false For it was for praying for King James as the account which he himself giveth doth make manifest All that he observeth on the Proclamation ordering to whom the Bishops Rents should be paid they being now laid aside is That Alexander Hamiltoun of Kinkel who was imployed as receiver for St. Andrews was at Bothwel Bridge and by the Clemency of the then Government had his Life spared If all this were true what doth it make against the Presbyterians He is known to be a faithful Man and why might not the Government imploy him seeing the former Government had spared him But in truth it was not so much the Clemency of the former Government as no Crime could be proved against him that saved his Life His last Paper for it seemeth that he is now at a Close and can say no more is a draught of an Act for the Establishment of the Government of the Church given in to the Parliament by the Kings Commissioner which he saith that the Presbyterians would not admit of because it restrained them from medling in State Affairs Ans Many other Acts as well as this were given in being drawn by private hands to be considered by the Parliament and were rejected or amended That the Parliament rejected any of them it was because they saw them or somewhat in them to be inconvenient but that he will fix on the particular cause and lay this on the Presbyterians is saucy boldness Not only medling with the designs of the Legislators which is not fit for a private Person but with the secret thoughts of Men which is fit for no Creature § 15. The conclusion of his Book consisting of five or six pages I shall not much be concerned with he there more than before which was needless venteth his Spleen against the present Government of the State And that in very undecent terms He dealeth in most of it with the Observator whom I leave to plead his own cause Though I have above Asserted and Vindicated the Truth of most things for which he challengeth the Observator His note about the Earl of Crafurd's Letter is a groundless Cavil His Lordship doth not own that the Council took probation of Crimes of another Nature beside not Reading and Praying but on the contrary said that though they who framed the Libels against the Episcopal Ministers did ignorantly in their Libels accuse them either for their Opinion about Church Government or Immoralities in their Conversation yet no regard was had to these nor any question made about them He next taketh to task a Book Intituled A brief and true account of the sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Episcopalians since the year 1660. which he saith is written by a true-paced Presbyterian And imputeth all the Assertions and severity of Stile in that Book to the Presbyterians This is an unfair and injurious and false imputation Presbyterians disown both the Stile and many Principles vented in that Book it was written by a Cameronian while that party stood at a distance from the sober Presbyterians and from the Generality of them who bear that Name as much as from the Prelatists Though on the other hand we know that there are many undeniable truths in it as to the matter of Fact concerning these Sufferings which I wish he or any of his party would undertake to disprove But it is strange that this Gentleman should quarrel the stile of that Book seeing it is exactly conform to his own in the bitterness and ill nature that appeareth in it Only things are not there so foully mis-represented as in his Paper The Queries with which he shutteth up this his Work we are the less concerned in because most of them are built upon the principles of that Book which we do not own And others of them on some Actings of this Church in a time when both contending parties run a little too high in the heat of debate Of which I have spoken what is sufficient in my Former Vindication Only a few things not met with in that Paper I now take notice of That the presbyterians have risen twice in Arms in King William ' s time is an impudent and false Assertion For the first time that he mentioneth it was a Rabble of Cameronians not in a Body but here and there to throw out some of the Clergy who had severely oppressed them Of which I have told my Sentiment above The other A formidable number in an Hostile manner making an Address to the Council telling them That they would not lay down their Arms till the Council had discharged all Judicatories to pronounce any Sentence in Favour of Episcopal Ministers This was never heard of before and certainly this Gentleman hath either Dreamed it or Invented it Page 107. He hath amassed a heap of gross Lies viz. That they had Voted King William out of the Supremacy That they have Vâ—urped it to themselves having without his leave Convened at Edinburgh and Voted themselves into a free General Assembly That they daily draw up Instructions for regulating the Parliament That they Meet and Adjourn at their pleasure For the first of these it was not the Ministers but the Parliament to which the King gave his Royal Assent which Voted away the Supremacy And that not any Supremacy that is due to any Man on Earth but such a one as the Pope had usurped over the Church of God and which some of our Kings had assumed and under the former Government had been scrued up to that height that the King might overturn our Religion at his pleasure And it is highly to the Commendation of our Gracious King that he was pleased to give to God that which was his and to reserve only to himself what was Caesars For the second the Presbyterians usurp no Supremacy no Legislative nor Coercive Power They pretend to no more but a Ministerial Power in declaring the Laws of Christ by his Authority and in executing the Censures which he hath appointed for the breakers of these Laws Thirdly It is most false that they convened in the General Assembly without his leave they had an express Act of Parliament for it neither did the Assembly Meet or Adjourn without the Kings Commissioner at any time other Judicatories are by Law allowed to Meet and Adjourn as they think fit and therefore their so doing is not without the Kings leave We think it no small mercy to have the Magistrates Countenance to our Meetings tho' we think to deny any Intrinsick Power in the Church to meet about the Affairs of Religion were to condemn the Apostles and to allow Rulers if they should be either open or secret Enemies to the Truth a power to Ruin all at their pleasure Fourthly That they either daily or at all draw up Instructions for Regulating the Parliament is an Assertion so false and malicious as none but a Man of this Authors Temper could be capable of Nor can I imagine
sufferings of Mr. David Spence followeth That He was discharged to Preach in January 1689. by Strangers yet continuing till April he was forcibly hindred to Preach and to Read the Proclamation on the day appointed for it though he was willing to do it On complaint he had protection from the Committee of Estates yet in September he was deprived for not Reading Ans In the Records of Council I find him deprived for that he confessed he had neither Read nor Prayed But not a word of the Plea he used for his Omission So that this is to be look'd on as a gross prevarication and malicious design to defame the Government For the Rabble hindering him to Preach before he was deprived We do not approve it nor was it done by any of our Communion What is said of some Ministers in the Presbytery of Stranrawer we shall meet with it in a Pamphlet that peculiarly insisteth on their sufferings wherefore I now pass over it Mr. Francis Scot of Tweed-mure was cast out by the Rabble This we do not defend nor are obliged to Answer for it Mr. Alison of Rilbucho was cast out after he had been cleared by the Council having given all Obedience and his Goods were destroyed by some Women and a Presbyterian possesseth his Church neither can he get any redress What application he hath made for redress and who hath been faulty in denying it to him we cannot enquire for our Author is not particular but thought it safest to Reproach the Presbyterians in general Terms All that remains in this third Collection of Papers is some Letters sent to London to my Lord Elphingston complaining of the injustice done to Mr. Paul Gelly Minister of Airth In that he was deprived by the Council on the Testimony of two perjured Persons whereas he had given all Obedience and he hath a good Testimony from most of the Parish Ans They that testifie for him are of his own party They did not testifie any thing before the Council in his Vindication The Witnesses against him were neither accused before any Court nor convicted of any thing that should derogate from the Credibility of their Testimony They testified not only that he did not Read and Pray but that he prayed for the Restoration of King James and exhorted the people to pray so in private And said That he expected a Reformation but they had got a wicked Tyranny and Ungodly Rulers And that people were not secure of Life and Fortune all this is attested by the Records of the Council § 14. In his fourth and last Collection of Papers he hath the Proclamations Acts of Convention and Council Addresses c. That he thinketh may bespatter the Presbyterians These Papers need none of my Apology for them Wherefore I shall only take notice of his little Remarks on them whereby he doth most petulantly reproach the Government as well as the Presbyterians Some Observations he maketh on the Proclamation of the Estates for praying for King William and Queen Mary which are above answered One I now take notice of which is That the Presbyterian Preachers were not questioned for neglecting to read the Proclamation and to pray according to it though others were Ans I know not that any of them were guilty of this neglect And if any were there was no Information against them and therefore no punishment could follow He next dealeth with the Addresses of the Presbyterians to King James for the Liberty granted them by him and taketh notice that they were ready to comply with a Popish Prince and did not keep their promise of Duty and Allegiance to him I take no notice of his profane mocking in the strain of what he saith But to the thing I answer They no farther complied with a Popish Prince than to live peaceably under him and to use the Gospel-priviledge that they had been violently deprived of which was now restored to them and had not his party their Liberty also secured to them by the same King Yea they concurred to set him up and to advance his Supremacy and Arbitrary Power by which he was put in Capacity to destroy our Religion which we never did For promises of Duty and Allegiance we keeped them so long as he was King but when the Nation laid him aside and chused another the obligation of our Allegiance was changed and we bestowed it where the Nation had placed it As also did the Church of England their great Patrons But this Man and his Complices declare their dislike of our King and Civil Government on all occasions as much as they do against our Church way His next effort against the Convention and Government is from a Letter written by the Viscount of Dundee whom he calleth The Great which is on the Matter an owning of that Rebellion that he was the Head of the Letter and this Authors remark on it tend to condemn the Convention of Estates of Injustice This matter I have above touched It is false that he was living in peace and that he was in hazard of his Life by the Rabble He had gathered a formidable party to destroy the Convention of Estates and they gathered a force for their security And on this he and others went away in Arms and gathered a party in the Highlands But on these things I insist not my business being mainly to vindicate the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in her Principles and Actings The Act of Council December 24. 1689. I have vindicated on Letter 2. He is pleased and reckoneth it modesty so to do to call it a great stretch of Justice Some Mens Necks have been made to stretch for a less Crime than thus to reproach the Government He saith page 85. That the Ministers outed by the Rabble are cast out of the protection of the State That is no further true than that they were not reponed The Reasons of which are given on Letter 2. It is maliciously represented That the Rabble and all their Enemies were invited to be Witnesses against them who yet were in place For all were invited but none were admitted but such as were unexceptionable Witnesses Boni legales homines Would he have none but his own party to be Witnesses against them who despised the Government He would fain say something against the Prince of Orange's Declaration page 90. but can find nothing but that the Rabble grew strong by it and they who had taken Arms who were indeed King James's party were forced to Disband This is that which grieveth him What followeth of the Conventions thanks to them that had Guarded them against Dundee's Plot and his observations on it is discussed above on Letter 2. He observeth nothing on the Proclamation for the Fast Aug. 24. 1689. But that he calleth it a Canting Proclamation A word of contempt that these Men use for any thing that looketh like serious Religion And that Mr. Ramsay and Doctor Gardine were deprived for not Reading it Which is
that in England the King whether from Light or Interest I do not judge begun a half Reformation And Royal Authority enlightned the Minds of the people I speak not of all but of the Multitude but in Scotland Light from the Word of God did move first the People then the Great Ones and they prevailed with the King at last Zealously to own the Truth of God Yea and to defend it in Print 3. That the Government of the Church of England was suited to the Monarchy that is as I suppose he meaneth framed by a suitableness to the Monarchy as the Standard of it is not its commendation For that is to make it a humane Contrivance or worldly Policy brought into the Church of Christ over which he is the Head and which is to be governed by his Laws Whereas the Government of the Church of Scotland was contrived by the Word of God as the Standard of it yet was it as much suited to the Monarchy as that of England could be That is it gave and giveth to the King all that power in the State that our Laws gave him And all that Authority over the Church that is due to any Man on Earth The Abettors of it preach and practise as much Obedience and Subjection to Kings as others do and can vie in Loyalty with their Accusers as shall after be observed 4. I do not understand how our present Animosities about Church Government should depend on the one way being suited to the Monarchy and the other not seeing this Author as well as his opposites really are doth highly pretend to be not only for the Monarchy but for the present Monarch King William But either he hath a latent Meaning which hath much Truth in it or he hath hit on the Truth by guess as Cajaphas did viz. That our Animosities about Church Government arise mainly from the different Inclinations that are in the two parties toward the Monarchy as now established in the Persons of our Gracious King William and Queen Mary The strain both of their Writings and Actings make it evident that with him the Interest of King James and that of Prelacy are linked together And their Zeal for the one filleth them with Spite and Animosity against what is opposite to the other And whoso considereth the strain of this Pamphlet will find that the Zeal that this Scribler pretendeth to for King William is expressed usually under the general Notion of the Monarchy which may be understood of either of two Monarchies What he saith that Buchannan and others wrote Books that were condemned for Treason is no Argument For that which by one party is condemned for Treason by another party when they have got the Ascendent hath been absolved as not guilty of that Crime That the Puritans vexed King James VI. is no further true than that they could not yield to the endeavours of some evil Counsellers about him for overturning the Setled Government of the Church and encroaching on its Rights It is true He at last got Episcopacy setled by the help of some both in State and Church who were either none of the best Protestants or had their worldly Designs in promoting that way but still our Author owneth on the matter that the Word of God was not consulted in this weighty Concernment of the Church But only his fancied suitableness to the Monarchy and Conformity to England The account he giveth of putting down Episcopacy afterwards and setting up of Presbytery is neither like a Christian nor like a Historian It is perfect railing while he calleth the Nobles that had a hand in it Ambitious and Factious the Gentry Priest-ridden and blind Zealots the Preachers Enthusiasticks The War that he mentioneth is by all Posterity to be lamented but Men as able to discern as he have laid the blame of it on Episcopal Tyranny and Usurpation and their making many steps toward Popish Doctrine as well as Discipline He next giveth account of the Solemn League and Covenant entered into without the Royal Authority calling Parliaments c. These things were done by the Body of the Nation met in the most orderly representative that the time and case could permit And I deny not but that they were extraordinary Actings not to consider now the Morality of them But let this Gentleman freely tell us whether his Episcopal party be capable of Courses parallel to these which he so exposeth The Presbyterians under the conduct of the Primores Regni arose against their King in defence of their Religion and Laws did not the Prelatick party the same and on the same account They were indeed all for Loyalty and Non-resistance while the Royal Authority supported their greatness and power over their Brethren but when seven of their Bishops were touched it proved another case like that in Ployden if we be guilty in this they are not the Men who should cast the first Stone at us For Barbarities committed by the Presbyterians in these times I know of none but what are the necessary consequents of a War But this Man and his Associates have no other Dialect whereby to express their dislike of the Actings of the opposite party He accuseth them with a Bloody Mouth of what hath been a thousand times refuted as a horrid Lie That the Scots Presbyterians did persidiously give up their King to the English who Murdered him He was the King of the English as well as theirs and they could not withhold him from them And gave him into their hands on as good security as could be for his safety and if others dealt perfidiously with him they are not to be blamed for it He hath a hint as if Episcopacy had been setled by King Charles the Second because the Presbyterians refused all conditions of peace and pardon And for the Monarchies sake The former of these is a great untruth they never refused peace nor pardon but would gladly have imbraced both Only they could not buy them at the rate of Perjury Tho' they never refused to disown any Principles that were indeed Rebellious Their preaching up Rebellion in their Conventicles is false They both preached and practised Loyalty Only after many grievous and insupportable hardships suffered for their Conscience some few of them were prevailed upon by that Temptation to vent some Principles that the more Sober and Intelligent were not satisfied with That punishing them who were taken in Rebellion is all the severity complained of is a Notorious Falshood as all the Nation know and I have above disproved it § 3. From these so well laid Foundations he proceedeth p. 5. to give His Highness some Advices if they may not more properly be called Directions The first That the Prince being come to support our Laws is in Honour bound to support Episcopacy which is confirmed by twenty Parliaments This is Saucy enough As if His Majesty had Acted against his Honour now that Episcopacy is not supported That Episcopacy is