by the Holy Ghost 4. They engage in the 2d Art That they shall to the utmost of their Power c. and so have altered a very necessary clause in the League and Covenant viz. We shall endeavour in our several Places and Callings Art 1. And in our several Vocations Art 3. They saw that if they had kept within the bounds of their Callings they could never have had access to make that terrible Confusion in Kirk and Kingdom which they designed Their Places and Vocations did not allow or warrant them to overturn King and Kingdom and bring all Ministers that were not of their way to stand at their Bar. And therefore being resolved to pass the bounds of their Vocation they left out these words of the Covenant which manifestly crossed their Designs 4. They say in that 2d Art We shall to our Power relieve the Church and Subjects of this Kingdom we being called thereto by his giving of us Power Power being Gods call to do good of that oppression c. 1. This is I suppose a new Principle in Christendom that Power or Strength is Gods call The Turk thinks he hath a Call and Right to take all that he hath might to Conquer but this is a part of Turcism which Christians detest It 's good that Malefactors who deserve Death be Executed but every man who hath strength or pith to kill them is not called of God to put them to death It 's good that there be Magistrates to govern a City it 's good that the Gospel be Preached but every man who hath ability to Govern a City or to Preach is not called of God to Govern or to Preach If this Principle were reduced to practice it would turn the World up-side down It 's good that a Master who hath injured his Servant should be punished May therefore a Servant if he be stronger than his Master punish him Is he called of God to do it If ability to do good were Gods call the man who desired Christ to speak to his Brother to divide the Inheritance with him might have answered to our Saviours Question Man who made me a Judge or a Divider over you That seeing Christ had ability to judge and divide that therefore he was called of God to judge and divide 2. Seeing they had not power or strength to effectuate these great things which they undertake in this and the following Articles and seeing there was no probability that a few private Persons could ever be in a capacity to do these things And so seeing according to their own description of Gods câ—ll they neither had nor ever were like to have Gods call to do these great things how could they swear to do these things which they were not yet called to do nor were ever like to be called to do them To swear to do what we are not called to do and which is not in our power and is neveâ— like to be in our power is a rash taking of the Name of God in vain it 's not a swearing in Judgment 5. The Method they take to overturn Pâ—â—â—â—â— and Erâ—stianism by overturning and ruining â—he Civil Government and Governours is meer â—onfusion and tends to havock and desolation Pâ—â—â—byterians think themselves bound in their placâ— and stations to seek the removal of Prelacy anâ— Erastianism but they do not think it their Dâ— overturn Civil Government to erect Presbytâ—â—â— Governmenâ— to destroy Civil Order in the Kingdom to erect Ecclesiastical Order in the Kirk 〈◊〉 do not think it their Duty to break the third Aâ—â—â—cle of the Covenant to keep the preceding â—â—â—â—cles As God hath appointed Order in the Church so he hath appointed Order in the State and the one of these should not be overturned to establish the other It 's the earnest desire of Presbyterians that the removal of all disorders in the Church and the reparation of the Ruines of the Church may be by the hand of their rightful Rulers 6. What confidence can the Subjects have that they who have so easily shaken themselves loose of subjection to Lawful Rulers to whom God hath commanded them to be subject for Conscience-sake will be very tender of the Consciences of others and will not exercise oppression upon the Consciences of these who would be under them No great tenderness can rationally be expected from these who have so lightly loosed themselves from the Obligation of the 3d. Article of the Covenant Or what confidence can they have that their Banders will not dispossess them of their Civil Rights if they find any fault in them seeing they engage themselves to dispossess the King and Subordinate Magistrates of their places to which they have undoubted right Or that they who make not Conscience to attempt the greatest desturbance that can be imagined in the whole Kingdom will regard the quiet or disturbance of private Persons Again the Subjects do not desire to be relieved in the way laid down in this Bond which is indeed the way of Disorder Confusion and Desolation they think the Remedy would prove worse than the Disease And what Right can be expected from these who makes Power and might to be a Call and Warrant for their Actings 7. It may seem strange that they could in the 3d. Article mention the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant without terrour and shame Seeing they have so manifestly in many things departed from these Covenants and gone cross to them in this very Bond for although in words they engage to extirpate Popery in all the Articles of it yet they really and effectually plant and establish several Popish Articles It 's a Popish Article that the Ministers of the Reformed Churches should not be owned as Ministers that Communion should not be kept with them nor with these who joyn with them in the publick Worship of God The Authors of this Bond say the same of all the Ministers of the Church of Scotland who are not of their own Opinion and way and for any thing known when this Bond came forth these whom they own for Ministers were but two or three at most and they renounce Communion in the Worship of God with all who joyn not with them in their wild and furious conceits And thus they yield this to Papists that there are no Ministers nor Churches in Scotland with which Christians should joyn in Christian or Church-fellowship It 's a Popish Article that the Pope may depose Kings and Magistrates and free Subjects of their Allegiance to Kings and Rulers and that any private Person may kill these Rulers whom the Pope hath Excommunicated and Deposed The Authors of this Bond in their Deposing the King and Subordinate Rulers and in declaring them no Rulers and in engaging to execute Judgment upon them I shall forbear to speak of their late Excommunication of them because I have not seen it they have confirmed the Papists in these Errors for they will think that the Pope may
20. Servants be Subject to your Masters with all fear not only to the good but to the froward or perverse as it 's also rendered This Scripture is cited in the larger Catechism in explication of the fifth Commandment to shew what is the Honour that Inferiours owe to Superiours If the miscarriages of Magistrates Masters Parents or the miscarriages of Inferiours did dissolve the Relation and make it void And if the miscarriages of Married Persons did nullifie the Marriage-relation and loose the Party wronged from all Obligation towards the Party that 's injurious this would quickly dissolve the Bonds of all Humane Society and make Men like a multitude of loose Cartel If Subjects were not bound to give due Obedience to Magistrates except they did preserve the true Religion then all the Directions that Christ and his Apostles gave to Honour and be Subject to and pay Tribute to and pray for the Magistrates and Powers that then were did not oblige the People to whom they were first directed for all the Magistrates then were Infidels and Idolaters In the Confession of Faith Chap. 23. Art 4. It 's the Duty of People to pray for Magistrates to Honour their Persons to pay them Tribute and other dues to obey their Lawful Commands and to be Subject to their Authority for Conscience sake Infidelity or difference of Religion doth not make void the Magistrates just and Legal Authority nor free the People from their due obedience to him And the General Assembly Anno 1639. in their Supplication to the Commissioner and Council say We have Solemnly sworn and do swear not only our mutual Concurrence and Assistance for the cause of Religion and to the utmost of our Power with our Means and Lives to stand to the Defence of our dread Sovereign his Person and Authority in the Preservation of true Religion Liberties and Laws of this Kirk and Kingdom but also in every Cause which may concern His Majesties Honour shall concur with our Friends and followers as we shall be required Preach Subjects are not obliged to concur with and assist Rulers in doing ill Min. That 's true for to concur with them in assisting them to do evil were to partake of their sin But though we may not partake of their evil yet that will not follow that we must not maintain their Person and Authority Although the Israelites would not assist and concur with Saul in destroying Jonathan but rescued him yet they thought themselves bound to defend Saul's Person and Authority It 's one thing not to concur with Superiours in evil and another thing to destroy their Persons and their Power because they do evil But ye cannot deny but the Covenant obliges to defend and maintain the King in so far as he maintains the true Religion and Righteousness and I think ye will not deny that the King doth in part maintain the true Religion and Righteousness and therefore ye are bound to defend his Person and Authority and how can ye defend his Person and Authority in doing any good if ye destroy his Person and Power as is designed and sworn in this Band. There are many other Absurdities in that fourth Article of the Band which were tedious to repeat and refute In the fifth Article they say We then being made free by God and their own doings he giving the Law and they giving the transgression of that Law which is the cause that we are loosed from all Obligations Divine and Civil to them It 's strange that men who cry out against these who break other Articles of the Covenant should so boldly shake off the Obligation of the third Article of the Covenant and so increase the sin of the Nation by adding the breach of the Civil part of the Covenant to the breach of the Religious part of it To make out what they assert it 's not enough to prove that the Rulers have transgressed the Law of God for they must also shew from the Law that it is the will of God that Subjects should upon such and such transgressions shake off all Obligations towards such Rulers But this they have never attempted because they could not I would enquire at them doth every transgression loose these Obligations If not then how many and how great must these transgressions be And then shall a few private Persons who have very little Interest in the Nation determine this Question How many and how great transgressions makes Rulers no Rulers and Subjects no Subjects Then they promise to set up Government and Governours according to the Word of God especially Exod. 18.21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the People able Men such as fear God Men of Truth hating Covetousness c. I wish they had pondered Prov. 24.21 22. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change For their Calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both The Dutch Interpreters expound it of these who are addicted to changes and novelties departing from the Obedience which they owe to God and their Lawful Magistrates and rising up in Rebellion against them Moses was King in Jesurun and his setting up subordinate Rulers is no pattern for their shaking off the Yoke of Subjection and setting up Usurpers and an unlawful Government The 16 of Numbers where Subjects do Seditiously exalt themselves against Moses and Aaron quadrats better with their case than the 18 of Exodus where Moses makes subordinate Rulers for his own and the Peoples ease And how could they in Reason expect that able men wise and prudent men fit for Government or men fearing God or men of Truth would undertake to be Governours over them For wise men would see the sin and snare and hazard in breaking down the hedge of Civil or Ecclesiastical Government Eccles 10.8 Men fearing God they also fear the King and fear an Oath and men of Truth will not deal falsely in the matter of their Covenant with God or Man And who but foolish rash Persons would take upon them to Rule such an unruly and disorderly People who had destroyed all Order Civil and Ecclesiastical It 's strange that they durst speak as they do of Kingly Government and Lineal Succession seeing the Lord established both among his People in the House of David the man after his own heart Kingly Government as established in these Nations in which King and Parliament make Laws is a form of Government so excellent that few except Persons byassed with prejudice will find fault with it The faults of Rulers should not be imputed to the form of Government They engage to set up the Judicial Law but they apprehend it would not reach far enough and they reject some parts of it but beside these things which they mention there are several other things which would not suit with us Some even of their Capital Laws have intimate connexion with their Ceremonial Law and derive much of
Church-Officers He adds another Reason That in these matters which were the exercise of their Ministry they were the Servants of Christ and therefore the Magistrate should not impose upon them in these matters The Author grants that some of these Rules were formally Ecclesiastical which the Magistrate could not make and all of them are burdensom impositions clogging the exercise of the Ministry The enjoyning the Religious observation of the 29th of May by commanding cessation from work and affixing a special kind of Worship to that day was contrary to the Principle of these who think none can make Holy-days but God the discharging of the Lecture the reading and giving the sense of Scripture was not to Edification but an impeding of a mean of Edification the referring causes from Sessions to Presbyteries as now constitute was contrary to the Principle of Presbyterians who cannot put themselves in a subordination to Prelacy the restraining Ministers from Baptizing Children of other Congregations c. though formerly it did well yet did not quadrate with the present state of the Church the injunction to have the Communion in one day was impracticable the confining Preaching to Kirks hinders Ministers from Preaching in several other parts of their Paroches where Preaching is sometimes very requisite upon week-days and renders the Celebration of the Communion in some places impracticable when People will not go out from the Tables except there be Preaching without and they were burdensome and hindred Ministers from making full proof of their Ministry in being an occasion of stumbling to People who not knowing how to distinguish betwixt the Indulgence which was a permission to Preach and these impositions nor knowing how to put a difference betwixt prescribing of these Instructions and accepting of them did take up prejudices first against these Ministers and then against their Ministry and the Ordinances dispensed by them and some of them went that length to make it their work to render these Ministers and their Ministry contemptible and to count it Service to God to despise his Servants and to hinder the work of their Ministry And if the very prescribing of these Rules had such effects what would the acceptance and observance of them have done Mr. H's words uttered before the Council excludes all the Magistrates impositions upon Ministers in the matters of their Ministry and so excludes these Instructions which were impositions of that nature and all impositions of that nature even the confinement is comprehended which did restrain the exercise of their Ministry and tended to hinder them from making full proof of their Ministry The denying to the Magistrate a formal Ecclesiastical Power excludes the Magistrate from all Acts which are the formal exercise of Ecclesiastick Functions and so from making Ecclesiastical Canons or Rules formally Ecclesiastical Again in asserting that Rules intrinsically Ecclesiastical given by the Magistrate are impositions he shews that the Magistrate hath not a warrantable Power to make and impose such Rules upon Ministers And in asserting that they were the Servants of Christ in the matters of their Ministry he did shew that they could not be ruled by the Magistrates will or pleasure in these matters but behoved to be ruled by his will whose Ministers they were and that therefore they could not accept of and receive any Rules of the Magistrates making or imposing which would either hinder or marr their Masters Service and the acceptance of which would any way hinder them from making full proof of their Ministry or marr them in doing these matters in which they were not the Magistrates Servants but Christs These things are imported clearly in or clearly follow from Mr. H's words and they do manifestly exclude all encroachments of the Magistrate upon the calling of the Ministry and its exercise and so explains and confirms Mr. B's words in their genuine sense He goes on If he meant saith the Historian the same Rules c. then he confirms Mr. Blairs Argument Answ So he does he both clears what he said and confirms it He clears in shewing that the Rules which they and Mr. B. could not receive were Rules made and imposed by the Magistrate for Regulating Ecclesiastick Canons Rules intrinsically Ecclesiastical of the Magistrates making and the enjoyning of which to Ministers was an imposition And besides Mr. H's words do more clearly obviate exceptions and objections than Mr. B's do though Mr. B's words taken in their genuine and native sense and the sense which Mr. B. took them in and be not wrested are clear enough For Instructions and Instructions to Regulate and to Regulate Ministers in the exercise of their Ministry sounds at the first hearing to all who have but common sense of matters of that nature Ecclesiastical Canons or Canons formally and intrinsically Ecclesiastical which the Magistrate should not form and impose For if any should Object 1. May not the Magistrate according to what is said in the first Chap. of the second Book of Discipline command Ministers to Preach Baptize Exercise Discipline according to the Rule of the Word of God Answ No doubt but the Rule of the Word of God is not a Rule of the Magistrates making and his enjoyning Ministers to observe the Rule of the Word in the exercise of their Ministry is no imposition upon them nor does that command of the Magistrate any way hinder but further the Service of Christ Object May not the Magistrate enjoyn Ministers to observe the Acts of a Synod which he hath ratified by his Civil Sanction Answ These Canons or Acts are not formed by the Magistrate but by the Synod Obj. May not the Magistrate form Acts of the same nature with these that general Assemblies and Synods form for Regulating Ministers in the exercise of their Ministry Answ That were to confound the Office of the Magistrate with the Office of the Minister and to bring the Magistrate in upon the calling of the Ministry to elicite and exerce Acts which are intrinsically Ecclesiastical It belongs intrinsically to the Office of Ministers of the Church to explain and apply the Word of God and these Ecclesiastick Rules must be drawn from the Word of God the forming of such Canons hath in all Ages been looked upon as the work of Ecclesiastical Synods who had no Power of the Sword and therefore that work is the exercise of the Spiritual Keys and not of the Civil Sword As the forming of Rules of Physick and forming Medicinal Receipts is intrinsical to the faculty of Physick so is the forming of Ecclesiastick Canons intrinsical to the calling of the Ministry Obj. May not the Magistrate interrupt the Preaching though on the Sabbath when an Enemy is coming to Assault the Town and call the People from the Church to the Walls of the City to defend it Answ That is no burdensome imposition upon the Minister in the exercise of his Ministry it 's a work of Necessity and the Lord declares his mind that in such
the Magistrate and some of them are not ashamed to calumniate Presbyterians as if they gave as little to the Magistrate as Papists do 2. From the touchy sense that all in Authority have of any thing that diminishes or but seems to diminish their Power or to derogate from it 3. From my L. Chancellours displeasure at Mr. B. and his question proposed about the Magistrates Power of confining and Mr. H's beginning and ending his Discourse with that desire that their Lordships would not mistake Mr. B. That it 's a wonder how a Person that had any imagination at all could miss the purpose of this Discourse But yet all these objective Evidences which might have as Guides led his imagination to the true design of Mr. H's Discourse were overswayed by two more intimate Guides which like ill Ghosts haunted his imagination in the matters relating to Indulged Ministers I mean his Passion and Prejudice which habitually mis-guided him in these matters and led him out of the right way which was obvious into extravagant phantasms and imaginations which are so wild that it 's a wonder how any man who had but common sense to rectifie his imagination could give way let be with-gate to them or how he could suffer them to arise or if they had started when he was not adverting how he could behold them without laughter or indignation but that he should have entertained them and bewildered himself and his followers in following them is one of the wildest Wild-goose Chases imaginable There is one thing somewhat singular in this Authors imagination in these matters that his imagination hath a habitual mishap of missing the right way and taking the wrong I do not remember of any Person to whom I can compare him in this except one who was a Servant to a Gentleman of my Acquaintance of whom I heard his Master say that when his Servant took the guiding of the way he constantly mistook when he came where there were two ways he was sure to take the wrong way which his Master having often observed he resolved when there was any doubt of the way never to take the way which his man took but the way which he left and so he was sure not to be mistaken But yet I must give the Historian the pre-eminence in wandring for that Servant took but one wrong way at once but the Historian when he hath prosecuted one wrong imaginary way in which no foot hath trod before him and followed it out till he could win no further he immediately comes back and at the same pass where he began to wander he takes another wrong way and then another and so forth till he hath wearied himself and his followers to no purpose and which is yet worse after all these wandrings he never comes right That Servant I spoke of came back to his Master to the right way but the Author having no other Guide but his own imagination miscarried by Prejudice and Passion wanders habitually when he begins to guess at the Indulged Ministers meaning and upon a false imagination that they meant something which never came in their head he pursues after them in a way which they never took nor dreamed of and then to be sure to overtake them some way he begins again if they meant not that they meant this and then again pursues and so fashes himself in following his own fancies but for the true meaning of these Ministers he ordinarily misses it though it be most obvious to any who will not hood-wink himself Any who looks but with half an eye into this Controversie about the limits of the Magistrates and Ministers Power and into this business which was before the Council will see that it was most necessary to add what Mr. H. added to Mr. B's words both for clearing Mr. B's meaning and for preventing the Objections that the Magistrate or others for the Magistrate might make against an Assertion which seemed to exclude the Magistrate from having any Power about Church Canons or the exercise of the Ministry to which there was nothing added to clear what Power the Magistrate had in reference to matters of Religion Might they not have Objected Ye will we see take no Instructions from Magistrates nor commands to Regulate the exercise of your Ministry Ye will make Rules your selves for Regulating your Ministry but ye will admit us to make none for any thing we hear from you Ye ascribe no Power to us about matters of Religion What can the Magistrate do nothing for the Reformation and preservation of Religion and for Reforming Ministers Is the Magistrate bound up that he cannot hinder the making or execution of wrong Canons What if a Church-Assembly a Council agree upon Arrianism and resolve to Preach this to the Magistrates Subjects What if they make Canons for Idolatry for adoring Images as the 2d Nicen Council did What if they agree to publish the error of Transubstantiation and to lift up the Bread in the Eucharist to be adored by the People What if they agree upon a Church-policy manifestly contrary to the Scripture and require the Subjects to subject themselves to be ruled by these Rules of Policy of their own making Shall the Magistrate suffer his Subjects to be poisoned with Heresie Idolatry corrupt Church-mens Tyranny Can he do nothing to hinder the making of such Heretical Idolatrous Tyrannical Canons or to crush them and hinder the execution of them when they are made Must he blindly assent to all the Canons Kirk-men enact and add his Civil Sanction to them and see to the execution of them that is to promove the eternal destruction of his own Subjects Does not the confession of Faith allow to the Magistrate a Power for Reformation and conservation of Religion And our latest Confession of Faith though it assert Chap. 31. Sect. 3. That it belongs to Synods and Councils Ministerially to determine Controversies of Faith and Cases of Conscience to set down Rules and Directions for the better Ordering of the Publick Worship of God and Government of his Church to receive complaints in cases of male Administration and Authoritatively determine the same yet it doth not assert that though these Decrees be contrary to the Word of God that they are to be received by any and much less by the Magistrate for it 's added in that same Article Which Decrees and Determinations if consonant to the Word of God are to be received with Reverence and Submission not only for their agreement to the Word but also for the Power whereby they are made as being an Ordinance of God appointed thereto in his Word And though that same late Coâ—fession Chap. 23. Article 3. affirm that the Civil Magistrate may not assume to himself the Administration of the Word and Sacraments or the power of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven yet he hath Authority and it is his Duty to take Order that Unity and Peace be preserved in the Church
suggesting that such or such a Scripture makes for his deluding suggestions Peter roved even when he was in the Mount beholding Christs Transfiguration when he moved that Christ might abide in the Mount and after he had given that excellent Confession of Christ That he was the Son of God which not flesh and blood but the Father had revealed to him Satan suggests to him to disswade Christ from going to Jerusalem to suffer which drew that sharp rebuke from the blessed mouth of Christ Get thee behind me Satan The Devil can back his suggestions with Scriptures which he perverts as we see he did when he tempted Christ to cast himself down from the Pinacle of the Temple and therefore there is the more need to search the Scripture and to compare Scripture with Scripture and to consider what goeth before and what followeth in the Scripture and to know the Analogy of Faith from the Scriptures that are more clear and as it is holden forth from the Scriptures in the Confession of Faith and Catechisms that ye may not receive any sense of Scripture which is contrary to the Analogy of Faith to the Doctrine which is according to godliness received in the Reformed Churches Beware of adding to the word of God by making these things Duties which God hath not commanded or making any thing sinful which God hath not forbidden there are too many who will confidently impose their Conceits upon others and too many who are easily imposed upon simple people who believe every word and are tossed to and fro with every wind Study to be well founded in the Scriptures that with the Bereans ye may try Doctrines and Practices by the Rule of the holy Scripture It 's lamentable that there is so great ignorance of the Scriptuees and many are more in reading other writings than in reading the holy Scriptures Walk exactly according to the light which the Lord hath given to you from his word detain it not in unrighteousness and beware ye go no further than the light of the word directs you for if ye go out of the light and be in the dark ye know not how far ye may wander they who without direction from the word do blindly follow the example of others and know not whether it be right or wrong or take what others do to be right because such or such persons does it they are in an ill taking Beware ye go not without the word walk in the Law of the Lord in the light of the word which is a light to the feet and a Lamp to the paths 4. And that ye may be nourished up in the knowledge of the Scriptures of truth go to the publick Ordinances forsake not assembling together with the Lords people who meet in his name the Lord hath commanded his Ministers to teach and baptize c. and hath promised to be with them to the end of the world and hath promised That where he records his Name there he will come and bless his people he hath appointed Ministers for this end to feed his people with the knowledge and understanding of the word with the sincere Milk of the word and therefore if ye would glorifie the Name of the Lord if ye would have fellowship with God if you would have his presence and his Blessing if ye would know his mind and will revealed in his word frequent his Ordinances beware of those who would draw you away from the Shepherds Tents for they draw you away from Christ himself for it 's there that he feeds and makes his Flocks to rest Believe not those who say That he is not to be found in his own Ordinances for there he is and hath trysted his people to meet him there and he hath promised to come there and bless them whenever they are met in his name He is present he is not to come when they are met in his Name for he is come already There am I saith he in the midst of them The sins of those who are present at the Lords Ordinances shall not deprive those who upon his call comes to record his Name of his Presence and blessing for he is faithful who hath promised and they who come according to his appointment to glorifie his Name in his own Ordinances may be assured that he comes and blesses them though it may be they do not sensibly discern it and they are bound to believe it that he hath come and blessed them because he hath said it Beware of those who think they are the best and most tender Christians who are readiest to cast Ministers as no Ministers and Churches as no Churches there were many great faults in the Church of Corinth in several of the Churches of Asia and their Angels and yet Christ himself owns them and their Angels as Chuches and Angels and we find not that the Lord directs any to separate from these Churches or their Assemblies for publick worship because of those scandalous sins which were among them We find Christ himself present in the Church of Lacdicea which was the worst of them and standing at their door and knocking It 's insolent boldness to cast these as no Churches and Ministers whom Christ owns or who condemn going to these Meetings where Christ himself comes and blesses his people remember that your great busines in Ordinances is with the Lord himself for they are his Ordinances he hath appointed them the efficacy of them depends upon his Institution and Blessing and not upon the worthiness and intention of Ministers whoever absent themselves ye may be sure he is present whom your soul should seek come because he calls you and because he comes and blesses his people where he causes his Name to be recorded Learn to hear the Word not as the word of man but as the word of God Esteem the Ministers of Christ very highly in love for their works-sake and for their Masters sake Beware of the way of those who cast at the Ordinances if they be not dispensed by Ministers of the most eminent gifts or by Ministers who are in all things of their opinion receive the Lords message of the hand of any of his Messengers Beware of idolizing any Minister Remember that neither he that planteth nor he that watereth is any thing but God who giveth the encrease And beware of undervaluing any of the Lords Ministers seeing they are the Ministers of Christ 1 Cor. 4.1 In which Chapter the Apostle disswades the Corinthians who overvalued some and undervalued others of their Ministers from this comparing and rash judging of Ministers and among other Arguments uses this That they judge before the time he desires them to let alone that judging till the Lord come ver 5. who knew the counsels of the heart and the hidden things of darkness Neglect not the private exercises of Religion upon the Lords day but beware of the way of those who neglect the publick Ordinances though they have the
sins beyond the bounds of Truth and Soberness But they must also magnifie and multiply them above the multitude of the great Mercies of God Who can limit the Sovereign grace of God who hath Mercy on whom he will have Mercy The example of Manasseh's Repentance might have restrained them from this bold encroaching upon the Sovereignty of Free Grace 12. It 's a terrible stretch that they say they have shewed their enmities against all Righteousness this is a part of the Description of Elimas the Sorcerer Acts 13.10 They cannot but be exceedingly blinded with prejudice against the Magistrate who sees not some Righteousness in the exercise of their Government 13. If Private Persons may take upon them because of the sins of their Superiours to disown their Authority and take Power to themselves and execute Judgment upon these who are their Parents Masters Magistrates this would overturn the Foundations of all Humane Society and fill the World with Confusion Though Saul was an ungodly man and Persecuted David without a cause and drove him out of the Land from the Ordinances and exposed him to the hazard of serving other gods Though he unjustly and very summarily slew eighty five Priests of the Lord and contrary to the manner of the Kingdom which obliged him to maintain Religion and Righteousness did put the Foundations of the Earth out of course yet David did not think himself obliged to disown Saul to be King nor did he think himself obliged to kill Saul when he had Power and Opportunity to do it he will not suffer his Men to do it 1 Sam. 24.6 7. 1 Sam. 26.8 9. He did not think that his killing of Saul was the way to free the Land from Guiltiness yea his heart smote him for cutting off the lap of his Garment He judged Abner worthy of Death because he had not been careful to preserve Saul's Life And though David was appointed of God to be a blessed Instrument of Reformation and Saul stood in his way yet he will not destroy him but waits Gods leisure There were many ill Kings in Judah but the Lord never directs private Persons to disown them and dethrone and kill them Ahaz is frequently called by the Lord King Ahaz notwithstanding of all the ill he had done and was doing Daniel calls Darius King after the Blasphemous Decree which he had Signed Christ directs to give Tribute to Caesar and gives it himself And Paul owns Nero's Judgment-seat and Appeals to Caesar and what Monsters Tiberius and Nero were is known to all who know the Histories of the Roman Emperours If this Device of nullifying the Authority of Rulers because of their faults real or alledged were put in practice it would quickly turn the World upside-down For though Magistrates as Gods Vicegerents be singularly obliged to represent the Holiness and Righteousness of God in the exercise of their Government yet if we consider that they have the same Corruption by nature which others have and that they have greater temptations than others and that there are often with them men who for their own ends will tempt them to sins which they would never have thought upon As for Example That abominable Decree which Daniel's Enemies cheatingly obtruded upon Darius as a great Complement and when they have gotten them to Enact any thing that is not right they will alledge they are in point of Honour bound to maintain their own deed And seeing there are many Flatterers who will praise all that great Persons do as if it were right And seeing faithful Counsellors who singly design the Glory of God and the true Happiness and Interest of Rulers are very rare Dum non vult alter timet alter dicere verum Regibus And considering how many provocations Rulers use to get by bitter invectives and scurrillous Pamphlets which tend to render them contemptible and by slighting and misconstruing their favours and by affronting of their Authority These things being considered I mean their inward Corruption and allurements to sin upon the one hand and irritating Provocations upon the other hand it 's like enough that they who will nullifie their Authority because of their faults will not want pretences and they who are of this humour of Deposing Rulers if they find not faults enough they will make where they want or they will magnifie their faults and make them worse than they are If Men of this disposition made Insurrection against Moses and alledged upon him who was the meekest man upon Earth and whom God had extraordinarily raised up That he lifted up himself above the Congregation of the Lord and that he had brought them out of a Land flowing with Milk and Honey to kill them in the Wilderness and made himself altogether a Prince over them and had not brought them unto a Land flowing with Milk and Honey nor given them Inheritance of Fields and Vineyards And that he would put out or bore out their Eyes If they found or made so many pretences against Moses who was so blameless O! how many faults would they find in the Persons and Government of the generality of Rulers through the World in these last times in which Iniquity does so much abound in Persons of all ranks Preach But if Kings and Rulers do not what they ought to do but do the contrary then the Subjects are free from any Oath of Allegiance and from any Covenant made to preserve their Persons and Authority In the National Covenant we swear to defend the Kings Person and Authority with our Goods Bodies and Lives in the defence of Christ his Evangel Liberties of the Countrey Ministration of Justice and Punishment of Iniquity against all Enemies within this Realm and without as we desire our God to be a strong and merciful defender to us in the day of our Death and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ And in the Solemn League and Covenant we swear to preserve and defend the Kings Majesties Person and Authority in the Preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdoms And thus our Promise to preserve and defend his Person and Authority is restricted and when he does not what is his part we are not bound to own or defend him and his Authority As when two agrees that the one shall pay so much money upon the others delivering so much Corn or Meal if the Victual be not delivered by the one the other is under no Obligation to pay the Money Min. That comparison may beguile simple People but it 's strange that any Preacher should be deceived with it for this is clear that there is no other ground upon which the one is obliged to pay the Money but the delivering of the Victual by the other according to their agreement But all Inferiours Servants Children Subjects are bound by the Law of God and Nations to honour their Superiours Masters Parents Magistrates although their Superiours be undutiful as appears from 1 Pet. 2.18 19
no magistrate's sending ministers to preach c. doth make them no ministers of Christ Did Ezra cease to be a Scribe and minister of the Lord because Artaxerxes and his seven Councellers sent him to do the work of a Scribe in Judah and Jerusalem Ezr. 7.13 14. For as much as thou art sent of the King and of his seven Councellors Pr. If Artaxerxes had destroyed the Temple and the Worship of God Ezra would not have taken any benefit of such a Decree and Commission Min. What warrant have you for that if Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed the Temple had made a Decree That the Priests and Levites and people should return and worship God at Jerusalem would they have been such fools to refuse to return till Nebuchadnezzar were dead and some other King made such a Decree Did Jeremiah reject the favour which was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar Jer. 39.11 12. and conferred upon him by Nebuzaradan Jer. 40.4 who had burnt the House of the Lord 2 King 25.9 Pr. But these were Heathens who had never professed the true Religion and so had not backslidden Min. The backsliding of Rulers makes them not incapable of doing good afterward Manasseh had been Religiously educated and became monstrously wicked and yet was an instrument of Reformation afterward and Judah did not refuse to serve the Lord because Manasseh who had so fearfully fallen away did command them to serve the Lord 2 Chron. 33.16 Pr. Manasseh repented Minist But do ye think that if he had commanded Judah to serve God or the Lords Priests to sacrifice to the Lord before he repented that these commands should have been rejected because he was not truly penitent It 's the duty of all Kings whether they be penitent or not to command the Lords ministers and people to serve God The Orthodox ministers who had been banished in the time of the Arrian Persecution and Athanasius among the rest did not refuse to return to the exercise of their ministry upon the Edict of Julian the Apostate who had been a professed Christian and turned Pagan and a despiteful enemy and mocker of Christ and tho' he made that Edict for ill ends yet these godly zealous Servants of God made use of it Ye may read the History in Zozomens Church-History Book 5. Chap. 5. where he shews that he afflicted the Church in all things most bitterly and grievously except that he recalled the Bishops and Priests which were banished in the time of Constantius and that it was said he gave not that command out of mercy or pity but that either they by their mutual contentions might fight against the Church by an intestine War and so fall away from their own Laws and Institutions or that he might wrong the Estimation of Constantius and might raise up hatred against him through the whole Empire c. And Georgius Horsnius in his Ecclesiastick History Pag. 93. saith That Julian recalled Athanasius from Banishment to the place of one George an Arrian a most naughty man who had been slain a little before Athanasius's return There is no man more famous for Learning and Zeal and stedfastness in the Church-History than Athanasius and I am sure if ye have read the History of Julian the Apostate ye will be ashamed to say that any of our Rulers are so ill as he was and yet none of these holy and Learned ministers made any scruple to obey his command when he called them to the work of their ministry If many would compare their practices with the Scripture-rule and examples in Scripture and in Church-History they would find that what they take for light and zeal is but ignorance and an humourous peevishness who would have thought that ever any who had been members of the Church of Scotland that besides the obligation common to them with other Protestant Churches are by solemn Covenants obliged to extirpate Schism and maintain the Kings person and authority would have so far degenerate as to place their zeal and Religion in scarring at the Preaching and Hearing of the Gospel because the ministers who preach it are permitted and allowed to preach it by the magistrates who are bound as magistrates as Christians as Protestants to permit allow countenance protect by their authority the Preaching of the Gospel in this Kingdom Farm Sir I desire ye would return to answer what is said against the Ministers in that sixth Article of the Band. Min. As for what they say of Ministers submitting to the Magistrates censures and saying they would not have done the things they were charged with if they had thought it would have offended them it 's a confused charge and it is not easie to guess what they mean they cannot prove that any of those Ministers have done any thing that will import an acknowledgment that the Magistrate hath power of inflicting Ecclesiastick Censures or of making Ecclesiastick Canons And as for Civil Restraints of Imprisonment and Banishment if they condemn submission to these they will condemn all who have been imprisoned and banished and among the rest the Ministers who went to Holland who did not only passively submit to Banishment but also by their Subscription engaged not to return If any Minister hath done any thing which warrantably might have been forborn or which might have been done as conveniently or more conveniently at another time in another place in a way that would not have irritated or provoked the magistrate if such a person hath made the foresaid acknowledgment who can with reason condemn it for we owe thus much even to any private person whom we should not needlesly provoke to anger if we can conveniently help it but the contrivers of this bond and those who go their way are for needless provocations of the magistrate and if there be many ways of doing what is right upon the matter they will chuse the way that is irritating to the Rulers because it is irritating and shun that way which will not provoke the magistrate as if it were a duty to provoke the magistrate to wrath And if any have needlesly provoked them they will not allow him to give an innocent soft answer to turn away their wrath But it is no wonder that they who are for overthrowing the magistrate and the Government be against all things that make for peace with them or may tend to pacifie them when they are angry and be for grievous words and things which may stir up strife and put evil betwixt the magistrate and subjects What they add That these ministers have departed from the Courts of Christ and subjection to the ministry are meer calumnies Do they think that ministers appearing before the magistrate when called that by the magistrates Civil allowance of the peaceable exercise of the ministry they might without disturbance preach the Gospel in such or such places will prove that these ministers have departed from the Courts of Christ and have changed their Courts and so by common Law have changed
their masters and are become of the ministers of Christ the ministers of men These are meer forgeries that have no foundation but in their own fancy nor any consonancy with common Law but are against common sense and reason Although these ministers had bound themselves to answer when the magistrate would it had been no more than men who compear before the magistrate use to do when required that till they be called they may in the mean time have their freedom Now the peaceable exercise of the ministry is in many respects preferable to Civil liberty But it was the people and not the minister who gave bond to the Council to present the minister when called under such a penalty It 's another groundless slander that they have given up and utterly quit the Government and a succession of a Presbyterian Ministry for they have not by their making use of this liberty bound up themselves from doing any thing in their places and stations which they might have done before for the Government of the Church and succession of a Presbyterian Ministry and it 's but a melancholly dream to imagine that the setled fixed peaceable exercise of the Ministry of the Gospel under the protection of lawful authority does swallow up the Government of the Church extinguish the Ministry and bury the work of Reformation Is not the Preaching of the Gospel a part of the exercise of Christs visible Kingdom Does the exercise of the Ministry destroy the Ministry Or does the Preaching of the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches bury the work of Reformation Next they charge these Ministers with Preaching the lawfulness of paying that tribute declared to be imposed for the bearing down of the true Worship of God which they falsely termed seditious Conventicles Pr. Sir before ye speak any thing as to the paying of that tribute I desire that ye would consider that there were several Ministers who Preached against the paying of it and I hope ye will not be rash in giving your opinion in that matter Min. I wish those who Preached against the paying of it had made less haste and had conferred with their Brethren and heard what they had to say from Scripture and Reason e're they had adventured to preach such a new Doctrine That subjects should not pay a tribute which was concluded by a meeting of the Estates of the Nation and for an end which is unquestionably good the resisting of foreign Invasion It 's I suppose a new Doctrine That subjects should not pay tribute and the preaching of new Doctrines is dangerous it hath been the rashness of some that they were too hasty to preach their own private and very singular opinions it were good Ministers of the Gospel would forbear to say any thing to the people in preaching but that of which they might say Thus saith the Lord. They should have considered what danger they exposed the people to by this Doctrine for either those who believed this Doctrine would persist in refusing to pay and this would expose them to be eaten up by Soldiers or they being distressed would at length pay it though they thought it unlawful and this would debosh and waste their Consciences and prepare them to do other things which they thought unlawful and this would encourage those who differed from them in other things to take the same method in pressing them to conform to them and some of the poor people who have stood out long and at length yielded to pay have exposed themselves to the scorn and derision of those who uplifted that Sess Pr. Seeing they declared that this Sess was imposed to bear down the true Worship of God how could any with a good Conscience pay it Min. Any who reads this part of the Band and had not seen the Act of the Convention of Estates would think that they had declared that it was for bearing down the true Worship of God now there are no such words in the Act of Convention Again any who had not seen the Act might think that if their words were true that then the Convention of States were for bearing down whatsoever was the true Worship of God or that there was no true worship of God but in these meetings which the Magistrate calls seditious Conventicles We should not make either words or things worse than they really are and we should at least deal as fairly with the Magistrate as with other men It hath been reported by persons of Honour and of great candor that the motion of setting up Prelacy which hath been the cause of the sad suffering of Presbyterians in Scotland did not come of the Kings Majesty but was repelled by the King when first moved by some Scots men and if they who moved it had not vehemently insisted and strongly alledged that it would be easily effectuate and would be acceptable to the people of Scoland the King would never have set up Prelacy in Scotland And any favour that hath been shewed to Non-conformists hath principally flowed from the King himself as Dr. Owen in his Answer to Dr. Stillingfleets Sermon declareth And in some places of his Majesties Dominions Presbyterians have the publick worship of God without any disturbance which shews that the King doth not look upon all the Meetings of Presbyterians for the worship of God as seditious Conventicles so that suppose that were said which yet no judicious person will alledge that there were no true worship of God except in these Meetings which are called Conventicles it would not be alledged that it were the Magistrates design to bear down the true worship of God seeing these Meetings in several places of these Kingdoms are not suppressed and if some Preachers had not vented Doctrines which were really seditious at some of those Conventicles Presbyterian Ministers and people who designed nothing but the preaching and hearing of the Gospel of peace would not have been molested as they were but the seditious turbulent Doctrine of some did breed much trouble to others who were innocent It cannot be denied that there were some Meetings where such Doctrine was taught by the Preachers and applauded and practised by hearers that it was no wonder that the Magistrate called them seditious And if the Contrivers of this Bond had set themselves to devise a way to confirm the Magistrate in calling Conventicles seditious they could not have fallen upon a more effectual way than this Contrivance which is indeed seditious and will readily be imputed to many who abhor the seditious designs and principles which are in this Bond. As for the reason why this Sess should not be paid viz. because it 's declared to be imposed for an ill end they who are free to pay it will retort It 's imposed for a good end viz. to put the Kingdom in a posture of defence against Invasion and therefore it should be payed I know a judicious Gentleman who said he would pay his Sess for that end which was