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A92025 A reply to the answer of Anonymus to Doctor Gauden's Analysis of the sense of the covenant: and under that, to a later tract of one Mr Zach. Crofton of the same fraternity with him. By John Rowland Oxoniensis, CCC. Rector of Footscray in Kent. Rowland, John, 1606-1660. 1660 (1660) Wing R2070; Thomason E1038_4; ESTC R207862 40,193 52

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as you do onely mention it and no more but for any Covenants they entred into without their Princes consent if you knew of any you should have mentioned that or else hold your peace but it is clear you could finde none which is sufficient to shew your falshood and folly and blasphemy in the close who dare compare your Covenant with our sacred Covenant made with God in Baptism wherein we are sprinkled with the blood of Christ and spiritually washed from the guilt of original sin Give me leave to make a short digression if it be any to shew how hurtful it is to binde the King and his Subjects to stand to the Covenant We honor our Kings here as Christs Vice-gerents upon earth and although they are compassed with human infirmities and are restrained by good Laws from doing wrong because of the largeness of their power yet they ought not to be bound with Saint Peters bonds or hindred from doing any good they can You know that God hath given to the Kings of England a miraculous Gift of Healing most scroffulous Tumors called The Kings Evil for every good gift comes from God and that many hundreds have been healed by His Majesties touching of them since His happy Return who could finde no remedy before from Chyrurgions or Physicians and divers perished for want of help and if the Christian Kings of France can do the like it is but a farther Confirmation of the certainty and lawfulness of it now when they perform these Cures some worthy Bishop or Episcopal Divine waiteth on them repeating the Promise of our blessed Saviour to his Church over which the King is held by us to be Supream in his Dominions They shall lay their hand upon the sick and they shall recover Mark 16.18 If your Covenant will not allow this to be done by them but that poor people must perish for want of Cure when God hath so graciously provided it for them how do you think it possible the people will endure such a Covenant I have been told that some sons of Belial should speak evil of it who would speak no better of Saint Pauls Napkins or of the shadow of Saint Peter passing by I do not finde that this way of healing was practised here at least so frequently before Edward the Confessor's dayes who is well represented on the Royal Exchange under a double capacity of King and Priest with a Crown on his head and a Bible in his hand and from him it descended to his Successors yet if I forget not I have read something of King Lucius to this purpose who was the first Christian King here when Joseph of Arimathea lived in this Island But should any man ask a reason why the King doth not cure all Diseases as well as that or why it was not practised so often at least in former days it would be to tedious to discourse of Sympathies and Antipathies of Thora and Antithora or of such providential wayes wherewith our good God doth always supply mankinde with helps against all defects and inconveniences where we stand in need One may as well forbid the use of the Mariners Compass as if it were performed by sorcery or inchantments because we cannot give a certain reason why the Loadstone should attract iron as it doth or the Needle should point alwayes to the North. I shall onely assign two reasons of His Majesties curing the Evil. The first shall be that it is very probable that this Evil is more frequent and increaseth more now than it did of old by reason of change of Diet or from what cause soever it may proceed wherein we differ from the Ancients and therefore God hath furnisht us with this remedy against it And secondly Christianity waxing cold and men being more subjoct to rebel against the Supream Magistrate than of elder times for so Saint Paul writes to Timothy That in the last dayes perillous times should come that men should be Traytors heady high-minded c. 2 Tim. 3.4 And Saint Peter saith 2 Pet. 3 3. There shall come in the last dayes scoffers walking after the rown lusts such as despise Government chap. 2.8 presumptuous not being afraid to speak evil of Dignities and therefore 1 Pet chap. 2.13 he commands all Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man to the King as Supream and verse 17. Fear God honour the King Now that Subjects might live more peaceably in obedience to the King this may be none of the least occasions God having hereby discovered unto us that he hath bestowed upon the King this divine Vertue of Healing some of the most general and spreading Diseases amongst the people more than he hath given to any other men I would we knew the extent of your Covenant if we must obey it I do not see but most degrees of Honor the Nobles as well as of the Clergy must be levelled by it It may be the Order of the Garter will be allowed for no better than an old Popish Ceremony fit to be abolished if you may tanquam ex cathreda interpret the sense of your Covenant which you hold to be as infallible as Rome doth her Church all must believe it under pain of damnation call but your Covenanters the Church and I find no difference But to return to Episcopacy methinks it is high time Bishops should be restored with more power than formerly which will be but moderate Episcopacy in regard of the great increase of Schisms and Heresies and the dangerous times we are fallen into But whom do you call your dear Mother of the Church of England Pray what is she Here according to your scurrilous way of jeering you proceed to speak non-sense it seems you are but an ungracious disobedient son your Mother is grown poor by many of your plunderings and sequestrings and now you will not know her Doth not St. Paul call himself the Father of those Churches he had begotten in Christ and why then cannot the Church of England spiritually and metaphorically be called our Mother whose breasts we suck in the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist The Scripture saith That Kings shall be the Churches Nursing Fathers and Queens Nursing Mothers Are you such a Critick and understand not that or will you quarrel with the Scripture for it As for your Post-script of Doctor Vshers Model of Reformed Episcopacy the Learned Doctor Bernard being now living is able to give the best account of that but I hope I have given you a good account of all the rest POST-SCRIPT THe Reader may if he please for his own better satisfaction compare the Arguments of Anonymus with those of Mr. Zachary Crofton who is reported to be the Goliath of the Covenanters in London and he shall finde them to be birds of a feather having little more to say for themselves Qui utrumvis recte noverit ambos immo omnes noverit answer one and answer them all I would counsel them if they will take my advice to live peaceably and not to disturb the Church of God whereof they are members considering how dangerous Schisms are to let in Popery Judaism Turkism Paganism and all manner of impiety to the subversion if it were possible of the Christian Faith we are all as brethren travelling to the Heavenly Canaan Let us remember that Charge Joseph gave to his brethren going to their earthly Canaan See that you fall not out by the way God grant us all a right understanding in all things There are others since Zach Crofton that plead for a Reformation of our Church in Doctrine Worship and Discipline let them by strength of Argument prove the necessity the pretend and let us have the same liberty in an amiable way to defend it and I doubt not of a good issue always with this proviso That the Covenanters shall not when they are at a loss run back to shelter themselves under their Covenant as they use to do We know what Ajax said of Vlysses Et quaerre censciui Arma they need not blaze it about so much to perswade the people things are so extream bad in the Church of England their best way will be if they mean peaceably to make their Addresses to the reverend Bishops and by their advice if there be any thing that will not agree with these mens queezy stomachs something may be more fully explained to give them satisfaction which I believe for my part is impossible for any men to do they are so inconstant in their judgements and resolutions and that it would not please them long if they were suffered to make the Alteration themselves they will stand to nothing unless their Dalilah the Covenant may be allowed to be Supream Governor and that is the main reason of the great noise they make for want of Reformation which if there were such necessity for it as they would make the world believe there is nothing hinders more than their Solemn League and Covenant for to what end should the wisest men upon the earth alledge Scripture Councels Fathers to confirm any Truth if when all is done it will not square with their Lesbian Rule their leaden Covenant which will bend every way and which alone they will admit to be the measure of it it shall be held by them for no Reformation at all Wherefore all that are dis-satisfied with our Church in Doctrine or Discipline must renounce the Covenant if they expect any thing to be amended and which is the readiest way to set things to rights rest in the wise and pious determination of our Ancestors who setled Episcopal Government here the livelyest pattern this day in all the world whereby all erronious and heterodox Opinions may be kept down and Religion setled and continued according to the true Rule which is the word of God My Coronis shall be an Hexastick of Sir John Sucklings never to be forgotten IF I were of your Covenant Then you would call me John of Gant Or one of high renown But now I am John for the King You will call me a poor Suckling And so you 'l cry me down FINIS