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A57858
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A just and modest reproof of a pamphlet called The Scotch Presbyterian eloquence
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Rule, Gilbert, 1629?-1701.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing R2222; ESTC R25107
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43,938
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42
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them see their Need of Christ and in Directing and Perswading them to come to God by him and on the Duties that Men owe to God and their Neighbours And that it is but rarely that they insist on the Differences that are among us about Church Government And their Consciences bear them Witness that though they desire that all the People may be Presbyterians yet that desire beareth small or no proportion with the desire they have that Christ may be Formed in the Hearts of their Hearers Next Pag. 2. He giveth us the Character of the Presbyterian People whom he most falsly affirmeth to be The Guides of the Church and that The Ministers must follow them and that we assert the Power of Calling and Constituting Ministers is in the Mob that they are Void of Sense and Reason and are led by Fancy and â—regular Passions If this had been said of some this Author might have saved his Credit For what Party of Men have not among them some unintelligent Persons But when it is said of the Presbyterians in general and no exception made it is sufficient to derogate from the Truth of all that he affirmeth and to expose him as a Person who hath no regard to Truth I Appeal to all who Converse in Scotland if the Nobility Gentry Lawyers Physicians Merchants and even the meaner sort of the People who are Presbyterians may not Vye in all commendable Accomplishments with them of the same Ranks and Stations who are of the other Perswasion He giveth an Instance of their want of Common Sense that they will tell you That ye ought to fight the Battels of the Lord because it is said in Epistle to the Hebrews Without sheading of Blood there is no Remission That ever any Man talked at this rate is more than I know or heard before nor am I obliged to believe it because this Author's Veracity is pledged for it but that he imputeth it as the Sentiment of the Party in general and as a part of their Character is a piece of Effrontery peculiar to this Scribler He next calleth them Covetous and Deceitful with the same Truth that hitherto he had used It is to be lamented that these Vices are so common every where but the World knoweth that his own Party has a full Share of them and that as much of the contrary Vertues are found among the Presbyterians in Scotland as among any Party of Men on Earth That they are not taught Morality in the Sermons that they hear is so false as nothing can be more 'T is true we Preach not Morality alone as some do but Instruct People in the Mystery of Christ that they may look after Righteousness in him and attain Gospel Obedience to the Law of God by dependance on him for Strength to obey But we Preach the Necessity of Good Works and that Moral Vertues are not only the great Ornament of practical Religion but a necessary part of it without which all Pretences to it or Appearances of it are but Hypocrisie The Debate he saith he had with one of them who must not be Named lest the Truth of the Matter of Fact be enquired into proveth no more if what he saith be true but that there was once an ignorant Presbyterian in the World And if we cannot find one as Ignorant among his Party we shall confess that so far be hath the better of us He had very little to say when he blotted Paper with the Story of George Flint and the Names he gave to his Dogs Are we to Answer for every Indiscretion any Plebeâ—an is guilty of His next Charge of Perjury Cheating Lying Murther c. is of the same stamp with the former that is Calumnious Falshoods The Ignorance that he alledgeth to be found among them is not generally speaking to be compared with that found among his own Party Neither is it asserted with any Truth or Modesty That Our People are not taught the Lord's Prayer the Creed and the Ten Commandements His Instance of a Shee-Saint which with his mention of the Sighing Fraternity are some of the Flowers of his Profane Mocking Rhetorick is either his own invention or a single instance of an Ignorant Girle among the Presbyterians to prove that all the Party is such Which is a frequent way of Reasoning with this Learned Author What follows P 5. Of their Conventicles producing many Bastards and the Blasphemous abusing of Scripture whereby he saith They defended it is a parcel of the most Horrid and Wicked Lies that ever were invented on Earth or in Hell Our Souls abhorr such Principles And for these Practices though we do not deny that such Scandals have fallen out among Presbyterians yet through the Mercy of God it is rare and is severly Censured when it happeneth Whereas among his own Party it is common to a Degree far beyond what has been seen among us And when they were in Power such Scandals were but slackly Censured so that one thing that maketh the Looser sort of People dislike the Presbyterians is That such Immoralities are more strictly Observed and Censured than before The Odious Story that he in his usual Jeering Strain telleth of Mr. Williamson hath been indeed talked of among many Men of this Author's Kidney but we Challenge him or any other to bring any rational Evidence of the Truth of it as may easily be done if the thing be as he saith But this was never yet attempted by any of them which is a sufficient Exculpation of him even by his Adversaries If they will attempt it and get not a fair Hearing or if they will prove it and do not see Justice done on the Offender then let them Reflect on Presbyterians But without this they are to be held as Malicious Calumniatours This very Story was Answered in another Paper which this Author pretendeth to Answer But he taketh no notice of what was there said but is resolved it shall be Believed with or against Reason What Impudence is it to say That Mr. Williamson was admired for this Fact or that he used Scripture to defend or excuse it We are not ashamed of the Gloss on Rom. 7. which he pretendeth to Ridicule though never any of us used it to defend Sin that the Apostle there speaketh in the person of an Unregenerat Man is the Gloss of Arminians contrary to the Sentiments of all other Reformed Divines as well as Presbyterians I wish this Author had given us a Specimen of his Learning to confirm what he alledgeth But he is shie of that for some Reasons thinking it enough to disparage the Learning of Others without shewing his own in Refuting of what they hold But his Consequence that he draweth from the Opinion that the Apostle speaketh of himself in that place sheweth no small degree of Ignorance That this Place is a good Defence for Forâ—â—cation Doth it follow in the Regenerate there are Inclinations to Sin Ergo They may Sin and are