Review of the Seditious Pamphlet by Dr Bramble, Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
CHAP. IV.
Faulty Miniſters in Scotland are leſſe exempted from puniſhment, then any other men.
THe Warner in his fourth Chapter,The pride of Prelats lately, but never the Presbytery did exempt their fellows from puniſhment for their civill faults. offers to prove that the Scotiſh Diſcipline doth exempt Miniſters from puniſhment for any treaſon or ſedition they can act in their Pulpits. Anſw. This challenge is like the reſt, very falſe. The rules of the Church Diſcipline in Scotland obliges Churchmen to be ſubject to puniſhment, not only for every fault for which any other man is lyable to cenſure, but ordains them to be puniſhed for ſundry things, which in other men are not at all queſtionable; and whatever is conſu…able in any, they appoint it to be much more ſo in a Miniſter. It is very untru…, that the Pulpits in Scotland are Sanctuaries for any crime, much leſſe for the grievous crimes of ſedition and treaſon. Let the Warner remember, how ſhort a time it is, ſince an Epiſcopall Chaire or a Canonicall Co…t did priviledge in England and Ireland from all cenſure either of Church or State great numbers, who were notoriouſly known to be guilty of the fouleſt crimes. Was ever the War… companion duplicate page duplicate page Biſhop Aderton challenged for his Sodomy, ſo long as their common Patron of Canterbury did rule the Court? did the Warner never hear of a Prelate very ſibb to D…ctor Bramble, who to this day was never called to any account for flagrant ſcandals of ſuch crimes as in Scotland are puniſhable by the Gallows? the Warner doth not well to inſiſt upon the Scots Clergy, exempting themſelves from civill puniſhments; no where in the world are Churchmen more free of crimes deſerving civill Cogniſance then in Scotland: and if the ears and eyes of the World may be truſted, the Popiſh Clergy this day in Italy and Spaine are not ſo challengeable, as the Prela…icall Divines in England and Ireland lately were for many groſſ… miſdemeanors.
The Warner is injurious to the Miniſters of Holland.But why does the Warners anger run out ſo far as to the Preachers in Holland? is it becauſe he knoweth the Church D ſcipline in Holland to be really the ſame with that he oppugnes in the Scots, and that all the Reformed Churches doe joyn cordially with Scotland in their rejection of Epiſcopacy? is this a ground for him to ſlander our Brethren of Holland? Is it charity for him a ſtranger to publiſh to the World in print, that the Miniſters in Holland are ſeditious Orators, and that they ſaucily controll the Magiſtrates in their Pulpits? Their crime ſeems to be, that for the love of Chriſt their Maſter, they are zealous in their doctrine, to preſſe upon the Magiſtrate as well as upon the people the true practice of piety, the ſanctification of the Sabbath day, the ſuppreſſion of hereſy and ſchiſm, and repentance for the ſins of the time and place wherein they live. I his is a crime, whereof few of the Warners friends were wont to be guilty of: their ſhamefull ſilence and flattery was one of the great cauſes of all the ſins and calamities that have wracked the three Kingdoms: the ſtream of their Sermons while they enjoyed the Pulpit, was to encourage to ſuperſtition and contempt of piety, to ſing aſleep by their ungracious way all that gave ear unto them. The man is impatient to ſee the Paſtors of Holland or any where, to walk in another path then his own, and for this cauſe would ſtirre up their Magiſtrates againſt them: as it was his and his Brethrens cuſtom to ſtir up the Magiſtrates of Britain and Ireland to impriſon, baniſh, and heavily vex the moſt zealous ſervants of God, only for their oppoſition to the Prelats profanity and errours. The Warner (I hope) has not yet forgotten, how Doctor Bramble and his neighbour Leſty of Down did caſt out of the Miniſtry, and made flee our of the Kingdom, men moſt eminent for zeal, piety and learning, who in a ſhort time had done more good in the houſe of God, then all the Biſhops that ever were in Ireland, I mean Mr. Blair, Mr. Levington, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Cuningham, and others.
The Warner needed not to have marked as a ſingularity of Geneva, that there all the Eccleſiaſticks, quâ tales, are puniſhable by the Magiſtrats for civil crimes; for we know none of the reformed Churches, who were ever following Rome in exempting the Clergy from ſaecular juriſdiction, except it were the Canterburian Praelates: who indeed did ſcare the moſt of Magiſtrats from medling with a canonical coat though defiled with drunkenneſs, adultery, ſcolding, fighting, and other evils, which were too common of late to that order.
But how doth he prove,The pretended declaration of King James, was Biſhop Adamſons lying libel. that the Scots Miniſters exempt themſelves from civil juriſdiction? firſt (ſaith he) by the declaration of King James 1584. Anſ. That declaration was not from King James, as himſelf did teſtifie the year thereafter under his hand, but from Mr. Patrike Adamſon, who did acknowledge it to be his own upon his death bed, and profeſſed his repentance for the lyes and ſlanders, wherewith againſt his conſcience he had fraughted that infamous libell.
His ſecond proof is from the ſecond book of diſciplin Chapter II,Though always in England yet never in Scotland had Commiſſaries any juriſdiction over Miniſters. It is abſurd that Commiſſaries having no function in the Church, ſhould be judges to Miniſters to depoſe them from their charges. Anſ. Though in England the Commiſſary and officiall was the ordinary judge to depoſe and excommunicate all the Miniſters of the dioceſe, yet by the Laws of Scotland no Commiſſaries had ever any juriſdiction over Miniſters. But though the officials juriſdiction together with their Lords the Biſhops were aboliſhed, yet doth it follow from this, that no other juriſdiction remaineth whereby Miniſters might be puniſhed either by Church or State, according to their demerits? is not this ſtrongly reaſoned by the Warner?
His third proofe is the cauſe of James Gibſon, James Gibſon was never abſolved by the Church from his Proceſs.who had railed in Pulpit againſt the King, and was only ſuſpended; yea, thereaft…r was abſolved from that fault. Anſ. Upon the complaint of the Chancelor the alledged words were condemned by the generall Aſſembly: but before the mans guiltineſs of theſe words could be tryed, hee did abſent himſelfe; for which abſence, he was preſently ſuſpended from his Miniſtry: in the next Aſſembly he did appeare and cleared the reaſon of his abſence to have been juſt feare, and no contumacy; this he made appeare to the Aſſemblies ſatisfaction, but before his proceſſe could bee brought to any iſſue, he fled away to England, where he died a fugitive, never reſtored to his charge though no tryal of his fault was perfected.
Mr. Blacks appe… fro… the Councel cleered.The fourth proof is Mr. Black his caſe: hereupon the Warner makes a long and odious narration. If we interrogate him about his ground of all theſe Stories, he can produce no warrant but Spotſwoods unprinted Book: this is no an h…tick R…giſt…r whereupon any underſtanding man can rely; the Writer was a p…ofeſt enemy, to his death, of the Scotiſh Diſcipline, he ſpent his life upon a Story for the d…ſgrace of the Presbytery and the honour of Biſhops: no man who is acquainted with the life or death of that Authour, will build his belief upon his words. This whole narration is abundantly confuted in the hiſtoricall Vindication, when the Warner is pleaſed to repeat the Challenge from Iſſachars burden, he ought to have replyed ſomething after three yeers adviſement to the printed Anſwer.
The matter (as our Regiſters bear) was ſhortly thus: In the yeer 1596. the Popiſh and Malignant Faction in King JAMES his Court grew ſo ſtrong, that the countenance of the King towards the Church was much changed, and over all the Land great fears did daily encreaſe, of the overthrow of the Church Diſcipline eſtabliſhed by Law. The Miniſters in their Pulpits gave free warning thereof: among others, Mr. Black of S. Andrews, a moſt gracious and faithfull paſtor, did apply his doctrine to the ſins of the time; ſome of his Enemies delated him at Court for words injurious to the King and Queen: the words he did deny and all his honeſt hearers did abſolve him by their teſtimony from theſe calumnies: of himſelf he was moſt willing to be tryed to the uttermoſt before all the world, but his Brethren finding the libelled calumnies to be onelyonly a pretence, and the true intention of the Courtiers therein was to ſtop the mouthes of Miniſters, that the crying ſins of the times ſhould no more be reproved in pulpits, they adviſed him to decline the judgment of the councell, and appeal to the general Aſſembly, as the competent Judge according to the word of God and the Laws of Scotland, in the cauſe of doctrine; for the firſt inſtance they did never queſtion, but if any thing truely ſeditious had been preached by a Miniſter, that he for this might be called before the civil Magiſtrate, and accordingly puniſhed; but that every Miniſter for the application of his doctrine according to the rules of Scripture to the ſins of his hearers for their reclaiming, ſhould be brought before a civil court at the firſt inſtance, they thought it unreaſonable, and deſired the King in the next Aſſembly might cognoſce upon the equity of ſuch a proceeding. The Miniſters had many a conference with his Majeſty upon that ſubj…ct; often the mat er was brought very near to an amicable concluſion, but becauſe the Miniſters refuſed to ſubſcibe a band for ſo great a ſilence as the Court required againſt his Majeſties countenancing of treacherous Papiſts, and favouring the enemies of Religion, a ſevere Sentence was pronounced not only againſt Maſter Black, but alſo all the Miniſters of Edinburgh.
In the mean time,The Tumult of the ſeventeenth day of December was harmleſs, and no Miniſter guilty of it. malcontented States-men did adde oyl to the flame, and at the very inſtant, while the Miniſters and their friends are offering a Petition to his Majeſty, they ſuborn a villane to cry in one part of the Streets, That the Miniſters are ſlain, and in another part of the Streets, That the King was killed: whereupon the People ruſh all out to the Streets in their Armes, and for half an hour at moſt, were in a tumult, upon meer ignorance what the fray might be, but without the hurt of any one man; ſo ſoon as it was found that both the King and Miniſters were ſafe, the people went all peaceably to their houſes. This is the very truth of that innocent commotion, whereupon the Warner here and his fellowes elſewhere make all their Tragedies. None of the Miniſtry were the Authors or approvers thereof, though divers of them ſuffered ſore troubles for it.
CHAP. V.
No Presbyterian ever intended to Excommunicate any Supream Magiſtrate.
THe Warner in his fifth Chapter,The Prelats ordinarily, but the Presbytery never were for raſh Excommunications. charges the Scots for ſubjecting the King to the cenſure of Excommunication, and bringing upon Princes all the miſeries which the Popes Excommunications of o…d were wont to bring upon Anathematiſed Emperours. Anſ. It does not become the Warner and his fellowes to object to any, the abuſe of the dreadfull ſentence of Excommunication; no Church in the world was ever more guilty of that fault then the Prelats of England and Ireland; did they ever cenſure their own Officials for the pronouncing of that terrible ſentence moſt profanly againſt any they would, had it been for the non-payment of the ſmalleſt ſums of money? As for the Scots, their doctrine and practice in the point of Excommunication is as conſiderate as any other Church in the world, that cenſure in Scotland is moſt rare and only in the caſe of obſtinacy in a great ſin; what ever be their doctrine in generall with all other Chriſtians and as I think with the P elaticall party themſelves, that the object of Chriſtian doctrine Sacraments and Diſcipline is one and the ſame, and that no member of Chriſt, no ſon of the Church, may plead a highneſs above admonitions and Church Cenſures: yet I know they never thought it expedient ſo much as to intend any Proceſſe of C…u…h a…dverſion againſt their Soveraign. To the worlds end I hope they ſhall not have again greater grievances and truer cauſes of …ritation from their Princes, th n they have had already. It may be confidently believed, that they who upon ſo pregnant occaſio…s d…d never ſo much as intend the beginning of a Proceſs againſt their King, can never be ſup…oſed in danger of any ſuch proceeding for time to come.The Prelates flatter Princes to their ruine. However, we love not the abuſed ground of the Warners flattering of Princes to their own great hur; is it ſo indeed, that all the ſins of the Princes are only againſt God, that all Kings are not only above all Laws of Church and State, but when they fall into the greateſt crimes, that the worſt of men have ever committed, that even then their ſins muſt not be againſt any man or againſt any Law? ſuch Epiſcopall Doctrine ſpurs on Princes to theſe unhappy precipices, and oppreſſed people unto theſe out-rages that both fall into inextricable calamities.