of their Movables and Yeomen the fourth of their Movables and others 20 â— a time leaving the Council at liberty to inâ—â—ict further Punishments that if there were three above the Family at Preaching or Prayer it should be esteemed a Conventicle and commanding Lords of Mannors Masters of Families and Magistrates of Buroughs to cause all under their Charge to come to Church And for putting these Laws in Execution a High-Commission-Court was erected by the King contrary to Act 13. Parl. 10. Iac. 6. with Power to examine upon Oath de super inquirendis Parl. 2. Act 1. Lauder daâ—e Commissioner Enacted That by virtue of the Supremacy the ordering of the Government of the Church doth properâ—y â—elong to his Majesty and Successors as an inherent Right to the Crown and that he may enact and emit such Constitutions Acts and Orders concerning Church-Administrations Persons Meetings and Matters as he in his Royal Wisdom shall think fit which Acts c. are to be obeyed by all Subjects any Law Act or Custom to the contrary notwithstanding Sess. 2. Parl. 2. Enacted That all who should be required do depone upon Oath their Knowledg of all Meetings or Persons at them on pain of Fining Imprisonment Banishment or Transportation Act 5. Enacted That all outed Ministers found preaching or praying in any House but their own Family be imprisoned till they â—ind Bond for 5000 Marks not to do the like again Every Hearer toties quoties 25 â— if a Tenant and 12 â— if a Sub-Tenant And that all who preach in the Field or in a House if any of the People are without Doors shall be punished with Death and those who can seize and secure any such Minister dead or alive shall have 500 Marks Reward The Magistrates of Burghs to be sin'd at the Council's Pleasure for any Conventicles held in their Burghs and they to be reimburs'd from the Landlord of the House And Men to be â—in'd if their Wives and Children went to Meetings Act 6. Imposed Fines from 100 â— to 20 l. Sterling a time on such as had their Children baptized at such Meetings and Servants to be â—ined in half their Wages Act 11. Sess. 3. The same Fines were imposed upon them who should keep their Children un-baptized for thirty days And by Act 7. that same Session they enacted 〈◊〉 Fines on â—uch as absented from Church for three days together Act 9. Sess. 3. They declared all Ordination since 1661. which had not been by Bishops to be invalid In 1678 a Convention of States held by Lauderdale laid on a Tax to levy Forces for suppressing Field-Meetings which was afterwards continued by the Parliaments held by the Dukes of York and Queensberry In 1681 the D. of York being Commissioner without taking the Oaths appointed by Law and against Acts which rendred Papists incapable they doubled the Fines for Field-Conventicles and ordered Gentlemen to put away their Tenants and Masters of Families their Servants or sub-Tenants without Warning if they went to Meetings Act 18. They enacted That all Jurisdiction doth so reside in his Majesty that he may by Himself or Commissioners take Cognizance of and decide any Cases or Causes which he pleased Act 6 and 25. They imposed on all a self-contradictory Test which obliged them to stand by the Confession of Faith recorded in Parl. 1. Iac. 6. which disown'd the Supremacy and own'd the Lawfulnesâ— of Defensive Arms tho the contrary to both were sworn in the Test without so much as a non obstante Parl. 1. Iac. 7. D. of Queensberry Commissioner Act 3. allowing Prisoners indicted for High-Treason to be summon'd to make their Defence in 24 hours time Act 4. That such as being cited for Witnesses in cases of Treason or Conventicles and refused to depone should be liable to be puniâ—hed as guilty of the â—ame Crimes Act 5. That giving or taking the National or Solemn League and Covenant or owning them obligatory should be High-Treason Act 7. Making the Concealment of any Supply given to forfeited Persons tho the nearest Relations Treason Act 8. That all who preach at House or Field-Conventicles or such as hear at Field-Conventicles should be punished by Death and Confiscation Act 13. Re-injoining and further extending the Imposition of the Test. Act 23. Making the refusing the Oath of Abjuration High-Treason Act 24. Ordering all Lords of Mannors c. to insert a Clause in all Leases to their Tenants obliging them and their Families to Conformity under exorbitant Penalties Act 25. Ordering the Cameronians to be pursued and those who neglected it to be reputed equally guilty Acts of Parliament by King William and Queen Mary against Episcopacy in Scotland PArl. 1. W. M. They enacted the Oath of Allegiance thus I A. B. do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to their Majesties K. William and Q. Mary Iuly 22 1689. Act against Prelacy as a great and insupportable Grievance to the Nation Sess. 2. Act 2. For restoring Presbyterian Ministers ordering them to have immediate Access to their own Churches if vacant and to have the whole Year's Stipend but if there be an Incumbent in their Churches he shall have right to the half Year's Stipend Act 5. Ratifying the Confession of Faith and Presbyterian Government as most agreeable to the Word of God and most conducive to the Advancement of Piety and true Godliness and establishing the Peace of the Realm being received by the general Consent of the Nation to be the only Government in the 114 Act Iac. 6. Parl. 12. An. 1592. Setling the Government of the Church on Presbyterian Ministers outed since Ian. 1661. and such as they have received or shall receive Taking notice that many of the Episâ—opal Ministers had deserted their Flocks and others were depriv'd for not reading the Proclamation and not praying for the King and Queen Iâ—id They authorize the Presbyterian Ministers to appoint Visitors and purge out scandalous and in sufficient Ministers and order those who are contumacious and proven guilty to be suspended and deprived Act 14. Impowering the Council to tender the Oath of Allegiance to suspected Persons or to secure them who shall be informed against on probable grounds and to â—ine such as refuse in a fifth of their Estate and not to exceed one or two Year's Rent of them who are Landed-Men Act 17. About visiting Universities appointing Professors in the Faculties to take the Oath of Allegiance and submit to the Government of the Church Act 35. Against such Ministers as being deprived for not praying for their Majesties do preach and pray elsewhere and diffuse the Poison of their Disaffection forbidding them to exercise any part of their Ministerial Function on any pretence whatsoever until they swear Allegiance engage to pray for King William and Queen Mary and disown King Iames or to be proceeded against as disaffected Act 23. Concerning Patronages The Freeholders and Elders of the Parish being Protestants are to have
A CONTINUATION OF THE ANSWER TO THE Scots Presbyterian Eloquence Dedicated to the Parliament of Scotland Being a Vindication of the Acts of that August Assembly from the Clamours and Aspersions of the Scots Prelatical Clergy in their Libels printed in England With a Confutation of Dr. M 's Postscript in Answer to the former proving That it 's not the Church of England's Interest to countenance the Scots outed Clergy As also Reflections on Sir Geo. Mackenzy's Defence of Charles the Second's Government in Scotland And Instances on Record of Sir George's Subornation against Sir Hugh and Sir George Campbel and the Laird of Blackwood Presbyterian Gentlemen Together with the Acts of the Scots General Assembly and present Parliament compared with the Acts of Parliament in the two last Reigns against the Presbyterians By VVILL LAICK London Printed in the Year 1693. TO THE STATES of SCOTLAND in Parliament Assembled Most Noble Patriots I Presume but with that profound Respect which is due to such an August Assembly humbly to implore your Protection to this rude and indigested yet real Effort of true Love to my Country and to you Worthy Patriots in particular whom all honest-hearted Scotsmen look upon as the Healers of our Breaches and Restorers of our Paths to dwell in And therefore it is not possible for any Man who has a drop of true Scots Blood in his Veins to hear your Authority impugned and your Wisdom called in Question without resenting it to the utmost of his Ability And if according to the common Opinion of some of our Neighbours Sâ—otorum ingenia sint praefervida an Affront of that Nature is enough to make them boil over Hence it is that in a former Endeavour I could not forbear to besprinkle Scotico aceto some degenerate Monsters of our Country who exposed to contempt as much as in them lay whatever Scotsmen account dear in things Civil and Sacred Had it been only a particular Party or some such pack'd Clubs as disgraced the Name of Parliaments in former Reigns and enacted such Laws as their present Majesties with your Advice have declared to be impious had it I say been thus the Matter might have been the more easily digested but to have a lawful and a freely elected Parliament of Scotland charged in a Neighbouring Kingdom with a deliberate and malicious Lie in an Act so unanimously resolv'd on and duly canvas'd as was that of your Assembly concerning the Nation 's being first reformed by Presbyters and that therefore Presbyterian Government is most sutable to the Inclinations of our People I say to have a Lie of that Nature charged upon you is a Piece of Impudence that none but the Party culpable could be guilty of And yet as if they had a mind to exhaust all the Treasure of the bottomless Pit at once and to bankrupt the Malice and Falshood of Hell for ever after they go on to charge you further with lodging the Government of the Church in the Hands of such blasphemous ignorant and immoral Beasts as Asrica never produced the like and to aggravate your Guilt would make our Neighbouring Nation believe that at the â—ame time you have turn'd out such a Generation of Ministers as the Primitive Church would have been proud of for their Sanctity and adorâ—d for their Learning Thus those common Incendiaries in their printed Libels treat the Parliament of Scotland which for the Antiquity of its Standing and fulness of its Power gives place to none in Europe But it is not to be wondred at most Noble Patriots that that Party should treat you thus seeing they hate your being any otherwise than to serve as their Drudges and devour the best and most industrious Part of the Subjects by which both you and that Ancient Kingdom which you represent were well-nigh entomb'd in Oblivion and Disgrace It was that Party who changed a well-limited and regular Monarchy into an absolute and uncontroulable Tyranny that durst arrogate a Power to cass and annul your firmest Laws and treat you with Contempt as perfect Slaves It was that Party who robbed Christ of his Prerogatives Royal to be Jewels in the Crowns of their Absolute Monarchs It was that Party which robbed the People of their Consciences to bring them to an absolute dependance on the Prelatical Mitres And not only deprived you of the Property of your Houses but denied you a safe Retreat into your own Hearts It was that Party who rendred K. Iames the Sixth so much a Prelatical Bigot as to the disturbance both of Church and State and contrary to his Oath to obtrude Bishops upon the Nation and persecute the sincerest Protestants while at the same time he indulged the Papists and in fine had such an aversion for his Native Country that instead of seeing it once in three Years for administring Justice according to his Promise he never came to it but once after his Succession to the Crown of England and instead of favouring his Church of Scotland which he pretended once so much to admire he persecuted those who declin'd a Conformity with the Church of England It was that Party who influenced Charles the First though a Native of Scotland to put such an intolerable Affront upon the Nation as to demand their Crown to be sent to England and afterwards to invade us with a formidable Army designing an absolute Conquest and in an unnatural manner to subject that Nation to his newly acquired Crown which his Ancestors did so much disdain that they maintain'd 300 Years War upon that Head with no small Glory And how the Faction prevail'd with Charles the Second to requite our Nation for making themselves a Field of Blood in Defence of his Title is so fresh that it needs not be recapitulated and it is yet much more recent how well K. Iames the Seventh rewarded us for owning his Right of Succession when England had in a manner spued him out by the Bill of Exclusion he I say rewarded us by publishing such despotical Proclamations as with an unparallel'd audacity declared us Slaves to the perpetual Infamy of that Generation of Scotsmen who were so tamely bereft of their Liberty which our Noble Progenitors maintained against Romans Picts Britains Danes Saxons Normans and English for twenty preceeding Ages So that I say considering how the Prelatical Faction inâ—luenced those four Monarchs to treat our Nation though they derived their Being and Honour from it and were otherwise in many respects tantorum haud quaquam indigni avorum The Resolve of your August Assembly that Prelacy was an insupportable Grievance to that Kingdom deserves to be engraven in Pillars of Corinthian Brass and that all Scotsmen as no doubt many thousands will should not only wheâ— their Pens but their Swords in defence of it It is that Party who in this Reign impugn your Authority by procuring Letters from Court to command such things to the Assembly as by Law they are not
Enemies to the present Government and French Incendiaries or at least such a Crew as would sacriâ—ice all that is dear to us as Men and Christians to their own private Resentments 1. It is very well known and too lately transacted to be forgotten that the States of Scotland in their Claim of Right did demand the Abolition of Prelacy as contrary to the Inclination of the Generality of the People on which Condition amongst others their Majesties accepted that Crown and in pursuance of their Promise have by Act of Parliament abolished Prelacy since and established Presbytery in Scotland as most agreeable to the World of God as well as the Peoples Inclinations Then if their Majesties should be prevailed upon which blessed be God there is no cause to fear to act contrary to their solemn Oaths and the Claim of Right they must needs see that the People of Scotland would have ground enough to plead a Breach of the Original Contract nor could the Church of England for shame condemn them seeing they made use of the same Plea in their Convention and Parliament against King Iames. And in the next place let them but consider that upon the same ground this or any other King may as well break with them and invade the Constitution of their Church which by the Coronation-Oath they have bound him to maintain And whether Charles the Second after he was by them perswaded to break his Oath to the Presbyterians in Scotland made any greater Conscience of maintaining the Civil and Religious Liberties of England Iâ— appeal to themselves And therefore seeing by that excessive Power which they gave their Kings in things sacred meerly to destroy the Presbyterians they found at last that they had put a Rod in their Hands to whip themselves I think they should be cautious how they play that Game over again I do not write this as having any suspicion that their Majesties are so weak as to be prevailed upon to alter the Church-Government in Scotland but meerly to let the World see that they who sollicite them to it are their greatest Enemies and design to shake their Throne and that it is not the Church of England's Interest to countenance our Scots Prelatisâ—â— nor to importune their Majesties on that Head If what is already said be not enough I would earnestly intreat all sober Church-of England-Men to consider what were the Consequences of their meddling in our Affairs and incensing King Charles the First against the Presbyterians in favour of our Runnagate Prelates and their Hirelings And seeing like Causes may have the like Effects they would do well to beware It is not unknown that Scotland is a distinct Nation and ought to be govern'd by their own Laws and Councils and therefore it must needs be an Invasion of the Rights of Scotland for English Ministers of State and Prelates to meddle or give Counsel in Scotish Affairs when not call'd to it And I cannot but think that all reasonable Men will easily grant that the Parliament and General Assembly of the Church of Scotland are better Judges of what is expedient for that Nation than a few English Ministers of State or Prelates and that both of them have reason to reject what Directions or Injunctions come from such a Mint And I would put it to the Consciences of all judicious Church-of England-Men how they would take it if the King were in Scotland that any of the Dissenting Ministers who are really injured as those who preached at St. Hellin and Hiâ—ley Chappels in Lancashire or the whole of them because denied a Comprehension should â—ly thither and by their Interest with Scots Presbyterian Ministers of State and Preachers importune his Majesty to have the Constitution of the Church of England overturned and proâ—ure Orders to have such and such Ministers planted in Churches tho they refuse to satisfy the Law I say in such a case I appeal to their own Consciences how they would take it whether they would reckon themselves obliged to obey or if they would not complain that their Rights were invaded and demand Satisfaction of such Ministers of State c. as Incendiaries and Disâ—â—â—bers of the Harmony between King and Subjects I believe verily they would and that not without good reason tho I am sure the case is much stronger on our side still for the Dissenting Ministers of England are all of them Loyal to his Majesty willing to swear Allegiance and pray for him but so are not our Scots Prelatists And besides his Majesty is really the Head and Fountain of all Power in the Church of England who have not only their Temporal Baronies and Honours from him but are nominated to their Bishopricks by him but so it is not in Scotland where he hath divested himself of the Supremacy and neither bestows Lands nor Honours upon Church-Men Then the case being so the Golden Rule which commands us to do as we would be done by should oblige English-Men not to meddle with our Church no more than they would have us to meddle with theirs and if the Parliament of Scotland do pass over what of that Nature is already done it 's not to be supposed that the Red Rampant Lion is become so much a Calf as not to roar sometime or other and make the fattest and proudest of the Beasts in the Field to tremble as ersâ— of old but I hope and pray that God will avert both the Cause and the Effect The English Bishops did not gain so much by the the last Bellum Episcopale against us that they need to be fond of another and we doubt not to find as much Justice from the Parliament of England now as we found then and have no reason to doubt but King William would be as ready as Charles the First to deliver up his Ministers to the Law if it should be made appear against them that they have been meddling too much in our Affairs I know that our Scots Prelatists possess the Church of England that we think our selves obliged to endeavour the Extirpation of their Hierarchy and upon that account prevail with them to endeavour our Subversion But I would earnestly beg all moderate Men to weigh the following Answers 1. That the reason of entring into that solemn League and Covenant was the Fury which the English Prelates evidenced at that time against the Church of Scotland having excommunicated the same in all the Churches in England forced a Service-Book upon us more exceptionable than their own and in Conjunction with Papists enabled Charles the First to raise 30000 Men against us when the Parliament of England refus'd to concur with him insomuch that that Expedition was called the Bishops War But blessed be God his present Majesty is far from any such Attempt and the English Bishops the chief of them at least are Men of more Moderation So that there is no such cause for us to endeavour the Overthrow of their Hierarchy 2. That the
never be justified And as for the Rebellions he charges us with under King Charles the First let any body peruse Rushworth's Collections or even Sir Richard Baker's Chronicle and tho all the Truth be not written there it will be easy to perceive that the Innovations made upon the Church of Scotland and the Invasions on the Liberties of England were the cause of that Prince's Misfortunes who was misled by a Popish Wife and misinformed by Popish and Prelatical Ministers to his Ruine That unfortunate King put one Affront on our Nation mentioned by Sir Richard Baker that was enough of it self to have made them shake off his Government viz. the demanding of the Crown of Scotland to be brought hither for him to be crowned with which argued such a Degeneracy of Spirit and so much of an alienated Mind from his Native Country that 〈◊〉 a wonder how ever Scots-Men should have own'd him afterwards the greatest Monarch that ever sat upon the English Throne would have gone as far as Scoon and thank'd us too to have had the Honour of it and for a Scots-Man so far to undervalue his native Country as to demand the poor and almost the only remaining Badg of their Honour Antiquity and Independency to be brought into another Nation Quis talia fando temperet a Ne quid aspersus dicam Certainly nothing but an exuberant Loyalty and Esteem for their natural Prince whom doubtless they considered as over-ruled by pernicious Counsel could ever have made that Kingdom put up the Affront And therefore when he persisted to oppress and persecute them upon the account of their Consciences it was no wonder that they re-assum'd the Spirit of their Ancestors and let him know that the Kings of Scotland were never allowed an Arbitrary Power nor did ever any of them usurp it but it prov'd fatal to them or theirs Nor never was the Nation so much degenerate but since the Reign of our Protestant Prelacy who were the Creatures and Supporters of Tyranny for in the times of Popery we had more Grandees than we have now that could tell how to put the Bell about the Cat 's Neck on occasion as Archbald Douglas Earl of Angus did to King Iames the Third but since the Union of the Crowns the fall of our Grandees and the Combination of the English and Scots Mitres Scots-Men durst never say their Head was their own but when they had the Sword in their Hand except it be under this present Government And therefore the Nation of Scotland is mightily obliged to Prelacy Ibid. He charges the Presbyterians with Enthusiasm Our Prelatâ—sts are of late become as fond of this Expression as is the Cuckow of his known Note and I can imagine no other reason why than because they are so accustomed to swallow their Liquor that as the Lecher pleases himself with Baudy Stories so do they with the very word Enthusiasm which is but a Greek Term signiâ—ying pouring in and in this sense I 'll maintain it that it 's more proper to be applied to our Drunken Prelatists than in any manner to us I always understood Enthusiasts to be a sort of Persons who pretended to other Revelations than the written Word for their Rule such as our Quakers and the old German Anabaptists or absit verbo invidia our Prelatists who build more upon the uncertain and superstitious Writings ascribed to some of the Fathers than on the Writings of the Apostles who are the Grandfathers or on the Rationale of a Durandus or the Poetical Whims of any Church Devoto for their unscriptural Ceremonies than on Diviâ—e Revelation which orders us to worship God as he commands and not as we think good in our own Eyes Then seeing the Presbytérians do plead for a strict Conformity to the Scripture as the Rule of Faith and Manners and that our Prelatists admit of By-Rules for which no Reason can be assigned but the Capricio of some fanciful Bigot or corrupted Father let the World judg which Party is most chargeable with Enthusiasm Ibid. He says That the Acts of our General Assemblies do sufficiently vindicate Charles the Second and his Ministers of State from any shadow of Rigour or Cruelty It were easy to answer the Doctor in his own Coin that the knavish Address of the Scots Bishops against the Prince of Orange their opposing him in Parliament and the Barbarities committed upon the Presbyterians by the Prelatists as above related are sufficient to vindicate us from any shadow of Rigour or Cruelty which must by all Men who have not forfeited Sense and Reason be allowed more than a sufficient Answer But further the Doctor would have done well to have cited those Acts and then a more particular Answer could have been given However I 'le guess at his meaning and suppose them to be such as declared against imploying Malignants in Places of Power and Trust which was the Opinion of those called Remonstrators And if so pray good Doctor why is this more culpable than your Church-of England Test which excludes all Dissenters from Places of Power and Trust and that also against his Majesty's Desire in his Speech to the Parliament wherein he did rationally insinuate that the taking off of the same would unite his Subjects in his Service against the Common Enemy If the Copy was bad why does the Church of England follow it Or do you not think that we had as much reason to keep out Prelatists from Places of Power and Trust as you have to keep out Presbyterians Nay I do verily believe there is no true English-man or Protestant who does not see the Mischief which happens daily by the continuance of this Test which obliges his Majesty to make use of such as do betray him continually And whether the Scots Presbyterians were mistaken in their Conjectures that our Prelatists when admitted into Trust would betray our Religion and Liberties let the late Revolution and the Causes of it testify Or if there was any such Act made or intended by any Assembly of the Church of Scotland as disown'd Charles Stuart the Head of the Malignants because of his breach of Covenant and designs to enslave the Nation it must 〈◊〉 be own'd that they were too clear-sighted and that the Church of England do the same in relation to K. Iames who had as good a Right to the Crown according to the Prelatical Principles as ever his Brother had and if Passive Obedience be a true Doctrine ought as little to have been opposed as he Then supposing it true that the Remonstrators were against owning of him on the Accounts aforesaid yet seeing they were not the majority of the Presbyterians and were willing to submit to his Legal Administration swear Allegiance and live peaceably under his Governmâ—nt neither Reason nor Conscience will justify his Proceedings against the Presbyterians in general on that Account or the making of Laws on purpose to fret their Consciences and press the execution of
all such who shall be received into Communion with them in Church-Government be obliged to subscribe the Confession of Faith ratified in the second Session of the Parliament There it 's plain that they arrogate no more Power than what is given them by Law and it 's obvious that by this Act they neither exclude the Prelatists ab officio nor beneficio So that the Church-of England-Men have no reason to complain that their Brethren are severely treated for they have made no such steps towards a Comprehension with the English Dissenters though his Majesty desired it And yet what a racket do they keep because the Scots Episcopal Clergy are only denied a share in the Government of the Church which they designedly seek that they may undermine it and are not ashamed to own it In their Letter to his Majesty Novemb. 13. 1690. at the Close of that Assembly they acquaint him with the Instructions which they had given to those appointed for Viâ—itation concerning the Conformists viz. That none of them shall be removed from their Places but such as are either Insufficient Scandalous Erroneous or supinely negligent and that those of them be admitted to Ministerial Communion who upon due trial shall be found Orthodox Able Godly Peaceable and Loyal and that such who shall be found to have received Wrong in any Inferior Judicatory of the Church should be duly redressed Yet what Clamour what Lies what Obloquy and Reproach have the poor Presbyterians of Scotland been loaded with in blasphemous and virulent Pamphlets publish'd in London by Hindmarsh the late King's Bookseller and promoted and disseminated by that ungovernable Faction And what a clutter did the high-â—lown Courtiers keep about the Scots General-Assembly how industrious to misrepresent them to the King and how restless till they had them dissolved contrary to the Laws and at such a time as we were threatned with a Rebellion at Home and an Invasion from Abroad that so his Majesty having disobliged his only Friends in Scotland might be totally deprived of any Assistance from thence but blessed be God who disappointed their Designs And I hope that moderate and truly Religious Church-of England-Men will henceforth be more cautious in listening to the Calumnies of our Episcopal Clergy when they consider the Moderation of the above-mentioned Acts of the Presbyterian General-Assembly which they have no reason to think of such dangerous Consequence as our Pamphleteers would have them believe and as D M ro in his Papers lately seized by Authority would have further insinuated And that they may have yet a further proof of their Moderation I would pray them to read the seventh Instruction given by the said Assembly to the Commissioners appointed for Visitation viz. That they be very cautious of receiving Informations against the late Conformists and that they proceed in the matter of Censure very deliberately so as none may have just cause to complain of their Rigidity yet so as to omit no means of Information and that they shall not proceed to Censure but upon sufficient Probation And that the World may be farther satisfied in their Impartiality in the fourth Instruction they declared that the Power of the Visiters shall reach Presbyterians as well as others and in the second Instruction they gave them Power to stop the precipitant or unwarrantable Procedure of Presbyteries in Processes If any Proceedings can be more mild or regular let the World judg So that whether Dr. M â— and his Fellow Libellers who impudently assert that there is nothing like Order Moderation or Justice among the Presbyterians be Liars or not let these Acts determine And if there were no other thing to stop the Mouths of all Cavillars the Assembly's Declaration That they would depose no Incumbents simply for their Iudgment concerning Church-Government nor yet urge Reordination upon them were sufficient and if there be any Ingenuity in the Church-of England-Men it may for ever silence them as to their Complaints against our Administration seeing those of their Communion have been and continue still to be so much guilty of a contrary Practice towards Dissenters And further this Assembly whom they branded as void of all Moderation or Humanity made an Act in favour of Mr. Couper Curat of Humby and recommended Mr. Cameron one of the late Conformists to the Privy-Council for Charity which is more than ever was done by any Episcopal Assembly in favour of Presbyterian Ministers Having proved the Falshood of the Episcopal Calumnies against our Church as void of Moderation it remains that I do the same as to the State and tho it be already sufficiently done in my first Answer it will not be amiss to insist on it in this And because contraria juxta se posita magis â—lucescunt I shall exhibit a short Epitome of their Acts of Parliament against us in the two last Reigns and of ours against them in this that the World may see on whose side Justice and Moderation lies Acts of Parliament by Charles the Second and James the Seventh against the Presbyterian Government and Prebyterians in Scotland PArl. 1. Session 1. Car. II. They enacted the Oath of Allegiance asserting the King to be the only Supream Governour over all Persons and in all Causes and obliging the Takers to the utmost of their Power to defend assist and maintain his Majesty's said Jurisdiction against all Persons whatsoever and that they should never decline his Power and Jurisdiction Parl. 1. Sess. 1. Act 2 3 4 5 11. An Acknowledgment of the King 's vast and unlimited-Prerogative was enjoin'd to be subscribed by all in publick Trust over and above the Oath of Allegiance Octob. 1662. The Council not Parliament turn'd out 300 Ministers without Citation or Hearing Parl. 1. Sess. 1. Act 7. Sess. 2. Act 2. They enacted That the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant should have no Obligation and ordered them to be burnt by the Hand of the Hangman Sess. 2. Act 3. They restored Patronages Sess. 1. Act 4. Enacted That none be Masters in any University except they take the Oath of Allegiance and own Prelacy and none should be School-master Tutor or Pedagogue to Children without a Prelate's Licence Sess. 2. Act 5. and Sess. 2. Act 3. Enacted That all in publick Trust or Office renounce and abjure the Covenant on pain of losing their Places and Privilege of Trading Sess. 2. Act 2. Enacted That all Petitions Writing Printing Remonstrating Praying or Preaching shewing any dislike of the King 's absolute Prerogative and Supremacy in Causes Ecclesiastick or Episcopacy be punished as seditious And that no Meetings be kept in private Houses Sess. 3. Act 2. Enacted That all Non-conformed Ministers that presume to exercise their Ministry shall be punish'd as seditious Persons And that all Persons in acknowledgment of his Majesty's Government Ecclesiastical attend the Sermons of the Curats Noblemen and Gentlemen refusing to lose a fourth of their Rents Burgesses their Freedom and a fourth part