Review of Brambles Warning Against the Scots Discipline, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
The Presbytery is no burden to any honeſt man.
THE bounds and compaſſe of the Warners rage againſt the Presbytery is very large; There is no rigour at all in the Preſbytery.not being content to have incenſed the King and Parliament againſt it, he comes downe to the body of the people, and will have them beleeve the ſpeciall enimity of the Scots diſcipline againſt them, firſt becauſe it inflicts Church cenſures upon every one for the ſmalleſt faults. Anſ. The faults which the Warner mentions may well be ane occaſion of a private advice in the eare, but that any of them did ever procure the ſmalleſt cenſure of the Church, it is a great untruth: no man who knowes us will complaine of our rigour, heerwe wish we were able to refute upon as good reaſon the charge of our ſlaknes in the mouth of ſectaries as we are that of our ſtrictnes in the mouth of Eraſtianes. Wee would know of the Warner, what are theſe Sabbath recreations, which he ſaith are void of ſcandal, and conſiſtent with the dutyes of the day; are they not the ſtage playes and the other honeſt paſtimes, wherewith his friends were wonte to ſanctify the Lords day, as no more a Sabbath then any other day in the yeare, and much leſſe then diverſe popish feſtivalls? An Apoſteme in the loweſt gutt will shew it ſelfe by the unſavory vapours, which now and then are eructat from it. That ever in Scotland there was one word of debate about ſtarch and cuffs, is more then the Warner can prove.
The ſecond oppreſſion, Crimes till repented of ought to keep from the holy table.whereby the Presbytery trods the people under foot is a rare cruelty; that perſons, for grievous crimes whereof the Magiſtrate takes notice, are called to Eccleſiaſtick repentance. Will the Doctor in his fury againſt us, run out upon all his owne friends for no appearance of a fault? Will either the English or popish praelats admit murtherers, whoores or theeves to the holy table without any ſignes of repentance? Is not the greateſt crime the ground of the greateſt ſcandal? Shall ſmall ſcandals be purged away by repentance, and the greateſt be totally paſt by? The Doctor heer may know his owne meaning but others will confeſſe their ignorance of his minde.
The third grievance he would have the people conceive againſt the Presbytery is, Excommunication in Scotland is not injurious to any.the rigour of their excommunication; in this alſo the Warner ſeemes to know little of the Scots way, let excommunication be ſo ſeveer in Scotland as is poſſible, yet the hurt of it is but ſmall: it is ſo rare an accident, men may live long in Scotland, and al their life never ſee that cenſure execute; I have lived in one of the greateſt Cities of that land and for fourty ſeven yeares even from my birth to this day, that cenſure to my knowledge or hearing was never execute there in my dayes but twice; firſt upon ane obſtinat and very profaine Papiſt; and nixt on ſome horrible ſcandalous praelats. Againe when any is excommunicated by the Church, we goe no further with them then Pauls commande: 2. Thes. 3.14. only they who are not tyed to them by naturall bonds, abſtaine from familiar and unneceſſary converſation, to bring them by the ſence of this shame to repentance for their fins.
Thirdly the civil inconvenientes which followe that cenſure come along from the State and the acts of Parliament, for which the Church ought not to be challenged; eſpecially by praelats who wont to allow their officials to excommunicat whole incorporations of people for a ſmall debt of mony, and to preſſe the contemners of that frivolous and profane ſentence, with all the civil inconvenientes they could. Fourthly what ever be the laws in Scotland againſt them who continues long in the contempt of Excommunication, (which are not inflicted but for great ſins and after a long proceſſe) yet certainly their execution is very farre from all cruelty, as they who know the proceedings of that land, will beare witnes.
What he objects about fugitives; it is true, when a proces is begunne, a fugitive may have it concluded, and ſent after him; but we count not that man a fugitive from diſcipline or contumacious as the Warner quarrels us, who upon juſt feare to hazard his life does not compear.