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
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
DUPLYES Of the MINISTERS PROFESSORS of ABERDENE TO The second ANSWERES of some REVEREND BRETHREN Concerning The LATE COVENANT If thou take foorth the precious from the vyle thou shalt be as my mouth Let them returne vnto thee but returne not thou vnto them IEREM 15.19 Honour all men Loue the Brotherhood Feare GOD Honour the King 1. PET. 2.17 Printed in Aberdene by Edw. Raban 1638. TO THE UNPARTIALL READER IT may bee you haue not as yet heard the true relation of our proceedinges and carriage towards those two Reverend Brethren who came latelie hither to recommend to vs and our People the LATE COVENANT Wee declare therefore to you That we hearing of their comming and intention and beeing of a contrarie mynde resolved that before wee should giue consent that they should preach to our People wee would propone to them by way of certaine DEMANDS the chiefe reasons which made vs to bee averse from their proceedings promising to admit them to our Pulpits if they should giue vs satisfaction concerning the LATE COVENANT Wee intended not to Print these DEMANDES at the first but afterwards considering howe much our People might bee confirmed by them in that pious resolution which they haue to continue in the obedience of the Lawes of this Church and Kingdome concerning EPISCOPACIE and those thinges which were concluded in PEARTH ASSEMBLIE wee thought good to put them to the Presse but determined not to make vse of them by divulgating them except we saw that our people stood in present neede of them which indeede came to passe for vpon Fryday the twentie of Julie last these Reverende Brethren came to this Towne and having that same night receaved our DEMANDES in writ they returned their Answeres vnto them on Saturday following late in the evening but they came not to our handes who replyed vnto them vntill Sunday in the morning Neyther had we leasure to reade or consider vntill both the Sermons were ended in our Churches Wherefore wee did meete together that day at foure houres afternoone that wee might peruse them And at that same tyme hearing that these Reverend Brethren had preached in audience of dyverse of our people conveaned in the court of a noble man his lodging not having obtayned our consent thereto and in their Sermons had vsed a forme of Answering to our DEMANDES which they did publicklie reade affirming that they had given full satisfaction to vs in a written coppie of their Answeres which they had sent to vs and by that meanes had laboured to disswade and draw our People from their obedience vnto the Articles of PEARTH the Lawes of this Kingdome ratifying them wee knowing how insufficient their Answeres were to giue satisfaction to anie who would duelie ponder our DEMANDES gaue licence to the Printer to divulgate them and the next day did wryte our REPLYES to their Answeres intending to put them to the Presse on Tuesday But wee were earnestlie entreated by a noble Man to send backe to them the copie of their Answeres that they might revise and perfect them also to delay the printing of our REPLYES vntill Fryday following Which wee willinglie granted But wherefore this was desired of vs you may conjecture seeing they neyther added nor diminished nor altered anie thing in their Answeres Vpon the next Fryday at night wee gaue our REPLYES to the Printer and to these Reverende Brethren who returned not to this Citie vntill Saturday following wee sent a copie of our Replyes in writ on the Lords Day vnto which we receaved not their Answeres vntill they came from the Presse to wit on Tuesday the fourteenth of August that is eyghteene dayes after they had receaved our REPLYES What successe these Brethren had in their Sermons which they preached here vpō two severall Lords Dayes it is sufficientlie knowne neyther haue they reason to talke so much of it as they doe in their Preface to the Reader The first of these Dayes some few who were thought to bee that way inclined before subscryved their COVENANT But the next Lords Day they scarce prevailed with anie at all And a great many who heard them both these Dayes professed that they returned from their Sermons more averse from the COVENANT than they were before Now good Reader wee present to thee our REPLYES to their second Answeres which for shortnesse cause wee haue called DVPLYES wee pray you consider them vnpartiallie And if you reape anie benefite by perusing them let it not be ascrybed vnto vs but to the invincible force of divyne Trueth Wee conclude with Zorobabell saying Blessed bee the GOD of Trueth And let all the People shout and saye Great is Trueth and mightie aboue all thinges TO OUR REVEREND BRETHREN M r ALEXANDER HENDERSON And M r DAVID DICKSON THat your Answeres Reverende and Deare Brethren haue not in anie degree satisfied vs wee impute it not to your weaknesse whom wee know to bee able Men and much exercysed in the matters debated betwixt vs but wee impute it to the weaknesse of your cause and to that inabilitie which is in all men as well as in you to beare out agaynst the Trueth Wee are sorie that yee are not so respectiue and favourable in your judgement of vs for yee playnlie declare in your Preface that yee suspect vs of prejudice and that for two reasons The first is that our Demandes which yee conceaved had beene meerelie intended for you were published before your comming in Print as also that our REPLYES were Printed before we receaved your last Answeres to them Whence yee conclude that wee were rather ayming at victorie moved thereto by prejudice than at satisfaction by searching of the Trueth This reason is grounded vpon a mistaking for altho our Demandes at the first were intended for you onlie yet afterwardes we resolved to Print them as also our REPLYES the Printing whereof did nowayes depend vpon your second Answeres not for loue of contention nor desire of victorie GOD knoweth but for such reasons as wee haue expressed in our Preface to the vnpartiall Reader whom wee hope wee haue satisfied in this poynt Your other reason is that the groundes of your Answeres to vs haue proven satisfactorie to others who for Age and Learning are pryme men of this Kingdome and to whom our modestie will not suffer vs to preferre our selues Farre be it frō vs to be so presumptuous as to preferre our selues to so manie Learned and worthie Divynes and as farre bee it from vs to measure the soliditie and sufficiencie of your Answeres by the Habilities or Induments of these who haue acquiesced in them If this your reason were good the Papists might more probablie accuse vs of prejudice as indeede they vnjustlie doe because your Answeres to our Argumentes haue proven satisfactorie to manie thousands of those who for profunditie and subtilitie of wit are inferiour to none of the World but wee regarde not this slender motiue remembring these wordes of our Saviour I