that I haue learned that now which I knew not before M. Dauid it is the glorie of Angels that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propter gratiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnchangeable through the grace that is giuen them being otherwise of their owne nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutable of will With their first creation they receiued full vnderstanding of all truth which their Creator thought needefull to communicate to them and in it by grace they abide without change not subiect to any errour but is it so vvith man vpon earth attaine wee at the first to perfection of knowledge must we not learne and come to it by degrees I pray you whose words are these when I was a childe I spake as a childe I thought as a childe Now I haue put childish things from me Is it with euerie one as it was with the Baptist he was Renatus prius quam natus Regenerate ere he was borne he had not yet come into the world by the first birth he is made partaker of the second Were wee all with Ieremie sanctified in the wombe Get we all with Salomon knowledge of right and wrong in our younger yeeres he was wonderfull wise before hee was twelue yeeres olde Is it with all Preachers as with the Apostles who within fiftie dayes after that they were sent out by Christ his Ambassadours to the world they receiued the Spirit to leade them in all truth Thanks be to God when he entred vs into his holy Ministrie he gaue vs such measure of his Spirit as did teach vs all substantiall points of faith needfull to saluation and gaue vs gifts profitable in their measure for edification of the Church But Mr. Dauid it was spoken to one and it stands for all Attende lectioni intentus esto tibi ipsi doctrinae Take heede vnto learning Timothie had learned the holy Scriptures from his youth yet the Apostle will haue him to learne still for so saith he to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it may be manifest to all men how thou profitest and shall it then be a blame to mee to professe I haue learned that which I knew not Correct your selfe M. Dauid what you call inconstancie will be found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not inconstancie but encrease of knowledge O but this Inquisitour will not take this for an answere he will needes haue me guiltie of negligence and sloath in my calling That in so great so high so speciall a question as it yet neuer searched to know the truth of that matter till now of late Mr. Dauid my calling is to be a Preacher my commission is the whole word of God whereof I acknowledge with Augustine Tantam esse profunditatem c. The depth to be so great that the quickest Engine though hee should liue Methusalems yeeres and doe no other thing but read it continually yet vvere not able to plum it nor to learne all the great and high and speciall questions concerning it There are many points in holy Scripture which most excellent Preachers know not and will you for that conuince them either for false Teachers or carelesse Students Know you not that Iacob at the first vvas called Israel the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one a name of learning and profiting the other of perfection and preuailing Now is the time of our wrastling a time wherein we should learne and grow in knowledge Encreasing with the encreasings of GOD stepping forward euery day a new step and so walking till we appeare before the face of our God in Sion The time is at hand when wee shall come to the measure of perfect men in Christ No darknesse no error shall then be left in our mindes but we shall then know euen as we are knowne But it being a principall point of your calling and you so long a Pastor saith the admonent it cannot be but a great sloath that you haue neuer searched to know the truth of that matter Truly Mr. Dauid I doe verily thinke that a man may proue both a faithfull and fruitfull Minister in the Church all his daies and neither busie himselfe nor his people with any question of externall Church-gouernement that is amongst vs. I thanke God being now a man neere-by of fourtie and sixe yeeres I haue liued in the Church twenty and foure yeeres a Pastor without rebuke of any till the Libeller and you yoaked against me and beleeue me if this matter of Church-gouernement had not beene wakened to mine hand and the compassion I carie to this Church wherein I was borne a Christian and honoured to be a Pastor whose bowels are vnnaturally rent by vnnecessarie contention of some of her vnkindely children If these reasons I say had not moued mee I thought all my daies few enough to spend in the matter of Doctrine as being of greatest importance for edification of the Church and wherein I haue found greatest comfort to mine owne heart remembring that vvarning of Hippocrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vita breuis ars longa And in this though I haue not come with such speede as I would yet that I haue neither beene sloathfull nor carelesse I haue some workes for my witnesses which how weake so euer they be in themselues or little worth in your eyes yet are they the encrease of my talent wherein I haue found comfort to mine owne heart and others of the Saints of God in all parts of the I le haue found comfort also Ab homine exigitur vt prosit hominibus si fieri potest multis siminus paucis si minus proximis si minus sibi And where you tell me I could not but know this same matter to haue beene agitate before in the persons of Bishops Adamsone and Montgomrie This is like all the rest of your bold and rash assertions for they vvere both dead ere euer I was called to be a Preacher and what you would haue mee to learne at them I can hardly coniecture for if the equitie of their cause was obscured either by the iniquitie of their actions which I know not or the violent course of that time what is this to the matter now in hand The one of them I neuer saw that I know the other I heard when I was verie young at Schoole in St. Andrewes and now must tell you that if you were either so learned or such a louer of learning as you pretend you would haue spared to rake the ashes of the one for the honour of his learning There vvere sundrie other Bishops in this Church beside them who liued and died honest men and vnrebukeable but you passe by them still like the venomous Flie that lights vpon the sore part as if the faults of one or two were sufficient to discredit all the rest of the fellowship And I cannot meruaile how still you obiect the example of
therefore when first his Maiestie perceiued an intended nouation in Church-gouernement his Highnesse discharged it and protested against it by his letter registred in the Bookes of generall assembly An. 1579. â—ul 7. What can you finde out of all this why Episcopall authoritie should not be restored againe or rather see you not many reasons that should moue vs to receiue it 7 As for your alleadged oath whereby you make the simpler sort beleeue that our Church hath abiured Episcopall gouernement the strength of your cause is in it but it shall be knowne to be as weake as the rest of your defences For first of all an Oath should be defended by the lawfulnesse of the thing that is sworne and it is no good ground in Diuinitie to defend the thing that is sworne by pretence of the sacred authoritie of an Oath This order you keepe not Secondly since the most part of Preachers in our Church gaue no Oath for Discipline at all for mine owne part it was neuer required of mee and I know there 〈◊〉 many others in the same estate What reason is it that the Oath of some albeit they had made it as you say which will not be found should binde others that made it not Thirdly when it was appointed by act of Parliament An. 1572. Ianuar. 26. that the confession of faith which therein at length is exprest should be sworne and subscribed by all Church-men the gouernement which then was in our Church was Episcopall for the Oath and subscription is ordained to be made in presence of the Archbishop Superintendent or Commissioner of the Diocie as the words of the Act plainly imports so that this Oath makes no renunciation of Episcopall authoritie but rather ratefies and approues it Fourthly concerning the latter Negatiue confession whereof it is most likely you meane what will you finde there against Episcopall gouernement Nothing at all it is a good confession many Pastors professours of our Church haue sworne it subscribed it Othere say you an Oath is conceiued against Hierarchie Mr. Dauid speake as the truth is Now Rahel takes the Idols and hides them in Cammels litter Now Rachel blushes for shame Now Mr. Dauid steales away the chiefe words of the confession and hides them for feare they should tell the truth and shame him will you say M. Dauid Hath our Church renounced Hierarchie simply all sacred authoritie all order all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say it not for shame there are the words looke what we haue renounced these are the verie words of the Oath We detest and refuse the vsurped authoritie of that Romane Antichrist his worldly Monarchie and wicked Hierarchie Therefore saith Master Dauid we detest all Hierarchie Why mutilate you the words and why falsifie you the words which you bring by a corrupt sense of your owne which I will proue was not the Subscribers minde Will you condemne Episcopall gouernement vnder the name of Papall vsurped worldly wicked Hierarchie Is it ignorance hath moued you who would thinke you were so ignorant or if you know better what malice is this to beare downe a good thing vnder an euill name Were not Bishops in the Church before a Pope vvas in Rome at least before Antichrist was hatched in it Haue any sort of men in the Church done more suffered more to destroy Antichrists Kingdome then Bishops yet you will haue all Bishops Antichristian Let vs first see the iudgement of the Fathers of our owne Church plat contrarie to M. Dauids it may be he will reuerence them and thinke shame of his owne folly when M. Iohn Knox got license from our generall assembly to goe into England they wrote a Letter with him of this tenour The Superintendents and Commissioners of the Church of Scotland to their brethren the Bishops and Pastors in England that haue renounced the Romish Antichrist and doe professe the Lord Iesus with them in sinceritie the perpetuall encrease of the holy Spirit See it registred in our assembly Bookes An. 1566. M. Dauid did our Fathers esteeme Episcopall gouernment Antichristian Hierarchie Do they not plainely disioyne them writing to Bishops that had renounced the Romish Antichrist O but it will be said Our Church was then in her infancie it may be you make them all Infants all the worthie learned and vnspotted Superintendents of our Church Iohn Willok Superintendent of the West Iohn Winram of Fyfe Iohn Spotswood of Lowthian Iohn Erskin of Din Superintendent of Angus Iohn Row Superintendent of Galloway make Infants also of M. Knox M. Craig M. Lyndsay M. Hay with many more I cannot name present at the writing of that Letter all these may well be Infants where a man of your experience comes out but beleeue me wee haue not seene many such olde men in our Church since Now as this sense which you make of the word Hierarchie is against the minde of our first Fathers so is it against the minde of the swearers and subscribers and are you not a foule abuser to inforce vpon them a sense whereof they thought neuer This is cleere as the light For why did not his Maiestie sweare and subscribe that confession of Faith This was his royall and most Christian oath offered to God in defence of his truth Did not his Highnesse there and at many other times professe openly a renunciation of that wicked Hierarchie Will you inferre vpon this that his Maiestie therefore abiured Episcopall gouernement I dare appeale to your owne knowledge hath not his Maiestie kept one constant iudgement concerning Church-gouernement euer from his young yeeres doth not the inhibition of nouation in Church-gouernement cleere this doth not the publike printed Declaration of his Highnesse intention proue it doth not all his Highnesse speeches and actions before the subscription since the subscription declare his Highnesse approbation of Episcopal gouernement and yet you would make it to be beleeued of the people that his Highnesse renounced Episcopall gouernement when his Maiestie renounced Hierarchie vsurped Papall wicked this or else a worse must be the drift of your language Truly you may thanke God you haue to doe with a clement and gratious king And that this same which is his Highnesse mind of that Article is also the minde of most part of the ancient teachers and other brethren learned godly vnspotted who haue well deserued of the Church present by fidelitie in their ministrie will bee cleared also I will not goe about in any inordinate manner to seeke subscriptions to this purpose but when it shall be required by order in the Church you will finde a cloud of witnesses standing against you to improue this calumnie of yours yea many times in my younger yeeres haue I heard famous and auncient Fathers of our Church who haue seene the first beginnings thereof affirme that our Church could not consist vnlesse Episcopall gouernement were restored againe this they spake when there was no appearance of it and when Episcopall
King requires the wall to be repaired and that vpon reason yea forced thereunto of necessitie is it not better that Pastors and people in this should obey their King then otherwise by refusing and resisting should procure and continue a needlesse debaite betweene a Prince of such knowledge and pietie and his people betweene a King and his Church and betweene faithfull zealous godly and learned Pastors among themselues And now Mr. Dauid thinke shame that you professe to haue so great respect to a simple Labourer but no respect to a singular King no more then if hee had not to doe with the worke at all rather then a simple Labourer be hurt say you let the building stand rather then a singular King be offended say I let the wall be renued Where pride is where fectlesse and needlesse contention is whether with you or vs I leaue it to the consideration of the Christian and iudicious Reader What regard the auncient Fathers of our Church had to his Maiestie in his minoritie how loath any way to make his Highnesse regent and the Lords of Counsell their partie by giuing them any cause of offence the monuments of our Church can witnesse But now the pleasure or displeasure of a Christian King in his old age is nothing regarded yea it is maintained for an Axiome that Christ his Kingdome is dishonoured when helpe is sought from the arme of a Christian King I thanke God what euer my minde was in Church-gouernment I knew not I loued not such foolish pride Then I thought out of simplicitie that euery mans minde had beene like mine owne seeing I see it is otherwise and far otherwise they must excuse me to mislike in them that which I neuer loued in my selfe that is a proud conceit of singular sinceritie a disdaine of others a delight in needlesse contention and a misregard of a Christian King of whom we haue neuer esteemed as we should and as time will force other ages to acknowledge Your third interrogatorie now followeth THE ADMONENT VVHether the wals should be retained in that estate wherein they are built and as they are after the direction of him who is both Lord and chiefe builder a cunning master of the worke or if wee should cast them downe and build them againe after the pleasure of the Prentises and conceit of the Labourers THE ANSVVERE MAster Dauid is so forward in his owne purpose that he forgetteth his speech or else his tongue runnes before and tarries not on his minde A labourers office is the basest of any who are imployed in a building Mr. Dauid came neuer to this honour as to bee a Labourer in Gods house yet hee dishonours it so farre that where in the former Section hee said hee will rather haue the Master of the worke albeit hee were a King offended then a Labourer be offended now hee saith the Master of the worke his word should bee a Law and a Laboures conceit should not be regarded Doe you not here proclaime your inconfiderate folly But now to your Interrogatorie take this for an answere Your question is out of question to vse your owne words in this you are your owne Antigonist you shall haue none of vs your contradictor turne your question into an Assertion wee assent to it Let the Tabernacle be built after the patterne which God shewed Moses in the Mount let the forme of Church-gouernment be learned from Christ and his Apostles let the auncient Fathers of the primitiue Church be followed where they are followers of Christ and such as will doe otherwise let them be accounted Nouices Prentises ignorant Builders whose conceit may not should not be a warrant in so great a workemanship Your fourth Question followeth THE ADMONENT IF we should pull downe the wals quite with our owne hands and dismantle the towne wholy THE ANSVVERE THis is as needlesse a question as the former and nothing else but an idle conception of your owne braine yea worse then Idlenesse an exceeding great malice that because the Citie is not gouerned after your humour you will encourage the enemie to besiege it and signifie to them by your warning Peece that the towne is dismantled and hath no wals to hold them out Is not this to encourage them boldly to set on But though such vnnaturall Mutiners as you would betray it bewraying the weakenesse of it to the aduersarie your euill hart may foome out your owne shame and procure your selfe the iust reward of such vile treason but the Lord for his names sake will protect the Citie build vp the wals thereof and loue it still And now if any truth Mr. Dauid remaine in you concerning this matter tell mee doth this Citie want any wall that euer it had or rather are not the Towers and strengths of the wall fortified that the Samaritanes Tobie Sanballat and their complices grudge and murmure to see Ophell Mariamne Phaselus built vp againe To be plaine with you wants there any Ecclesiastique Session want wee Synods Prouinciall or Nationall Is any censure of Admonition Suspention or Excommunication taken away they are rectified roborated but not remoued how then say you the towne is dismantled Your fift Interrogatorie followeth THE ADMONENT YEa in effect if wee should receiue in the Plague that hath proued so that hath beene cast out and cut off for corruption THE ANSVVERE SPeake more sparingly if you meane not to proue a pestilent man in the Church You call Episcopall gouernment a pestilence so you say but you proue it not Much take you in this Treatise vpon your tongue as if it were a sufficient warrand for all your Assertion The goodman said it for if you come to probation how hath it as you say proued a Pestilence the common argument you thinke is knowne well enough that the Episcopall degree was a step to Antichrist then must you graunt it was in the Church before Antichrist yea truely long before Papall tyrannie was hatched which is the worldly and wicked Hierarchie our Church hath abiured Episcopall gouernement was in the Church and you haue no more reason to condemne Episcopall superioritie although as you alledge Papall primacie had come of it then you haue to condemne Veritie because Heresie came of it per accidens If man had neuer beene ordained sinne by man had not come into the world if the word of truth had not beene preached the people of heresie had not followed if there were not a bodie there should not be a shadow if there had neuer beene a Bishop there should neuer haue beene a Pope as you say What then because sinne is euill is the man made by God not good because Heresie is abhominable is not Veritie approuable because the shadow is a vaine thing is the bodie so because the Pope is a Plague in the Church is the Bishop so also If this be a proofe of your best Logicke what will the rest be But say you it hath beene cast out of the