of the Primitive Christian Church 23. That true Christians receive the body of Iesus Christ every day by Faith 24. That after Matrimony be contracted and consummate the Kyrk may make no Divorcement 25. That Excommunication bindes not if unjust 26. That the Pope forgives not sins but onely God 27. That Faith should not be given to Miracles to such namely as the Romish were then and are to this day 28. That we should not pray to the glorious Virgin Mary but to God onely since he onely hears us and can help us 29. That we are no more bound to pray in the Kyrk then in other places 30. That we are not bound to beleeve all that Doctors of the Kirk have written 31. That such as worship the Sacrament in the Kyrk we suppose the Sacrament of the Altar commits Idolatry 32. That the Pope is the head of the Kirk of Antichrist 33. That the Pope and his Ministers are murtherers of souls 34. That they which are called Princes and Prelates in the Church are Theeves and Robbers By these Articles which God of his mercifull providence caused the enemies of his truth to keep in their registers may appear how mercifully God hath looked upon this Realm retaining within it some spark of his lyght even in the time of greatest darknesse Neither ought any man to wonder albeit that some things be obscurely and some things doubtfully spoken But rather ought all faithfull to magnifie Gods mercy who without publike Doctrine gave so great light And further we ought to consider that seeing that the enemies of Jesus Christ gathered the foresaid Articles thereupon to accuse the persons aforesaid that they would deprave the meaning of Gods servants so far as they could as we doubt not but they have done in the heads of Excommunication Swearing and of Matrimony In the which it is no doubt but the servants of God did damne the abuse only and not the right Ordinance of God for who knows not that the Excommunication in these dayes was altogether abused That Swearing aboundeth without punishment or remorse of conscience And that Divorcements was made for such causes as worldly men had invented But to our History Albeit that the accusation of the Bishop and of his Complices was very grievous yet God so assisted his servants partly by inclining the Kings heart to gentlenesse for divers of them were his great familiars and partly by giving bold and godly answers to their Accusators that the enemies in the end weâ—e frustrate of their purpose For while the Bishop in mockage said to Adâ—m Reade of Barskeiming Reade beleeve ye that God is in heaven He answered Not as I do the Sacraments seven Whereat the Bishop thinking to have triumphed said Sir lo he denies that God is in heaven Whereat the King wondring said Adam Reade What say ye The other answered Pleaseth your Majesty to hear the end betwixt the churle and me and therewith he turned to the Bishop and said I neither think nor beleeve as thou thinkest that God is in heaven but I am most assured that he is not onely in heaven but also in the earth But thou and thy faction declare by your works that either ye think there is no God at all or else that he is so set up in heaven that he regards not what is done upon the earth for if thou firmly beleevedst that God were in the heaven thou shouldest not make thy self check-mate to the King and altogether forget the charge that Jesus Christ the Son of God gave to his Apostles which was To Preach his Gospel and not to play the proud Prelates as all the rabble of you do this day And now Sir said he to the King judge ye whether the Bishop or I beleeve best that God is in heaven While the Bishop and his band could not well revenge themselves and while many taunts were given them in their teeth The King willing to put an end to further reasoning said to the said Adam Reade Wilt thou burn thy bill He answered Sir the Bishop and ye will With these and the like scoffs the Bishop and his band were so dashed out of countenance that the greatest part of accusation was turned to laughter After that Diet we finde almost no question for matters of Religion the space neer of thirty yeers for not long after to wit in the yeer of God 1500. the said Bishop Blaktar departed this life going in his superstitious devotion to Ierusalem Unto whom succeeded Master Iames Betone son to the Laird of Balfor in Fife who was more carefull of the world then he was to Preach Christ or yet to advance any Religion but for the fashion onely and as he sought the world it fled him not For it was well known that at once he was Archbishop of Saint Andrews Abbot of Dunfermeling Aberbrothe Kylwinning and Chancellour of Scotland For after the unhappy field of Flowdonne in the which perished King Iames the fourth with the greatest part of the Nobility of the Realm the said Betonne with the rest of the Prelates had the whole Regiment of the Realm And by reason thereof held and travelled to hold the truth of God in thraldome and bondage till that it pleased God of his great mercy in the yeer of God 1527. to raise up his servant Master Patrick Hammilton at whom our History doth begin Of whose progenie life and erudition because men of fame and renown have in divers works written we omit all curious repetition sending such as would know further of him then we write to Francis Lambert Iohn Frith and to that notable work lately set forth by Iohn Fox English man of the lives and deaths of Martyrs within this Isle in this our age This servant of God Master Patrick Hamilton being in his youth provided to reasonable honours and living he was intituled Abbot of Fern as one hating the world and the vanitie thereof left Scotland and passed to the Schools in Germany for then the fame of the Universitie of Wittenberg was greatly divulgate in all Countreys where by Gods providence he became familar with those lights and notable servants of Christ Jesus of that time Martin Luther Philip Melancthon and the said Francis Lambert did so grow and advance in godly knowledge joyned with fervencie and integrity of life that he was in admiration with many The zeal of Gods glory did so eat him up that he could not long continue to remain there but returned to his countrey where the bright beams of the true light which by Gods grace was planted in his heart began most abundantly to burst forth as well in publike as in secret for he was besides his godly knowledge well learned in Phylosophie he abhorred Sophistrie and would that the Text of Aristotle should have been better understood and more used in the Schools than then it was for Sophistrie had corrupted all as well in Divinitie as
heart and that without any respect of reward Faith pertaineth to God onely Hope to his reward and Charity to her neighbour Of good Works NO manner of works make us righteous We beleeve that a man shall be justified without works No man is justified by the deeds of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ and we beleeve in Jesus Christ that we may be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the deeds of the Law If righteousnesse come by the Law then Christ died in vain That no man is justified by the Law it is manifest for a righteous man liveth by his Faith but the Law is not of Faith Moreover since Christ the maker of heaven and earth and all that therein is behoved to die for us We are compelled to grant that we were so far drowned in sins that neither the deeds nor all the creatnres that ever God made or might make might help us out of them Ergo No deeds nor works can make us righteous No works make us unrighteous for if any work made us unrighteous then the contrary works would make us righteous But it is proved that no works can make us righteous Ergo No works make us unrighteous Works make us neither good nor evil IT is proved that works neither make us righteous nor unrighteous Ergo No works neither make us good nor evil for righteous and good are one thing and unrighteous and evil another Good works make not a good man nor evil works an evil man But a good man maketh good works and an evil man evil works good fruit maketh not the tree good nor evil fruit the tree evil But a good tree beareth good fruit and an evil tree evil fruit A good man cannot do evil works nor an evil man good works for an evil tree cannot bear good fruit nor a good tree evil fruit A good man is good before he do good works and an evil man is evil before he do evil works for the tree is good before it bear good fruit and evil before it bear evil fruit Every man is either good or evil either make the tree good and the fruit good also or else make the tree evil and the fruit likewise evil Every mans work is either good or evil for all fruit is either good or evil Either make the tree good and the fruit also or else make the tree evil and the fruit of it likewise evil A good man is known by his works for a good man doth good works and an evil evil works Ye shall know them by their fruits for a good tree bringeth forth good fruit and an evil tree evil fruit A man is likened to the tree and his works to the fruit of the tree Beware of false Prophets which come unto you in sheeps cloathing but inwardly they are ravening wolves ye shall know them by their fruit None of our works either save us nor condemne us IT is proved that no works make us either righteous or unrighteous good or evil but first we are good before that we do good works and evil before we do evil works Ergo No work either saveth us nor condemneth us Thou wilt say Then maketh it no matter what we do I answer thee Yes For if thou do evil it is a sure argument that thou art evil and wantest Faith If thou do good it is an argument that thou art good and hast Faith for a good tree beareth good fruit and an evil tree evil fruit Yet good fruit maketh not the tree good nor evil fruit the tree evil So that man is good before he do good works and evil before he do evil works The man is the tree the works are the fruit Faith maketh the good tree Incredulity the evil tree Such a tree such a fruit such man works For all that is done in Faith pleaseth God and are good works And all that is done without Faith displeaseth God and are evil works Whosoever thinketh to be saved by his works denieth that Christ is our Saviour and that Christ died for him and finally all things that belongeth to Christ. For how is he thy Saviour if thou mightst save thy self with thy works Or to what end should he have died for thee if any works of thine might have saved thee What is this to say Christ died for thee Is it not that thou shouldst have died perpetually and that Christ to deliver thee from death died for thee and changed thy perpetuall death into his own death for thou madest the fault and he suffered the pain and that for the love he had to thee before ever thou wast born when thou hadst done neither good nor evil Now since he hath paid thy debt thou diest not no thou canst not but shouldest have been damned if his death were not But since he was punished for thee thou shalt not be punished Finally he hath delivered thee from condemnation and desireth nothing of thee but that thou shouldest acknowledge what he hath done for thee and bear it in minde and that thou wouldest help others for his sake both in word and deed even as he hath helped thee for nought and without reward O how ready would we be to help others if we knew his goodnesse and gentlenesse towards us he is a good and a gentle Lord and he doth all things for nought Let us I beseech you follow his footsteps whom all the world ought to praise and worship Amen He that thinketh to be saved by his works calleth himself Christ. FOr he calleth himselfe a Saviour which appertaineth to Christ onely What is a Saviour But he that saveth And thou sayest I save my selfe which is as much to say as I am Christ for Christ is onely the Saviour of the world We should do no good works to the intent to get the inheritance of heaven or remission of sins through them For whosoever beleeveth to get the inheritance of heaven or remission of sins through works he beleeveth not to get that for Christs sake And they who beleeve that their sins are not forgiven them and that they shall not be saved for Christs sake they beleeve not the Gospel for the Gospel saith Thou shalt be saved for Christs sake Sins are forgiven you for Christs sake He that beleeveth not the Gospel beleeveth not God And consequently they that beleeve to be saved by their works or to get remission of sins by their own deeds beleeve not God but account him a liar and so utterly deny him to be God Thou wilt say Shall we then do no good works I say not so But I say we should do no good works to the intent to get the kingdom of heaven or remission of sins for if we beleeve to get the inheritance of heaven through good works then we beleeve not to get it through the promise of God Or if we think to get remission of our sins by good works we believe not
or at least a Prelats Peere a true servant to the King of Love who upon a night after Supper asked of his Gentlemen by the faith that they ought to the king of Love that they truely declare how many sundry women every one of them had and how many of them were mens wives One answered He had lien with five and two of them were married The other answered I have had seven and three of them are married It came last to my Lord Abbot himself who making it very nice for a little space gave in the end a plain confession and said I am the youngest man and yet have I had the round dozen and seven of them are mens wives Now said the Frier This god and king of Love to whom our Prelates do homage is the master devill of hell from whom such fruits and works do proceed This Frier was known by his proper tokens to have been Prior Patrike Hepburne now Bishop of Murray who to this day hath continued in the profession that he hath made to his god and king of love It was supposed notwithstanding this kinde of preaching that this Frier remained Papist in his heart For the other Friers fearing to lose the Benediction of the Bishops to wit Their Malt and their Meale and their other appointed Pensions caused the said Frier to flie to England where for defence of the people and Papistry he was cast into prison at King Henries commandment But so it pleased God to open the mouth of Balaams own Asse to cry out against the vitious lives of the Clergie of that age Shortly after this new consultation was taken there that some should be burnt for men began liberally to speak A merry Gentleman named Iohn Lindsey familiar to Bishop Iames Betonne standing by when consultation was had said My Lord If ye burne any more except ye follow my counsell ye will utterly destroy your selves if ye will burne them let them be burnt in hollow Cellars for the smoke of Master Patrike Hammilton hath infected as many as it blew upon Thus it pleased God that they should be tanted in their own face But here followeth the most merry of all One Alexander Furrour who had been imprisoned seven yeers in the Tower of London Sir Iohn Dungwaill according to the charity of Church-men entertained his wife and wasted the poor mans substance for the which cause at his returning he spake more liberally of Priests then they could bear And so was he declared to be accused for heresie and called to his answer to Saint Andrewes he leapt up merrily upon the Scaffold and casting a gambade said Where are the rest of the Players Master Andrew Olyphant offended therewith said It shall be no Play to you Sir before ye depart and so began to reade his Accusation the first Article whereof was That he despised the Masse His answer was I heare more Maffes in eight dayes than three Bishops there sitting say in a yeare Accused secondly of the contempt of the Sacraments The Priests said he were the most common contemners of Sacraments and specially of Matrimony And that he witnessed by many of the Priests there present and named the mans wife with whom they had medled and especially Sir Iohn Dungwaill who had seven yeers together abused his own wife and consumed his substance and said because I complain of such injuries I am here summoned and accused as one that is worthy to be burnt For Gods sake said he will ye take wives of your own that I and others whom ye have abused may be revenged upon you Then Bishop Gawin Dumbar named the old Bishop of Aberdein thinking to justifie himself before the people said Carle thou shalt not know my wife The said Alexander answered My Lord ye are too old but with the grace of God I shall drink with your daughter or I depart and thereat was smiling of the best and loud laughter of some for the Bishop had a daughter married with Andrew Balfour in that Town Then the Bishop bade away with the carle But he answered Nay I will not depart this hour for I have more to speak against the vices of Priests than I can expresse this whole day And so after divers purposes they commanded him to burn his Bill And he demanding the cause they said Because ye have spoken these Articles whereof ye are accused His answer was The great devill beare them away that first and last said them and so he took the Bill and chawing it he spat it in Master Andrew Olyphants face saying Now burn it or drown it whether ye wil ye hear no more of me But I must have somewhat of every one of you to begin my pack againe which a Priest and my wife a Priests whore have spent And so every Prelat and rich Priest glad to be quit of his evill gave him somewhat and so departed he for he understood nothing of Religion But so fearfull it was then to speak any thing against Priests that the least word spoken against them yea albeit it was spoken in a mans sleep was judged Heresie and that was practised upon Richard Carmichell yet living in Fyfe who being young and Singer in the Chappel Royal of Sterelin happened in his sleep to say The devill take away the Priests for they are a greedy pack He therefore accused by Sir George Clapperton Dean of the said Chappel was compelled forthwith to burne his Bill But God shortly after raised up against them stronger Champions For Alexander Seton a black Frier of good learning and estimation began to blame the corrupt doctrine of Papistry For the space of a whole Lent he taught the Commandment onely ever beating in the ears of his auditors That the Law of God had of many yeers not been truely taught for mens Tradition had obscured the purity of it These were his accustomed Propositions 1. Christ Jesus is the end and perfection of the Law 2. There is no sin where Gods Law is not violated 3. To satisfie for sins lies not in mans power but the remission thereof cometh by unfained Repentance and by faith apprehending God the Father mercifull in Jesus Christ his Son While oftentimes he puts his auditors in minde of this and the like Heads he maketh no mention of Purgatory Pardons Pilgrimage prayer to Saints nor of such trifles The dumb Doctors and the rest of that forsworne rabble began to suspect him and yet said they nothing publikely till Lent was ended And he passed to Dundie And then one in his absence hired to that purpose openly condemned the whole Doctrine that before he had taught Which coming to the ears of the said Frier Alexander then being in Dundie without delay he returned to Saint Andrewes caused immediately to toll the Bell and to give signification that he would preach as that he did indeed in the which Sermon he affirmeth and that more plainly than at any other time whatsoever in all his
And albeit he was not the most learned yet was his doctrine without corruption and therefore well liked of the people At the Easter after Anno 1547. came to the Castle of S. Andrews Iohn Knox who wearied of removing from place to place by reason of the persecution that came upon him by the Bishop of S. Andrews was determined to have left Scotland and to have visited the Schools of Germany of England then he had no pleasure by reason that although the Popes name was suppressed yet his laws corruptions remained in full vigor But because he had the care of some Gentlemens children whom certain yeers he had nourished in godlinesse Their father 's solicited him to go to S. Andrews that himselfe might have the benefit of the Castle and their children the benefit of his Doctrine And so we say came he the time aforesaid to the said place and having in his company Francis Dowglas of Langnidrie George his brother and Alexander Cokburne eldest son then to the Laird of Ormeston began to exercise them after his accustomed manner Besides the Grammar and other books of humane Learning he read unto them a Catechisme account whereof he caused them give publikely in the Parish Church of S. Andrews He read moreover unto them the Gospel of Iohn proceeding where he left at his departure from Langnidrie where before his residence was and that Lecture he read in the Chappell within the Castle at a certain houre They of the place but specially M. Hen. Balnaves Iohn Rough Preacher perceiving the manner of his Doctrine began earnestly to travell with him that he would take the Function of Preacher upon him but he refused alleadging that he would not run where God had not called him meaning that he would do nothing without a lawfull vocation Whereupon they privily amongst themselves advising having with them in counsel Sir David Lindsay of the Mount they concluded that they would give a charge to the said Iohn and that publikely by the mouth of the Preacher And so upon a certain day a Sermon of the Eelection of Ministers what power the Congregation how small soever that it was passing the number of two or three had above any man namely in the time of need as that was in whom they supposed and espied the gifts of God to be and how dangerous it was to refuse and not to heare the voyce of such as desire to be instructed These other heads we say declared the said Iohn Rough Preacher directed by his words to the said Iohn Knox saying Brother ye shall not be offended albeit that I speak unto you that which I have in charge even from all those that are here present which is this In the Name of God and of his Son Iesus Christ and in the name of these that presently call you by my mouth I charge you that ye refuse not this holy Vocation but as ye tender the glory of God the encrease of Christs Kingdom The edification of your Brethren and the comfort of me whom ye understand well enough to be oppressed by the multitude of labours That ye take upon you the publike office and Charge of Preaching even as ye looke to avoyd Gods heavy displeasure and desire that he shall multiply his Graces upon you And in the end he said to those that were present Was not this your Charge to me And do ye not approve this Vocation They answered It is and we approve it Whereat the said M. Iohn abashed burst forth in most abundant tears and withdrew himself to his Chamber His countenance and behaviour from that day till the day that he was compelled to present himself to the publike place of Preaching did sufficiently declare the grief and trouble of his heart for no man saw any signe of mirth of him neither yet had he pleasure to accompany any man for many dayes together The necessity that caused him to enter in the publike Place besides the Vocation aforesaid was Dean Iohn Annan a rotten Papist had long troubled Iohn Rough in his Preaching The said Iohn Knox had fortified the Doctrine of the Preacher by his Pen and had beaten the said Dean Iohn from all defences that he was compelled to flie to his last refuge that is To the authority of the Church which Authority said he damned all Lutherans and Heretickes and therefore he needed no further disputation Iohn Knox answered Before we hold our selves or that ye can prove us sufficiently convinced we must define the Church by the right notes given to us in Gods Scripture of the true Church we must discerne the Immaculate Spouse of Iesus Christ from the mother of Confusion Spirituall Babilon lest that imprudently we embrace a Harlot instead of the chaste Spouse yea to speake it in plain words Lest that we submit our selves to Sathan thinking that we submit our selves to Iesus Christ For as for your Romane Church as it is now corrupted and the Authority thereof wherein stands the hope of your Victory I no more doubt but that it is the Synagogue of Sathan and the Head thereof called the Pope to be that man of Sin of whom the Apostle speaketh then that I doubt that JESUS CHRIST suffered by the procurement of the visible Church of Jerusalem Yea I offer my self by word or writing to prove the Romane Church this day farther to degenerate from the purity which was in the dayes of the Apostles then was the Church of the Iewes from the Ordinance given by Moses when they consented to the innocent death of JESUS CHRIST These words were spoken in the open audience of the Parish Church of Saint Andrewes after the said Dean Iohn had spoken what it pleased him and had refused to dispute The people hearing the offer cryed with one consent We cannot all reade your writings but we can all hear your Preaching Therefore we require you in the Name of God That ye let us heare the approbation of that which ye have affirmed For if it be true we have beene miserably deceived And so the next Sunday was appointed to the said Iohn to expresse his minde in the publike Preaching place Which day approaching the said Iohn took the Text written in Daniel the seventh Chapter beginning thus And another King shall rise after them and he shall be unlike unto the first and he shall subdue three Kings and shall speak words against the most High and shall consume the Saints of the most High and thinke that he can change Times and Lawes And they shall be given unto his hands untill a time and times and dividing of times c. In the beginning of his Sermon he shewed the great love of God towards his Church whom he pleased to forewarne of dangers to come so many yeers before they come to passe He briefly treated of the state of the Israelites who then were in bondage in Babylon for the most part and made a
vertuous men and just be maintained But the corrupt person placed in this Authority may offend and most commonly doth contrary to this Authority and is then the corruption of man to be followed by reason that it is clothed with the name of Authority Or shall those that obey the wicked commandment of those that are placed in Authority be excusable before God Not so not so but the plagues and vengeances of God taken upon Kings their servants and subjects do witnesse to us the plain contrary Pharaoh was a King and had his Authority of God who commanded his subjects to murther and torment the Israelites and at last most cruelly to persecute their lives But was their obedience blinde rage it should be called excusable before God the Universall plague doth plainly declare That the wicked Commander and those that obeyed were alike guilty before God And if the example of Pharaoh shall be rejected because he was an Ethnicke then let us consider the facts of Saul He was a King anoynted of God appointed to raign over his people he commanded to persecute David because as he alleadged David was a Traytor and Usurper of the Crowne And likewise commanded Ahimeleck the High Priest and his fellows to be slaine But did God approve any part of this obedience evident it is That he did not And think ye that God will approve in you that which he did condemne in others be not deceived with God there is no such partiality If ye obey the unjust commandments of wicked Rulers ye shall suffer Gods vengeance and just punishment with them And therefore as ye tender your owne salvation we most earnestly require of you moderation and that ye stay your selves and the fury of others from persecuting of us till our cause be tried in open and lawfull Judgement And now to you who are perswaded of the justice of our cause who sometimes have professed Christ Jesus with us and who also have exhorted us to this enterprise and yet have left us in our extreme necessity at least looke out thorow your fingers in this our trouble as that the matter appertained not unto you we say That unlesse all fear and worldly respects set aside ye joyn your selves with us that as of God ye are reputed Traytors so shall ye be excommunicated from our Society and from all participation with us in the Administration of Sacraments the glory of this Victory which God shall give to his Church yea even in the eyes of men shall not appertain to you but the fearful judgement which apprehended Ananias and his wife Saphira shall apprehend you and your posterity Ye may perchance contemn and despise the Excōmunication of the Church now by Gods mighty power erected amongst us as a thing of no force But yet doubt we nothing but that our Church and the true Ministers of the same have the same power which our Master Christ Jesus granted to his Apostles in these words Whose sins ye shall forgive shall be forgiven and whose sins ye shall retain shall be retained and that because they preach and we believe the same Doctrine which is contained in his most blessed Word and therefore except that ye will contemne Christ Jesus ye neither can despise our threatning neither yet refuse us calling for your just defence By your fainting and by extracting of your support the enemies are encouraged thinking that they shall finde no resistance in which point God willing they shall be deceived for if they were ten thousand and we but one thousand they shall not murther the least of our brethren but we God assisting us shall first commit our lives into the hands of God for their defence But this shall aggravate your condemnation for ye declare your selves both Traytors to the Truth once professed and murtherers of us and of our brethren from whom ye withdraw your dutifull and promised support whom your onely presence to mans judgement might preserve from this danger For our enemies look not to the power of God but to the force and strength of man when the number is mean to resist them then rage they as bloody wolves but a part equall or able to resist them by appearance doth bridle their fury Examine your owne consciences and weigh that Sentence of our Master Christ Jesus saying Whosoever denieth me or is ashamed of me before men I shall deny him before my Father Now is the day of his Battell in this Realm if ye deny us your brethren suffering for his Names sake ye do also deny him as himselfe doth witnesse in these words Whatsoever ye did to any of these little ones that ye did to me and what ye did not to one of these little ones that ye did not to me If these sentences be true as concerning meat drink cloathing and such things a appertain to the body shall they not be likewise true in these things that appertain to the preservation of the lives of thousands whose blood is now sought for profession of Christ Jesus And thus shortly we leave you who sometimes have professed Christ Jesus with us to the examination of your own consciences And yet once again of you who blinded by superstition persecute us We require moderation till our cause may be tried which if ye will not grant unto us for Gods Cause yet we desire you to have respect to the preservation of your common Countrey which we can no sooner betray into the hands of strangers then that one of us destroy and murther another Consider our Petitions and call for the spirit of righteous judgement These our Letters being divulgate some began to reason Whether in conscience they might invade us or not considering that we offred due obedience to the Authority requiring nothing but liberty of conscience and our Religion and fact to be tried by the Word of God Our Letters came with convenient expedition to the hands of our brethren in Cuninghame and Kyle who assembled at the Church of Craggie where after some contrarious reasons Alexander Earle of Glencarne in zeal burst forth in these words Let every man serve his conscience I will by Gods grace see my brethren in S. Johnston Yea albeit never man should accompany me yet I will go and if it were but a Pike upon my shoulder for I had rather die with that company then live after them These words so encouraged the rest that all decreed to go forward as that they did so stoutly that when the Lion Herault in his coat of Arms commanded all men under pain of treason to return to their houses by publike sound of trumpet in Glasgow never man obeyed that charge but all went forward as we shall after heare When it was clearly understood that the Prelates and their adherents suppressing our Petitions so far as in them lay did kindle the furie of all men against us it was thought expedient to write unto them some
please him And evill works we affirme not onely those that are expresly done against Gods Commandment but those also that in matters of Religion and worshipping of God have no assurance but the invention and opinion of man which God from the beginning hath ever rejected as by the Prophet Isaiah and by our Master Christ Jesus we are taught in these words In vaine do they worship me teaching doctrines which are the Precepts of men XV. The perfection of the Law and the imperfection of man THe Law of God we confesse and acknowledge most just most equall most holy and most perfect commanding those things which being wrought in perfection were able to give life and to bring man to eternall felicity But our Nature is so corrupt so weak and imperfect that we are never able to fulfill the works of the Law in perfection yea if we say we have no sin even after we are regenerate we deceive our selves and the Verity of God is not in us And therefore it behoveth us to apprehend Christ Jesus with Justice and Satisfaction who is the End and Accomplishment of the Law to all that believe by whom we are set at this liberty that the curse and malediction of the Law fall not upon us albeit we fulfill not the same in all points For God the Father beholding us in the Body of his Son Christ Jesus accepteth our unperfect obedience as were perfect and covered our works which are defiled with many spots with the Justice of his Son We do not mean that we are set so at liberty that we owe no obedience to the Law for that before we have plainly confessed but this we affirm That no man in earth Christ Jesus onely accepted hath given giveth or shall give in work that obedience to the Law which the Law requireth But when we have done all things we must fall down and unfainedly confesse That we are unprofitable servants And therefore whosoever boast themselves of the merits of their own works or put their trust in the works of Supererogation they boast themselves of that which is not and put their trust in damnable Idolatry XVI Of the Church AS we believe in God the Father Son and holy Ghost so do we most earnestly believe That from the beginning there hath beene now is and to the end of the world shall be A Church that is to say A Company and Multitude of men chosen of God who rightly worship and embrace him by true faith in Christ Jesus who is the onely Head of the same Church which also is the Body Spouse of Christ Jesus which Church is catholike that is Universal because it containeth the elect of all Ages all Realms Nations and Tongues be they of the Jews or be they of the Gentiles who have Communion or Society with God the Father and with his Son Christ Jesus through the Sanctification of his holy Spirit and therefore it is called Communion not of profane persons but of Saints who are Citizens of the heavenly Ierusalem have the fruition of the most inestimable benefits to wit of one God one Lord Jesus one Faith and one Baptisme without the which Church there is neither life nor eternall felicity And therefore we utterly abhorre the blasphemy of those that affirm That men that live according to equity and justice shall be saved what Religion soever they have professed For as without Christ Jesus there is neither life nor salvation so shall there none bee participant thereof but such as the Father hath given unto his Sonne Christ Jesus and those in time to come to him avow his doctrine and beleeve in him we comprehend the Children with the faithfull Parents This Church is invisibly known onely to God who alone knoweth it whom hee hath chosen and comprehendeth as well as is said the Elect that be departed commonly called the Church triumphant as those that yet live and fight against sin and Sathan as shall live hereafter XVII The immortalitie of the Soules THe Elect departed are in peace and rest from their labours not that they sleep and come to a certain oblivion as some fantanstick heads do affirme but that they are delivered from all fear all torment and all temptation the which we and all Gods Elect are subject unto in this life and therefore doe bear the name of the Church militant As contrary alwayes the reprobate and unfaithfull departed have anguish torment and paine that cannot be expressed so that neither are the one nor the other in such sleepe that they feele not joy or torment as the Parable of Christ Jesus in the sixteenth of Luke his words to the Theefe and these words of the souls crying under the Altar O Lord thou that art righteous and just how long shalt thou not revenge our blood upon them that dwell upon the earth doth plainly testifie XVIII Of the Notes by the which the true Church is discerned from the false and who shall be Iudge of the Doctrine BEcause that Sathan from the beginnig hath laboured to deck his pestilent Synagogue with the Title of the Church of God and hath inflamed the hearts of cruell murtherers to persecute trouble and molest the true Church and Members thereof as Cain did Abel Ishmael Isaac Esau Iacob and the whole Priesthood of the Iewes Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles after him It is a thing most requisite that the true Church be discerned from the filthy Synagogue by cleere and perfect Notes lest we being deceived receive and embrace to our own condemnation the one for the other The Notes Signes and assured Tokens whereby the Immaculate Spouse of Christ Jesus is knowne from the horrible Harlot the Church malignant we affirm are neither antiquity title usurped lineall descents place appointed nor multitude of men approving any errour For Cain in age and title was preferred to Abel and Seth. Ierusalem had prerogative above all places of the earth where also were the Priests lineally descended from Aaron and greater multitude followed the Scribes Pharisees and Priests then unfainedly believed and approved Christ Jesus and his Doctrine and yet as we suppose no man of whole judgement will grant that any of the forenamed were the Church of God The Notes therefore of the true Church of God we beleeve confesse and avow to be first the true preaching of the Word of God in which God hath revealed himself to us as the writings of the Prophets and Apostles doe declare Secondly the right administration of the Sacraments of Christ Jesus which may be annexed to the word and promise of God to seale and confirme the same in our hearts Lastly Ecclesiasticall discipline uprightly ministred as Gods Word prescribeth whereby vice is repressed and vertue nourished wheresoever then these former Notes are seen and of any time continuall be the number never so few above two or three there
Blood of Christ Jesus which was once broken and shed for us which now is in the heaven and appeareth in the presence of his Father for us And yet notwithstanding the far distance of place which is betwixt his Body now glorified in the heaven and us now mortall in this earth Yet we most assuredly beleeve That the Bread that we break is the Communion of Christs Body and The Cup which we blesse is The Communion of his Blood So that we confesse and undoubtedly beleeve That the faithfull in the right use of the Lords Table so do eat the Body and drink the Blood of the Lord Jesus That he remaineth in them and they in him Yea That they are so made flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones That as the eternall God-head hath given to the flesh of Christ Jesus which of the owne condition and nature was mortall and corruptible life and immortalitie so doth Christ Jesus Flesh and Blood eaten and drunken by us give to us the same prerogatives which albeit we confesse are neither given unto us at that onely time neither yet by the proper power and vertue of the Sacraments onely yet we affirme That the faithfull in the right use of the Lords Table hath such conjunction with Christ Jesus as the naturall man cannot comprehend yea and further we affirme That albeit the faithfull oppressed by negligence and manly infirmity doth not profit so much as they would at the very instant action of the Supper yet shall it after bring forth fruit as lively seed sowne in good ground for the holy Spirit which can never be divided from the right institution of the Lord Jesus wil not frustrate the faithfull of the fruit of that mysticall action but all this we say cometh by true Faith which apprehendeth Christ Jesus who onely maketh his Sacraments effectuall unto us and therefore whosoever slandereth us as though we affirmed or beleeved Sacraments to be openly naked and bare signes do injurie unto us and speak against a manifest truth But this liberally and frankly we must confesse That we make a distinction betwixt Christ Jesus in his naturall substance and betwixt the elements in the Sacramentall signes So that we will neither worship the signes in place of that which is signified by them neither yet do we despise and interpret them as unprofitable and vain but do use them with all reverence examining our selves diligently before that so we do because we are assured by the mouth of the Apostle that such as eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup unworthily are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus XXII Of the right administration of the Sacraments THat Sacraments be rightly ministred we judge two things requisite The one that they be ministred by lawfull Ministers whom we affirme to be onely they that are appointed to the Preaching of the Word or unto whose mouthes God hath put some Sermon of Exhortation they being men of lawfull choosing thereto by some Church The other That they be ministred in such elements and in such sort as God hath appointed Else we affirme That they cease to be right Sacraments of Christ Jesus And therefore it is that we flee the societie with the Papisticall Church in participation of their Sacraments First because their Ministers are no Ministers of Jesus Christ yea which is more horrible they suffer women whom the holy Ghost will not suffer to teach in the Congregation to Baptize And secondly because they have so adulterate both the one Sacrament and the other with their own inventions that no part of Christs action abideth in the originall purity for Oyl Salt Spittle and such like in Baptisme are but mens inventions Adoration Veneration bearing through Streets and Townes and keeping of bread in Boxes are prophanation of Christs Sacraments and no use of the same For Christ Jesus said Take and eat c. Do ye this in remembrance of me By which words and charge he sanctified Bread and Wine to be the Sacrament of his Body and Blood to the end that one should be eaten and that all should drink of the other and not that they should be kept to be worshipped and honoured as God as the blinde Papists have done heretofore who also have committed Sacriledge stealing from the people one part of the Sacrament to wit The blessed Cup. Moreover that the Sacraments be rightly used it is required That the end and cause why the Sacraments were instituted be understood and observed as well of the Minister as the Receivers for if the opinion be changed in the Receiver the right use ceaseth which is most evident by the rejection of the sacrifices as also if the teacher teach false Doctrine which were odious and abhominable unto God albeit they were his own ordinances because that wicked men used them to another end then God hath ordained The same affirm we of the Sacraments in the Papisticall Church in which we affirm the whole action of the Lord Jesus to be adulterate as well in the externall form as in the end and opinion What Christ Jesus did and commanded to be done is evident by the three Evangelists who speak of the Sacrament by S. Paul what the Priest doth at his Altar we need not to rehearse The end and cause of Christs institution and why the self-same should be used is expressed in these words Do ye this in remembrance of me as oft as ye shall eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup ye shall shew forth that is extoll Preach and magnifie the Lords death till he come But to what end and in what opinion the Priests say their Masses let the words of the same their own Doctours and Writings witnesse to wit That they are Mediatours betwixt Christ and his Church to offer unto God the Father a Sacrifice propitiatorie for the sinnes of the quick and the dead Which Doctrine as blasphemous to Christ Jesus and making derogation to the sufficiencie of his onely Sacrifice once offered for purgation of all those that shall be sanctified we utterly abhorre detest and renounce XXIII To whom Sacraments appertaine VVE confesse and acknowledge That Baptisme appertaineth as well to the infants of the faithfull as unto those that be of age and discretion And so we condemne the errour of the Anabaptists who deny Baptisme to appertaine to children before that they have Faith and understanding But the Supper of the Lord we confesse to appertaine onely to such as have been of the houshold of Faith can try and examine themselves as well in their Faith as in their duties towards their neighbours Such as eat at that holy Table without Faith or being at dissension and division with their brethren do eat unworthily And therefore it is that in our Churches Ministers take publike and particular examination of the knowledge and conversation of such as are to be admitted to the Table
of Papistry But we all praise to God alone have nothing within our Churches that ever flowed from that man of Sin And this we acknowledge to be the strength given to us of God because we esteemed not our selves wise in our owne eyes but understanding our own wisedome to be but meer foolishnesse before our God laid it aside and followed onely that which we found approved by himselfe In this point could never our enemies cause us to faint for our first Petition was That the Reverend face of the first Primitive and Apostolike Church should be reduced again to the eyes and knowledge of men And in that point we say our God hath strengthned us till that the Work was finished as the world may see And as concerning the suppressing of vice yea and of the abolishing of all such things as might nourish Impiety within the Realm the Acts and Statutes of the principall Towns reformed will yet testifie For what Adulterer what Fornicator what known Masse-monger or pestilent Papist durst have been seen in publike within any Reformed Town within this Realme before that the Queen arrived And this Victory to his Word and terrour to all filthy livers did God work by such as yet live and remaine witnesses whether they will or not of the aforesaid works of God We say our God suffered none of these whom he first called to the Battell to perish or to fall the while that he made them Victors of their enemies For even as God suffered none of those whom he called from Egypt to perish in the Red Sea how fearfull that ever the danger appeared so suffered he none of us to be approved nor yet to be taken from this life till that now the Pharaohs then one was drowned and we set at freedom without all danger of our enemies to let both us and our Posterity understand That such as follow the conducting of God cannot perish albeit they walked in the very shadow of death But from whence alas cometh this miserable dispersion of Gods people within this Realme this day in May 1561 And what is the cause that now the just is compelled to keep silence good men are banished Murtherers and such as are knowne unworthy of common Society if Justice were put in execution bear the whole Regiment and sway within this Realme We answer Because that suddenly the most part of us declined from the purity of Gods Word and began to follow the world and so againe shake hands with the devill and with Idolatry as in the fourth Book we will heare For while that Papists were so confounded that none within the Realme durst more avow the hearing or saying of Masse then the theeves of Tiddisdale durst avow their stouth or stealing in the presence of any upright Judge No ware Protestants found who are not ashamed at Tables and other open places to aske Why may not these men have their Masse and the forme of their Religion What can that hurt us or our Religion And from these two Why and What at last sprang out this Affirmative The Queens Masse and her Priests will we maintain This hand and this Rapier shall fight in their defence c. The Inconveniences were shown both by Tongue and Pen but the advertisers were judged to be men of unequall Spirits Their Credit was defaced at the hands of such as before were not ashamed to have used their Counsell in matters of greater importance to have refused the Masse But then my Lord my Master may not be thus used he hath that Honour to be the Queens Brother And therefore we will that all men shall understand That he must tender her as his Sister And whosoever will counsell him to displease her or the least that pertains unto her shall not finde him their friend yea they are worthy to be hanged that would so counsell him c. These and the like reasons took such deep root in flesh and blood and was as yet alas they are preferred to God and to his Messengers rebuking vice and vanity that from thence hath all our misery proceeded For as before so even yet although the Ministers be set to beg the Guard and the men of Warre must be served Though the blood of the Ministers must be spilt yet it is the Queens Servants that did it Although Masse be multiplied in all Quarters of the Realme Who can stop the Queens Subjects to live of the Queens Religion Although Innocent men be Imprisoned it is the Queens pleasure So she is offended at such men although under pretence of Justice Innocents be murthered The Lords shall weep but the Queenes minde must be satisfied Nobles of the Realme Barons and Councellors are banished their Escheats disposed of and their lives most unjustly pursued The Queen hath lost her trusty Servant David he was deare unto her and therefore for her Honour sake she must show rigour to revenge his death And yet farther albeit that some knew that she hath plainly purposed to wrack and undo the Religion within this Realme That to that Romane Antichrist she hath made her promise And that from him she hath taken money to uphold his pomp within this Realme yet will they let the people understand That the Queen will establish Religion and provide all things orderly if she were once delivered If such dealing which is too common amongst Protestants be not to prefer flesh and blood to God to his Truth to Religion and to the oppressed Liberty of the Realme let the world judge The plagues have been and in some places are present that were before threatned the rest approaches And yet who from the heart cryeth I haue offended Now thou Lord knowes in thee onely is the trust of the opprâ—ssed for vain is the help of man But now to returne we to our History The 19 day of August 1561. betwixt seven and eight hours before noon arrived Mary Queen of Scotland then widow with two Gallies out of France In her company besides her Gentlewomen called the Maries were her Uncles the Duke Aumale the grand Prior the Marquesse d'Albuff There accompanied her also d'Anville son to the Constable of France with other Gentlemen of inferiour Condition besides servants and Officers The very face of the Heaven at the time of her Arrivall did manifestly speak what comfort was brought into this Countrey with her to wit Sorrow Dolour Darknesse and all Impiety For in the memory of man that day of the yeer was never seen a more dolorous face of the Heaven then was at her Arrivall which two dayes after did so continue For besides the Surface Wet and Corruption of the Ayre the Mist was so thick and dark that scarce might any man espie another the length of two payre of Butts the Sun was not seen to shine two dayes before nor two dayes after That forewarning gave God unto us but alas the most part were blinde At the sound of
that it came to the Ears of Herod that our Master Jesus Christ called him a Fox but they told him not how odious a thing it was before God to murther an Innocent as he had lately done before causing to behead Iohn the Baptist to reward the dancing of an Harlots daughter Madame if the reporters of my words had been honest men they would have reported my words and the circumstances of the same but because they would have credit in Court and wanting vertue worthy thereof they must have somewhat to please your Majestie if it were but flatteries and lies But such pleasure if any your Majestie take in such persons will returne to your everlasting displeasure for Madame if your own Ears had heard the whole matter that I treated if there be in you any spark of the Spirit of God yea of honestie and wisedome you would not justly have been offended with any thing that I spake And because you have heard their report please your Majesty to hear my self rehearse the same so near as memory will serve it was even upon the next day after that the Sermon was made My Text said he Madame was this And now O Kings understand be learned ye Iudges of the Earth After Madame said he that I had declared the dignity of Kings and Rulers the honour wherein God hath placed them the obedience that is due unto them being Gods Lieutenants I demanded this question But oh alas what account shall the most part of Princes make before that Supreme Judge whose Throne and Authoritie so manifestly and shamefully they abuse the complaint of Solomon is this day most true to wit That violence and oppression do occupie the Throne of God here in this Earth for whilest that murtherers blood-thirsty men oppressors and Malefactors dare be bold to present themselves before Kings and Princes and that the poor Saints of God are banished and exiled what shall we say but that the Devill hath taken possession in the Throne of God which ought to be fearfull to all wicked doers and a refuge to the innocent oppressed and how can it otherwise be for Princes will not understand they will not be learned as God commands them but Gods Law they despise his Statutes and Holy Ordinances they will not understand for in fidling and flinging they are more exercised than in reading or hearing Gods most blessed Word and Fidlers and Flatterers which commonly corrupt the Youth are more precious in their eyes then men of wisedome and gravitie who by wholesome admonitions may beat down in them some part of that vanity and pride wherein we all are born but in Princes take deep root and strength by evill education And of dancing Madame I said That albeit in Scriptures I found no praise of it and in prophane Writers that it is termed the gesture rather of those that are Mad and in phrensie then of sober men yet do I not utterly condemn it providing that two vices be avoyded the former That the principall Vocation of those that use that exercise be not neglected for the pleasure of Dancing Secondly That they dance not as the Philistins their Fathers for the pleasure that they take in the displeasure of Gods people for if they do these or either of them they shall receive the reward of Dancers and that will be to drink in Hell unlesse they speedily repent so shall God turne their mirth into sudden sorrow For God will not alwayes afflict his people neither will he alwayes wink at the Tyranny of Tyrants If any Madame said he will say that I spake more let him publikely accuse me for I think I have not onely touched the summe but the very words as I spake them Many that stood by did bear witnesse with him that he had recited the very words that publikely he spake The Queen looked about to some of the Reporters and said Your words are sharpe enough as you have spoken them but yet they were told me in another manner I know said she that my Uncles and you are not of one Religion and therefore I cannot blame you to have no good opinion of them but if you hear any thing of my self that mislikes you come to my self and tell me and I shall hear you Madame quoth he I am assured that your Uncles are enemies to God and unto his Son Jesus Christ and for maintenance of their own pompe and worldly glory that they spare not to spill the blood of many Innocents and therefore I am assured that these enterprises shall have no better successe than others have had that before them have done as they doe now But as to your own person Madame I would be glad to doe all that I could to your Majesties contentment providing that I exceed not the bounds of my Vocation I am called Madame to a publike function within the Church of God and appointed by God to rebuke the vices and sins of all I am not appointed to come to every man in particular to shew him his offence for that labour were infinite if your Majestie pleaseth to frequent the publike Sermons then I doubt not but that you shall fully understand both what I like and mislike as well in your Majesty as in all others Or if your Majesty will assigne unto me a certaine day and houre when it will please you to hear the form and substance of Doctrine which is proposed in publike to the Churches of this Realm I will most gladly wait upon your Majesties pleasure time and place but to come to wait upon your chamber door or elswhere and then to have no further liberty but to whisper my minde in your Majesties eare or to tell you what others think and speak of you neither will my conscience nor the vocation whereto God hath called me suffer it for albeit at your Majesties commandment I am here now yet I cannot tell what other men will judge of me that at this time of the day I am absent from my book and waiting at the Court You will not alwayes said she be at your Booke and so turned her back And the said Iohn departed with a reasonable merry countenance whereat some Papists offended said He is not afraid which heard by him he answered Why should the pleasant face of a Lady afray me I have looked in the faces of many angry men and yet have not been afraid above measure and so left he the Queen and the Court for that time In this mean time the negotiation was great betwixt the Queen of England and our Soveraigne Letters Curriours and Posts ran frequent great bruit there was of the interviewe and meeting at Yorke and some preparation was made therefore in both the Realmes but that failed upon the part of England and that by occasion of the troubles moved in France as was alleaged which caused the Queene of England and the Councill attend upon the South parts of England for
avoyding of Inconveniences This Summer there came an Embassadour from the King of Sweden requiring marriage of our Soveraigne to his Master the King His entertainment was Honourable but his Petitions liked not our Queene one whit for as yet she could not resolve to be Wife to the King of Sweden having been lately Queen of France And yet she refused not one much inferiour to a Soveraigne King The Earle of Lennox and his Wife were committed to the Tower of London for traffiquing with Papists the young Laird of Barre was a stickler in that businesse and was apprehended with some Letters which was the cause of his and their trouble The Earle of Murray made a private journey to Hawicke upon the Fayre day thereof and apprehended fifty Theeves of which number were seventeen drowned others were executed in Iâ—dburgh the principall were brought to Edinburgh and there suffered according to their merits upon the Burrow Mure. The Queene was no whit content of the prosperitie and good successe that God gave to the Earle of Murray in all his enterprises for she hated his upright dealing and the Image of God that evidently did appear in him but at that time she could not well have been served without him The assembly of the Church at Midsommer the four and twentieth day of Iune 1562. approached in the which were many notable heads handled concerning good Order to be kept in the Church and for the Papists and for the Idolatry of the Queen which troubleth the former good order Some Ministers such as Master Iohn Sharpe had left their charges and entered into other Vocations more profitable for the belly against whom were Acts made although this day they have not put them in execution The tenour of the Supplication read in open audience and approved by the whole Assembly to be presented to the Queens Majesty was this To the Queens Majesty and her most honorable Privy Councell The Superintendents and Ministers of the Evangell of Christ Iesus within this Realme together with the Commissioners of the whole Churches desire Grace and Peace from the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ with the Spirit of righteous Iudgement HAving in minde that the fearfull sentence pronounced against the Watch-men that see the Sword of Gods punishment approach and do not in plain words forewarn the people yea the Princes and Rulers that they repent we cannot but signifie unto your Highnesse and to your Councell That the state of this Realme is such for this present that unlesse redresse and remedy be shortly provided Gods hands cannot long spare in his anger to strike the Head and the Tayle the inobedient Prince and sinfull People For as God is unchangeable and true so must he punish in these our dayes the grievous sins which before we reade he hath punished in all Ages after that he hath long called for repentance and none is showne And that your Majesty and Councell may understand what are the things we desire to be reformed we will begin at that which we know assuredly to be the Fountain and Spring of all other evils that now abound in this Realme To wit That Idoll and base service of God the Masse the fountain we call of all Impiety not onely because many take boldnesse to sin by reason of that opinion which they have conceived of that Idoll to wit That by vertue of it they get remission of their sins But also because that under this colour of the Masse are Whores Adulterers Drunkards Blasphemers of God of his holy Sacraments and such other manifest Malefactors maintained and defended For let any Masse-sayer or earnest maintainer thereof be deprehended in any of the fore-named crimes no execution can be had for all is done in hatred of his Religion And so are wicked men permitted to live wickedly cloked and defended by that wicked Idoll But supposing that the Masse was occasion of no such evils yet in it self it is so odious in Gods presence that we cannot cease with all instance to desire the removing of the same as well from your selfe as from all others within this Realm Taking Heaven and earth yea your own Consciences to record That the obstinate maintenance of that Idol shall in the end be to you destruction of soul and body if you do not repent If your Majesty demand Why that now we are more earnest then we have been heretofore We answer our former silence no wayes excused Because we finde our selves frustrate of our hope and expectation which was That in processe of time your Majesties heart should have been mollified so farre as ye would have heard the publike Doctrine taught within this Realme by the which our further hope was That Gods holy Spirit should so have moved your heart that you would have suffered your Religion which before God is nothing but abomination and vanity to be tryed by the true Touch-stone the written Word of God And that your Majesty finding it to have no ground nor foundation in the same should have given that glory unto God that you would have preferred his Truth to your own preconceived vain opinion of what antiquity that ever it hath been whereof we in part now discharged can no longer keep silence unlesse we would make our selves criminall before God of your blood perishing in your own iniquity for we plainly admonish you of the danger to come The second thing that we require is Punishment of horrible vices such as are Adultery Fornication open Whoredome Blasphemy Contempt of God of his Word and Sacraments Which in this Realme do even so abound that sin is reputed to be no sin And therefore as we see the present signes of Gods wrath now manifestly appear so do we forewarn that he will strike ere it be long if his Law without punishment be permitted thus manifestly to be contemned If any object That punishment cannot be commanded to be executed without a Parliament we answer That the Eternall God in his Parliament hath pronounced death to be the punishment of Adultery and for Blaspheming whose Act if we put not in execution seeing that Kings are but his Lievtenants having no power to give life where he commands death as that he will repute you and all others that foster vice patrons of Impiety so will he not fail to punish you for neglecting the execution of his judgements Our third request concerning the poor who be of three sorts The poor labourers of the ground the poor desolate Beggers Orphans Widows and Strangers and the poor Ministers of Christ Jesus his holy Evangel which are so cruelly used by this last pretended Order taken for sustentation of Ministers that their latter misery farre surmounteth the former for now the poore labourers of the ground are so oppressed by the cruelty of those that pay their hire that they for the most part encroach upon the poore in whatsoever they pay unto the Qâ—een or to any other As for the
Lethington that is the chief Head wherein we never agreed but of that we shall speak hereafter What will ye say as touching the moving of the people to have a good opinion of the Queens Majesty and as concerning obedience to be given to her Authority as also of the form of Prayer which ye commonly use My Lord saith he more earnestly to move the people or yet otherwise to pray then heretofore I have done a good conscience will not suffer me for he who knows the secrets of hearts knows That privately and publikely I have called to God for her conversion and have willed the people to do the same shewing unto them the dangerous state wherein not onely she her self stands but also the whole Realm by reason of her indurate blindnesse That is said Lethington wherein we finde the greatest fault your extremity against her Masse in particular passeth measure ye call her a slave to Sathan ye affirm that Gods vengeance hangs over the Realm by reason of her impiety And what is this else but to raise up the hearts of the poeple against her Majesty and against them that serve her Then there was heard an acclamation of the rest of the flatterers that such extremity could not profit The Master of Maxwell said in plain words If I were in the Queens Majesties place I would not suffer such things as I hear If the words of Preachers said Iohn Knox shall be alwayes wrested in the worst part then will it be hard to speak any thing so circumspectly providing that the truth be spoken which shall not escape the censure of the calumniator The most vehement as ye speak and most excessive manner of Prayer that I use in publike is this O Lord if thy good pleasure be purge the heart of the Queens Majestie from the venome of Idolatry and deliver her from the bondage and thraldom of Satan into the which she hath been brought up and yet remains for the lack of true Doctrine and let her see by the illumination of thy holy Spirit That there is no means to please thee but by Iesus Christ thy only Son and that Iesus Christ cannot be found but in thy holy Word nor yet received but as it prescribes which is To renounce our own wisedom and preconceived opinion and worship thee as it commands that in so doing she may avoid the eternall damnation which is ordained for all obstinate and impenitent to thee and that this poor Realm may also escape that plague and vengeance which inevitably followeth Idolatry maintained against thy manifest Word and the light thereof This said he is the form of common Prayer as your selves can witnesse Now what is worthy of reprehension in it I would hear There are three things in it said Lethington that never liked me and the first is Ye pray for the Queens Majesty with a condition saying Illuminate her heart if thy good pleasure be Wherein it may appear That ye doubt of her conversion Where have ye the example of such Prayer Wheresoever the examples are said the other I am assured of the Rule which is this If we shall ask any thing according to his Will he shall grant us And our Master Christ Jesus commands us to pray unto our Father Thy will be done But said Lethington Where ever finde ye any of the Prophets so to have prayed It sufficeth me said the other my Lord that the Master and Teacher both of Prophets and Apostles hath taught me so to pray But in so doing said Lethington ye put a doubt in the peoples heads of her conversion Not I said the other but her own obstinate rebellion causeth more then me to doubt of her conversion Wherein said he rebells she against God In all the actions of her life said M. Knox but in these two Heads especially The former is That she will not hear the Preaching of the blessed Evangel of Jesus Christ. 2. That she maintaineth that Idol the Masse She thinks not that rebellion said Lethington So thought they said the other that sometimes offered their children unto Molech and yet the Spirit of God affirms That they offered them unto devils and not unto God And this day the Turks think they have a better Religion then the Papists have and yet I think ye will excuse neither of both from committing rebellion against God neither yet can ye do the Queen unlesse ye will make God to be partiall But said Lethington Why pray ye not for her without moving any doubt Because said the other I have learned to pray in faith now faith ye know depends upon the Word of God and so it is that the Word teacheth me That prayer profiteth the sons and daughters of Gods Election of which number if she be one or not I have just cause to doubt and therefore I pray that God would illuminate her heart if his good pleasure be so to do But yet said Lethington ye can produce the example of none that so hath prayed before you Thereto I have already answered said Iohn Knox But yet for further declaration I will demand a question which is this Whether ye think that the Apostles prayed themselves as they commanded others to pray or not who doubts of that said the company that were present Well then said Iohn Knox I am assured that Peter said these words to Simon Magus Repent therefore of this thy wickednesse and pray God That if it be possible the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee Here we may cleerly see That Peter joynes a condition with his Commandment That Simon should repent and pray to wit If it were possible that his sin might be forgiven for he was not ignorant that some sinnes are unto death and so without all hope of repentance or remission And think ye not my Lord Secretary said he but that same doubt may touch my heart as touching the Queens conversion that then touched the heart of the Apostle I would never said Lethington heare you or any other call that in doubt But your will said the other is no assurance to my conscience And to speak freely My Lord I wonder if yee your self doubt not of the Queens conversion for more evident signes of Induration have appeared and do appear in her then Peter outwardly could have espyed in Simon Magus for albeit sometimes he was a Sorcerer yet joyned he with the Apostles beleeved and was baptized And albeit That the venome of Avarice remained in his heart and that he would have bought the holy Ghost yet when he heard the fearfull threatnings of God pronounced against him he trembled desired the assistance of the Prayers of the Apostles and so humbled himself so farre as the judgement of man could peirce like a true penitent and yet we see that Peter doubts of his conversion Why then may not all the godly justly doubt of the conversion of the Queen who hath used Idolatry which is also most odious
the Realmes we think it strange that your Queene hath no better advice And therefore we do require you all being the States of that Realme upon whom the burden resteth to consider this matter deeply and to make us answer whereunto we may trust And if you shall think meet she shall thus leave the Peace imperfect by breaking of her solemne promise contrary to the order of all Princes we shall be well content to accept your answer and shall be as carelesse to see the Peace as ye shall give us cause And doubt not by the grace of God but whosoever of you shall incline thereto shall soonest repent You must be content with our plain writing And on the other side if you continue all in one minde to have the Peace inviolably kept and shall so by your advice procure the Queen to ratifie it we also plainly promise you That we will also continue our good disposition to keep the same in such good termes as now it is And in so doing the honour of Almighty God shall be duely sought and promoted in both Realms The Queen your Soveraigne shall enjoy her State with your surety and your selves possesse that which ye have with tranquility to the encrease of your Families and Posterities which by the frequent Wars heretofore your antecessors never had long in one state To conclude we require you to advertise us of what minde you be specially if you all continue in that minde that you mean to have the Peace betwixt both the Realmes perpetually kept And if you shall forbear any longer to advertise us ye shall give us some occasion of doubt whereof more hurt may grow then good From c. These Letters received and perused albeit the States could not be convened yet did the Councell and some others also in particular return answers with reasonable diligence The Tenour of our Letters was this MADAME PLease your Majestie that with judgement we have considered your Majesties Letters And albeit the whole States could not suddenly be assembled yet we thought expedient to signifie somewhat of our mindes unto your Majestie Far be it from us that either we take upon us That infamy before the world or grudge of conscience before our God that we should lightly esteem the observation of that Peace lately contracted betwixt these two Realmes By what motives our Soveraigne delayed the ratification thereof we cannot tell But of us of us we say Madame that have protested fidelity in our promise her Majesty had none Your Majestie cannot be ignorant That in this Realme there are many enemies and farther That our Soveraigne hath Councellors whose judgements she in all such causes preferred to ours Our obedience bindeth us not onely reverently to speak and write of our Soveraigne but also to judge and thinke And yet your Majestie may be well assured That in us shall be noted no blame if that Peace be not ratified to your Majesties contentment For God is witnesse That our chief care in this earth next the glory of God is That constant Peace may remain betwixt these two Realmes whereof your Majestie and Realme shall have sure experience so long as our counsell or votes may stop the contrary The benefit that we have received is so recent that we cannot suddenly bury it in forgetfulnesse We would desire your Majesty rather to be perswaded of us That we to our powers will studie to leave it in remembrance to our posterity And thus with lawfull and humble commendation of our service we commit your Majesty to the Protection of the Omnipotent Of Edinburgh the sixteenth day of Iuly 1561. There were some others that answered some of the Ministers of England somewhat more sharply and willed them not to accuse nor threaten so sharply till that they were able to convince such as had promised fidelitie of some evident crime which although they were able to lay to the charge of some yet respect would be had to such as long had declared themselves constant procurers of quietnesse and peace The sudden arrivall of the Queen made great alteration even in the Councell as after we will hear In this mean time the Papists by surmising troubled what they might their Posts Letters and Complaints were from day to day directed some to the Pope some to the Cardinall of Loraine and some to our Queen The principall of those Curriers were Master Steven Wilson Master Iohn Leslie called Nolumus and Volumus Master Iames Throgmorton and others such as lived and still live by the traffique of that Romane Antichrist The Preachers vehemently exhorted us to establish the Book of Discipline by an Act and publike Law affirming That if they suffered things to hang in suspence when God had given unto them sufficient power in their hand they should after sob for it but should not get it The Books of Discipline have been of late so often published that we shall forbearâ— to Print them at this time hoping that no good men will refuse to follow the same till God in a greater light establish a more perfect The end of the third Booke THE FOVRTH BOOK OF The Progresse and Continuance of true Religion within SCOTLAND IN the former Bookes Gentle Reader thou mayest clearly see how potently God hath performed in these our last and wicked dayes as well as in the ages that have passed before us the promises that are made to the servants of God by the Prophet Isaiah in these words They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint This promise we say such as Satan hath not utterly blinded may see performed in us the Professours of Christ Jesus within this Realme of Scotland with no lesse evidence then it was in any age that ever passed before us For what was our force What was our number Yea what wisdome or worldly policie was in us to have brought to any good end so great an enterprise our very enemies can bear witnesse And yet in how great purity God did establish amongst us his true Religion as well in Doctrine as in Ceremonies To what confusion and fear were Idolaters adulterers and all publike transgressours of Gods Commandments within short time brought the publike Orders of the Church yet by the mercie of God preserved and the punishment executed against malefactours can testifie unto the world For as touching the administration of the Sacraments used in our Churches we are bold to affirme That there is no Realme this day upon the face of the earth that hath them in greater puritie yea we can speak the Trueth whomsoever we offend there is none no Realme I meane that hath them in the like purity for all others how sincere that ever the Doctrine be that by some is taught retain in their Churches and in the Ministers thereof some footsteps of Antichrist and dregs