Relation of the Sufferings of Ministers in Scotland Since 1660, Conclusion
The CONCLUSION.
THus reader, thou hast a clear view of the present state & condition of the Church of Scotland, & the true grounds upon which, she is now suffering: Thou seest, how the wayes of Zion do mourn, & how the Lord hath covered her with a cloud, in his anger: how he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden, he hath destroyed his places of the assembly, & caused the solemne feasts & sabbaths to be forgotton in Zion: how he hath cast off his altar, abhorred his sanctuary. & given up into the hand of her enemyes the walls of her palaces; so that she is now made to cry out; is it nothing to you'all yee that passe by, behold & see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me, in the day of his fierce anger; All who passe by, clap their hands at her, they hisse & wag their head saying is this the city that men call the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth; all her enemies have opened their mouth against her, they hisse & gnash their teeth, they say we have, swallowed her up, certanely this is the day that we looked for, we have found, we have seen it:) And therefore they are consulting to cut her off, that she may; no more be a nation. But which is worse, The anger of God is gone out against her; he hideth his face, & testifieth his displeasure, against her, & her c…s; And in so doing just & righteous is he; for she hath rebelled against him. It is the Lord who hath given her to the spoile & to the robbers, even he against whom she hath sinned, for she would not walk in his wayes, neither be obedient unto his law, therefore hath he poured upon her the fury of his anger, & the strength of battell, & it hath set her on fire round about, yet she knew it not, & it burned her, yet she laid it not to heart. Therefore let no man think, whatever apologie any make in her behalf, that she or they do intend to quarrell with the most high, for any of his dispensations towards her; Nay he is just & righteous in all his wayes, yea, though he should punish her yet Seven times more, it would become her to put her mouth in the dust, to be silent, & to bear the indignation of the Lord, because she hath sinned against him, And as yet, she must say, that whatever wrongs her enemies are doing to her, & how ever unjustly she be suffering at their hands, yet the righteous God is doing her no wrong, but punishing her lesse then her iniquities do deserve; so that as to his dealing with her, she hath no cause to complaine, for it is of the Lord's mercy that she is not consumed, because his compassions faile not.
And yet it cannot but be expected, that such as have tasted of the cup of affliction themselves, & have resisted unto blood striveing against sin, &c have known by experience what refreshing hath been in the known sympathy of neighbour Churches, in the day of their tryall & temptation, will minde & make conscience of this Christian duty of sympathy towards the poor Church of Scotland, now when her enemies are the chief & prosper, & have spread out their hands, upon all her pleasant things, when her gates are desolat & her priests sighe. It cannot be thought, that such Churches as owne Christ for their head & husband, can look upon a poor bleeding sister Church which was once decked with ornaments, when her head and King took pleasure in her habitations; but now is striped naked & exposed to shame, & to the scorne & contempt of her enemies, & not have their eyes affecting their heart. Shall it be thought that there are any of the reformed Churches who Esau-like can look on the day of their sister, in the day that she is become a stranger, that can rejoyce over her in the day of her destruction, or speak proudly in the day of her distresse, or look on her affliction in the day of her calamity, or lay hands on her substance in the day of her calamity, or stand in the crosse way to cut off these of hers that escape, or deliver up those of hers that did remaine in the day of distresse? Nay, it is hoped, that as the elect of God, holy & beloved, they have put on bowells of mercies & kindenesse, & have learned to have compassion, & to love as brethren, & to be pitifull, & so cannot forget the afflictions of his people in those Islands, but do bear them on their heart when they have accesse unto the throne of grace, & say, spare thy people o Lord & give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them, wherefore should they say among the people, where is their God? Seing it is the desire of that poor afflicted Church, that all would cry unto their God & her God, that he would turne from his hote wrath & displeasure, & turne to her with healing under his wings: That he would heale her backslideings, and love her freely: and that untill he be pleased to turne from the fiercenesse of his anger, his people may be blessed with Christian patience & submission under the mighty hand of God, & helped to hear the voice of the rode, & who hath appoynted it, & to turne unto him who smiteth, that he may binde up & heale that which he hath broken…: That the iniquity of Iacob may be purged, & the finite of all this may be, to take away sin: & at length his heart may turne within him & his repentings may be kindled together; that he may not execute the fiercenesse of his anger, nor returne to destroy Ephraim, seing he is God, & not man; For he is a God who is gracious, & long suffering, slow to anger, & of great kindenesse, & repenteth him of the evil, who knoweth if he will returne & repent, & leave a blessing behinde him?
That poor Church will be very far disappoynted of …et expectation, if in stead of Christian sympathy, pity & compassion, she shall meet with unbrotherly & unchristian dealing at the hands of any, & if there shall be any such as will be ready to condemne her, as suffering upon very slender & inconsiderable grounds, as it will be no small matter of grief & sorrow unto the already sorrowfull mourning Church, yea an addition unto her affliction, so it will yeeld these little comfort in the day when the cup shall passe over unto them, to reflect upon their unchristian thoughts, & sharpe censures of a poor member of Christ's body, while lying under the feet of oppressours, & such as said to her soul, bow down that we may goeover. It is true, the infinitly wise God hath thought fit to try that Church with more searching tryalls then he did England & Irland, & it was the policy of her adversaries to beginne with such small things, to the end, they might get such as they desired, drawne into their net, & then they weresure piece & piece to get them brought alongs, to countenance them in all their courses, as sad experience hath proved; For some, who at the first resolved to goe some length for peace cause, having no purpose to move one foot further, to whom if it had been then said, that, ere all were done, they would go such a length as now they have gone, with Hazael, they would have replyed are we dogs to do such things, are now going all the length desired, scrupleing at nothing which is a warning to all, to beware of the beginnings of a defection: And indeed for as great as the defection & apostasie in that Church, is at present, & for as great a conspiracy as is found among her prophets; If the tryall had been nothing more searching, then that wherewith the Neigh bour Churches were tryed, there would not have been so many that would have depairted from their former principles, as there are, this day: And therefore it was a mercy unto many in these Neighbour Churches, that their sieve was not more narrow & searching: it is no small mercy unto particular persons, when they see their enemies in their owne colours, & the baite is not able to cover the hook, wherewith their adversaries think to catch them: And it is likewise a mercy (& will be so found & acknowledged in end) unto the Church of Scotl, that God hath followed such a way with her as shall prove most discovering & consequently most purging, by making her drosse to appear, & bringing to light in a short time, more corruption & …aughtinesse, then, in all probability, would have been found out, many a yeer, if God had not taken this course. But now, let none blame those who have desired to keep their garments clean, & to adhere zealously & constantly unto their former principles, & therefore have refused complyance in the least, & would not willingly quite with a hoof, or sell a bit of the precious truth of God: There is a time when such things are very momentous & considerable, which at other times seem not to be of much concernment: Armies may yeeld more unto their enemies at another time & place, then when they are keeping a considerable passe, the loseing of which would prove of great disadvantage unto themselves, & an in-let unto all the enemies forces: There is a time when such things must be stood at, which if abstracted from that time & place, would signifie little or nothing, whether done or not done: The giving of a book or of a piece of paper out of the hands of the martyres, was at that time, & as so circumstantiated, a maine businesse, when they were upon the poynt of avouching truth for God: A little matter when it becometh Casus confessionis is of great moment: Mordecay's beck is no small matter: Daniel's closeing of his windowes, is a great businesse, as it was then circumstantiated: And doolfull experience, in all ages, hath made it appear what mischief hath followed upon yeelding unto the adversaries in small-like matters, in the begining of a defection, what through inadvertancy, what otherwayes: by little & little the pope came to his throne, & not in one day▪ by little & little came prelats formerly to their height, in that Church; & therefore as before, so now the honest party thought themselves called of God, to withstand beginnings & not to cede in the smallest-like matters, when they saw that the opening of never so smal a passage, would be enough to occasion the drowning of all; as (according to the proverb) the brunt child doth scar the fire, so that Church cannot be blamed for keeping such a distance from that plague of prelacy, which formerly had brunt up & consumed all the vitals of religion, & the whole power of Godlinesse, & had made that Church to look like an harlot, & not like the spouse of Christ; Especially after God had wrought such wonderfull deliverances unto her, & had graciously delivered her from that yron furnace, & with his out-stretched arme had brought downe all her enemies, Should they againe break his commandements, & joyn in affinity with the people of those abhominations, would not God be angry with them till he had consumed them, so that there should be no remnant nor escapeing? And it is very remarkable, that there are none who have hitherto rued their suffering upon that account, but rather they are all blessing the name of the Lord, for that he hath keeped them from yeelding in the least; And though their adversaries the prelats, be useing barbarous & inhumane, let be unchristian, wayes, to afflict them still more & more, by procureing acts to be made, dischargeing any Charity to be extended, to them or their families, who are now suffering for the cause of God; Yet they have no cause to compleane; God, for whose sake they are suffering, is provideing for them, & with all is comforting them with the consolations of the Holy ghost, supporting their spirits, keeping them from fainting, & encourageing them, so that they resolve, through his grace, never to comply with these workers of iniquity, lest they partake of their judgments. Yea they are perswaded that if any members of the Christian Churches abroad who had the root of the matter within them, were in their souls stead, they would no more comply with this present course of defection, then they have done, or desire to do; So that, what ever can be looked for from men of corrupt mindes, & such as are enemies to the truth & to the power of godlinesse; Yet they are sure that such as know what it is to walk with God, to have a tender conscience, & to make this their exercise to keep a good conscience both towards God & man, will be loath to condemne them in the least. Yea or if they saw what a deluge of prophanity, is now broken in upon these lands, what unparalleled wickednesse is there perpetrated, what abhomination of all sorts reigneth since this course of defection was begun; Their hearts would tremble, & they would scar at such a course, as is so destructive to the Kingdome of God within, & so advantagious for the promoveing of the maine interest of Satan, & never acknowledge that to be a divine truth which is not after Godlinesse. Sure, there is a principle in all the godly which will incline them to affect that course best, which is most for promoveing the work of grace in souls, & abhore that which openeth a gap to all prophanity & licentiousnesse: And though they could disput none against such a course, this were enough to make their gracious souls abhore it. Let none say that such precisenesse, & refuseing to cede in a little will prove destructive to the Church, by incenseing the civil Magistrat the more; For God's way is alwayes the best, both for particular persons & for Churches; & an instance cannot be showne where a Church by her faithfull adhereing to the truth of God, standing to her principles, & refuseing to goe back in the least, hath ruined herself; But upon the other hand it hath frequently been seen, how a Church by her yeelding unto the snares of her adversaries, through fear or prudence (falsely so called) hath brought ruine & destruction insensibly upon herself: The yeelding unto a little in the beginning of a defection, hath proven the bane & neck-break of Churches, cedeing to little formes at first, hath brought in the masse, at last.
But now it is hoped that such as shall duely & Christianly ponder the premisses, shall not account the grounds of the sufferings of that Church & people, punctilioes, or inconsiderable triffles whatever such as do not weigh… matters in the ballance of the sanctuary, but according to their owne phancies, may judge: And therefore it may be thought that strangers who shall judge of matters according to the truth, shall rather stand astonished & wonder at the pusilanimity, & fainting of heart, which hath there appeared, at this time; & enquire what …s become of that Spirit of boldnesse, zeal, & courage, for the cause & truth of God, which formerly did act the faithfull ministers & professours of the Land? And where are all those worthies, who set their faces against greater stormes, then any that hath appeared of late? And how is it that so many have out lived their own zeal, & faithfulnesse, & by silence at such a time, when God, in his dispensations, did call upon th… to cry aloud & not to spare, have betrayed the precious interests of Christ, which their predecessours valued beyond their lives? And how is it, that this generation hath degenerated, so far as their predecessours might be ignorant of them & not acknowledge them, & have forgotten their former zeal? May not the world wonder at this? But what wonder is it, that it be so, when now their rock hath sold them, & the Lord hath shut them up, when now the Lord hath been displeased and hath made them to drink the wine of astonishment, & for their provocations, hath taken spirit & courage from them, that they may know at length how evill & bitter a thing it is, that they have forsaken the Lord their God?
And therefore this dispensation of the Lord unto that Church, may & ought to be improved by other protestant neighbour Churches, as a warning from the Lord to repent, & returne unto him; for because of her backslideings hath the Lord brought all this upon her, & he is a jealous God who will spar… none, but the greater their injoyments have been, when these are abused to licentiousnesse, & not improved for the glory of God, & the advancement of the work of reformation of Churches, & of particular persons, the sor… will the plagues & judgments be, with which he will visit such: It concerneth all about, & all who hear of the Lord's dealing with her, to repent, & remember from whence they are fallen, & to do their first works; for because of her departing from the love of her espousals, & the kindenesse of her youth, the Lord is now visiteing her with sore & sharpe rodes: Professions, yea large professions will not save in the day of God's anger: He searcheth the hearts▪ & the reines, & he loveth truth in the inward parts, & therefore the faire flourishes of outward professions will not satisfie, if there be not more. Covenanting with the Lord will not hold off judgments, when conscience is not made of these covenants. And now it hath not been Scotland's Covenanting with God that hath brought all this upon her: But Scotlands dealing deceitfully in the Covenant; For so long as she was with some singlenesse of heart, aimeing honestly at the promoveing of the ends of the Covenant, the Lord made her …errible unto all her adversaries, & made one chase an hundereth; But so soon as this vow was forgotten, & the ends thereof not sincerely minded & sought after, then the Lord departed from her, & she could not shake her self as before.
Finally, it would become all neighbour reformed Churches to be upon their guaird, for the same Spirit that troubleth that Church now; is the Spirit of Antichrist seeking to re-enter there after he hath been cast out, with all his appurtenances, in a most universall & solemne manner, & the door bar…ed with solemne Covenants & oaths made unto the most high: And indeed hath gained great footing already; for there is more pop…ry openly professed this day, then hath been openly avowed almost these hundered of yeers. And if Antichrist shall againe get possession there, any may judge what hazard other Churches are into, & what cause they have to withstand the same, & if they can do no more, for that effect, to pray to him, who will hear at length, that he would hasten that day, in his own time, wherein it might be said. Babilon the great is fallen, is fallen, & is become the habitation of devils & the hold of every foule Spirit—so that the Kings of the earth who have Committed …, & lived deliciously with her, may bewaile her, & lament for her, when they shall see the smoak of her burnings, for he will at length judge the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornications, & will avenge the blood of his servants at her hand & then shall that Church (being fully freed from the yoke of prelacy & other abhominations) with others, be glade & rejoyce, when that wicked, with all his appurtenances, shall be consumed with the Spirit of his mouth & shall be destroyed with the brightnesse of his coming. Even so come Lord Iesus.
AMEN.