Review of Brambles Warning Against the Scots Discipline, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
The Common-wealth is no monſter, when God is made Soveraigne, and their commands of men are ſubordinated to the clear will of God.
HAving cleered the vanity of theſe calumnious challenges, where with the Warner did animate the King and all Magiſtrates againſt the Presbyterians, let us try if his skill be any greater, to inflame the people againſt it. Hee would make the World beleeve that the Presbyterians are great tranſſubſtantiators of whole Common-wealths into beaſts, and Metamorphoſers of whole Kingdomes of men, into Serpents with two heads; how great and monſtrous a Serpent muſt the Presbytery be, when shee is the Mother of a Dragon with two heads. But it is good, that she has nothing to doe with the procreation of the Dragon with ſeven heads, the great Antichriſt, the Pope of Rome: this honour muſt bee left to Epiſcopacy: the Presbytery muſt not pretend to any share in it.
The Warners ground for his pretty ſimilitude is, There is no Lordship but a meer ſervice and miniſtry in the Paſtors of the Churchthat the Presbyterians make two Soveraignities in every Chriſtian State, whoſe commands are contrary. Anſ. All the evill lyeth in the contrariety of the commands: as for the double Soveraignity, ther is no shew of truth in it: for the Presbyterians cannot bee guilty of coordinating two Soveraignities in one State, though the Praelats may wel be guilty of that fault; ſince they with there Maſters of Rome mantaine a true hierarchie, a Spirituall Lord-ship, a domination and principality in their Bishops above all the members of the Church, but the Presbyterians know no foreign, no dominion, no Soveranity in Church officers, but a meer miniſtry under Chriſt. As for the contrariety of commands, its true: Chriſts Miniſters muſt publish all the commands of their Soveraigne Lord, whereunto no command of any temporall Prince needs or ought to be contrary; but if it fall out to bee ſo, it is not the Presbytery; but the holy Scriptures, which command rather to obey God then man. Dare the Warner heere oppoſe the Presbyterians? dare he mantaine a ſubordination of the Church to the State in ſuch a fashion, that the cleer commands of God published by the Church ought to give place to the contrary commands of the State? if the Warner muſt needs invert and contradict Chriſt ruling of this caſe, let him goe on to preach doctrine point blank to the Apoſtles, that it is better to obey men then God. It falls out as rarely in Scotland as any where in the world, that the Church and State run contrary wayes; but if ſo it happen, the commune rules of humane direction towards right and wrong judgement muſt be followed: if a man find either the Church or the State or both command what he knowes to be wrong (for neither the one nor the other hath any infallibility) their is no doubt but either or both may be diſobeyed, yet with this difference, that for diſobedience to the Churches moſt juſt commands, a man can not fall under the ſmalleſt temporall inconvenient without the States good pleaſure, but for his diſobedience to the moſt unjuſt commands of the State he muſt ſuffer what ever punishment the law does inflict without any releefe from the Church.
Two inſtances are brought by the Warner, of the Church and States contrary commands: the firſt the King commanded Edenburgh to feaſt the frensh Ambaſſadours, but the Church commanded Edenburgh to faſt that day when the King deſired them to feaſt. Anſ. Heer were no ſo contrary commands, but both were obeyed, the people did kepe the humiliation, and ſome of the Magiſtrats that ſame day did give the banquet to the frensh Ambaſſadours as the King commanded; that for this any Church cenſure was intended againſt them it is a malitious calumny, according to the author of this fable his owne confeſſion, as at length may be ſeen in the unloading of Iſſachars burden.
As for his ſecond inſtance, The Warner is ful of calumnious untruths.the difference of the Church and State about the late ingagement we have ſpoken to it in the former chapter at length: the furtheſt the Church went was by humble petitions and remonſtrances to ſet before the Parliament the great danger, which that ingagement (as it was ſtated and mannaged) did portent to religion, the Kings Perſon & whole Kingdom, when contrary to their whole ſome advices the ingagement went on, they medled not to oppoſe the act of State further then to declare their judgement of its unlawfulneſſe, according to the duty of faithfull watchmen Ezek. 33. It is very falſe that the Church has chaſed any man out of the country, or excommunicated any for following that engagement, or have put any man to ſackcloath for it, unto his day. Neither did ever any man call the freedome of the late Parliament in queſtion, how unſatisfied ſoever many were with its proceedings.
When the Warner heapes up ſo many untruths in a few lines, in things done but yeſterday before the eyes of thouſands, we shall not wonder of his venturing to lye conſidently in things paſt long before any now living were borne: but there are a generation of men who are bold to ſpeake what makes for their end upon the hope that few wil be at the pains, to bring back what hes flowne from their teeth to the touchſtone of any ſolide tryall.