vs agayne with the saying of King JAMES forceth vs to manifest his meaning by his owne wordes perhaps contrarie to your wish or expectation That most wyse and religious King neare the beginning of his Booke coÌ„cerning the Powder Treason wryteth expresselie that such a rysing vp of the bodie pro aris focis pro patre patriae ought to be according to everie ones calling and facultie Which wordes at least doe import that the moving of the Politicke bodie in whole or in part ought not to bee agaynst the will and direction of the head This is cleare by that which the same King hath written in his Booke entituled The true Law of free Monarchies where by manie strong Arguments hee doeth at length demonstrate that in a free Monarchie such hee proveth this his Ancient Kingdome of Scotland to bee the Subjects for no occasion or pretext what-so-ever may take Armes without power from the King and much lesse agaynst him whether hee bee a good King or an oppressour whether godlie or vngodlie altho the People haue might and strength humane And comprehendeth the summe of all his discourse concerning this matter in these words following Shortlie then to take vp in two or three sentences grounded vpon all these Argmentes out of the law of GOD the duetie alleadgeance of the people to their lawfull King their obedience I say ought to bee to him as to GOD'S Lievtenant in Earth obeying his commands in all things except directlie agaynst GOD as the commands of GODS minister acknowledging him a judge set by GOD over them having power to judge them but to bee judged onlie by GOD whom to onlie hee must giue count of his judgement Fearing him as their judge loving him as their Father praying for him as their Protectour for his continuance if hee bee good for his amendement if hee be wicked following and obeying his lawfull commands eschewing and fleeing his furie in his vnlawfull without resistance but by fobbes and teares to GOD according to that sentence vsed in the primitiue Church in the tyme of the persecution Pâ—eces lachryma sunt armae Ecclesiae that is Prayers and Teares are the armes of the Church 3. Ye tolde vs before and now againe doe repeat it that the first part of the Act of Parliament 1585 is relatiue to another Act in Queene Maries tyme forbidding Bands of Manrent Wee knew that sufficientlie before yee tolde it and passed by that part of your Answere as not pertinent for our Argument so that yee needed not now agayne to put vs in mynde of it But wee may justlie challenge you for not answering that which wee objected concerning the second part of that Act for it reacheth farther than that Act made in Queene Maries tyme and of new statuteth and ordaineth That in tyme comming no Leagues or Bands bee made amongst his Majesties Subjects of anie degree vpon what-so-ever colour or pretence without his Highnesse or his successoures privitie and consent had and obtayned thereto vnder the payne to be holden execute as movers of sedition and unquyetnesse c. Wherevnto also is consonant the 131 Act made in the 8 Parliament of King James the sixt Anno 1584 where it is statuted and ordayned by the King and his three estates that none of his Highnesse Subjectes of what-so-ever qualitie estate or function they bee of spirituall or temporall presume or take vpon hand to convocate conveane or assemble themselues together for holding of Councells Conventions or Assemblies to treate consult and determinate in anie matter of Estate Civill or Ecclesiasticall except in the ordinarie judgements without his Majesties speciall commandement or expresse licence had and obtayned to that effect vnder the paynes ordayned by the Lawes and Acts of Parliament agaynst such as vnlawfullie convocate the Kings Liedges And where-as yee finde fault that wee dispute from the Act of Parliament and that wee doe preciselie adheare to the letter of the Law wee pray you to consider that the nature of this question leadeth vs to the Act of Parliament Beside it seemeth strange that yee should challenge vs in this kynde since for justifying of your vnion as yee call it yee haue amassed a great number of Acts of Parliament and inserted them in the booke of your Covenant Wee omit the missapplying of these Acts which were made agaynst Poperie and not agaynst all these thinges which yee doe now resist as Popish Neyther can wee perceaue how these Acts of Parlament adduced by you to justifie your vnion proue that poynt More-over some of these Acts cited by you as namelie the 114 Act made in Parliament Anno 1592 in so farre as it is agaynst Episcopall Government and all other of that sort are expreslie rescinded by a posterior Act made in Parliament Anno 1612. How could yee in a legall Dispute for justifying your vnion produce rescinded Acts as if they were standing Lawes and passe by the posterior Acts which are yet Lawes standing in vigour whereby these other Acts are rescinded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Constitutiones tempore posteriores potiores sunt his quae ipsas praecesserunt ff de constitutionibus Principum L. 4. 4. Wee doe adheare in our former Replye not onlie to the letter but also according to our conception without prejudice of better information to the verie reason and lyfe of the Law The sentence cited by you to wit Salus Reipub. suprema lex esto or the safetie of the Common-Wealth should bee the chiefe Law serveth for a good direction to Rulers in making or changing of Lawes or in judging according to them whence in the Lawes of the 12 Tables these wordes are applyed to this purpose This is observed by King James of blessed Memorie in his often mentioned booke of the true Law of free Monarchies For albeit sayeth hee that I haue at leÌ„gth proved that the King is aboue the Law as both the author and giver of streÌ„gth thereto yet a good King will not onlie delyte to rule his Subjects by the Law but even will conforme himselfe in his owne actions therevnto alwayes keeping that grouÌ„d that the health of the CoÌ„mon-Wealth be his chiefe Law And where he seeth the Law doubt some or rigorous hee may interpret or mittigate the same lest otherwyse summum jus bee summa injuria But this sentence doeth no wayes warrand Subjectes to refuse obedience to standing Lawes agaynst the will of the Supreame Law-giver who is a speaking Law For this were to open a doore to all confusion which would not prooue the safetie but the ruine of the Common-Wealth As for that which yee sayde before of the Generall Band and Confession of Fayth and which heere agayne yee doe alleadge for your Covenant wee haue signified our opinion thereof in our preceeding DVPLYE The responses and verdicts of Juris-Consults concerning your Covenant are not knowne to vs nor yet the reasons inducements which moved them to giue out their
thanke Thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because Thou hast hid these thinges from the Wyse and Prudent and hast revealed them vnto Babes even so O Father for so it seemed good in Thy sight Besides if yee compare the Divynes Ancient and Moderne who are of our judgement with these who favour your opinion eyther in number or in the excellencie of their gifts ye shall find that in this the advantage is greatlie ours In the meane tyme yee shall know that wee can bring farre better reasons to free our selues of prejudice than these which yee haue brought agaynst vs to wit the soliditie of our Argumentes which haue put you to such straytes pardon vs to say that which everie one who hath eyes may see that oft-tymes yee doe not so much as attempt to answere them beeing glad to passe them by with the show of an Argument in contrarium or some other lyke shift our humble and earnest attestations in calling GOD the onlie competent judge as witnesse of our sinceritie in the inmost thoughtes of our soule our seriouslie professed Resolution to concurre with you if wee should get satisfaction from you the Modestie Ingenuitie and Peaceablenesse of our wrytings to you and on the contrarie your too great disdainfulnesse and asperitie in your second Answeres bewraying not onlie the weaknesse of your myndes farre by our expectation but also the weaknesse of your cause to vnpartiall Readers who ascrybe this to the pungent force of our Answeres judging that they haue made you some-what more cholericke than you were before To this wee will adde the great reluctance which some of the most Judicious Subscribentes did finde in their Consciences before they subscrybed your Covenant together with the Limitations and Reservations wherewith they subscrybed it evidentlie arguing their strong apprehension of the dangerous ambiguitie and haske sounding of the wordes of the Late Covenant so that even these who are now joyned with you haue beene much affrighted with those thinges which terrifie vs. As for your Protestation in the ende of your Epistle that yee can no more bee brought to our mynde than yee can bee drawne from the profession of our Religion as it hath beene reformed sworne c. Altho this importeth no small prejudice possessing and over-ruling your myndes yet looking to the invincible force of that Trueth which wee mayntayne wee even yet hope that at last it shall prevaile with you especiallie considering that our controversie is not concerning the reformed Religion wherevnto wee as sincerelie adheare as anie who-so-ever but concerning the equitie of that forme of Covenant which yee latelie made Wishing you and all others to adheare truelie and sincerelie to the same true Religion and to all the dueties which in it are recommended to you wee most humblie and earnestlie pray the Almightie GOD to pittie His Church in this Kingdome and to vnite all our heartes in Trueth and Peace in these most dangerous dayes which although they bee to you dayes of gladnesse as yee professe yet to those who loue the peace of Sion and the tranquillitie of this Kingdome they are Sad and Melancholious dayes in respect of the blacke clowdes of GOD'S wrath hanging over our heads threatning vs with stormes of fearfull Calamities which wee pray the Almightie GOD to avert THE FIRST DVPLY IN our Disputes agaynst the Papistes which haue bene frequent and by GOD'S grace not vnfruitfull as wee haue learned that to multiplie objections agaynst the Trueth is a thing easie as yee say but fruitlesse and vaine so also wee haue learned that to multiplie Evasions agaynst solide Arguments brought for the Trueth is a thing no lesse easie but altogether vnprofitable which wee pray you take heede to How forcible are right wordes but what doeth your arguing reproue IOB 6.25 2. Yee say that our objection agaynst your calling and the warrand of your cōming to vs was framed published in Print before it was proponed vnto you and ere your Answere could bee had Indeede our DEMANDES were at the Presse at your comming that they might be in readinesse but were not published before your selues in your Sermones did publicklie reade them and dispute agaynst them in audience of such of our People as were there present for the tyme albeit that written copie of them was delyvered to you onlie and not at that tyme communicated by vs to anie other 3 Your Authoritie which ye acclayme is neyther from his Majestie nor warranded by Act of Parliament nor by the Lordes of his Majesties Counsell nor by anie Nationall Synode of this Kingdome nor by anie Judicatorie established in it And both in your first Answere as also now agayne yee professe that yee came not hither to vsurpe the Authoritie of anie Civill or Spirituall Iudicatorie As for your multitude which yee call allmost the whole Kirke and Kingdome it beeing destitute of Authoritie foresayde maketh no warrand of ordinarie calling Therefore yee seeme to pretende an extraordinarie calling from GOD alleadging an extraordinarie necessitie at this tyme which truelie wee see not in anie such degree as may deserue and warrand so great a change from the receaved order which is publicklie by Lawes established in this Kirke and Kingdome That saying of the Apostle Let vs consider one another to provoke vnto loue and to good workes which yee alleadge for your extraordinarie imployment importeth not an extraordinarie calling but an ordinarie duetie to bee performed by all Christians according to their Callings 4. The Word of GOD and the Canons of Councells doe so permit to Pastors the care of the whole Kirke as they must remember to doe all thinges Decentlie and in Order and not to interpone themselues in their Brethrens charges and agaynst their will And praised bee GOD there was not anie Combustion Errour or Confusion in these places of our charges as yee doe alleadge Neyther did our People stand in neede of such helpe from you And if yee meane the Combustion of our Nationall Kirke wee doe thinke your remeede not convenient as beeing in our judgement not agreeable to the right way of Trueth and Peace 5. Whereas yee alleadge that if some members of this Kirke had not cared more kyndlie in this tyme of common danger than others haue done the whole bodie had beene ere now dangerouslie if not desperatelie diseased Wee answere That wee most heartilie wish anie disease of this Church to bee tymouslie prevented and cured But withall wee wish this to bee done without a rupture and such a dangerous division chieflie seeing our Church is not infected with anie such Erroures nor is in such dangers as may giue just occasion of so fearfull a division which in it selfe is a sore disease and from which in holie Scripture wee are often and verie earnestlie dehorted Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria in his Epistle to Novatus recorded by Eusebius Lib. 6. Historiae Cap. 37. worthilie sayeth You ought rather to haue suffered anie thing
or not they thought it to bee vnlawfull Thirdlie Yee haue no warrand from our Replye to say that wee would not abstayne from private Baptisme and Communion altho our Nationall Assemblie should discharge them For as wee are verie vnwilling to omit anie necessarie Duetie of our Calling so wee carrie a singular respect to lawfull Authoritie and to the Peace and Unitie of the Church abhorring Schisme as the verie Pest of the Church But of this wee shall speake heereafter in the thirteenth Duplye 53. Next yee say if wee haue the same judgement of Kneeling in the receaving of the Communion and of Feastivall dayes it commeth to passe among vs which hath beene incident to the Church in former ages that thinges haue beene first brought in as indifferent then vrged as necessarie Certaynlie Brethren none are so guiltie of this as your selues and your associates for yee haue now made some thinges to be esteemed necessarie by your followers which haue beene accounted indifferent not onlie since the Reformation but these fifteene hundreth yeares by-gone And in some other thinges which the auncient Church did wyselie forbid yee doe now make the Libertie and Puritie of the Gospell to consist As for vs wee stand as wee stood before and doe yet thinke Kneeling in the receaving of the Sacrament and the fiue Feastivall dayes to bee Rites indifferent in their owne nature but indeede verie profitable and edificatiue if Pastors would doe their duetie in making their people sensible of the lawfulnesse and expediencie of them 54. Wee are of the same judgement concerning Confirmation which CALVIN wryting vpon HEBR. 6. 2. acknowledgeth To haue beene vndoubtedlie delyvered to the Church by the Apostles and with the same Author in the fourth booke of his Institut Cap. 19 § 14. wee wish That the vse of it were agayne restored so farre are we from that partiall dealing with the Articles of Pearth which yee object vnto vs. What hath moved our most Reverende Prelates to abstayne hitherto from the practising of it wee know not they can themselues best satisfie you in this poynt And wee modestlie judge that this omission hath proceeded from weyghtie regardable causes It was sufficient for vs to haue a care of our owne dueties in our particular stations But the vrging and pressing of that practise vpon the Bishops requyreth higher Authoritie than ours In the meane tyme ye know the Bishops never disclaymed the Authoritie of that Act of Pearth concerning Confirmation or of any other of these Acts as yee haue done who haue beene hitherto professed and avowed disobeyers of them all Wherefore wee wish you heereafter not to bring this omission of the Bishops in the matter of Confirmation as an Argument for that forbearance of Pearth Articles which yee requyre of vs for there is a great difference betwixt the omission of a duetie commanded by a Law and an avowed or professed yea sworne disobedience of the Law 55. Last of all whereas ye say that we by maintaining the necessitie of private Baptisme Cōmunion doe condemne the practise of this our Church frō the Reformatiō till Pearth Assemblie put no small guiltinesse vpon other Reformed Churches who vse not private Baptisme and Communion at all but abstayne from them as dangerous wee answere that wee haue in all modestie proponed our owne judgement concerning private Baptisme and private Communion neminem judicantes as CYPRIAN sayde of olde in consilio Carthag in praefat nor taking vpon vs to censure or condemne the practise eyther of this Church in tymes preceeding Pearth Assemblie or of other Reformed Churches Wee can not indeede denye but wee dissent from them and if this bee a condemning of them wee may no lesse justlie say to you that you condemne the Practise and Doctrine not onlie of our Reformers in the particulars mentioned before in this same DVPLYE but also of dyverse Reformed Churches and of the Ancient Church as wee declared in our sixt DEMAND and shall agayne speake of it in our sixt DVPLYE A DEFENCE OF OVR DOCTRINE and PRACTISE concerning the Celebration of BAPTISME and the LORD'S SVPPER in private places 56. Yee desire vs wyselie to consider whether the desire which our people haue of Baptisme and Communion in tyme of sicknesse bee not occasioned by prevayling of Poperie and through a superstitious conceat that people haue of these Sacraments as necessarie to salvation Wee are loath to come short of you in dueties of charitie espciallie in good wishes and therefore wee lykewyse wish you wyselie to consider whether the neglect of these Sacraments in the tyme of sicknesse which is in manie parts of the Kingdome proceede not from some want of a sufficient knowledge and due esteeme of the fruites of these High and Heavenlie mysteries 57. It is well that yee acknowledge that we minister these Sacraments in private as necessarie onelie by the necessitie of the commandement of GOD but with all yee conceaue that our people imagine or seeme to imagine them to bee so necessarie meanes as that GOD hath tyed his grace to them Wee desire you to judge charitablie of those who are vnknowne to you and with all wee declare that neyther wee doe teach our people nor doe they thinke for ought wee did ever know that Baptisme is so necessarie a meane vnto salvation that without it God can not or will not saue anie yea on the contrarie wee are confident that when Baptisme is earnestlie sought for or vnfeygnedlie desired and yet can not bee had the Prayers of the Parentes and of the Church are accepted by GOD in stead of the ordinarie meane the vse where-of is hindered by vnavoidable necessitie and so in this wee depart from the rigid tenet of Papistes On the other part wee lykewyse teach and accordinglie our people learne that BAPTISME is the ordinarie meane of our enterance into the CHVRCH and of our REGENERATION to the vse where-of GOD by His Commaundement hath tyed vs. 58. If the Commaundement of our SAVIOUR MATTH 28.19 Goe yee there-fore and teach all Nations baptizing them In the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holie Ghost tye not Parentes to seeke Baptisme to their Children and Pastors to administer when it is sought then haue wee no commaundement at all for baptizing of Infantes which is an Anabaptisticall absurditie But if Parentes and Pastors are tyed by this Commaundement then Parents ought to seeke Baptisme to their dying Children not baptized before for then or never and Pastors must accordinglie performe that Duetie then which is incumbent vpon them This is that which KING JAMES of blessed memorie in a Conference at Hampton-Court pag. 17 reporteth him-selfe to haue aunswered to a Scotish Minister whyle hee was in Scotland The Minister asked If hee thought Baptisme so necessarie that if it bee omitted the Chyld should bee damned No sayde the King but if you beeing called to baptize the Chyld though privatelie should refuse to come I thinke
our hand to anie thing which concerneth our due obedience to our Prince As for that which heere agayne yee alleadge of his Majesties Commissioner and wyse States-men as having receaved satisfaction from you wee referre you as before to our Answere made thereto in our first DVPLYE 9. To your third Question wee answere our assertion concerning the vnlawfulnesse of Subjects their resisting the Authoritie of free Monarchies by force of Armes even altho they were enemies to the Trueth and persecutors of the professors there-of can not in the judgement of anie reasonable man import that we haue the least suspition of our King that eyther hee shall change his Religion or shall fall vpon his religious and loyall Subjects with force of Armes Wee haue often declared in these our Disputes that wee are fullie perswaded of our King's Majesties constancie in profession of the true Religion and equitable disposition in mtnistration of justice And in testification heere-of we rest satisfied with his Majesties Proclamation agaynst which yee haue protested 10. To your fourth Question wee answere because that wee doe esteeme Subscription to your Covenant neyther to bee warrandable by GOD'S word nor to bee a convenient meane for pacification wee holde it our duetie both to with-holde our handes from it and to dehort our people from it 11. To your fift Question wee answere 1. Wee holde it a wrong supposition which yee make that the Prelates and their followers are labouring to introduce Poperie and to make a faction 2. Wee know our gracious King to bee so just and so wyse and so rype in yeares and experience that hee will not suffer anie of his Subjects to abuse his Majesties name in the execution of anie injustice 3. To make resistance by force of Armes agaynst the King's publicke standing Lawes and agaynst his Majesties publicke Proclamations is not in our judgement a convenient or lawfull way for defending of the Religion of the Liberties and Lawes of the Kingdome and of the Kings Authoritie but on the contrarie it bringeth Scandall vpon our profession See our Reasons in our second DVPLYE 12. To your sixt Question wee answere that in all free Monarchies there is nothing left to Subjectes in the case of persecution by their owne Soveraygne Princes but patient suffering with Prayers and Teares to GOD or fleeing from their wrath as wee haue at length proved in our second DVPLYE This doctrine did the people of Alexandria learne of their holie Bishop Athanasius as is evident by their owne wordes in their Protestation subjoyned to the Epistle of Athanasius ad vitam solitariam agentes If say they it bee the commandement of the Emperour that wee bee persecuted wee all are readie to suffer Martyrdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tom. 1. Oper. Athanas pag. 868 Edit Paris 1627. As for the nature of the Government of this Kingdome of SCOTLAND reade the Booke of KING IAMES THE SIXT of Blessed Memorie entituled The true Lawe of free Monarchies and the Praeface of the first Booke of REGIAM MAIESTATEM where it is expresslie sayde of the KING of SCOTLAND that Hee hath no Superiour but the Creator of Heaven and Earth Ruler of all thinges This our Aunswere neyther proceedeth from Flatterie neyther from anie intention to stirre vp Princes agaynst their loyall Subjectes nor from anie ayme at other worldlie endes as yee doe vncharitablie judge but from our due Fidelitie to our KING from our true Loue to our Countrey and from our vpright Desire to the GLORIE of GOD and the Comfort of our owne Soules in the Day of our Accompts THE X. DVPLY ALTHO wee take you to bee of the number of those who penned the Late Covenant yet pardon vs to call your Glosses of it in question so long as yee doe not satisfie our Argumentes which prooue them to bee contrarie to the verie wordes of your Covenant Wee haue showne in our Replyes and nowe agayne in our fourth Duplye that the wordes of the Covenant importe a perpetuall adherence to the whole externall Policie of the Church as it was Anno 1581 and the remooving of Pearth Articles and Episcopacie as of thinges contrarie to the Libertie and Puritie of the Gospell Whence wee still inferre that these who haue sworne the Covenant are tyed by their Oath to vote agaynst Pearth Articles and Episcopacie and consequentlie can not without praejudice eyther dispute or giue out a decisiue sentence concerning them in the intended Assemblie 2. Yee saye Yee will not judge so vncharitable of vs as to thinke vs so corrupt that in our opinion since the tyme designed by vs no-thing hath entered into the Church beside Episcopacie and the Articles of Pearth which can bee praejudiciall to the Libertie and Puritie of the Gospell Wee are glad that altho yee judge vncharitablie of vs yet yee judge not so vncharitablie and altho yee thinke vs corrupt yet yee thinke vs not so corrupt as not to bee sensible of these thinges Wee tolde you our mynde before in our fourth DVPLY concerning these Abuses which yee thinke to haue beene occasioned by Pearth Articles and no we wee tell you that if Pearth Articles and Episcopacie for these their alleadged Consequentes bee alltogether remooved the benefite which yee thinke our Church may receaue by remooving of them shall not in anie measure aequall Her Great Losses THE XI DVPLY WEE complayned in our DEMAND of the vncharitablenesse of your Followers who calumniate vs as if wee were Favourers of Poperie And to showe howe vnjust this Calumnie is wee declared that wee are readie to sweare and subscrybe our Nationall Confession of Fayth ratified and registrated in Parliament to which Declaration wee haue nowe added our Oath which wee did sweare when wee receaved the Degree of Doctorate in Theologie and haue solemnlie agayne renewed it PAG. 15.16 In your Answere to that Demand yee slighted our Complaynt and did not so much as once mention it which made vs in our Replye to complayne also of you who haue showne your selues so vnwilling to giue vs that Testimonie of our Sinceritie in professing the Trueth which all who knowe vs thinke to bee due to vs. Wee exspected that in your second Aunswere to that Demaund this fault should haue beene amended But contrarie to our expectation wee perceaue not onelie that yee are insensible of the grievous injurie done to vs by the calumnious reportes of others but also that yee haue busied your owne wittes to enquyre as yee saye in matters to search and to trye our wayes and to expiscate what yee could agaynst vs by the vnfriendlie testimonie of some who perhaps are displeased with vs as Achab was with Micajah for the freedome of our Admonitions Charitie yee knowe thinketh no evill 1. COR. 13.5 and covereth a multitude of transgressions PROV 10.12 1. PET. 4.8 But vncharitable Inquisition and prying into other mens doinges not onelie discovereth those infirmities vnto which God will haue everie one of vs subject for humbling of vs
Some tyme in-deede the omission of a thing praescrybed by an Affirmatiue Divine or Humane Lawe may bee faultlesse But it is never lawfull for Subjectes to transgresse the Negatiue parte of the Divine Praecept by resisting with force of Armes that Power where-vnto GOD hath subjected them and to which Hee hath forbidden them to make such resistance Neyther is it at anie tyme lawfull for Pastors and Teachers to teach erronious doctrine 17. Yee doe attribute to vs as a great absurditie that at the will of our Ordinarie and other lawfull Superioures wee are readie to forbeare the practise of these thinges which the Assemblie hath appoynted to bee observed And this yee inferre from the necessitie of Administration of the Sacramentes some tymes in private places according to our judgement Certaynlie yee will haue much a-doe to make good by right Logicke this your inference from such an Antecedent But to speake of the matter of the Consequent for satisfaction to the Reader wee finde no such absurditie in it as yee seeme to proclayme For if some Dueties appoynted by divyne Law giue place some-tymes to other weyghtie dueties such as is the keeping of publicke peace and good order as we haue alreadie showne much more may a thing notwithstanding of anie humane Lawe appoynting it to bee observed be for these respectes omitted at the will and direction of those Superioures to whom wee owe our obedience requyred by that humane Law and who haue power to dispence with our practise in that part THE XIV DVPLY IF the wordes of the Covenant bee playne say yee concerning the meere forbearance and speake nothing of the vnlawfulnesse no mans thoughts can make a change But wee haue given our reasons which justlie moue vs to requyre greater playnnesse neyther haue wee as yet receaved satisfaction concerning those reasons 2. In our 14 REPLYE wee sayde That your Band of Mutuall Defence agaynst all persons what-so-ever may drawe Subjects perhaps to take Armes agaynst their King which GOD avert and consequentlie from that loyaltie of Obedience which they owe to their Soveraygne and ours except yee declare and explayne your selues better than yee haue hitherto done To this yee answere that by this Replye wee doe a threefolde wrong One to our selues another to the Subscrybers the third to the Kings Majestie But yee haue not directlie answered to the poynt proponed by vs. 3. The wrong which yee say wee doe to our selues is in forging from the wordes of the Covenant impediments and drawing stumbling blockes in our owne way to hinder our Subscription This your wrongous asseveration wee justlie denye protesting as wee haue often done that wee doe walke sincerelie in this matter according to our light Not forging to our selues impedimentes nor drawing stumbling blockes in our owne way but clearlie showing the impedimentes and stumbling blockes which the Contryvers of the COVENANT haue layde in our way by their verie incommodious expression irreconciliable in our judgement with your exposition 4. Yee say wee wrong the Subscryvers in changing the state of the Question and in making a divorce betwixt Religion and the King's Authoritie which the Covenant joyneth together hand in hand Wee doe no-wayes wrong the Subscrybers when wee propone vprightlie our just Scruples as wee in our CONSCIENCES doe conceaue them where-by wee are moved to with-holde our handes from that COVENANT where-of one is the feare of vnlawfull resistance to Authoritie if wee should holde to that COVENANT howe so-ever yee will not suffer to heare patientlie this objection because in your Covenant yee doe professe the conjunction of Religion and the King's Authoritie which profession of yours doeth not sufficientlie serue for a full answere to our objection agaynst those other words of that same Covenant where-vpon our Scruple did aryse To cleare this we wish you to answere directlie to this our present Demaund whether or no in case of disagreement which GOD avert thinke yee that the Covenantors are obliedged by vertue of their Covenant to make open resistance by force of Armes If yee thinke they are obliedged to make resistance then wee desire your answere to the Reasons and Testimonies brought in our 2 Duplye proving the vnlawfulnesse of such resistance But if yee thinke that they bee not obliedged then declare it playnlie 5. But most of all yee say wee wrong the King's Majestie in bringing him vpon the Stâ—ge before his Subjectes in whose myndes wee would as yee doe vnjustlie alleadge beget and breede suspitions of opposing the Trueth of making Innovation in Religion and of dealing with the Subjects contrarie to his Lawes and Proclamations and contrarie to the Oath at his Coronation Wee answere wee haue not brought but haue found his Majestie vpon this vnpleasant Stage opposing himselfe openlie to your Covenant with solemne Protestations agaynst all suspitions of opposing the Trueth or making Innovation of Religion or dealing with the Subjectes contrarie to his Lawes and Proclamations or contrarie to the Oath at his Coronation This his Majesties declaration agaynst which yee haue protested wee haue willinglie receaved and doe truelie belieue it 6. What the most honourable Lords of his Majesties privie Counsell haue done concerning his Majesties last Proclamation and vpon what motiues their Honours themselues doe know and his Majesties High Commissioner hath publicklie declared in his printed MANIFESTO contrarie to some of your Asseverations concerning the proceeding of that Honourable Boord 7. Yee professe heere that It becommeth you to judge charitablie of his Majesties intentions altho yee disallow the Service-Booke and Canons as contayning a reall Innovation of Religion and doe affirme that the intention of the Prelates and their Associates the Authors and Contryvers of the Bookes is most justlie suspected by you Wee haue tolde you alreadie that concerning the matters contayned in those Bookes it is not now tyme to dispute the Bookes themselues being discharged by his Majesties Proclamation and a royall promise made that his Majestie will neyther now nor heere-after presse the practise of the fore-sayde Canons and Service-Booke nor anie thing of that nature but in such a fayre and legall way as shall satisfie all his Majesties loving Subjects and that his Majestie neyther intendeth Innovation in Religion or lawes As for the intentions of his sacred Majestie wee doe heartilie and thankfullie acknowledge them to bee truelie conforme to his Majesties gracious Declaration in that his last Proclamation And in-deede it becommeth both you and vs to thinke so of them Neyther doe wee take vpon vs to harbour in our breasts anie vncharitable suspition concerning the intentions of those others of whom yee speake seeing they stand or fall to their owne master and the thoughts of their hearts are vnknowne both to you and vs and in a matter vncertaine it is surest to judge charitablie Yea wee haue manie pregnant Arguments to perswade vs that those Reverende Prelates and their Associates had no such intention as yee judge 8. Yee make mention of