History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland, Book 2 · Body of book two · Floating text 1
THE FIRST ORATION AND PETITION Of the Protestants of SCOTLAND: To the Queene Regent.
ALbeit we have of long time contained our selves in that modestie (most noble Princesse) that neither the exile of body, losse of goods, nor perishing of this mortall life, was able to make us to aske at your Majestie Reformation, and redresse of those wrongs, and of that sore griefe patiently borne by us in bodies and mindes of long time: Yet are we now by very conscience, and by the feare of our God compelled to crave at your Majesties feet, remedy against the most unjust tyrannie, used against your Majesties most obedient Subjects, by those that be called the State Ecclesiasticall. Your Majestie cannot be ignorant what controversie hath been, and yet is, concerning the true Religion, and right worshipping of God. And how the Clergie (as they will be termed) usurpe to themselves such Empire above the consciences of men; That whatsoever they command, must be obeyed; and whatsoever they forbid, must be avoided; without further respect to Gods Pleasure, Commandment, or Will, revealed to us in his most holy Word; or else there abideth nothing for us but Fagot, Fire, and Sword.The tyrannie of the Clergy By the which many of our brethren most cruelly and most unjustly have been strucken of late yeeres within this Realme, which now we finde to trouble and wound our consciences. For we acknowledge it to have been our bounden duties before God, either to have defended our brethren from those cruell murtherers (seeing we are a part of that power which God hath established in this Realme) or else to have given open testification of our Faith with them: Which now we offer our selves to do, lest that by our continuall silence we shall seem to justifie the cruell tyrannie of those men, which doth not onelyonly displease us: but your Majesties wisdome most prudently doth foresee, that for the quieting of this intestine dissention,Note. a publike Reformation, as well in the Religion, as in the temporall government were most necessary. And to the performance thereof, most gravely and most godly (as we are informed) ye have exhorted as well the Clergie as the Nobility, to imploy their studie, diligence, and care. We therefore, in conscience, dare not any longer dissemble in so weighty a matter, which concerneth the glory of God, and our salvation: Neither now dare we withdraw our presence or counsell, or Petitions, lest that the adversaries hereafter should object to us, That place was granted for Reformation, and yet no man sued for the same: and so shall our silence be prejudiciall unto us in time to come. And therefore we knowing no order placed in this Realme, but your Majestie, and your grave counsell, set to amend, as well the disorder Ecclesiasticall, as the defaults in the temporall Regiment, most humbly prostrate our selves before your feet, asking justice and your gracious help, against them that falsly traduce and accuse us, as that we were Hereticks, and Schismatikes, under that colour seeking our destruction, for that we seek the amendment of their corrupted lives, and Christs Religion to be restored to the originall puritie.The Petition. Further we crave of your Majestie with open and patent eares, to heare those our subsequent requests, and to the joy and satisfaction of our troubled consciences, bountifully to grant the same, unlesse by Gods plaine Word any be able to prove that justly they ought to be denied.
Here beginneth the particular Demands.
FIrst, Humbly we ask, That as we have by the Lawes of this Realme, after long debate obtained to reade the holy Books of the Old and New Testament, in our Vulgar Tongue, as Spirituall food to our soules: so from henceforth it may be lawfull, that we may meet publikely or privately to our Common-Prayers in our Vulgar Tongue, to the end that we may increase and grow in knowledge, and be induced by fervent and oft Prayer, to commend to God the holy Universall Church, the Queene our Soveraigne, her honourable and gracious Husband, the abilitie of their succession, your Majestie Regent, the Nobilitie, and whole State of this Realme.
Secondly, If it shall happen in our said meetings any hard place of Scripture to be read, of which, without explanation, hardly can arise any profit to the hearers, that it shall be lawfull to any qualified persons in knowledge, being present, to interpret and open up the said hard places, to Gods glory, and to the profit of the Auditory. And if any thinke that this libertie should be occasion of Confusion, Debate, or Heresie, we are content that it be provided that the said Interpretation shall underly the judgement of the godly, and most learned within the Realme at this time.
Thirdly, That the holy Sacrament of Baptisme may be used in the Vulgar Tongue, that the God-fathers and Witnesses may not onelyonly understand the points of the League and Contract made betwixt God and the Infant, but also that the Church then assembled, more gravely may be informed and instructed of their duties, which at all times they owe to God, according to that promise made unto him, when they were received into his houshold by the lavacre of spirituall regeneration.
Fourthly, We desire that the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper, or of his blessed Body and Blood may likewise be ministred unto us in the Vulgar Tongue, and in both kindes, according to the plaine Institution of our Saviour Christ Iesus.
And lastly, We most humbly require, That the wicked, slanderous, and detestable life of Prelats, and of the state Ecclesiasticall, may be reformed, that the people by them have not occasion (as of many dayes they have had) to contemne their Ministerie, and the Preaching, whereof they should be Messengers. And if they suspect that we rather envying their honours, or coveting their riches and possessions, then Zealously desiring their amendment and salvation, do travell and labour for this Reformation:The offer. We are content, that not onelyonly the Rules and Precepts of the New Testament, but also the Writings of the ancient Fathers, and the godly and approved Lawes of Justinian the Emperour, decide the controversie betwixt us and them. And if it shall be found, that either malevolently or ignorantly we aske more then these three forenamed have required, and continually do require of able and true Ministers in Christs Church, we refuse not correction, as your Majestie with right judgement shall think meet. But if all the forenamed shall condemne that which we condemne, and approve that which we require; Then we most earnestly beseech your Majestie, that notwithstanding the long custome which they have had to live at their lust, that they be compelled either to desist from Ecclesiasticall administration, or to discharge their duties, as becometh true Ministers. So that the grave and godly face of the Primitive Church reduced; Ignorance may be expelled; True Doctrine and good Manners may once againe appeare in the Church in this Realme. These things we, as most obedient Subjects, require of your Majestie, in the Name of the eternall God, and of his Son Christ Iesus, in presence of whose Throne judiciall, ye, and all other that heere in earth beareth authority shall give account of your temporall regiment. The spirit of the Lord Iesus move your Majesties heart to Iustice and Equity.
These our Demands being proposed, the State Ecclesiasticall began to storme,The practise of Satan. and to devise all manner of lies to deface the equitie of our cause. They bragged as that they would have publike Disputation, which also we most earnestly required,Disputation with condition two things being provided; First, That the plaine and written Scriptures of God should decide all Controversies: Secondly, That our brethren, of whom some were then exiled, and by them unjustly condemned, might have free accesse to the said Disputation, and safe-conduct to return to their dwelling places, notwithstanding any Processe which before had been laid against them in matters concerning Religion. But these being by them utterly denied (for no Judge would they admit, but themselves, their Counsels, and Canon Law) They and their faction began to draw certain Articles of reconciliation,The offer of the Papists. promising unto us, If we would admit the Masse to stand in its former reverence and estimation; Grant Purgatory after this life; Confesse prayer to Saints, and for the dead, and suffer them to enjoy their accustomed Rents, Possession, and Honour: That then they would grant us to pray, and baptize in the Vulgar Tongue, so that it were done secretly, and not in the open assembly. But the grosenesse of these Articles was such, that with one voice we refused them, and constantly craved justice of the Queene Regent, and a reasonable answer of our former Petitions. The Queene then Regent, a woman crafty, dissimulate, and false-thinking, to make her profit of both parties,The grant of the Queene Regent. gave to us permission to use our selves godly, according to our desires provided, that we should not make publike assemblies in Edinburgh nor Lieth, and did promise her assistance to our Preachers, untill some uniform order might be established by a Parliament. To them (we mean the Clergie) she quietly gave signification of her minde, promising that how soon any opportunity should serve, she should so put order to these matters, that after they should not be troubled: for some say, they gave her a large purse 40000. l. Turn. or Scots, gathered by the Laird of Earleshale. We nothing suspecting her doublenesse nor falshood, departed fully contented with her answer, and did use our selves so quietly, that for her pleasure we put silence to Iohn Dowglas, who publikely would have preached in the Town of Lieth; for in all things we sought the contentment of her minde, so far as God should not be offended against us, for obeying her in things as we thought unlawfull.
Shortly after these things, that cruell Tyrant and unmercifull hypocrite, falsly called, Bishop of S. Andrews, apprehended that blessed Martyr of Christ Jesus, Walter Mill, The apprehension of Walter Mill.a man of decrepite age, whom most cruelly and most unjustly he put to death by fire in Saint Andrews, the twenty eighth day of April, in the yeere of God 1558. Which thing did so highly offend the hearts of all godly,1558. that immediatly after his death, began a new fervencie among the whole people, yea, even in the Towne of Saint Andrews, began the people plainely to condemne such unjust crueltie. And in testification that they would his death should abide in recent memory, there was cast together a great heap of stones in the place where he was burnt. The Bishop and Priests thereat offended, caused once or twice to remove the same,Note. with denunciation of cursing, if any man should there lay any stones. But in vaine was that winde blowne, for still was the heape made, till that the Priests and Papists did steale away by night the stones to build their walls, and to other their private uses.
We suspecting nothing that the Queene Regent was consenting to the forenamed murther, most humbly did complain of such unjust crueltie, requiring that justice in such cases should be ministred with greater indifferencie. She as a woman born to dissemble,The hypocrisie of the Queene Regent. and deceive, began with us to lament the cruelty of the Bishop, excusing her selfe as innocent in that cause, for that the sentence was given without her knowledge. Because the man sometimes had been a Priest; therefore the Bishops Officiall did proceed upon him without any commission of the Civill authority, ex officio, as they terme it. We yet nothing suspecting her falshood, required some order to be taken against such enormities, which she promised as oft before. But because shortly after there was a Parliament to be holden, for certain affaires, pertaining rather to the Queens profit particular, then to the commodity of the Common-wealth, we thought good to expose our matter unto the whole Parliament, and by them to seek some redresse: we therefore with one consent did offer to the Queen and Parliament a Letter, in this Tenor: