can elude when he pleases all these flattering promises of tenderness by excepting at the most necessary indispensible duties if either they be such wherein any other Interest is concerned beside meer Religion or if the troubles sustained thereupon be not altogether invincible necessities Hence the plain falshood doubleness of his assertions as to what is past may give ground to conclude his intended perfidie in promises of what is future But to accept of a Liberty clogged with encroachments upon the Liberties of Christs free Kingdom or either formally or interpretatively directly or indirectly to give way to a Toleration of Idolatrous or false wayes of worship is odious to all that know the rule of Conscience Thô Conscience is not to be forced either to Religion or Irreligion And Religion is not to be propogated by force yet the open efforts overt-acts propagation of Irreligion Atheism Idolatry Blasphemy c. ought to be restrained by force every person pretending to Conscience constrained to give outward respect to the Lawgiver rule of Conscience And what Liberty is either intended or does natively tend to Tolerate what is dishonourrable to God or destructive to conscience cannot be embraced by any who are tender in keeping a Conscience void of offence towards God man These things premitted We come in the next place to declare our Testimony against the Toleration And this we shall do both as it is simply and complexely considered First considering it simply we cannot but testify against it 1. In regard that it doth palpably cross contradict the will of God revealed in the Scriptures of Truth Gen. 35.1 2 3 4. Exod. 23.31 32 33. Exod. 34.12 13 14 15. Deut. 7 2-6 25 26. Deut. 13.6 12. c. Josh. 22.10 12. Josh. 23.11 12 13. Judg. 2.1.2 3. 1 Sam. 3.13 14. 1 King 18.40 2 King 9.22 2 Chron. 15.15 16. Psal 101. throughout Prov. 20.8 Cant. 2.15 Ezek. 43.7 8. Zech. 13.2 3 4. John 2.15 16. Rom. 13.3 4. Revel 2.2.14 20. Prov. 17.16 2. The Commissioners of the General Assembly did plainly fully witness against the Toleration that was in the bud Anno 1649. And the reverend Assembly of divines at West-minister have in the Larger Catechisme in the exposition of the second Commandment reckoned the Toleration of false Religion amongst the sins forbidden therein And in the Confession of Faith Chap. 20. § 4. Asserted that such opinions or practices as are contrary to the light of nature or the known principles of Christianity or destructive to the external peace Order which Christ hath established in the Church they may be proceeded against by the Censures of the Church by the power of the civil Magistrate And Chap. 23. § 3. That it is the Magistrats duty to take care that the Truth of God be kept pure intire that all blasphemie heresies be suppressed all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed all the ordinances of God duely settled administred observed 3. In regard that a Toleration is utterly repugnant unto inconsistent with the indispensible Oath of God in the National Covenant very expressly condemning it more particularlie the solemn league Covenant It is not the way to maintain nay cannot consist with maintaining Reformation to carry on a Uniformity to extirpate heresie superstition schisme profanness and whatsoever is contrary to sound Doctrine the power of Godliness To free our Souls from the guilt of others mens sins to make the Lord one his Name one All which we are engaged sworn unto in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts with a true intent to performe the same as we shall answer at the great day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed 4. In regard of the sad sinful effects that it produceth such as the growth increase of heresie superstition and error the prophaning the Lords day the contempt casting loose of Church discipline the subversion of Souls the offence of the Godly Faithful In stead of Reformation Deformation Instead of the power of Godliness vain Jangling Instead of love bitter heart burnings jealousies Instead of union schisme divison And instead of peace contention strife Instead of Government and Order Anarchy Confusion as it is elegantly held forth evidenced by the Ministers of Perth Fife in their forecited Testimony pag. 31. The General Assembly of our Church in their Declaration Exhortation to their Brethren in England say what is Liberty of Conscience but Liberty of error scandal schisme heresie dishonour of God opposing the Truth hindering Reformation seducing others And the Ministers of the County Palatine of Lancaster in their harmonious Testimony against Toleration subscribed by them March 7. 1647. do fittly adde that a Toleration is the puting a Sword into a mad mans hand a cup of Poison in to the hand of a child a letting loose of mad men with fire brands in their hands an appointing a city of refuge in mens Consciences for the Devil to flee to a laying of the stumbling block before the blind a proclaiming Liberty to the Wolves to come into Christs fold to prey upon his Lambs A Toleration of Soul-murther the greatest Murther of all other and for the establishing whereof damned Souls in Hell would accurse men on earth Could it be to provide for tender Consciences to take away all Conscience If evil be suffered it will not suffer good If error be not kept under it will be Superiour In fine let any read Mr. Durham in his excellent Treatise of scandal particularly part 3. Chap. 2. pag. 146. 147. And they will see how he holdeth forth the Toleration suffering of error to be a thing most hateful in its self most hurtful in its consequences most displeasing to Christ For if error saith he be such an evil that thwarteth 1. Both with Gods Holiness Truth And 2. That hazardeth so many Souls for never a plague hath so destroyed the face of the visible Church nor carried so many Souls to Hell as error hath done then the suffering of it cannot but be hateful to him who Loveth his Church 3. There is no way whereby the Devil reproacheth Ordinances the word more than by this by turning them to the quite contrary end as if he would outshoot the Lord in his oun bow which is abominable to mention invert his oun means turn his oun weapons upon him suffering of this is a conniving at his design 4. There is no way by which the Devil may so get in on Christs Servants to seduce them as by this as in the Epistle to Thyatira is clear And can there danger come so nigh Christ he not displeased with what strengtheneth their snares 5. This doth equal yea in some respect prefer the Devil to him so far as in us lieth so cannot but provoke his jealousie For
made with God as party contracting which none can dispense with Such were the national Covenants of the Lords People renewed by Joshua Asa Jehoshaphat Hezakiah Josiah Ezrah Nehemiah They are for the matter national Covenants about things moral objectively obliging and so perpetual Jerem. 50.5 They are for their ends which may be all summed up in this preservation of Religion and Liberty inviolably because these ends are constantly to be pursued They are national adjurations under the pain of a national curse which doth make the posterity that break them obnoxious They are for their Legality national Laws being solemnly Ratified by Parliament by the King and made the foundation of their compact with him at his inauguration whereby they became among the leges Regnandi They are national Covenants of an hereditary nature like that of Israel Deut. 29.14 15. which did oblige not only the present but the absent and consequently the posterity Now considering these things concerning the obligation of our Covenants the rejoiceing that was at the Oaths of God when they were taken the singular manifestations of his spirit at that time and his testifying in his Works of providence his approbation of what his People did in these things according to his Word by his going forth with his People their Armies and making the enemies to fall before them We cannot but profess the sorrow of our hearts testifie the abhorrence of our Souls against all the breaches injuries or affronts that have been or are offered or done to our Covenants national and solemn league which now Alas are like to be despised buried in forgetfulness Even when now they are not only nationally broken but burnt and the owning of them is declared criminal by an Act of Queensberries Parliament which makes it a case of confession to assert their obligation particularly we testifie against the sinful shameful scandalous defection of many Ministers in this point by their laying by these Sacred Covenants forbearing under this Toleration to preach plainly the obligation of them to discover particularly the breaches of them and to mention them in the engagments which they require of Parents when they present their Children to Baptisme Thô at first publication of the foresaid Act of Parliament many of them did privately preach against it when there were none to challenge it but being exposed to the Court censores in their publick and peaceable Meetings they are submissively silent We find the foregeting breaking of the Covenant of the Lord lieth under most heavy threatenings hath been punished with most for Judgements Levit. 16.25 16 17. Deut. 29.14.15 19 21. 1 King 9.8 9. Jerem. 22.8 9. Zech. 5.3 4. Mal. 3.5 We cannot slight that which the Ministers of the County Palatine of Lancaster in their harmonious Testimony against Toleration of which we have spoken before do say in the like case if we shall now cast by the Covenant after we have reaped so much fruit benefite by it who knowes but we may be forced to take it up again to save our Lives In the last place Because Field-Meetings for Gospel ordinances dispensed in freedom and faithfulness which the Lord hath often signally owned countenanced to the conviction of many in the conversion confirmation edification consolation of many poor Souls are now by wicked and sanguinary Laws left still inforce when the righteous Laws against Papists are suspended interdicted and discharged under pain of death Therefore we must testifie our abhorence of this cruelty when others are silent at it And signifie also our reasons of endeavouring to maintain these interdicted Meetings with respect to the conveniency secrecy safety of the People to whom we preach Not daring to trust these who are thirsting insatiably after bur blood nor give them such advantage as they are seeking to prey upon us by shutting our selves within houses And moreover taking our selves to be called indispensibly in the present circumstances to be as publick or more than ever in our Testimony for the preached Gospel even in the open Fields We grant that under the Evangelical dispensation there is no place more Sacred than another to which the worship of God is astricted And that when we are persecuted in one place we may flee into another And that if a Magistrate should prohibite one place leave all other free we would not strive for a spot If we were only excluded out of one place and not included restricted to other places nor otherwise robbed of the Churches priviledges But this is not our case for we are interdicted of all places and have to do with one from whom we can take no orders to determine our Meetings It is not then the place of Fields or houses which we contend for Nor is it that which he mainly opposes but it is the freedom of the Gospel faithfully preached that we are seeking to promote and improve he seeking to suppress And therefore as an enemy to the matter object of these Religious exercises which are the eye-sore of Antichrist he prosecuts with such fury and force vigor and rage cruelty and craft the manner circumstances thereof But for the expediency and necessitie of our continuing to keep up our Meetings in Fields in our circumstances we offer these reasons 1. It is necessary at all times that Christians should meet together for Gospel ordinances whether the Magistrate will or not the Authority of God their necessity duty and interest maks it indispenisible in all cases If then there must be such Meetings for such ends then when they cannot meet within doors with conveniency and safety they must do it without If they cannot get the Gospel in houses they must have it wherever they can with the freedom favour of God cost what it will 2. these Meetings must be as publick as may be with conveniency and prudence especially in an evil-time when wickedness is encouraged and a witness for Truth suppressed Then the Meetings of the Lords People that endeavours to keep clean garments should be more frequent publick avowed For 1 Then the call of God by his Word Works is more clamant for publick solemn humiliation in order to avert imminent Judgements impendent stroaks from God Zeph. 2.1 2 3. Joel 2.15 16. 1 Sam. 7.2 6. The way that the Scriptures points out to evite avert publick Judgements is to make our resentment of these indignities done to our God our mourning over them our witness against them as publick as the sins are at least as publick as we can make it by a publick pleading for Truth Isai 59.4 a publick seeking of Truth Jer. 5.1 an avowed valour for the Truth upon the earth Jerem. 9.3 a making up the hedge standing in the gape Ezek. 22.30 A publick pleading with our Mother Hos 2.2 These things cannot be done in private but by way of Testimony 2 The nature and end of Meeting for Gospel
that snare or it grieves them and makes them sad who are tender of such things and makes all difference of that kind to be thought light of Since then in the Toleration it self addressing for it and accepting of it there is such a manifest scandal there must also be a manifold offence in countenancing those that are so Tolerated and consent thereunto it strengthens and confirms them it strengthens others to incorporate with them and weakens the hands of these that witness against it 7. Because our duty to themselves yea our greatest office of Love we owe to them in order to their conviction does oblige us to withdraw from them to shame them out of their sin and not suffer it upon them especially because they are Brethren 1 Cor. 5.11 That walke disorderly against without the order of their office the order of the Church Qui quod sui est ordinis atque officii non faciunt facientes turbant 2 Thess 3 6-14 We plead not here for schisme or sinful separation only we apply to this present Case the constant doctrine of Presbyterians Wherefore we shall here subjoyne some plain Quotations out of their Writtings Mr. Rutherfoord in his Due Right of Presbyteries pag. 253. c. Distinguishes a separation from the Church in her worst and most part and a reparation from the best and least part and pag. 258. when the greatest part of a Church makes defection the lesser part remaining sound the greatest part of the Church are separatists Truth is like life that retireth from the married members into the heart in case of danger So it is the major part that hath made defection which are to be accounted separatists and not such who stand to their principles thô they cannot comply or joyn with the corrupt majority Apolog. Relat. Sect. 14. pag. 291. saith there may be a lawful withdrawing where the ordinances and Ministry are not cast at so long as People does not cast at the Ordinances but are willing to run many Myles to enjoy them Nor cast at the Church as no Church thô they sadly fear that God shall be provoked by that dreadful defection to give her a bill of devorce nor at the Ministry for they love these that stand to their principles dearly and are most willing to hear them either in publick or private The Grave Author of Rectius Instruendum Confut. 3. Dial. Chap. 1. pag. 7. c. Allows that every separation is not schisme even from the Church which hath essentials yea and more than essentials if it be from those thô never so many who are drawing back from any piece of duty and integrity attained for this is still to be held fast according to many Scripture Commands Next he sayes If we separate in that which a national Church hath commanded us as her members to disowne by her standing Acts and Authority while these from whom we separate own that corruption He asserts there likewayes there is a lawful forbearance of Union and Complyance with Backsliders in that which is of its self sinful or inductive to it which is far from separation strictly taken the commands of abstaining from all appearance of evil and hating the garments spotted with the flesh do clearely include this He adds many things will warrant separation from such a particular Minister or congregation which will not warrant separation from a Church national nor infer it Lastly he sayes there is a commanded withdrawing from persons and societies even in worship the precepts Rom. 16.17 2 Cor. 6.17 Prov. 19.20 Act. 2.40 will clearly import this by consequence Surely the Ministers and Professors adhering to her reformation must be the true Church of Scotland thô the lesser number These Souldiers who keep the Generals order are the true members not the deserters of the same In the next place considering how our Covenants are slighted the obligation of them forgotten and they like to be buried in oblivion We Judge we are necessarly called to speak a word of our Covenants national solemn League desiring to bless the Lord who put it in the hearts of his People to engage themselves to enter into Holy Covenants unto his Holy Majestie and one to another in subordination to him in order to these things that concern Truth righteousness Holiness And we do testifie our cordial approbation of and real adherence unto these memorable engagements for we are perswaded in our minds that it is the duty of People Nations who professes the name of the Lord to enter into Covenant with him It is the first great Commandment that we should have no other Gods before him Exod. 20.3 And that we do his Statutes Judgements to avouch the Lord to be our God to walk in his wayes to keep his Statuts Commandments his Judgments to hearken unto his voice Deut. 26.16 17. And whereof we have many notable precedents in the Book of God of entering into renewing the Covenant of Israel by Moses Deut. 29. by Joshua Chap. 24. by Asa 2 Chron. 15. by Hezekiah 2 Chron 29. by Josiah 2 Chron. 34. by Ezra Chap. 10. by Nehem. Chap. 9.38 Chap. 10.29 And we are also no less convinced in our Consciences that the obligation of our Covenants is perpetual binding upon posterity And to confirm this we shall adde these few considerations These engagements are national promises laying in pledge the publick Faith Certainly that promise of the Jewish nobles rulers not to exact usury of their Brethren would have brought their posterity under the curse if they should have done it Nethem 5.12 13. They are national vowes whereby they devoted themselves their posterity to be the Lords People Jacobs vow at Bethel that the Lord should be his God Gen. 28.21 did oblige all his posterity virtually comprehended in him he found him at Bethel and there he spake with us saith Hosea many hundred years after Chap. 12.4 So the Rechabites were bound to observe the vow of their Fore-father Jonadab They are national Oaths these do oblige posterity Joseph took an Oath of the Children of Israel to carry up his bones to Canaan Gen. 50.25 which the posterity going forth of Egypt in after-ages found themselves straitly sworn to observe Exod. 30.19 And accordingly buried them in Shechem Josh. 24.32 They are national Covenants wherein King Parliament and People do Covenant with each other to performe their several respective duties as to Religion and Liberty These oblige the posterity as Israels Covenant with the Gibeonites Josh. 9.15 19. for the breach whereof many ages after the posterity was plagued 2 Sam. 21.1 They are national attestations of God as witness for the perpetuity as well as fidelity thereof Such are these Covenants wherein the name of God is invocated as witness and so they are called the Lords Covenants as that which Zedekiah brake wherefore the Lord punished him Ezek. 17. They are national Covenants