Review of Brambles Warning Against the Scots Discipline, Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
CHAP. IV.
Faulty Miniſters in Scotland are leſſe exempted from punishment, then any other men.The pride of prelats lately, but never the Presbitery did exempt their fellows from punishment for their civil faults.
THE Warner in his fourth Chapter offers to prove, that the Scottish diſcipline doth exempt Miniſters from punishment for any treaſon or ſedition they can act in their pulpits. Anſ. This challenge is like the reſt, very falſe. The rules of the Church diſcipline in Scotland obliges Churchmen to bee ſubject to punishment, not only for every fault for which any other man is lyable to cenſure, but ordaines them to bee punished for ſundrie things, which in other men are not at all queſtionable: and what ever is cenſurable in any, they appoint it to be much more ſo in a Miniſter. It is very untrue, that the pulpits in Scotland are Sanctuaries for any crime, much leſſe for the grievous crimes of ſedition and treaſon. Let the Warner remember, how short a time it is, ſince an Epiſcopall chayre or a canonicall coate did priviledge in England and Ireland from all cenſure either of Church or State, great numbers, who were notoriouſly knowne to be guilty of the fouleſt crimes. Was ever the Warners companion Bishop Aderton challenged for his Sodomy, ſo long as their commune patrone of Canterbury did rule the court? did the warner never heare of a prelate very ſibb to Doctour Bramble, who to this day was never called to any account for flagrant ſcandals of ſuch crimes as in Scotland are punishable by the gallows? the Warner doth not well to inſiſt upon the Scots Clergie exempting themſelfe from civill punishments: no where in the world are Churchmen more free of crimes deſerving civil cogniſance then in Scotland: and if the ears and eyes of the world may be truſted, the popish clergy this day in Italy and Spaine are not ſo challengeable, as the praelaticall divines in England and Ireland lately were for many groſſe misdemeanors.
But why does the Warners anger run out ſo farre as to the preachers in Holland? The Warner is injurious to the Miniſters of Holland.is it becauſe he knoweth the Church diſciplin in Holland to be really the ſame with that he oppugnes in the Scots, and that all the reformed Churches doe joyne cordially with Scotland in their rejection of Epiſcopacy? is this a ground for him to ſlander our Brethren of Holland? Is it charity for him a ſtranger to publish to the world in print that the miniſters in Holland are ſeditious oratours, and that they ſaucily controll the Magiſtrats in their pulpits? Their crime ſeemes to be, that for the love of Chriſt their maſter, they are zealous in their doctrin, to preſſe upon the Magiſtrat as well as upon the people the true practiſe of piety, the ſanctification of the ſabbath day, the ſuppreſſion of hereſy and shiſme, and repentance for the ſins of the time & place wherein they live. This is a crime whereof few of the Warners friends were wont to be guilty of: their shamefull ſilence and flattery was one of the great cauſes of all the ſins and calamities that have wracked the three Kingdomes: the ſtreame of their ſermons while the enjoyed the pulpit, was to encourage to ſuperſtition and contempt of piety, to ſing aſleepe by their ungracious way all, that gave eare unto them. The man is impatien, t to ſee the Paſtors of Holland or any where, to walk in another path then his own, and for this cauſe would ſtirre up their Magiſtrats againſt them: as it was his and his Brethrens cuſtome to ſtirre up the Magiſtrats of Britan and Ireland to impriſon, banish, and heavily vex the moſt zealous ſervants of God, only for their oppoſition to the praelats profanity and errours. The Warner (I hope) has not yet forgotten, how Doctor Bramble and his neighbour Lefly of Down did caſt out of the Miniſtry, and made flee out of the Kingdome, men moſt eminent for zeale, piety and learning, who in a short time had done more good in the houſe of God, then all the Bishops that ever were in Ireland, I meane Maſter Blaire, Maſter Levingſton, Maſter Hamilton, and Maſter Cuningham, and others.
The Warner needed not to have marked as a ſingularity of Geneva, that there all the Eccleſiaſticks, quâ tales, are punishable by the Magiſtrats for civil crimes; for wee know none of the reformed Churches, who were ever following Rome in exeeming the Clergy from ſaecular juriſdiction, except it were the Canterburian Praelats: who indeed did skarre the moſt of Magiſtrats from medeling with a canonical coat though defiled with drunckeneſſe, adultery, ſcolding, fighting, and other evils, which were too common of late to that order.
But how does hee prove, The pretended declaration of King Iames, was Biſhop Adamſons lying libel.that the Scots Miniſters exempt themſelves from civill juriſdiction? firſt (ſaith he) by the declaration of King James 1584. Anſ. That declaration was not from King James, as himſelfe did teſtify the yeare thereafter under his hand, but from Maſter Patrike Adamſon, who did acknowledge it to bee his owne upon his death bed, and profeſſed his repentance for the lyes and ſlaunders, wherewith againſt his conſcience hee had fraughted that infamous libell.
His ſecond proofe is from the ſecond booke of diſcipline Chapter II, Though alwayes in England yet never in Scotland had Commiſſarie any juriſdiction over Miniſters.It is abſurd that Commiſſaries haveing no function in the Church, should be judges to Miniſters to depoſe them from their charges. Anſ. Though in England the Commiſſary and officiall was the ordinary judge to depoſe and excommunicat all the Miniſters of the dioceſe, yet by the Lawes of Scotland no Commiſſaries had ever any juriſdiction over Miniſters. But though the officialls juriſdiction together with their Lords the Bishops were abolished, yet doth it follow from this, that no other juriſdiction remaineth whereby Miniſters might be punished either by Church and State, according to their demerits? is not this ſtrongly reaſoned by the Warner?
His third proofe is the caſe of James Gibſon, Iames Gibſon was never abſolved by the Church from his Proces.who had railed in pulpit againſt the King, and was only ſuſpended, yea thereafter was abſolved from that fault. Anſ. Upon the complaint of the Chancelor the alleadged words were condemned by the generall aſſembly: but before the mans guiltines of theſe words could bee tryed, hee did abſent himſelfe: for which abſence he was preſently ſuſpended from his Miniſtry: in the nixt aſſembly he did appeare and cleared the reaſon of his abſence to have been juſt feare and no contumacy, this hee made appeare to the aſſemblyes ſatisfaction, but before his proceſſe could be brought to any iſſue, he fled away to England, where he died a fugitive never reſtored to his chardge, though no tryell of his fault was perfected.Maſter Blacks appeale from the counſel cleered.
The fourth proofe is Mr. Blacke his caſe: heereupon the Warner makes a long and odious narration. If wee interrogat him about his ground of all theſe Stories, he can produce no warrant but Spots-woods unprinted book: this is no authentick regiſter whereupon any underſtanding man can rely, the writer was a profeſt enemy, to his death, of the Scottish diſciplin, he ſpent his life upon a Story for the diſgrace of the Presbytery and the honour of Bishops: no man who is acquainted with the life or death of that Author will build his beleefe upon his words. This whole narration is abundantly confuted in the hiſtoricall vindication, when the Warner is pleaſed to repeat the challenge from Iſſachars burden hee ought to have replyed ſomething after three yeares adviſement to the printed anſwer.
The matter (as our regiſters beare) was shortly thus, in the yeare 1596 the Popish and malignant faction in King James his court grew ſo ſtrong that the countenance of the King towards the Church was much changed, and over all the Land great feares did daily increaſe of the overthrow of the Church diſcipline eſtablished by Law. The Miniſters in their pulpits gave free warning thereof, among others Mr. Black of Saint Andrews, a moſt gracious and faithful Paſtor, did apply his doctrine to the ſins of the time; ſome of his Enemies delated him at Court for words injurious to the King and Queen: the words hee did deny and all his honeſt hearers did abſolve him by their teſtimony from theſe calumnies: of himſelfe hee was moſt willing to be tryed to the uttermoſt before all the world, but his Brethren finding the libelled calumnies to bee only a pretence and the true intention of the Courtiers therein was, to ſtop the mouthes of Miniſters, that the crying ſins of the time should no more bee reproved in pulpits, they adviſed him to decline the judgement of the counſel, and appeale to the generall aſſembly, as the competent judge according to the word of God and the Lawes of Scotland, in the cauſe of doctrin; for the firſt inſtance they did never queſtion, but if any thing truely ſeditious had been preached by a Miniſter that he for this might be called before the civill Magiſtrat and accordingly punished but that every Miniſter for the application of his doctrine according to the rules of ſcripture to the ſins of his hearers for their reclaming, should be brought before a civill court at the firſt inſtance, they thought it unreaſonable and defired the King in the nixt aſſembly might cognoſce upon the equity of ſuch a proceding. The Miniſters had many a conference with his Majeſtie upon that ſubject, often the matter was brought very neare to an amicable concluſion, but becauſe the Miniſters refuſed to ſubſcribe a band for ſo great a ſilence as the Court required againſt his Majeſties countenancing of treacherous Papiſts, and favouring the enemies of religion, a ſeveer Sentence was pronounced not only againſt Maſter Black, but alſo all the Miniſters of Edinburgh.
In the meane time malcontented States-men did adde oyle to the flame, The tumult of the ſeventeenth day of December was harmeleſſe and no Miniſter guilty of it.and at the very inſtant while the Miniſters and their friends are offering a petition to his Majeſtie, they ſubborne a villane to cry in one part of the ſtreets the Miniſters are ſlain, and in another part of the ſtreets that the King was killed: whereupon the People rush all out to the ſtreets in their armes, and for halfe an howr at moſt were in a tumult, upon meere ignorance what the fray might be, but without the hurt of any one man: ſo ſoone as it was found that both the King and Miniſters were ſafe, the people went all peaceably to their houſes. This is the very truth of that innocent commotion, whereupon the Warner heere and his fellowes elſewhere make all their tragedies. None of the Miniſtry were either the authors or approvers thereof, though diverſe of them ſuffered ſore troubles for it.
CHAP. V.
No Presbyterian ever intended to excommunicat any ſupreame Magiſtrat.
THE Warner in his fifth chapter chardges the Scotes for ſubjecting the King to the cenſure of excommunication and bringing upon princes all the miſeries which the popes excommunications of old wont to bring upon Anathematiſed Emperours. Anſ. The praelats ordinarly, but the Presbytery never were for raſh excommunications.It does not become the Warner and his fellowes to object to any the abuſe of the dreadfull ſentence of excommunication, no Church in the world was ever more guilty of that fault then the praelats of England and Ireland, did they ever cenſure their own officialls for the pronouncing of that terrible ſentence moſt profanly againſt any they would, had it been for the non-payment of the ſmalleſt ſummes of mony. As for the Scotes, their doctrine and practiſe in the point of excommunication is as conſiderat as any other church in the world, that cenſure in Scotland is moſt rare and only in the caſe of obſtinacy in a great ſin: what ever be their doctrine in generall with all other Chriſtians and as I think with the praelaticall party themſelves, that the object of Chriſtian doctrine Sacraments and diſciplin is one and the ſame, and that no member of Chriſt, no ſone of the Church, may plead a highnes above admonitions and Church cenſures, yet I know they never thought it expedient ſo much as to intend any proceſſe of Church animadverſion againſt their Soveraigne. To the worlds end I hope they shal not have againe greater grievances and truer cauſes of citation from their Princes then they have had already. It may be confidently beleeved that they who upon ſo pregnant occaſions did never ſo much as intend the beginning of a proceſſe againſt their King, can never be ſuppoſed in danger of any ſuch proceeding for time to come. How ever, The Praelats flatter Princes to their ruine.we love not the abuſed ground of the Warners flattering of Princes to their owne great hurt: is it ſo indeed that all the ſins of princes are only againſt God, that all Kings are not only above all lawes of Church and State but when they fall into the greateſt crimes that the worſt of men have ever committed, that even then their ſins muſt not be againſt any man or againſt any law? ſuch Epiſcopall doctrin ſpurrs on princes to theſe unhappy praecipies, and oppreſſed people unto theſe outrages that both fall into inextricable calamities.