The Dying Mans Testament to the Church of Scotland, Publisher to the reader
THE Publisher to the Reader.
THere are, I suppose, few or none amongst us, or about us, so great strangers to the observation of Providential Occurrents in Scotland, as to be altogether without the knowledge of what hath come to pass here in these dayes, How the holy, just and soveraign Lord, who sometime lifted us up, hath now cast us down; who crowned us with glory and honour, hath stript us of our glory and made the crown to fall from our head, (though we have not said, Wo unto us, for we have sinned) who sometime made us a praise in the earth, hath now made us a hissing, a by-word and reproach to all that are round about us; How He, who once by our unity and oneshoulder▪ service did make us beautifull as Tirza, comely as Jerusalem, and terrible as an Army with Banners, hath now, alas, (which is one of the most imbittering ingredients in our cup) in stead of giving us one heart and one way, in His anger, divided, sub-divided, weakned, disjoynted and broken us; So that Judah vexeth Ephraim, and Ephraim envyeth Judah, and every mans hand almost is against his brother; and through our lamentable and most unseasonable intestine jars and divisions we bite and devour one another, and are like to be consumed one of another; O tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce▪ lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph! that when God hath cast us all down together, we endeavour to keep down and tread upon one another, That when He hath been justly angry with our mother▪ her children are sinfully angry one with another, and when He hath cast us all into the furnace, we are even there strugling and wrestling one with another to the encreasing of the flame; And when brotherly love and lothnesse to give or take offence, is in a special manner called-for, love did never wax▪ more cold, nor offences more abound. Now, when our Church thus in a manner distracted and drunk with the wine of astonishment, is in so sad a posture, and but few of the sons she hath brought forth to guide her or take her by the hand, they all almost fainting and lying at the head of every street as it were so many wild bulls in a net, full of the fury of the Lord and of the rebuke of our God; Then steppeth forth (the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him) one of her sons, the Author of this excellent Treatise concerning Scandal (having made some serious essayes before to take his mother by the hand, though but with small acceptance with many of his Brethren, for which, it may be, the jealous God was in part provoked to remove him) whereby, as by his latter Will and Testament, especially to the Ministers of the Church of Scotland, he doth again renew his formerly fruitlesse and unsuccessfull attempt: In which Treatise as there breatheth a far more sweet and savoury spirit▪ than in most, if not all of the Papers published upon occasion of our late lamentable differences, (which I hope will by none be looked upon as any reflection) So there is throughout a most strong and fragrant smell of more than ordinary piety, that it may be averred of him, as once it was of Cyril of Jerusalem, in his last and best dayes, he was magnae sanctimoniae vir, a man of eminent sanctity: It plainly also speaketh forth special acquaintance with the Scriptures (for, in all his discourses (as it's said of Basil) he doth exquisitly mingle divine testimonies of Scripture, that they are like precious stones, not sewed to, but bred in purple cloathes) and intimacy with the mind of God, as to what may be duty under the various dispensations of his providence, So that it may be said of him, he was a man that had understanding of the times, and knew what Israel ought to do; for he doth with admirable perspicacity take up▪ and with no lesse dexterity direct unto, what ought to be done in this, and that, and the other case, as a most skilfull Anatomist dissecting the whole complex body of duties in reference to ordinary and extraordinary cases and emergents, never missing, as it were, one lith or joynt▪ and like a left-handed Benjamite, that in the greatest intricacies, and gravest difficulties can sling stones at an hairs breadth and not misse. It savoureth likewise all-along of … most sharp, strong and pregnant wit, in supposing cases, proposing pertinent overtures and expedients, in disposing of arguments, framing distinctions, anticipating objections, in cautious guarding against mistakes and inconveniences, &c. So that it's verified of him what was once said of Origen, Origenis ingenium sufficiebat ad omnia perdiscenda, he had such pregnancy of wit that he could reach any thing; and of Joseph Scaliger, he was portentosi ingenii vir, a man of a stupendious wit. It discovereth withall so very great insight in Church-history and Writings of the ancient Fathers, where with it is every where most beautifully illuminate, that it may well be said of him, as once of sweet Bucholtzer, that one would have thought universam antiquitatem in ejus pectusculo latuisse recondit…m, that all antiquity lay hid in his breast; and of famous Mr. Holland, Regius Professor of Divinity in Oxford, Adeo familiaris erat cum Patribus ac si ipse pater, He was so familiarly acquainted with the Fathers as if himself had been one of them. As for his stile and manner of expressing himself, it savoureth very much of the primitive and Gospel-simplicity, So that what is spoken to the commendation of Basil by a learned man, may fitly be applied to the Author, The Reader will find in him a simple and natural form of speech, flowing from his holy breast, much drained of all humane passions; And that which is said of Ambrose, he studied non aures titillare, sed corda pungere, not to tickle and please ears, but to prick hearts: As likewise that which is said of another great man, His words were, non inflantia sed inflammantia, not inflating but inflaming: He sheweth himself here many wayes to have been indeed a great man; but I (having been his Colleague in the Ministery and of his very intimate acquaintance for some years) knew him to be such more particularly and several other wayes, So that while I reflect upon, and call to remembrance what I have seen in, and heard from him, I am constrained to say, as once Urbanus Regius (a man much more able indeed to discern) said of Luther, upon occasion of a conference with him, Semper fuit mihi magnus, at jam mihi maximus est; vidi enim praesens & audivi quae nullo calamo tradi possunt absentibus, He was alwayes to me a great man, but now very great; for I saw and heard things when I was present with him, which can hardly by any pen be communicated to those that were absent. In a word, as to the whole Treatise, it may, I think, without any hyperbole be said, that it is universally most profitable and seasonably beautiful; For, in the first part of it concerning Scandal in the general (excellently compended and commended as all the rest are, by the stately-styling profound and precious Prefacer, like-minded in all these things with the blessed Author, whose sage mind in them, and not the lesse because of this co-incidency, would be more laid weight upon, lest we be put out of time to lament also the losse of such a Healer and Piller in this sorely sick and shaken Church) In the first part, I say, the ancient, primitive, long-dead, buried, and almost-forgotten tendernesse in the matter of Offence (a specially-adorning requisit to a Christian and Gospel-becoming conversation) is again rivived and portraied as risen from the dead with a most amiable and comely countenance and taking aspect, so that it forceth the serious beholders to say, Peace be upon as many as walk according to this Rule. In the second part concerning Scandals as they are the object of Church-censures, there is a very compleat and compact directory according to the Scripturepattern for Church-officers how to manage the great Ordinance of Discipline in its exercise▪ which, if it were diligently and conscienciously followed in the several steps of it, (as it was most convincingly so by the Author himself) would undoubtedly make that work both much more easie and much more succesfull than it useth ordinarily to be. In the third part concerning Scandalous Errours, wonderfully suited to this time of so great infection, sicknesse and mortality, by the raging plague and botch of errour, exceedingly gathered to a head, ripened and made to break and run out, to▪ the infecting, in a manner, of the very air wherein the Churches of these Nations breath, by the heat and warmnesse afforded to it from a lamentable liberty and vast Toleration; In this third part, I say, there is, as it were, a Physicians Shop, full of choice preservatives against, and soveraign remedies of, poysonable errours and heresies. In the fourth part, concerning Scandalous Divisions, he doth, as another Irenaeus, with much meeknesse of wisdom and singular moderation of spirit, without any the least reflection or irritation, most tenderly, singly, unbyassedly and impartially, and most affectionatly, as a man burnt with the offence that waiteth on divisions amongst godly Ministers especially, strongly endeavour an innocent and wholesom union and composure, so that (as an eminent, aged and experienced servant of Iesus Christ, whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all these Churches, when he first saw this Piece in writ, said) it will be unwelcom to none but such as are led with a bitter spirit; to which may well be added, that as it's reported of Nazianzen, he was of such authority in the Greek Churches, that whosoever durst oppose his testimony, was suspected to be an Heretick: So may it be said of the piously and prudently-peaceable, and healing-spirited Author, that he deserveth to be of such authority, at least in the Scottish Church, that whoever shall adventure to oppose (as it's hoped none will) his wise, harmlesse, holy and healing Overtures, may be suspected to be no great friend to the union and peace of this afflicted and rent Church. I will not, Christian Reader, detain thee any longer from perusing this notable Tractate, but shall only offer to thy grave and serious consideration these two things, which I suppose will not a little commend the same unto thee, especially as to the last part of it; one is▪ That the Author, when he was (but a very little before his last sicknesse, and after his finishing the three first parts) most unexpectedly surprised with a motion suggested to him anent the expediency of handling somewhat of the Scandal of Divisions, it did so exceedingly affright him, and had such astonishing influence upon him through the apprehended difficulty and ticklishnesse of the subject (so tender was he) that (as himself did to some afterward professe) he sunk down in his seat, and yet being convinced of the necessity of saying somewhat to it, the Lord having withall helped him in the other parts, he durst not forbear; whereupon this choice discourse (for it was no… divided in Chapters till afterward) did follow, much whereof I know and am perswaded did occur and was given unto him inter dictandum. The other thing is, That sometimes before his death to some friends, he did humbly and gravely call it his Testament to the Church of Scotland; which Testament and Latter-will of a dead, but yet speakingfaithfull servant of God, will, I hope, in due time be confirmed by all godly, judicious, sober, peaceable and unprejudicate men, as containing in it a most excellent and enriching Legacy, worthy to be put into the Churches Treasury. Now, that it may go forth with a rich blessing from the God of truth and peace, to all the honest-hearted lo…ers of the truth in peace, for the advancement of truth and a holy peace, is the desire of him, who desireth to be
Thine to serve thee in the Gospel of Peace, J. C.