sins beyond the bounds of Truth and Soberness But they must also magnifie and multiply them above the multitude of the great Mercies of God Who can limit the Sovereign grace of God who hath Mercy on whom he will have Mercy The example of Manasseh's Repentance might have restrained them from this bold encroaching upon the Sovereignty of Free Grace 12. It 's a terrible stretch that they say they have shewed their enmities against all Righteousness this is a part of the Description of Elimas the Sorcerer Acts 13.10 They cannot but be exceedingly blinded with prejudice against the Magistrate who sees not some Righteousness in the exercise of their Government 13. If Private Persons may take upon them because of the sins of their Superiours to disown their Authority and take Power to themselves and execute Judgment upon these who are their Parents Masters Magistrates this would overturn the Foundations of all Humane Society and fill the World with Confusion Though Saul was an ungodly man and Persecuted David without a cause and drove him out of the Land from the Ordinances and exposed him to the hazard of serving other gods Though he unjustly and very summarily slew eighty five Priests of the Lord and contrary to the manner of the Kingdom which obliged him to maintain Religion and Righteousness did put the Foundations of the Earth out of course yet David did not think himself obliged to disown Saul to be King nor did he think himself obliged to kill Saul when he had Power and Opportunity to do it he will not suffer his Men to do it 1 Sam. 24.6 7. 1 Sam. 26.8 9. He did not think that his killing of Saul was the way to free the Land from Guiltiness yea his heart smote him for cutting off the lap of his Garment He judged Abner worthy of Death because he had not been careful to preserve Saul's Life And though David was appointed of God to be a blessed Instrument of Reformation and Saul stood in his way yet he will not destroy him but waits Gods leisure There were many ill Kings in Judah but the Lord never directs private Persons to disown them and dethrone and kill them Ahaz is frequently called by the Lord King Ahaz notwithstanding of all the ill he had done and was doing Daniel calls Darius King after the Blasphemous Decree which he had Signed Christ directs to give Tribute to Caesar and gives it himself And Paul owns Nero's Judgment-seat and Appeals to Caesar and what Monsters Tiberius and Nero were is known to all who know the Histories of the Roman Emperours If this Device of nullifying the Authority of Rulers because of their faults real or alledged were put in practice it would quickly turn the World upside-down For though Magistrates as Gods Vicegerents be singularly obliged to represent the Holiness and Righteousness of God in the exercise of their Government yet if we consider that they have the same Corruption by nature which others have and that they have greater temptations than others and that there are often with them men who for their own ends will tempt them to sins which they would never have thought upon As for Example That abominable Decree which Daniel's Enemies cheatingly obtruded upon Darius as a great Complement and when they have gotten them to Enact any thing that is not right they will alledge they are in point of Honour bound to maintain their own deed And seeing there are many Flatterers who will praise all that great Persons do as if it were right And seeing faithful Counsellors who singly design the Glory of God and the true Happiness and Interest of Rulers are very rare Dum non vult alter timet alter dicere verum Regibus And considering how many provocations Rulers use to get by bitter invectives and scurrillous Pamphlets which tend to render them contemptible and by slighting and misconstruing their favours and by affronting of their Authority These things being considered I mean their inward Corruption and allurements to sin upon the one hand and irritating Provocations upon the other hand it 's like enough that they who will nullifie their Authority because of their faults will not want pretences and they who are of this humour of Deposing Rulers if they find not faults enough they will make where they want or they will magnifie their faults and make them worse than they are If Men of this disposition made Insurrection against Moses and alledged upon him who was the meekest man upon Earth and whom God had extraordinarily raised up That he lifted up himself above the Congregation of the Lord and that he had brought them out of a Land flowing with Milk and Honey to kill them in the Wilderness and made himself altogether a Prince over them and had not brought them unto a Land flowing with Milk and Honey nor given them Inheritance of Fields and Vineyards And that he would put out or bore out their Eyes If they found or made so many pretences against Moses who was so blameless O! how many faults would they find in the Persons and Government of the generality of Rulers through the World in these last times in which Iniquity does so much abound in Persons of all ranks Preach But if Kings and Rulers do not what they ought to do but do the contrary then the Subjects are free from any Oath of Allegiance and from any Covenant made to preserve their Persons and Authority In the National Covenant we swear to defend the Kings Person and Authority with our Goods Bodies and Lives in the defence of Christ his Evangel Liberties of the Countrey Ministration of Justice and Punishment of Iniquity against all Enemies within this Realm and without as we desire our God to be a strong and merciful defender to us in the day of our Death and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ And in the Solemn League and Covenant we swear to preserve and defend the Kings Majesties Person and Authority in the Preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdoms And thus our Promise to preserve and defend his Person and Authority is restricted and when he does not what is his part we are not bound to own or defend him and his Authority As when two agrees that the one shall pay so much money upon the others delivering so much Corn or Meal if the Victual be not delivered by the one the other is under no Obligation to pay the Money Min. That comparison may beguile simple People but it 's strange that any Preacher should be deceived with it for this is clear that there is no other ground upon which the one is obliged to pay the Money but the delivering of the Victual by the other according to their agreement But all Inferiours Servants Children Subjects are bound by the Law of God and Nations to honour their Superiours Masters Parents Magistrates although their Superiours be undutiful as appears from 1 Pet. 2.18 19
would not be eligible though we are obliged to nothing jussu ejus or upon the intuition of his Command yet we may do many things eo jubente he commanding and should do eo premente he inforcing them and we have many things to do ipso seu volente seu nolente whether he will or forbid the doing of them c. By which passages it appears That those godly learned Presbyterians in those Treatises which they wrote of purpose to maintain the Kings Authority when he was thrust from it and to shew that the Subject might do nothing which might prejudge his right or which might be interpreted to be an owning of the title of the then Usurpers who had forced the King out of his Dominions yet they shew that Taxes might be paid to the Usurpers and that they who payed it were not accountable for the abuse that the Usurpers made of it which lets us see how far they would have been from refusig to pay Tribute to the rightful Magistrate though imposed for some wrong end And I cannot but here take notice how constantly and courageously Presbyterians owned the Kings Authority when he was thrust from the exercise of it and how careful they were that Subjects might do nothing which might be prejudicial to his Title when he was violently disposessed of his Kingdoms I shall not speak of the Testimonies they gave in preaching and in print against the Usurpers upon the account of their usurpation and for asserting of the Kings Title I wish their Loyalty had been better remembred but any suffering they have met with since will not make them repent of their constant adherence from a principle of Conscience to their Allegiance and covenanted Duty to their rightful Sovereign If any will but look to the frontispiece of Mr. Gee's Book where there is an empty Chair of State and the Scepter and Crown lying upon the ground and below the King standing and above his head non est potestas nisi a Deo Rom. 13. and under his feet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and opposite to him upon the other side an Armed-Soldier with his hand in the handle of his Sword meaning the Parliament and under his feet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and below Absolom hanging upon a tree and Joab darting him 2 Sam. 18. and the Woman of Abel casting Sheba's head over the wall 2 Sam. 20. They may see Presbyterians Loyalty and courage in a time of hazard when others who afterward would have engrossed all Loyalty to themselves were very calm and some of them speaking in another Dialect Mr. Rutherford used to keep Family-fasts to pray for the King in his distress There is no Loyalty comparable to that which is founded upon the word and Covenant and the Principle of Conscience bound by the Word and Oath of God The late King advised those who were desirous to befriend him in his straits to preach the Obligation of the Covenant which binds to maintain his Person and Authority The new Principles of Confusion which are opposite to the Magistrates Authority and to the paying of Tribute to Rulers are directly opposite to and inconsistent with the Principles and Practices of Presbyterians and seem to have been devised by Jesuits and then craftily conveyed into the heads of weak people distmepered with sad suffering or having Zeal without Knowledge that they might at once render those people ridiculous and expose their possessions as a prey and their lives to the Sword and their profession of Religion to contempt and scorn as if it made men frantick and deprived them of the use of common Reason and sense I heard from a godly and learned Minister That he heard a great Zealot against the paying of the Sess say That whatever was unlawful for a man to do voluntarily was unlawful for him to do upon Legal or Physical constraint and another said If men on constraint might pay Sess which they should not voluntarily do without Legal and Physical constraint feared to follow then the three Children might have worshipped Nebuchadnezars Image because they were under constraint And when it was answered that there were some actions in the substance of the fact sinful that no constraint could make lawful such as Idolatry and some which outward Circumstances made lawful or unlawful that distinction was denied such is the ignorance of some of those Teachers Another made the paying of the Sess like the offering of Children to Moloch It 's a great pity that well-meaning people who from a Principle of Conscience are willing rather to suffer than to sin should be misguided by ignorant men and drawn into needless calamities to the ruin of their Families and the reproach of Religion They add That these Ministers advised the Prisoners to take the Bond c. Ans Those Prisoners being taken at Bothwel-bridge were pressed to bind themselves not to take up Arms against the Kings Person and Authority under the Certification of no less punishment than Death Now as we heard from the larger Catechism It 's the duty of inferiors to defend and maintain the Persons and Authority of their Superiors which imports much more than the not taking up Arms against them and their Authority 2. Though they had not been Subjects but only Prisoners of war in the victors power to deprive them of life or liberty for ever I suppose they could not have been blamed for the preservation of their life to have given in such a Bond some who were taken Prisoners by Cromwel for their liberty engaged not to carry Arms against him and I do not remember that any censured them for it what they say in a Parenthesis that hazard will not make a moral change in actions is a palpable error if there were twenty with drawn-swords waiting at the Church-door to kill a Minister if he should come to preach it were rash furious self-destroying self-murdering Zeal for a Minister to venture to go to preach at that time in despite of the hazard so certain visible and unavoidable and yet it were his duty at another time to preach where there were no such hazard for a Merchant to cast his Wares in the Sea in a calm were wicked folly contrary to the 8th Command a stealing from his Family and himself and yet in a storm Paul and the Passengers and Mariners thought it their duty to cast out both Goods and Tackling of the Ship This Subscription would have no ways condemned innocent self-defence against the unjust violence of Papists which the Reformed Churches made use of when they did cast off the yoke of the Whore David and his men had Arms but they were not taken up against Sauls Person and Authority as appears by Davids practice who would neither himself kill nor suffer his men to kill Saul and that upon the account of his Authority being the Lords Anointed and though Saul in his distemper calls David his enemy yet in his lucide intervals he calls him his Son
and worse continued contests Our nakedness-discovering writings what have they done but added oyl to the flame For Christs sake my reverend and dear Brethren hearken to this word in season from the Oracles of God and treasures of pure antiquity pointing out the way of a godly and edifying peace It will be no grief of heart but sweet peace and consolation when we are to appear before the Judg of the quick and the deed Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus So heartily prayeth your Brother and fellow-â—ervant ROBERT BLAIR Thus far Reverend Mr. Blair who was both a Son of Thunder â—nd a Son of Peace a Peace maker O with what authority and seriousneâ—s did I hear him press unity in Preaching before a Synod from these words Phil. 2.1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind And I heard him say upon Preaching before a general Assembly That he could be content to be carried from the place in which he was Preaching to his grave to have the rent that then was in the Church cured Ignorant and rash youths who have not experience and consider not what an abominable sin Schism is and what are the mischievous consequences of it and how it ordinarily ends in the ruin desolation of a Church they know little what they are doing when they are blowing up the fire of contention and it 's a sport to some to cast such fire-brands But they who have Heavenly wisdom see that that sporting is mischievous madness that it will be bitter in the latter end It is not for nought that the Spirit of God directed the Apost Paul in writing to the Church of the Corinthians in which there were many things wrong to fall first upon the ill of divisions 1 Cor. 1.10 and when he is shutting up that Epistle he exhorts that all these things be done with charity and to greet one another with an holy kiss And when he is shutting up the 2 Epist he concludes Finally Brethren farewell be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you Greet one another with an holy kiss So thus he begins and ends with this unity and peace 9. And because no speaking nor reasoning will prevail against the working of a spirit of error and schism without the effectual working of the pirit of the Lord let us humbly and earnestly pray that the Lord would have mercy upon us for his Sons sake who came to destroy the works of the Devil pour upon us the spirit of grace and of supplications the spirit of faith repentance that we may look on him whom we have pierced mourn the spirit of a sound mind the spirit of love peace And that every one Magistrates Ministers and people may be made sensible of their own sins We should pray that the Lord would send his Spirit that convinces the world of sin to let us see our sins and to let us see them written in our judgments that we may accept of the punishment of our sins justifie the Lord when he judges The Lord often writes the sins of men in so great and legible letters in their judgments that they who run may read them David despised the Lord and occasioned the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme by his adultery and murther incestuous filthiness breaks out in his house the sword departs not from his house his people despise him and follow Absalom Shimei an exasperate Benjamite is let loose upon him to revile and curse him and cast stones at him he disowns him as no King gives him no title of honour but only calls him a man and which was worse a bloody man a man of Belial and does not cry and then flee but goes along in the sight and hearing of the King Courtiers and Soldiers cursing casting stones and dust David sees that tho' Shimei did this contrary to the Law of God which says Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor curse the ruler of thy people Yet that he did it not without the over-ruling Providence of God he saw that the Lord had let Shimei loose upon him is humbled under the hand of God Uzziah will needs go to the Temple exercise the Priests Office the Lord by Leprosie cuts him off from the House of the Lord and from the exercise of his Kingly Office When the Priests did not impartially apply the Law of God to reclaim the people from their sins no doubt they thought thus to keep in with the people but this brought them to be base contemptible before all the people Mal. 2.9 The Jews that remained in the land after the ruin of the Temple though they had but one Prophet yet they despise him they will not hear the word which Jeremiah spoke in the name of the Lord but they would do what went out of their own mouth and therefore the Lord leaves them to live like Pagans swears by his great name that his name should not be named any more in their mouths they should not have so much as the form profession of the worship of the true God Jer. 44.16 26. they would not be reproved by Ezek. ch 3.26 they are plagued with the want of a reprover When people will reject the counsel of the Lord will not hearken to his voice nor take his gracious offer made in the Gospel when they will not endure sound Doctrine nor desire the sincere milk of the word nor receive the truth in love the Lord justly gives them up to their own hearts lusts to walk in their own counsels to strong delusions to believe lyes to be tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine to turn aside to fables When they despise his servants will not receive his mâ—ssengers their message count them enemies for telling the truth the Lord removes his servants from them leaves them to be deluded with teachers which are after their own humours and lusts When people refuse to hear the Lords words and walk after the imaginations of their own heart Jer. 13.10 the Lord fills them with drunkenness that they destroy one another like drunken men who know not what they are doing v. 13. Behold I will fill all the Inhabitants of this Land even the Kings that sit upon Davids Throne and the Priests and the Prophets and all the Inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness And I will dash them one against another even the Fathers and the Sons together saith the Lord I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy but destroy them Hear ye and give car be not proud for the Lord hath spoken Give glory to
their knowledge He hath an eye to that Scripture 1 Chron. 12.32 Among those who were ready armed to the War and came to David to Hebron to turn the Kingdom of Saul to him according to the word of the Lord Ver. 23. There are some of the Children of Issachar v. 32. And of the Children of Issachar which were men that had understanding of the Times to know what Israel ought to do the Heads of them were two hundred and all their Brethren were at their command These men of Issachar spoken of were as â—he Dutch Interpreters expound the place underâ—tanding and expert men which are able to give good Advice and Counsel at what time it were best â—o attempt any thing or desist from it whether in War or civil Affairs as Esther 1.13 or in Husbanâ—ry and Countrey Affairs Some Interpreters reâ—â—r this to the knowledge of Astronomy as Diodate â—ews but others sayes he understand and take it to be only wisdom and sagacity either natural or gotten by long experience to discern and know the very moment of Opportunities a thing very important whence ordinarily depends the good success of Affairs Others shew that these men of Issachar were men eminently skilful and endued with prudence to know what was to be done and when and gave evidence of this sagacity at this time in taking this fit opportunity in turning the Kingdom of Saul to David and they were followed by their Brethren in this matter This Knowledge of the Times was not common to all the Professors in Israel for if so this Knowledge of the Times would not have been noted by the Spirit of God as something remarkable in these men of Issachar And no doubt there were many Israelites who were taught of God and were sufficiently distinguished from those who were brutish in their knowledge who yet had not this Knowledge of the Times to know when it was time to make War and to make alterations in the State in turning the Kingdom from the house of Saul to David This Knowledge of the Times is very desirable but every thing desirable is not a duty Moses wishes that all the Lords People were Prophets but it is not the duty of every one of the Lords People to be a Prophet and to Prophesie Again there are several things which we are oblidged to have and to do which yet are not the Cognizance or the Badges and Marks whereby they who are taught of God are distinguished from them who are brutish in their Knowledge as for example an eminent measure of Knowledge of Prudence of Love of Assurance these indeed are excellent Ornaments but they are not Badges and Marks common to all those who are taught of God and distinguishing them from those who are brutish in their Knowledg for there are many honest Professors who are taught of God who have not attained to these eminent degrees of Knowledge Prudence Love and Assurance Again it 's the duty of all Professors to obey the Law of God perfectly otherways their defects in obedience would not be sins But that perfection is not the Badg or Cognizance to distinguish those who are taught of God from those who are brutish in their Knowledge So that though that knowledge of the times were a thing which all Israelites should be adorned with yet it would not be right to make it their Cognizance or a distinguishing Mark to difference them from those who are brutish in their Knowledge But for any thing that appears from the Text or the Interpreters which I have consulted this Knowledge of the Times was a natural or political sagacity attained by long experience by which these men of Issachar knew what was the fit seasons of making War and alterations in matters of State which concerned all Israel Now for this sort of Knowledge of times I suppose the Author of the Epistle will not say that it is the duty of every Professor in the Church of Scotland to have this politick sagacity to discern the Seasons of making War and making alterations in State matters and much less is this politick sagacity and prudence which is not ordinarily acquired even by men imployed in State-Affairs but by much exercise and long experience to be made a Cognizance distinguishing those who are taught of God from those who have not saving knowledge for this knowledge of the Times is as Interpreters think a natural or politick knowledge and so no evidence or mark of a Spiritual and supernatural estate This is certain from the Scripture that this Knowledge of the Times was a Knowledge which distinguished some of the Tribe of Issachar from the Generality of the people of Israel and therefore this Scripture is misapplyed when this Knowledge of the Times is alledged to be the Mark and Cognizance of all who are taught of God distinguishing them from those who have no true Wisdom but are brutish in their Knowledge and so like the beasts that perish This is an ill token that the Author of this Epistle hath stumbled in the threshold and in the very Entry of his Address and his stumbling is the more dangerous because it may be a stumbling-block to private Professors by putting this conceit in their heads that they must either have the knowledge of the Times that the men of Issachar had concerning the fit seasons of making War and peace and of making State-alterations or else they are brutish in their Knowledge and are not taught of God This were the way to put all Professors Male and Female Lad and Lasse to become Politicians and to take on them to know and determine what Israel should do to determine what the State and Church should do And thus they are diverted from studying to know what they ought to do themselves and how they ought to rule their own Families and set a work to dive into the intrigues of State-policy and to plot alterations of States and conclude when to make Wars and to alledge that all who are taught of God have that Knowledge of the Times which the men of Issachar had is to deceive them and make them imagine that they have that Knowledge which they have not and to tempt them to meddle with things that are too high for them and to crack their brains by racking them to reach those things which are beyond their Capacity and to stretch themselves beyond their line and pass the bounds of their Station and Vocation Such flattering insinuations which either puff up people with a conceit of their Wisdom to manage the greatest and most important Affairs of Kirk and State and that they are fit to guide their Guides and break the Ice to them as the Historian says in his 28 Questions and Vindication hath done much harm to several well-meaning people and put them from minding the duties of their particular Callings and the Duties of their Christian Vocation in the exercise of Faith and Repentance and in giving diligence in the exercise of
false Reasonings there are Contradictions and Inconsistences Now the God of Truth puts it not upon mens hearts to write Untruth There are many bitter Reproaches and Calumnies much of the Wrath of man many things which are not for Peace and Edification the design of the Book is a vile Separation and Schism These things are not from God who is Love who is the God of Peace who hath commanded us to do all our things in love and not to forsake the assembling of our selves together My third Question is How he will refute those who alledge that the Writing of this Story came in the Head and Heart of the Historian as it came in Davids head and heart to number the People The Lord was angry against Israel and he left David to the temptation of Satan and to his pride and he numbred the People and this brought on the Plague The Lord was angry at the People who were weary of the Ordinances and were disposed to lightly Ministers and the Lord in his righteous judgment may justly leave men to their Pride and Self-conceit to Write and Print Calumnies against Ministers c. for a Plague upon those who depise his Servants and Ordinances so filling them with their own ways this Book is a great Plague to such people hardning them in their neglect of Preaching Catechising to the increase of ignorance unbelief ungodliness The dismal effects which he spake of are not the effects of the Magistrates granting or the Ministers accepting of the peaceable exercise of the Ministry Pag. 3. he charges the Indulged Ministers with a fearless making and medling with the stated enemies of Gods work ere they had mourned over former unfaithfulness and miscarriages and ere Brethren equally concerned were consulted Ans How knows he that they were fearless or that they had not mourned for their former miscarriages by what evidence doth he thus judge of the frame of the hearts of his fellow-servants especially when he was at such a distance from them when they medled in this matter and I suppose he will not conclude that they had no fears nor tears because they did not Print them and send them over sea seeing they have been and are mourners of whose tears the World gets not notice and I am inclined to think that the deepest sorrow makes least dinn Every mourner hath not the opportunity of publishing their tears in Print and many Mourners have put Books to the Press whose Modesty would not suffer them to mention their own Tears As there is rashness in his judging concerning the inward frame of his Brethrens heart in intruding into those things which he hath not seen so there is something more than rashness in his alledging that Brethren were not consulted for he might have known if he would have been at the pains to have enquired that Brethren were consulted and that the generality of the Ministers in Scotland were for Ministers returning to their own charges and that those who had not access to their own charges might upon the Invitation of vacant Congregations go and exercise their Ministry among them But I perceive that he is against all medling with the present Magistrates because of the ill they have done and do design He looks on all making and medling with them as Defection and the cause of further Defection for saith he what else but further Defection could be expected as the issue and result of those medlings the Author of the Cup of cold Water advises to stand aloof from all listnings to proposals coming from them or making any to them and he conceives we are called of God to take this course as that way wherein alone we can expect his approbation and countenance Pag. 41. Again pag. 42. he saith it passeth his ken what Address can be made to him except it be to tell we can make none or to beseech him to forbear to persecute the Mediators Embassadours and that he seeth not and hopes never to see with his eyes who can see how Addresses to them in Church-matters can consist with the resentment of their Usurpation of Christs Throne and after in that same Page We have nothing to seek from any who sets in our Masters Chair of State God forbid that ever we should be seen to bow or beg to them while they sit there however when we are passive we may make use of what liberty is given yet it 's our Peace c. to abstain from seekings and receivings from those who stand in such terms of Opposition to him Ans This is new Doctrine a new light which I suppose come never to light till now if the Author hath learned it of any I wish he would tell us who are his Authors I doubt if he can shew us a Precedent going before us in this way in which and which is more strange in which alone we can expect Gods Approbation and Countenance I wonder how he hath come to have so great Confidence in this untrodden Path that Subjects are called of God to keep at such a distance from their Rulers as to stand aloof from all listnings to their Proposals And that Subjects are called of God to stand aloof from making any Proposals to their Rulers And that this Course is the way and the only way wherein they can expect Gods Approbation and Countenance are strange and bold Assertions which should not have been obtruded upon us by his Conceit A Divine call and Divine approbation should have been confirmed by Divine Authority what knoweth he but the Lord may put some good motion in their hearts he hath put good things in the hearts of Idolaters Heathen Princes to which the Lords People did listen and to which they were obliged to listen and for which they found themselves bound to bless the Lord who had put such things in their hearts the Lord can put good Motions in the Hearts of ill Men and to refuse to listen to those Motions which are good and of God is to refuse to listen unto God How can this consist with the Honour which all Inferiours Servants Children Subjects are bound to give to their Superiours I suppose there is no Superiour who would not judge it to be a manifest Contempt in his Inferiour if he should keep at such a distance from him as that he would neither hear what he proposed to him nor yet would propose any thing to nor desire any thing of his Superiour I cannot see how a man can bind himself to keep such a distance from any man Superiour Equal or Inferiour as not to listen to any thing he says be what it will This standing aloof from all listnings to any Proposals made to us and from making any Proposals to them if we like not those that are made by them seems inconsistent with common Civility and humanity This is a new sort of an Act of Intercommuning Let us hear his Reasons for it pag. 41. first saith he This is the most
Indeed the engaging not to take up Arms against the Kings Person and Authority and any lawful Oath of Allegiance could not consist with such Arms as the Contrivers of this Band and Sanchar Declaration would be at for their Arms are designed to destroy the Magistrates person without mercy and their Authority and the established Civil Goverment which hath no parallel that I know of except that of the Boors in Germany under Thomas Munster and after under John of Leyden which Usurpation being not only of private persons but also being against the Magistrates person and Authority was justly condemned as a fury by all the Reformed Churches At length after this long Inditement they come to give sentence against these Ministers who have accepted of the peaceable exercise of their Ministry and all who voted for that acceptance all who have heard and pleaded for them trafficked for union with them all that do not testifie against them and deport themselves suitably to their testimony all who do not join publickly with the Brethren who testifie against them The sentence is in effect deposition as far as their power reaches they say indeed that they have not nor assume to themselves authoritative sentences of deposition and suspension against these Ministers there is some modesty here yet they specifie the censures which should be inflicted upon these Ministers no less will serve than deposition or suspension It 's somewhat strange that they who had the confidence to depose the Magistrate as formally as they could did not formally depose these Ministers also but though they do not formally depose them yet they do it materially and effectually in that they will neither hear them nor receive Sacraments from them And no wonder seeing they had before declared them to be the Ministers of men not of Christ the ground of this sentence is a Scripture 2 Thes 3.6 but misunderstood and so misapplied for the Apostle is not there directing to withdraw from the Lords Ordinances from the hearing of the Word or Administration of the Sacraments or from fellowship with the Church in the Worship of God but he forbids ordinary familiar private converse with disorderly persons it 's a metaphor taken from Soldiers who keep not their rank idle and yet busie-bodies busie about that which did not belong to them such as are spoken of 1 Tim. 5.13 who were idle wandering about from house to house tatlers busie-bodies speaking things which they ought not The authors of this Band have made such a breach upon all order both in speaking and engaging to do things which they ought not and which tend to all confusion that if they had understood this Scripture and their own way they would have seen their way condemned in this Scripture from which they would condemn others 2. Orthodox Interpreters think that the withdrawing which is enjoined in this Scripture is to be after the Church hath taken due notice of the disorder of such persons and they after admonition continue disobedient see the Dutch Annotations which cite Mat. 18.15 1 Cor. 5.11 as parallel places and Diodate Mr. Dickson and Mr. Ferguson upon the place If private persons were left to Excommunicate all whom they thought disorderly it would breed great confusion and if private persons be not to be thus withdrawn from till the Church hath noted them and proceeded by lesser censures to the censure of Excommunication How insolent an act is this for a few inconsiderable persons who as they confess themselves have no capacity to inflict any censure to declare that they will carry themselves towards so many ministers who have never been convened or heard much less censured by any Church-Judicatory and others who adhere to them and all who testifie not against them and do not publickly join with those who testifie against them as if they were deposed and Excommunicate and the insolency was the greater because they knew that the ministers who were not indulged did think these young men who had not come to this height of Schism censurable I am certainly informed that this spirit of Schism hath prevailed so far in some that they will not have private Christian fellowship with any who hear Indulged ministers though they be persons of so blameless and Christian conversation that they have nothing to cast at them for but this that they have clearness to hear Indulged ministers This joining in the Worship of God where these ministers preach they account a joining with the people of these abominations ignorantly perverting that place Ezra 9.14 as if joining in the commanded Worship of God were like the Israelites joyning in forbidden marriages with the cursed Nations But as the fool thinks the bell clinks The least that they require of these deposed and Excommunicate ministers is that they stand in judgment before these ministers and be judged by them who have followed the Lord and kept themselves free of these defections The least I perceive that they will accept of is no less than an acknowledging of Prelates and setting up Prelacy Pr. Sir ye seem now to be jesting and not in earnest Min. No Sir I am in good earnest and if ye will consider what Prelacy is I suppose ye will not deny what I say Ye know your self that these Ministers whom they mean and who fall not in one of the Classes mentioned were never for any thing known above four and some say they were but three and a little after this Band one of them was laid aside from Preaching And a Gentleman told me that he was credibly informed that he went hence to Ireland and joined with the Conformists there But suppose that they were four yea fourteen that would not make them the Plurality in a capacity to judg to suspend or depose the Indulged and not Indulged Ministers of the Church of Scotland and yet we see they have a jurisdiction over all the rest of the Ministers who must stand before them and be judged by them and stand and fall in judgment as these judges shall determine And as they engross the power of suspension and deposition so consequently the power of Ordination and in their last Article they talk of a Gospel-ministry rightly chosen and rightly Ordained and they promise to rectifie what was amiss in former Ordinations Now two or three or four persons engrossing the power of Ordination and Jurisdiction over all the Presbyterian Ministers of the Church of Scotland are Prelates Doctor Gauden defines the Office of a Bishop thus Episcopal presidency and authority is a Soveraign power and Spiritual jurisdiction in Ordination Confirmation Censures rebuking silencing Excommunication Absolution and other exercises of Ecclesiastick power without above and against Presbyters and people This description if ye will take Confirmation out of it seems to agree much better to these new Prelates than to the old They arrogate a Soveraign power a power above all Presbyterian Ministers who must stand before them when they set to judg