Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A57855
|
A defence of The vindication of the Church of Scotland in answer to An apology of the clergy of Scotland.
|
Rule, Gilbert, 1629?-1701.
|
1694
(1694)
|
Wing R2219; ESTC R11970
|
78,851
|
50
|
Book of Policy by the State was much occasioned by what is contained in the eighth ninth and Tenth Chapters of it concerning the disposing the Church Rents otherwise than some great Men desired and to their disadvantage as they imagined A piece of manifestly false History followeth viz. Ann. 1580. An Assembly met at Dundee called by Mr. Andrew and his Associates without a shadow of any permission from the Civil Authority Where they declared the Office of a Bishop to be without warrant from the Word of God That they had not the Magistrates allowance is not only said without the Authority of any Historian and is a pure invention of this Author But it is certain that then they had their Assemblies in Course by the States allowance and that the succeeding Assembly was appointed at the dissolution of the former It is also asserted by Calderwood p. 89. That the King sent two the Prior of Pittenweens and the Laird of Lundie instructed with power to assist the Assembly with their Presence and Counsell from all which it is also evident to be a mistake that this Assembly was called by Mr. Melvil and his Associates The observation of our Author on the Assemblies declaring against Bishops is the ordinary Gang of his Party that it is against plain Scripture the Doctrine of the Apostles how this differeth from the former I know not and of the Fathers and the Canons of all Oecumenical Councils and the rule of Apostolical and Primitive Practice If he or any else will prove all this our Cause must needs fall to the ground But I have often read and heard such confident Assertions but never yet saw sufficient proof of them It offendeth him highly that in the end of the Act against Bishops the Assembly referreth to the next Assembly to reason upon the disposing the Patrimony of the Kirks possessed by the Bishops as if in this they usurped on the Kings Regale But here is not one word of considering how They should dispose of this Patrimony and I hope it is no Usurpation in Church-men to advise and reason in order to give their Opinion and putting up their Supplication to them to whom it belongeth to dispose of it § 51. His History of one Montgomery who was zealous against Bishops and yet did afterward Simoniacally bargain for a Bishoprick I regard not Not knowing the truth of it nor being directed by him where to find it And if it were true it signifieth no more but that once a professed Presbyterian was an Apostate Which is so insignificant a story and so little Argumentative in our Debate that it is not worthy the writing He misrepresenteth the procedure of the Church against Montgomery as if when they were called to answer for illegal invasions on the Kings Authority they did boldly protest that tho' they compeared in Civility to the King yet they did not acknowledge the Kings â—on Councils right in any Ecclesiastical matter I wish this Author had either read Spotswood's History for others it is like he will not regard them more carefully or represented what account he giveth of this matter more faithfully Which is p. 316. c. that Mr. Robert Montgomery Minister at Stirling having made a vile Simoniacal bargain for the Bishoprick of Glasgow was quarrelled by the Church for this and other gross things were also laid to his charge The King allowed them to proceed against him on any thing they could charge him with in his Life or Doctrine But would not permit them to censure him for accepting the Bishoprick Whereupon he was accused of gross Crimes his Libel was sent to the King The King left him to make his own Answer After this the Presbytry of Stirling suspended him for disorderly Baptizing he slighted this Sentence and exercised his Ministry Whereupon he was cited to appear before the Synod of which the King being informed warned the Synod to appear before him at Stirling and discharged all proceeding against him some of them appeared and protested that tho' in Obedience not Civility as our Author hath it they had compeared yet they did not acknowledge his Majesty and the Council Judges in the matter it being a Cause Ecclesiasticall They did not say as the Manuscript hath it that they did not acknowledge the King and Councils right in any Ecclesiastical matter I shall say no more of this purpose save that not only the Presbyterians but also not a few Episcopalians especially when the Civil Authority acteth against their Interests and Inclinations do controvert whither the Magistrate can hinder the Church to censure her own Members when the matter is purely Ecclesiastical I wish our Author would shew us what Invasion is made on the Kings Authority when the Church censureth any person for Immoralities that are manifest Scandals to the People and do no way touch the Civil State § 52. He next p. 61. maketh an odious representation of the Kings being made Prisoner at Ruthven by some of the Nobility and the General Assemblies approving of this Fact It is here in the first place to be observed that this is wide from the design of the Apologist in transcribing this Manuscript The tendency of it is indeed to set forth the Presbyterians in as ugly a shape as is possible which I confess our Apologist is passionately bent upon but it no way contributeth to shew the Vicissitudes of Presbytry and Episcopacy in the Church of Scotland for which he bringeth this Manuscript Next I take notice that he who wrote this Paper doth not give so fair account of this Affair as his Author Spotswood doth who informeth us p 320. c. That some of the Nobility combining themselves for defence of Religion and the liberty of the Kingdom as they pretended did seize the King and restrained the Duke of Lennox and the Earl of Arran whose Counsels had given great discontent to the Nation from the Kings presence That the King by a Proclamation approved of the Act discharged rising of Men to rescue him commanded the Duke and Earl to depart out of the Nation That the Queen of England advised the King to take in good part what the Lords had done because of the danger that the perverse Counsels of the Duke of Lennox and Earl of Arran had brought the Nation into That the Noblemen desired the General Assembly to approve this deed of theirs which the Assembly would not do till they consulted with the King himself and till he desired them to do it Confessing to them that Religion was in hazard and indirect Courses taken to overturn it and that his own hazard was joyned with that of Religion And desiring that they for their own part would help to remove the same He sheweth also that this deed of the Lords was fully approved by a Convention of Estates at Edinburgh called by the King Let it then be considered whether it be so monstruous a thing for the Church to shew her Opinion when required
For we do not pretend to any knowledge in these but what we build on Scripture and Reason we plead no immediate Revelation If he can prove our Grounds to be insufficient he may conclude our Opinions false but not that they are Enthusiastick All the Divines that I have read on that subject take Enthusiasm for a pretension to immediate Revelation or Inspiration or Instinct or Afflatus of things that they who pretend to it can give no other ground for And even Plutarch calleth it Instinctus divinus de defect Oracul c ' 67. If he can either prove that we pretend to this or that we bring no other grounds for what we affirm let him brand us with Enthusiasm at his pleasure That all the subdivisions of Dissenters in England are for Anniversary Holy days is so well known to be false that I wonder he should insinuate so much without blushing That the Anniversary day for the burning of London is observed by them all with Fasting and Prayer is not true for any thing that I know And if it were true will he also say that they have sequestred that day from all Civil Employment and dedicated it to Religion If he say not this the Case is not paralell to what we now debate about § 35. His conclusion of what he had discoursed is That it is dangerous if not impious to separate from the Church in these excellent Constitutions that are received from the beginning and in all Countries where the name of Jesus hath been worshipped Such Constitutions and Solemnities have been derived from the Apostles or Apostolick times Here are big words If the strength of his forgoing Reasons were but proportioned to the confidence of his Assertion our Cause must fall to the ground But the Reader will judge whether any one word of this Thrasâ—nick triumph be true or have sufficient foundation in what he hath proved He telleth us but I know not to what purpose that the knowledge of Christ doth not extinguish the light of Reason Therefore such Constitutions as the reason of all Mankind is agreed in have nothing in them contrary to the purity of our Religion It is tedious to refute or to read such loose Arguings of which the meanest Logician might be ashamed We deny not the use of Reason in Religion viz. For understanding what is revealed and for drawing Native Consequents from these great truths But that the use of Reason is to appoint new Ordinances or Means of Grace that Christ hath not appointed we deny And if our Author do not assert that he saith nothing for his Holy days And if he do not prove it his Argument is insignificant For Holy days are such means if we may believe this Author who speaketh of them as the means of propagating the Christian Faith That these Constitutions are agreed on by all Mankind is a supposition as far from Truth and from Modesty as any thing can be He hath not yet done with this subject but falleth on it afresh in a discourse two pages long which he calleth a short digression Wherein any thing that looketh like Argumentation hath been many times to far greater advantage proposed by others of his way and as often answered by Men of our side So that I wonder that so high a pretender is not ashamed so to trisâ— Some things indeed he hath that are new viz. Some Historical passages which are as far remote from Truth as Darkness is from Light Let us hear the particulars He pleadeth p 41. that Anniversary Solemnities may be used in the Worship of God tho' they have been abused to the Worship of Idols A. We have better Arguments against these and other Human Ceremonies than from the abuse of them by Papists and Pagans But even this wanteth not its weight only we never used this Argument against the use of things necessary and therefore the Author doth unwisely mention the Sun and the Seasons the use of which we must not lay aside whoever abuse them But of things that are of no necessity such as all Human Ceremonies are acknowledged to be by the most Learned of the Patrons of them Our Argument hath yet greater strength if we consider not only that the Holy day now debated about was kept by the Heathens in Honour of Julius Caesar and hence called Yule in Scotland And is still abused by many Superstitious Fopperies among the Papists But is generally by the far greater part of the Protestant Observers of it spent in Idleness Feasting and Playing and by very many it is horribly profaned by all manner of Excess and Debaucheries It is a wonderful confidence Do we not see saith he all Nations agree in this that Publick Solemnities and Anniversary Festivities and Fasts are necessary to the Being and Beauty of Religion So p. 41. and p. 42. we ought to remember that the stated Festivals and Fasts of the Church do preserve and increase our Mortification ibid. The stated periods of Fasting oblige the most stubborn and impenitent to think of his Soul and the visible practices of the Church preach Repentance more effectually and make more lasting impressions then the loose and indefinite Homilies of Self conceited Men. And p. 43 he imputeth to the neglect of Fasting among Protestants the hinderance of the Reformation of the Grecian Churches And ibid. The publick seasons of Devotions are the Catechism of the People A few Remarks to expose these flights of his Fancy First What could be more said of the Word and Sacraments and other Ordinances instituted by Christ What greater Elogies are given to them in Scripture For indeed he saith as much as Christmass and other Holy dayes are the power of God to Salvation 2. This is contary to the Sentiments of all that ever wrote on this subject Who agree that these Ceremonies are indifferent things And yet he will have them necessary and that not only to the beauty of Religion but to the being of it 3. Then it seems there was no Religion in the Apostolick Church nor among the Waldenses nor in Geneva and several other Reformed Churches I add not the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in all the Ages of it because he will hardly allow any thing of Religion to be among us This is his Christian Charity of which he talketh He doth indeed damn all them to Hell who observe not Christmass He is the first of this Opinion and I hope he shall be the last 4. If all this were true it were impossible that Irreligion Impenitency or Immorality could be at least be frequent and abundant in a Church where these forms are used Which I hope none will say who have lived in England or in Scotland or in the Romane Communion It is but suitable to his Genius to vilisie the Preaching of Presbyterians as the loose and indefinite Homilies of Self conceited Men But it had been fit to have told us whether there be any Preaching that can equal these forms in