Relation of the Sufferings of Ministers in Scotland Since 1660, Summary of contents
The Contents
THe INTRODUCTION. Pag. 1. Sheweth
The grounds & ends of this undertaking.
SECTION 1. Pag. 5. Sheweth
When the Christian religion began first in Scotland: That Palladius was the first prelate in Scotland: No prelats among the Culdees: How & when reformation from popery began: Superintendents no prelats: Nationall Assemblies from the beginning of the reformation. How the Tulchan Bishops came in over the Church her belly: The Church wrestleth till these be put away, & presbyterian Government be setled in all her judicatories, Anno 1592. The King thereafter incroacheth upon the privileges of the Church: Prevaileth with some of the Ministers who betray the Church, & yeeld to Parliament-Bishops, & hinder the Church from enjoying her privileges & liberties in her free Assemblies: The faithfull & Zealous are persecuted: Parliaments carry on the King's designe with violence; Corrupt Assemblies are convocated to further his Maj. designe, & to give Church power unto these Parliamentary Prelats: Parliaments ratifie all. The Church protesteth, & striveth against all this, what she can: The prelats being now inthroned tyrannize over & oppresse the faithfull, laboure to have ceremonies imposed upon the Church with force, & acts made in Parliament for bringing in the surplice & Corner cap, unto which some worthy nobles could not assent, Anno 1633. Who, are therefore accounted rebels & traitours; And Balmerino is condemned. The prelats rage without all law, draw up a service book, book of canans, &c.
SECT. 2. Pag. 44. Sheweth
How the use of the service book was hindered in Edenburgh: Ministers & people from all parts of the Kingdome petitioned against it. The King favoureth not the petitioners: They not withstanding continue in petitioning against the service book, high Commission, prelats, &c. Renew the nationall Covenant thorow the whole land: The King intendeth a war: An Assembly is indicted at Glasgow, Nov. 21. And opened up: This Assembly condemneth, & anulleth severall pretended Assemblies, the book of common prayer, the book of canons, the book of consecration & ordination, the high commission court, & the ceremonies: & excommunicateth some, & deposeth all the prelats: War is prepared against them: They defend themselves: A pacification is concluded: another Assembly promised & a Parliament thereafter▪ The Assembly is opened up; The Parliament is convocated but quickly adjourned: Commissioners are sent to London & imprisoned: A new war is raised by the King: Scotland prepareth for defence: A new pacification: The Parliament meeteth & ratifieth all, which the Covenanters had done, Those acts are againe ratified: The Parl. of Engl. beginneth a work of reformation, entereth into a Covenant with Scotland, & the two nations joyntly proceed in the begun work of reformation: A party in England strengthen themselves: alter the judicatures: take away the King's life: Scotland bringeth home the prince, who sweareth the Covenants, & is overcome by the Englishes in battell, & keeped in bondage ten yeers, till the exiled King returned Anno 1660.
SECT. 3. Pag. 69. Sheweth
Why these Ministers & others, who met Agust. 23. 1660 were incarcerated: what their supplication was; And how unjustly they suffered upon that account.
SECT. 4. Pag. 77. Sheweth
What were the grounds upon which the Marquise of Argil… suffered, & how insufficient in poynt of law, from severall considerations.
SECT. 5. Pag. 83. Sheweth
What were the grounds, upon which the life of precious▪ Mr Guthry, was taken. & how insufficient, Either in law or conscience.
SECT. 6. Pag. 86. Sheweth
Upon what account other Ministers were persecuted: And how unjustly: Some banished for righteousnesse sake, & some indictâ causâ: An extract of the sentence was refused to thos… & to all others.
SECT. 7. Pag. 88. Sheweth
The grounds why conscientious Ministers could not observe the anniversary day.
SECT. 8. Pag. 91. Sheweth
The reasons why Ministers could not observe the prelat… meetings. The author of the seasonable case, &c. Answered.
SECT. 9. Pag. 101. Sheweth
The reasons why ministers could not seek presentations from patrons, nor collations from prelats: The author of the seasonable case, answered.
SECT. 10. Pag. 114. Sheweth
The true sense of the oath of alleagiance which was tendered Anno 1661. &c. Compared with the former: how it holdeth forth a great civil supremacie in the King, cleared by the act. 11: parl. 1661. Which (at least) is much to be questioned, from nine severall grounds: And cannot lawfully be acknowledged because of ten dreadfull consequences which shall necessarily follow thereupon: The former proceedings of the Church & state of Scotland vindicated & cleared.
SECT. 11. Pag. 140. Sheweth
The lawfulnesse of Scotlands defensive war, first from the former practices of Scotland, other Kingdomes, King Iames, & King Charles, & confessions of adversaries: next from a true clearing of the state of that war, in Six Particulars, which obviat all the objections of adversaries: And lastly from lawyers, adversaries, the law of nature, the law of nations, the law of God, & sound reason.
SECT. 12. Pag. 169. Sheweth
What is the meaning of the oath of alleagiance, as to its Ecclesiasticall part: What way the King's supremacy over Church persons, & in Church causes began & was carryed on in England: How the same was advanced to a great height in Scotland: What sense this King & the late Parliament did put upon the oath of alleagianee, by their Acts & Actings: How it were sinfull to acknowledge, by taking the oath, That so much Church power belongeth unto the civil Magistrate, cleared by Nineteen particulars.
SECT. 13. Pag. 200. Sheweth
The groundlesnesse of Mr Stilling fleet's notion concerning the divine right of formes of Church governement, by making it appear how he overturneth his owne grounds, how he misstateth the question, the practice of the Apostles ground a jus divinum here: Christ's institution & the institution of the Apostles is for a particular species: Christ's faithfulnesse in his office, speaketh much for this: The hazard is great in leaving the species undetermined: The confession of the faith of severall Churches for a Species: How he misseth his pretended end & arme. And how unseasonable his book is at this time: & uselesse so long as the league & Covenant standeth in force, though his notion were true in thesi.
SECT. 14. Pag. 254. Sheweth
How weak the Reasons are, which plead for the taking of the oath of alleagiance, by answereing Sixteen of them.
SECT. 15. Pag. 270: Sheweth
How unlawfull it is, to owne & acknowledge the curats fo… lawfull Ministers, by fourteen reasons: Foure objections answered.
SECT. 16. Pag. 298. Sheweth
That it is lawfull for Ministers, banished from their owne flocks by a sentence of the civil Magistrate, to preach in publick or private, as God calleth, by Eight reasons: Thr… objections are answered.
SECT. 17. Pag, 305. Sheweth
That it is lawfull for Ministers, though censured by the pretended prelate, to preach, as God giveth a call, whether in publick, or in private, by Six reasons: Foure objections are answered.
SECT. 18. Pag. 310. Sheweth
That it is lawfull for people to meet together, for hearing honest Ministers preach, publickly or privately; And for other Christian duties, notwithstanding of Acts made against it, by severall reasons: One objection answered.
SECT. 19. Pag. 316. Sheweth
How unlawfull it is to acknowledge the high commission court, by compeering before it, by Eleven reasons: Foure or five objections are answered.
SECT. 20. Pag. 327. Sheweth
How dreadfull a sin it is to abjure the Covenant: a sin aggravated by twelue particulars.
SECT. 21. Pag. 347. Sheweth
What judgements, perjury hath brought on, in all ages, out of history sacred, & prophane.
SECT. 22. Pag. 359. Sheweth
The lawfulnesse & binding force of the solemne league & Covenant, notwithstanding of all which the author of the seasonable case &c. hath said against it.
SECT. 23. Pag. 391. Sheweth
The lawfulnesse of the nationall Covenant, as it was sworne & subscribed, Anno 1638, 1639, &c. Notwithstanding of all which the author of the seasonable case, &c. Hath said to the contrary.
The CONCLUSION Pag. 416. Sheweth
What the now afflicted Church of Scotland expecteth from strangers: & what use they should make of this sad dispensation, &c.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Brown, Relation of the Sufferings of Ministers in Scotland Since 1660 (1665)