will of God bee so For howsoever all Christians be called to suffer yet every one is not called to every suffering 2. your conformitie with Christ. And 3. the assurance of an happy out-gate by his power who was put to death in the flesh but was quickned in the spirit and now stands on the right hand of the father to maintaine his owne and to revenge himself upon his enemies Deceive not your selves with worldly policie under the name of that heavenly vertue of Christian prudence which doth nothing intendeth nothing admitteth nothing in deed in word or in shew neither by dissimulation nor simulation against the honour of God in prejudice of the least truth against the love of your brethren or the duties of your own vocation Prudence never doth the least evill for procuring the greatest good for avoyding the greatest evill Shee is carefull of her own duty and commits the care of the event to God to whom it pertaines She is never so perplexed betwixt two evils but her eye seeth an out-gate without falling into a third evill of sin She teacheth her followers either with Cyprian in a matter so holy as is the casting of a little incense into the fire of an idoll not to enter in deliberation or else after deliberation with that worthy Prince of Conde to make the right choyce never to choose sin to remit punishment to the pleasure of superiours and the successe to the providence of the most high Beside that common necessitie layd upon you all in generall there is a speciall dutie at this time required of my Pastors and leaders The schooles of divinity which of late were a pleasant Lebanon fortimbeâ— to my buildings are become dennes of ignorance and impiety sinkes of schisme and sedition for my subversion The sonnes of the Prophets are made enemies to prophesie in stead of convictions of heresie hearing nothing almost but the censures of sincerity in place of the harmony of Christs Evangel deaued with dyted contentions about Antichristian geniculation Among their schoole Doctors sonnes of Ismael descended of Hagar Mismah Duma and Massa our toung-tied teachers all men of profound and hid learning the greatest Rabbi but that hee hath no hebrew at all whom God hath marked many wayes in his speeches preachings and practises bitterly condemneth them for heretickes who stand constant against that which of late he himselfe condemned of superstition idolatry both by word and by writ yet extant among his scollers in his patched and plagiarie collections written by many of their hands Thus alas my glory is become my shame my fouÌ„taine a puddle my Naâ—oth my beauty is become my loathing my deformity Hence forsooth shall bee furnished that plentie of excellent labourers cracked of to fill the places of my faithfull watchmen for their fidelity silenced and deprived Had my worthy Pastors but the favour of papists now or popish monkes of old casten forth of their places but not out of their livings our young divines fore-runners if ever any of religions ruine would neither like the lyons whelps make so great haste by their pricking pawes to get out of the matrix and in into their roomes nor yet make their mother so pregnant and parturient I may hope for some of Luthers spirit forth of these Cloysters and I beseech my God to give them the spirit of discerning But for the most part they were never taught to speak against papists for the truth to deale with the soules of people nor to live as Christians and yet must lay their hands upon the Lords Arke temerating my sacred mysteries entring unrevereÌ„ly with shooes and all into my Temple and making that holy ministery a meane of temporall life unto themselves more then a power of spirituall life to others The discharge of their calling is conforme to their education and entry and answerable to the wishes of the wicked people and wiles of the worldly patrones In conversation they and others before them so lewd that now it is esteemed puritanisme in a Pastor not to be prophane Every man and minister carefull to walk before God studious of Scripture and given to any abstinence in his diet as of old hee was set down by Ithacius in his Kalendar of suspected Priscillians so now by men of Ithacius spirit in the roll of Puritanes who cannot better to their iudgement approve the soundnesse of faith then by a more licentious and loose behaviour The authority of many preachers is so farre from procuring credit to their doctrine that to my great griefe and discredit of the Gospell that is thought by many in earnest which by a learned man was uttered in jesting of a profane preacher that hee would not willingly heare him say the Creed lest hee should take it for a lye comming foorth of his mouth This is it which carieth with it a secret cause of the conformity of the most part For how shal he that makes no conscience of morall duties in his conversation count it religious to stand against ceremonies in his vocation Or how can he be a director of thee in rites who is a neglecter of himselfe in substance The sonnes of Eli made the people to abhorre the offering of the Lord and they were slaine When Nadab and Abihu were consumed with fire from the Lord for failing in the outward duty of the ministry in a matter as might seeme of smal moment Moses told Aaron his brother that the Lord would bee sanctified of them that came neere unto him Few of the best sort can plead innocent of the matter in hand If people had been more painfully instructed in times past they had been better prepared for the present difficulties Had ye cleared your selves by your Apologetickes to your friends in forraine parts I had not been despised in the world neither had your reprochful defection been proclaimed among your adversaries Had you made your meane to your gracious soveraigne and layd before his mercifull eyes the pittifull cause of his own deere people lamentably scandalized and ready to make shipwrack of their souls upon these dangerous sands and uncouth rockes of novelties â—et in their way his maiesties clemency had not suffered matters to come to this desperate passe If yee who are the remembrancers of the Lord had not kept silence had ye blowen the silver trumpet in the middest of the congregation in the dayes of the holy assemblies had ye instantly denounced curses against the re-edifiers of Iericho had ye informed judicious professors in private and publicke of their owne interest and my danger had ye withdrawn your presence your countenance concurrence from the ring-leaders of that course had every watchman been watchfull in his own watch-tower defection had not gone on so farre at least your uncessant proclaimes and continuall protests would both have witnessed to the world and to the posterity after you that defection was not universall and also would have given your selves some
that are in authoritie that they may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlines and honesty For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God their Saviour who will have all to be safe and come to the knowledge of the truth They wish from the desires that lodge within their breasts long life unto his Majesty a secure reigne a safe house valiant armies a faithful counsel good people a quiet world Et quaecunque hominis Caesaris sunt vota They stand by that reformation that hath been so profitable and comfortable these threescore yeares by past giving more reasons for it then hath been or can be clearly answered How can it stand then with the grounds either of good policie or Christian equity for removing dissentions to yeeld respect countenance support and authority to the other party neither having nor giving evidence of reason for their pretended novations against the received truth Although the inferior law were inacted as God forbid yet in all Christian Prudence it ought to give place to the royall law of love and unity as being of a more noble descent But since unity forbids and peace declares her miscontentment in the beginning how shall this ever contentious and unruly Hagar be heard to contest with Sarah Were not this a way to bring a further rent and desolation upon the house of Abraham Vpon this ground what great tollerations have been granted by Christian Emperours and Kings all men know who know any thing in History It is better somtime to give connivence then by untimous cures to waken diseases And as one sayd to Augustus It is a speciall poynt of wisedome not to suffer new names or ought else wherefra discord may arise The cause wherein they stand and for the constant defence wherof they are traduced under the odious names of Puritanes precisians schismatickes Anabaptists and the like is an article of your honours owne worthy profession and confessioÌ„ of faith wherof the adversaries themselves were preachers and practisers of late and have never yet made any publicke repentance for their former heresies Augustine could say albeit in a different case Let them exercise crueltie against you who never were deceived with the like error wherewith they see you deceived but as for me I am not the man that can be cruell against you whom I must beare with now as I did comport with my selfe then But they have forgotten what they were and make my ministers to find the truth of that which is in the French proverb Quison chien veult tuer larage luymeâ— sus He that is disposed to have his dogge killed will first have him thought to be madd As I will have them for their part to resolve with Daniel to sustaine the wrong of such Assyrian nick-names and by the grace of the God of Daniel wil have them both to abstaine from these impurities and to professe the detestation of the least shew of them So I would wish your honours upon the other part not to judge of them according to mens calumnies but to the truth of God And consider upon your beds who they are that yeeld what are they that stand and upon what inducements Ye can hardly poynt at any one of my ministers but hee is in some good measure fitted for the work of the ministery And howsoever according to the diverse roomes in my habitation lesse or greater all have not the same measure of light some torches for more publick places and others smaller lights for their own cottages yet every one makes conscience of residence to shine in his own roome both in the purity of doctrine and life to my great joy and your benefit by the blessing of God upon their labours hardly any one of the other side but hee is either c. They have large rents if not great wealth the others portion is but meane The one is encouraged with outward assistance the other enfeebled with cries crosses and ensuing dangers the one richly rewarded for proud practises the other are boasted for painfull labours to clear and defend a just cause the one men of glorious state and great pompe in the world the other trode upon as unworthy of the countenance of the world The one take leasure from their charge to invent and publish their pleasure the other have no time froÌ„ the charge of their flockes to cleare the truth To the one the presses are open and free to the other it is neither safe noâ— possible almost to print a few words of this sort faâ—r lesse labours of greater moment and better use The one gets money for their hungry pamphlets the other counts charges hazard gaine The one are both parties and judges of the cause the other dare scarcely make provocation in publick to the Lord Iesus The one finally by their defection rise and become Princes of the world the other for their constancy are thrust downe and tyed fast to the crosse Wherby ye caÌ„not but see whether the love of the world or the zeale of God be the spirit that blowes in the sailes of their affections Know yee not that howsoever they bee counted few silly and of base resolution yet if they esteemed not more of a good conscience then they who make a covenant with death and hell and put the evill day farr from them they might speed as well as others in worldly projects Can it bee denied but they preferre the peace of their soules and purity of their profession to the pleasures of the world wherewith others are pampered Were it proclaimed by the Emperour Let us take from them these hurtfull riches for that were a work of charity the zealots of this course would grow key cold Suffer not then poverty paucity pusillanimity prisonings wardings difficulties of writing printing uttering and countenancing Gods cause and thousands of such disadvantages be a prejudice to that truth whereof ye are convinced in your mindes Be not deceived with this new fond and false glosse of indifferencie look to God to his word to the parties to your owne soules and to that great day of the revelation of Christ Iesus As the pretext of conformity the visor of unity the null-authority of a pseudo-synod wanting formality fulnesse and liberty should not bee a Gorgons head to terrifie them so should it neither by serpeÌ„tine slight deceive you In conformity there is to bee respected 1. The substantiall truth of God wherein all true Conformitants must agree 2. The sincere ministery and sorts of ministers appoynted by the sonne of God for our edification in the truth 3. Christs incommunicable prerogative in appoynting of the Sabboth and solemne ministration of the word sacraments and discipline 4. The edificative use of these ministrations in the several ages Kirks kingdomes of the world â— A clear distinction between divine and ecclesiasticall rites the indifferencie in nature the expedience of use the diversitie
hope to bee repossessed in your former liberty not betrayed of you by your wilfull silence but extorted from you by wicked violence Were this cloud past and I restored to the sunne-shine of the lightsome countenaÌ„ce of my God ye would all be ashamed and blush at your present mis-behaviour In the time of peace yee would seeme lyons but when battell comes you prove but Harts Could ye have looked that at the first so many of Gideons armies would haue fled home But if the remnant were faithfull and forward their noyse and light would yet make Madian to flee They who have yeelded under colour of care for their congregations but indeed coÌ„straint for feare of worldly losses have brought the rest of their brethren in suspition that either they will follow at last or else that they deale more obstinately then conscientiously It were good therfore that yee cleared your selves to the consciences of others by the evidence of reason and sine lift up your voyce as a trumpet that the deafest and deadest may heare that yee were instant in season and out of season to shew Israel their transgressions lest yee bee guiltie of their bloud Why should yee bee ashamed to cry that in the eares of others openly which ye think with your hearts speak among your selves secretlie Who shal stand for Christ suffer for his crowne if yee fall away and betray his honor If ye hold your peace Christ will tell you that the stones will cry out although whole multitudes of you bee silent Suppose all Ierusalem should be offended at you yet it becomes you to crie Thou sonne of David have mercy on us And blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. Let schismatickes load you according to their malicious custome with carts full of reproches of schisme sedition yet ye must follow the example of those glorious ministers of God who before peace upon earth did sing glory to God in the highest heavens Ye must first be pure then peaceable It is a cursed silence of the mouth that makes the conscience within to cry Remember the example of Aphraades remember the modest virgins behaviour when shee saw her fathers house on fire remember the cryes of the dumbe child of Craesus at his fathers danger The woe is terrible that belongs to you in case ye crie not The Athenian Cynegirus detained the Persian Gallie with his right hand when that was cut off with his left and being mutilate of both hee spared not his teeth No meane should bee left unassayed with God and with men to maintain the least parcel of truth for his sake whose truth it is and who hath concredit you with the bloud of his own sonne As the Libellatici wer odious of old for redeeming from the Gentiles their peace with money so may ye be suspected of defection and deniall of the truth if yee shall redeeme either your peace or places with promise of silence Away with halting with luke-warmnesse with shaming to utter the words of Christ in the midst of an adulterous and sinful generation lest he be ashamed of such when â—ee commeth in the glory of his father with his holy Angels Promise of silence is a secret collusion and indirect approbation of the contrary course a hardning of the adversaries in their wickednesse and a deserting of your brethren in the cause of God The occasion of the preaching of the Gospell procured by dealing of this sort is not unlike to Pilates subtilitie who thought meet to scourge Christ for saving of his life Moses Exod. 10. 25. Daniel chap 6. 11. Iohn Baptist Mark. 6 18. had no such wisedome Albeit all thy speaking were but as the washing of a blackmore yet bee not mis-led with the cunning and craftie offers of your adversaries Their intention is to cast you loose of your own order to draw you on by degrees to make the number behind the smaller the common clamor and complaint the lesse their owne travels in cutting off the rest the more easie and plausible And in the end when ye have satisfied their desires they shall bee hardened in their course and ye condemned as unfavorie salt censured by them as old hypocrites condemned by your owne consciences as betrayers of the truth and complained upon by Gods people who haue heard his truth from your lips But then might I have good hope to be freed from this deluge of defection and that all my lower vallies would at last appeare if the tops of my mountaines were once discovered If these who iâ— the providence of my God are of greatest estate and have the first places in the kingdome and high and honorable meetings thereof would go as farre before others in zeale as they are above them in preferment Men will mock me as the servant of Strato the Syrian was mocked at the election of a king for looking to the West for the sight of the sunne rising Yet as it was then first seene by that wise servant upon the tops of the Westerne mountaines so my hope is in this night of desolation to see the beames of my wonted light first upon you of greatest place and then upon the lower ground by obtaining at your hands a few reasonable petitions which I will then propone when I have by your patience a little dis-burthened my heavie minde by demanding a few things at the Prelates once my ministers †Who are ashamed to heare what they have done but have no shame In doing of that which they blush to heare Where need iâ— they are voyd of feare and where there iâ— no need there they feare Charging and attesting them as they will answere to the Iudge of all the world to ponder my demands unpartially and in the presence of God to answere them secretly in the cabinets of their soules 1. First how they could so farre forget themselves in so short time as to come to this measure of defection of pride and persecution Would they not have answered and did they not say in the beginning of this their course with Hazael Are we dogges that we should doe this mischiefe And consequently what inexpected extremity they may yet fall into if they wilfullie goe on in this their wickednesse the end whereof they cannot see 2. Vpon what warrant they can receive or urge the five Articles which may not as well inforce the whole ceremonies of England yea the whole Romulean rites of Antichrist as being of one kinde and qualitie onely differing in degrees And thus if they can think it tollerable to change my comely Christian countenance into the painted Antichristian complexion of that Whoore of Babel 3. Whether the Episcopacie which they esteeme the principall office in the house of my God hath any paterne in the mount and if it hath whether their forme of ministration bee answerable to that institution or to the practise of any orthodox Kirk in the world or to the
THE SPEACH OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND TO HER BELOVED CHILDREN HEu heu Domine Deus quia ipsi sunt in persecutione tuâ primi qui videntur in Ecclesia tua primatum diligere gerere principatum impedire salutem est persequi Saluatorem Bernard Alace Alace ô Lord God for they are cheesest in thy persecution who love the first and chief places and to bear rule to stay the course of salvation is to persecute the Saviour Bernard SImplicitas amentia malitia sapientia nomen habet virique boni usque adeo irridentur ut fere nullus qui irrideri possit appareat Petrarch Simplicitie now carieth the name of madnes malice the name of wisdome and good men are so derided that almost no man can be found to be derided Petrarch Imprinted in the yere 1620. THE KIRK OF CHRIST IN SCOTLAND TO HER DEARLY beloved Children wisheth purity and peace AS I your loving mother fearing to be finally deserted of my glorious Spouse the Lord Iesus and to be childles hereafter haue weeped sore in the night this time bypast my teares are on my cheekes Among all my lovers few to comfort mee my friendes haue dealt treacherously with me they are become my enemies Lament 1. 2. So would ye my dear children dolefully cry out The joy of our heart is ceased our daunce is turned into mourning the crown is fallen from our heads woe unto us that we haue sinned Lament 5. 15. 16. If ye were touched with the sense and feeling of your present estate and could by the thick shaddowes of this evening be brought to consider the comfortles desolation of that approaching night of darknes after so bright a day of visitation But so much the more dangerous is defection and the mysterie of iniquitie the more pernicious that it proceeds from so subtile beginnings as to your simplicitie ar almost insensible It is not time then for me your dolorous mother to keepe silence But love and feare presse me to put you in minde that it hath been in all ages the holy disposition happy practise of all Gods people wayting for the appearing of Iesus their Lord tēdring the weal of his spouse and taking to hart the aeternall salvation of their own soules to set continually before their eyes 1. His inaestimable goodnes towardes his Kirk 2. Her case and condition while she is militant here on earth And 3. in consideration of the one and the other the duetie required and expected at their handes wherthrough in the goodnes of God they have beene safe from that dreadfull ruine that hath overtaken the wicked And which I wish you my beloved children to escape by calling to minde in like manner at this tyme of your danger and my distresse First how wonderfull the Lordes mercies have been towards me his Kirk in this nation Secōdlie my present case crying with the complaints of a mother for help at your hands And thirdly what is due from your affection places and callings to me in whose wombe ye were conceived and by whose care ye are brought up to that which ye now are That whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven it may be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven For why should he be wroth against the realme of the King and his sonnes Ezra 7. 23. And that Christ may say to me yet once againe Thou art beautifull my love as Tirzah comelie as Ierusalem terrible as an army with banners Cant. 6. 3. Words and motions of this sort as they have been so they will be but oyle to feede the fire of the furie of such incēdiaries as make their own earthlie particulars their highest projects for the wicked shall doe wickedlie and none of them shall understand yet by the grace of God manie shal be purified and tryed the wise shall understand The greatest wisdome of the greatest of you in other matters and your gracious countenance towards me and the meanest of your brethren at other tymes suffereth me not to doubt of your audience of any message or motiō from heaven but especiallie be my mouth which may either dis cover or prevent anie spirituall or temporall danger Now the spirit of wisdome and knowledge give unto yow all wise hearts that in the sight of God ye trying thinges that differ may approve things excellent which is above the reach of the naturall man that ye may be sincere without offence till that day of Christ your Lord mine THe riches of the unsearchable favours of my spouse towardes me have beene so greate he hath made his glorie to dwell so sensiblie in this land that I may bouldlie say Mercie and truth righteousnes and peace had never since Christs comming in the flesh a more glorious meeting amiable embracing on earth then ye have seene amongst your selves in the roughe end of this northern Yland which therfore hath justlie obteined to my no small comfort a great name among the cheefe Kirkes and Kingdomes in the World A people that sat in darknes hath seene a great light and to them who sat in the region of death light is sprung up To what nation under heaven when now the sunne of righteousnes hath shined upon the most part of the world hath the Lord communicated the Gospell for so large a time with such puritie fulnes prosperitie power libertie and peace The hottest persecutions had never greater puritie and power the most halcyon hereticall tymes had never more prosperitie and peace the best reformed Kirks in other places can hardlie parallel your fulnes and libertie And all these with such continuance that not onlie hath he made the truth to stay with you as he did the sunne in the daies of Iosuah but when the cloud of your iniquities did hasten it to goe downe in his mercie hath he brought back the glorious sunne by manie degrees as in the tymes of Ezekiah Oh that ye had known the long pleasant day of your visitation and in this your day the things belonging unto your peace Christ hath not onely beene one his name one in respect of his propheticall office for your information of his priesthood for the expiation of your sinnes and intercession for you but also hath displayed his banners and hath shewed himself few can say the like a soveraigne King in our Land to governe you with his owne scepter erected in his Worde to cutt off with his sword all monuments of Idolatry and superfluitie of pompous ceremonies to restore all the meanes of his worship in Word Sacraments and discipline to the holy simplicitie and integritie of the first paterne shewed in the mount frō the which by that wisdome of man which is ever foolishnes with God they had fearfully and shamefully swerved The sincerer sort of the bordering nations about you haue been so ravished with that beautie of the Lord upon your Sion with that crowne of glorie and rich diademe by the hand of
cause is the unaequal proportion seen in the Kirk where one is hungrie and starved an other drunk by reason wherof it cannot be that the state of the Kirk can long endure As he cleareth by the comparison of the proportions in Musik in common wealths and in the bodie of man wherupon he inferreth If in the bodie of the wealth Ecclesiasticall some who be the heads be so enormously overgone in riches and dignity that the weak mēbers of the body be scant able to beare them up there is a great token of dissolution and ruine shortly A third cause is the pride of Prelates declared in their great horses troupes of horsemen the superfluous pomp of their waiting men and great families To them the Lord speaketh by the Prophet Amos ch 4. Hear you fatted kine of Samaria ye that doe poore men wrong oppresse the needy the day shall come upon you c. Besides these he allegeth the tyranny of Prelates which as it is a violent thing so it cannot long indure the promoting of the unworthie and neglecting of the worthie the tribulations of outward policie cōmotions of people the refusing of correction in the Princes and Rulers of the Kirk the backsliding from righteousnes lack of discreet and learned preachers promoting of children unto Kirk offices and such other like This sermon changing the name time might seem to haue bene studied for our present estate And happy were we if we were not miscaried with the perillous opinions which he ascribes to the Prelates of that time One opinion is of them who thinke the Prelates to bee the Kirk which the Lord will alwayes keep and never forsake An other who deferred time thinking that the causes tokens before rehearsed have been in the Kirk at other times no lesse then now The third of such as say Let come what will come let us conforme our selves to this world and take our time with temporizers And the last is of such as being unfaithful beleeve not that any such thing shall come But so long as men are drunken with one or moe of those errors what hope is there of happinesse of recovery We might heare Henricus de Hassia in the yeare 1371. speaking that of our times which he said of his own That the Ecclesiasticall governours in the primitive Kirk were compared to the Sunne shining in the day time and the politicall to the Moon shining in the night But the spiritual men which now are doe neither shine in the day nor in the night But rather with the darknesse of impiety ignorance and licentious living doe obscure both the day and the night The renowned Bishop of Spalato as holy Bernard before him complaines more bitterly of that damned couple of crying sins Avarice and Ambition two monstrous beasts and ravenous Harpies which have seized upon the harts of Kirkmen in the time of peace then of the crueltie of persecution and craft of heresies which seeme to you to be the most desperate and onely evils Then saith hee speaking in the person of the Kirk was I at my highest and at my best esteeme whiles I went in a thin coat such as I was cloathed with when my spouse Christ Iesus betrothed himselfe to me c. And afterward They have thrust upon the world their owne inventions and established their own ordinances not drawn out of that testament which my spouse left to me and them namely the holy Scriptures but craftily hammered out of their own capricious projects and tending to the prejudice of your poore soules my deere children So true it is that wealth is a viperine brood of devotion Riches heaped together for reverence of so great a function almost have removed the cause of reverence And lest my calamity should seeme common or my present miseries to be lesse then the greatnesse of my by-past felicities may not every feeling soule rightly affected towards unity verity mournfully deplore this my estate in the words of Nazianzen describing the case of the Kirk in his time to this meaning My mind sayes he leads me seeing there is no other remedy to flee and convoy my selfe unto some corner out of sight where I may escape frō the cloudy tempest of maliciousnesse whereby all parts are entred into deadly warre amongst themselves and that little remnāt of love which was is now consumed to nothing The onely godlines we glory in is to find out somewhat whereby we may iudge others to be ungodly One of us observes the faults of another as matters of upbraiding and not of mourning By these meanes we are growne hatefull even in the eyes of the heathen themselves and which woundeth us the more deeply we cannot deny but we have deserved their hatred with the better sort of our own our credit and name is quite lost the lesse wee are to marvell if they iudge vily of us who although wee did well would hardly commend us On our backes they also build that are leaud and what we object one against another the same they use to the utter scorne and disgrace of us all But I come now my beloved brethren to the conscience of your duty in this case which was the third and principal purpose the religion whereof will bind so many as think seriously of the exceeding bountifulnesse of God to mee his Kirk and upon my manifold crosses here on earth One common dutie of all is that seeing they be all under the guiltines of ingratitude and are become a sinfull nation loaden now with iniquities as ye have been with mercies before which doe provoke the Lord to remove his kingdome altogether from you and to give it to others that would bring forth the fruits thereof according to the constant course of the severity of his Iustice both with his own people the Iewes and with many other famous Kirkes in the East and West given over to beleeve that great lye because they received not the love of the truth and rendred not to the great King the fruits of his kingdome in due season that now before the fiercenesse of his wrath come on all of you from the house of David to the house of Levi look with melting hearts and mourning eyes upon him whom you have pierced with your iniquities Oh that yee had lights to search your hearts and hearts to repent for your sins in the evening of this your day that ye could turne unto the Lord with one heart before yee bee overwhelmed with darknesse At least if in these godlesse and devotionless dayes wherein all your wonted fasting is turned into feasting a general humiliation cannot be obtained ye that are the Lords owne and delight in his tents yee that love the beauty of Sion and have accesse to the face of God contend with him by the spirit of deprecation fill your chalmers with strong cries fill heaven and earth with the grones of his owne spirit poure out
grieved them whoÌ„ he should have made to rejoyce had made theÌ„ rejoyce whom he should have grieved Many speeches as lots are offered to your Princely consideration but the disposition is of the Lord whom we pray to grant that the best cause may have the first lot And who knowes but your Honors are advanced at this time to intercede for me that his highnesse may blesse and reward you for hindering hard courses against his harmlesse ministers and most dutifull subjects sincere professors of the Gospell Dorotheus and Gorgonius men of great authoritie and place and of the Emperours privie chamber when they beheld the punishment of one Peter with them spared not to say Wherfore O Emperour why doe yee punish in Peter that opinion which is in us all Why is that in him counted an offence which wee all confesse wee are of that faith and religion which he is off The truly noble Terentius for all other suâ—es which the Emperour desired him to make craved onely liberty for Christians and beeing refused of that gathered up the peeces of his riven supplication and could not be induced to seek any thing else The Lord requires not onely profession but confession at your hands in this case Wheâ— can yee better make your affection knowen then when the Lord Iesus in the persons of his spouse and your owne mother becomes a petitioner unto you As yee would wish to see his face in mercy in that day of his second comming make not by your unkindnesse his countenance to fall down upon you now send him not away with a repulse He hath run many times like the Roe or the yong Hart over the highest mountaines of difficulties to succour you in your distresse when ye have called upon him Let no pretended impediment be an hinderance unto you to help his cause most instantly suing for support at your hands If there bee any iniquity in my children let them suffer for it spare them not But if they be innocent smite them not Open your mouth for the dumbe Iudge righteously the afflicted and poore Deliver the oppressed that they may offer sacrifice and pray for the life of the king and his sonne If hard courses be taken against faithfull ministers and people let not your honours wash your hands of that harme It is all one to doe them evill and not to helpe them against wrong done by others The hoast of Israel spake in great courage for the life of Ionathan and Ionathan for David to the danger of his life Ebedmelech spake a good word for Ieremie and was saved when his master Zedekias was slaine But curse yee Meroz curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord against the mightie although they had no hand against them God that hath given you grace and credit with his highnesse requireth that ye bestow it upon his matters and that yee reserve it not for your own Remember the example of that worthy Courtier Nehemiah who esteemed a libertie to build up the walles of the Citie of God a sufficient reward for all his faithfull service As your solicitude is great to leave the common wealth and your own honorable houses in good case so dilapidat not my libertie Leave me not of whom ye have both your first second birth in worse estate to your own incredible griefe and the desolation of your posterity Invenistis marmoreane ne relinquitâ— lateritiam Vpon the wall that yee have found rather build a palace of silver Cant. 8. 9. It was that name of Iehovah and holinesse to the Lord put upon the head of the high Priest that was the greatest beautie and crowned all the other inferiour ornaments The truth of religion and the purity of your profession as it hath been so let it still bee your glory and the luster of all those inferiour gifts wherewith the Lord hath inriched you As this is the first great triall of your hearts Love to Christ and me so it may be your last occasion It is not long since the places which ye possesse were filled with your ancestors of worthy memory whose constancy in defending the liberty of Gods worship is frequently observed in your owne history who now are passed to their eternity and ere be long according to the succession of generations one after another others shal have their time of your present dignities both in degree and continuance Bend your wits and credit to do good while ye haue time Hazard not the happinesse of your eternity Do not that which at the least while yee live will be a bleeding wound in your soules Set your eyes upon him that is invisible and that recompence of reward so shall yee esteeme the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of AEgypt And shall choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season The Lord who searcheth the reignes sees you and the secrets of your deliberation and conclusions and could make them to found again outwardly in your eares and to the hearing of others All your thoughts are legible to that piercing eye from which nothing is hid Look not what ye may say for your excuse or what one partie may say against another whether in private conference or publick velltation by print or dispute But in the sight of God coÌ„sider upon your beds by the light of his spirit whether of the two courses from the beginning ye find to be of through and for God And we have no great feare but ye shal be moved to break down that wall of ceremonies hurtfull to all and profitable to the souls of none that both the houses may be one as the Lord himselfe abolished the Iewish ceremonies and put none in their place I have many children some aged some poore some consumed with godly griefe not so much for their own trouble as for the decay of purity and my desolation They would doe all things for pleasing all parties wherin God is not displeased and their consciences not disquieted But the honour of God and peace of their soules they dare not but regard And albeit obedience to the word should destroy their own all other mens worldly estate yet they must still and uncessantly urge it If in times past your honors have been pleased to hearesome of them in pulpit and in privat in the matters of religion and have not despised their speeches when there was greater probabilitie for suspition there is greater reason now when they are in hazard of suffring to beleeve and take to heart that which they say and require Wherof as they must be couÌ„table to the eternall Iudge of all the world so shall yee be for your hearing and shall not escape his hand if yee harken not for disobedience to the truth The world may well dally for a time and make men so drunke with the wine of wickednes that through security they
may thinke theÌ„selves safe But be assured when the Lord shall search Ierusalem with lights and enter to the fiery â—â—yall every abomination shall kythe in the own colours If ye hold your peace God will provide for his owne children But behold hee commeth shortly and his reward is with him to give to every man according as his workes shall bee Albeit my messengers may now cry with the prophet Who beleeves our report yet that dreadfull sentence shall make the soule once brought within the sight of death to tremble and quiver God wil not be mocked If the righteous scarcely be saved and God spares not his Angels where shall they appeare who make marchandise of his truth albeit at the highest rate of honour and wealth The whole word of God his law promises and threatnings his practises and the works of providence cannot prevaile with the sencelesse soules of men But death so violent are his perswasions and his might so unresistable at his first approch shall make every heart to beleeve and feele that all the workes under the Sunne are but vanity The conscience and happy remembrance of one word uttered or suffered for Christ his crowne his truth or his needy members shall at that strait fill the soule with greater joy then all the crowns and kingdoms under heaven And what is then left to the godlesse craftie and merciles wretch that laugheth at my death and daunceth at my funerals when men afflicted cry unto the Lord and he heareth them But thou hast proved in the end victorious O Iesus of Galilee I conclude with that of my beloved Bernard I owe my selfe unto God for my creation what shall I give for my restauration especially being restored after such a manner neither was â— so easily restored as created In his first work hee gave me unto my selfe in his second he gave himself unto me by giving himselfe he hath restored me unto my selfe Being therfore given restored I ow my selfe for my selfe and so ow my selfe unto God by a double right But what shall I render unto God for giving himself unto me For though I should give my selfe a thousand times for recompence what am I in comparison of him And I add that seeing all my well-doing can be no recompence unto him I wish the increase of his glory by a second restitution of me unto my selfe by giving himselfe now the second time unto me and am content to be put to a greater perplexity not knowing what to render that his mercies yet may be the greater O that it would please him yet again to pitty me At least let all the blessed of the Lord keep themselves from troubling the preachers of peace and bringers of blessings let them be stout stedfast and play the men that they may all run out their course with joy and report that excellent price conquesed by the blood bitter sufferings of Iesus Christ my spouse now at the right hand of the father for whose revelation I am waiting daily that my marriage may bee perfected and I with all the Saints may enter into the ioyes conquesed by his bitter suffering To him with the Father holy Ghost be all glory praise and honor for ever FINIS A three fold consideratioÌ„ of every Christian ap plyed to the present purpose and tyme. First of the great goodnes of God to the Kirk of Scotland In making the Gospel to shine here beyond the light of other nations Testified by their confessions ' and wishes His goodnes in the manner of the working of her reformation Frater frater abi in cellâ—m et dic miserere mei Deus more gladij cruentaÌ„di “ Malleus Romanorum His strong hand against all her enemies forraine and domestick The present distress and doleful face of the Kâ—rk Crying sinns of the godles multitude and lukewarmnes of the best preachers and professors The glory of the Kirk turned into shame In turbis pravus etiam sortitur bâ—norem et quam dignitatis sedem quieta rep desperat eam perturbata se consequi posse arbitratur The causers of her calamitie the same that have beene in other Kirks heretofore Some of theÌ„ drawen out of Gerson aâ— the neglect of Scripture and multiplying of traditions The â—variâ—â— and ambitioÌ„ of Bishops Causes out of Nicolas Orem as the profanity of kirkmen Want of proportion in the Kirk Pride of Prelates Divers other causes Causes brought by the Bishop of Spalato CoÌ„â—estae passim opes in tanti officij reverentiam pene causam reverentiae â—xâ—inxerunt Conclusion from Nazianzen III. The dutie required of us in respect of the two former consideratioÌ„s And first a common duty of humiliation urged upon all Two things required eveÌ„ of ordinary professors First skill to try the Spirits SecoÌ„dly readines to suffer for the least poynt of the 〈◊〉 truth Your care and your comfort in suffering Speciall duâ—… of Pastors †Râ—conditae prorsum occuitae eruditionis viri ‡ Audi vide tace In pace leones in praelio Cervi Quibus audendi quae fecerunt pudor est nullus faciendi quae audire â—rubescunt Illic ubi opus est nihil verentur hic ubi nihil opus est ibi verentur Some demands proponed to the Prelates Pastores facti estis non percussores nova atque inauditae est ista praedicatio quae verberibus â—xigit fidem Aliud est quod agitur typho superbiae aliud zelo disciplinae Plus erga corrigendos aâ—at benevolentia quam severitas plus cohortatio quam comminatio plus charitas quam potestas Sed hi qui quae sua sunt quaerunt non quae Iosa Christs facile ab hac lege discernuntur qâ—um domiâ—ri magis quam consulere subditis quaerunt Places honor inflat superbiâ— quod provisum ad concordiam â—endit ad noxam Petition in â— humility tâ— the Nobility and Estateâ— to deale with his Maâ—esty Triall to bee made by the word By true zeale By the fruits and not by pretext of antiquity or outward appearance Perih â—…y wants a paterne Hooker and Saravia â—heÌ„selves against the â—reâ— entry of Râ—â—es †A multâ—â—unt reformâ—â—â— ecclesiae qâ—ae â—ineam â— lam vesteâ— non admittunt pereorinaâ—uÌ„ ecclesiarum ministri insularum Iersae Iernâ—ae quae Anâ—lcanâ— ecclesiae annumerentur Resp â—um qui in illis ecclesijs usum hujus vestis vellet introducere a schismste non posse excusaâ—i sicut nec a superstitione quicquid contra ad suam excusationent posset allegare The moane of the Kirk of â—â—d under the burdâ— of ceremonies Quanto maegis accedit cumulo rituum in Ecclesia tanto maegis dâ—trahitur non tantum libertati Christianae sed Christo eiuâ— fideâ— dum vulgus ea quaeâ—â—t in ritibus quae quae eret in solo Dei filio Jesu Christo per fidem Liâ—hâ— of nature true policie and coÌ„mon equity against English formalities in our Kirk InterduÌ„ conâ—â—veâ—â—â—menus est qâ—am remâ—dâ—jâ— dâ—licta incendere JudgmeÌ„ts to be given not according to the bâ—senesse of the defenders but according to the truth Râ—spuite AEneâ—â— suscipite pâ—um Illi in vos saeviant qui nullo â—asi â—â—râ—re decâ—pâ—i sunt quali vos deceptos vident ego â—utem saevire in vot omniâ—â— non possuÌ„ quos sicut â—eipsum illo â—empore ita â—unc debeo sustinere auferamus illis nocentes divitias hoâ— enim facere est opus charitatis CoÌ„ditions of conformity Impossibile fuerit omnes ecclsiaruÌ„ quâ— per civitateâ— sunt regiones ritus coÌ„scribere Nulla religio cosdem ritus custodit etiamsi eandeâ— de illis doctrinam amplectitur Quis ferat co qui aâ—â—aÌ„ qâ—aÌ„piam synâ—dum praepoâ—â—nt Nâ—â—inae At quis non potius oderit eos qâ—i rejiciunt paâ—uÌ„ decreta praeponunt receÌ„tioâ—a nuper Aâ—â—mini contentione vi expressa Quâ—â— cum illis hominibus societateÌ„ iniâ—e velit qui ne quideÌ„ sua ipsi â—uâ—ntuâ— Nos non nostra voluntate sed necessitaâ—e adducti subscripsimus non animo sed verbis duntaxaâ— consensimus The poynts controverted are material propter scandalum quod vel 〈◊〉 imbecillitaâ—e vel ex ignorantia nascitur declinandum omnes quantum cumque rectae aut utiles actiones quae ad animi salutem non sunt necessariae praetermittendae vel occultandae aut saltem in in aliud tempus differendae sunt Thom. 2a 2â—q 43. artic Quaedam frivola innoxia quaedam frivolâ— noxia Hope of hâ—â— Ma. gracious favour Quod neque imperiale siâ— libertateÌ„ dicendi negare neque sacerdotale quod sentiat non dicere â—is causa vero Dei quem audies si sacerdotem non audies cuius maiori peccatur periculo quis tibi verum audebiâ— dicere si sacerdos non audeat Sed mihi placet sive in Romana sive in GalliaruÌ„ seu in qualibet ecclesia aliud invenisti quod plus omnipotenti Deo possie placeâ—e sollicite eâ—â—g as Et in Anglorum ecclesiaÌ„ quâ— ad fidem nâ—â— vâ— est institutione praecipua quae de multie ecclesijs colligere potuiâ—ti inâ—undas Non enim pro locâ—â— res sed pro bonis rebus loca amanda sunt Ex singulis ergo quibusque ecclesijs quae pia quae religiosa quae rectâ— sunt elige haec quasi in fasciculum collecta apud Anglorum mentes in consuetudinem deponâ— Neque Philosophia neque imperiuÌ„ â—olliâ— affectus Supplication to the Nobility and Estates urged for that end Viciâ—â—i tandem Galilae