our holy Father Pope Vrban the 8. anno 1631. Quia novum ordirâ—m instituerunt assumpto Jesuitissarum nomine qua per multa opera sexus Bulla Vâ—ban Papae 8. Roma edita 1631. ingenii imbecillitati modestiae muliebri virginali presertim pudori minimè comementia attentarunt exercuerunt Because they did institute a new order assuming the name of Iesuitisses who have attempted and exercised many works which do not become the weaknes of their sex and ingenie nor the modestie of women and especially most unbeseeming virginall shamefastnes The like case may befall your societie if it be not prevented if your Leâ—kie and his Collegues be not authorized it 's to be feared that the societie of those Sisters shall get a down-fall I have heard of the great controversie betweene him and some ministers of Sterling shire and that the matter was debated in your assemblie but what was done I was not fully informed only I heard of your moderation that you thought it not fit to discharge his new societie by act of assembly but by way of counsell but he rejects your counsell and though hee hath not an ordinary calling yet he tels that he hath an extraordinary calling from God and bids you behold it in the fruits of his labours But I am most of all affraid for our selvs though we have an ordinary calling and authority for our order We are so hated both by friend and foe at home and abroad that wee are daily perplexed especially since the â—dnulling of the Jesuinssaes order upon which some Poet by way of prophesie as is thought made those verses with a fiat Foemineus sexus sociis immixtus Iesu Transcendit sexus munia foeminci Non tulit hanc labem VRBANI vigilantia Papae Suppressit Socias mox Sociosque premet We have suffered already great hurt in divers places being hunted to and fro as if we were Malefactors And I doubt not but you know how weake we are in France we dare not deny the King of France his Supremacie and must acknowledge his Dominion to be independent in respect of men and that the King holds his Kingdome by vertue of Prov. 8.15 Per me reges regnant by me Kings raigne The Doctors of the Vniversity of Paris have done us much evill 2 Tim 4.14 the Lord reward them according to their workes They have condemned some of the workes of our Father Becanus in their Vniversities and have published the same to the world whether the Pope would or no and are also become Court-Parasites And their chiefe labour is by their doctrine in contradiction to you and us to corrupt all especially Noblemens children that come to their Vniversities and at least once a yeare make every one of them under their hands to professe the Kings independent power and authority Therefore now our holy League is wholly dead and death feeds upon it in the grave Psal 49.14 and we are become vile and herein are turned Saduceans to deny the resurrection of our holy League or any such insurrection so long as such doctors as the Sâ—rbonists shall thus infect the land and make noble and ignoble such Court Parasites But your case is far better than ours at this time for you have put away from your Vniversities such as withstood you and have placed such men in your Vniversities of Glasgow and S. Andrewes and Edenburgh who will cause the schollers to drink such a full draught of our doctrine that they shall vomit out all which your adversaries taught them We are not so happie our enemies prevaile daily against us But yours are dying especially the Archbishop of S. Andrewes to whom we wished no better death nor more honourable buriall then that Martyr and brother of our Societie Iohn Ogleby got whom he caused to be hanged at the Crosse of Glasgow because he stood to the defence of our doctrine which he brought within the compasse of Treason by the lawes of your kingdom which I pray you to abrogate D. Baron that great enemy of ours is also dead as they say in persecution At this we do both rejoyce as if we had found a great spoyle We had also great credit according to our hearts desire at Constaminople and among the Galathians and divers parts in the East but by the meanes of the King of great Brittane c. his ambassador and Cyrillus Patriarch of Constantinople who is of the Religion of the Church of England and disclaims the Popes jurisdiction even as the Bishops of England do We are all banished the Turks bounds and a Shipfull of us was sent home to Italy from Constantinople Since wee cannot get libertie to remain in the East we purpose to come to you in the West where there is neither Patriarch nor Bishop to trouble us as Cyrillus did at Constantinople But if King Charles follow the direction of his Father King Iames our common enemie your case will bee little better then ours was at Constantinople For after he hath directed his son to beware of Puritans as most pestilent followes both in Church and policie whom neither the Kings favours and bountie nor their own promises and oaths can make faithfull and loyall but being above measure arrogant they belch out nothing but calumnies and seditions and contrary to the Word of God follow their owne dreames and conceits as the only rule of their conscience he sayes most pathetically Basilic doron pag. 148 Testor illum magnum Deum nec testamentum condenti fas est mentiri nunquam inter montanos aut limitancos nostros latronos majorem ingratitudinem aut per fidiam reperiri posse quam inter hos phanaticos nebulones nee paterec si pacatè vivere decreveris ut hi eadem tecum patria fruautur nisi fortè patientiae experienda ergo ut Socrates vixit cum Xanthippo I take the great God to witnesse as if I were making my testament and it is not lawfull for him that maketh a testament to lye that there can never be more unthankfulnesse or perfidiousnesse found among our High-land and bordering robbers then among those brain-sicke villaines Neither do thou suffer them to enjoy that same countrey with thee if thou purpose to live peaceably unlesse perchance for the exercise of thy patience as Socrates lived with Xantippe This is a dreadfull advise and our case is so miscrable that it is our lot and destinie to be like Ishmael the wild man whose hands were against every man and every mans hands against him But let us not be dismaied not our hearts melt nor our hands be faint Gen. 16.12 but let us joyne hand in hand together Virtus unita fortior And we shall speake with the enemy in the gate And the righteous shall be delivered out of trouble and the wicked shall come in his stead Prov. 11.8 I have many other things to write to you which I will delay til I have the opportunity to write a second Epistle which shall be so soone as I heare what fruits this first Epistle shall produce Which I pray you cause to be printed among you for your common good because I could not get many copies sent to you being so far from you beyond sea If AS's Bridles was thought worthy to be printed by your authority in contempt of the Bishops why may not this my Epistle be printed for the edification of your Societie Let it not offend you that I have not railed in this my Epistle against authority in Church and policie for our Society hath been so oft reproved for railing that I doe now begin to forbeare it for the honour of our Order neither will we permit infamous Pasquils longer to come forth and it were good that you did so too and let us speak home to the purpose convincing our adversaries with evident reasons and make their errours and heresies known to the world rather then to vent our spleen against them with calumnies This doth but open the mouth of our adversaries but that will stop it this makes disgrace return upon our selves but the other makes us gracious If we raile when we should reason we get no answer but increpet te Dominus But when we reason without railing we beget in them dissentiendi pudorem veritatis timorem A bashfulnes to dissent from us and a reverence of the truth which in time will bring forth a profession of it Farewell From my study at Basileopolis The first of Ianuary 1640.
infestissimus hostis But you did hinder this subscription by a most excellent Equivocation while you say That you would be guilty of mocking of God Protest Sept. 16â—8 Reas 2. and take his name in vain and as we are not to multiply miracles on Gods part so ought we not to multiply oathes and covenants on our part and thus to play with oaths as children do with toyes Thus the people who were with-holden from the Covenant thinke that all was true which you said not observing that it was an Equivocation and also a pia fraus for if they had but observed your practice they would have seen it contrary to this reason of yours for how oft have you sworne and subscribed your own covenant At Edinburgh where you made it it was sworne and subscribed by you when you came home to your Parishes it was reiterated solemnly by you when you went to other Parishes you did as good examples to them renew it againe and againe and thought it no mocking of God nor multiplying of oaths or taking his name in vaine Answer to the Marquesse of Hamiltions Declaration But I observe another notable Equivocation which is so profound in one part of it that I think we must be your disciples to learne it while you say The swearer is not bound to the meaning of the prescriber of the Oath nor to his owne meaning but is obliged to the reality rei juratae I am sorry that you were put to this strait to finde out this evasion The truth was as I perceive that your affrighting them with mocking of God and taking his name in vaine did not hinder but many thousands did subscribe after the Lord Commissioner and Lords of Counsell And this oath being taken as it was in the 1581. yeare of God when King James exacted it it is too evident a consequence that all that have taken this oath are so farre from abjuring Episcopacie and the Articles of Perth c. that by the contrary they are obliged to defend the same So that they may say with King James Protest Sept. 1638. Mihi praecipuus labor est dejectos episcopos restituere Puritanorum anarchian expuguare Now though in your protestation against the subscription of it you made it one of your reasons why you could not subscribe it because it was to be exacted according to the meaning of the exacter which is King Charles Heire of his Fathers opinions as well as of his Dominions yet since it is subscribed by many according to the meaning of the exacter you remove that rub by saying that they are not bound to sweare and subscribe according to the meaning of the prescriber of the oath This is well for then when any taketh an oath he may sweare not according to the exacters meaning but according to his owne and so none needs to know what we sweare But the subscribers will say we took the oath according to the meaning of the prescriber and both our meanings both who did exact and take the oath was that Episcopacie and Perths articles vvere not abjured To this you ansvver that they are not bound to take it according to either of their meanings but according to the realitie rei juratae If it be so neither the exacter nor the taker of the oath did know what they sware and subscribed unto If this be to sweare blinde obedience I approve it if not I will be glad to be farther made perfect in equivocating for I can finde no third but either the oath must be taken according to the meaning of the exacter or of the taker But I take your meaning to be that that oath of the Kings Covenant ought to be taken as we thought to have done with the Oath of allegiance taken by Romane Catholikes in England The King with his Councell used all the wit and prudence that could be had to cause them to take the oath without any Equivocation or mentall reservation and that they should take no dispensation from the Pope for taking such an oath so that in this case it was made so cleare that both the prescriber and the taker of the oath could not differ but be of one mind But our Pascenius did laugh this diligence to scorne and found out a prettie way to elude such an oath by telling them that if the Pope did dissolve that oath and declare it unlawfull they were no more tied to such an oath Pasâ—en Respon ad â—p i Monâ—tor Iacob Reg. tit B. 2.3 Vide inquit in tanta astutia quanta fit simplicitas juramentum tot circumstantiis connexuisse existimabat ut salvâ conscientiâ nullâ ratione à quoquam dissolvi possit Sed videre non potuit fi pontifex juramentum dissolverit omnes illius nexus sive de fidelitate Regi praestanda sive de dispensatione non admittenda pariter dissolutos fore ImmoÌ„ aliud dicam admirabilius juramentum fi injustum aperte declaretur neminem obligat sed ipso facto nullum est Regis verò juramentum injustum esse abi ipso ecclesiae pastore sufficienter declaratum est Vides jam in fumum abiisse illius obligationem ut vinculum quod a tot sapientibus fâ—rreum putabatur minus sit quà m stramineum Behold sayes he how much simplicity is in so much subtilty he thought to have bound this oath by so many circumstances that it could be dissolved no manner of way by any man with a safe conscience But he could not see that if the Pope should dissolve this oath all the knots of it whether it be of fidelity to be performed to the King or of a dispensation not to be admitted are both alike dissolved Yea I will tell another more marvellous thing if it be openly declared that the oath is unjust it doth oblige no man but by the fact it selfe it is null Now this oath of the King is sufficiently declared by the pastor of the Church himselfe to be unjust Now thou sees that the obligation of it is evanished in smoake so that that bond which by so many wisemen was thought to be strong as iron is weaker than a rope of straw Thus it was with your Covenant King Charles was very carefull to have it subscribed according to his Fathers meaning who did prescribe the oath anno 1581. and his owne meaning which was the sâ—me with his Fathers who approved Episcopacie and Pâ—rths Articles So that all equivocation is here excluded But this Pasâ—enius trick makes all cleare if Dickson or Henderson c. shall dissolve this oath and declare it unlawfull it hath no force as being not according to the reality of the things themsâ—lves and thus are none more tied to the King by Covenant but may break it as easily as Sampson did his cords and must run your course against his Majesty I might insist on many instances to prove Equivocation amongst you if it were needfull but I am consident you
's easie to help that keepe those under who are not zealous in your cause let them not be acquainted with your mysteries nor be chosen Commissioners for assemblies if there be any matter of importance to be commended to the people send either conjunctly or severally some zealous ministers to their pulpits to rouze up the multitude and put the like edge upon such cold-rise ministers and if they become not more zealous put them in feare of Deprivation If you feare any division among the Commons it 's likely that some of them have seene the Kings extraordinary savour toward them but you ought to be carefull that they see not the Kings Proclamations and if any have seen them let them be perswaded that his Majesties Proclamations have this only end to divide them and then to destroy them and that all other faire promises shall have no reall performances Be not you behind the King in your promises to them also and howbeit you have a hundred thousand pound to take of them yet be not suddaine but by delaying put them in hope that you will never exact it For if you goe now to exact it it will make them repine and grumble and say instead of Salâ—mons easie yoke we are oppressed with Rehoboams heavie burdens and so make a rupture and returne every man to his tent and in the end submit themselves to their Salomon againe And especially let the ruling Elders command their ruled Elders or ministers to be diligent in season and out of season to keepe the multitude in their zealous humour for if they doe not uncessantly blow upon them they will be like mare mortuum and never be moved Cease not to possesse them with an evill opinion of all that oppones themselves to your courses either by word or writing make them believe that all that writ against your confederacie are unnaturall enemies to their Countrie and that it is not against your faction which they doe but against Church and Kingdome and suffer no man to deny this to be a Nationall quarrell or to call it a Faction and all that refuse to cast in their lot with you call them the cursed inhabitants of Meroz that will not help you against the mightie And let all that follow their King be called the Kings faction according to the example of your progenitors who called all that followed the Queen a faction which they would punish as Traitors whensoever God should put the sword of justice in their hands Knox. hist of the Church of Scotland pag. 364. that is when they should find themselves able to depose the Queen as they did and represse her Subjects There is another thing which I desire you to remember to try where those ministers that have beene most opposite to our doctrines and practises have had their residence in the ministerie that you may place able and zealous men for our cause in those same places to build up the people which they have destroyed This worke is well begun by you in bringing Henderson from the Countrie to the town of Edinburgh Dikson to Glasgow and Rhetorfort and Blair who could not get libertie to vent our Doctrine elsewhere to S. Andrews and in particular let them bee carefull over the studients in Colledges â—uo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem testa diu And as for those who like the men of Succoth and the inhabitants of Meroz refused to joyne with you it s well that you did not take the th rnes of the wildernesse and bryers to teach them to beat downe their houses this may content them albeit you restore not their goods which you tooke while you plundered their houses Though they be busie seeking it yet you are not bound according to our rules Nullus tenetur cum vitae periâ—ulo Tolet. lb. 5. cap. 37. aut famae rem alterius restituere sunt enim vita fama nobili oris ordinis quam res No man is bound 01 with the danger of his life or good name to restore another man his goods againe for life and a good name are of a more noble order then goods are for albeit there be no danger of your life to restore every man his owne yet your name is not safe for if you restore to each man his goods againe at least it will be a tacite acknowledging of your robberie and that is hurt some to a good name But some say that it is a matter of conscience to restore a mans goods againe which is better then a good name yea the way to recover a good name but I refer this to the schooles I have some matter of expostulation with you but I will be loth to do it now who have begun to congratulate with you for that sweet Harmonie both in opinions and reasons which is of late grown up amongst us Rome was not builded in one day we must not look that at the first you can receive all our doctrine though in a short time you have profited much Et vos conversi convertite fratres Master Cant could preach at Glasgow in what need England and Ireland standeth of the Covenant where some have their eares cut for the defence of the truth and are groaning under the tyrannie of the whore of Babel And since so it is you should pitie the blindnesse of those people who have not a learned man in England or Ireland to lead them but the blind leadeth the blind But I perceive you are not negligent herein your Ironicall preterition is most notable while you say Answer to the Mâ—â—quesse of Hamiltons declaration We do not meddle with the Kirks of England or Ireland but recommend to them the patterne showne on the Mount But what patterne of the mount is this I pray you is it the Patterne showne by you on Dunce hill called by your preachers mount Sion with an armie against the face of your King if it be so it s a worthie patterne that requireth imitation But if the Patterne on the mount be the Patterne of your discipline you doe well herein to imitate your progenitors for they were desirous to have Episcopacie throwne downe in England as you are now or as wee are desirous for their pride is so great that the least of them sayes that they have no more dependance from the Pope then he from them that their calling and place is of as great power and authoritie as his is within his diocesse thus limitating the universall Bishop as if hee were onely a Diocesian Yea they are not ashamed to say that all the Popish bishops are but equivocally called Bishops and univocally are the Popes slaves for as they have their power and authority from the Pope so are they tyed to his obedience by oath Romans pentifici veram obedientiam spondeo acjuro Form Iuâ—â— Bulla Pii 4. I promise and sweare to give true obedience to the Pope of Rome So that as the Bishops of Apulia
as to lend him their hand to write for him that foolish but seditious ballad called the Bishops bridles And I marvell more that the Covenanters have made this pattern of wickednesse to be their fittest man to present to England and Ireland their partern on the Mount for they print nothing there now without the approbation of one Johnson Clerke of their assemblies So he prints himself 〈◊〉 This AS or Alexander Sempill is so beastly and apislâ— that he can finde no other matter or subject for his ballad but to allude to one Rew's preaching on Balaams asse which they make to be the Church of Scotland that have thrown off the Bishops their riders and therefore must sell their bridles This Preacher Rew did not put shame enough upon that Church but this AS must second him and continue its shame That of the Wiseman is fit for them A whip for the horse a bridle for the Asse Prov. 26.3 and a rod for the fooles back But since they delight in this comparison and will have their Church to be an Asse and the Bishops their riders I shall not displease them so to call it But let them remember that the Bishops rode upon this Asse meekly dealing with them 1 Cor. 4.21 not with the rod but in love with the spirit of meeknesse But the Lay-Bishops have throwne them off and now ride so furiously like Jehu that we complaine with the Psalmist a Psal 66.12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and water they b 2 King 4.24 drive and go forward and slacke not their riding they study to make her a wilde c Ier. 2.24 Asse used to the wildernesse that snuffeth up the Wind at her pleasure and is so farre drawne away in the wildernesse that his Majesty hath taken more paines to finde her out and bring her from her wandering 1 Sam. 9.3 than Saul did in seeking his fathers asses he sought his Fathers asses but three dayes but his Majesty hath sought this asse three yeares There is no question but she would be found and returne Esa 1.3 for the asse knowes her Masters crib but her riders will not suffer her perswading her that his Majesty will miscrably handle her though they assuredly know themselves that his Majesty will do no more harm to her than the Lion did to the asse whereon the seduced Prophet rode 1 King 13.28 the Lion did not teare the Asse the Scripture sayes but killed the seduced rider This is the onely feare they have not for the asse but for the riders who have justly provoked the Lions wrath as the messenger of death and to be buried with the buriall of an asse Ier. 22.19 drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem Here the Anticovenanter would have proceeded but I not being desirous to trouble my selfe in dispute with him cut him off with your words The Covenanters are exhorted not to be moved with remonstrances were they never so specious but submit themselves obediently to follow their leaders Covenanters iâ—form for Defensive §. 4. whâ—m God at this time hath largely furuished with courage and counsell for the good of his Kirke and Kingdâ—me But he answered me The leaders of this people cause them to erre Esa 9.16 and they that are led of them are destroyed But leaving him I returne to my exhortation If you cannot perswade men to your pitte ne on the mount at least labour to possesse them with the opinions and doctrines which you have received of us I specially his is the duty of Blair and Livingston to water the good seed which they have sown in some of the hearts of some of your countrey-men in the North part of Ireland and by their frequent exhortations and letters to perswade them to grow and be fruitfull in those matters Especially let them by fearefull threatings of Gods judgements affâ—ight them from taking that unl wfull oath which establisheth the Kings Supremacie and is urged by my Lord Deputy to whom I confesse his Masters honour is more deare than the Apple of his eye so violently that he will suffer no man to vilipend it but will have them sweare such an oath that they shall never takâ— armes against their King nor protest against him but to obey his royall commands Whereby thus violently he hath put your covenant out of credit among the Scots there except you provide some remedy I heare that not only Blair and Livingston but that Rhetorfort and Dickson also have lent their helping hand and have written a learned refutation of that Oath to be taken by the Scots there I am sorry that I did not see it that I might have increased my congratulati n. Did you ever see the two Apostolike brieft which our holy Father â—auluâ— 5. sent to the Catholikes in England that were urged with the same Oath that is pressed upon your brethren now Or did you ever read Bellarmines letter to Blakwell if you did they have helped you well in that matter I am sure Becanus tels us the summe of all which the Pope and Cardinall did write Vterque negat salvâ conscientiâ praestari posâ—e Bec m. disâ—id Angl. hoc juramentum à rege propositum quia abnegarent sidem Catholicam They both deny that that oath prescribed by the King can be taken with a safe conscience because they would deny the Catholike Faith They say you say the same onely you add many fearfull judgements upon both the exacter and takers of the same And therefore you may say of them that take this oath Ibid. as Becanus doth Hoc faciunt ad extremam patem politiam conservandam quae pluris abillis quam fides religio astimatur ideóque politici potiâ—s quà m Christiani appellandi sunt They do this that they may preserve outward peace which they esteeme more than of Faith and Religion and therefore they ought rather to be called Politicians than Christians Becaâ— resut Tâ—tuâ—e tâ—â—â—â— p. 1 paraâ—t 1. For no man will grant the Kings Supremacy excepto Sacellano quibusdam aliis adulatoribus regiis Except the Kings Chaplaine Bishop Andren es and some other Court Parasites And here by the way I must tell you a notable untruth of that Bishop Andrewes in his dispute against Bellarmine he holds that the Puritans do willingly take the oath of Supremacy But albeit he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having five tongues yet with none of his five tongues could he speake true in this as our Becanus proveth from no lesse than the testimony of his owne Master K. Iames in his Basil Doron But I finde one Richardus Thomsonus in Elencho refutationis Torturae torti defending Andrewes and reconciling him with his master by telling that the King spake of Scots Puritans and the Bishop of English Puritans Whether this may satisfie or not I leave it to a farther inquirie If the