Review of the Seditious Pamphlet by Dr Bramble, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
It grieves the Prelates that Presbyterians are faithfull Watchmen, to admoniſh Princes of their duty.
The Scots Miniſters Preaching for Juſtice, was juſt and neceſſary.THE ſixth Chapter is ſpent on an other crime of Presbytery; it makes the Presbyters cry to the Magiſtrate for Juſtice upon capitall Offenders. Anſ. What has Presbytery to doe with this matter, were it never ſo great an offence? will the Warner have all the faults of the Prelaticall Faction, flow from the fountain of Epiſcopacy? this unconſequentiall reaſoning will not be permitted to men below the degrees of Doctors. But was it a very great crime indeed for Miniſters to plead the cauſe of the fatherleſſe and widowes; yea, the cauſe of God their Maker and to preach unto Magiſtrates, that according to Scriptures murtherers, ought to die, and the Land bee purged from the ſtaine of innocent blood? when the ſhamefull impunity of murther made Scotland by deadly feuds, in time of peace a field of war and blood, was it not time for the faithful ſervants of God to exhort the King to execute juſtice, and to declare the danger of moſt frequent pardons drawn from his hand, often againſt his heart, by the opportunity and deceitfull information of powerful ſolicitors, to the great offence of God againſt the whole Land, to the unexpreſſible grief and wrong of the ſuffering party, to the opening alſo of a new floodgate of more blood, which by a legall revenge in time eaſily might have been ſtopped? Too much pity in ſparing the wilfull ſhedders of innocent blood ordinarily proves a great cruelty, not only towards the diſconſolate oppreſſed, who cry to the vicegerents of God the avenger, for juſtice in vain, but alſo towards the ſoul of him who is ſpared, and the life of many more who are friends either to the oppreſſor, or oppreſſed.
As for the named caſe of Huntly let the world judge,Huntleys notorious crymes. whether the Miniſters had reaſon often to give Warning againſt that wicked man and his complices. Beſide, his apoſtaſie, and after-ſeeming repentance, his frequent relapſes into avowed Popery, in Eighty eight he banded with the King of Spaine, to overthrow the religion and government of the whole Iſland, and after pardon, from time to time did renew his treaſonable plots for the ruine of Britain: he did commit many murders, he did invade under the noſe of the King, the houſe of his Couſin the Earl of Murray, and moſt cruelly murdered that gallant Nobleman, he appeared with diſplayed Banner againſt the King in perſon, he killed thereafter many hundreds of the Kings good people, when theſe multiplyed outrages did cry up to the God of heaven, was it not time for the men of God to cry to the Judges of the earth to doe their duty, according to the warrant of many Scriptures? What a dangerous humor of flattery is this in our Prelates, not onelyonly to lull a ſleep a Prince in a moſt ſinful neglect of his charge, but alſo to cry out upon others more faithful then themſelves, for aſſaying to break off their ſlumber,Never any queſtion in Scotland betwixt the King & the Church, for Tythes and Patronages. by their wholſom and ſeaſonable admonitions from the Word of God?
The next challenge of the Scots Presbyters is, that they ſpoile the King of his Tythes, firſt Fruits, Patronage, and Dependence of his Subjects. Anſ. The Warner underſtands not what he writes, The Kings Majeſty in Scotland, never had, never craved any Firſt fruits: The Church never ſpoiled the King of any Tithes, ſome other men indeed, by the wickedneſs moſt of Prelates and their followers, did cozen both the King, and the Church, of many Tythes: but his Majeſty and the Church had never any controverſie in Scotland about the Tythes: for the King, ſo far as concerned himſef, was ever willing, that the Church ſhould enjoy that, which the very Act of Parliament acknowledgeth to be her patrimony. Nor for the patronages had the Church any plea with the King: the Church declared often their mind of the iniquity of patronages, wherein they never had from the King any conſiderable oppoſition, but from the Nobility and Gentry, the oppoſition was ſo great, that for peace ſake, the Church was content to let patronages alone, till God ſhould make a Parliament lay to heart, what was incumbent for gracious men to do, for liberating Congregations from their ſlavery of having Miniſters intruded upon them, by the violence of Patrons. Which now at laſt (bleſſed be God) according to our mind is performed. As for the dependence of any vaſſalls upon the King, it was never queſtioned by any Presbyterian in S otla d.
K. James avowes himſelf a hat… of E…ſtian…ſm.What is added in the reſt of the Chapter, is but a repetition of that which went before, to wit, the Presbyters denying to the King, the ſpirituall Government of the Church, and the power of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: ſuch an uſurpation upon the Church, King James declared under his hand (as at length may be ſe…n in the Hiſtoricall vindication) to be a ſin againſt the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt, which puts in the hand of the Magiſtrate the power of Preaching, and celebrating the Sacraments: a power which ſince that time no Magiſtrate in Britaine did aſſume, and if any would have claimed it, none would have more oppoſed, then the moſt zealous Patrons of Epiſcopacy. The injurious invectives which the Warner builds upon this his Eraſtian aſſertion, we paſs them as Caſtles in their ayr, which muſt fall and evaniſh for want of a foundation. Only before I leave this Chapter, let the Warner take a good Sentence out of the mouth of that wiſe Prince King James, to teſtifie yet farther his mind againſt Eraſtianiſme. His Majeſtie in the year 1617 having come in progreſs to viſit his ancient Kingdom of Scotland, and being preſent in perſon at a publick diſputation in Theologie in the Univerſity of St. Andrews, whereof alſo many, both Nobles, and Church-men of both Kingdoms were auditors; when one of thoſe that acted a part in the diſputation, had affirmed, and went about to maintaine this Aſſertion, that the King had power to depoſe Miniſters from their Miniſteriall function. The King himſelf, as abhorring ſuch flattery, cried out with a loud voice, Ego poſſum deponere Miniſtri caput, ſed non poſſum deponere ejus officium.