Relation of the Sufferings of Ministers in Scotland Since 1660, Section 21
SECTION XXI.
The great & dreadfull hazard of perjury, or Covenant breaking, is demonstrated.
HAving shown how sinfull & hainous a crime it is to break Covenant, It followeth in the next place, that it be shown how God's curse & wrath cannot but be expected to follow the breach of Covenants. (though Matchiavell would make his admirers beleeve that such as broke Covenants did prosper thereby.) Very heathens can preach …orth this doctrine. That God will be avenged on false and perfidious Covenant breakers. Hesiodus speaking of oaths said, as Claudian translateth him.
Clades mort alibus unde
Adveniunt? quoties fallaci pectore jurantWhence may not men destruction feare: Who with deceitfull hearts do sweare.
Cicero pro Roscio Comoedo sayeth [whatsoever punishment is appoynted by the immortall Gods unto perjured persons, the same is appoynted unto lyars, for The Gods are wroth for the perfidy and malice whereby snares are laid for others in these covenants and againe in his book de legibus, Llb. 2. he sayeth that the punishment with which God punisheth perjury is destruction, and man punisheth it with disgrace.] And Hesiod, as paraphrased by Claudian, sayeth.
In prolem dilata ruunt perjuria patris
Et poenam merito filius ore legit,
Et quas fallacis collegit lingu parentis
Has eadem n…ti lingua refundit opes.
Though perjuries God doth not visite
On parents; but them long do'th spaire:
The children sure shall them inherite
Their punishments deferred beare,
Parents false tongues do riches gain
Children them vomite up againe.
Homer Il…ad. 4. Sheweth how Agamemnon inveigheth against the perjury of the Trojans thus, as he is paraphrased by one.
Etsiperjuros violato foedere Troas
Iupiter e coelis praesenti haud puniat ira
At quando que graves magno cum f…enere poen…
Hi cum conjugibus tum … a stirpe rependent,
Though perjur'd Trojans Covenant who breake
Jov' doth not plague from heav'n, with present ire:
Yet sometime shall he on them vengeance take
Pay them & theirs, with increase of their hyre.
And againe …bid.
contemni numen olympi
Haud impune sinunt Superi; sceira impia quanquam
Distulerunt; culpas hominum gravior a morantu…
Supplicia i. e.
The Gods they do not passe unpunish'd those
Who with contempt, the heavenly pow'rs oppose:
Deserved punishments, though they delay,
For greater crimes, plagues greater waiting stay.
And I…venall could say that such should not escape fore punishment, Sa…yr 13.
Nullane perjuri capitis, fraudisque nefandae
Poena erit? abreptum crede hunc graviore catena
Protini…s; & nosiro (quid plus veli… ira) ne…ari
Arbitrio, i. e.
Shall to a false & perjur'd head
Of fraud & treachery all made,
No punishment appoynted be?
Beleeve me thon may'st this man see
In weighty chaines & setters bound;
In triumph led, cast to the ground
Then have him kill'd at will & pleasure
Can all our wrath wish harder measure?
Hence their fictions of Iupiter's fountane of Tyana: the watters in Sardinta & Bythynia; & the A…dine wel, which had severall malignant influences upon perfidious persons; all speaking out what judgments they expected should follow the perfidious breach of Covenants. This same is held forth by their way of Entering into Covenant, such as their throwing away a stone, & saying per jovem lapidem thereby imprecating (and so expecting) that if they did wittingly & willingly break that Covenant Iupiter might cast them away, as that stone was cast away: And their throwing of pieces of red hote iron into the sea, did import that they expected the Gods might & would so extinguish Covenant breakers: So also their wishing that God wold so strike the Covenant breakers, as the publick officer did strik or cut the beast; as Liv. hath it Lib. 9. sheweth what they did look for, if they did break the Covenant.
Beside that which natures light might teach Christians to expect from God as the due punishment of Covenant breakers. Scripture doth plainly hold forth that Covenant breakers shall not escape the judgment of God. He will not hold th… guiltlesse that take his name in vame. The judgment which followed the perd…e of Saul in breaking the Covenant which was made with the …, some hundereds of yeers after it was made, may make Christians to tremble. So these sad threatnings against Zedekiah, Ezck. 17: 15, 16, 17, 19, 20. Shall he prosper? shall he escape, that doth such things? Or shall he break the Covenant & be delivered? as … live, say eth the Lord, in the place where the King dwelleth that made him King—he shall di…—he shall not escape. Therefore thus sayeth the Lord God, as I live surely mine oath that he hath despised, & my Covenant that he hath broken, even it will I re…perse upon his own head, & I will spread my net upon him, & he shall be taken in my snare, & I will bring him to …abilon & will plead with him there. Such as break their Covenant & are bloody & deceitfull men shall be brought down into the pit of destruction, & shall not live out half their dayes; Psal. 55: 20. Compared with, v. 23. That is a dreadfull word, Neh. 5: 13. Also I shoke my lap & said, so God shake out every man from his house, & from his labour, that performeth not this promise even thus be he shaken out & emptied. Covenant breakers need expect no lesse then to be shaken out of God's house, for the Man that shall ascend into the hill of the Lord is that man who hath not sworne decei…fully, Ps. 24: 3, 4. And he that shall ab…de in the tabernacle of God, is the man who though he sweare to his own hurt, yet he changeth not, Psalm 15: 1, 4. That is a dreadfull word, Zech: 5: 2, 4. [the flying roll, the length whereof is Twenty cubites, & the breadth thereof Ten cubites—shall enter into the house of him that sweareth falsly, & shall remaine in the midst of his house, & shall consume it, with the timber thereof, & the stones thereof.] And Ier. 34: 17.—[behold I proclame a liberty for you sayeth the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, & to the famine, & will make you to be removed into all the Kingdomes of the earth. v. 12. And I will give the men that have transgressed my Covenant—which they have made before me, when they cut the calfe in twaine & passed between the parts thereof. v. 20. I will even give them into the hand of their enemies & into the hand of them that seek their life, & their dead bodyes shall be meat unto the soules of heaven, & to the beasts of the earth.] Doth not the LordMal. 3: 5. Say; That he will be a swift witnesse against fals swearers? And Livit. 26: 15, 16. he sayeth [He will appoynt, terrour, consumption, & the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, & cause sorrow of heart] to such as will break Covenant. & againe v. 25 he sayes I will send a sword that shall avenge the quarrell of my Covenant. Yea perjury occasioned the ruine & destruction of the Kingdome of Iudah for Zedekah the last King thereof was perjured & therefore was pursued by God, & sold into the hands of the Caldeans. So did it occasion the ruine of the Kingdom of Israel, for Hoshea the last King of that state, was a Covenant breaker also. 2. King. 17: 3, 4. He became a servant to Salmaneser King of Assiria, & gave him presents, & yet thereafter he dealt falsly; for the King of A…ria found a conspiracy in him, & he & his people in the ninth yeer of his reigne were carryed away to Assyria: & so both those Kingdomes of Israel & Iudah were ruined & brought to an end by the perjurie of these two last Kings. So likewise the rites used at making of Covenants mentioned in scripture as, the passing betwixt the parts of the cutted calfe Ier. 34: 18. & Gen. 15: 17. say, that they wished (& so looked for) the like dissection to the breaker of the Covenant.
As thus it is seen out of the scriptures of truth, how certanely sore judgments have followed, & will follow that sin of perfidie: So Prophane histories abound with instances of God's pursueing this sin with sad & fearfull judgments. And Florus sayeth Lib. 51: 52. That perfidie occasioned the destruction of the famous citie of Carthage which did strive with Rome it self, in poynt of grandour, as also that it occasioned the destruction of Corinth of Thebas. & of Chalc…s three famous cities of Greece. Hanniball was notoriously persidious & (as Liv. sayeth Lib. 39.) he gote a meeting; For though he had fled to prusiae for his life, & sheltered himself in a house having seven entries, & some of them under the ground; yet he could not escape, but seeing himself ready to be taken, he drank the poyson which he had prepared, & so ended his dayes. So is it reported of Virius Campanus the senator, & Twenty seven others who having broken Covenant did expect no pardon, & therefore killed themselves, Liv. in his 29 & 30 book sheweth how Syphax King of Numidia through perfidy lost both his Kingdom & his life: after he had made a league with the Romans, he Covenanteth with the Carthaginians their enemies, being seduced by the affection of Sophonisba daughter to Asdrubal & so went with them to battell against Scipio & being taken prisoner by Scipio he confessed he had done madly in waging warre against the Romans & had broken Covenant: & by this meanes his Kingdom came under the power of the Romans. So Liv. sheweth lib. 21, Carthaginians were overcome by the Romans, after they had basely broken Covenant, which Asdrubal, in their name, made with the Romans & had been observed all his dayes: And of this victory obtained by the Romans Ha…no … Carthaginian hath these expressions Mox Carthaginem …um sidebunt Romanae legiones, ducibus iisdem dlis, per quos priore bells rupta foedera sunt ulti—vicerunt …rgo dii homines que & id de quo verbis Ambigebatur, uter populus foedus rupisse…, eventus belli, velut … judex, unde jus staba…, …i victoriam dedit i. e. [The Roman legions shall besiege Carthage having the same Gods to be their leaders who in the la…t warre did avenge a brocken Covenant—Gods & men did overcome, & the event of the war, as a just judge, giving victory to them who had the best right, did decide the controversie, viz. which of the parties had broken Covenant before.] Herodotus relateth a storie of one Cydias an inne keeper with whom one Archetimus left some gold to keep till he had returned from doing some businesse; When Archetimus required his money againe, he denyed that he had it, at length the matter is referred to his oath, & a day is appoynted for that end, against which day Cydias prepareth a hollow staffe wherein he putteth all the gold, & feigneing himself to be sick, he taketh the staffe in his hand, & cometh to the Church where he was to sweare, & when he cometh thither, he giveth Archetimus the staff to hold, untill he had given his oath: And when he did sweare that he had given backe all the gold which he gote to ke…p, Archetimus was so offended that he did cast the staffe to the ground in his anger, with such force as that thereby it broke in two, & the gold appeared, & the deceite of Cydias was discovered; Now what came of this Cydias? Malum vitae exi…um habuisse dicitur sayeth our Author; It was reported he made an ill end. The same Herodotus Lib. 6. relateth another storie of one Glaucus in Sparta, with whom Milesius left some considerable summe of money, & when after Milesius's death his Children came to seek the money, he denyed that he had any money, & after they went from him, he went & consulted the oracle at Delphos, & there had this oracle, as our author rendereth the words of Pythias.
Ast juramenti sine nomine …ilius, idem.
Et manibus p. dibus que carens, subito advenit, usque,
Dum omne… corripiat perdens prolem que domum que ,
Oaths have an issue without name,
Which hath no hands, of feet is lame,
Yet it with force & speed doth poste,
Roots house & offspring from their coast.
Glaucus hearing this gave againe the money; & yet shortly thereafter he & all his familie was utterly extinct: And therefore juvenall … Sa…ir. 13. closeth this historie thus.
Has patitur poenas peccandi sola volunt as,
Nam scelus intra se …citum qui cogitat ullum,
Facti crimen habet.
Thus was he plagued who never did commit
The fact, only his will was bent to it;
For who contriveth evil secretly,
He of the fact is guilty really.
Memorable is thehistorie of the persidious dealing which Iohn Husse did meet with (as it it recorded by Sleidan in his comment: Fol. 43. Edit 1559.) who in October An. 1414. Was called by Sigismund unto the Councell at Constance having the publick faith engadged for his securitie, or a saife conduct granted to him, & within three weeks after he came thither, was made prisoner, with which Sigismund was offended, it being done in his absence: But being informed how there was no faith to be keeped unto hereticks, he not only misregarded the petitions of the Bohemians requesting him to keep his promise; but also condemned the said Iohn Husse to be burnt, & his ashes to be scattered on the river of Rhine: Thus did that Emperour make shipewrack of his good name, who in another case said facilius rerum quam famae jacturam subibo. i. e. I shall lose all before I lose my credite: And moreover there was a canon made that no promise should be keeped unto hereticks, or to such as were suspected of heresie notwithstanding that the Emperour should engadge his publick faith, for their saiftie, when called to any Councell: But what followed upon this perfidious dealing? When the report of the execution of Iohn Husse & Ierome of prague spreadeth thorow Bohemia, there ariseth great tumults which draw to a war under the valient & renouned Iohannes Zischa, which was so bloody & cruell that Sigismund was forced to implore help of the Empire.
Memorable is that passage in the Turk's historie, concerning the Covenant betwixt Vladislaus King of Hungary & Amurath for Ten yeers peace, & the consequences of the breach thereof. This Vladislaus was moved by great Kings & princes, as well Mahumetans as Christians, & also by Iohn Palaeologus of Constantinople, & by Francis the Cardinall of florence generall of the Christian fleet, who shewed him, how low Amurath was brought, & what faire advantages the Christians had; & Especially by Iulian the Cardinall, who had a long speach to this end, pressing him to break that Covenant, & having ended his discourse, in name of the Pope he disannulled the league & absolved Vladislus & all whom it might concerne; Whereupon the war was renewed against the Turks & when battell was joyned, near to Varna, the victory began to incline to the Christians, so that Amurath was thinking to flee, but was stayed by a privat souldier▪ & when he saw the great slaughter of his men, beholding the picture of a crucifix in the displayed banner of the Christians, he plucked the paper out of his bosome which did containe the late league, & holding it up in his hand, with his eyes cast up to heaven, said. Behold thou crucified Christ, this is the league, which thy Christians, in thy name, made with me; Which they have without cause violated: Now if thou be a God, as they say thou art, and as we dreame, revenge the wrong now done unto thy name, and me; and shew thy power upon thy perjurious people, who in deeds deny thee their God. A little thereafter Vladislaus is killed, & his head is stuck up upon the poynt of a speare, his army is broken, Iulian the Cardinall is found mortally wounded by the way side in a desert; Scarce the third part of the Christian army escapeth: And long after this the warre with the Turks had very ill successe.
It is reported of Rodolphus duke of Suevia that being instigated by the Pope, he waged ware against Henry the 4th Emperour of Germany, contrary to his oath, having a crown sen… to him with this Motto.
Petradedit Petro Petrus diadema Rodolpho,
The rock gave't Peter, Peter so,
On Rodolph, doth this crowne bestow,
But in fight Rodolphus lost his right hand, & falling sick he called for it, & said …ehold this my right ha…d which hath suffered a just judgment, which through your Importunity contrary to all equity broke that oath which was given to Henry my Lord and master.
Fuller in his history of the holy war speaking of the causes of the many losses which the Christians had in that undertaking sayeth [How could saiftie it self save this people … blesse this project so blackly blasted with perjurie, a sin so repugnant to morall honesty, so injurious to the peace & quiet of the world, so odious in it self, so scandalous to all men▪ to break a league, when confirmed by oath (the strongest bond of conscience, the end of particular strife, the souldier of publick peace, the assurance of amity betwixt diverse nations) is a sin so hainous that God cannot but most severely punish it—no wonder then that the Christians had no longer abideing in the holy hill of Palestine, driveing that trade wherewith none ever yet thrived, the breaking of promises wherewith one may for a while fairely spread his traine, but will melt his feathers soon after. The fabrick must needs come tumbling down whose foundation is laid in perjury.
In the history of Scotland there are severall memorable passages to this purpose, When Durstus the eleventh King was pursued by the Nobles for his wickednesse, & had promised to amend his manners: He did solemnely swear to passe in oblivion all by-gones, but thereafter he treacherously killed the nobles, at a feast unto which he had invited them. But what followed upon this? The body of the Land rose up in armes against him, & he was killed in battell. Thus did God pursue him for his perfidy. It is recorded by Buchan: on the life of Gregorius that the Britans after they had made a peace with the Scots, did break their Covenant, & invaded the Scots; But divine vengeance pursued them for this; for they were broken & defate by Gregory at L…maban & their King Constantin was killed. Memorable is that story of Balliol who to get the Kingdom promised & swore subjection unto the King of England, & thereafter having received some …ussle at the court of England, (for being accused by one McDuff, he was constrained to stand at the barr, & there to defend himself) he reneweth the old league with France, & casteth off England contrare to his oath; alledging that he was forced to give that oath, & that albeit he had done it willingly, it could not stand, because he had not the consent of Parliament, without whose consent the King might do nothing in matters belonging to the whole Kingdom: But these shifts could not clear him from perjury, nor free the land from wrath, because of that sin; for war was raised, & at Berwick above 7000 of the Scots were killed, even the floure of the nobility of Lothian & …ife. The castles of Dumbar Sterline & Edinbrugh were taken, Balliol himself was at length apprehended & sent prisoner to London, all the nobles were called by King Edward to Ber…ick, & there were forced to swear subjection to him: And thus was the Kingdom keeped at under a long time by the Englishes, save what liberty was obtained by renowned Sr William Wallace, but this did not last long; for Scotland was againe subdued, & King Edward called a Parliament at St Andrews, where againe, all the nobles (except Sr William Wallace) did swear alleagiance unto him, & this was the sad fruite of perjury which made the land mourn many a day.
When Cumin & Bruce made a compact together at London for to endeavour the liberating & delivering of the Kingdom out of the hands of the Englishes, & had given an oath of secrecy & faithfulnesse to other; Cumin perfidiously did reveal the matter unto King Edward, but for his treacherie God pursueth him, for ere long he is killed by Bruce in the Church of Drumfries. About the year, 1447. England breaketh their promise of truce unto Scotland & useth some incursions to spoile Scotland, But being payed home by the Scots, it draweth to a warre on the south borders, & there England is foiled, & looseth 3000, beside many prisoners, & the Scots obtaine a great booty; for the English did certanely expect the victory, & therefore came forth, more for pompe & glory then for fighting.
About the year, 1535, the King of England sent to Scotland to commune with the King, about some solide peace & agreement for the time to come, & offered to K. Iames. 5. Then unmarried his doughter, & to make him King of great Britane after his d…ath, & in the mean time to give him the stile of the Duk of yorke: King Iames pleasing these proffers, assenteth & c… descendeth on a day, on which he should meet with the King of England, & accord upon all matters. But at the instigation of the popish-Church men & other courtiers, who were driveing on their own d…signe, he breakeh his promise, with the King of England: And when, Anno 1540. Ambassadours were sent againe from England to desire that the King would goe to York, & there treat with the King of England, conforme to the last agreement. The priests stood in the way here also, with which the King of England was offended, & resolved to raise warrs against Scotland. The result of which war, was, that at length the scottish forces were all scattered & broken, at the report of which defeate, the King was so grieved & vexed that within few dayes he died.
Againe when King Iames 5. Dieth, the King of England, communeth with the Scottish prisoners, whom he had taken at the last battell, concerning the marrying of his sone, with the young Queen King Iames his doughter, & when they promised to do what they could, without wronging either the publick good, or their own credite, he sent them home, appoynting them to leave some pledges in their room at New castle. This was in the end of the year 1542. when the Parl. conveened in March next the businesse was concluded, & thereafter the contract was signed by both Kingdoms & solemnely subscribed in the abbay of Halirood house, & the sacrament was broken, (as the forme was) betwixt the Governour of Scotland, & Mr Sadler Ambassadour from England. But the old Queen & the Cardinall, being against the match, stirre up all to a breach, & perswade those who had been prisoners in England, not to return thither, to relieve their pledges; only the Earle of Cassiles (from whose constancy & faithfulnesse the Earle who now is, is not degenerated, but as his predecessour was sole in keeping Covenant, so is he singular) went, according to his promise & relieved his owne pledges, & being approven by Henry for his constancie & faithfulnesse was freely set at liberty & sent home. But what followed upon this breach of Covenant? Many sad intestine broiles and commotions, tending to the weakening & breaking of the Kingdom, & at length King Henry took occasion to avenge this breach of Covenant, & sent his Navy towards Scotland landing ten thousand men at Leth who did burne Edinb. & many places thereabout; & againe his army did enter the borders & waste & burne all about Kelso & jedburgh & thereafter they spoile & waste all the Mers, Teviotdale, & Lauderdale & some yeers thereafter, viz. Anno 1547. He sendeth, a great army againe into Scotland, & when it lay about Pinckie, there was a letter sent unto the scottish forces, shewing the ground of the war not to be avarice, hatred, or envy; but a desire of a firme & …asting peace which could not otherwise be had then by the marriage which was proposed & assented unto, by the Estates, & an agreement thereupon sworne & subscribed; But the scottish army would not hear of this but resolve on battell, & at length were overcome & suffered great lose; For almost all the young nobleman of Scotland with their friends & followers were killed. This 10. of Septemb. 1547. may yet preach unto Scotland, how God will avenge perfidy, & all the nobles and others of Scotland who have now broken Covenant may remember pinckie field.
The french History sheweth us what way the Lord avenged the bloody perfidiousnesse of Charles 9. who had broken five or six severall pacifications & conclusions of peace, solemnely made & ratified, betwixt him, & the protestants: For he was smitten with a vehement desease causeing him to wallow in his own blood, which he vomited out in great abundance, by all the conduits of his body, for divers houres, till he died. And how Henry the 3. Who had been perfidious in breaking the articles of peace, concluded with the protestants, first about the year 1576. (where among other things he avowed by solemne declaration that the Massacre committed Anno 1572. was against all right & law of armes) & then againe An. 1580. Was stabbed in the belly with a knife, by Iames Clement a Iacobin Friar, in the very chamber where the former King contrived that Barbarous massacre on S. Bartholomew's day Anno 1572.
Any who is well versed in History may fill up many pages with such sad & lamentable Histories, concerning Gods avengeing Covenant breaking: these which have been mentioned, may suffice for a taste.