Review of the Seditious Pamphlet by Dr Bramble, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
The Commonwealth is no monſter, when God is made Soveraign, and the commands of men are ſubordinated to the clear will of God.
HAving cleared the vanity of theſe calumnious challenges, wherewith the Warner did animate the King and all Magiſtrates againſt the Preſbyterians, let us try if his skill be any greater, to inflame the people againſt it. He would make the world beleeve that the Preſbyterians are great tranſubſtantiators of whole Commonwealths into beaſts, and Metamorphoſers of whole Kingdoms of men into Serpents with two heads; how great and monſtrous a …erpent muſt the Preſbytery be, when ſhe is the mother of a Dragon with two heads? But it is good, that ſhe has nothing to do with the procreation of the Dragon with ſeven heads, the great Antichriſt, the Pope of Rome: this honor muſt be left to Epiſcopacy; the Preſbytery muſt not pretend to any ſhare in it.
There is no Lordſhip, but a meer ſervice and miniſtry in the Paſtors of the Church.The Warners ground for his pretty ſimilitude is, that the Preſbyterians make two Soveraignties in every Chriſtian ſtate, whoſe commands are contrary. Anſ. All the evil lieth in the contrariety of the commands: as for the double Soveraignty, there is no ſhew of truth in it: for the Preſbyterians cannot be gui…ty of co-ordinating two Soveraignties in one State, though the Prelates may well be guilty of that fault; ſince they with their Maſters of Romae maintain a true Hierarchy, a Spiritual Lordſhip, a domination and principality in their Biſhops above all the Members of the Church, but the Preſbyterians know no foreign, no dominion, no Soveraignty in Church Officers, but a meer miniſtry under Chriſt. As for the contrariety of commands, its true: Chriſts Miniſters muſt publiſh all the commands of their Soveraign Lord, whereunto no command of any temporal Prince needs or ought to be contrary; but if it fall out to be ſo, it is not the Presbytery; but the holy Scriptures which command rather to obey God then man. Dare the Warner here oppoſe the Preſbyterians? dare he maintain a ſubordination of the Church to the State in ſuch a faſhion, that the clear commands of God, publiſhed by the Church, ought to give place to the contrary commands of the State? If the Warner muſt needs invert and contradict Chriſt his ruling of this caſe, let him go on to preach doctrin pointblank contrary to the Apoſtles, that it is better to obey men then God. It falls out as rarely in Scotland, as any where in the world, that the Church and State run contrary ways; but if it ſo happen, the common rules of humane direction towards right and wrong judgment muſt be followed: if a man find either the Church▪ or the State, or both, command what he knows to be wrong (for neither the one nor the other hath any infallibility) there is no doubt, but either or both may be diſobeyed, yet with this difference, that for diſobedience to the Churches moſt juſt commands, a man cannot fall under the ſmalleſt temporal inconvenience without the States good pleaſure, but for his diſobedience to the moſt unjuſt commands of the State, he muſt ſuffer what ever puniſhment the law doth inflict, without any relief from the Church.
Two inſtances are brought by the Warner, of the Church and States contrary commands: the firſt the King commanded Edenburgh to feaſt the French Ambaſſadors, but the Church commanded Edenburgh to faſt that day when the King deſired them to feaſt. Anſ. Here were no ſo contrary commands, but both were obeyed, the people did keep the humiliation, and ſome of the Magiſtrates that ſame day did give the banquet to the French Ambaſſadors as the King commanded; that for this any Church cenſure was intended againſt them, it is a malicious calumny, according to the author of this fable his own confeſſion, as at length may be ſeen in the unloading of Iſſachars burden.
As for his ſecond inſtance,The Warner is full of calumnious untruths. the difference of the Church and State about the late ingagement, we have ſpoken to it in the former Chapter at length: the furtheſt the Church went, was by humble petitions and remonſtrances to ſet before the Parliament the great danger, which that ingagement (as it was ſtated and managed) did portend to Religion, the Kings perſon and whole Kingdom, when contrary to their wholeſom advices the ingagement went on, they medled not to oppoſe the act of State, further then to declare their judgment of its unlawfulneſs, according to the duty of faithful watchmen, Ezek. 33. It is very falſe that the Church have chaſed any man out of the Countrey, or excommunicated any for following that engagement, or have put any man to ſackcloath for it, unto this day. Neither did ever any man call the freedome of the late Parliament in queſtion, how unſatisfied ſoever many were with its proceedings.
When the Warner heaps up ſo many untruths in a few lines, in things done but yeſterday before the eyes of thouſand, we ſhal not wonder of his venturing to lye confidently in things paſt long before any now living were born: but there are a generation of men who are bold to ſpeak what makes for their end, upon the hope that few will be at the pains, to bring back what hath flown from their teeth to the touchſtone of any ſolid triall.