into it But since there must be a winde and a firie Chariot to carie Elijah into heauen Since there must be an Angell of Satan to buffet Paul and keepe him from pride Since there must be a fire to purge the sonnes of Leui I meane of affliction which vnto the godly is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Purgatorie fire of Pisida since gold cannot be fined but by Lead which consumes and finishes it selfe in the fining of it let it come by any instrument by you or any other the Lord pleaseth to stirre vp so it bring forward his worke in me I care not THE ADMONENT MOreouer I am sure ye know it is with the oppugning of the Discipline of Scotland the defence of the office of Bishops This is more then any mans fame the fame of the whole Church of Scotland these many yeeres the fame of the best reformed Church in Europe It is yet more a matter touching the Church in lawfulnesse or vnlawfulnesse in obedience or disobedience to their God to their Prince as you would make men beleeue Also of the estate of the Church in profit flourishing or not flourishing and many such things of great importance of what weight should fame be here And againe If fame be ioyned with the truth and that which is right in the sight of God let that truth and that right haue the sway in our hearts let it appeare in our profession In our pretences in our actions let vs auow it before the Sunne and Moone not because of our fame but because of it selfe we shall haue no losse thereby our fame shall be cleared by clearing of it If our fame be ioyned with errour or what is wrong in the eyes of that diuine Maiestie so that it cannot be borne out but by bearing out of errour let vs not seeke to maintaine our fame by maintaining that errour let vs stoope to him and renounce that foolish fame and count it our honour so to confesse our shame THE ANSVVERE HE that is first in his owne cause saith Saloman is iust then commeth his neighbour and makes enquirie of him You haue heaped vp heere a multitude of words huing a faire shew not vnlike the words of the friends of Iob good enough in themselues but wrongfully applied as will be seene by mine answere Farre be it from mee Mr. Dauid to seeke honour with the dishonour of my good God I will still vse the words of those fortie Martyrs mentioned of Basile Nolo honorem vnde nascetur ignominia Neither will I maintaine my Name by impairing his Truth Nay nay God forbid I should so doe but it is for his truth and for the honour of his name that I contend to maintaine my poore name Since the Lord hath counted mee faithfull and put me in his seruice since he hath called me to be a witnesse of his truth and since he hath blessed my Ministrie to doe good by it will you not suffer me to defend the honestie of it against a lying Libeller that hath sought to dishonour it But I know where you are Satan would haue me a witnesse of no value nor credit because through grace I stand vnder the banner of Christ against him and so would you because I am against you in this question of Church-gouernement you seeke so farre as you may to disgrace the man that his testimonie may be the lesse regarded Here is your policie but it will not be for you I thanke God among men I haue more to stand with me witnesses of the honestie and effcacie of my weake Ministrie then you are able to bring against mee neither am I in doubt but the same also who for the present are with you if it pleased God I were knowne to them as I am to others who haue felt the comfort of my Ministrie would stand vp to iustifie mee against you But to leaue men and come before the Lord Mr. Dauid I dare not speake presumptuously since our Lord in the weakenesse of one haue pointed out the infirmitie of all yet in some measure I may say I haue name and life and all that I haue to giue vnto the Lord for the glory of his name and fealing vp of his truth if his Maiestie require it I trust hee will giue grace to performe it Neither care I what shame befall me so it may serue to hold vp the honour of my God If this inward testimonie of mine owne heart sustained mee not it had beene impossible for me to haue borne the manifold contempts of flesh I haue suffered and this of yours among the rest but to goe from my selfe The discipline of the Church of Scotland is not oppugned by Bishops as you would make the simpler sort beleeue but rather it is stablished and confirmed by them Neither will you euer be able to proue that the discipline of our Church at any time disalloweth the office of Bishops but onely fights against the corruptions thereof as the monuments of our Church search them when you will shall make manifest vnto you And if you be able to make it good that it is a hurt to a family to haue a kindely Father ruling ouer it then may you also proue that it is a harme to the Church to haue an honest Bishop president in it This is for the honour and name of the Church of Scotland which now I maintaine according to truth and set it downe in this assertion The Church of Scotland with the puritie of Doctrine not stained with any blot of Heresie hath also kept a sound and constant forme of gouernement without alteration of any point of Discipline in substance mending onely some circumstances as time required to make them serue for the greater edification of the Church This is the point I promised to cleare vnto you I hope to make it plaine or I end and should haue cleared before now if your Katagoric Pamphlet had not distracted mee This Mr. Dauid is the state of the controuersie This is a truth which neither you nor your Trident Fathers nor your Sorbon Doctors none with you none by West you none by East you none about you will euer be able to impugne And if you or they haue any compassion of this Church if you be her Sonne a Christian borne againe in her bosome if you haue sucked out of her breasts the milke of consolation then I am sure you will feare to impugne it Since as I said it is a truth it is the honour of your Mother who in all times hath kept one constant tenour of Doctrine and Discipline since it procures peace in her bowels since it stops the aduersaries mouth and remoues offences from the weaker ones THE ADMONENT I Am sure you know that this defence of your name is with the touch of many mens fame euen all those who are of a contrarie minde in matter of Discipline but you thinke you care not for that it is lawfull for you
them yea rather it is their great commendation that in so populous a Citie scarce twelue are found miscarried by seducers and those also of no credit nor countenance who vvhen they are tryed and examined professe they had done it of simple ignorance and that they abhor the Masse so much the more because they haue seene it offering themselues most willing to declare their publicke Repentance to remoue all offences giuen by them out of the hearts of others and among them seeing there was not one Burgesse of Edenburgh deprehended in this fault why blame you the townâ— for it Tell mee I pray you was the Church of Ephesus defaced because some false Apostles did creepe into it find you not the contrarie that the Bishop of Ephesus called there the Angell is commended for that he had examined them and found them to be lyars If the Church of Edenburgh had fallen away which GOD auert as the Church of Thyatyra did and suffered Iezabell a false Prophetesse to teach and deceiue the Seruants of God there then you might say it were a defaced Church I suppose which I hope in God shall neuer fall out that Sathan had a Throne there as he had in Pergamus yet seeing there is a Church that will not denie the faith no though Antipas should be slaine how say you the face of the Church is defaced But the contrarie is manifest Satan may creepe in there like a thiefe thanks be to God he hath no throne there what villanie can hee worke which they punish not Can you say any of their Magistrates Councellors Ministers Elders Deacons or any honourable man of the body of their Citie is stained with that Heresie How then is the face of their Church defaced And truely though that many such were among them as you haue said which yet is not it were no maruell to mee when I remember the Apostles saying There must be Heresies that such as are approued may be tryed Where there is no winde to carrie chaffe away how shall the Corne be discerned where there is no Heresie how shall they be knowne who are confirmed in veritie rooted and grounded so in Christ stablished and built vpon the rocke that no winde of contrarie doctrine can carrie them away Traduce as you will this is the truth for many reasons is that Church worthy to be commended but in my iudgement this is the greatest commendation that euer it got that subtle Heretiques with the seed of false doctrine creeping in into her bosome to seeke an aduantage can finde either none at all or verie little Yet your other Assertions are more impudent it contents you not most wrongfully to haue defaced a chiefe Church in the Kingdome now you proceede to doe the like vnto all other Pastors and Professors in our Church THE ADMONENT I Know many doe countenance Bishops because they haue to doe with them and giue them obedience as a man would giue his goods to arobber let not the comparison seeme odious for in this they are alike that hee take not his life also because hee is not able to resist him I know some feare their menaces of Deposition Suspending Silencing putting them from their flockes takes it for a iust feare and so a compulsion so themselues to be excused but that from their hearts like of that Office I know none such as you speake of THE ANSVVERE THE words of the righteous are stedfast and what is it that you can iustly reproue in them I haue spoken it I speake it ouer againe and I know it that many worthie Fathers and Brethren of our Church are of that same minde concerning Church-gouernment that I haue here declared As for those whom you say you know to be otherwise minded looke what a miserable Patron you are vnto them if any such be for in this you haue lost credit you make them all temporizers dissemblers sillie timerous bodies that countenance Bishops not from their hearts but for feare and for compulsion Mr. Dauid I suffer you with the greater patience miscalling me at your pleasure since I see your tongue spares none nay not those whose hearts you grant your selfe are with you you spare not to call them dissemblers c. Since so it is that you take libertie to speake of all men as you please neither sparing those who are in heart with you nor yet those that in heart are against you in your opinion what remaines but that it be publickely proclaimed The Good man of Gods Croft his tongue is no slander THE ADMONENT AND that which you pretend of the aduise of this present Church comes vnder the same count nothing voluntary nor by â—hoyse but forced by such feares iust or apprehended for iust neyther by the Church customably assembled but by a number propped out for the most part by Bishops to that effect THE ANSVVERE THat Mr. Dauid may be knowne for a compleate Conuitiator as he hath hitherto spared no estate vntouched for hee hath set out the King hauing eies and eares not his owne that may deceiue him as though wee had so inconsiderate a Prince as to iudge by the eyes and eares of other men Bishops hee hath painted out for Tyrants Bribers Libertines Vsurpers Pastors reuerencing Bishops hee hath made false dissemblers sillie bodies The whole Church hee hath giuen out to flow and ouer-flow with Heresie The principall Church in the Kingdome he hath described to be a defaced Church so now as if those were too little in his last furie debacchatur in supremam Ecclesiae Synodum binding vp all his former railings in one bundle The Assemblie was conuocated by his Maiesties will and authoritie a part of his Christian and Kingly power the Bishops of the Church present in it Pastors hauing commission to vote from their Presbiteries many Noble men honestly affected to religion vnspotted yea vnsuspected in it many Commissioners from the most famous Churches and Townes of the Kingdome All these assembled together Mr. Dauid not with powder but with his penne blowes vp into the ayre as a corrupt assembly compelled budded bribed not rightly assembled and wherein nothing was rightly done yet was there some aged Fathers who subscribed plainly to the Episcopall gouernment now after better aduisement of whom it is knowne that before they suffered imprisoning for impugning of it whereof I doe but warne him by the way In the remanent of your Sections after your owne disordered manner to tell you as the truth is like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you compasse about mine Apologie without order making a proffer to many places in it not lighting nor resting vpon any to speake it in Scots you flie bumming a throat after the manner of a drone Bee making a great sound and noise but little labour no honie no solid reason no truth no learning vttered here onely iterate Inuectiues not worthie to be insisted in except I would Actum agere Your misconstruction of Iosephs preferment for the
defence of your fame as you giue it out in your Preface and proues you should so doe by diuers authorities of diuers Doctours yet as good will thinke Fame should be despised or procured and retained by good actions c. THE ANSVVERE HVmano capiti ceruicem pictor equinam c. Mr. Dauid begins at right loued brother but that this agrees no better with the progresse of his Paralogie then a mans head set vpon a beasts body will be manifest in the own place The Locusts that came out of the bottomlesse pit had a face like a mans face but their teeth were as the teeth of Lyons and their tailes like vnto the Scorpion it becomes not a professed Christian to be like one of them Doe you not here come to mee as Ioab did to Amasa hee tooke him by the beard with the right hand to kisse him and said Art thou in health my brother and smote him with the left hand As siluer drosse ouer-laied vpon a pot-shard so are burning lips and a false heart if a louing heart had moued your lips in louing manner to call me Right loued brother you would haue spared to spew out such raylings as after followes but you haue bewrayed your selfe Salomon heere hath found you out to be but a guilt Pot-shard pretending by one word Christian brotherhood when all the rest of your words and deedes proues the contrarie as concerning me What euenture caried mine Apologie to you I care not I published it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speaking truly on my conscience to men as conscience spake vnto me onely to remoue such offence as weake Christians might conceiue through the calumnies of a lying Libeller I did it with such moderation of words as I cannot thinke it offended any man if I were in the wrong to any it was to my Brethren who stand for Episcopall gouernment in that I set it lower to procure peace then I should haue done yet it offends Mr. Dauid though it no way concerne him he will be a busic-bodie and meddle with other mens matters where-vnto he hath neither calling nor commission What your Doctours are who mislike that a good name should be defended yea that it should be despifed I know not you say it but you cite them not as good you call them as Philo Tertullian Ierome Ambrose Nazianzene Augustine These men are small in Mr. Dauids conceit here in the very entry giuing vs a taste of that humour wherein you continue and encrease in the rest liberall enough in your as good a word frequently vsed of them who are scant of matter yet faine would be contending but this chaire is too high for you to be the Palemon of Doctours past and present can you tell their value can you match them rightly you still vsurpe it but will be found to take too much vpon you A name sayes your Doctors should be despised or else say you obtained and retained by good actions not by Apologies The first is true no man denies it a good name should be procured by good deedes but why seclude you the second Are not Apologies lawfull yea needfull to conserue a good name begotten of good actions when an euill tongue would destroy it For why will good actions stop the mouthes of backbiters Will innocencie it selfe fence a man against the strife of tongues No it kept not Iesus the iust from the scourge of the tongue Was not Samuel an vnrebukeable man among men yet forced to vse Apologie Behold here am I beare record of me before the Lord whose Oxe haue I taken or whose Asse haue I taken or whom haue I done wrong to or whom haue I hurt or at whose hand haue I receiued any bribe to blinde mine eyes therewith Mr. Dauid many a time in your admonitorie you charge me for a corrupt louer of gaine but I adhere to Samuels protestation before the Lord against you and against all creatures I could tell at how manie hands I haue refused gaine euen for a shew of vngodlinesse but that creature was not is not that can conuict me of receiuing it And was not Saint Paul a faithfull seruant of God a painefull man in the worke of the Ministrie yet compelled to plead his cause by Apologies before men What shall I say the Christians of the primitiue Church were men of a godly life yet so sore oppressed with calumnies that Iustin Tertullian other Fathers of the Church were forced to defend them by Apologies A worthy constant and couragious man of God was Athanasius was he not without cause accused as a Murtherer and Sorcerer that he had slain Arsenius cut off his right arme to vse it in witchcraft and so forced to purge himselfe by Apologie And is not this it which I tolde you so clearely in mine Apologie but that you can see nothing which pleaseth not your humour I tell you it now therefore ouer againe It is Satans policie to staine the Name where hee cannot corrupt the Conscience and to disgrace the person by contempt of men where he cannot dishonour them by trapping them in his owne snare Sore hath mine aduersarie thrust at mee from my young yeeres by change of tentations hath hee sought to winnow mee if you had read my little Dialogue it could haue told you I haue beene trained vp with the wrastlings of GOD. Many wayes hath the Enemie sought to snare me that he might shame me and in shaming me might shame the glorious Ministrie committed to me though least and vnworthiest of all his seruants But my Lord prayed for mee and his grace preserued me that Satan got no vantage against mee to the disaduantage of the Gospell but now hee hath changed his battell and heere is the point what Satan could neuer obtaine of mee by inward tentation hee would make the world beleeue by outward calumnie that he had obtained it and that he had made me a man of a corrupt conscience and of an vnhonest heart toward God and man Before he fought against mee with inward tentations and I resisted him by instant prayer now he impugnes me by outward calumnies he hath not I thanke God corrupted my conscience but he would make men beleeue that he had done it and here it offends Mr. Dauid I should resist the enemie and defend my selfe by Apologies Since he hath changed the manner of his on-set why may not I change the manner of my Defence for in all this I take him for my principall partie Thus stands the question betweene Satan and mee and I am sorie for you that you come in to second him and serue him for an instrument to carie his lies vpon the chariots of your tongue and penne to the eares and hearts of others for to speake according to truth this is the place vvherein you stand at this time you haue taken you to be Satans second in this combat against me at least he hath abused you to follow him ignorantly