Review of Brambles Warning Against the Scots Discipline, Title page – Dedication
A REVIEW OF DOCTOR BRAMBLE, Late Bishop of LONDENDERRY, HIS FAIRE WARNING Againſt the Scotes Diſciplin.
By R. B. G.
Printed at DELF, By Michiel Stael, dwelling at the Turf-Market 1649.
For the right Honourable the Noble and potent Lord JOHN Earle of Caſſils, Lord KENNEDY, &c. one of his MAJESTIES privie counſel, and Lord Iuſtice generall of Scotland.
RIGHT HONORABLE.
MY long experience of your Lordships ſinceer zeale to the truth of God, and affection to the liberties of the Church and Kingdome of Scotland, againſt all enemies whomſoever; hath imboldened me to offer by your Lordships hand to the view of the publick, my following anſwer to a very bitter enemy of that Church and Kingdome for their adhaerence to the ſacred truth of God and their own juſt liberties.
At my firſt ſight of his Book and many dayes thereafter I had no purpoſe at all to medle with him: The Authors reaſons of his wryting.your Lordſhip knowes how unprovided men of my preſent condition muſt be, either with leaſure, or accommodations, or a minde ſuitable for wryting of books. Alſo Doctor Bramble was ſo well knowne on the other ſide of the Sea, the juſtice of the Parliament of England and Scotland having unanimouſly condemned him to ſtand upon the higheſt pinacle of infamy, among the firſt of the unpardonable incendiaries, and in the head of the moſt pernicious inſtruments of the late miſeries in Britaine and Ireland: and the evident falshood of his calumnies were ſo clearly confuted long ago in printed anſwers to the infamous Authors whence he had borrowed them; I ſaw laſtly the mans Spirit ſo extreame ſaucy, and his pen ſo weſpiſh and full of gall, that I judged him unworthy of any anſwer. But underſtanding his malions boldnes to put his Book in the hand of his Majeſty, of the Prince of Orange, and al the eminent perſonages of this place who can reed Engliſh; yea to ſend it abroad unto all the Univerſities of theſe Provinces, with very high and inſinuating commendations, from the prime favourers of the Epiſcopall cauſe: hearing alſo the threats of that faction to put this their Excellent and unanſwerable peece, both in Dutch, Frenſh, and Latine; that in the whole neighbouring World the reputation of the Scotes might thereby be wounded, killed, and buried, without hope of recovery; I found it neceſſary, at the deſire of diverſe friends, to ſend this my review after it, hoping that all who ſhall be pleaſed to be at the paines of comparing the reply with the challenge, may be induced to pronounce him not only a raſh, untimous, malicious, but alſo a very falſe accuſer. This much juſtice doe I expect from every judicious and aequitable comparer of our wrytes, upon the hazard of their cenſure to fall upon my ſide.The Praelats are unable by reaſon to defend Epiſcopacy.
His invectives againſt us are chiefly for three things; our Diſcipline, our Covenant, our alleadged unkindnes to our late Soveraigne. My apology for the firſt is that in diſciplin we maintaine no conſiderable concluſion, but what is avowed by all the Reformed Churches, eſpecially our Brethren of Holland and France, as by the approbatory ſuffrages of the Univerſities of Leyden, Vtrecht and others, to the theorems whereupon our adverſarie doth build his chief accuſations, may appeare. If our practiſe had aberred from the common rule, the crookednes of the one ought not to praejudge the ſtraightnes of the other: though what our adverſary alleadgeth of theſe aberrations is nothing, but his owne calumnious imputations: the chiefe quarrel is our rule it ſelfe, which all the reformed harmoniouſly defend with us, to bee according to Scripture; and the Epiſcopall declinations, to bee beſide and againſt the line of the word, yea Antichriſtian.
If our Praelats had found the humour of diſputing this maine cauſe to ſtir in their veines, why did they not vent it in replyes to Didoclavius and Gerſome Bucerus, who for long thirty yeares have ſtood unanſwered? or if freſher meats had more pleaſed their taſt, why did not their ſtomacks venture on Salmaſius or Hondels books againſt Epiſcopacy? If verbal debates had liked them better then wryting, why had none of them the courage to accept the conference, with that incomparably moſt learned of all knights now living or in any bygone age Sir Claud Somayis; who by a perſon of honour about the King, did ſignify his readines to prove before his Majeſty, againſt any one or all his praelaticall divines, that their Epiſcopacy had no warrant at all in the word of God, or any good reaſon?
But our friends are much wiſer then to be at the trouble and hazard of any ſuch exerciſe; Their ſtronged arguments are trucks of Court.the artifices of the court are their old trade, they know better how to watch the ſeaſons, and to diſtribute amongſt themſelves the howres of the Kings opportunities, when privatly without contradiction they may inſtill in his tender mind their corrupt principles, and inſtruct him in his cabine, how ſafe it is for his conſcience, and how much for his honor rather to ruine himſelfe, his family and all his Kingdomes with his own hands, then to deſert the holy Church, that is the Biſhops and their followers; then to joine with the rebellious Covenanters, enemies to God, to his Father, to to Monarchy: that the embracing of the Barbarous Iriſh the pardoning of all their monſtruous murders, the rewarding of their expected merits with a free liberty of Popery, and acceſſe to all places of the higheſt truſt, though contrary to all the Lawes which England and Ireland has knowne this hundred yeares; all this without and before any Parliament, muſt be very conſiſtent, with conſcience, honor and all good reaſon. Yea to bind up the ſoule of the moſt ſweet and ingenuous of Princes, in their chaines of their ſlavery for ever, they have fallen upon a moſt rare trick, which hardly the inventions of all their praedeceſſors can pararel. The Brothers unlu… foot is … in foreignThey reſt not ſatisfied, that for the upholding of their ambition and greed, they did harden our late Soveraigne to his very laſt in their Errours, and without compaſſion did dryve him on to his fatal praecipice; unles they make him continue after his death to cry loud every day in the cares of his Son in his later will and teſtament, foreignto follow him in that ſame way of ruine; rather then to give over to ſerve the luſts of the praelaticall clergy. They have gathered together his Majeſties laſt papers, and cut of them have made a book, whereupon their beſt pens have dropped the greateſt eloqution, reaſon and devotion was among them, by way of eſſayes; as it were to frame the heart of the Son by the fingers of the dying Father to piety, wiſedome, patience, and every virtue; but ever & znone to let fall ſo much of their own ungracious dew, as may irrigat the feeds of their praelaticall Errors and Church intereſt; ſo farre as to charge him to perſeveer in the maintainance of Epiſcopall governement upon all hazards, without the change of any thing except a little p. 278. and to aſſure that all Covenanters are of a faction engaged into a Religious rebellion, who may never be truſted till they have repented of their Covenant; and that till then never leſſe loyalty juſtice or humanity may be expected from any, then from them; that if hee ſtand in need of them hee is undone, for they will devoure him as the Serpent does the dove.
Theſe and the like pernicious maximes framed by an Epiſcopall hand, of purpoſe to ſeparat for ever the King from all his covenanted ſubjects, how farr they were from the heart, language and wrytings of our late Soveraigne, all who were aquainted with his carriage and moſt intime affections at New-Caſtle, in the Iſle of Wight and thereafter, can teſtify, But it is reaſon when the Praelats doe frame an image of a King that they ſhould have liberty to place their owne image in its forheade, as the ſtatuary of old did his, in the Boſs of Pallas targe, with ſuch artifice that all her worſhipers were neceſſitat to worſhip him and that no hand was able to deſtroy the one without the diſfolution and breaking in peeces of the other; yet our Praelats would know, that in this age there be many excellent Engyneers, whoſe witty practicks tranſcend the moſt skilfull experiments of our Aunceſtors: and what ever may be the ignorance or weaknes of men, wee truſt the breath of our Lords mouth will not faile to blow out the Bishop from the Kings armes, without any detriment at all to royalty, Allwayes the wicked and impious cunning of theſe craftſemen is much to be blamed who dare be bold to inſert and engrave themſelfes ſo deeply in the images of the Gods as the one cannot be intended to be picked out of the other more then the Aple from the eye, unles the ſubſiſtance of both be put in hazard.
The other matter of his rayling againſt us is the ſolemne league and covenant; The only crime of the Covenant, is that it extirpate praelacy.when this nimble and quick enough Doctor comes aſſiſted with all the reaſons the whole Univerſity of Oxford can afford him, to demonſtrat it as he profeſſes in his laſt Chapter, to be wicked, falſe, void, and what not; wee find his moſt demonſtrative proofes to be ſo poor and ſilly that they infere nothing of his concluſion. To this day no man has ſhewed any errour in the mater of that covenant; as for our framing and taking of it, our adverſaries drave us thereunto, with a great deale of neceſſity; and now being in it, neither their fraud nor force may bring us from it againe, for we feare the oath of God. After much deliberation we found that covenant the ſoveraigne meanes to joyne and keep together the whole orthodox party in the three Kingdomes, for the defence of their Religion and Liberties which a popish, praelaticall and malignant faction with all their might were overturning who ſtill to this day are going on in the ſame deſigne, without any viſible change, in the moſt of their former principles. And why ſhould any who loves the King hate this covenant, which is the ſtrayteſtty the world can deviſe, to knit all to him and his poſterity, if ſo be his Majeſtie might be pleaſed to enter therein; but by all meanes ſuch a miſchiefe muſt be averted, for ſo the roote of Epiſcopacy would quickly wither without any hope of repullulation; an evill farr greater in the thoughts of them who now mannage the conſcience of the Court thē the extirpation of Monarchy the everſion of all the three Kingdomes or any other earthly miſery.
As for the third ſubject of the Warners fury againſt us, The Biſhops are moſt juſtly caſt out of England.our unkindnes to the late King, if any truth were in this falſe challenge, no other creature on earth could be ſuppoſed the true cauſe thereof, but our unhappy praelats: all our grievances both of Church and State, firſt and laſt, came principally from them: had they never been authors of any more miſchiefe, then what they occaſioned to our late Soveraigne, his perſon, family and Dominions this laſt dozn of yeares, there is abundant reaſon of burying that their praeter and Antiſcripturall order in the grave of perpetuall infamy. But the truth is, beſide more auncient quarrels, ſince the dayes of our fathers the Albigenſes, this limb of Antichriſt has ever been witneſſed againſt; Wickleif, Huſs, and their followers were zealous in this charge, till Luther and his diſciples got it flung out of all the reformed world, except England; where the violence of the ill adviſed princes did keep it up for the perpetuall trouble of that land, till now at laſt it hath well neare kicked downe to the ground there, The Scots were never injurious to their King.both Church and Kingdome. As for the point in hand we deny all unkindnes to our King whereof any reaſonable complaint can be framed againſt us. Our firſt conteſts ſtand juſtified this day by King and Parliament in both Kingdomes. When his Majeſtie was ſo ill adviſed as to bring downe upon our borders an English army for to punish our refuſing of a world of novations in our Religion contrary to the lawes of God and of our country, what could our land doe leſſe then lie downe in their armes upon Dunce law for their juſt and neceſſary defence? when it was in their power with eaſe to hauehave diſſipat the oppoſit army, they ſhew themſelves moſt ready upon very eaſy conditions to goe home in peace, and gladly would have reſted there, had not the furious Biſhops moved his Majeſtie without all provocation, to breake that firſt peace and make for a ſecond invaſion of Scotland, only to ſecond their unreaſonable rage: was it not then neceſſary for the Scots to arme againe? when they had deſeate the Epiſcopall Army and taken Newcaſtle though they found nothing conſiderable to ſtand in their way to London, yet they were content to lie ſtill in Northumberland, and upon very meane tearnes to returne the ſecond time in peace. For all this the praelats could not give it over, but raiſed a new Army and filled England with fire and ſword, yea well neere ſubdued the Parliament and their followers and did almoſt accompliſh their firſt deſignes upon the whole Iſle. The Scots then with moſt earneſt and pitifull entreaties were called upon by their Brethren of England for helpe, where unwilling that their brethren ſhould periſh in their ſight and a bridge ſhould be made over their carcaſſes for a third warre upon Scotland, when after long tryall they had found all their interceſſions with the King for a moderat and reaſonable accommodation ſlighted and rejected they ſuffered themſelves to be perſwaded to enter in covenant with their oppreſſed and fainting brethren, for the mantainance of the common cauſe of Religion and liberty, but with expreſſe Articles for the preſervation of royalty in all its juſt rights in his Majeſtie and his poſterity; what unkindnes was heer in the Scots to their King?
When by Gods bleſſing on the Scotes helpe the oppoſit faction was fully ſubdued, his Majeſtie left Oxford with a purpoſe for London, The Scotes ſelling of the King is a moſt falſe calumnie.but by the ſeverity of the ordinances againſt his receivers, he diverted towards Linn, to ship for Holland or France; where by the way fearing a diſcovery and ſurpriſe, he was neceſſitate to caſt himſelfe upon the Scotes army at New-wark; upon his promiſe to give ſatisfaction to the propoſitions of both Kingdomes, he was received there and to New-caſtle: here his old oathes to adhaere unto Epiſcopacy hindred him to give the expected ſatiſfaction. AT that time the prime leaders of the Engliſh army were ſeeking with all earneſtnes occaſion to fall upon the Scots, much out of heart and reputation by Iames Grahame and his Irishes incurſions, moſt unhappy for the Kings affaires: Scotland at that time was ſo full of diviſions that if the King had gone thither they were in an evident hazard of a preſent war both within among themſelfes, and without from England: our friends in the Engliſh Parliament whom we did, and had reaſon to truſt, aſſured us that our taking the King with us to Scotland, was the keeping of the Sectarian Army on foot, for the wracke of the King, of Scorland, of the Presbyterian party in England; as the ſending of his Majeſtie to one of his houſes neer London,, upon the faith of the Parliament of England, was the only way to get the Sectaryes diſarmed, the King and the people ſettled in a peace, upon ſuch tearmes as ſhould be ſatisfactory both to the King and the Scots and all the wel-affected in England. This being the true caſe was it any, either unjuſtice, unkindnes or imprudence in the Scots to leave the King with his Parliament of England? was this a ſelling of him to his enemies? the monyes the Scots received at their departure out of England had no relation at all to the King, they were ſcarce the ſixth parte of the arreares due to them for bygon ſervice; they were but the one halfe of the ſume capitulat for, not only without any reference to the King, but by an act of the Engliſh Parliament excluding expreſly from that Treaty of the armies departure all conſideration of the diſpoſall of the Kings perſon. The unexpected evills that followed in the Armies rebellion, in their ſeaſing on London, deſtroying the Parliament, murthering the King, no mortall eye could have forſeen. The Scots were ever ready to the utmoſt of their power to have prevented all theſe miſchiefes with the hazard of what was deareſt to them; notwithſtanding of all the hard meaſure they had often received both from the King and the moſt of their friends in England. That they did not in time and unanimouſly ſtur to purpoſe for theſe ends they are to anſwer it to God, who were the true Authors; the innocency of the Church is cleered in the following treatiſe. Among the many cauſes of theſe miſeries the prime fountaine was the venome of Epiſcopall principles which ſome ſerpents conſtantly did infuſe by their ſpeaches and letters in the eares and heart of the King to keep him of from giving that ſatisfaction to his good ſubjects which they found moſt neceſſary and due; the very ſame cauſe which ties up this day the hands of covenanters from redreſſing all preſent miſorders could they have the King to joyne with them in their covenant, to quit his unhappy Biſhops, to lay aſide his formall and dead Liturgie, to caſt himſelfe upon the counſels of his Parliaments it were eaſy to prophecie what quickly would become of all his enemies: but ſo long as Epiſcopall and malignant agents compaſſeth him about (though all that comes neer may ſee him as lovely hopfull, and promiſing a prince for all naturall endowments as this day breaths in Europe or for a long time has ſwayed a Scepter in Britaine) yet while ſuch unlucky birds neſt in his Cabin and men ſo ungraciouſly principled doe daily beſiege him, what can his good people doe but ſit downe with mournfull eyes and bleeding hearts, till the Lord amend theſe otherwiſe remediles and inſuperable evills? but I hold heer leaſt I tranſgreſſe to farr the bounds of an Epiſtle?
I account it an advantage to have your Lordſhip my judge in what heere and in my following treatiſe, The reaſon of the dedication.I ſpake of Religion, the liberties of our country and the Royall Family: I know non fitter then your Lordship, both to diſcerne and decerne in all theſe matters. Me thinks I may ſay it without flattery (which I never much loved either in my ſelfe or others) that among all our Nobles for conſtancy in a zealous profeſſion, for exemplary practiſe in publick and privat duties; the mercy of God has given to your Lordship a reputation ſecond to none. And for a rigid adhaerence to the Rights and Priviledges of your Country, according to that auncient diſpoſition of your moſt Noble Family, noted in our Hiſtorians, eſpecially that Prince of them Georg Buchanan, the Tutor of your Grand-Father, I know none in our Land who wil pretend to goe before you, and for the affairs of the King, your intereſt of blood in the Royall Family is ſo well known, that it would be a ſtrange impudency in me, if in your audience I durſt be bold wittingly to give ſiniſtrous information. Praying to God that what in the candid ingenuity & true zeale of my ſpirit, I preſent under your Lordſhips patrociny unto the eye of the World, for the vindication of my mother Church and Country, from the Sicophantick accuſations of a Stigmatiſed incendiary may produce the intended effects,
I reſt your Lordships in all Chriſtian duety, R. B. G. Hague this 28 May / 7 Iunie. 1649.