Men cordially for the advancement of the Life and power of Religion they would readily fall in to accord about the things that have been the matter of our differences These considered all his quibbles against this Sermon
I have never heard such words from any nor have I heard by Report that any did speak them and I assure the World that if any among us were heard to utter such words they could not escape a severe Censure He saith the Creed is not mentioned at Baptism This we deny not but was it ever forbidden by our Church or were any ever Censured for using it We take Parents bound to Educate their Children in the Knowledge of the Chief Truths contained in the Scriptures And do often mention the Confession of Faith of this Church as containing a more full and plain System of Scripture Doctrine than the Creed doth though not differing in any Point from it For our National Engagements they are rarely mentioned at Baptism and but by few But if they were I know no Hurt in it except it be offending some tender Ears who love not to hear of the Ties which they have so little regarded after they had taken them on What he imputeth to Mr. Rule in denying this we regard not I am guilty of the same Dishonesty in saying what he or who ever that Writer is saith in the place cited by our Author For these other honester Presbyterians whatever be their Honesty we are not of their Opinion Nor are the Sentiments of Presbyterians to be judged of by what they say who had lest the Presbyterians and stood in opposition to them when the Papers he mentioneth were written His Imputation on Mr. Dickson that He called the Lords Prayer Creed and Ten Commandments rotten Wheel-barrows to carry Souls to Hell I am not foreward to believe it having nothing for it but this Author's Word But if he said so it was ill worded at best And if he meant any more than to express the danger of Peoples resting on having these by Heart as if that were to be Religious He deserveth to be Censured None of us disswade People from Learning them but do seriously press it and labour to make them understand them That we have abolished Publick Reading of Scripture is a Calumny It is true in stead of Reading by a private Person we have the Scripture Read and Expounded by the Minister and that a Chapter or Psalm at once And if any Read but two or three Verses it is an Abuse not allowed by us That the Precenter Readeth a Sermon in stead of Reading Scripture is two Falsehoods in one Breath one is that this is done I have heard indeed that one hath Read a written Sermon while the people were conveening But that this is either commonly or alwayes done I never heard also that this is in stead of Reading the Scriptures is false For as hath been said the Minister Readeth and expoundeth Scripture in stead of what had wont to be Read without Exposition by a private person who hath no Authority to teach publickly The Doxology we use not because we think Scripture Songs fittest to be sung as the publick Worship of God And this is not such though the matter of it be consonant to Scripture The Idle Story that he telleth of Maggy twitting a Minister with this is probable enough to be one of his Inventions But if it were true we think the Minister was undiscreet in calling it a Malignant Song We confess the matter of it is sung in Heaven If he will prove that the words are so too we shall use it They talk much of the Antiquity of this Hymn which I am not now at leasure to enquire into One of their Divinity Professors Mr. William Douglas at Aberdeen a diligent searcher into Antiquity Psalmâ—d Eccles. vindicata Q. 13. P. 69. bringeth testimonies for it out of Tertul Basil. c. who speak not of that Formula but Glorifying the Father Son and Holy Ghost And he citeth Baronius asserting it to have been used from the Apostles time But his Authority in such things hath little weight with Protestants Pope Damasus in the 4 Century enjoined it And it is probable that it was invented as a Testimony against Arianism But so was the Trina Immersio which the Episcopal Church doth not think fit to retain I Assent to the Author now cited Who after an heap of Authorities that he had collected saith it is no defect of Worship where it is left out And that none should be offended with these Churches that use it We constantly do the same thing materially naming the Father Son and Holy Ghost in the Conclusion of our Prayers Another quarrel he hath with Presbyterian Ministers is they have no distinguishing Garb from the lay Men I hope this is no singularity What Churches except these of Rome and England do distinguish their Clergy by their Garb Our Ministers wear a Grave and Decent Habit and are mainly distinguished from the People by the Gravity and Edifyingness of their Conversation which is a better Characteristick than a close sleeved Gown on a Drunken and Swearing Priest That they reproved the King's Commissioner for appearing among them in a Scarleâ— Cloak is a notorious Falsehoood to call it no worse His saying They did it seemeth to make it a publick Rebuke in the Assembly or that it was done by the consent of all We do not know that ever any did so much as reprove his Grace privatly for this and if any did they were impertinent in so doing I never heard that any so much as whispered against it among themselves nor do I know a Reason why the Kings Commissioner is obliged to use another Garb than other persons of his Rank The long Story that he bringeth in about Mr. Lesks call for the sake of a quible used by my Lord R. to the Presbytry is a silly piece of impertinency only I take notice that he alledgeth that Mr. Lesk had for him the Elders which is false for none in the sense of the Law of Scotland are Elders but such as are received by the Presbyterians so as these men were not and for the Episcopal Church they own no Ruling Elders and the Law that set up that party having abolished all Presbyterian Judicatures did only allow Ministers to chuse such of the People as they thought fit to assist them Which can be no true notion of a Ruling Elder nor did ever such Elders sit or vote in their Synâ—ds His denying us to be Ministers is an impudent Assertion which he doth not attempt to prove and how it consisteth with the Catholick Charity which he blameth us for the want of I cannot apprehend That we are called by the People we think it more sutable to the Gospel way than to be imposed on the People by a Patron that we are sent by the people or our fitness judged of and determined by them is an impudent Falsehood Our Ministers are tryed and sent or ordained by the Presbytry who hath better warrant for so doing than a Bishop hath But if I should enlarge on every controverted point which this Pamphletteer starteth in his Rambling Discourse
which once was intended He saith P. 147. That a Synod of the Presbyterians in Scotland met I suppose he meaneth of the General Assembly which was indicted by Royal Authority with consent of the former Assembly which begun at Edinburgh January 15. 1690 that they came to some Heats in that Assembly so that the Earl of Lothian finding their Heats increase dissolved the Synod Here are two palpable Falsehoods in one Breath One is That they came to Heats in that Assembly and that these Heats increased Nothing could be affirmed with less semblance of Truth I believe seldom have so great a body of Men met about so weighty and difficult Affairs among whom less did appear that could be called Heat They had no Heat with the Episcopal Men who made Address to them but treated them with all Respect and Civility which they themselves did publickly acknowledge tho' they could not yield to what they demanded for good and weighty Reasons which they gave for their determination Neither was there any Heat among themselves but did Brotherly debate Matters in the Committee and concluded on what Course should be taken In the Assembly it self the Matter was not so much as debated The Opinion of the Committee not being brought in before they were dissolved The other Falsehood is That the Earl of Lothian dissolved the Assembly on account of their Heats This is so far from Truth that his Grace never complained of any Heats nor mentioned any such cause of his dissolving them but only that they had sat long and had not brought their Business to a period There was indeed some confusion at the dissolution of the Assembly by a Cry that was raised in the House but that was the effect of the Dissolution or rather of the manner of it not the moving Cause The Mercury doth farther Injure the Church of Scotland in the Remarks that he maketh on his own false History Calling the Presbyterians A Terrible sort of People that for the most part we find nothing in their Assemblies but Disunion Discord and a Spirit of Persecution No Answer is fit for such an indefinite Charge against a whole Church but to deny the truth of it and bid defyance to her Adversaries whose Tool this Man was to prove what they lybel against her Every one will see that this pitiful Historian hath brought nothing that can bear such a Conclusion It is also too great Impudence and Petulancy for a Stranger to talk at this rate against a Church so much honoured by all Learned and Good Men who have known her or her Principles and Way and that on so slender Ground as the Information of her sworn Enemies And when even what Account he hath given which is wholly false if true could not amount to what deserveth such a Censure What if they had unreasonably refused Communion with a sort of Men who had stept out of the way and who generally had so heavily persecuted them Is this the whole of their Actings in their Assemblies Make they no good Acts Do they nothing for bearing down Sin and advancing of Holiness He next compareth them to the Priests of Spain and saith They would erect an Inquisition Tribunal if they were not restrained If the Tongue and â—en be let loose at this raâ—e the best of Men shall be made as black as Hell by such scandalous Libellers Can he tell us what is in our way that is like the Inquisition Tribunal Whom have we Imprisoned Whom have we Burnt or Fined or Banished What Civil Punishments have we inflicted Or have we Censured any person for Truth Or forced any to tell the secret Thoughts of their Heart and then taken their Lives for them But why do I take so much notice of his spite against us It is also spued out against Protestants in general and these in other places as well as Scotland What Religion he was of for his Principles I know not but I am sure in this Narrative and Censure he hath not shewed a Christian Spirit How odiously doth he compare the Presbyterians in Scotland and them who adherâ—d to the Synod of Dâ—rt in the Netherlands with the Bishops and Clergy of France Did ever either of these endeavour the extirpation of them who differed from them and that by so Bloody and Barbarous Means as was the French Dragooning The Scots Presbyterians and the Reformed in Hollandâ— must also be like the Jesuites who keep up the War between the Emperour and the Pope But wherein I pray you lyeth this Similitnde do any of us medle in the Affairs of State or in the making of Peace or War Do also the Ministers of Holland intermix in these Affairs The design of all this Clamour is evident to be that the Church as well as the State should give a vast Toleration and that of all kind of Opinions and Church Practices that the Presbyterians should allow them who are for the Jus Divinum of Episcopacy to Govern the Presbyterian Church and suffer Arminians to Teach and spread their Doctrine in the Congregations which are intrusted to the care of the Presbyterians and of whose Souls they must give an account And the Ministers of Holland should allow Arminians to be Ministers and Elders to Teach and Rule their Flocks And that it is not enough that they do not trouble them while they seduce their own followers but they must incorporate with them as one Body both for Teaching and Ruling And nothing will please this Man but the Magistrates persecuting the Church unless she will take Vipers into her Bosom We plead not that Ministers may be suffered to do what they please as he invidiously representeth the Matter If Ministers transgress the Laws let them be punished If they oppress their Neighbours let them be restrained But it is no good service to the interest of Religion to stir up the Magistrat to restrain the Church from exercising that Government and Discipline that Christ hath instituted and the Law doth allow It may rather be said That it will not be well with the Reformed World if one of this Man's Temper be suffered to write what he pleaseth and that as the publick Intelligence FINIS This was written long before his â—eath