Christ come in as Partners in the same bargain with Antichrists Vassals And the Lords Ark hath a place with Dagon and its Priests Followers consent to it And the builders of Babel of Ierusalem ar made to build together under the same Protection and a sluce is opened to let the enemy come in like a flood which to oppose the Accepters cannot stand in the Gap nor lift up a Standart against them Liberty indeed should be Universally extended to all the Lords People as Cyrus his Proclamation was General who is there among yow of all His People his God be with him But a Toleration of Idolaters Blasphemers Hereticks as Papists c. is odious to God because it is contrary to Scripture expressly Commanding Idolaters to die the death and all Seducers Entycers to Apostasie from God to be put to death without pity and Commending all righteous Magistrats that executed Judgement accordingly as Asa Hezekiah c. yea even Heathen Magistrats that added their Sanction to the Lawes of God as Artaxerxes is approven for that Statute that whosoever will not do the Law of God and of the King judgement should be executed speedily upon him And in the New Testament this was never repealed but confirmed in that the sword is given to Magistrats not in vain but to be a terror to and revengers to execute wrath upon all that do evil among whom Seducers that are evil workers Idolaters are chiefly to be ranked being such as do the worst of evil to mankind Ephesus is commended because they could not bear them which are evil and Thyatira reproved for suffering Iezebel by which it appeareth that our Lord Jesus is no friend to Toleration It is true this is spoken against Church-men but will any think that will be approven in Civil Powers which is so hateful in Church Officers Surely it will be the duty honour of these horns spoken of Revel 17. to eat the whores flesh burn her with fire And shall that be restricted only to be done against the great Antichrist not be duty against the lesser Antichrists the limbs of the Great one It is recorded of Iulian the Apostate that among other devices he used to root out Christianity this was one that he gave Toleration openly to all the different Professions that were among Christians whereof there were many heretical in those dayes which is exactly aped by Iames the Apostate now for the same end It is also contrare to the Confession of faith Chap. 20. § 4. asserting that for their publishing such opinions or maintaining of such practices as are contrary to the light of Nature or to the known Principles of Christianity whether concerning Faith Worship or Conversation or to the power of Godliness or such erroneous opinions or practices as either in their oun nature or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them are destructive to the external Peace Order which Christ hath established in the Church they may lawfully be called to account and proceeded against by the Censures of the Church and by the power of the Civil Magistrate And therefore to accept of this Toleration is inconsistent with the Principles of the Church of Scotland with the National Solemn League Covenants Solemn Acknowledgment of sins Engagement to duties in all which we are bound to extirpate Poperie Prelacie c. With the whole tract of Contendings in the fifth Period above related and particularly by the Testimony of the Synod of Fife and other Brethren in the Ministry against Cromuels vast Toleration Liberty of Conscience mentioned above Pag. 76. for it is plain if it be not to be suffered then it is not to be accepted 10. Considering the Termes wherein it is offered they cannot make such a shameful bargain In the former Proclamation it is granted expressly under several Conditions Restrictions Limitations whereof indeed some are retracted in the Latter as the restriction of it to Moderate Presbyterians which would seem to be taken off by extending to all without reserve to serve God in their oun may but being evidently exclusive of all that would serve God in Christs way and not after the mode prescribed it is so modified and restricted that all that will accept of it must be Moderate Presbyterians indeed which as it is taken in the Court sense must be an ignominy to all that have zeal against Antichrist The Limitation also to private houses and not to out-houses is further enlarged to Chappels or places purposely hired but still it is stinted to these which they must bargain for with Councellors Shiriffs c. So that none of these Restrictions Limitations are altogether removed but the Condition of taking the Oath only yet it is very near to an equivalency homologated by the Accepters acknowledging in the Granter a Prerogative Absolute Power over all Lawes which is confirmed maintained by their Acceptance As for the rest that are not so much as said to be removed they must be interpreted to remain as the termes conditions restrictions limitations upon which they are to enjoy the benefite of this Toleration And what he sayes that he thought fit by this Proclamation further to declare does confirme it that there are further explications but no taking off of former restrictions Hence it is yet clogged with such provisions restrictions as must make it very nauseous to all truly tender 1 The restriction as to the Persons still remains that only Moderate Presbyterians and such as are willing to accept of this Indulgence allanerly and none other and such only whose names must be signified to these Sheriffs Stewards Bailifs c. are to have the benefit of this Indulgence wherey all the zealous faithful Presbyterians are excluded for these they will not call them Moderate and all that would improve it without a formal Acceptance and all who for their former diligence in duty are under the lash of their wicked Law and dare not give up their names to those who are seeking their lives must be deprived of it 2 It is restricted to certain Places still which must be made known to some one or more of the next privie Councellors whereby they are tied to a dependence on their warrand and must have their lease licence for Preaching the Word in any place and Field-Meetings are severely interdicted though signally countenanced of the Lord whereby the Word of the Lord is bound bounded and by this Acceptance their bloody Lawes against Preaching in the open fields where People can have freest access with conveniency safety are justified 3 The manner of Meeting is restricted which must be in such a way as the peace security of the Government in the practice thereof may not be endangered and again that their Meetings be peaceably held which is all one upon the matter with the bond of peace and binding to the good behaviour so much formerly
the chief of our fundamental Land-rights and the Cardinal Condition of the established Policy upon which we can only oune men for Magistrats by the Law of the Land And this Testimony by defence of the Gospel and of our oun lives cannot be given expediently any where but in the Fields It is also a Testimony for the freedom Authority of the Gospel-Ministrie and for their holding their unremovable Relation to the Church of Scotland which is infringed by these Tyrannical Acts and maintained by these exercises which is a priviledge to be contended for above beyond all other that can be contended for or defended especially to be maintained against those that have no power or Authority to take it away There will no man quite any of his goods upon a sentence coming from an incompetent Judge And shall Ministers or people be hectored or fooled from such a priviledge by them that have no such power 6. The keeping of Field-Meetings now is a Testimony for our Covenants the ouning whereof is declared Criminal by that same Law that discharges these Meetings in which we are sworn to preserve the Reformation in Doctrine Worship Discipline Government and to defend all the Churches Liberties and to oppose all their Opposites and endeavour their exstirpation And in the Solemn Acknowledgment of sins Engagment to duties we are sworn because many have of late laboured to supplant the Liberties of the Kirk to maintain defend the Kirk of Scotland in all her Liberties Priviledges against all who shall oppose undermine the same or encroach thereupon under any pretext whatsoever Since then the ouning of these Meetings and the Covenants are both discharged together and the ouning of the Covenant does oblige to a publick opposition against the dischargers and an avowed Maintinance of the Churches priviledges whereof this is in a manner the only chief Liberty now left to be maintained to keep Meetings where we may testify against them without dependence on their Toleration it must follow that these Meetings are to be maintained which only can be in the fields with conveniency 7. To give over these Field-Meetings now would be an hardening encouraging of these Enemies in their wicked design of banishing all these Meetings out of the Land which manifestly would be defeat by a resolute refusal of all to submit to their discharging of them and they that do submit and give them over do evidently contribute to the effectuating that wicked design which is certain does not nor will not terminate upon a simple suppression of that sort but further is intended to exstirpate all Meetings for Gospel Ordinances in which there is any Testimony against them To Comply therefore with such a forbearance of them at this time would lay a stone of stumbling before them to encourage them in these their designs when they should see their Contrivance so universally complyed with wherein they might boast that at length they had prevailed to put quite away that eye-sore of theirs Field-Meetings 8. To give over these Field-Meetings now were a stumbling to the poor ignorant people who might think that now it appears that Work was but of men and so hath come to naught and would look upon it as an evidence of fainting succumbing at last in the matter of the Testimony as being quite overcome and that indeed all have embraced accepted this present Toleration and were all alike sleeping under the shade and eating the fruits of such a bramble 9. Finally To give over these Field-Meetings now would be very scandalous to the posterity and to Strangers who shall read the History of our Church to find that as Prelacy came in without a joint Witness and the monstrous Blasphemous Sacrilegious Supremacy was erected without a Testimony in its season So black Poperie it self and Tyranny was introduced by a Toleration which laid them all by from a Testimony against these who formerly had valiantly resolutely faithfully contended against all lesser Corruptions but at last when that came and stricter prohibitions of all publick Meetings but under the Covert thereof were emitted then all were perswaded to comply with that Course How astonishing would it be to read that all these Contendings sealed with so much precious blood should come to such a pitiful Period But I hasten to the Next which is the Second Positive Ground of Suffering HEAD V. The Principle of Testimony for Defensive Armes Vindicated THis Truth is of that sort that can hardly be illustrated by demonstration not for the darkness thereof but for its self evidencing clearness being scarcely capable of any further elucidation than what is offered to the rational understanding by its simple proposition As first Principles can hardly be proven because they need no probation and cannot be made clearer than they are and such as cannot consent to them are incapable of conceiving any probation of them So this Truth of Self-preservation being Lawful because it is congenite with and irradicated in every nature that hath a Self which it can preserve can scarcely be more illustrated that it may do so than that it can do so And therefore to all who have a true respect to their oun as well as a due concern in the Interest of Mankind and zeal for the Interest of Christ it might seem superfluous to make a doubt or debate of this Were it not that a Generation of men is now prevailing that are as great Monsters in Nature as they are Malignant in Religion and as great perverters of the Law of Nature as they are Subverters of Municipal Laws and Everters of the Laws of God Who for ouning this principle as well as using the practice of Defensive Resistence for self preservation against Tyrannical violence have set up such Monuments of rage cruelty in the Murder of many innocent people as was never read nor heard of before It hath been indeed the practice of all Nations in the World and the greatest of men have maintained this principle in all ages But the bare Asserting the principle when extorted by severe Inquisitions was never a Cause of taking the lives of any before this was imposed on the poor Sufâ—erers in Scotland to give their judgement Whether or not such Appearances for Defence as the Tyranny of Rulers had forced people to were Rebâ—llion and a Sin against God Which they could not in Conscience assert and therefore thô many that have suffered upon this head have been as free of the practice of such Resâ—stence as any yet because they would not condemn the principle they have been Criminally processed Arraigned Condemned to the death And against this Truth they have been observed to have a special kind of indignation either because the light of it which cannot be â—id hath some heat with it to seâ—rch them or because they fear the impression of this in the hearts of people more than others knowing that they deserve the
others from concerting that same necessary witness in the season thereof And for this end he will change both matter manner in managing the War. He will not now persecute for the old Controverted heads of Poperie with fire faggot as formerly for refusing to worship Our Lady or the blessed Sacrament of the Altar These weapons Engines are so worn out of use that they will not work now as they did before And that old Baud of Babylon is become so ugly and out of date that he does not believe her beauty can be so bewitching except she put on a new busk But her Eldest Daughter the Prelatical Church of the same Complexion with herself except that she is coloured with Protestant paint is fitter for his service to allure our Land into fornication And who will not be entyced must be forced to Communion with her by finings confynings exactions extortions impositions of Oaths c. Religion must be litle concerned here for there is Preaching enough and of Protestant Doctrine too and without the Monkie-Tricks Montebank showes fopperies of English-Popish Ceremonies Lyturgical services What would they be at Is it not better to yeeld to this than to fall into the hand of the Scotish-Spanish-Inquisition that will rack the Purse the Body Conscience and all This is one Complex head of suffering and thought a very small one by many But now finding this would not do his business yet it looked too like Religion still He hath therefore invented a new Machin He will not now Persecute nor force the Conscience at all so good natur'd is the Devil and his Lievetenant grown in their old age for matters of meer Religion Nay if we may believe him who when he speaketh a lie speaketh it of his own he hath not done it this long time but only in all the violent Courses exercised against these Sufferers he hath been Magistratically chastising the disobedience rebellion of a few turbulent Traitors who would not oune the Government And thus under the notion of Rebellion disouning Authority he hath had access success to destroy almost an innumerable number of honest innocent faithful fruitful lovers of Christ who though indeed they have had their sufferings stated upon those points yet I doubt not shall be found among the followers of the Lamb and Confessors and Martyrs of Christ who haue overcome by the blood of the Lamb the word of their Testimony not loving their lives unto the Death whose blood is crying for vengeance against the shedders thereof And He will make inquisition for it when He comes to overturn overturn take His own right for which they have been Contending Nevertheless this is a prejudice too prevalent with many to misregard the Case Cause of these Contenders or any thing that can be said to represent them favourablie And all these disadvantages difficulties discouragements together considered would soon cool my Courage and at first blush make me leave off before I begin were I not persuaded that it is the Cause of Christ these reproached people are suffering for and that their great sufferings reproaches are both alike unjust from both which the Lord vvill vindicate them bring forth their righteousness as the light their judgment as the noon day â—n His oun time In confidence of vvhich depending on his Conduct I shall undertake as briefly as is possible for me to represent their case and clear the Cause so far at least as concerns their Contest vvith their pesecuting Enemies vviâ—h vvhom I only deal at present it not being my purpose to descend particularly into their necessitated Contendings vvith Complying Brethren partly because they vvould make the volume to excresce unto too great a bulk because they are to be seen elsevvhere yet in effect these also are not only here narratively deduced but vvhatever is odious in them is vindicated vvhat is difficult in some measure enodated But it may be expected and desiderated that I should give a distinct deduction of all the Steps of this woful defection against which a great part of the Testimony hath been stated but I would have the Reader advertised I touch only that part of the Testimony which hath been sealed by severe sufferings from enemies It were a Task transcending my Capacity and a Theme wherein I have no pleasure besides that it is inconsistent with my Leasure to inlarge upon such a sad and shameful subject Though the world indeed is at a loss that they that would do it cannot and they that would should do it will not And it is a greater loss not only to Scotland but also to the whole Christian world that what hath been done in this kind already cannot see the light or rather that the Church of Christ is deprived of its light which through the injury of the times the disingenuous Prudence of some who suffer themselves to be imposed upon by the Patrons of Defection is embezilled suppressed I mean that excellent faithful History of Defection the posthumous work of famous Mr. M'ward whose praise is in the Churches which if they that have it in keeping would do themselves the honour and the world the happiness of publishing it there would be no more need to discover from whence to what and how that Church hath fallen degenerate nor so great dissicultie in that indisputable indispensable duty that such a day calls for in searching trying our wayes to the end we may turn again to the Lord Nor any necessity for my poor essay to invite incite the people of the lord to take Cognizance Compassion of poor perishing Scotland I wish that they who have it may consult more their oun duty and credit and what they owe to the memory of the dead the Churches edification the dayes Testimony and the honour of Christ than to continue robbing the world of such a Treasure wich I doubt not to call Treason against Christ Sacriledge against the Church stick not to tell them if they will not publish it the world must knovv there was such a thing done But it not being my design now to detect or reflect upon all the defections of that declining by declensions divided by divisions almost only not destroyed Church I shall medle with them no further than what is necessary to clear the cause refering the knowledge and account of them either to the Notoriety of the grossest of them or to the more particular enarration of them to be found in papers emitted published by the Contenders against them Of vvhich one is of this same years edition entituled The Informatory vindication of a poor wasted misrepresented Remnant c. In vvhich may be evident that notvvithstanding of all this darkness distress defection division under vvhich the Church of Scotland hath been so long is still labouring there is yet a poor
boundaries of the Magistracy according to Gods appointment the fundamental constitutions of their Government thought it their duty to shake off the yoke disoune the Authority of these Tyrants that destroyed the same Yea we find that even for incapacity stupidity folly they disouned the Relation of a Magistrate disposed of the Government another way as they did with Ethodius 2. whose authority they did oune but Titulo tenus See Buchan loco Citato PERIOD II. Comprehending the Testimonie of the same Culdees with that of the Lollards THe following Period was that fatal one that brought in universal Darkness on the face of the whole Church of Christ and on Scotland with the first of them which as it received very early Christianity so it was with the first corrupted with Antichristianisme For that Mystorie of iniquity that had been long working till he who letted was taken out of the way found Scotland ripe for it when it came which while the Dragon did persecute the woman in the wilderness did vallantly repell his Assaults but when the Beast did arise to whom he gave his power he prevailed more by his subtiltie than his rampant Predecessor could do by his rage Scotland could Resist the Roman Legions while heathenish but not the Roman Locusts when Antichristian At his very first appearance in the world under the Character of Antichrist his harbinger Palladius brought in Prelacy to Scotland by that conveyance the contagion of Popery which hath always been as every where so especially in Scotland both the Mother Daughter cause effect occasion consequence of Popery These rose stood lived together sometimes did also fall together we have ground to hope that they shall fall again their final fatal fall is not faâ— off Whatever difficulty Authors do make in calculating the Epocha of the 42 moneths of Antichrists duration in the world because of the obscurity of his first rise yet there needs not be much perplexity in finding out that Epocha in Scotland nor so much discouragment from the fancyed permanency of that Kingdom of wickedness For if it be certain as it will not be much disputed that Popery Prelacy came in by Palladius sent Legate by Pope Celestine about the year 450. then if we adde 42 Moneths or 1260 Prophetical dâ—yes that is years we may have a comfortable prospect of their Tragical conclusion And though both clashings combinations oppositions conjunctions this day may seem to have a terrible aspect portending a darker hour befor the Dawning yet all these â—eelings revolutions though they be Symptoms of wrath incumbent upon us for our sins they may be looked upon through a prospect of faith as presages prognosticks of Mercy impendent for His Names Sake encouraging us when we see these dreadful things come to pass in our day to lift up our heads for the day of our Redemption draweth nigh This dark Period continued â—igh about 1100 years in which though Christs witnesses were very few yet He had some witnessing Prophecieing in sackcloth all the while Their Testimony was the same with that of the Waldenses Albingenses slated upon the grounds of their secession or rather abstraction from that Mystery Babylon Motâ—â—â—r of harlots Popery Prelacy for their corruption in Doctrine worship Discipline Government And did more particularly relate to the concerns of Christs Priestly Office which was transmitted from the Culdees to the Lollards And by them handed doun to the Instruments of Reformation in the following Period Their Testimony indeed was not Active by way of forcible resistance against the Soveraign Powers but passive by way of Confession Martyrdom sufferings verbal contendings witnessings against the prevailing corruptions of the time And no wonder it should be so in this some way different from ours because that was a dispensation of suffering when Antichrist was on the Ascendant they had no call nor capacity to oppose him any other way and were novv spirited for this passive Testimony in which circumstances they are an excellent pattern for imitation but not an example for confutation of that principle of defensive resistence which they never contradicted had never occasion to confirm by their practice But as in their manageing their Testimony their manner was somevvay different from ours on this respect so they had far the advantage of us that their cause was so clearly stated upon the greatest of heads of sufferings having the clearest connexion with the fundamentals of Religion Yet we shall find in this Period our Heads of suffering someway homologated if we consider I. That as they did faithfully keep contend for the word of Christs patience under that dispensation in asserting maintaniâ—g both the verity of Christs Doctrin the purity of His Worship by testifieing against the corruptions errors Idolatries Superstitions of Popery so they did constantly bear witness against the usurpation Tyrannical domination of the Antichristian Prelats And as the Culdees did vigorously oppose their first introduction and after aspiring domination as well as the corruptions of their Doctrine As we have the contendings of Eminent witnesses recorded from age to age in the fourth fifth Age Columbe Libthac Ethernan Kintogerne or Mungo in the Sexth seventh Age Colmanus Câ—emens Samson with others in the Eight ninth Age Alcuin Rabanus Maurus Ioannes Scotus Acrigena are noted in Historie And the Lollards by their Examinations Testimonies are found to have witnessed against the exercise of their power sometimes against the very Nature of their power it selfe so in their practise they condemned Prelacy as well as Popery in that their Ministers did in much painfullness poverty simplicity Humility Equality observe the Institution of our Lord. And so far as their light served had occasion to inquire into this point they acknowledged no officer in the House of God superior to a preaching Minister according to this standart they rejected craved Reformation of exorbitant Prelacy And it is plain that they were frequently discovered by discountinanceing withdrawing from their superstitions Idolatrous worship for all which when they could not escape nor repell their violence they cheerfuly embraced endured the flames II. That their Adversaries did manage their cruel craft crafty cruelty in murdering those Servants of God much after the same methods that ours do except that they are many stages outdone by their successors as much as perfect Artists do outstrip the rude beginings of Apprentices But on the other hand the Suffeâ—ers in our day that would follow the example of those Worthyes under Popery would be much condemned by this generation even by them that commend the matter of their Testimony though they will not allow the manner of it to be imitated in this day The Adversaries of Christ in this that generation are more like then his Confeâ—sors witnesses
except that it was not so far extended against Tyranny because that Tyrant was not such an usurper nor such a violater of the fundamental constitutions of the Civil Government as these that we have had to do with all But as to the managing the Testimony they far out stripped their successors in this generation in conduct courage Prudence zeal as is above hintend in many instances to which we may adde some more When several plots of Papist Lords had been discovered conspiring with the King of Spain And they were by the Kings Indulgence favoured and some were also perswaded to treat with them famous Mr Davidson opposed with great resolution Declaring before the Synod of Lothian that it favoured much of defection in these dayes that such notorious rebells to God His Church the Country should be so treated with we should not rashly open a door to Gods Enemies without better proof of their manners nor were yet seen And when a convention in Falkland was consulting to call home these conspiring Traitors Mr Andrew Melvin went thither uncalled and when found fault with by the King for his boldness he answered Sir I have a call to come here from Christ His Church who have special Interest in this Turn and against whom this Convention is assembled directly I charge yow and your Estates in the Name of Christ His Church that ye favour not His Enemies whom He hateth nor go about to call home nor make Citizens of these who have traiterously sought to betray their City native Countrey with the overthroiw of Chists Kingdom And further challenged them of treason against Christ His Church the Countrey in that purpose they were about About the same time in a private Conference with the King he called the King Gods sillie vassal and taking him by the sleeve told him Sir yow and Church Countrey is like to be wracked for not telling the Truth and giving yow faithful Counsel we must discharge our duty or else be enemies to Christ yow Therefore I must tell yow there are two Kings and two Kingdoms There is Christ and His Kingdom whose subject King Iames the 6th is and of whose Kingdom he is not a King nor a Head nor a Lord but a member and they vvhom Christ hath called to vvatch over govern his Church have sufficient Authority and Power from Him which no Christian King should control but assist othervvise they are not faithfull subjects to Christ. Sir vvhen yovv vvere in your svvedling clouts Christ reigned freely in this Land in spight of all His enemies but novv the vvisdom of your Council vvhich is Devilish pernicious is this that yovv may be served of all sorts of men to your purpose grandour Iew Gentile Papist Protestant because the Ministers Protestants in Scotland are too strong control the King they must be vveakened brought lovv by stirring up a party against them and the King being equal indifferent both shall be fain to flee to him so shall he be well setled But Sir let Gods wisedom be the only wisdom this will prove meer mad folly for His curse cannot but light upon it so that in seeking both yow shall lose both To the like effect Mr Robert Bruce in a Sermon upon Psal 51. gives faithful warning of the danger of the times It is not we sayes he that are Partie in this cause no the quarrel is betwixt a greater Prince and them What are we but sillie men Yet it has pleased Him to set us in this Office that we should oppone to the manifest usurpation that is made upon His Spiritual Kingdom Is there a more forcible mean to draw down the wrath of God than to let Barrabas that nobilitate Malefactor pass free and to begin the war against Christ and His Ministry It puteth on the Copestone that so many of our brethren should not be so faithful as their Calling this Cause craveth Fy upon false brethren to see them dumb so faint hearted when it comes to the Chock Not only are they ashamed to speak the thing they think which is a shame in a Pastor but speak directly against their former Doctrin They will speak the Truth a while till they be put at but incontinent they will turn and make their gifts weapons to fight against Christ for there is none so malicious as an Apostate when he begins to slide back c. The same faithful witness because he would not preach as the King would have him against his oun conscience to justifie Proclaim the Kings Innocency in a forged conspiracy against him was put from his Church in Edinburgh and being requested in an insinuating manner to desist from preaching but for nine or ten dayes he condiscended at first thinking the matter of no great importance yet that night his body was cast in a fever with the terror of his conscience and he promised he should never obey their Commandment any more These were faithful men yet we find they challenge themselves in deep humiliation for their short comings defections at the renovation of the National Covenant March 30. 1596. the greatst solemnity ever had been seen in Scotland before that time so that the place might worthily have been called Bochim O when shall we see such a day when even the most faithful among us shall mourn over our far more aggravated defections but if they mourned then for these first degrees of declensions we may say quam gravius ingemiscerent illi fortes viri qui propter Ecclesiae Scoticanae Libertatem olim in acie decertarunt si nostram hanc ignaviam ne quid gravius dicam conspicerent I know notwithstanding of all this that some encourage themselves in a base Complyance with the present corruptions of our Church from the practise of these Worthies Alledging they did not scruple to hear join with Prelatical men dispensing the ordinances But this Objection will be easily refelled if we consider first the Period wherein they were but growing up to a more perfect Reformation and therefore might bear with many things which we cannot after we have been reformed from them They were then advancing and still gaining ground we are now declining and therefore should be more shie to lose what we have gained They had then of a long time enjoyed their Judicatories unto which they might recur for an orderly redress of such grievances that offended them and when they were deprived of them yet they were still in hopes of recovering them and so suspended their total secession from that corrupt Church untill they should recover them in the mean time still holding their right and maintaining their cause against these Invaders But we were at thevery first begining of this unhappy Revolution totally deprived of our Judicatories and denuded of all expectation of them in an ordinary way and of all place but what they are Masters of to contend with them
that way therefore must keep our selves free of their Communion But next if we consider their practise we shall find these Worthies vvere not such Conformists as our Complyers vvould make them What if vve find among them Meetings that vvere Called Counted as Seditious Schismatick as Ours are novv vve find a field Meeting yea a General Assembly at Dumfermling vvithout against the Kings vvarrant vvhen the â—ports vvere shut against them anno 1585. But that is not so pat to the purpose as that vve find Private-Meetings at Edinburgh and that in the very time of publick Service in the Churches discharged by open Proclamation anno 1624. vvherein it is charged that they had no respect to the ordinary Pastors contemned impugned their Doctrine disobeyed controlled their Discipline abstained to hear the Word preached and to Participate of the Sacraments And long before that vve find the sincerer sort scrupled to hear Bishop Adamson not withstanding that he vvas absolved in the Assembly And that aftervvards the doubt being proponed to the Assembly if it be a slander to a Christian to absent himself from the Sermons of them that are suspended from all function in the Ministry The Assembly Ansvvered there is no slander in the Case but rather it is slanderous to resort And why is not this ground to think it slanderous or scandalous to resort to them who deserve to be suspended all of them by a Spiritual cognizance and some of them to be suspended Corporally for their villanie when there can be no access orderly to do it And the rather because we find in this Period that sometimes Ministers were so faithful zealous against the Corruptions of the Ministry that they decerned Ministers to be suspended for far smaller faults than many now could exempt themselves from viz. if they were not powerful Spiritual if they did not apply their Doctrine to Corruptions if they were obscure too Scholastick before the people cold wanting zeal flatterers dissembling at publick sins for flattery or fear c. As we may read in the Advice of the Brethren deputed for penning the Corruptions in the Ministery anno 1596. I wish our silent prudent Ministers now would consider the justness of this Censure and what ground people have to be offended at such censurableness But not only this may answer the false imputation of Conformity on these witnesses of Christ at that time but I shall set down a part of a Letter of one of the banished Ministers at that time discovering his mind about hearing these men that were then serving the times Mr Iohn Welsh writing to Mr Robert Bruce what my mind is concerning the root of these branches the bearer will shew yow more fully They are no more to be counted Orthodox but Apostates They have fallen from their Callings by receiving an Antichristian and bringing in of Idolatrie to make the Kingdom culpable and to expose it to fearful Judgments for such an high perfidie against an Oath so solâ—mnly enacted given And are no more to be counted Christians but strangers Apostates Persecutors And therefore not to be heard any more either in publick or in Consistories Colledges or Synods for what fellowship hath light with darkness We see then as to that part of the Testimony they were not dissonant to the vvitness of the present reproached sufferers II. As the matter manner of their Testimony against all the invaders of the Churches priviledges did speak forth a great deal of sincere pure zeal so their practice was conform shewing forth a great deal of strictness and aversness from all sinfull Complyances even with things that would be now accounted of very minute inconsiderable consequence and for which honest sufferers now are flouted at as fools When that Oath was formed for acknowledging the Supremacy there was a Clause added which might have been thought to salve the matter according to the Word of God. I fear many now would not stand to subscribe with such a qualification Yet the faithful then perceived the Sophistrie that it made it rather worse affirming that that brat of Hell was according to the word of God And therefore though there were several eminent men to perswade them to it both by advice example yet they could not in conscience Comply And pleaded also from the illegality of that imposition that they should be charged with the subscription of Laws a thing never required before of any subject if they offended against the Laws why might they not be punished according to the Laws When many honest faithful Patriots for their attempt at Ruthven to deliver the Countrey from a vermine of Villains that abused the King to the destruction of the Church Kingdom were charged to crave Pardon take remission they would do neither judging it a base condemning of duty which puts a brand upon our sneaking Supplicators Petitioners Pardon-mongers as unworthy to be called the race of such Worthies who scorned such baseness and choosed rather to endure the extremity of their unjust Sentences of Intercommuning Banishment c. And when the Earle of Gowrie accepted of a Remission he afterwards condemned himself for it and desired that his old friends would accept of his friendship to whom he had made himself justly suspected Mr Black when he had the same favour offered to him refused altogether left so doing he should condemn himself and approve the Courts Proceedings And the Brethren confering with the Councellors craving that some penalty should be condiscended unto for satisfying his Majestie in his honour would not condiscend to any how light soever lest thereby they should seem to approve the Judicatorie their Proceeding The Imprisoned Ministers for declining the Council had it in their offer that if they would without any confession of offence only submit themselves to his Majestie pro scandalo accepto non dato they should be restored to their places But it pleased God so to strengthen them that they stopped their Mouths and convinced them in their Consciences that they could not do it without betraying of the Cause of Christ. Again in another case we have Instances of such strictness as is much scorned now a dayes The Ministers of Edinburgh were committed to ward for refusing to pray for the Queen before her execution in Forthringam Castle 1586. they refused not simply to pray for her but for the preservation of her life as if she had been innocent of the crimes laid to her charge which had imported a condemnation of the proceedings against her Afterwards in the year 1600. the Ministers of Edinburgh would not praise God for the deliverie of the King from a pretended Conspiracy of the Earle of Gowrie at that time of which they had no credit nor assurance and would not crave Pardon for it neither For this Mr Robert Bruce was deprived of the exercise of his Ministry and never obtained it again in Edinburgh But
Commissioners were sent from both Houses to Scotland earnestly inviting to a nearer union of the Kingdoms and desiring Assistance from this Nation to their Brethren in that their great distress And this by the good hand of God produced the solemn League Covenant of the three Kingdoms first drawen up in Scotland and approven in the Assembly at Edinburgh and afterward embraced in England to the terror of the Popish and Prelatical party and to the great comfort of such as were wishing and waiting for the Reformation of Religion and the recoveries of Just Liberties The tenor whereof did import their sincere constant endeavours in their several places Callings for preservation of the Uniformity in Reformation in Doctrine Worship Discipline Government The extirpation of Popery Prelacy Error Profâ—nity the preservation of the Rights Liberties of the people and of the Magistrats Authority in defence of the true Religion and Liberty the discovery punishment of Incendaries the retaining of the Peace Union of the Kingdoms the mutual assistance defence of all under the bond of this Covenant and the performing all duties we owe to God in the amendment of our Lives and walking exemplarly one before another This is that Covenant comprehending the purpose of all Prior and the Pattern of all posterior Covenants to which Christs witnesses did always adhere for which the present witnesses do suffer contend That Covenant which the Representative of Church State in the three Nations did solemnly Subscribe Swear for themselves posterity of which the obligation either to the duty or the punishment continues indispensibly on the Generation which for the moral equity oâ— its matter the formality of its manner the importance of its purpose the holyness of its solemn Engagment and the Glory of its Ends no power on Earth can Disannul Disable or Dispense That Covenant which the Lord did Ratifie from Heaven by the conversion of many thousands at their entering under the bond of it securing establishing unto them and all the faithful the blessings priviledges therein expressed and avouching Himself to be their God as they had avouched themselves to be His people That Covenant which in all the Controversies it hath occasioned did never receive a greater confirmation than from the malice opposition of its Adversaries That Covenant which malignants do malign deny and Sectaries scorn lay aside as an Almanack out of date which hath been many ways traduced reproached by enemies and yet could never be reflected on by any Serious in this Land without a honourable fragrant remembrance Especially that Retortion of Adversaries of the rigor of its imposition upon Recusants to justifie their cruelty upon its Asserters now is to be refelled not with confutation of its importance but with disdain of its impudence For who were the Recusants but wicked enemies to God and Church Nation who for their malignancy were then to be prosecuted not for their scrupling at a Covenant but for their contumacious Contempt of a Law This was no violence done to their conscience for as they had none and could not pretend to any so they were never troubled for that but for their opposition conspiracy against the common cause However it went through at that time And that the Covenanted Reformation in a nearer conjunction betwixt the united Churches might be promoted the Parliament of England called an Assembly of Divines at Westminster and desired the Assembly of Scotland to send thither their Commissioners which accordingly nominated elected Mr Alexander Henderson Mr Robert Dowglas Mr Samuel Rutherford Mr Robert Balzie Mr George Gillespie Ministers And Iohn Earle of Cassils Iohn Lord Maitland and Sir Archbald Iohnstoun of Waristoun Ruling Elders to Propone Consult Treat conclude in all such things as might conduce to the extirpation of Popery Prelacy Heresie Schism Superstition Idolatry and for the settling of the so much desired union of the whole Island in one forme of Church Government one Confession of Faith one common Catechisme one Directory for the Worship of God. Forces were also sent to assist the Parliament of England which were favoured with great success in their Entreprizes till that War was ended by the total overthrow of Tyranny at that time and all its upholders But that Popish Prelatical Malignant faction being brought much under in England attempted not unlike the Syrians who thought the God of Israel was not God of the Hills Valleyes both to try the fortune of War in Scotland under the conduct of that Treacherous truculent Traitor Montrose gathering an Army of wicked Apostates Irish Murderers who prevailing for a time did punish in the Justice of God the Hypocrisie self-seeking of such in this Land whose hearts were not upright in His Covenant at length was defeat at Philiphaugh in the year 1645. yet certain it is that they had Commission warrant from the King as the Assembly that year Feb. 13. remonstrates it to himself Warning him in the name of their Master the Lord Jesus Christ that the guilt which cleaved to his throne was such as whatsoever flattering Preachers or unfaithful Counsellors might say to the contrary if not timely repented could not but involve himself his Posterity under the wrath of the Everliving God for his being guilty of the shedding of the blood of many thousands of his best Subjects for his permitting the Masse other Idolatry in his family Dominions c. At the same time also the Assembly did zealously incite the Parliament to a speedy course of Justice against these Incendaries Murderers as the only mean of cleansing the Land from that deluge of blood then current and of appeasing the wrath of God and solemnly seasonably warned all ranks to applaud the Glory Righteousness of that Judgment of the sword in the hands of these Apostates Murderers and to search to understand the Language of that Dispensation wherein many Publick sins breaches of Covenant are pointed at as the Causes of that desolation And the Covenant it self is there very Encomiastically vindicated We are so far from repenting of it say they that we can not mention it without great joy thankfullness to God as that which hath drawn many blessings after it and unto which God hath given manifold evident Testimonies for no sooner was the Covenant begun to be taken in England but sensibly the condition of affairs there was changed to the better and our forces sent into that Kingdom in pursuance of that Covenant have been so mercifully manifestly assisted blessed from Heaven that we have what to answer the enemy that reproacheth us concerning that business that which may make iniquity it self to stop her mouth but which is more unto us than all victories the Reformation of Religion in England Uniformity therein between both Kingdoms a principal end of that Covenant is so far
pattern of purity strictness in opposition to all degrees of conformity complyance with the Corruptions of the time and laid down such Rules Constitutions as might regulate us in our Contendings about present Defections and teach us what account to make of them and how to carry towards them which if adverted unto would evince how manifest manifold the declinings of many have been from the late Reformation that yet pretend to adhere unto it and how Justifieable the aversation abstraction of the present reproached suffering party is from all these defections and the daubings of them because so much deviating declining from the attained Reformation I need not repeat how Prelacy and all the parts pendicles of that Antichristian Hierarchy were abjured in the National Covenant and condemned in the Acts of Assemblies and reabjured in the solemn League Covenant and in the solemn Acknowledgment of â—ins Engagment to duties where also we came under Sacred Inviolable Engagments to endeavour the extirpation thereof Which doth clearly file the present Countenancing submitting to the Prelatick Curats in receiving ordinances from them among the grossest of defections being altogether inconsistent with these Acts and Constitutions Covenant-obligations to extirpate them as much as the countenancing of Popish Priests were inconsistent therewith being both equally Covenanted to be extirpated Next though in this Period Tyrannie being in its Retrograde Motion Erastian Supremacy was not so much contended for and therefore not so much questioned as formerly being held exploded with exsecration out of doors out of doubt yet the Testimony was still continued against it in the uninterupted maintaining of the Churches Priviledges and freedom of Assemblies against all Encroachings of Adversaries And therefore the embracing of the late detestable Indulgences were as Contrary to the Actings of this as to the Testimonies of the former Period against the Supremacy from which they flow Yea many Particulars might be instanced wherein the Accepters had declined from the Covenanted Reformation then prosecuted not only in their Confederating with Malignant Usurpers for the pretended benefite of them by which if there had been no more they are obnoxious to the Censure of the Church standing registred in an Act of Assembly ordaining all persons in Ecclesiastick office for the like or lesser degrees of Complyance yea even for procuring protections from Malignant Enemies to be suspended from their office all exercise thereof At Edinb 1646. Sess 14 Nor only in their taking sinfull Instructions from them restricting them in the exercise of their Ministry but in admitting themselves by their patronage to be by them presented to their prelimited preimposed Congregations which involves them in the iniquity of the Abolished Patronages condemned by the Assembly for that the Ministry of such so presented is made too much to depend upon the will pleasure of man and such an imposition is Destructive of the Church peoples Liberties obstructive of the Gospels freedom faithful plainness and occasion of much base flattery partiality And in subjecting to homologating fortifying a Sacrilegions Supremacy overturning the Intrinsick power of the Church contrare to the Covenant obliging to the Preservation of the Government as well as to the Doctrine of the Church in the first Article thereof And in their suffering themselves either directly or indirectly either by Combination persuasion or terror to be divided withdrawn from that blessed Union Conjunction which they were obliged to maintain promove according to the 6th Art. of the Solemn League Covenant And in their strengthening the Erastian Usurpations of Enemies encroaching upon the Churches Liberties and Christs prerogatives against which wer are engaged expressly in the Solemn Acknowledgment of sins and Engagment to duties where also we have these words Art. 2. Because many have of late laboured to supplant the Liberties of the Church we shall maintain defend the Church of Scotland in all her Liberties Priviledges against all who shall oppose or undermine the same or encroach thereupon under any pretext whatsomever Next we have many Demonstrations of the zeal strictness of these Servants of Christ in their Synodical determinations of Censures to be past upon many Ministerial Corruptions which will condemn the present course of covering countenancing them and commend the Contendings of a poor reproached party against them in their consciencious abstracting from them Of which determinations I shal rehearse some Among the Enormities Corruptions of the Ministrie in their Callings this is one § 4. 5. Silenee in the publick Cause Some accounting it a point of wisedom to speak ambiguously whereof the remedie is § 15. That beside all other scandals Silence or Ambiguous speaking in the publick Cause be seasonably Censured Gen. Ass. at Edinb Iunij 13. 1646. There is indeed an Act against withdrawers from Ministers but in the self same Act they are charged to be diligent in fulfilling their Ministrie to be faithful in Preaching declaring the whole Counsel of God and as they have occasion from the Text of Scripture to reprove the sins errors and press the duties of the time And in all these to observe the Rules prescribed by the Acts of Assembly wherein if they be negligent they are to be Censured Gen Ass. Edinb Aug. 24. 1647. Sess. 19. Then there is that Act August 3. 1648. Sess. 26. for Censuring Ministers for their silence and not speaking to the Corruptions of the time Calling it a great Scandal through some Ministers their reserving not declaring themselves against the prevalent sins of the times appointing that all that do not apply their Doctrine to these Corruptions which is the Pastoral Gift and that are cold or wanting of Spiritual zeal Dissembling of Publick sins that all such be Censured even to deprivation for forbearing or passing in silence the Errors Exorbitancies of Sectaries in England or the defections current at home the plots Practises of Malignants the Principles Tenents of Erastianisme And if they be found too sparing general or ambiguous in their applications reproofs and continuing so they are to be deposed for being pleasers of men rather than servers of Christ for giving themselves to a detestable indifferency or Neutrality in the Cause of God for defrauding the souls of people yea for being highly guilty of the blood of Souls in not giving them warning And in that seasonable necessary warning of the Gen. Ass. Edinb Iuij 27. 1649. Sess. 27. we are taught how they resented the unfaithfulness of Ministers continuing in defections and how we are to look upon them carry to them where they say It is undenyably true that many of the evils wherewith this Church Kingdom hath been afflicted in our age have come to pass because of the negligence of some and corruptions of others of the Ministrie And the course of backsliding was carryed on untill it pleased God to stir
up the spirits of these few who stood in the Gap to oppose resist the same and to begin the work of Reformation in the Land since which time the silence of some Ministers the complyance of others hath had great influence upon the backslidings of many amongst the people who upon the discovery of the evil of their way complain that they got not warning or that if they were warned by some others held their peace or did justify them in the course of their backsliding we can look upon such Ministers no otherwise than upon these that are guilty of the blood of the Lords people and with whom the Lord will reckon for all the breach of Covenant defection that hath been in the Land The Priests lips should preserve knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts but such as are departed out of the way and have caused many to stumble at the Law therefore hath the Lord made them contemptible before all the people according as they have not kept His wayes but have been partial in His Law because they have lost their savour He hath cast out many of them as unsavoury salt Further more to evidence the Purity power of zeal burning blazing in these dayes in their Contendings against Publick Enemies on all hands I shall instance some of their Acts Testimonies clearly condemning the manifold Complyances of this Generation and which may contribute somewhat to Justifie the reproached preciseness of a Remnant standing at the furthest distance from them There is an Act for Censuring the Complyers with the publick Enemies of this Church Kingdom Gen. Ass. Edinb Iunij 17. 1646. Sess. 14. where they judge it a great scandalous provocation grievous defection from the publick cause to comply with these Malignants such as Iames Graham then was in any degree even to procure Protections from them or to have invited them to their houses or to have drunk Iames Graham his health or to be guilty of any other such Gross degrees of Complyance censured to be suspended from the communions ay while they acknowledge their offence And yet now for refusing these degrees of complyance for not having the protectior of a Pass from the wicked courts of malignant enemies by taking a wicked oath and for refusing to drink the Kings health a greater Enemy then ever Iames Graham was some poor conscientious people have not only been murdereâ— by Enemies but mocked condemned by professores There is an Act likewise declaration against all new oaths or bonds in the common cause imposed without consent of the Church Gen. Ass. Edinb Iuly 28. 1648. Sess. 18. Enjoining all the members of the Church to forbear the swearing or subscribing any new oaths or bonds in this Cause without Advice concurrence of the Church especially any negative oaths or bonds which may any way limit or restrain them in the duties whereunto they are obliged by National or Solemn League Covenant Yet now for refusing Oaths not only limiting in Covenanted duties but contradicting condemning many material Principles of the Covenanted Reformation many have not only lost their Lives but also have been condemned by them that are at ease having a wider conscience to swallow such baits It is known how pertinacious the most faithful in those dayes were in their contendings against Associations in any undertaking for the cause with persons disaffected to the true state thereof I need not give any account of this were it not that now that Principle is quite inverted and poor Adherers to it for their abstracting substracting their concurrence with such promiscuous Associations are much hated flouted therefore I shall give some hints of their sentiments of them In their Answer to the Committee of Estates Iulij 25. 1648. Sess. 14. the Gen. Assembly sayes It was represented to the Parliament that for securing of Religion it was necessary that the Popish Prelatical Malignant party be declared Enemies to the cause upon the one hand as well as Sectaries upon the other and that all Associations either in forces or counsels with the former as well as with the latter be avoided And in their declaration concerning the Present dangers of Religion especially the unlawful Engagment in War Iulij ult 1648. Sess. 21. They say suppose the ends of that Engagment be good as they are not yet the means wayes of Prosecution are unlawful because there is not an equal avoiding of rocks on both hands but a joining with Malignants to suppress Sectaries a joining hands with a black devil to beat a white devil They are bad Phisicians who would so cure one disease as to breed another as evil or worse we find in the Scriptures condemned all Confederacies Associations with the Enemies of true Religion whether Canaanites Exod. 23. 32. and 24. 12 15. Deut. 7. 2. or other heathens 1. King. 11. 1 2. More Arguments against Associations may be seen in that excellent discussion of this useful Case Concerning Associations Confederacies with Idolaters Infidels Hereticks or any other known enemy of Truth or Godliness by famous Mr G. Gillespie published at that same time whereunto is appended his Letter to the commission of the General Assembly having these golden words in it words fitly spoken in that season when he was a dying at the begining of the Publick Resolutions Having heard of some motions beginings of complyance with these who have been so deeply engaged in a war destructive to Religion the Kingdoms Liberties I cannot but discharge my conscience in giving a Testimony against all such complyance I know am perswaded that all the faithful witnesses that gave Testimony to the Thesis that the late Engagment was contrary destructive to the Covenant will also give Testimony to the Appendix that complyance with any who have been active in that Engagment is most sinful unlawful I am not able to express all the evils of that complyance they are so many But above all that which would highten this sin even to the Heavens is that it were not only a horrid backsliding but a backsliding into that very sin vvhich vvas specially pointed at punished by the prevailency of the Malignant party God justly making them thorns scourges vvho were taken in as friends Alas shall we split twice upon the same rock yea run upon it when God hath set a beacon on it yea I may say shall we thus out face out dare the Almighty by protecting His our Enemies by making peace friendship with them when the anger of the Lord is burning against them I musâ— here apply to our present condition the words of Ezrah 9. 14 O happy Scotland if thow canst now improve not abuse this Golden opportunity but if thou help the ungodly love them that hate the Lord wrath upon wrath and wo upon wo shall be
capable of exercing any power or place in Church or State. But finding this not yet sufficient security for this unsettled settlement because he wel understood the people stood no ways obliged to acknowledge him but only according to the solemn Covenants being the fundamental Conditions whereupon their Allegiance was founded as amongst all people the Articles mutually consented betwixt them and these whom they set over them are the constituent fundamentalls of Government and wel knowing that he his Associats by violating these Conditions had loosed the people from all subjection to him or any deriving power from him whereby the people might justly plead that since he had kept no Condition they were not now obliged to him he therefore contrived a new Oath of Allegiance to be imposed upon all in publick trust both in Church State wherein they are made to oblige themselves to that Boundless breaker of all Bonds Sacred Civil and his Successors also without any reciprocal obligation from him to them or any reserved restriction limitation or qualification as all humane Authority by Gods Ordinance must be bounded Whereby the Swearers have by Oath homologated the overturning of the very Basis of the Government making free people Slaves to the subverters thereof betraying their native Brethren posterity to the lust of Tyrannie and have in effect as really as if in plain termes affirmed that whatsoever Tyrannie shall command or do either as to the overturning of the work of God subverting of Religion destroying of Liberty or persecuting all the Godly to the utmost extremity they shall not only stupidly endure it but actively concur with it and assist in all this Tyrannie Alas there was no publick Testimony against this Trick to bring people under the yoke of Tyrannie except by some who suffered for Consciencious refusing it while many others did take it thinking to salve the matter by their pitiful quibleng senses of giving Cesar his due Where as this Cesar for whom these Loyal Allegâ—ers plead is not an ordinary Cesar but such a Cesar Nero or Caligula that if he got his due it would be in another kind Strange can Presbyterians swear that Allegiance which is substitute in the place of the broken burnt Covenant Or could they swear it to such a person who having broken buryed the Covenant that he who had sworn it might have another right and another Allegiance than that of the Covenant had then remitted to us all Allegiance founded upon the Covenant However having now prepared furnished himself with Tools so qualified for his purpose in Church State he prosecutes his Persecution with such fervour fury rage revenge impositions oppressions and with armed formed force against the faithful following their duty in a peaceable manner without the least shadow of Contempt even of his abused Authority that at length in the year 1666 a small party were compelled to go to defensive armes Which whatever was the desire of the Court as it is known how desirous they have been of an Insurrection when they thought themselves sure to suppress it that they might have a vent for their Cruelty and how one of the Brothers hath been heard say that if he might have his wish he would have them all turn Rebells and go to armes Yet it waâ— no predetermined design of that poor Handful For Sir Iames Turner pursuing his cruel orders in Galoway sent some Souldiers to apprehend a poor old man whom his neighbours compassionating intreated the Souldiers to loose him as he lay bound but were answered with drawen Swords and necessitated to their own defence In which they relieve the man and disarm the Souldiers and further attacqued some others oppressing that Countrey disarming 10 or 12 more and killing one that made resistence Whereupon the Countrey being alarmed and fearing from sad experience Sir Iames would certainly avenge this affront upon the whole Country without distinction of free unfree they gather about 54 horsemen march to Drumfreis take Sir Iames Turner Prisoner and disarm the Souldiers without any more violence Being thus by Providence engaged without any hope of retreat and getting some Concurrence of their Brethren in the same Condition they come to Lanerk where they renew the Covenant and thence to Pentland hills where by the holy Disposal of God they were routed many killed and 130 taken Prisoners who were treated so treacherously truculently as Turks would have blushed to have seen the like Hence now on the one hand we may see the Righteousness of God in leaving that Enemy to Him whom we embraced to make such avowed Discoveries of himself without a blush to the world and to scourge us with Scorpions that we nourished and put in his hands And also how justly at that time He left us into such a damp that like Asses we couched under all burdens and few came out to the help of the Lord against the Mighty drawing on them Meroz's Curse and the blood of their butchered Brethren after we had sitten seen and suffered all things Civil Sacred to be destroyed in our sight without resentment And though the Lord who called out these worthy Patriots who fell at Pentland to such an appearance for His Interests did take a Testimony of their hands with acceptance by sufferings and singularly Countenanced them in sealing it with their blood yet He would not give success nor His presence to the Enterprise but left them in a sort of infatuation without Counsel Conduct to be a prey to devourers that by a sad inadvertency they took in the Tyrants Interest into the State of the Quarrel Which should have warned His people for the future to have stated the Quarrel otherwise II. By this time and much more after the King gave as many proofs demonstrations of his being true to Antichrist in minding all the promises treaties with him as he had of his being false to Christ in all his Covenant Engagments with His People For in this same year 1666. he with his dear Royal Brother the Duke of York contrived countenanced abetted the burning of London evident by their employing their Guards to hinder the People from saving their oun and to dismiss the Incendiaries the Papists that were taken in the fact The Committee appointed to cognosce upon that business traced it fo far that they durst go no further unless they would arraign the Duke charge the King and yet before this it was enacted as Criminal for any to say the King was a Papist But having gained so much of his design in Scotland where he had established Prelacy advanced Tyranny to the hight of Absoluteness and his Supremacy almost beyond the reach of any additional supply yea above the Popes oun Claim and had now brought his only opposites the few faithful Witnesses of Christ to a Low pass he went on by Craft as wel as Cruelty to advance his oun in promoting
supposing also they might be pardoned for that which is done from whose guiltiness the Land cannot be cleansed but by executing Gods righteous Judgements upon them yet they cannot now be believed after they have violated all that humane wisdom could devise to bind them Upon these accounts they reject that King and those associate with him in the Government and declare them henceforth no lawful Rulers as they had declared them to be no lawful Subjects they having destroyed the established Religion overturned the fundamental Lawes of the Kingdom taken away Christs Church-Government and changed the Civil into Tyrannie where none are associate in partaking of the Government but only these who will be found by Justice guilty of Criminals And declare they shall God giving power set up Government Governours according to the Word of God and the qualifications required Exod. 18. vers 20. And shall not commit the Government to any single person or lineal succession being not tyed as the Jewes were to one single family and that kind being lyable to most inconveniences aptest to degenerate into Tyrannie And moreover that these men set over them shall be engaged to Govern Principally by that Civil Judicial Law not that which is any way Typical given by God to His people of Israel as the best so far as it goes being given by God especially in matters of life death and other things so far as they reach and are consistent with Christian Liberty exempting Divorces Polygamie 6. Seeing the greatest part of Ministers not only were defective in Preaching against the Acts of the Rulers for overthrowing Religion but hindered others also who were willing and censured some that did it and have voted for acceptation of that Liberty founded upon given by virtue of that blaspemously arrogate Usurped power and appeared before their Courts to accept of it and to be enacted authorized their Ministers whereby they have become the Ministers of men and bound to be answerable to them as they will And have preached for the lawfulness of paying that Tribute declared to be imposed for the bearing doun of the true Worship of God And advised poor Prisoners to subscribe that Bond which if it were universally subscribed they should close that door which the Lord hath made use of in all the Churches of Europe for casting off the yoke of the whore and stop all regress of men when once brought under Tyrannie to recover their Libertie again They declare they neither can nor will hear them c. nor any who encouraged strengthened their hands and pleaded for them and trafficqued for union with them 7. That they are for a standing Gospel Ministrie rightly chosen rightly ordained that none shall take upon them the Preaching of the Word c. unless called ordained thereunto And whereas Separation might be imputed to them they refell both the malice and the ignorance of that Calumnie for if there be a Separation it must be where the change is and that was not to be found in them who were not separating from the Communion of the true Church nor setting up a New Ministrie but cleaving to the same Ministers Ordinances that formerly they followed when others have fled to new wayes and a new Authority which is like the old piece in the new Garment 8. That they shall defend themselves in their Civil Natural Divine Rights Liberties And if any assault them they shall look on it as a declaring a war and take all advantages that one enemie does of another but trouble and injure none but those that injure them This is the Compend of that Paper which the Enemies seised and published while it was only in a rude draught and not polished digested nor consulted by the rest of the Community yet whether or not it was for their advantage so to blaze their oun baseness in that Paper truly represented I leave it to the Reader to judge or if they did not thereby Proclaim their oun Tyrannie and the Innocency honesty of that people whom thereby they were seeking to make odious but in effect inviting all Lovers of Religion Liberty to Sympathise with them in their difficulties distresses there discovered However that poor Partie continued together in a posture of defence without the Concurrence or Countenance of their Covenanted Brethren who staid at home and left both them to be murdered and their Testimony to be trampled upon untill the 22. of Iulij 1680. Upon the which day they were attacqued at Airsmoss by a strong party of about 120 horse well armed while they were but 23 horse and 40 foot at most and so fighting valiantly were at length routed not without their Adversaries Testimony of their being resolute men Several of Zions precious Mourners and faithful Witnesses of Christ were killed and among the rest that faithful Minister of Christ Mr Richard Cameron sealed fulfilled his Testimony with his blood And with others the valiant and much honoured Gentleman David Hackstoun of Rathillet was after many received wounds apprehended brought in to Edinburgh and there resolutely adhering to the Testimony and disouning the Authority of King Council and all their Tyrannical Judicatories was cruelly murdered but countenanced eminently of the Lord. Now remained Mr Donald Cargil deprived of his faithful Collegue destitute of his Brethrens concurrence but not of the Lords Counsel Conduct by which he was prompted helped to prosecute the Testimony against the Universal Apostasie of the Church Nation Tyranny of Enemies Backsliding of Friends and all the wrongs done to his Master on all hands And considering in the zeal of God and sense of His holy Jealousie provoked and threatening wrath against the Land for the sins especially of Rulers who had arrived to the hight of Heaven-daring Insolence in all wickedness in which they were still growing going on without control That notwithstanding of all the Testimonies given against them by publick Preachings Protestations and Declarations remonstrating their Tyranny and disouning their Authority yet not only did they still persist in their sins scandals to make the Lords fierce Anger break forth into a flame but were ouned also by Professors not only as Magistrats but as members of the Christian Protestant Church And that however both the defensive armes of men had been used against them and the Christian armes of Prayers and the Ministerial weapon of Preaching yet that of Ecclesiastical Censure had not been Authoritatively exerted against them Therefore that no Weapon which Christ allowes His Servants under His Standart to manage against His Enemies might be wanting thô he could not obtain the Concurrence of his Brethren to strengthen the solemnity formality of the Action yet he did not judge that defect in this broken Case of the Church could disable his Authority nor deâ—ur the duty but that he might and ought to proceed to Excommunication And accordingly in September
contended against by Professors and is really the same with the Condition of the Cautionary Bond in the Indulgence after Bothuel of which see Pag. 129. And further they must be openly publickly held and all persons freely admitted to them which is for the informing trade exposing to all the inconveniences of Iesuites and other Spies Flies their delations in case any thing be spoken reflecting on the Government a great tentation to Ministers 4 The worst of all is upon ther matter of Preaching which is so restricted limited that nothing must be said or done contrare to the well peace of his reign seditious or treasonable And in case any treasonable speeches be uttered the Law is to take place against the guilty and none other present providing they reveal to any of the Council the guilt so committed as in the former Proclamation And in the last it is further declared that nothing must be Preached or taught which may any way tend to alienate the hearts of the People from him or his Government Here is the price at which they are to purchase their freedom a sad bargain to buy Liberty sell Truth which yet hardly can be so exactly paid but he may find a pretence for retrenching it when he pleases for if a Minister shall Pray for the overturning of a throne of iniquity or for confounding all that serve graven Images and for destruction to the Pope and all that give their power to that beast there will be something said against the well of his Government Or if any shall hear this and not delate it then the same pretence is relevant Or if he shall Preach against the Kings Religion as Idolatry and the Church of Rome as Babylon and discharge his Conscience Duty in speaking against the Tyrannie of the times Or let him Preach against any publick sin faithfully a Popish Critick or Romish Bigot shall interpret it to be an alienation of the Peoples hearts from the King his Government But who can be faithful and Preach in season out of season now but he must think it his duty to endeavour to alienate the hearts of the People from such an Enemy to Christ and his absolute Tyranny so declaredly stated against God What Watchman must not see it his indispensable Duty to warn all People of his Devilish designs to destroy the Church Nation and Preach so that People may hate the whore and this Pimp of hers Sure if he Preach the whole Counsel of God he must Preach against Poperie Tyrannie And if he think this Indulgence from Absolute Prerogative granted accepted on these termes can supercede him from this faithfulness then he is no more the Servant of Christ but a pleaser of men Therefore since it is so clogged with so many restrictions so inconsistent with duty so contrary to Scripture so clearly violatory of Covenant-Engagements so cross to the constant Contendings Constitutions of this Church and Acts of Ass. See Pag. 80. c. it were a great defection to Accept of it 11. Considering the Scandal of it they dare not so offend the generation of the Righteous by the Acceptance and dishonour God disgrace the Protestant Profession wrong the Interest thereof and betray their native Country as thus to comply with the Design of Antichrist and partake of this cruel tender mercy of the beast who hath alwayes mischief in his heart and intends this as a Preparative for inducing or inforcing all that are hereby lulled asleep either to take on his Mark or bear the Marks of his fiery fury afterwards For hereby forreign Churches may think we are in a fair way of reconciliation with Antichrist when we so kindly accept his Harbingers favours And it cannot but be very stumbling to see the Ministers of Scotland whose Testimony used to be terrible to the Popish and renouned through all the Protestant Churches purchasing a Liberty to themselves at the rate of burying betraying the Cause into bondage restraint and thus to be laid by from all active open opposition to Antichrists Designs in such a season The world will be tempted to think they are not governed by Principles but their oun Interest in this juncture seeking their oun things more than the things of Christ And that it was not the late Usurpation upon overturning of Religion Liberty that offended them so much as the Persecution they sustained thereby but if that Arbitrary Power had been exerted in their favours tho with the same prejudice of the Cause of Christ they would have complyed with it as they do now Alas sad dolorous have been the Scandals given taken by from the Declining Ministers of Scotland heretofore which have rent racked the poor Remnant and offended many both at home abroad but none so stumbling as this And therefore the tender will be shie to medle with it 12. Considering the Addresses made thereupon with such a stain of foulsome blasphemous flatteries to the dishonour of God the reproach of the Cause the betraying of the Church and detriment of the Nation and exposing themselves to the contempt of all the poor Persecuted Partie dare not so much as seem to incorporate with them I shall set doun the first of their Addresses given forth in the name of all the Presbyterian Ministers And let the Reader judge whether there be not Cause of standing aloof from every appearance of being of their number It is dated at Edinburgh Iulj 21. 1687. of this tenor To the Kings most excellent Majestie The humble Address of the Presbyterian Ministers of his Majesties Kingdom of Scotland We your Maj. most loyal subjects the Ministers of the Presbyterian persuasion in your Ancient Kingdom of Scotland from the due sense we have of your Maj. gracious surprising favour in not only puting a stop to our long sad sufferings for Non-conformity but granting us the Liberty of the Publick Peaceable exercise of our Ministerial function without any hazard As we bless the Great God who hath put this in your Royal heart do with all find our selves bound in duty to offer our most humble hearty thanks to your Sacred Majestie the favour bestowed being to us and all the People of our Persuasion valuable above all our earthly comforts especially since we have ground from your Maj. to beleeve that our Loyaltie is not to be questioned upon the account of our being Presbyterians who as we have amidst all former tentations endeavoured so we are firmly resolved still to preserve an intire Loyaltie in our Doctrine Practice consonant to our known Principles which according to the Holy Scriptures are contained in the Confession of faith generally ouned by Presbyterians in all your Maj. Dominions and by the help of God so to demean our selves as your Maj. may find cause rather to enlarge than to diminish your favours towards us throughly perswading our selves from your Maj. justice
Gospel destruction of many poor Souls But through the ignorance neglect of this Duty of trying whom we should hear by seeking some satisfieing evidence of their being cloathed with Authority from Christ the world hath been left louse in a Licence to hear what they pleased and so have received the Poison of error from Monte banks instead of the true wholesome Potions of Christs Prescripts from them that had Power skill to administer them Hence the many Sects Schismes errors that have Pestered the Church in all ages have in a great measure proceeded from this latitude laxness of Promiscous hearing of all whom they pleased whom either the worlds Authority impowered or by other means were possessed of the place of Preaching without taking any Cognizance whether they had the Characters of Christs Ambassadours or not If this had been observed and People had scrupled refused to hear these whom they might know should not have Preached neither the Great Antichrist nor the many lesser Antichrists would have had such footing in the world as they have this day It is then of no small Consequence to have this Question cleared Neither is it of small difficulty to solve the intricacies of it what Characters to fix for a discovery of Christs true Ministers whom we should submit to obey in the Lord and Love esteem them for their Works sake and for their qualities sake as standing in Christs stead having the dispensation of the word of Reconciliation committed to them And how we may discern those Characters what judgment is incumbent to private Christians for the satisfaction of theiroun Consciences in the Case And how they ought to demean themselves in their practice with out Scandal on either hand or sin against their oun Conscience how to avoid the rocks Extremes that inadvertency or precipitancy in this matter may rush upon So as to escape sail by the Scylla of sinful Separation on the one hand and the Charybdis of sinful union Communion on the other which are equally dangerous especially how these Cautions are to be managed in a broken and disturbed divided Case of the Church The Question also is the more difficult that as it was never so much questioned before this time and never so much sought to be obscured by the perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds to find out evasions to cover sin escape sufferings upon this account So it hath never been discussed by Divines either at home or abroad with relation to our Case except what hath been of late by some faithful men who have suffered upon this head from whom I shall gather the most of my Arguments in as Compendious a way as I can without wronging them The reason I fancy that we are at such a loss in our helps from the Learned on this head is partly that they have written with relation to their oun times in a Constitute Case of the Church when Corruptions disorders might be orderly rectified and people might have access to get their scruples removed in a Legal way by Church-order in which case the Learned Judicious Mr Durham hath written excellently in his book on Scandal but therein neither he nor others did consult nor could have a prospect of such a case as ours is And partly that forreign Divines not having this for their exercise could not be acquainted with our circumstantiate case and so are not fit nor Competent Arbiters to decide this Contraversie hence many of them do wonder at our sufferings upon this head Every Church is best acquainted with her oun Testimony Yet we want not the suffrage of some of the Learnedst of them as the Great Gisb. Voetius in his Polit Eccles. in several places comes near to favour us where he allowes People to leave some hear such Ministers as they profit most by from these grounds that people should chuse the best most edifying gifts and from that scripture 1 Thess. 5. 21. Prove all things c. and answers objections to the contrare and granteth that upon several occasions one may abstain from explicite Communion with a Corrupt Church for these reasons that such Communion is not absolutely necessary Necessitate either Medii or Precepti where the Christian shall have more peace of Conscience and free exercise of Christian Duties elswhere And that he may keep Communion with more Purity in other places Polit. Ecces Quest. 17. Pag. 68. And he approves of People refusing to bring their Children to be baptized by such Corrupt Ministers because they may wait until they have occasion of a Minister for if the best gifts be to be Coveted why should not the best Ministers be preferred and why should not Christians shew by their deeds that they honour such as fear the Lord contemn a vile Person They ought not to partake of other mens sins 1 Cor. 5. 9. 11. Eph. 5. 11. They should not strengthen the hands of the wicked and make sad the Godly The Authority of such Ministers should not be strengthened Voet. Polit Eccles. Pag. 637. to 640. But though it labour under all these disadvantages yet it is not the less but so much the rather necessary to say somwhat to clear it with dependance upon light from the Fountain and with the help of those faithful men who hath sufficiently cleared it up to all that have a Conscience not blinded or bribed with some prejudices by which more light hath accrued to the Church in this point of withdrawing from Corrupt Ministers 〈◊〉 ever was attained in former times which is all the good we have got of Prelacy In so much that I might spare labour in adding any thing were it not that I would make the Arguments vindicating this Cause of suffering alitle more publick and take occasion to shew that the grounds espoused by the Present reproached party for their withdrawings so far as they are stretched are no other than have been ouned by our writers on this head to the intent it may appear there is no Discrepancy but great likness harmony between the Arguments Grounds of withdrawing in the late Informatorie Vindication c. and those that are found in other writings And so much the rather I think it needful to touch this subject now that not only this hath been the first ground of our sufferings but many that suffered a while for it now have fainted and condemned all their former Contendings for this Part of the Testimony calling in question all these reasons that formerly satisfied ' them But to proceed with some distinctness in this thorny point Some Concessory Assertions must first be premitted And then Our Grounds Propounded First I willingly yeeld to Cordially close with the Truth of these Assertions I. The Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace ought to be the Endeavour of all that are members of the One Body of Christ Partakers of his One Spirit
is either Positive Active or Negative Passive The first is when a party not only leaves Communion with a Church whereunto they were formerly joyned but also gathers up new distinct Churches different from the former under another Government Ministrie Ordinances disouning those they left The latter is when the faithful Remnant of a declining Church standing still refusing to concur with the backsliding part of the same Church after they have become obstinate in their defections holds clossly by adheres unto the Reformation attained This Famous Mr Rutherfoord in his due Right of Presbytries pag. 253. 254. sheweth to be Lawful and calleth it a Non-Union as that in Augustines time when the Faithfâ—l did separate from the Donatists which is Lawful laudable 3. Mr Rutherfoord there proceeds to distinguish between a separation from the Church in her worst most part and a separation from the best least part and these who separate from the worst greatest part do notwithstanding retain a part of and a part in the Visible Church because they do not separate from the Church according to the least best part therof as the Godly in England who refused the Popish Ceremonies Antichristian Bishops Hence it will follow that though now People should withdraw from Communion with the greatest part of the Church which is now Corrupted they cannot be counted Separatists because they hold still Communion with the better thô lesser part Moreover he saith Pag. 254. 255. That there may be Causes of Non-Union with a Church which are not sufficient causes of separation Lastly he tells us ibid. Pag. 258. When the Greatest part of a Church makes defection from the Truth the lesser part remaining sound the Greast part is the Church of separatists thô the manyest greatest part in the actual exercise of Discipline be the Church yet in the case of right Discipline the best thô fewest is the Church For Truth is like life that retireth from the manyest Members unto the heart and there remaineth in its fountain in case of dangers So that it is the major part which hath made defection that are to be accounted Separatists and not such who stand to their principles thô they cannot comply or joyne with the corrupt Majoritie Thus the Apol. Relat. rehearsed his words Sect. 14. pag. 292. 293. 4. There may be a Lawful withdrawing where the Ordinances Ministrie are not cast at as the Apol Rel. saith ibid. 291. So then so long as people do not cast at the Ordinances but are willing to run many miles to enjoy them nor cast at the Church as no Church thô they sadly fear that God shall be provoked by this dreadful defection which is carried on by these men their favourers to give her a Bill of divorce nor at the Ministrie for they love those that stand to their Principles dearly and are most willing to hear them either in publick or private 5. It is granted by all that write against Separatists that separation from a Church is Lawful when the case so falleth out that union cannot be kept up with her without sin Voet. Polit. Eccles. pag. 68. quest 17. 6. The Grave Author of Rectius Instruendum Confut. 3. Dial. Chap. pag. 7. c. allowes every Separation is not Schisme even from the Church which hath essentials yea and more than essentials If it be from those thô never so many who are drawing back from whatever piece of duty integrity is attained for this is still to be held fast according to many Scripture Commands So Elias when Gods Covenant was forsaken was as another Athanasius I and I only am left in point of tenacious integrity 7. Next he sayes if we separate in that which a National Church hath commanded us as her Members to disoune by her standing Acts Authority while those from whom we separate oune that Corruption 8. Likewise he there asserts there is a Lawful forbearance of Union Complyance with notorious Backsliders in that which is of it self sinful or inductive to it which is far from Separation strâ—ctly taken The Commands of abstaining from all appearance of evil and hating the garment spotted with the flesh do clearly include this 9. He addes many things will warrant Separation from such a particular Minister or Congregation which will not warrant Separation from the Church National nor infer it by Mr Durhams acknowledgement on Scandal pag. 129. for if Scandals become excessive he allowes to depart to another Congregation 10. Lastly he sayes There is a Commanded withdrawing from Persons Societies even in Worship the precepts Rom. 16. 17. 2 Cor. 6. 17. Prov. 19. 27. Act. 2. 40. will clearly import this by Consequence Surely the Ministers Professors adhering to the Reformatâ—on must be the true Church of Scotland thô the lesseâ— number These Souldiers who keep the Generals Orders are the true Army not the deserters of the same But Secondly it being in part cleared by these Assertions what is our mind in this Controversie I shall lay coun from Scripture Oracles all the Causes Cases justifying warranding withdrawing from any Ministers with application of all of them to the Curats and accommodation of some of them to all that the Wanderers withdraw from with Arguments endeavouring to evince the Validity of them and evidencing they are not new Notions but the same Grounds which approven Authors have improved in this Controversie I shall omitt the ordinary Criticismes in stating the Question in distinguishing betuixt hearing joyning in Worship and ouning them as our Ministers and submitting to them c. And only essay to prove this Thesis We cannot without sin oune Church Communion in Gospel Ordinances with the Prelats or their Curats as Our Ministers but must Withdraw from them and any other guilty of the like Corruptions which we can make out against them I shall not resume what Confirmations this Thesis is strenthened with from the Testimonies or Church Constitutions of former Periods which are premitted in the foregoing discourse Nor make any repitition of the Circumstances of our present Condition Represented above which contributes to clear it but shortly come to the Arguments I. It is necessary that we must acknowledge them Ministers of Christs and his Ambassadours cloathed with his Commission from whom we receive the ordinances of the Gospel For otherwise they must be looked upon as Thieves Robbers Usurpers and strangers whom Christs sheep will not nay must not hear Iohn 10. 1 5. And how shall they preach or be heard except they be sent Rom. 10. 15. for such whom we know may not Lawfully preach we cannot Lawfully hear These from whom we may receive the Misteries of God we must account Ministers of Christ 1 Cor. 4. 1. and Ambassadours for Christ standing in his stead beseeching us to be reconciled to God 2. Cor. 5. 20. Hence such as we doubt to acknowledge Ministers of Christ cloathed with His
defection to the Enemy and taken on with him Let the Indulged and Addressing Ministers advert to this And consider whether or not the truly tender have reason to discountenance them while they continue in their palpable defection But undenyably this refells that Objection of the Curats Ordination before they were Curats For they that change their holding of a right and take a new right which is null they forego forefeit their old right all right But the Prelatick Curats have changed their holding of their right and taken a new one which is null Therefore they have foregone forefeited their old one The minor I prove thus They who had aright from Christ by Conveyance of His officers and take a new grant for the exercise of it not from Christ but by conveyance of such as are none of His officers they change their holdâ—ng and take a new one which is null But the Prelatick Curats who had a right by conveyance of His officers have taken a new grant for the exercise of it not from Christ but by conveyance of the Prelat which is none of His officers Ergo The stress of all will ly in the Probation of this that the Prelat is none of Christs officers and therefore the conveyance of a power from him is not from Christ. Which I prove 1. Because His office is cross to the very nature of Gospel Church-Government and therefore he cannot be a Gospel Church Ruler Christ discharged His officers to exercise Dominion or Lordship Luk. 22. 25. or Authority as the Gentils did but that the Chiefest should be only a Minister Math. 22. 25 26. The Apostle Paul disclaims Dominion over the Church 2 Cor. 1. ult Peter exhorts the Elders not to be Lords over Gods Heritage 1 Pet. 5. 3. The Authority of Church officers then is not a Despâ—tick power but a Ministerial Stewardship But the Diocesan Bishop is both a Lordly Title Power having all Authority in the Diocess derived from him as being as it were the Universal Pastor and so taking upon him a power which is neither commanded nor can be discharged Hence he that subjects his His Ministrie to the Domination of a strange Lord inverting the Nature of Gospel Church-Government cannot be ouned in His Ministrie But all Curats subject their Ministry c. Ergo 2. Because he is an officer Distinct from superior to a Presbyter or Pastor whereas the Scripture makes a Bishop and Presbyter all one The Elders of the Church of Ephesus are called Episcopi or Overseers Act. 20. 17. 28. An ordainded Elder must be a blameless Bishop as the steward of God Tit. 1. 5 7. Again it cannot be shown where the Scripture mentions either Name qualification work Duty or ordination of an ordinary Church officer Superior to Presbyters and which are not likewise appropriat to them who are called Rulers Governours Bishops In all the Holy Ghost His purposed recitalls of ordinary Church Officers there is not the least hint of a Diocesan Bishop and yet a Deacon is described the meanest officer in His work qualifications Hence then if this Diocesan Prelate be such an uncouth beast that neither in name nor Nature is found in the word of God all the power derived from him is null But the first is true Ergo 3. Because every Officer in the Scripture relates to the flock except the extraordinary Officers who were further extended now ceased Bishops of Ephesus were overseers over the flock Act. 20. the Elders that Peter writes to were over the flock But this Diocesan Antiscriptural Monster pretends to be over the Shepherds And invents new Degrees orders of Superiority inferiority of officers of the same kind beside against the Scripture which makes all Apostles alike all Evangelists so all Teachers though there be a Distinction Superiority in diverse Kinds yet not in the same God hath set some in the Church first Apostles Secondarly Prophets thirdly Teachers 1 Cor. 12. 28. but not among Teachers some above others in a power of order Jurisdiction Hence an Officer over officers of the same kind is not an Officer of Christs institution And consequently any power conveyed from his is null But a Prelat pretends to be an officer over Officers of the same kind Ergo 4. Because every officer in the Church hath equally and in perfect parity equall power Authority allowed them of God in the exercise of both the keyes both of order Jurisdiction All ruling Elders may rule alike and deserve equal honour And all Preaching Elders have the like Authority and the like honour conferred upon them 1 Tim. 6. 17. The scripture attributes both power of Order Jurisdiction to all Preaching Presbyters equally They must oversee the flock or as the word is do the part of a Bishop over them Act. 20. 28. and they must also feed the flock 1 Pet. 5. 2. Subjection obedience is one to them all alike All that are over us and admonish us we must esteem highly for their works sake 1 Thess. 5. 12. and obey submit our selves to them that watch for our souls Heb. 13. 17. we find also excommunication belongs to all alike 2 Cor. 2. 6. and ordination 1 Tim. 4. 14. But the Diocesan Prelat takes from Presbyters to himself power of ordination assuming only his Curats for fashions sake and the sole decisive power in Church Judicatories wherein he hath a Negative voice like a Diotrephes the first Prelat who loved to have the preeminence 3 Iohn 9. the only precedent for Prelacy in the Scripture Hence he that would take all power to himself which is undivided equall to all officers by Christs appointment hath none by Christs allowance but is to be reckoned an usurping Diotrephes But the Diocesan Prelat would take all the power to himself which is undivided equall to all By all which it appears the prelate being no Authorized Church Officer of Christs no Authority can be derived from him And so that such as betake themselves to this pretended power for warranting them in the function can warrantably claim no deference thereupon nor can be ouned as Ministers whatever they were before For this were an acknowledging of the power Authority of Prelats especially when the Law commands our hearing as a submitting to them The reason is because these men came forth from the Prelat having no other call or warrant but what the Prelat giveth And so a receiving of them will be a receiving of the Prelate as a refusing of them will be accounted a slighting of the Prelat his power Apol. Relat. 15. pag. 272. III. It is necessare also that all with whom we oune Communion as Ministers should be Christs Ambassadours having then when we hear them and holding still their Commission from Christ as King and only Head of His Church conveyed not only from Church officers in a way that He hath revealed as the Prophet of His
afflicted the Kingdoms of the world and affected not only their backs in bearing the burden thereof but thir hearts into a Lethargick stupor of insensibleness and their heads in infatuating intoxicating them with Notions of the Sacredness incontroulablness of Tyrannie and their hands in infeebling and fettering them from all attempts to work a Cure Or else it hath had another effect on many that have been sensible of a touch of it even equivalent to that which an ingenious Author Mr Gee in his Preface to the Divine right Original of the Civil Magistrate to which Mr Durham is not absonant expounds to be the effect of the fourth vial Rev. 16. 8 9. when in these Dog-dayes of the world power is given to the Sun of Imperial especially Popish Tyannie by their exorbitant streaches of absolute Prerogative to scorch men with fire of furious oppressions they then blaspheme the Name of God which hath power over these Plagues in their Mal-content Complaints grumblings grudgings and Murmurings under the miserie but they do not repent nor give Him Glory in mourning over the causes promeriting such a Plague and their oun accession in exposing themselves to such a scorching sun nakedly without a Sconce Certainly this would be the remedy that Conscience would suggest and Interest would incite to an endeavour either of allaying the heat or of subtracting from it under a shelter by declining the oblique Malignity of its Scorching rayes But will the world never be a wakened out of this Dream dotage of Dull stupid subjection to every Monster that can Mount a Throne Sure at length it may be expected either Conscience from within as Gods deputy challenging for the palpable perversion of this His excellent Ordinance Or Iudgments from without making sensible of the effects of it will convince confute these old inveterate Prejudices And then these Martyrs for that universal Interest of mankind who got the fore-start and the first sight of this will not be so flouted as fools as now they are And who knoweth what Prelude or Preparative fore-boding presaging the doun fal of Tyranny may be in its aspirings to this hight of arbitrary absoluteness and in the many questions raised about it and by them imposed upon Consciences to be resolved If we consider the object of this question as Conscience can only clear it so in nothing can it be more concerned It is that Great Ordinance of God most signally impressed by a very Sacred illustrious Character of the Glorious Majestie of the Most High who hath appointed Magistracy in which considering either its fountain or Dignity ends or effects Conscience must have a very great Concern The fountain or efficient cause of Magistracy is high sublime The powers that are be of God not only by the all disposing hand of God in His Providence as Tyranny is nor only by way of naked approbation but by Divine institution And that not only in the general by at least a Secondary Law of Nature but also the special investiture of it in Institution Constitution is from God and therefore they are said to be ordained of God to which Ordinance we must be subject not only for wrath but also for Conscience sake which is the Great Duty required in the fifth Command the first Commandment with Promise that hath the Priority of Place befor all the Second table because the other Commandments respect each some one Interest this hath a supereminent influence upon all But Tyrannical powers are not of God in this sense And it were Blasphemie to assert they were of the Lords Authorization Conscience cannot bind to a subjection to this Again the Dignity of Magistracy ordained for the maintenance of Truth righteousness the only foundations of peoples felicity whether temporal or eternal including the bonds boundaries of all obedience subjection for which they are intended to which they refer is supereminent as that Epithet of higher added to the powers that are of God may be rendered making them high sublime in Glory whose highest prerogative is that being Gods Ministers they sit in the Throne of God anointed of the Lord judging not for man but for the Lord as the Scripture speaks To this Conscience is concerned in duty to render honour as due by the Prescript of the fifth Commandment but for Tyranny Conscience is bound to deny it because not due no more than obedience which Conscience dare not pay to a Throne of Iniqulty and a Throne of the Devil as Tyranny may be called as really as Magistracy is called the Throne of God. Next Conscience is much concerned in the ends of Magistracy which are the Greatest the Glory of God and the good of Mankind And in the effects of it the maintenance of Truth Righteousness Religion Liberty Peace Safety and all choicest external blessings But the ends effects of Tyranny are quite Contrary Domineering for pleasure and destroying for profit Can we think that Conscience is nothing Concerned here that these great ends shall be subverted and the effects precluded and to that effect that Tyrannie not only be shrouded under a Priviledge of impunity but by our subjection acknowledment of it as a Lawful power encouraged into all enormities and Licensed to usurpe not only our Liberties but Gods Throne by an uncontroulable Soveraignty But if we Consider the subjective Concern of Conscience it must be very great when it is the only thing that prompts to subjection that regulats subjection and is a bottom for subjection to lawful powers If it were not out of Conscience men that are free born are naturally such Lovers of Liberty and under Corruption such lusters after Licenciousness that they would never come under the Order of this Ordinance except constrained for wraths sake but now understanding that they that resist the power resist the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation they must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for Conscience sake If Conscience were not exercised in regulating our duty to Magistrats we would either obey none or else would observe all their Commands promiscously Lawful or unlawful and would make no difference either of the matter commanded or the power commanding but now understanding that we must obey God rather then man and that we must render to all their dues fear to whom fear honour to whom honour Conscience regulats us what whom to obey And without conscience there is litle hope for Government to prove either beneficial or permanent litle likelyhood of either a reall regular or durable subjection to it The discernible standing of Government upon conscientious grounds is the only thing that can bring in conscience a conscientious submission to it it being the highest most kindly principle of and the strongest most lasting obligation to any relative duty It will not be Liberty of Conscience as sayeth the late Declaration
to speakevil of dignities and that they are filthy dreamers who despise Dominion speakevil of dignities and of those things which they know not We allow the Magistrate in whatsoever form of Government all the power the Scripture Lawes of Nature or Nations or Municipal do allow him Asserting that he is the keeper avenger of both the Tables of the Law having a power over the Church as well as the state suited to his Capacity that is not formally Ecclesiastical but objectively for the Churches good an external power of Providing for the Church Protecting her from outward violence or in ward disorder an imperate power of commanding all to do their respective duties a Civil power of Punishing all even Church officers for Crimes a Secundary power of Judicial approbation or condemnation or discretive in order to give his Sanction to Synodical results a Cumulative power assisting strengthening the Church in all her Priviledges subservient though not servill Coordinate with Church power not Subordinate though as a Christian he is subject in his oun affairs to wit Civil not to be declined as Judge but to be obeyed in all things Lawful and honoured strengthened with all his dwes We would give unto Cesar the things that are Cesars and to God the things that are Gods But to Tyrants that usurpe pervert both the things of God of Cesar and of the peoples Liberties we can render none of them neither Gods nor Cesars nor our oun Nor can we from conscience give him any other deference but as an enemy to all even to God to Cesar the people And in this though it doth not sound now with Court parasites nor with others that are infected with Royal Indulgences Indemnities we bring forth but the transumpt of old Principles according to which our fathers walked when they still contended for Religion Liberty against the attemptings aggressions of Tyranny against both 5. It must be conceded it is not an easie thing to make a man in the place of Magistracy a Tyrant For as every escape error or act of unfaithfulness even known continued in whether in a Ministers entry to the Ministry or in his Doctrine doth not unminister him nor give sufficient ground to withdraw from him or reject him as a Minister of Christ So neither does every enormity misdemeanure or act of Tyranny Injustice perfidie or profanity in the Civil Magistrate whether as to his way of entry to that office or in the execution of it or in his private or personal behaviour denominate him a Tyrant or usurper or give sufficient ground to divest him of Magistratical power and reject him as the Lawful Magistrate It is not any one or tuo Acts contrary to the Royal Covenant or office that doth denude a man of the Royal dignity that God the people gave him David committed tuo acts of Tyranny Murder Adultery yet the people were to acknowledge him as their King and so it may be said of some others ouned still as Kings in Scripture the reason is because though he sinned against a man or some particular persons yet he did not sin against the State and the Catholick good of the Kingdom subverting Law for then he would have turned Tyrant and ceased to have been Lawful King. There is a great difference between a Tyrant in act and a Tyrant in habit the first does not cease to be a King. But on the other hand as every thing will not make a Magistrate to be a Tyrant So nothing will make a Tyrant habitu a Magistrate And as every fault will not unminister a Minister So some will oblige the people to reject his Ministry as if he turn Heretical Preach Atheisme Mahumetanisme or the like the people though they could not formally depose him or through the corruption of the times could not get him deposed yet they might reject disoune his Ministry So it will be granted that a people have more power in creating a Magistrate than in making a Minister and Consequently they have more right and may have more light in disouning a King as being unkinged than in disouning a Minister as being un-ministerd It will be necessary therefore for clearing our way to fix upon some ordinary Characters of a Tyrant which may discriminate him from a Magistrate and be ground of disouning him as such I shall rehearse some from very much approved Authors the application of which will be as apposite to the tuo Brothers that we have been burthened with as if they had intended a particular exact description of them Buchanan de jure regni apud Scotos Shewes that the word Tyranâ— was at first honourable being attributed to them that had the full power in their hands which power was not astricted by any bonds of Lawes nor obnoxious to the Cognition of Judges and that it was the usual denomination of Heroes and thought at first so honourable that it was attribute to the Gods But as Nero Iudas were sometimes among the Romans Iewes names of greatest account but afterwards by the faults of tuo men of these names it came to pass that the most flagitious would not have these names given to their Children So in process of time Rulers made this name so infamous by their wicked deeds that all men abhorred it as contagious Pestilentious and thought it a more light reproach to be called a hangman then a Tyrant Thereafter he Condiscends upon several Characters of a Tyrant 1. He that doth not receive a Government by the will of the people but by force invadeth it or intercepteth it by fraud is a Tyrant and who domineers even over the unwilling for Rex volentibus Tyrannus invitis imperat and procures the Supreme rule without the peoples Consent even though for several years they may so govern that the people shall not think it irksome Which very well aggrees with the present Gentleman that rules over us who after he was by publick vote in Parliament secluded from the Government of which the standing Lawes of both Kingdoms made him incapable for his Murthers Adulteries Idolatries by force fraud did intercept first an Act for His Succession in Scotland and then the actual Succession in England by blood treacherie usurping intruding himself into the Government without any Compact with or Consent of the people though now he studies to make himself like another Syracusan Hiero or the Florentine Cosinodo Medices in a mild Moderation of his usurped power but the West of England and the West of Scotland both have felt the force of it 2. Tyrannus non civibus sed sibi gerit imperium neque publicae utilitatis sed suae voluptatis rationem habet c. He does not govern for the subjects well-fare or publick ultility but for himself having no regard to that but to his oun lust Acting in this like robbers who cunningly disposing of what wickedly they
it on in His Providence Math. 16. 24. See at length this cleared Lex rex Q. 30. Pag. 317-320 otherwise in no case subjection even Passive can be a duty for it is allwise to be considered under the notion of a plague Judgment Curse to be complained of as a burden never to be ouned as a duty to Magistrats As we find the Lords people resenting it as a servitude under which they were servants even in their oun Land which did yeeld increase unto the Kings whom the Lord had set over them because of their sins Neh. 9. 36. 37. 2. In diverse cases there may be some Complyance with a meer occupant that hath no right to reign as upon this account the Noble Marquis of Argyle and Lord waristoun suffered for their Complyance with the Usurper Cromuel Such may be the warrantableness or goodness or necessity or profitableness of a Complyance when people are by Providence brought under a yoke which they cannot shake off that they may part with some of their Priviledges for the avoidance of the loss of the rest and for the conveniency profit peace safety of themselves and their Countrey which would be in hazard if they did not comply they may do whatsoever is due from them to the Publick weal what soever is an office of their station or place or which they have any other way a call unto whatsoever may make for their oun honest interest without wronging others or the Countries Liberties in their transactions with these Powers even though such a Complyance may be occasionally to the advantage of the Usurpers Seeing good necessary actions are not to be declined for the ill effects that are accidental to them and arise from the use which others make of them But though this may be yeelded in some cases to such Usurpers especially Conquerers that have no right of occupying the empire but are Capable of it by derivation from the peoples consent yet it must not be extended to such Usurpers as are also Tyrants that have no right of their oun nor are capable of any and that overturn all rights of subjects To such we can yeeld no Complyance as may infer either transacting with them or ouning them as Magistrates We find indeed the Saints enjoyed Places under these who were not their Magistrates as Nehemiah Mordecai and Esther was Queen to Ahaswerus But here was no Complyance with Tyrants for these Heathens were not such only some of them were extraordinary Persons raised up by an extraordinary spirit for extraordinary ends in extraordinary times that cannot be brought to an ordinary rule as Esthers Mariage and all of them in their places kept the Law of their God served the work of their generation defiled not themselves with their Customes acted against no good and engaged to no evil but by their Complyance promoted the wellfare of their Countrey as Argyle waristoun did under Cromuel Again we find they payed Custom to them as Neh. 9. 36. 37. and we read of Augustus his taxation universally complyed with Luk. 2. 1-5 and Christ payd it This shall be more fully answered afterwards Here I shall only say 1 It can never be proven that these were Tyrants 2 Christ Paid it with such a Caution as Leaves the title unstated not for conscience as tribute must be paid to Magistrats Rom. 13. 5 6. but only that he might not offend them 3 Any other instances of the Saints taxations are to be judged forced acts badges of their bondage which if they had been exacted as tests of their allegiance they would not have yeelded Strangers also that are not subjects use to pay Custom in their trafficquing but not as tests of their allegiance 3. There may be also in some cases obedience allowed to their Lawful Commands because of the Lawfulness of the thing commanded or the coincidency of another Just obliging Authority commanding the same We may do many things Tyranno Iubente which he commands and Tyranno premente which he enforces and many things also ipso sou volente seu nolente whether he will or not But we must do nothing Tyranni jussu upon the consideration of his Command in the acknowledgment of obedience due by virtue of Allegiance which we oune of Conscience to a Lawful Magistrate We must do nothing which may seem to have an accessoriness to the Tyrants unlawful occupancy or which depends only on the warrant of his Authority to do it or may entrench on the Divine Institution of Magistracy or bring us into a Participation of the Usurpers sin In these cases we can neither yeeld obedience in Lawful things nor in unlawful Nor can we oune absolute subjection no more then we can oune absolute obedience for all subjection is enjoined in order to obedience And to plead for a Priviledge in point of obedience and to disclaim it in point of subjection is only the flattery of such as having renounced with conscience all distinction of obedience would divest others of all priviledges that they may exercise their Tyranny without Controll Napthali pag. 28. prior edit 4. There may be Addresses made to such as are not rightful Possessors of the Government for justice or mercy or redress of some intollerable grievances without scruple of accepting that which is materially justice or mercy or seeking them at the hand of any who may reach them out to us though he that conveyes them to us be not interested in the umpirage of them Thus we find Ieremiah supplicated Zedekiah for mercy not to return to prison and Paul appealed to Cesar for justice But in these Addresses we may not acknowledge the wicked Lawes that brought on these grivances nor conceal the wickedness no more than the miserie of them which we have endured nor may we oune the Legal power of them that we address to take them off nor signify any thing in the matter or manner of our Representations that may either import a declining our Testimony for which we have suffered these grievances or a contradiction to our declinature of their pretended Authority Only we may remonstrate what cruelties we have endured and how terrible it will be to them to be guilty of or accessory to our blood in not pitying us which was all that Ieremiah did And as for Pauls appeal we find he was threatened to be murdered by his Countrey-men Act. 23. 14. from whose hands he was rescued brought before the judicatory of Festus the Roman deputy not voluntarely thence also they sought to remand him to Ierusalem that they might kill him Act. 25. 3. whereupon he demands in justice that he might not be delivered to his accusers Murderers but claims the benefite of the Heathens oun Law by that appeal to Cesar. which was the only constrained expedient of saving his oun life Act. 28. 19. by which also he got an opportunity to witness for Christ at Rome But as shall be cleared further afterwards Cesar
Cause doth require may upon the very same Principles again joine associate for our better defence Preservation as we did at first enter into Societies Naph P. 150. yet whatever we may do in this case We are not for presumptuous Assumptions of Authority which maleversers have forefaulted Neither are we for new erections of Government but are for keeping the Societie of which we are members intire in an endeavour to have all our fellow members united unto God to one another in Religion Liberty according to the bond of the Solemn League Covenant Certain it is that Greater Societies under one Government may in some cases make a Secession divide into Lesser without sedition or else how would there be now so many distinct Common-wealths in the world seeing at first all was under one head and how comes it to pass that there are so many Kingdoms in Europe when it can be instanced when all or the most part were under on Roman Emperour But this in our Circumstance is no way expedient neither was it ever in Projection But our aim is to abstract our selves inoffensively and maintain our rights that remain unrobbed and to adhere clossly to the fundamental Constitutions Lawes Laudable Practices of our native Kingdome 11. We oune the obligation of our Sacred Covenants unrepealably indispensibly binding to all the duties of Christian subjection to Magistrates But we deny that hereby we are bound either to maintain Monarchy especially thus perverted nor to oune the Authority of either of the two Monarchs that have Monarchized or Tyrannized over us these 27 years past For as to the first we assert that that which is in its oun nature Mutable cannot be simply sworn unto to be maintained preserved but Hypothetically it most else it were simply sinful since it were to make things in their oun nature and in the Providence of God changable unchangable yea it were a doun right swearing not to comply with but to spurn against the various vicisitudes of Divine Providence the great Rector of the Universe And it is unquestionable that when things alterable unalterable are put in the same Oath to make the Engagment Lawful the things must be understood as they are in their oun nature and no otherwise else both the Imposer the Taker grievously transgress the former in taking upon him what is in the power of no Morta and a Contradicton to the Prerogative of the Immorta God and the other in ouning that power as just Hence when these two fall to be in the same Oath they must be so understood as it may not be made a snare to the conscience of the Sweaer For it may fall so out in the Providence of God that the Preservation of both is in all respects made impossible And an adhesion to the one may so far interfere with the Preservation of the other as if the Mutable and that which hath no objective obligation be stuck to the other which with the loss of all Interests we are to maintain must be abandoned yea that which was sworn to be maintained as a mean only a mutable one too may not only cease to be a mean but may actually destroy the main end and then it is to be laid aside because then it inverts the order of things Hence also it may be questioned if it were not more convenient to leave out those things that are alterable in themselves out of the same Oath with things unalterable and put them in a distinct Oaths or Covenant by themselves as we see Iehojadah did 2 King. 11. 17. He made a Covenant between the Lord and the King the people that they should be the Lords people between the King also the People Here are two distinct Covenants the one made with God about things eternally obligatory wherein King people engage themselves upon level ground to serve the Lord and Joash the King his treacherous dealing with God in that matter brought the Curse of that Covenant upon him The other Covenant was Civil about things alterable relating to Points of Government Subjection And as he by virtue of that prior Covenant had obliged himself under the pain of the Curse thereof to carry as one Covenanted to God with the people and so not to Tyrannize over his brethren So the people by virtue of that same Covenant were to yeeld obedience but in nothing to acknowledge him as having power or Authority to countermand Gods Command Neither had it been an act of disloyaltie to have broken doun his Groves which he had with the addition of the guilt of Perjurie set up and to have bound his ungrateful hands from the blood of the Gracious Zechariah A perfect parallel to our Case under the former dominator save that it was out-done as to all dimensions of wickedness by him To speak more plainly the Religious part of our Covenant is of an Eternal obligation but as to the Civil part it is impossible it can ever be so unless it be well Cautiously understood that is unless instead of any species of Government as Monarchy c. we put in Magistracy it self For this is that power which is of God but Monarchy c. is only a humane Creature about the creation whereof men take a Liberty according to what suits them best in their present Circumstances And as to this Species of Monarchy men are never left at Liberty to cloath therewith any inept or impious Person And they are perfectly loosed from it 1. when that Species of Government becomes opposite to the ends of Government and is turned Tyranny especially when a legal establishment is pretended then it affects with its contagion the very species it self The house is to be pulled doun when the Leprosie is got into the walls foundation 2. when as it is exercised it is turned inept for answering the end of its erection and prejudicial to the main thing for which Government is given to wit the Gospel and the coming of Christs Kingdom hence it is promised to the Church Isai. 49. 23. Kings shall be nursing fathers to the Church And Isai. 52. 15. It is promised to the Meâ—iator that Kings shall shute their mouths I. e. never a word in their head but out of reverence respect to His absolute Soveraignty they shall take the Law from Him without daring to contradict far less to take upon them to prescribe in the House of God as they in their wisdom think fit 3. when Providence without any sinful hand makes that species impossible to be kept up without the ruine of that for which it was erected when things come to this push pinch whosoever are cloathed with the power are then under an obligation to comply with that alteration of providence for the safety of the people else they declare themselves unworthy of rule and such who would sacrifice the interest of the people to their particular interest in
grand Interests of the Community must be seen to by Legal Securities for Religion Liberty which is the end use of fundamental Laws Now how these have been unhinged infringed by the introduction present establishment by Law of that Monster of the prerogative enacted in Parliament Anno 1661. the Apologetick Relation doth abundantly demonstrate Sect. 10. Concerning the Kings Civil Supremacy enhancing all the Absoluteness that ever the Great Turk could arrogate and yet far short of what hath been Usurped since and impudently proclaimed to the world especially by him who now domineers in his Challenges of Soveraign Authority prerogative Royal Absolute Power which all are to obey without reserve whereby the whole basis of our Constitution and Bulwark of our Religion Laws Liberties is enervated and we have security of no Law but the Kings lust Hence I argue Those Princes that contrary to their virtual compact at least at their coming to the Crown have overturned all fundamental Laws cannot be ouned But our Princes have contrary to their virtual compact at least at their coming to the Crown overturned all fundamental Laws Ergo they cannot be ouned The Major is plain for they that overturn fundamental Laws are no Magistrats thereby all the ends of Government being subverted and the subverter cannot be ouned as a Father or friend but an open enemy to the Common-wealth nor looked upon as Magistrats doing their duty but as Tyrants seeking themselves with the destruction of the Common-wealth And in this case the compact the ground of the Constitution being violated they fall from their right and the people are Liberated from their obligation and they being no Magistrats the people are no subjects for the relation is mutual and so is the obligation Ius populi chap. 9. pag. 183. The Minor is manifest both from the matter of fact and the Mischiefs framed into Laws by the Soveraign Authority Prerogative Royal Absolute Power foresaid whereby what remains of our fundamental Constitutions either in Religious or Civil Settlements unsubverted as yet may be subverted when this Absolute Monarch pleases Which Absolute Authority we cannot in conscience oune for these Reasons taken both from Reason Scripture First it s against Reason 1. A power contrare to Nature cannot be ouned Absolute power is such for that which takes away and makes the people to give away their Natural power of preserving their lives Liberties and sets a man above all rule Law is contrare to Nature such is Absolute power making people resign that which is not in their power to resign an absolute power to destroy Tyrannize 2. A power contrare to the first rise of its Constitution cannot be ouned Absolute power is such for The first rise of the Constitution is a peoples seting a Soveraign over them giving him Authority to administer justice over them But it were against this to set one over them with a power to rage at randome and rule as he lists It s proven before a King hath no power but what the people gave him but they never gave never could give an absolute power to destroy themselves 3. That power which is against the ends of Government cannot be ouned Absolute power is such for that which will make a peoples condition worse then before the Constitution and that mean which they intended for a blessing to turn a plague scourage to them and all the subjects to be formal slaves at the Princes devotion must needs be contrare to the ends of Government But Absolute power is such for against the exorbitance thereof no means would be left to prevent its obstructing all the fountains of Justice and commanding Laws Lawyers to speak not justice righteousness reason but the lust pleasure of one man and turning all into Anarchy confusion Certainly it could never be the intention either of the work or workers at the Constitution of Government to set up a power to enslave the people to be a Curse to them but their ends was to get comfort safety Liberty under the shadow of Government 4. That power which invalidates and is inconsistent with the Kings compact with the people cannot be ouned Absolute Power is such for the tenor of that is alwise to secure Laws Liberties to rule according to Law but to be Absolute invalidates is inconsistent with that That which were an engagment into Contradictories cannot consist with that compact but to engage to be absolute and yet to rule by Law is an engagment into Contradictories which no people could admit for a security It s inconsistent with this compact to give the King Absolute Power to overturn Religion Liberty and to assume it which was never given were to invalidate this compact and to make himself no King but to restore unto the people the power they conferred upon him for the defence of Religion Liberty 5 That power which is not from God nor of God cannot be ouned But Absolute Power is not of God because it is a power to Tyrannize Sin which if it were of God He should be the Author of Sin for if the Moral Power be of God so must the acts be but the acts of Absolute Power being Lawless cannot be from God Ergo neither the Moral Power to commit these acts 6. That Ruler who cannot be Gods Minister for the peoples good cannot be ouned for that is the formal reason of our consfiencious subjection to Rulers Rom. 13. 4 5. But Absolute Soveraigns are such as cannot be Gods Ministers for the peoples good for if they be Gods Ministers for good they must administer justice preserve peace rule by Law take directions from their Master and if so they cannot be absolute 7. A Tyrant in actu signato exercito cannot be ouned But an Absolute Prince is such being a power that may play the Tyrant if he pleases and jure as King And so if Kings be actu primo Tyrants then people are actu primo Slaves and so Royal Power cannot be a blessing to them yea a Lawless breaker of all bonds promises Oaths cannot be ouned as Lawful Power But Absolute Power is such for it cannot be limited by these Obligations at least people cannot have any seurity by them 8. A Lawless Power is not to be ouned An Absolute Power is a Lawless power Ergo not to be ouned The Major is plain Cicero sayes Lib. 2. de officio Eadem constituendarum Legum causa fuit quae Regum The reason of making Lawes was the same as of the creation of Kings And Buchanan de jure Regni very excellently when the lust of Kings was in stead of Laws and being vested with an infinite immoderate power they did not contain themselves within bounds the insolency of Kings made Laws to be desired for this cause Laws were made by the people and Kings constrained to make use not of their Licencious wills in judgment but of
therefore established in Davids family for Typical reasons that cannot be now alledged 12. We find in the disposal of Government among brethren this birth-order was not seldom inverted as when Iacoh was preferred before Esaw Iudah before all the elder sons of Iacob Ephraim before Manasseh Solomon before Adonijah Hence if this Gentleman now regnant have no better pretences than these now confuted we cannot recognosce his right to reign yea though this last were valid yet he cannot plead it it being expressly provided in our Laws against the succession of a Papist But there is one Grand Objection against all this The Jewes and other Nations are commanded to bring their necks under the yoke of the King of Babilon and to serve him and yet he had no other right to these Kingdom then the Lords Providential disposal because the Lord had given all these Lands into his hand Ier. 27. 6 7 12. Ans. 1. He was indeed an unjust Usurper and had no right but the Lord providential gifâ— which sometimes makes the tabernacles of Robbers prosper into whose hand God bringeth abundantly Iob. 12. 6. and gives Iacoh sometimes for a spoil and Israel to the Robbers Isai. 42. 24. and giveth power to the Beast to continue forty two Moneths and to have power over all kindreds tongues Nations Revel 13. 5 7. His Tyranny also was very great extensively in respect of his oppressions usurpations by Conquest but it was not so great intensively as our Robbers Spoilers may be charged with he was never such a Perverter of all the ends of Government nor a treachrous overturner of all Conditions he was never a Persecuter of the Iewish Religion he never oppressed them upon that account nor endeavoured its extirpation he never enacted such mischiefs by Law. The Lord only made use of him to bring about the holy ends of the Glory of His Justice Wisdom in which respect alone he is called His Servant as else where His â—od hammer having given him a charge against an Hypocritical Nation to trample them doun in His holy Providence and accordingly there was no resistence could prevail they must be trampled upon no help for it but no subjection was required acknowledging his Magistratical right by divine Ordinance but only a submissive stooping to the holy disposal of divine Providence no ouning was exacted either of the equity of that power or of fealtie to the administrator 2. This behoved to be a particular Command by Positive Revelation given at that time not binding to others in the like Condition which I refer to the judgment of the objectors put the case and make it run paralel If the King of England were in league with the King of France and breaking that league should provoke that aspiring Prince growing potent by many Conquests to discover his designs make preparations and give out threatenings for the Conquest of England all Brittain were the people of England bound to surrender themselves as Servants tributaries to him for 70 years or for ever under pain of destruction if they should not This were one of the most ridiculous inferences that ever was pleaded nay it would make all refusal of subjection to invaders unlawful 3. I will draw an Argument from this to confirm my Plea for these Commands of subjection to Babilon were not delivered until after the King of Iudah had surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and entered into Covenant with him to be subject to him 2. King. 24. chap. in keeping which Covenant the Kingdom might have stood and after he had Rebelled against him and broken that Covenant when lo he had given his hand after which he could not prosper or escape or be delivered Ezek. 17. 14 15 18 2 Chron. 36. 13. Then the Commandment came that they should disoune their oune King Zedekiah now forefeiting his right by breach of Covenant and be subject to Nebuchadnezzar Whence I argue If people are commanded to disoune their Covenant-breaking Rulers and subject themselves to Conquerours then I have all I plead for But the former is true by the truth of this objection Ergo also the Latter There is a 2 Obj. from Rom. 13. 1. let every soul be subject to the higher powers the powers that be are ordained of God yet the Roman Emperour to which they were to be subject was an usurper Ans. 1. It cannot be proven that the Apostle intendeth here the Roman Emperour as the higher power There were at this time several Competitions for the Empire about which Christians might have their oun scruples whom to oune the Apostle does not determine their litigations nor interest himself in parties but gives the General Standart of Gods Ordinance they had to go by And the best Expositors of the place do alleâ—ge the question doubt of Christians then was not so much in whom the Supremacy was as whether Christians were at all bound to obey Civil power especially Pagan which the Apostle resolves in giving general directions to Christians to obey the ordinance of Magistracy conforme to its original and as it respects the end for which he had would set it up but no respect is there had to Tyrants 2. It cannot be proven that the Supreme power then in being was usurpative there being then a Supreme Senate which was a Lawful power nor that Nero was then an usurper who came in by choise consent and with the good liking of the people 3. The Text means of Lawful powers not unlawful force that are ordained of God by His Preceptive will not meerly by His Providential disposal and of consciencious subjection to Magistracy not to Tyranny describing characterizing the powers there by such qualifications as Tyrants Usurpers are not capable of But I mind to improve this Text more fully hereafter to prove the quite contrary to what is here objected 8. From the Right of Magistracy flowes the Magistratical Relation which is necessary to have a bottom before we can build the relative duties thereof This brings it under the fifth Commandment which is the Rule of all relative duties between Inferiours Superiours requiring honour to be given to Fathers Masters Husbands c. and to rightful Magistrates who are under such political relations as do infer the same duties and prohibiting not only the omission of these duties but also the committing of contrary sins which may be done not only by contrary acts as dishonouring rebelling against Fathers Magistrats c. but also by performing them to contrary objects as by giving the Fathers due to the Fathers opposite and the Magistrats due to Tyrants who are their opposites Certainly this Command prescribing honour doth regulate to whom it should be given And must be understood in a consistency with that duty and Character of one that hath a mind to be an inhabitant of the Lords holy Hill Psal. 15. 4. in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fear
Magistrate Hence a person that is incapable incompetent for Government cannot be ouned for a Governour But the D. of Y. is such a person not only not qualified as the Word of God requires a Magistrate to be but by the Laws of the Land declared incapable of Rule because he is a Papist a Murderer an Adulterer c. 3. There must be in Moral Power a Lawful Title Investure as is shewed above which if it be wanting the Power is null and the person but a Scenical King like Iohn of Leyden This is essentially necessary to the being of a Magistrate which only properly distinguishes him from a private man for when a person becomes a Magistrate what is the change that is wrought in him what new habit or endewment is produced in him he hath no more natural power than he had before only now he hath the Moral Power right Authority to Rule Legally impowering him to Govern. Let it be Considered what makes a subordinate Magistrate whom we may oune as such It must be only his Commission from a Superior Power otherwise we reject him If one come to us of his oun head taking upon him the style office of a Bailif Sheriff or Judge and command our Persons demand our purses or exact our Oaths we think we may deny him not taking our selves to owe him any subjection not ouning any bond of conscience to him why because he hath no lawful Commission Now if we require this qualification in the subordinate why not in the Supreme Hence that Magistrate that cannot produce his Legal Investure cannot be ouned But the D. of Y. cannot produce his Legal Investure his admission to the Crown upon Oath Compact and with the consent of the subjects according to the Laws of the Land as is shewed above Ergo 4. There must also be the Lawful Use of the Power which must be not only legal for its composure but right for its practice its Course Process in Government must be just Governing according to Law otherwise it is meer Tyranny for what is Government but the subjecting of the Community to the rule of Governours for Peace Orders sake and the security of all their precious Interests and for what end was it ordained and continued among men but that the stronger may not domineer over the weaker And what is Anarchy but the playing the Rex of the Natural power over the Moral Hence that Power which is contrary to Law evil Tyrannical can tye none to subjection But the power of the King abused to the destruction of Laws Religion Liberties giving his power strength unto the beast making war with the Lamb Revel 17. 13 14. is a power contrary to Law evil Tyrannical Ergo it can tye none to subjection wickedness by no imaginable reason can oblige any man. It is Objected by some from Rom. 13. 1. There is no power but of God The Usurping power is a power Therefore it is of God and consequently we owe subjection to it Ans. 1. The Original reading is not Universal but thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for there is no power if not from God which confirms what I plead for that we are not to oune any Authority if it be not Authorized by God. The words are only relative to higher powers in a restricted sense and at most are but indefinite to be determined according to the matter not all power simply but all Lawful power 2. It is a fallacia a dicto secundum quid There is no power but of God that is no Moral Power as Universal negatives use to be understood Heb. 5. 4. no man taketh this honour unto himself but he that is called of God which is clear must not be understood for the negation of the fact as if no man at all doth or ever did take unto himself that honour for Korah did it c. but no man taketh it warrantably with a Moral right and Gods allowance without Gods call So also the universal imperative in that same Text must not be taken absolutely without restriction for if every soul without exception were to be subject there could be none left to be the higher powers but it is understood with restriction to the relation of a subject So here no Power but of God to be understood with restriction to the relation of a Lawful Magistrate It it also to be understood indiscriminately in reference to the diverse species sorts degrees of Lawful Power Supreme subordinate whether to the King as Supreme or to Governours c. as Peter expresses it Or whether they be Christian or Pagan It cannot be meant of all universally that may pretend to power and may attain to prevailing Potency for then by this Text we must subject our selves to the Papacy now intended to be introduced and indeed if we subject our selves to this Papist the next thing he will require will be that 3. To the Minor proposition I Answer The usurping power is a power It is Potentia I grant that it is Potestas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Authority I deny Therefore it is of God by His Providence I concede by His Ordinance I deny Consequently we owe subjection to it I deny We may be subject passively I grant Actively out of conscience I deny But some will Object 2. Though the Power be Usurped and so not Morally Lawful in all these respects yet it may do good its Laws administrations may be good Ans. I grant all is good that ends well and hath a good begining That cannot be good which hath a bad principle bonum ex integra causa Some Government for constitution good may in some acts be bad but a Government for constitution bad cannot for the acts it puts forth be good These good acts may be good for matter but formally they are not good as done by the Usurper They may be comparatively good that is better so then worse but they cannot be absolutely and in a Moral sense good for to make a Politick action good not only the matter must be warrantable but the Call also It may indeed induce subjects to bear improve to the best what cannot be remedied but cannot oblige to oune a Magistratical Relation II. The Nature of the power thus discovered lets us see the Nature of that relative duty which we owe must oune as due to Magistrates and what sort of ouning we must give them which to inquire a litle into will give light to the question All the duty deference the Lord requires of us towards them whom we must oune as Magistrates is comprehended in these two expressions honour required in the fifth Command and subjection required in Rom. 13. 1. c. 1 Pet. 2. 13. c. Whomsoever then we oune as Magistrates we must oune honour subjection as due to them And if so be we cannot upon a consciencious ground give them honour subjection we cannot
smitten by him Authoritatively whom therefore he did threaten with the judgment of God it were wicked to think that he would retract that threatening which he pronunced by the Spirit of God. And therefore this place confirms my Thesis If a Tyrannical Judge acting contrary to Law is not to be known or acknowledged to be a Ruler but upbraided as a whited wall Then a Tyrant is not to be known or acknowledged as such But the former is true from this place Therefore also the latter Paul knew well enough he was a Judge and knew well enough what was his duty to a Judge that he should not be reviled but he would not acknowledge this Priest to be a Judge or retract his threatening against him 2. He is of God ordained of God I proved before Tyrants are not capable of this yea it were blasphemy to say they are Authorized or Ordained of God by His Preceptive Will. Hence take only this Argument All Rulers that we must oune are ordained of God do reign are set up by God Prov. 8. 15. for that this place are paralell But Tyrants do not reign nor are set up by God Hos. 8. 4. They are set up saith the Lord but not by me Ergo we cannot oune them to be ordained of God. 3. Whosoever resisteth this power ordained of God resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation vers 2. This cannot be ouned of a Tyrant that it is a damnable sin to resist him for it is duty to resist also repress him as is proven already and shall be afterwards Hence whatsoever Authority we oune subjection to we must not resist it But we cannot oune that we must not resist this Authority therefore we cannot oun it at all Again That cannot be the power not to be resisted which is acquired improved by resisting the Ordinance of God But the power of Usurpers Tyrants is acquired improved by resisting the ordinance of God Ergo their power cannot be the power not to be resisted The Major is manifest for when the Apostle sayes the resisting of the power bring damnation to the resister certainly that resistance cannot purchase Dominion instead of damnation And if he that resists in a lesser degree be under the doom of damnation then certainly he that does it in a greater degree so as to complete it in puting himself in place of that power which he resisted cannot be free The Minor is also undenyable for if Usurpers acquire their power without resistence forcible sensible it is because they that defend the power invaded are wanting in their duty but however Morally the Tyrant or Usurper is alwayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in contrary order to a Lawful Power 4. Rulers are not a terror to good works but to the evil and they that doe that which is good shall have praise of the same vers 3. This is the Character duty of righteous Magistrates though it be not alwayes their Administration But an Usurper Tyrant is not capable or susceptible of this Character but on the contrary is must be a terror to good works and a praise to the evil for he must be a Terror to them that would secure their rights Liberties in opposition to his encroachments which is a good work he must be a fautor Patron Protector of such as encourage maintain him in his Usurpation Tyranny which is an evil work And if he were a terror to the evil then he would be a terror to himself all his Complices which he cannot be Therefore that power which is not capable of the duties of Magistrates cannot be ouned But the Power of Tyrants Usurpers is such Ergo We find in Scripture the best Commentare on this Character where the duties of a Magistrate are described They must justify the righteous condemn the wicked Deut. 27. 1. They must as Iob did deliver the poor that cry and put on righteousness as a cloathing and be eyes to the blind feet to the lame and a Father to the poor and break the Jawes of the the wicked Iob 29. 12-17 Their Throne must be established by righteousness Prov. 16. 12. a King sitting on the Throne of Judgement must scatter away all evil with his eyes then Mercy Truth will preserve him and his Throne is upholden by Mercy Prov. 20. 8 28. But Tyrants have a quite contrary Character The Throne of iniquity frames Mischief by a Law and condemns the innocent blood Psal. 94. 20. 21. They judge not the fatherless neither doeth the cause of the widow come unto them Isai. 1. 23. They build their house by unrighteousness their chambers by wrong and use their neighbours service without wages Ier. 22. 13. They oppress the poor crush the needy Amos 4. 1. They turn judgement to Gall the fruit of righteousness to hemlock and say have we not taken horns to as by our oun strength Amos 6. 12 13. These contrary Characters cannot consist together 5. He is the Minister of God for good vers 4. not by Providential Commission as Nebuchadnezzar was and Tyrants may be eventually by the Lord making all things turn about for the good of the Church but he hath a Moral Commission from God is entrusted by the people to procure their Publick Politick good at least Now this and Tyranny Usurpation are together inconsistible for if Tyrants Usurpers were Ministers for good then they would restore the publick personal Rights and rectify all wrongs done by them but then they must surrender their Authority and resign it or else all rights cannot be restored nor wrongs rectified Hence these that cannot be ouned as Ministers of God for good cannot be ouned as Magistrates But Tyrants Usurpers and in particular this Man are such as cannot be ouned as Ministers of God for good Ergo Again If Magistracy be alwise a blessing and Tyranny Usurpation alwise a Curse then they cannot be ouned to be the same thing and the one cannot be ouned to be the other But Magistracy or the right-ful Magistrate is alwise a blessing Tyranny Usurpation or the Tyrant Usurper alwise a curse Ergo That the former is true these Scriptures prove it God provides him for the benefite of His people 1 Sam. 16. 1. a just Ruler is compared to the light of the morning when the sun riseth even a morning without Clouds 2 Sam. 23. 4. So the Lord exalted Davids Kingdom for His people Israels sake 2 Sam. 5. 12. because the Lord Loved Israel for ever therefore made He Solomon King to do judgement Justice 1 King. 10. 9. when the righteous are in Authority the people rejoice the King by Judgement stabilisheth the Land Prov. 29. 2 4. The Lord promises Magistrates as a special blessing Isai. 1. 26. Ier. 17. 25. and therefore their continuance is to be praye◠for that we
may lead a quiet peaceable life in all godlyness honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. And they must needs be a blessing because to have no Ruler is a Miserie for when Israel had no King every man did that which was right in his oun eyes Iudg. 17. 6. and the Lord threatens it ar a Curse to take away the stay the staff the mighty man and the man of war the Iudge the Prophet c. Isai. 3. 1 2 c. and that the Children of Israel shall abide many dayes without a King and without a Prince Hos. 2. 4. But on the other hand Tyrants Usurpers are alwayes a Curse and given as such It is threatened among the Curses of the Covenant that the stranger shall get up above Israel very high and that they shall serve their enemies which the Lord shall send against them and He shall put a yoke of iron upon their neck until He hath destroyed them Deut. 28. 43 48. As a roaring lyon and a ranging bear so is a wicked Ruler over the poor people Prov. 28. 15. and therefore when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn Prov. 29. 2. The Lord threatens it as a Curse that he will give Children to be their Princes and babes shall rule over them Isai. 3. 4. and if unqualified Rulers be a curse much more Tyrants They are the rod of His anger and the staff in their hand is His indignation His axe saw rod Isai. 10. 5 15. It is one thing to call a man Gods instrument His rod axe sword or hammer another thing to call him Gods Minister there is a wide difference betwixt the instruments of Gods Providence and the Ministers of His Ordinance those fulfill His Purposes only these do His precepts Such Kings are given in the Lords anger Hos. 13. 11. therefore they cannot be ouned to be Ministers of God for good 6. He beareth not the sword in vain for he is the Minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon â—im that doeth evil vers 4. The Apostle doth not say he that beareth the sword is the Ruler but he is the Ruler that beareth the sword This is not every sword for there is the sword of an enemy the sword of a robber the sword of a common traveller but this as a faculty of Political rule Authoritative judgement It is not said he takes the sword as the Lord expresses the Usurpation of that power Math. 26. 52. but he beareth the sword hath it delivered him into his hand by God by Gods warrant allowance not in vain to no end or without reason or without a Commission as Pareus upon the place expones it He is a revenger to execute wrath not by private revenge for that is condemned Paulo ante Rom. 12. 19. not by providential recompense for when a private person so revengeth it is the providential repayment of God but as Gods Mâ—nister by Him Authorized commissionated warranted to this work Now this cannot agree with a Tyrant or Usurper whose sword only legitimates his scepter and not his scepter his sword who takes the sword rather then bears it uses it without reason or warrant from God in the execution of his lustful rage upon him that doth well and hath no right to it from God. Hence he that beareth the sword no other way but as it may be said of a Murderer cannot be a Magistrate bearing the sword But a Tyrant Usurper beareth the sword no other way but as it may be said of a Murderer Ergo So much for the Characters of a Magistrate which are every way inapplicable to Tyrants Usurpers and as inapplicable to this of ours as to any in the world 2. If we consider the Scripture Resemblanceâ— importing the duty of Magistrates and the Contrary Comparisons holding forth the sin vileness villany of Tyrants Usurpers we may infer that we cannot oune the last to be the first First from the benefite they bring to the Common wealth Magistrates are styled 1. Saviours as Othniel the son of Kenaz is called Iudg. 3. 9. and Iehoâ—haz in his younger years 2. King. 13. 5. and all good Judges Magistrates Neh. 9. 27. But Tyrants Usurpers cannot be such for they are destroyers whom the Lord promises to make go forth from His people Isa. 49. 17. The Chaldeaâ— Tyrant is called the destroyer of the Gentiles Ier. 4. 7. and the destroyer of the Lords heritage Ier. 50. 11. wherefore they can no more be ouned to be Magistrates than Abaddon or Apollyon can be ouned to be a Saviour 2. From their Paterâ—al love to the people they are styled fathers and therefore to be honoured according to the fifth Command So Deborah was raised up a Mother in Israel Iudg. 5. 7. Kings are nursing fathers by office Isai. 49. 23. But that Tyrants cannot be such I have proved already for they can no more be accounted fathers than he that abuseth or forceth our mother 3. From the Protection shelter that people find under their Conduct they are called Shields Psal. 47. Ult. The Princes of the people the Shields of the earth belong unto God. But Tyrants cannot be such because they are the subverters of the earth 4. From the Comfort that attends them they are resembled to the morning light fruitful shours of rain 2 Sam. 23. 4. They waited for me as for the rain saith Iob. 29. 23. But Tyrants cannot be resembled to these but rather to darkness and to the blast of the terrible ones Isai. 25. 4. as a storm against the wall If darkness cannot be ouned to be light then cannot Tyrants be ouned to be Magistrats 5. From their Pastoral Care Conduct and duty they are feeders The Judges of Israel are commanded to feed the Lords people 1 Chron. 17. 6. David was brought to feed Jacob His people and Israel His Inheritance Psal. 78. 71. But Tyrants are wolves not Shepherds 6. By office they are physicians or healers Isai. 3. 7. That Tyrants cannot be such is proven above Secondly on the other hand the vileness villany violence of Tyrants Usurpers are held forth by fit resemblances being Compared to these unclean creatures 1. Tyrants are wicked Dogs as they who compass about Christ Psal. 22. 16 20. Saul is called Dog there and in that Golden Psalm Psal. 59. 4. Saul his Complices watching the house to kill David make a noyse like a dog go round about the City 2. They are pushing Bulls Psal. 22. 12. and crushing Kain of Bashan that oppress the poor Amos. 4. 1. they have need then to have their horns cut sâ—ort 3. They are roaring Lyons that are wicked Rulers over the poor People Prov. 28. 15. Zeph. 3. 3. So Paul calls Nero the Lyon out of whose mouth he was delivered 2 Tim. 4. 17. 4. They are ranging bears Prov. 28. 15. So the Persian Monarch is emblemized Dan. 7. 5 5. They are Leviathan the peercing
the former is true Therefore also the Latter The same reason against the Government of Asses will also militate against the Government of Tygers the first is more eligible then the last Fifthly This may be confirmed from Several promises in Scripture 1. There are many Gracious precious promises of Reformation of the Magistracy and Restitution of good Rulers as a great blessing from God to Mankind and to the Church Isai 1. 26. I will restore thy Iudges as at the first and thy Counsellors as at the begining afterwrrd thoâ— shalt he called the City of righteousness If Judges must first be restored before the City can be a City of righteousness then they must be restored before we can oune the Government thereof for that Government under which it cannot be a City of Righteousness cannot be ouned since it is no Government but a Rebellion Combination of Thieves see vers 23. I do not here restrict the promise as it is a Prophecy to its exact fulfillment as if no Government were to be ouned but what answers this promise of the restitution of the primitive order of Magistrats but I plead that when the Princes are rebellious Companions of Thieves the Government is not to be ouned till Judges be so far restored as to reduce righteousness in some measure which cannot be under Tyranny And in the general I may plead that none is to be ouned as a Magistrate but who some way is found in a promise for there is no Ordinance of God no duty no blessing no good thing either to be done or enjoyed but what is in a promise but Tyranny or ouning of Tyrants or subjection to Usurpers is not nor cannot be in a promise We have many other promises about Magistrates as that the Lord will be for a Spirit of Iudgement to him that sitteth in Iudgement Isai. 28. 6. A Tyrant cannot be capable of this happiness nor we under Tyranny nor any while they oune them Kings shall be the Churches nursing Fathers and their Queens her nursing Mothers Isai. 49. 23. Kings are not alwayes so but all Kings to be ouned are such as can be so at least they are never to be ouned when they turn destroyers of what they should nourish But Tyrants can never be Nourishers It is promised to the Lords people if they will hearken diligently unto the Lord and keep the Sabbath then shall there enter into their gates Kings Princes Ier. 17. 24 25. And if they will execute Judgement righteousness and deliver the spoyled out of the hand of the oppressor c. they shall obtain the same blessing Ier. 23. 3 4. But it is never promised neither doth it ever come to pass in Providence that these duties procured Tyrants There are many other promises to the same purpose from whence may be concluded the Lord will not alwayes leave His people to houl under ineluctable Tyranny but will accomplish their deliverance in His oun time way though we are not to look to Miracles Whence I argue 1. Since all the Ordinances of God Rulers in a special manner are appointed promised as blessings these cannot be ouned for His Ordinance which are not Blessings but Curses 2. That which would vacate evacuate all the promises of Magistracy cannot be a Doctrine of God But this that obliges to oune Tyrants Usurpers as long as they are up would vacate evacuate all these promises of Magistracy For except the Lord work Miracles which are not in the promise and do all without means they cannot be accomplished For if any means be used they must be such as will infer disouning of Tyrants for Magistrates cannot be restored except Tyrants be removed and whatever way they be removed without Miracles by others or their oun Subjects they must still be disouned and that before they be removed for if they be to be ouned before their removal if they exist cannot make them to be disouned dispossession cannot take away their right if they have it before 2. There are many promises of breaking the yoke of Tyrants Isai. 10. 27. His burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck And in that promise of the Churches deliverance enlargment wherein they are Prophetically urged stirred up to some activity in cooperating with the providence Isai. 52. 1 2. they are called to awake put on strength their beautiful garments and to shake themselves from the dust and to rise and loose themselves from the bands of their neck that were captives Here is not only a promise of deliverance or a ground of encouragment what the Church may expect but a promise of direction for their being active in delivering themselves as men from the encroachments that were made on their humane Liberties that they should loose themselves from these bands Whose bands from their bands that ruled over them and made them to houl and the Lords Name to be blasphemed vers 5. Here 's a promise of breaking the bands of Rulers by them who houled under their subjection And it also includes a precept that people should not stay any longer under these yokes than they can shake them off or slip from under them Hence we see we are not to lie stupidly sleeping or sinking in the Ditch expecting the accomplishment of the promise of Deliverance but are to endeavour actively in dependence upon the Lords Assistance to deliver our selves Hence we may argue 1. A promise by way of Command that a people under bands of oppressing Rulers shall rouse themselves up to loose themselves from them implies infers a promise a duty of disouning those Rulers for otherwise they cannot be loosed from their subjection But here is a promise by way of Command that a people under bands of oppressing Rulers shall rouse themselves up to loose themselves from them Ergo 2. If the removal of Tyranny Usurpation be promised as a blessing then those can never be ouned to be the Ordinance of God for the removal of that can never be a blessing But in these promises we see the removal of those is promised as a blessing Therefore they can never be ouned Sixthly To the same purpose we may cite some Threatenings that will confirm the same Truth 1. There are many Threatenings against Tyrants themselves There are two mentioned Ier. 22. that seem patly to quadrate and near of a piece with our Misrulers both because of the demerit of the Threatening and the likeness of the Judgement Threatened The ground of it was building their house by unrighteousness and their chambers by wrong vers 13. And severally they are Threatened Iehojakim with the burial of an Ass unlamented vers 18 19. Coniah with a life without prosperity and a death without issue to succeed vers 30. The first of these is verified in the Elder of our Royal Brothers the last is like to be of both But that which I take
affronted wickedness and hatred of Godliness may give ground to doubt of it as Christians had of Iulian the Apostate 2. We are obliged to love our Enemies to Bless them that Curse us to do good to them that hate us to pray for them that despitefully use persecute us Math. 5. 44. Accordingly Our Master who commanded this did give us a Pattern to imitate when He prayed Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luk. 23. 34. And His faithful Martyr Stephen prayed for his Murderers Lord lay not this sin to their charge Act. 7. ult We are to pity them and not to seek vengeance against them for any injuries they can do to us Yet as this doth not interfere with a holy zealous Appeal to God for righting resenting requiting the wrongs done to us that He may vindicate us our Cause and make them repent of their injuries done to us to the Glory of God and Conviction of Onlookers and Confusion of themselves which may well consist with Mercy to their Souls So all we can pray for them in their opposition to us is in order to their repentance but never for their prosperity in that Course And we may well imitate even against our enemies that prayer of Zecharia's The Lord look upon it and require it 2 Chron. 24. 22. But we are never to pray for Christs stated Enemies as to the bulk of them and under that formality as His Enemies for we must not love them that hate the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. but hate them and hate them with a perfect hatred Psâl. 139. 21 22. We are to pray for the Elect among them but only to the end they may escape the vengeance which we are obliged to pray for against them 3. We are not to exsecrate our enemies or use imprecations against any out of blind zeal or the passionate or revengefull motions of our oun hearts Our Lord rebuked His Disciples for such preposterous zeal Luk. 9. 55. Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of But against the Stated Declared Enemies of Christ as such while such we may well take a pattern from the imprecatory Prayers of the Saints recorded in Scripture such as do not peremptorly determine about the eternal State of particular persons which determinations except we be extraordinarly acted by the same Spirit whose Dictates these are are not to be imitated by us We find several sorts of Imprecations in the Psalms other Scriptures Some are imitable some not Some are Propheticall having the force of a Prophecy as Davids Psal. 35. 4. Let them be confounded that seek after my Soul Let Destruction come upon him Psal. 55. 15. Let them go doun quick to hell And Ieremiah chap. 17. 18. Let them be confounded that persecute me destroy them with double destruction Without this Prophetical Spirit determining the application of these threatenings to particular persons we may not imitate this peremptoriness Some are Typical of Christs Mediatory devoting His Enemies to destruction who as He interceeds for His friends so by virtue of the same Merits by them trampled upon He pleads for vengeance against His enemies Which Mediatory vengeance is the most dreadful of all vengeances Heb. 10. 29. So also Psal. 40. He whose ears were opened and who said lo I come vers 6. 7. that is Christ does imprecate shame Confusion desolation vers 14. 15. As also Psal. 109. the Psalmist personates Christ complaining of imprecating against His enemies particularly Iudas the Traitor vers 8. It must be dreadful to be under the dint of the Mediators Imprecations And also dreadful to clash with Him in His Intercessions that is to apprecate for them against whom He imprecates or pray for them against whom He intercedes But some Imprecatioâ—s against the enemies of God are imitable such as proceed from pure zeal for God and the Spirit of Prayer as that Psal. 109. ult Put them in fear O Lord that the Nations may know themselves to be but men Psal. 83. 16. fill their faces with shame that they may seek thy Name This is to be imitated in general against all the enemies of God Psal 129. 5. Let them all be confounded that hate Zion without condescending on particular persons except obviously not odiously desperate presumptively Christs implacable Enemies 4. Touching Magistrates it is a great duty to pray that God would give us Magistrates as He hath promised for the Comfort of His Church Isai. 1. 26. Isai. 49. 2. Ier. 30. 21. Promises should be motives foments of Prayer We ought to pray against Anarchy as a Plague and with all earnestness beg of God that the mercy of Magistracy may agaâ—n be known in Brittain of which it hath been long deprived 5. And when we have them it is a necessary Duty to pray for them for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet peaceable life in all Godliness honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. Where it is specified what sort we should pray for and to what end As we are not to pray for all men absolutely for some as they are declared to be out of the precincts of of Christs Mediation so they must be out of our Prayers So there may be some in actual Rule that may be excepted out of the verge of the Christians Prayers as was said of Iulian the Apostate But he that is a Magistrate indeed and in Authority the subjects are to pray and to give thanks for him not as a man meerly but as a Magistrate Yea though they be Heathen Magistrates Ezra 6. 10. We may pray for all in Authority two wayes As Men as Kings As Men we may pray for their Salvation or Conversion or taking them out of the way if they be enemies to Christs Kingdom according as they are stated and upon Condition if it be possible and if they belong to the Election of Grace Though for such as are opposites to the coming of Christs Kingdom as it is a contradiction to the second petition of the Lords Prayer Thy Kingdom come So in the experience of the most eminent wrestlers they have found less faith less encouragement in praying for them than for any other sort of men It is rare that ever any could find their hands in praying for the Conversion of our Rulers And though we pray that the Lord would convince them yea confound them in mercy to their souls yet this must never be wanting in our Prayers for Tyrants as men that God would bring them doun and cause Justice overtake them that so God may be Glorified and the Nation eased of such a burden But if we pray for them as Kings then they must be such by Gods approbation and not meer possessory Occupants to whom we owe no such respect nor duty For whatever the Hobbists and the time-serving Casuists of our day and even many good men though wofully
the world than Poperie hath been to the Church and which was given to all the Takers of that Oath as a Mark of Tessera that they were no enemies to the Government as they call it O base and unworthy Liverie for the suffering Sons of Zion to put on the Signature of the Society of her devourers Hence if Covenants Confederacies declaring we are on their side cannot be made with the Enemies of Religion then this Oath could not be taken Lawfully But the former is proved above Ergo the latter followes This will yet more appear 2. If we consider the Party that set forth that Declaration whom the Proclamation against it represent so odiously invidiously whom the Oath imposed obliges us to condemn being so represented as if they were maintainers of Murdering Principles and perpetators of Assassinating villanies inconsistent with Peace or any good Government and therefore to be exterminated destroyed out of the Land whom therefore they prosecute persecute so cruelly to the effusion of their blood under colour of Law. 1. The takers of this Oath must have formally under their unhappy hand disouned renounced them and all part or interest in them or Society or Sympathie with them who yet are known to be the Suffering people of God more earnestly contending witnessing wrestling for the faith Word of Christs patience and have suffered more for their adherance to the Covenanted Reformation of the Church of Scotland and for their opposition to all its deformations defections than any Party within the Land yet them have they rejected as their Companions though with some of them sometimes they have had sweet Company Communion in the House of God by abjuring condemning their deed which duty necessity drave them to 2. Hereby they have presumptuously taken upon them to pass a Judgement upon the deed of their Brethren before their Murdering Enemies And that not a private discretive Judgement but a publick definitive sentence in their Capacity by the most solemn way of Declaring it that can be by Oath subscription under their hand whereby they have condemned all the Sufferings of their Brethren who sealed their Testimony in opposition to this Complyance with their blood and finished it with honour joy as foolish frivolous profusion of their oun blood Nay as just legally inflicted executed upon them as being Rebells of Murdering Principles practices For this cannot be vindicated from a more than indirect justifying of all the Murdering Severity executed upon them 3. And hereby they have unkindly and unchristianly listed themselves on the other side against them and taken part rather with their enemies than with them for thus they used to plead for t it when they pressed this Oath upon them that scrupled it When any War is declared against the King any of his Maj. Souldiers may question any man whom he is for and if he be not for the King he may act against him as an enemy and if they will not declare for the King and disoune the Rebells they are to be reputed by all as enemies Which whatever weakness be in the arguing plainly discovers that they take the abjuring of that Declaration in that juncture to be a mans Declaring of what side he is for and that he is not for the Emitters of that Declaration but for the King and his party which in the present state of affairs is a most dreadful ouning of Christs Enemy and disouning of His Friends Hence a disouning of the Lords persecuted people and condemning their practice and an ouning of their Persecuters and espousing their side of it is a sinful Confederacy But the taking of this Oath is such as is evident by what is said Ergo it is a sinful Confederacy 3. Considering the Nature Conditions Qualifications of so solemn serious a peice of Gods Worship and way of invocating His Holy Name as an Oath is It will appear that the taking of this imposed Oath of Abjuration was a dreadful heinous breach of the Third Command by taking His Name in vain in the worst sort and so cannot be holden guiltless I prove it thus An Oath which cannot be taken in Truth Judgement Righteousness is a breach of the Third Command But this is an Oath which cannot be taken in Truth Judgement Righteousness Which is evident for 1. It cannot be taken by any Consciencious man in Truth in sincerity of the heart simplicity 〈…〉 mind singleness honesty in the intention not puting any other sense than the imposer hath and which is the clear sense of it sine juramento and extra For if he take it according to their meaning then he should swear it unlawful ever to declare War against the King and consequently never to rise in Armes against him upon any pretence whatsoever for if we may rise in Armes for our oun defence we mak must declare a defensive War. And indeed in themselves as well as in their sense meaning who imposed them these two Oaths never to rise in Armes against the King and this of Abjuration are one and the same Then also should he swear it unlawful at any time upon any occasion or for any Cause to kill any such as serve the King in Church State Army or Country either in Peace or War for that is their thought and sensus vel juramenti ipsius vel extra juramentum And in part for their exemption immunity from all condign punishment this Oath was contrived But in fine how can this Oath be taken in Truth when it is not apparent either that the declaring of a War against the King or killing some for some causes which shall afterwards be made appear to be Lawful that serve him are to be abjured disouned or that the Declaration does assert any such thing And indeed it will be found to be a denying the Truth and a subscribing to a manifest falsehood invoking God to be Witness thereto 2. This Oath cannot be taken in Iudgement that is with knowledge deliberation c. All the terms of it have much obscure ambiguity Declaring a war and killing any who serve the King may be constructed in several senses good bad but here they are indefinitely expressed and universally condemned Particularly that in so far as hath several faces and can never be sworn in Judgement For if it denote a Causality and signify as much as quia or quatenus then all Declarations of war against any that have the name of King whatsoever upon whatsoever grounds and all killing of any serving him though in our oun defence must be universally condemned for a quatenus ad omne valet Consequentia If it import a restriction excluding other things in the Declaration but obliging to abjure only that then it implies also an affirmation that these two things are contained in it which will not appear to the Judgement of them that will seriously ponder
their Love Zeal to keep Christ His Gospel in the Land after they had undergone endured many hazards hardships oppressions persecutions for Meeting in the houses where they were so easily attrapped and with such difficulty could escape the hands of these Cruel Men they were forced to take the Fields though with the unavoidable inconveniences of all Weathers without a shelter yet proposing the advantages both of Conveniency for Meeting in greater Numbers and of Secrecie in the remote recesses of Wild Moors Mountains and of Safety in betaking themselves to inaccessible Natural Strengths safest either for flight or resistence And withal having occasion there to give a Testimony for the Reformation with greater freedom And to this very day though many have a pretended Liberty to meet in houses under the security of a Mans promise whose principle is to keep no faith to Hereeicks and under the shelter shadow of an Antichristian Toleration yet there is a poor people that are out of the Compass of this favour whom all these forementioned reasons do yet oblige to keep the fields that is both for Conveniency Secrecy and Safety they dare not trust those who are still thirsting insatiably after their blood nor give them such advantages as they are seeking to prey upon them by shuting themselves within houses And morover they take themselves to be called indispensably in the present Circumstances to be as publick or more than ever in their Testimony for the Preached Gospel even in the open Fields Now this would be a litle cleared And to essay the same I would offer first Some Concessions Secondly some Postulata or Supposed Grounds Thirdly some more Special Considerations which will conduce to clear the case First That we may more distinctly understand what is the duty here pleaded for and what is that which these people Suffer for here Vindicated let these Concessions be premised 1. Now under the Evangelical Dispensation there is no place more Sacred than another to which the Worship of God is astricted and which He hath chosen for His House Habitation whither He will have His people to resort and attend as under the Legal Typical Dispensation was ordered there was a place where the Lord caused His Name to dwel Deut. 12. 5 11. But now neither in the Mountain nor at Ierusalem the Father will be Worshipped but every where and any where in Spirit in Truth Iohn 4. 21 23 24. And the Apostle wills that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath doubting 1 Tim. 2. 8. We abhor therefore the English Popish Superstition of Consecrated places and assert that all are alike in this respect houses or fields 2. In the Constitute case of the Church or when ever it can be obtained Order Decency Conveniency doth require that there be appointed places sequestrate appropriate for the Meetings of the Lords people according to that General Rule Let all things be done decently in order 1 Cot. 14. ult And in that case private Conventicles set up in a Schismatical Competition with Publick Churches are not to be allowed But even then Private Meetings for prayer conference are necessary Lawful Laudable But now the Church is broken by a Crew of Schismatical Intruders who have occupied the places of Publick Assemblies and thrust out the Lods Ministers It is these we scare at and not the place 3. Suppose a Magistrate should interdict Discharge the publik place of Worship and restrain from the Churches but leave all other places free to meet in or if he should prohibite the houses but leave freedom for the fields or discharge the fields and give Liberty in houses in that case we would not contend for the place out of contempt though it were duty then to witness against such a Sacrilegious Injury done to the Church in taking away their Meeting places yet it were inexpedient to stickle strive for one Spot if we might have another then when only excluded out of a place and not included or concluded and restricted to other places nor otherwise robbed of the Churches priviledges we might go to houses when shut out of Churches and go to fields when shut out of houses and back again to houses when discharged thence But this is not our case for we are either interdicted of all places or if allowed any it is under such confinements as are inconsistent with the freedom of the Gospel and besides we have to do with one from whom we can take no orders to determine our Meetings nor can we acknowledge our Liberty to depend on his Authority or favour which we cannot oune nor trust nor accept of any Protection from him Neither is it the place of fields or houses that we contend for Nor is it that which he mainly opposes but it is the freedom of the Gospel faithfully preached that we are seeking to promove improve and he is seeking to suppress The contest betwixt him us is the Service of God in the Gospel of His Son that we profess without ouning him for the Liberty of its exercise And therefore as an Enemy to the Matter Object of these Religious Exercises which are the eye-sore of Antichrist he prosecutes with such rage the manner Circumstances thereof 4. Even in this case when we are persecuted in one place we flee unto another as the Lord allowes directs Math. 10. 23. And if occasionally we find a house either publick or a Church or a private dwelling house that may be safe or convenient or capacious of the numbers gathered we think it indifferent to meet there or in the Fields But in the present circumstances it is more for the conveniency of the people and more Congruous for the dayes Testimony to keep the Fields in their Meetings even though it irritate the incensed Enemies Which that it may appear Secondly I shall offer some Postulata or Hypotheses to be considered or endeavour to make them good and infer from them the necessity expediency of Field Meetings at this time in these circumstances which consequently vindicate the Sufferings that have been thereupon Stated formerly and are still continued 1. It is necessary at all times that Christians should meet together whether they have Ministers or not and whether the Magistrate allow it or not The Authority of God their necessity duty Interest makes it indispensable in all cases It is necessary for their Mutual help two are better than one for if they fall the one will lift up his fellow Eccles. 4. 9 10. It is necessary for their Mutual encouragment in an evil day to speak often one to another which the Lord hath promised to take special notice of Mal. 3. 16 It is necessary for cherishing Mutual Love which is the New Commandment and the badge of all Christs Disciples Iohn 13. 34 35. a principle which they are all thaught of God. 1 Thess. 4. 9.
not Gods Ordinance and there is no hazard of damnation for refusing to obey their unjust commands but rather the hazard of that is in walking willingly after the Commandment when the Statutes of Omri are kept So that what is objected from Eccles. 8. 2-4 I counsell thee to keep the Kings Commandment c. is answered on Head. 2. And is to be unsterstood only of the Lawful commands of Lawful Kings 2. Rebellion is a damnable sin except where the word is taken in a laxe sense as Israel is said to have Rebelled against Rehoboam and Hezekias against Sennacherib which was a good Rebellion and clear duty being taken there for Resistence Revolt In that sense indeed some of our Risings in Armes might be called Rebellions for it is Lawful to Rebel against Tyrants But because the word is usually taken in an evil sense therefore would have been offensive to acknowledge that before the Inquisitors except it had been explained But Rebellion against Lawful Magistrats is a damnable sin exemplarly punished in Korah and his Companâ— who rebelled against Moses and in Shebah and Absalom who rebelled against David for to punish the Just is not good nor to strike Princes for equity Prov. 17. 26. And they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13. 2. So that this Objection brought from this place as if the Apostle were commanding there subjection without Resistence to Nero and such Tyrants as it is very impertinent It is fully answered above Head. 2. Here it will be sufficient to reply 1. He is hereby vindicating Christianity from that reproach of casting off or refusing subjection to all Magistrats as if Christian Liberty had destroyed that Relation or that they were not to be subject to Heathen Magistrats Whereupon he binds this duty of subjection to Magistrats for conscience sake in general And it is very considerable what Buchanan sayes in his book de jure regni that Paul did not write to the Kings themselves because they were not Christians and therefore the more might be born with from them tho they should not understand the duty of Magistrats But imagine that there had been some Christian King who had turned Tyrant and Apostate to the Scandal of Religion what would he have written then Sure if he had been like himself he would have denyed that he should be ouned for a King and would have interdicted all Christians Communion with him and that they should account him no King but such as they were to have no fellowship with according to the Law of the Gospel 2. He speaks of Lawful Rulers here not Tyrants but of all such as are defined qualified here being powers ordained of God terrours to evil works Ministers of God for good Yea but says Prelats and their Malignant Adherents these are only Motives of subjection to all powers not qualifications of the powers I answer they are indeed Motives but such as can be extended to none but to these powers that are so qualified 3. He speaks of Lawful powers indefinitely in the plural number not specifying any Kind or degree of them as if only Kings Emperours were here meant It cannot be proven that the power of the sword is only in them Neither was there a plurality of Kings or Emperours at Rome to be subject to if he meant the Roman Emperour he would have designed him in the singular number All the reasons of the Text aggree to inferiour Judges also for they are Ordained of God they are called Rulers in Scripture and Gods Ministers revengers by Office who judge not for man but for the Lord And inferiour Magistrats also are not to be resisted when doing their duty 1 Pet. 2. 13. yet all will grant when they go beyond their bounds and turns litle Tyrants they may be with-stood 4. He does not speak of Nero concerning whom it cannot be proven that at this time he had the Soveraign power as the learned Mr Prin shewes Or if he had that he was a Tyrant at this time and if he meant him at all it was only as he was obliged to be de jure not as he was de facto All men know and none condemns the fact of the Senate that resisted Nero at length without transgressing this precept Yea I should rather think the Senate is the power that the Apostle applies this Text to if he applied it to any in particular 5. The subjection here required is the same with the honour in the fifth Command whereof this is an exposition and is opposite to the Contraordinatness here condemned Now subjection takes in all the duties we owe to Magistrates and Resistence all the contraries forbidden but unlimited obedience is not here required so neither unlimited subjection 3. We may allow Passive subjection in some cases even to Tyrants when the Lord layes on that yoke and in effect sayes He will have us to lie under it a while as He Commanded the Jewes to be subject to Nebuchadnezzar of which passage adduced to prove subjection to Tyrants Universally Buchanan ubi supra infers that if all Tyrants be to be subjected to because God by His Prephet Commanded His people to be subject to one Tyrant Then it must be likewise concluded that all Tyrants ought to be killed because Ahabs house was Commanded to be destroyed by Iehu But passive subjection when people are not in capacity to resist is necessary I do not say Passive obedience which is a meer Chimaera invented in the brains of such Sycophants as would make the world slaves to Tyrants Whosoever suffereth if he can shun it is an enemy to his oun being for every natural thing must strive to preserve it self against what annoyeth it and also he sins against the order of God Who in vain hath ordained so many Lawful means for preservation of our being if we must suffer it to be destroyed having power to help it 4. We abhor all war of subjects professedly declared against a Lawful King as such all war against Lawful Authority founded upon or designed for maintaining Principles inconsistent with Government or against Policy Piety Yea all war without Authority Yes when all Authority of Magistrates supreme subordinate is perverted and abused contrary to the ends thereof to the oppressing of the people and overturning of their Laws Liberties people must not suspend their Resistence upon the Concurrence of men of Authority and forbear the Duty in case of necessity because they have noâ— the peers or Primores to lead them for if the ground be Lawful the call clear the necessity cogent the capacity probable they that have the Law of Nature the Law of God and the fundamental Laws of the Land on their side cannot want Authority though they may want Parâ—iaments to espouse their quarrel This is cleared above Head. 2. Yet here I shall adde 1. The people have this priviledge of nature to defend themselves and their Rights Liberties as well as
Peers and had it before they erected and constituted Peers or Primores There is no distinction of quality in interests of Nature though ther be in Civil order but self defence is not an act of Civil order In such Interests people must not depend upon the priority of their superiours nor suspend the duties they owe to themselves and their neighbours upon the manuduction of other mens greatness The Law of Nature allowing self defence or the defence of our Brethren against unjust violence addeth no such restriction that it must only be done by the conduct or concurrence of the Primores or Parliaments 2. The people have as great Interest to defend their Religion as the Peers and more because they have more souls to care for than they who are far fewer And to be violented in their Consciences which are as free to them as to the Peers is as unsupportable to them yea both are equally concerned to maintain Truth and rescue their Brethren suffering for it which are the chief grounds of war and if the ground of the defensive war be the same with them and without them what reason can be given making their Resistence in the one case Lawful and not in the other Both are alike obliged to concur and both are equally obnoxious to Gods threatened Judgments for suffering Religion to be ruined and not relieving rescuing Innocents It will be but a poor excuse for people to plead they had no Peers to head them What if both King Nobles turn enemies to Religion as they are at this day shall people do nothing for the defence of it then Many times the Lord hath begun a Work of Reformation by foolish things and hath made the least of the flock to draw them out Ier. 49. 2. and 50. 45. and did not think fit to begin with Nobles but began it when powers Peers were in opposition to it and when He blessed it so at length as to engage the publick Representatives to oune it what was done by private persons before they never condenmed 3. The people are injured without the Nobles therefore they may resist without them if they be able for there can be no Argument adduced to make it unlawful to resist without them which will not equally make it unlawful to do it with them 4. It s true the Primores are obliged beyond others and have Authority more than others to concur but Separately they cannot act as Representatives judicially They have a Magistratical power but limited to their particular Precincts where they have Interest and cannot extend it beyond these bounds And so if they should concur they are still in the capacity of subjects for out of a Parliamentary Capacity they are not Representatives 5. All the power they can have is Cumulative not Privative for deterior conditio Domini per Procurationem fieri non debet Why then shall the Representatives betraying their Trust wrong the Cause of the people whose Trustees they are Nay if it were not Lawful for people to defend their Religion Lives Liberties without the concurrence of Parliaments then their case should be worse with them than without them for they have done it before they had them and so they had better be without them still 6. People may defend themselves against the Tyranny of a Parliament or Primores or Nobles Ergo they may do it without them for if it be Lawful to resist them its Lawful to wave them when they are in a Conspiracy with the King against them 5. We disallow all war without real indeclinable Necessity and great grievous wrongs sustained and do not maintain it is to be declared or undertaken upon supposed Grounds or pretended Causes And so the Question is impertinently stated by our Adversaries Whether or not it be Lawful for Subjects or a party of them when they think themselves injured or to be in a capacity to Resist or Oppose the Supreme power of a Nation For the Question is not if when they think themselves injured they may Resist but when the injuries are real Neither is it every realitie of injuries will justify their Resistence but when their dearest nearest Liberties are invaded especially when such an invasion is made as threatens inâ—luctable subversion of them Next we do not say that a parties esteeming themselves in a Capacity or their being really in a Capacity doth make Resistence a duty except caeteris Paribus they have a Call as well as a Capacity which requires real Necessity and a right to the action and the things contended for to be real legal Rights really illegally encroached upon their Capacity gives them only a Conveniency to go about the duty that is previously Lawful upon a Moral ground No man needs to say who shall be Judge the Magistrate or people For. 1. All who have eyes in their head may judge whether the sun shine or not and all who have common sense may judge in this case For when it comes to a Necessity of Resistence it is to be supposed that the Grievances complained of and sought to be redressed by armes are not hid but manifest it cannot be so with any party only pretending their suffering wrong 2. There is no need of the formality of a Judge in things evident to Natures eye as Grassant Tyranny undermining overturning Religion Liberty must be Nature in the acts of necessitated Resistence in such a case is Judge party Accuser Witness all Neither is it an act of Judgement for people to defend their oun Defence is no act of jurisdiction but a priviledge of Nature Hence these common sayings vim vi repellere omnia jura permittunt And defendere se est juris Naturae Defensio vitae necessaria est a jure Naturali profluit 3. Be Judge who will the Tyrant cannot be Judge in the case for in these Tyrannical Acts that force the people to that Resistence he cannot be acknowledged as King and therefore no Judge for it s supposed the Judge is absent when he is the party that does the wrong And he that does the wrong as such is inferior to the innocent 4. Let God be Judge and all the World taking cognizance of the evidence of their respective Manifesto's of the State of their Cause 6. We condemn Resing to revenge private injuries whereby the Land may be involved in blood for some petty wrongs done to some persons great or small And abhor revengful Usurping of the Magistrats sword to avenge our selves for personal injuries As Davids killing of Saul would have been 1 Sam. 24. 10 12 13. 1 Sam. 26. 9 10. To Object which in this case were very impertinent for it would have been an act of offence in a remote defence if Saul had been immediatly asaulting him it could not be denied to be Lawful and it would have been an act of private revenge for a personal injurie and a sinful preventing of Gods promise of Davids
for against a Lawful Magistrate that would be resistence 3 If a Tyrant hath irresistible power to kill and destroy the people he hath also irresistible power to cite summond them before him and if it be unlawful to resist his murders it must be as unlawful to resist his summonds 4 For a Church or Community of Christians persecuted for Religion to flee with Wives Children strong weak old yong to escape Tyrannical violence and leave the Land were more unlawful than to Resist For what is not possible as a Natural means of preservation is not a Lawful mean but this were not a possible mean Neither is it warranted in Natures Law or Gods Word for a Communitie or Society of Christians that have Gods Right and mans Law to the Land and the Covenanted Priviledges thereof to leave the Country and Cause of Christ and all in the hands of a Tyrant Papist to set up Idolatry upon the ruines of Reformation there A private man may flee but flight is not warranted of them as of a private single man. 2. If it be duty to disobey its duty to Resist Tyrants in defence of Religion Liberty But it is duty to disobey them Ergo The Connexion only will be stuck at which is thus strengthened If subjection be no more pressed in Scripture than obedience then if non-obedience be duty non-subjection must be so also and consequently Resistence But subjection is no more pressed in Scripture than obedience For all Commands of subjection to the Higher powers as Gods Ministers under pain of damnation do only respect Lawful Magistrats and in Lawful things and do include obedience and non-obedience to the power so qualified is a resisting of the Ordinance of God as well as non-subjection If then obedience to Magistrats be duty and non-obedience sin and obedience to Tyrants sin and non-obedience duty Then by Parity of reason subjection to Magistrats is duty and non-subjection is sin and also subjection to Tyrants is sin and non-subjection duty 11. From the Resistence allowed in all Governments it may be argued thus If it be duty to defend our Religion Lives Liberties against an invading army of Cut-throat Papists Turks or Tartars without or against the Magistrats warrand Then it must be duty to defend the same against invading home-bred Tyrants except we would subscribe our selves home-born slaves But the former is true Ergo The Minor cannot be doubted because the Magistrats power cannot be privative destructive to defence of our Religion Lives Liberties nor can it take away Natures birth-right to defend these or make it fare the worse than if we had no Magistrats at all now if we had no Magistrats at all we might defend these against Invaders and whether we have Magistrats or not we are under Moral obligations of the Law of God to endeavour the defence of these But this needs not be insisted on The Connexion of the Proposition is clear If Princes be more Tyrannical in invading Religion Liberties themselves than in suffering others to do it or hindering them to be opposed And if their invasion be more Tyrannical hurtful dangerous than the invasion of Strangers Then if it be duty to resist Strangers invading these Interests it is more duty to Resist home-bred Tyrants invading the same But the former is true Therefore the latter Resisting in the one case is no more Resisting the Ordinance of God than in the other 12. From the Motives of Resistence we may draw this Argument which might be branched out into several but I shall reduce it to this Complexe one If when we are in a Capacity we cannot acquit our selves in the duties that we owe to our Covenanted Religion and our Covenanted Brethren and Posterity and our selves nor absolve exoner our selves from the sin Judgment of Tyrants who overturn Religion oppress our Brethren impose slavery on our selves and entail it upon Posterity by a Passive subjection submission to and not opposing these mischiefs Then Resistence is necessary But the former is true Ergo The Connexion is clear for there cannot be a Medium if we cannot discharge these duties by subjection submission and not opposing then we must do them by non-subjection non-submission and opposing since they must be done some way The Assumption is thus confirmed 1. The duties we owe to Religion when it is corrupted declined from overturned are not only to Reforme our oun hearts wayes and keep our selves Pure from the Corruptions established and to rebuke and witness against the Complyers with the same and so by work doing suffering keep contend for the Word of our Testimony But further when by the Constitution of the Kingdom Religion is become a fundamental Law and consequently the Magistrate overturning it is violating everting the main grounds ends of the Government and turning grassant ingrained Tyrant especially when it is not only so Authorized Confirmed by Law but Corroberated by solemn vowes Covenants made sworn unto God by all ranks of people to maintain defend this Religion with their lives fortunes and resist all contrary errors corruptions according to their vocation and the uttermost of that power that God puts in their hands all the dayes of their lives As also mutually to defend assist one another as in the National Covenant And sincerely really constantly endeavour the Preservation of the Reformed Religion in Doctrine Worship Discipline Government the extirpation of Poperie Prelacie c and to assist defend all those that enter into the same bond in the maintaining thereof as in the Solemn League Then to defend maintain that Religion and themselves Professing it when it is sought to be razed This must be an Interest as necessary to be defended as that of our bodies which is far inferiour and as necessary a duty as to defend our Natural Civil Liberties from perpetual slaverie and as preferrable thereunto as Christ Interest is to mans and as the end of all self preservation is to the means of it the preservation of Religion being the end of all self preservation But this duty cannot be discharged without Resistence in a meer Passive subjection submission Otherwise the same might be discharged in our universal submission to Turks coming to destroy our Religion Certainly this Passive way cannot answer the duty of Pleading for Truth Isai. 59. 4. seeking the Truth Ier. 5. 1. being valiant for it Ier. 9. 3. making up the hedge standing in the Gap c. Ezek. 22. 30. which yet are necessary incumbent duties according to our Capacity Therefore we cannot answer the duties we owe to Religion in a meer Passive way 2. The duty we owe to our Covenanted Brethren is to assist defend them and releive them when oppressed as we are bound by our Covenants and antecedently by the Royal Law of Christ the foundation of all Righteousness among men toward
the Land of Iudah These hornes had the Supreme power over Iudah for a time while they were in no Capacity to resist them But as soon as the Lord furnishes them with Capacity Instruments impowered to resist them they do it effectually The Carpenters are certainly the Lords people themselves for here they are opposite to the Gentiles which all were except the Lords people Hence If the Lord promises when reconciled to His people to furnish them with Instruments to fray scatter the power of Tyrants who have long born doun their head Then when they are so furnished they may resist them But the Lord here promises that c. This is more plainly promised also Zech. 10. 5. c. Then they shall be as mighty men which shall tread doun their Enemies And the pride of Assyria shall be brought doun Hence If the Lord when He shall have Mercy on His people will bless their Resistence so as to bring doun the pride Scepter of them that had the Supreme power over them Then in hope of such a blessing they may attempt such a duty when the Call is clear Fourthly we have also Precepts from whence we may consequentially conclude the Approven duty of Defensive Armes against Oppressing Rulers 1. The Children of Israel are Commanded to vexe the Midianites sinite them for saith the Lord they vexe yow with their Wyles Numb 25. 17 18. And to avenge themselves Numb 31. 2. Which did not only oblige the people when they had Moses for their Magistrate to lead them forth but in the dayes of Gideon when they were under their rule whom they were to avenge themselves upon Hence If people must vexe their Enemies avenge themselves of them by a war offensive when ensnared by their Craftiness much more may they resist them by a war Defensive when invaded by their Cruelty 2. There is a Command to puâ—ish every City or party making Apostasie into Idolatry Deut. 13. 12-15 Upon this Moral Ground was Israels war against Benjamin Iudg. 20. And their bringing Amaziah into Condign punishment which is vindicated by Mr Knox. See above Per. 3. pag. 41 42. Hence If people are to bring to condign punishment Idolatrous Apostates seeking to Intyce them Then much more ought they to resist such Tyrants seeking to Inforce them to such Apostasie 3. There is a precept not only to defend but also to rescue deliver our Brethren when in hazard Prov. 30. 11 12. We must not for bear to deliver them when drawen to death which will at least infer the duty of assisting them when forced to defend themselves for If it be a duty to to rescue them from any prevailing power that would take their lives unjustly much more is it duty to defend them and our selves both against their Murdering violence But it is duty to rescue them c. 4. All that would learn to do well are commanded Isai. 1. 17. to relieve the Oppressed which is not spoken to Magistrates only many of whom were the Oppressors the Princes were rebellious Companions of thieves vers 23. So also Isai. 58. 6. It is required of a people that would be accepted of God in their humiliations to let the Oppressed go free and to break every yoke Hence If it be duty to relieve the Oppressed by breaking the yoke of them that Oppress them Then it is duty to defend them and our selves both against them that would oppress us more But the former is here commanded Therefore c 5. There is a Command for a spoyled Oppressed people when the Lord is reconciled to them and Sympathises with them to deliver themselves from their Rulers servitude Zech. 2. 7. Deliver thy self O Zion which dwellest with the daughter of Babylon Which comprehends all the ordinary Active means of peoples delivering themselves from oppressing powers that rule over them And consequently Defensive Resistence for it cannot only be restricted to flight included vers 6. the promise annexed vers 9. imports more when they that spoyled them shall be a spoyl to their servants Whereby it is insinuated they were so to deliver themselves as not only to free themselves from their servitude but to bring their Masters under subjection Hence If the Lords people being subject to Tyrants ruling over them for the time may deliver themselves from their Oppressing Masters then may they resist them Defend themselves The Antecedent is express here in the Command 6. There is a Command given by Christ to His Disciples to provide themselves with Defensive weapens necessary for their Defence against them that would pursue after their lives as well as with other things necessary for their sustenance Luk. 22. 36 Now he that hath a purse let him take it and likewise his scrip and he that hath no sword let him sell his garment buy one Before when he had sent them out upon an extraordinary Commission as it were to serve their Apprentship in the Work of the Gospel He did not allow them such sollicitous care to provide themselves because He would give them a proof of His sufficiency to sustain protect them without the ordinary means of their oun Diligence But now when He was about to withdraw His bodily presence from them and would warn them of the Discouragements they were to expect in the Prosecution of their more continued Work which they had a Commission for not to be retracted He would not have them to expect Provision Protection by a Course of Miracles but to provide themselves with means for their sustenance and also for their Defence against the violence of men which chiefly was to be expected from their Rulers who would persecute them under the notion of Transgressors of the Laws of their Kingdoms Countries He was not indeed to make much use of them at that time for Himself Who was then to finish the Work of Redemption by Suffering Only that what was written might be accomplished in Him He would make so much use of them as voluntarely to be involved under the censure reproach of Rebellion being taken among men in Armes that He might be reckoned among Transgressours vers 37. Therefore when they told him they had two swords He said It is enough vers 38. I need not stand upon that Impertinency of a Conceit that these were Spiritual swords Which deserves no Confutation being fitter to be put among Quakers delirious distractions than to be numbered among the notions of men of understanding for then the Purse and the Scrip must be Spiritual too And these Spritual things must be bought by sellings of Garments And yet they would be such Spiritual tools as would have a sharp edge for cutting off of Carnal ears and such as would be both visible sensible And two of them would be enough They were then ordinary Material swords which the Lord Commands His Followers to provide themselves with for their defence as Men in cases of necessity and
or personal injuries it is Murder For the affection intention doth make one and the same action of taking away the life homicide or no homicide as Lex Rex saith Quest. 31. Pag. 338. If a man out of hatred deliberately take away another mans life he is a Murtherer eatenus but if that same man had taken away the others life by the flying off of his axe head he neither hating him before nor intending to hurt him he is no Murtherer by Gods express Law allowing Cities of refuge for the one and not for the other Deut. 4. 42. Deut. 19. 4. c. private revenge is indignity to God whose it is to take vengeance Deut. 32. 35. Rom. 12. 19. Dearly beloved avenge not your selves for vengeance is the Lords For which cause Iacob curses Simeon Levi their Murder of the Schechemites for in their anger they slew a man Gen. 49. 6 7. So David would not put forth his hand against Saul for his oun private personal quarrel So Ioab killed Abner and Absalom Amnon But this doth not make the execution or Judgement out of zeal for God respect to Righteousness love to the Nations Interest and care to preserve the persecuted people of God from imminent destruction upon publick Enemies Incendiaries that are trampling upon all these precious Interests and threatening the utter ruine of them and in a particular manner their destruction who thus prevent them 9. Thô the motive or cause were upon a publick account yet it may be Murder to have a wrong End in it as either to intend simply the destruction of the person on whom they execute Judgement as the end to which all their Action is directed or to make their oun advantage or honour the end of the Action Thus David would not kill Saul because it might have been thought he did it to obtain the Kingdom of which he was rightfull successor And deservedly he punished the Amalekite that brought newes of his killing Saul and Baanah Rechab for their killing Ishbosheth thinking thereby to advance themselves at Davids Court. So also Ioab murdered Amasa to secure himself in the Generals place And Iehu though upon the matter he executed righteous Judgement his end was only himself it is condemned as murder But when the execution of righteous Judgement is both formally intended by the Actors and natively really doth conduce to the Glory of God the preservation of the Remnant threatened to be destroyed by these Murderers the suppressing of impiety doing of Justice turning away wrath and removing of present and preventing of future judgments then it may be duty Naph Pag. 23. Prior edit 10. Thô the end also were not culpable yet it may be Murder to kill Criminals by transgressing the sphere of our vocation and usurping upon the Magistrats sword for he by Office is a Revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil Rom. 13. 4. none must make use of the sword of vindictive Justice but he to whom the Lord giveth it therefore they that came to take Christ are condemned threatened for this Math. 26. 52. all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword The God of Order hath assigned to every man his station calling within the bounds whereof he should keep without transgressing by defect or excess let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called 1 Cor. 7. 20. and study to be quiet and do his oun business 1 Thess. 4. 11. Therefore David would not kill Saul because he would have done it beside his calling And therefore the killing of Ioash and Amon was murder because the Assassines did transgress their vocation But when Notorious Incendiaries do not only transgress their vocation but the Limits of humane societie and turn open enemies to God man destroying the innocent making havock of the Lords heritage and vaunting of their villanies and boasting of their wickedness and thereby bringing wrath upon the Land if such effrontries of insolence should pass unpunished and when there is no Magistrate to do that work of Justice but all in that pâ—ace are airt part with them patrons defenders of them yea no Magistrate that can be acknowledged as a Minister of God to be applied unto in that case it is no a transgression of our vocation nor an Usurpation upon the Magistrats where there is none to endeavour to avert wrath by executing righteous Judgement Otherwise if for fear or suspicion of the accidental hazard of private mens Usurping the Office or doing of the duty of Publick persons every vertuous Action which may be abused shall be utterly neglected Impiety shall quickly gain Universal Empire to the extermination of all goodness Naph Pag. 24. Prior edit To clear this it must be considered that a mans calling is two fold his particular calling whereunto in the ordinary course of things he is regularly confined and his general calling not circumscribed by particular rules which from the common obligation of the end for which all callings are institute in the clear exigence of an extraordinary emergent according to the general rules of righteousness bind to an aggreeable practice Therefore circumstances may sometimes so diversitie Actions that what in the ordinary undisturbed state of things would be accounted an excess of our particular calling an Usurpation in an extraordinary occurrence may become a necessary duty of our general calling 11. Thô it were no Usurpation beyond our calling yet it may be murder to kill any without the Call of God in a case of necessity either in tuteâ—â vitae proximâ or though it be remotâ when the hazard is unavoidable Every thing must have Gods Call in its season to make it duty so also the time of killing Eccles. 3. 3. For want of this David would not kill Saul Lex Rex saith excellently to this Quest. 31. pag. 329 330. David might have killed Saul when he was sleeping and when he cut of the lap of his garment but it was unlawful for him to kill the Lords anointed as it is unlawful to kill a man because he is the image of God Gen. 9. 6. except in case of necessity David having Saul in his hand was in a remote posture of defence the unjust invasion then was not actual nor unavoidable nor a necessary mean in humane prudence for self preservation for King Saul was not in an actual pursuit of the whole Princes Elders Community of Israel Saul did but seek the life of one man David and that not for Religion or a National pretended offence and therefore he could not in conscience put hands on the Lords Anointed but if Saul had actually invaded David for his life David might in that case make use of Goliahs sword for he took not that weapon as a Cypher to boast Saul and rather kill then be killed Thus he By a Call here we do not mean an express or immediate Call from God such as the Prophets
might have to their extraordinary executions of Judgement as Samuel Elijah had to kill Agag and Baals Prophets but either the allowance of man then there is no question about it Or if that cannot be had as in the case circumstantiate it cannot Then the Providential Morall Call of extream necessity for preservation of our lives and preventing the murder of our Brethren may warrant an extraordinary executing of righteous Judgement upon the Murderers Men may have a Call to a necessary duty neither every way mediate nor immediate as the Call of runing together to quench a fire in a City when Magistrats through wickedness or negligence will not or do not call people forth unto that work they have not mans call nor an immediate call from Heaven yet they have a Lawful Call from God So they do not intrud upon the Magistrats Office nor want they a call to this execution of Judgement who do materially that work for that exigent which Magistrats by Office were bound to do being called thereto by God by Nature and the call of inevitable Necessity which knoweth no hâ—mane Law and to which some Divine positive Laws will cede Ius populi cap. 20. pag. 423. 12. Thô this be a principle of reason natural Justice when all the forementioned circumstances are clear that it is Lawful for private persons to execute righteous Judgement upon notorious Incendiaries and Murdering publick Enemies in cases of necessity yet it might be a sinful breach of the Sixth Command to draw extraordinary examples of it to an ordinary practice in killing all who might be found Criminal and would deserve death by the Law as all that have served under a banner of Tyrannie violence displayed against God His people to the ruine of the Reformation wasting of the Country oppression of many honest families and destruction of many innocent people are and would be found guilty of Murder as the Chief Captain would have truly alledged Paul to have been a Murderer if he had been the Egyptian which made an uproar and led out four thousand men that were Murderers Act. 21. 38. As for the vulgar ordinary sort of those Vermine of Varlets it is of no advantage for oppressed people to foul their fingers upon them when their slaughter would not put a stop to but rather encrease the destruction of the people of God and were unlawful to prevent anticipate the due Legal execution of Justice where there is any prospect or expectation of its runing in its right channel But for the chief principal Ring-leaders and common publick habitual Incendiaries and Masters of the â—rade of Murdering the Lords people when there is no other way of being rid of their rage and preserving our selves and preventing the destruction of our Brethren we may in that case of necessity make publick examples of them in an extraordinary Procedure against them that may be most answerable to the Rules of the ordinary Procedure of Justice and in imitation of the Heroick Actions recorded and justified in the Word of God in the like extraordinary cases which are imitable when the matter of their Actions is ordinary that is neither preternatural nor Supernatural thô the occasion was singular just and necessary both by Divine precept and as a mean to good necessary ends and when there is no other to do the work nor any prospect of access to Justice in its ordinary orderly course nor possibility of suspending it till that can be obtained We need not then any other call than a Spirit of holy zeal for God and for our oun our Brethrens preservation in that pinch of extremity We do not hold these extraordinary Actions for regular ordinary Precedents for all times persons universally which if people should fancy and heed more the glory fame of the Action than the sound solid Rule of the Scriptures they may be tempted carried to fearful extravagances But they may be Warrants for private persons in their doing of these things in an extreame necessity to which at other times they are not called And when the Lord with Whom is the residue of the Spirit doth breath upon His people moe or fewer to the exciting of more than ordinary zeal for the execution of Justice upon such Adversaries we should rather ascribe Glory Praise to Him Whose hand is not shortened but many times chooseth the weak foolish things of the world to confound the mighty the wise than condemn His Instruments for doing such things Naph pag. 24 25. Prior Edit All these cases which are all I can think on at present comprehending all that may any way infer the guilt of murder I have collected to the end I may conclude this one Argument and leave it to be considered If this extraordinary executing of Judgement upon Notorious Incendiaries and Murdering publick Enemies by private persons in the circumstances above declared cannot be reduced to any case that can infer the guilt of murder Then it cannot be condemned but justified But this extraordinary executing of Judgement c. cannot be reduced to any case that can infer the guilt of murder as will appear by the induction of all of them Ergo this extraordinary executing of Judgement c. cannot be condemned but justified II. In the Next place What we oune may be done warrantably in taking away the life of men without breach of the Sixth Command will appear by these propositions Assertions which will bring the matter to the present Circumstantiate Case 1. It is certain thô the Command be indefinitely expressed it doth not prohibite all killing but only that which is condemned in other explicatorie Commands Our Lord Jesus repeating this Command explains it by expressing it thus Math. 19. 18. Thow shalt not Murder And if any be Lawful it is granted by all that is which is unavoidable by the invincible necessity of Providence when a man following his duty doth that which beside contrary his intention and without any previous neglect or oversight in him proveth the hurt death of another in which case he was allowed to flee to the City of refuge by the Law of God. Whence if that Physical necessity did justify that kind of killing shall not a Moral necessity every way invincibly unavoidable except we suffer our selves and our Brethren to be destroyed by beasts of prey vindicate this kind in an extraordinary extremity when the Murderers are protected under the sconce of pretended Authority In which case the Law of God would allow deliberate Murderers should be pursued by the Avenger of blood and not to have Liberty to flee to these subterfuges and pretexts of Authority meer Tyranny but to be taken from the horns of such altars and be put to death as Mr Mitchel sayes in vindicating his oun Action in a Letter dated Feb. 1674. 2. It is Lawful to take the life of known convicted Murderers
Authority to execute Judgement To this I reply 1. I trust to make the Contrary appear from Scripture and by 2. If the Law obliges none but those in publick Authority to execute Judgement then when there is no Judgement execute it must be the sin of non but those in publick Authority And if it be only their sin now comes others to be threatened punished for this that Judgement is not executed if they must only stand by and be spectators of their omissions unconcerned What shall they do to evite this wrath Shall they exhort them or witness against them But that more than all this is required is proved before several times where this Argument of peoples being punished for the sin of their Rulers hath been touched 3. Then when there is no Authority it must be no sin at all that Judgement is not executed because it is the sin of none it can not be sin except it be the sin of some 4. What if those in publick Authority be the Murderers who shall put them do death By what Authority shall Judgement be execute upon them Whither publick or private publick it cannot be for there is no formal publick Authority above the Supreame who are supposed the party to be punished If it be by the radical Authority of the people which is the thing we plead for then it is but private as that of one party against another The people are the party grieved and so cannot be Judges At best then this will be extrajudicial executing of Judgement And if the people may do it upon the Greatest of Tyrants then a part of them who are in greatest hazard may save themselves from those of Lesser Note by puting them to death for if all the people have right to punish Universal Tyrants because they are destroyers of all then a part hath right to punish particular Tyrants because they are destroyers of them when they cannot have access to publick Authority nor the concurrence of the whole body 4. Let these Murderers Incendiaries be considered either as a part of the Community with them whom they murder destroy or not If they be a part and do belong to the same Community which is not granted in this case yet let it be given Then when the safety of the whole or better part cannot consist with the sparing or preserving of a single man especially such an one as prejudges all and destroyes that better part he is rather to be cut off than the whole or the better part be endangered for the cutting off of a Contagious Member that destroyes the rest of the body is well warranted by Nature because the safety of the whole is to be preferred to the safety of a part especially a destructive part But now who shall cut it off since it must be cut off otherwise a greater part of the body will be presently consumed and the whole endangered It is sure the Phisicians duty but what if he will not or can not or there be no Phisician then any that can may must yea one member may in that case cut off another So when either the Magistrate will not or dare not or does not or there is none to do this necessary work of Justice for the preservation of the Community any member of it may rather prevent the destruction of the whole or a greater part by destroying the Murdering destructive Member than suffer himself others to be unavoidably destroyed by his being spared If they be not within or belonging to that Societie then they may be dealt with carried towards as publick Enemies Strangers and all advantages may be taken of them in cases of necessity as men would do if invaded by Turks or Tartars 5. Let it be considered what men might have done in such a case before Government was erected if there had been some publick notour Murderers still preying upon some sort of men Certainly then private persons as all are in that case might kill them to prevent further destruction Hence if this was Lawful before Government was established it cannot be unlawful when people cannot have the benefit of the Government when the Government that is instead of giving redress to the grieved oppressed does allow impower them to destroy them otherwise people might be better without Government than with it for then they might prevent their Murderers by cutting them off But so it is that this was Lawful before Government was established For let it be adverted that the Scripture seems to insinuate such a Case before the flood Cain after he Murdered his brother feared that every man that found him should slay him Gen. 4. 14. If he had reason to fear this as certainly he had if the Lord had not removed that by proroguing the execution of vengeance upon him for his greater punishment and the worlds more Lasting instruction and by seting a mark upon him and inhibiting under a severe threatening any to touch him Then either every man that should have killed him was the Magistrate which were ridiculous or every man was every any private person universally which might have killed him if this inhibition had not past upon it Anisworth upon the place sayes that among the ancient Romans every one might kill without a challenge any man that was Cursed for some publick Crime and cites Dyonis Halicarnas L. 2. And so Cain spoke this from a dictate of Nature and a guilty Conscience 6. At the Erection of Government thô the people resign the formal power of life death and punishing Criminals over to the Governour Constitute by them yet as they retain the radical power right virtually So when either the Magistrats neglects their duty of vindicating the innocent and punishing their destroyers or impowers Murderers to prey upon them In that case they may resume the exercise of it to destroy their destroyers when there is no other way of preventing or escaping their destructions because extremis morbis extrema remedia In an extraordinary exigent when Ahab Iezebel did undo the Church of God Elias with the peoples help killed all Baals Priests against and without the Kings will in this case its evident the people resumed their power as Lex Rex saith Quest. 9 Pag. 63. There must be a Court of Necessity no less than a Court of Justice when it is in this extremity as if they had no Ruler as that same Learned Author sayeth Quest. 24. Pag. 213. If then the people may resume that power in cases of necessity which they resigned to the Magistrate then a part may resume it when a part only is in that necessity and all may claim an interest in the Resumption that had an interest in the Resignation 7. Especially upon the dissolution of a Government when people are under a necessity to revolt from it and so are reduced to their primeve Liberty they may then resume all that power they had before
given to us to remember Lots wife turned into a Pillar of Salt to season us lest the stink of our Destruction and what may follow upon it be all that the posterity get for a warning not to tread our paths As for the few that have suffered upon this Head they have been so discruciated with perplexities in their Conflicts with the rage of Enemies and reproach of Friends and fear of these snares attending every lot or occupation they could put themselves in that they have been made to desire death as their best refuge and only retreat wherein they may find rest from all these rackings For in no place could they escape the reach of some of these Impositions nor the noise of their clamarous Contendings of Arguments that pleaded for it But some have had more Love to Christ and His Interests than language to plead for Him and more resolution to suffer than learning to dispute for His Cause And where pure zeal for Christ and love to His bleeding Interests in a time when He is crucified afresh and put to open shame and the Concurrence of all is required to help forward the War against Him is in integrity vigor it will burn with its flame those knots that it cannot in hast loose And chuse rather to lie under the imputation of being zealous without knowledge than lose or let go such an opportunity of witnessing a good Confession yea when it could do no more expire with an Ichabod in its mouth But shortly to come to the point I shall 1. Permit some Concessions 2. Propose some paralel Questions 3. Offer some Reasons to clear it 1. I shall willingly grant in the General concerning paying of Exactions Impositions or Emoluments 1. They are to be paid to these to whom they are due As Tribute Custom is to be paid to the Powers ordained of God and for this Cause that they are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing Rom. 13. 6 7. So Stipends and all outward Encouragments are due to Ministers of the Gospel who sow Spiritual things and should reap these carnal things 1 Cor. 9. 11 12. Fynes also and all legal Amercements for Delinquencies against just Laws must be payed Deut. 22. 19. And whatsoever is due by Law to Officers appointed by Law for keeping Delinquents in Custody As all Debts whatsoever But Tyrants Exactions enacted exacted for promoving their wicked designs against Religion Liberty Hirelings Salaries for encouraging them in their intrusions upon the Church of God Arbitrary Impositions of pecuniary punishments for clear Duties And extorted hirings of the subordinate instruments of Persecuters oppressions are no wise due and cannot be debt and therefore no equity to pay them 2. It s Lawful to pay them when due and debt either by Law or Contract even thô they should be afterward abused and misimproven to pernicious ends But these payments for such wicked ends either particularly specified expressed in the very Act appointing them or openly avouched by the Exactors are of another nature than Impositions fundamentally appointed for the publick good and the after misapplication thereof made by such as are entrusted therewith is no more imputable unto the Land or Payers than is the theft of a Collector stealing or running away with the same without making Count or reckoning to Superiours It is then a foolish thing to say that former Impositions were peacably payed thô we saw and were convinced that their use was perverted and they were used against the good of the Land and Gods people For no such thing was laid doun as the ground or declared as the end of these exactions but what fell out was by the personal abuse and perversion of those in power which was rheir oun personal fault and posteriour to the legal engagment and submission to the payment thereof by the Land in their Representatives 3. It s Lawful to pay them sometimes even when fundamentally and Originally from the first Constitution of them they were not due but Illegally or Usurpatively challenged exacted if afterwards they were by dedition or voluntary engagment legally submitted unto by the true Representatives But not so when they were never either Lawfully enacted or legally exacted or voluntarly engaged by the Representatives except such as represented the enslavement of the Nation and betrayed the Country Religion Liberty Property and all precious Interests and declaredly imposed to further the destruction of all Nor can any with reason say that this Case is but like the Case of the people of Israel under the feet of Enemies paying to them of the fruits of their Ground as was regrated lamented by Nehemiah Chap. 9. 36 37. For so they must say the Exactions now in debate are their Redemption-money and by these they purchase their Liberty of Life Lands and oune themselues to be a people under Conquest And yet they cannot deny but they are both exacted payed as Tests of their Allegiance as Subjects and Badges of their Loyaltie Obedience But this is answered before Head 2. Conces 7. § 2. Pag. If any should object the practice of Christ thô otherwise free yet paying Custom lest He should offend It is fully solved ibid. Head 2. Conces 9. Pag. Here it s sufficient to hint 1 That which made â—hem marvel at His wise Answer was that He left the Title unstated and the Claim unresolved whether it belonged to Cesar or not and taught them in the general to give nothing to Cesar with prejudice to what was Gods which condemns all the Payments we speak of which are all for carrying on the War against God. 2 Cesar was no Tyrant nor Usurper at this time because they had legally submitted themselves unto several Cesars successively before 3 It was lest He should offend But here it will be evident that the offence scandal lyeth upon the other hand of paying the Exaction And it is against all Religion to say that both the doing and refusing to do the same Act can give offence But 4 make the Case like ours and I doubt not to call it Blasphemy to say that Christ would have payed or permitted to pay a Taxation professedly imposed for levying a War against Him or banishing Him and His Disciples out of the Land Or to fill the mouths of the greedy Pharisees devouring widowes houses for their pretence of long Prayers Or that He would have payed or suffered to pay their Extortions if any had been exacted of Him or His Disciples for His Preaching or working Miracles Or if help or hire had been demanded for encouraging those that rose to stone Him for His good deeds 4. It is Lawful to pay a part to preserve the whole when it is extorted only by force threatenings and not exacted by Law when it is a yeelding only to a lesser suffering and not a consenting to a Sin to shift suffering The Objection of a man being seised by a Robber transacting with
all Power given to him in Heaven in Earth and all Authority even because He is the Son of man An Institute right by the Fathers Inauguration which hath set Him as King in Zion An Acquisite right by His oun Purchase by which He hath merited obtained not only Subjects to Govern but the Glory of the Sole Soveraignty over them in that relation a Name above every Name A Bellical right by Conquest making the People fall under Him and be willing in the day of His Power and overcoming those that make war with Him An Hereditary right by Proximity of blood Primogeniture being the first born higher then the Kings of the Earth and the first born from the dead that in all things He might have the Preeminence An Elective right by His Peoples choise surrender a Croun wherewith His Mother Crouned Him in the Day of His espousals In a humble recognizance of all which Rights we oune avouch that He hath that Incommunicable Prerogative of Sole Soveraignty over his Visible Kingdom as well as Invisible without a Copartner or Competitor either Coordinate or subordinate in Prescribing Lawes by no humane Authority to be reversed in appointing Ordinances immutable without addition or diminution for matter or manner instituting a Government which no man or Angel can without Blasphemy arrogate a Power either to invert or evert change or overturn And Constituting Officers which must depend only on His Authority and His alone and must be cloathed only with His Commission and His alone guided by His Instructions His alone Acting according to His Lawes Prescribed Platforme and His alone without any dependence on subordination to Licence warrand or Indulgence from any Mortal And therefore We disoune detest every thing that hath not the stamp of His Authority either in Doctrine Worship Discipline or Government And will discountenance Prelacy Supremacy Popery and all Corruption contrarie to His Institution who is Sole Supreme Lawgiver to the Conscience and will submit to or comply with nothing that may directly or indirectly signify our respect unto them Hence we will take none of their Oaths subscribe none of their bonds yeeld to none of their Impositions pay none of their Exactions Neither will we hear or receive Ordinances from any Minister but the faithful Authorized Ambassadours of Christ our King whatever either rage or reproach we suffer for it We assert affirm also that our Exalted Prince is King of the whole world by whom Kings reign Princes Decree Justice as His Ministers of Justice in subordination to Him whom He hath appointed to rule over us with just boundaries that they may not exceed and true Characters by which we should know them pay them deference And therefore who soever shall arrogate to themselves and extend their power beyond above His prescripts being neither called to nor qualified for nor improving the Office for the ends He hath appointed We will acknowledge them no otherwise than Usurping Tyrants not Magistrats nor Ministers of Justice to whom He hath given the Sword by His preceptive Will only as Lyons Bears Wolves to whom he hath given a rod by His providential Will In that case we may be passively subject when we cannot do better but will never oune Consciencious Allegiance to them nor oune them as our Lawful Magistrars And therefore we will not bow to their Idols they have set up nor prostitute either Conscience or Liberty to their Lust But will endeavour under our Masters Banner Conduct to preserve whatever he hath intrusted to us Religion Life Liberty Estate And whatsoever the Lord our God hath given us to possess As they unjustly possess what their God gives them And will maintain a war of constant opposition to them against whom our Lord hath declared a war for ever without parly Treaty of peace Capitulation Composition Truce or any Transaction we will neither Medle nor make with them less or more nor seek their favour nor embrace it when it is offered on any termes that may imply any obligation to surcease from our duty to our King and irreconcileable opposition to them c. Now I shall come more Distinctly to the purpose in offering a short vindication of the Heads Grounds of our great sufferings Dividing them into their principal parts which I reduce to two viz Negatives Positives The Negative Grounds I reckon three principally 1. For Refusing to acknowledge a Corrupt Ministrie 2. For Refusing to oune a Tyrannical Magistracy 3. For Refusing to Swear subscribe their unlawful imposed Oaths Chiefly that of Abjuration which was the occasion of suffering unto death The positive Grounds are also three 1. For frequenting field-meetings to receive Gospel-Ordinancs from faithful Ministers 2. For maintaining the principle practice of Defensive Resistence of Superior powers 3. For maintaining the priviledge Duty of offensive revenge in executing Justice upon Murdering Enemies of Mankind in cases of extreme necessity In prosecuting which I shall intertexe some subordinate questions relating to their respective Heads and endeavour to discuss them briefly HEAD I. Where The Sufferings of many for Refusing to acknowledge a Corrupt Ministrie are Vindicated and the Question of Hearing Curats is cleared THis Question though it may seem nice and of no great Moment to Persons of Gallio's or Laodiceds temper indifferent Lukwarm dispositions consulting their oun more them the things of Christ which maks it pass without any enquiry with the most part of the world Yet to all who are truly tender in keeping a good Conscience free of the times Contagion to all who have the true Impression of the fear of God who is Iealous especially in the matters of his worship to all who have the true zeal of God eating them up in a just indignation at the indignities done to him in usurping the office corrupting the Administration of the Ministrie to all who truly Love the Gospel and put a due value on the Ordinances of Christ the Corruptions whereof this Question touches it will be accounted of great importance There are three Questions about the Duty of hearing the Word Concerning which the Lord Jesus gives us very weighty Cautions viz what we should hear Mark. 4. 24. how we should hear Luk. 8. 18. and whom we should hear The last of which though it be not so expressly Stated as the other two yet the Searcher of the Scriptures will find it as clearly Determined and as many Cautions to guard from erring in it as in any other Case And that the Concern of Conscience in it is very weighty And certain it is if there had been more advertency in this Point there would not have been such inconsideration and Licenciousness in the matter manner of hearing Nor would that itching humor Luxuriancy of lust in heaping up teachers to please the fancy have been so much encouraged to the great detriment of the Church disgrace of the
I ans 1. I acknowledge the distinction as to Magistrats is very pertinent for it is well said by the Congregation in a Letter to the Nobility Knox Hist. of Scot. lib. 2. That there is a great difference betwixt the Authority which is Gods ordinance and the persons of these who are placed in Authority the Authority ordinance of God can never do wrong for it commandeth that vice be punished virtue maintained But the Corrupt Person placed in this Authority may offend Its certain higher Powers are not to be resisted but some persons in Power may be resisted The Powers are ordained of God but Kings commanding unjust things are not ordained of God to do such things But to apply this to Tyâ—ants I do not understand Magistrats in some Acts may be guilty of Tyranny and yet retain the Power of Magistracy but Tyrants cannot be capable of Magistracy nor any one of the Scripture Characters of Righteous Rulers They cannot retain that which they have forefeited and which they have overturned And Usurpers cannot retain that which they never had They may act enact some things materially just but they are not formally such as can make them Magistrats no more then some unjust actions can make a Magistrate a Tyrant A Murderer saying the â—ife of one killing another does not make him no Murderer Once a Murderer ay a Murderer once a Robber ay a Robber till he restore what he hath robbed So once a Tyrant ay a Tyrant till he make amends for his Tyranny and that will be hard to do 2. The Concrete does specificate the Abstract in actuating it as a Magistrate in his exercising Government makes his Power to be Magistracy a Robber in his robbing makes his Power to be Roberie an Usurper in his usurping makes his Power to be Usurpation So a Tyrant in his Tyrannizing can have no Power but Tyranny As the Abstract of a Magistrate is nothing but Magistracy So the Abstract of a Tyrant is nothing but Tyranny It s frivolous then to distinguish between a Tyrannical power in the Concrete Tyranny in the Abstract the power the abuse of the power for he hath no power as a Tyrant but what is abused 3. They that objects thus must either mean that power in its general Notion is ordained of God but this particular Power abâ—sed by Tyrants and assumed by Usurpers is not ordained Or they must mean that the very Power of Tyrants Usurpers is ordained of God but the way of holding using it is not of God. If the first be said they grant all I plead for for thô the Power in general be ordained yet what is this to Tyrants Usurpers would not this Claim be ridiculous for any man to say God hath ordained Governments to be therefore I will challenge it God hath ordained Marriage therefore any may cohabit together as man wife without formal Matrimony If the Second be alledged that the Power of these prevailing Dominators is ordained but not their holding using of it This is Non-sense for how can a Power be ordained and the use of it be unlawful For the abuse use of Tyrannical Power is all one and reciprocal an Usurper cannot use his Power but by Usurpation Again is it not plain that the Abstract the Concrete the act or habit and the subject wherein it is cannot have a contrary Denomination if Drunkenness and Thieft Lying or Murder be of the Devil then the Drunkard the Thief the Lyar the Murderer are of the Devil too So if Tyranny and Usurpation or the use or abuse of Tyrants Usurpers be of the Devil Then must the Tyrants Usurpers also be of him None can say the one is of the Devil and the other of God. Wherefore it is altogether impertinent to use such a Distinction with application to Tyrants or Usurpers as many do in their pleading for the ouning of our Oppressors for they have no power but what is the abuse of power 3. As that Authority which is Gods Ordinance must have His Institution So it must have His divine Constitution from Himself and by the people Wherever then there is Authority to be ouned of men there must be these tuo Constitution from God and Constitution from the people For the first God hath a special Interest in the Constitution of Authority both Immediatly Mediatly Immediatly He declares such such formes of Government to be Lawful Eligible and does order whom who and how people shall erect Governours And so He confers Royal Graces Enduements Gifts for Government on them as on Ioshua Saul So they become the Lords Anointed placed set on the Throne of the Lord 1 Chron. 29. 23. and honoured with Majestie as His deputies vicegerents having their Croun set on by God Psal. 21. 3. But in regard now He doth not by any special Revelation determine who shall be the Governours in this or that place Therefore He makes this Constitution by mediation of men giving them Rules how they shall proceed in setting them up And seeing by the Law of Nature He hath enjoined Government to be but hath ordered no particular in it with application to singulars He hath committed it to the positive transaction of men to be disposed according to certain General Rules of Justice And it must needs be so for 1. without this Constitution either all or none would be Magistrats if He hath ordained Civil Power to be and taken no order in whom it shall be or how it shall be conveyed any might pretend to it and yet none would have a right to it more than another If then He â—ath affixed it to a peculiar having holding by virtue whereof this man is enstated entitled to the office and not that man there must be a Law for Constituting him in Authority which will discover in whom it is 2. If it were not so then a resisting of a particular Magistrate would not be a resisting of the ordinance of God if a particular Magistrate were not Constitute of God as well as Magistracy is Institute of God for still it would be undetermined who were the Power and so it would be left as free Lawful for the resister to take the place as for the resisted to hold it the institution would be satisfied if any possessed iâ— therefore there must be Constitution to determine it 3. No Common Law of Nature can be put into practice without particular Constitution regulating it That Wives Children oune their superior relations is the Law of Nature but there must be such a relation first fixed by humane transaction before they can oune them there must be Marriage Authorized of God there must be Children begotten and then the Divine Ordination of these relative duties take place So the Judges of Israel for 450 years were given of God Act. 13. 20. not all by an immediate express designation but a mediate
Call from God by men as Iephthah Iudg. 11. 6. 11. Inferior judges also are Magistrats appointed by God yet they have their Deputation from men Our Saviour speaks of all Magistrats when he applies that of the 82. Psalm to them I said ye are Gods and shewes how they were Gods because unto them the Word of God came Iohn 10. 35. that is by His Word Warrant He Authorized them not by immediate designation in reference to the most of them but the Word of God comes to them or His Constitution is past upon them who are advanced by men according to His Word When men therefore do act according to the Divine Rule in the Moulding Erecting of Government Governours there the Constitution is of God though it be not immediate And where this is not observed whatever power so named or pretended there may be or what-soever persons there be that take upon them to be the power and are not thereto appointed or therein instated and do exerce such a power as God hath not legitmated they are not a power ordained of God. Hence whatsoever power hath no Constitution from God eather Immediate or Mediate cannot be ouned But the Authority of Tyrants Usurpers is a power that hath no Constitution from God either Immediate or Mediate Ergo it cannot be ouned The Major is cleared above The Minor is also undenyable For either they must pretend to an Immediate Constitution by revelation that Iames Duke of York a vassal of Antichrist had by all his plots pranks Merited the Crown of Britain and therefore must be Constitute King And this I hope they will not pretend to except the Pope hath gotten such a Revelation from Pluto's Oracle Or they must have recourse to the Mediate Constitution by men And if so Then either this Mediate Constitution of God is left undetermined indefinitely absolutely giving way to any that will assume what power they please can And then I confess Tyrants may have a Constitution but this confusion cannot be of God Or else it is fixed by a Rule regulating the succession or Constitution of the Governours and obliging the people to oune the Government so constituted with exclusion disallowance of any other And so if in that Constitution there be a Substantial Deviation from the Rule as when incompetent or unallowed persons be the advancers of themselves or others into that place by illegal sinistrous means in as much as in that case there is the Divine disapprobation it may be said there is no Ordinance of God but a Contradiction Contraordination to Gods Order Gee's Magist. Origin chap. 5. Sect. 4. subject 3. pag. 135. This will shake off this of ours and all other Tyrants Usurpers that come into the Government hold it not according to Gods Rule 4. It is clear also in the second place that the Authority which we can oune out of conscience must have Constitution by the people The special way by which men should be called into the place of Soveraign power may perhaps not be found so expressly defined in Scripture as mens Call to the other Ordinance of the Ministrie is yet in this two things are essentially necessary to the Constitution of a Magistrate The peoples consent compact either formal or virtual And without these we can oune consciencious subjection Allegiance to no man living That the first is necessary will be evident from the Law of Nature Nations and from Scripture First the light Law of Nature dictates that the Right Interest of Constituting Magistrats is in the Elective vote or suffrage of the people This will Appear 1. If we consider The Original of Government among men especially after they were so multiplied that there was a necessity of a reduction into diverse Communities which whatever was before the flood yet after it behoved to be by a Coalition with consent under an Elective Government The Scripture makes it more than probable that the first partition of Common-wealths was in Pelegs dayes in whose time the earth was Divided Gen. 10. 25. occasioned by the Confusion of Languages at Babel which did dissolve their union and scatter them abroad upon the face of all the eath Gen. 11. 9. Then was it that we may conceive as Buchanan sayes de Iure Regni apud Scot. the time was when men dwelt in cottages caves and as strangers did wander to fro without Laws and such as could converse together of the same language assembled together as their humors did lead them or as some common Utilitie did allure them A certain instinct of Nature did oblige them to desire Converse Societie But this confusion of Languages and Communion of Language in several divided Parcels could not incorporate these several Parties into Communities that behoved to be the effect of some other cause what should that be but the joint will consent aggreement of the severally Languaged It could not be by Consanguinity for there is no direction from Nature for a confinement of that into such such degrees to make out the bounds of a Common-wealth or Possibility of knowing all with in such degrees besides all within these degrees might not be of the same Language Now the Scripture sayes they were divided every one after his tongue after their families in their Nations Gen. 10. 5. Next it could not be by Cohabitation for how that must go to be the boundaries of a Common-wealth inclusively or exclusively is not defined by nature nor can it be otherwise determined than by humane choise Then it could not be by mens belonging to such a Soveraign for after that Division Confusion they could not all be under one Soveraign nor under the same that they were subject to before and a Soveraign cannot be before the aggregation of the Subjects whereof he is head they must first be a Common-wealth before they can belong to it Again it cannot be founded upon the Right of fatherhood for in that scattering such a Right could not be uninterruptedly preserved And then Noah should also have been the Universal Magistrate which he could not be in these multiplied secessions And further if it be refounded on the Right of fatherhood either every Company had one Common Father over all or every Father made a Common-wealth of his oun Children The Latter cannot be said for that would multiply Common-wealts in infinitum Neither can the first be said for if they had one Common Father either this behoved to be the Natural Father of all the Company which none can think was so happily ordered by Babels confusion Or else the eldest in age and so he might be incapable for Government and the Law of Nature does not direct that the Government should alwise be astricted to the eldest of the Community Or else finally he behoved to be their Political Father by consent For before this consent they were uningaged as to common order of
the Granter it is palpable his design is to introduce Poperie and advance Tyrannie which can be hid from none that accept it the effectuating whereof hath a nâ—cessary inseparable connexion with the acceptance of the Liberty and is so far from being avertible by the Accepters that it is chiefly promoted by their acceptance and the design of it is to lay them by from all opposition thereto If it be considered with relation to the Accepters it is plain it must be taken as it is given and received as it is conveyed from its fountain of Absolute power through a channel of an Arbitrary Law-disabling Religion-dishonouring Toleration which is semper mali and with consent to the sinful â—mpositions with which it is tendered concerning affecting the Doctrine of Ministers that they shall Preach nothing which may alienate the subjects from the Government Against all which there is no access for a Protestation consistent with the improvement of the Liberty for it is granted accepted on these very terms that there shall be no Protestation for if there be that will be found an alienating of the hearts of the subjects from the Government which by that Protestation will be reflected upon If it be considered with respect to the Addressers for it who formally say a Confederacy with and Congratulate the Tolerator for his Toleration and all the Mischiefs he is machinatinating effectuating thereby then seeing they have Presumptuously taken upon them to send it in the name of all Presbyterians it concerns all honest men zealous Christians and faithful Ministers of that perswasion denomination in honour Conscience to declare to the world by some publick Testimony that they are not Consenters to that sinful shameful scandalous Conspiracy nor of the Corporation of these flattering Addressers who have betrayed the Cause with which all will be interpreted Consenters that are not Contradicters Further this Tolleration is sinful as is cleared above Periâ— 6. And to accept of it is contrary to our Solemn Covenants Engagments where we are bound to exstirpate Poperie preserve the Reformation defend our Liberties and never to accept of a Toleration eversive of all these precious Interests we are sworn to maintain And it is heinously scandalous being in effect a succumbing at length and yeelding up the Cause which hath been so long controverted so long contended for at least an appearance of ceding lying by from contending for the Interests of Christ of condemning our former Wrestlings for the same of purchasing a Liberty to our selves at the rate of burying the Testimony in bondage oblivion of hardening confirming open Adversaries in their wicked invasions on our Religion Laws Liberties of being weary of the Cross of Christ that we would fain have ease upon any terms and of weakening the hands yea condemning the Practice peremptoriness of these that are exampted from the benefit or rather the snare of it and suffer when others are at ease It is also attended with many Inconveniences for either such as Preach under the Covert of it must forbear declaring some part of the Counsel of God and give no Testimony seasonable this day or else if they do they will soon be discovered and made a prey Hence seeing there must be a Testimony against this Toleration it is certainly most expedient to give it there where the Meeting is without the reach bounds of it and interdicted by the same Proclamation that tenders it and where the very gathering in such places is a Testimony against it for to Preach in houses constantly leave the fields would now be interpreted an Homologating the Toleration that commands Preaching to be so restricted especially when an Address is made in name of all that accept the benefit of it from which Odium we could not vindicate our selves if we should so make use of it 2. The keeping of Field Meetings now is a Testimony against that wicked Law that discharges them and interdicts them as Criminal yea in some respect a Case of Confession for if Daniels case when publick prayer was discharged under pain of death was a Case of Confession as all grant then must also our case be when publick Preaching is discharged under the some penalty for it is equivalent to an Universal discharge of all publick Preaching when the manner of it is discharged which we can only have with freedom safety in way of publick Testimony which can be none other in our Circumstances but in the fields Again if the Law be wicked that discharges them as certainly it is and is demonstrated from what is said already then it must be sin to obey it but it were an obeying of it to quite the fields 3. The â—eeping of Field-Meetings now is a Testimony against Tyranny Usurpation encroaching upon our Religion Laws Liberties and presuming to restrict bound the exercise of the Ministerial function and discharge it altogether except it be modified according to the Circumstances prescibed by a wicked Law which cannot be allowed aâ— competent to any man whose Authority is not acknowledged for reasons given in Head. 2. Therefore though there were no more this is sufficient to call all Ministers to give Testimony against such an Usurpation by resfusing to obey any such Act. and Preaching where God giveth a Call. For otherwise to submit to it would be an acknowledging of his Magistâ—atical power to discharge these Meetings and to give forth sentences against faithful Ministers 4. The keeping of Field-Meetings now is a Testimony for the Honour Headship Princely Prerogative of Jesus Christ which hath been the Great Word of His Patience in Scotland and by an Unparalelled insolence encroached upon by Usurpers in our day and in effect â—enied by such as took a new holding for the exercise of their Ministrie from their Usurped power Now in these Meetings there is a Practical Declaration of their holding their Ministrie and the exercise thereof from Christ alone without any dependence upon 〈◊〉 to or licence warrand from His Usurping Enemies and that they may will Preach in publick without Authority from them If then it be Lawful expedient to maintain the Interests of a King of Clay against an Usurper then much more must it be Lawful expedient to maintain the quarrel of the King of Kings when wicked men would banish Him and His Interests out of the Kingdom by their Tyrannical cruelty and cruel mercy of a destructive Toleration 5. The keeping of Field-Meetings now is a Testimony for the Gospel and the Ministrie thereof which is alwayes the dearest nearest priviledge of Christians and in the present Circumstances when our Lives and our all are embarked in the same bottom with it and sought to be destroyed together with it by a party conspiring against Christ it is necessary duty to defend both by resisting their unjust violence especially when Religion and the Gospel is one and
Lawless licence to oppress whom they please Then when they turn Tyrants and arrogate a Lawless Absoluteness and cross the Rules transgress the Bounds prescribed by Gods Law mans Law and make their oun lust a Law and execute the same arbitrarly They must be Resisted by force when a legal resistence cannot be had in defence of Religion and Liberty But all Princes are limited c. Ergo The Minor is proved Head. 2. And the Connexion may be thus confirmed in short That power which is not the Ordinance of God may be resisted But an absolute illimited power crossing the Rules and transgressing the bounds prescribed by Gods Law and mans is not the Ordinance of God Ergo it may be Resisted 8. Further from the Rule of Government it may be argued several wayes 1. That power which is contrary to Law evil Tyrannical can tye none to subjection but if it oblige to anything it tyes to Resistence But the power of a King against Law Religion and the Interests of the subjects is a power contrary to Law evil Tyrannical Ergo The Major is plain for Wickedness can tye no man but to resist it That power which is contrary to Law evil Tyrannical is Wickedness 2. That power and those Acts which neither King can exerce nor command nor others execute nor any obey must certainly be Resisted But such is the power and Acts that oppress the subjects and overturn Religion Liberty Ergo The Minor is evident from Scriptures condemning oppression violence both in them that command and in them that execute the same and also them that obey such wicked commands The Major is clear from Reason both because such power such Acts as cannot be commanded cannot be executed cannot be obeyed Lawfully are sinful wicked and because it cannot be a Magistratical power for that may alwayes be exerced executed Lawfully And what a man cannot command the resisting of that he cannot punish But acts of oppression against Law Religion Liberty a man cannot command Ergo the Resisting of these he cannot punish 3. That Government or Administration which is not subordinate to the Law Will of God who hath appointed it must be Resisted But that Government or Administration which undermines or overturnes Religion Liberty is not subordinate to the Law Will of God Ergo The Major is clear for nothing but what is the Ordinance of God subordinate to His Law Will is irresistible Rom. 13. 2. The Assumption is undenyable 9. From the Ends of Government which must be acknowledged by all to be the Glory of God and the Good of Mankind yea all that have been either wise or honest have alwayes held that Salus Populi est Suprema Lex The Arguments may run thus in short 1. That Doctrine which makes the Holy one to cross His oun ends in giving Governours must be absurd Unchristian as well as irrational But such is the Doctrine that makes all Kings Tyrants irresistible upon any pretence whatsoever Ergo The minor I prove That Doctrine which makes God intending His oun Glory the peoples good to give Governours both as Fathers to preserve and as Murderers to destroy them must make the Holy one to cross His oun ends for these are Contradictory But the Doctrine that makes all Kings Tyrants irresistible c. is such For by Office they are Fathers to preserve and by Office also they must be Murderers vested with such a power from God actu primo if they be irresistible when they do so seeing every power that is irresistible is the Ordinance of God. Hence also when a Blessing turns a Curse it is no more the Ordinance of God but to be resisted But when a King turns a Tyrant overturning Religion Liberty then a Blessing turns a Curse Ergo 2. Means are to be Resisted when they are not useful for but destructive to the ends they were appointed for But Governours overturning Religion Liberty are Means not useful for but destructive to the ends for which they were appointed Seeing then they are neither for the Glory of God nor the good of Mankind Ergo 3. If all powers Prerogatives of men are only means appointed for and should vaile unto the Supreme Law of the peoples Safety and all Laws be subordinate to and corroborative of this Law and when cross to it are eatenus null no Laws and all Law-formalities in Competition with it are to be laid aside and all Parliamentary priviledges must yeeld to this and King Parliament both conspiring have no power against it and no Soveraign power by virtue of any resignation from the people can comprize any Authority to act against it Then it is duty to obey this Supreme Law in Resisting all powers Prerogatives all Laws Law-formalities and all conspiracies whatsoever against this Supreme Law the Safety of the people But the former is true as was proven Head. 2. Ergo 4. That power which is obliged appointed to command rule Justly Religiously for the good of the people and is only set over them on these conditions and for that end cannot tye them to subjection without Resistence when the power is abused to destruction of Laws Religion and people But all power is so obliged appointed Therefore whensoever it is so abused it cannot tye people to subjection but rather oblige them to Rejection of it 10. From the Obedience required to Government It may be argued thus 1. If we may flee from Tyrants then we may Resist them But we may flee from Tyrants Ergo we may Resist them The Connexion I prove 1 If all grounds of Justice will warrand the one as well as the other then if the one be duty so is the other But the former is true For the same justice equity that warrands declining a Tyrants unjust violence by flight will warrand Resistence when flight will not do it The same Principle of self defence that makes flight duty when Resistence is not possible will aso make Resistence duty when flight is not possible The same Principle of Charity to Wives Children that makes flight Lawful when by Resistence they cannot avoid Tyranny will make Resistence duty when by flight they cannot evite it The same Principle of Conscience to keep Religion free that prompts to flight when Resistence will not save it will also prompt to Resist when flight is not practicable 2 If to flee from a just power when in Justice we are obnoxious to its sword be to resist the Ordinance of God and so sin then to flee from an unjust power must be also a Resisting of the abusing of it and so duty for the one is Resistence as the other but the difference of the power resisted makes the one Lawful the other not Again if Royal power may be resisted by interposing seas and miles why not also by interposing walls armes both is resistence