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A59415
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An account of the late establishment of Presbyterian-government by the Parliament of Scotland anno 1690 together with the methods by which it was settled, and the consequences of it : as also several publick acts, speeches, pleadings, and other matters of importance relating to the Church in that kingdom : to which is added a summary of the visitation of the universities there in a fifth letter from a gentleman at Edinburgh, to his friend at London.
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Sage, John, 1652-1711.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing S284; ESTC R13590
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68,884
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110
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told that the Book was written half a year before and endured an Examen Rigorosum of the most Judicious of the Party which was News indeed for no body would have known that by reading the Book It is truly a marvellous Work for in it you have not only the Divine Right of Parity among Churchmen and Kirk-Sessions and Presbyteries and Provincial Synods and National Assemblies and Ruling Elders and popular Elections c. most doughtily asserted it was no part of his task to prove but also Presbytery and Monarchy reconciled to an ace and the putting the Government intirely in the hands of the known sound Men most mysteriously justified Doubtless it has been an unaccountable negligence in some body that it has not been before this time Reprinted in England and carefully dispersed all over that Kingdom For who knows what light it might have diffused and what Reformations it might have wrought among you But that which I am concerned to take notice of in it at present is only this That though the Author is content that by the bye it should advance Gods Glory and do good to Souls yet he confesses neither of these was his principal end for publishing it at that time For that was especially that Presbyterian Government might stand right in the opinion of the King and Parliament c. And as Presbytery was thus represented and recommended so the like care was taken to disgrace and defame Prelacy in Pamphlets and Pasquils as the very vilest of all vile things And to all such Dirt Trash c. the Press was open but a Prelatist might as well expect to subvert the Government as to get one Sheet Published in defence of his Cause But this was not all It was not fit that the fate of the good old Cause should stand on nothing else but Paper supporters The influence of two or three principal States-men and if you please you may joyn with them States-women commonly carries on a Cause more effectually than a thousand Printed Volumes and therefore it was necessary that tool should be tried also as vigorously as was possible And therefore the great Lord Melvill a constant Friend to the good Cause and now Their Majesties Comissioner must give vent to his Zeal in his Speech he made to the Parliament they say with very little assurance the first day they met But whatever his Influence or Zeal might be his Rhetorick was no doubt infinitely short of the florid and genuine Eloquence of that Learned as well as Potent Lord W. E. of C. who the next meeting which was April 22. delivered a Sermon to the House wherein it was easie to discern no less Zeal than Art and no less Art than Wisdom It was forthwith Published so that I cannot think but you have seen it already However to make all sure I have herewith sent you a Copy of it It 's true blue all over and you may be much enlightened by it His Lordship was President of the Parliament and that gave him the precious opportunity to open his Mouth and speak Thus were the Commissioners place and the Chair filled and the Press imployed And who can imagine that upon such an exigence the Pulpit would be silent That sure is not to be supposed And indeed it was never exercised more warmly For not only had they been still making it their work to promote their Interest by Melancholy Declamations against Prelacy Prelates and Prelatical Church-men after they had got footing in the Churches A Theme they are generally better skilled in than in the substantial things of Christianity but especially at that time their Fears quickening their Zeal they were extremely eager and every one as he had the fortune to Preach before the Parliament was sure to signalize his fervour as much as any other of his good qualities in behalf of Christ's Kingdom as they call their Yesterdays Parity I must confess indeed I had neither the opportunity nor inclination to hear their Sermons but as I was told by some who did and as I learned by such of them as were published no man needed condemn them of Coldness or Indifferency Thus Mr. George Meldrum of whom you have a sufficient Account in the History of our late General Assembly in his Sermon preached before the Parliament April 27 exhorts them to go on zealously in settling the Government of the Church of Christ according to his own appointment recommends unto them that Word of Artaxerxes Ezra 7. 23. this Text was scarce ever missed by any of them Whatsoever is commanded by the God of Heaven let it be done diligently for the house of the God of Heaven c. commends them and blesses the Lord that with so much Unity and Harmony for the party had been infinitly afraid of the Club that it should have marred all their designs but by that time it was found too weak they had gone some footsteps already that is had abolished Prelacy and the Supremacy and restored the Presbyterian Ministers exhorts them to go on and prays that God may be with them c. Was not this pretty fair for an old Conformist But Good Mr. Spalding Clerk to the late General Assembly who had sat many a day in a little Shop in the Town of Irwin and measured out in retail many a Noggan of Brandy was a man of much finer metal for in his Sermon which he preached before the House upon the Eleventh of May the second that was published he tells them in truer stile that now God was making way for the utter ruine and fall of Antichrist and Popery in all the formes of it two of which to be sure are Episcopacy wherever it is and the Liturgy of England that not so much as a Rag of the Whore may remain and his Church may sing in triumph Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen For why God is now carrying on the establishment of Zion upon her right basis and foundation And to shew that he was not a flattering Gospeller who respected Persons He tells them in a parallel betwixt King Saul and King David on the one hand and King Iames and King William on the other at least I protest I can make no other sense of it that King William is not yet absolutely right because he has Carnal Fears to bring the Ark Presbytery into his own City the Church of England and again labour to perfect the Reformation which ye have begun happily and is greedily expected and that speedily and in the first place command as in Ezra 7. 23. That whatsoever is commanded c. Let Reformation I say be perfect and throw to the door all that belongs to the Whore even the Rags which she left behind her for an errand to return again all Prelacy and Ceremonies and set Forms and let none of Babels cursed timber and stone be taken to build the Lords house with Let not so much as one Prelatist continue in the exercise of his