Review of the Seditious Pamphlet by Dr Bramble, Title page – Dedication
A REVIEVV OF THE Seditious Pamphlet lately publiſhed in HOLLAND by Dr Brambell, pretended Biſhop of London-Derry; ENTITLED, His faire Warning againſt the SCOTS DISCIPLINE.
In which, His malicious and moſt lying Reports, to the great ſcandall of that Government, are fully and clearly refuted.
As alſo, The Solemne League and Covenant of the three Nations juſtified and maintained.
By Robert Baylie, Miniſter at Glaſgow, and one of the Commiſſioners from the Church of Scotland, attending the KING at the Hague.
Printed at Delph by Mich. Stait, dwelling at the Turf-Market. 1649.
For the Right Honourable the Noble and Potent Lord, John Earle of Caſſils, Lord Kennedy, &c. one of His Majeſties Privy-Counſell, and Lord Iuſtice generall of Scotland.
Right Honourable,
MY long experience of your Lordſhips ſincere zeale to the truth of God, and affection to the liberties of the Church and Kingdome of Scotland, againſt all enemies whomſoever, hath emboldened me to offer by your Lordſhips hand to the view of the publick, my following anſwer to a very bitter enemy of that Church and Kingdome, for their adherence to the ſacred truth of God, and their owne juſt Libert es.
At my firſt ſight of his Book, and many days thereafte…,The Authors reaſons of his writing. I had no purpoſe at all to meddle with him: your Lordſhip knowes how unprovided men of my preſent condition muſt be, either with leiſure, or accommodations, or a mind ſuitable for writing of Books. Alſo Doctor Bramble was ſo well knowne on the other ſide of the Sea, the juſtice of the Parliament of England and Scotland having unanimouſly condemned him to ſtand upon the higgeſt pinacle of infamy, among the firſt of the unpardonable incendiaries, and in the head of the moſt pernicious inſtruments of the late miſeries in Britaine and Ireland: and the evident falſhood of his calumnies were ſo clearly confuted long ago in printed Anſwers to the Infamous Authors whence he had borrowed them. I ſaw laſtly the mans ſpirit ſo extreme ſaucy, and his pen ſo waſpiſh and full of gall, that I judged him unworthy of any anſwer. But underſtanding his malicious boldneſſe to put his Booke in the hand of His Majeſty, of the Prince of Orange, and all the eminent Perſonages of this place, who can read Engliſh; yea to ſend it abroad unto all the Univerſities of theſe Provinces, with very high and inſinuating commendations, from the prime favourers of the Epiſcopall cauſe: hearing alſo the threats of that faction to put this their excellent and unanſwerable peece, both in Dutch, French, and Latine; that in the whole neighbouring World the reputation of the Scots might thereby be wounded, killed, and buried, without hope of recovery; I found it neceſſary, at the deſire of divers friends, to ſend this my review after it, hoping that all who ſhall be pleaſed to be at the paines of comparing the Reply with the challenge, may be induced to pronounce him not only a raſh, untimous, malicious, but alſo a very falſe accuſer. This much juſtice doe I expect from every judicious and equitable comparer of our wrytes, upon the hazard of their cenſure to fall upon my ſide.The Prelate are unable by reaſon to defend Epiſcopacy.
His invectives againſt us are chiefly for three things, our Diſcipline, our Covenant, our alleaged unkindnes to our late Soveraigne. My apology for the firſt, is, that in diſcipline we maintaine no conſiderable concluſion, but what is avowed by all the Reformed Churches, eſpecially our Brethren of Holland and France, as by the approbatory ſuffrages of the Univerſitie… of Leyden, Utrecht and others, to the theorems whereupon our adverſary doth build his chiefe accuſations, may appeare. If our practiſe had aberred fro… the common rule, the crookedneſſe of the one ought not to prejudge the ſtraitneſſe of the other: though what our adverſary alleadgeth of theſe aberrations is nothing, but his owne calumnious imputations: the chiefe quarrell is our rule it ſelf, which all the Reformed harmoniouſly defend with us, to be according to Scripture; and the Epiſcopall declinations, to be beſide and againſt the line of the word, yea Antichriſtian.
If our Prelates had found the humor of diſputing this maine cauſe to ſtir in their veines, why did they not vent it in replyes to Didoclavius, and Gerſome Bucerus, who for long thirty years have ſtood unanſwered? or if freſher meats had more pleaſed their taſt, why did not their ſtomacks venture on Salmaſius or Blondels books againſt Epiſcopacy? If verball debates had liked them better than writing, why had none of them the courage to accept the conference, with that incomparably moſt learned of all Knights now living, or in any bygone age Sir Claud Somayis, who by a perſon of honour about the King did ſignifie his readineſſe to prove before His Majeſty, againſt any one, or all his Prelaticall Divines, that their Epiſcopacy had no warrant at all in the word of God, or any good reaſon?
Their ſtrongeſt Arguments are tricks of Court.But our friends are much wiſer then to be at the trouble and hazard of any ſuch exerciſe; the artifices of the Court are their old trade, they know better how to watch the ſeaſons, and to diſtribute amongſt themſelves the houres of the Kings opportunities, when privately without contradiction they may inſtill in his tender mind their corrupt principles, and inſtruct him in his cabine, how ſafe it is for his conſcience, and how much for his honor, rather to ruine himſelf, his Family, and all his Kingdoms, with his own hands, then to deſert the holy Church, that is, the Biſhops and their followers; then to joyne with the rebellious Covenanters, enemies to God, to his Father, to Monarchy that the embracing of the barbarous Iriſh, the pardoning of all their monſtrous murders, the rewarding of their expected merits with a free liberty of Popery, and acceſſe to all places of the higheſt truſt, though contrary to all the Lawes which England and Ireland has known this hundred yeares; all this without and before any Parliament, muſt be very conſiſtent, with conſcience, honour, and all good reaſon. Yea to bind up the ſoule of the moſt ſweet and ingenuous of Princes, in the chaines of their ſlavery for ever, they have fallen upon a moſt rare tricke, which hardly the inventions of all their Predeceſſors can paralell. They reſt not ſatisfied, that for the upholding of their ambition and greed,The Biſhops unlucky foot is viſible in foreign. they did harden our late Soveraigne to his very laſt in their Errours, and without compaſſion did drive him on to his fatall praecipice; unleſſe they make him continue after his death to cry loud every day in the eares of his Sonne in his later will and teſtament, to follow him in that ſame way of ruine; rather than to give over to ſerve the luſts of the Prelaticall Clergy. They have gathered together His Majeſties laſt papers, and out of them have made a Booke, whereupon their beſt pens have dropped the greateſt eloqution, reaſon and devotion was among them, by way of eſſayes; as it were to frame the heart of the Son by the fingers of the dying Father to piety, wiſedome, patience, and every virtue; but ever and anon to let fall ſo much of their owne ungracious dew, as may irrigat the ſeeds of their prelaticall Errors and Church intereſt; ſo farre as to charge him to preſevere in the maintainance of Epiſcopall governement upon all hazards, without the change of any thing except a little p. 278. and to aſſure that all Covenanters are of a faction engaged into a Religious rebellion, who may never be truſted till they have repented of their Covenant: and that till then never leſſe loyalty juſtice or humanity may be expected from any, then from them; that if he ſtand in need of them hee is undone, for they will devoure him as the Serpent does the dove.
Theſe and the like pernicious maxims framed by an Epiſcopall hand, of purpoſe to ſeparate for ever the King from all his covenanted ſubjects, how far they were from the heart, language and writings of our late Soveraigne, all who were aquainted with his cariage and moſt intime affections at New-Caſtle in the Iſle of Wight, and thereafter, can teſtify. But it is reaſon when the Prelates do frame an Image of a King that they ſhould have liberty to place their owne image in its forehead, as the ſtatuary of old did his, in the Boſs of Pallas targe, with ſuch artifice that all her worſhipers were neceſſitat to worſhip him, and that no hand was able to deſtroy the one without the diſſolution and breaking in peeces of the o…her; yet our Prelats would know, that in this age their be many excellent Engyneers, whoſe witty practicks tranſcend the moſt skilfull experiments of our Aunceſtors: and whatever may be the ignorance or weaknes of men, wee truſt the breath of our Lords mouth will not faile to blow out the Biſhop from the Kings armes, without any detriment at all to royalty. Allwayes the wicked and impious cunning of theſe craftmen is much to be blamed who dare be bold to inſert and engrave themſelfes ſo deeply in the images of the Gods as the one cannot be intended to be picked out of the other more then the Aple from the eye, unles the ſubſiſtence of both be But in hazard.
The other matter of his railing againſt us is the ſolemne league and covenant;The only crime of the Covenant, is that it extirpate prelacy. when this nimble & quick enough Doctor comes aflicted with all the reaſons the whole Univerſity of Oxford can afford him, to demonſtrat it as he ptofeſſes in his laſt Chapter, to be wicked, falſe, void, and what not; we find his moſt demonſtrative proofs to be ſo poore and ſilly that they infer nothing of his concluſion. To this day no man has ſhewed any errour in the matter of that covenant; as for our, framing and taking of it, our adverſaries drave us thereunto, with a great deale of neceſſity, and now being in it, neither their fraud nor force may bring us from it againe; for we feare the oath of God. After much deliberation we found that covenant the ſoveraigne meanes to joyne and keep together the whole orthodox party in the three Kingdomes, for the defence of their Religion and liberties, which a popiſh, prelaticall and malignant faction with al their might were overturning, who ſtill to this day are going on in the ſame deſigne, without any viſible change, in the moſt of their former principles. And why ſhould any who loves the King hate this covenant, which is the ſtrayteſtry the world can deviſe, to knit all to him and his poſterity, if ſo be his Majeſty might be pleaſed to enter therein? but by all meanes ſuch a miſchief muſt be averted, for ſo the root of Epiſcopacy would quickly wither without any hope of repullulation; an evill far greater in the thoughts of them who now mannage the conſcience of the Court, then the extirpation of Monarchy, the everſion of all the three Kingdomes, or any other earthly miſery.
The Biſhops are moſt juſtly caſt out of England.As for the third ſubject of the Warners fury againſt us, our unkindnes to the late King, if any truth were in this falſe challenge, no other creature on earth could be ſuppoſed the true cauſe thereof, but our unhappy Prelats: all our grievances both of Church and Sate, firſt and laſt, came principally from them: had they never been authors of any more miſchief, then what they occaſioned to our late Soveraigne, his perſon, family and Dominions this laſt dozen of yeares, there is abundant reaſon of burying that their praeter and Antiſcripturall order in the grave of perpetuall infamy. But the truth is, beſide more ancient quarrels, ſince the dayes of our fathers the Albigenſes, this limb of Antichriſt has ever been witneſſed againſt; Wickliſe, Huſs, and their followers were zealous in this charge, till Luther and his diſciples got it flung out of all the reformed world, except England; where the violence of the ill-adviſed princes did keep it up for the perpetuall trouble of that land, till now at laſt it hath well neer kicked downe to the ground there both Church and Kingdome.The Scots were never injurious to their King. As for the point in hand, we deny all unkindnes to our King whereof any reaſonable complaint can be framed againſt us. Our firſt conteſts ſtand juſtified this day by King and Parliament in both Kingdomes. When his Majeſtie was ſo ill adviſed as to bring down upon our borders an Engliſh army for to puniſh our refuſing of a world of novations in our Religio… contrary to the laws of God and of our country, what could our land doe leſſe then lie down in their armes upon Dunce law for their juſt and neceſſ…ry defence? when it was in their power with eaſe to have diſſipat the oppoſite army, they ſhew themſelves moſt ready upon very eaſy conditions to goe home in peace, and gladly would have reſted there, had not the furious Biſhops moved his Majeſtie without all provocation, to break the firſt peace and make for a ſecond invaſion of Scotland, only to ſecond their unreaſonable rage: was it not then neceſſary for the Scots to arme againe? when they had defeat the Epiſcopall Army and taken New-caſtle, though they found nothing conſiderable to ſtand in their way to London, yet they were content to lie ſtill in Northumberland, and upon very meane tearms to return the ſecond time in peace. For all this the Prelats could not give it over, but raiſed a new Army and filled England with fire and ſword, yea well neere ſubdued the Parliament and their followers, and did almoſt accompliſh their firſt deſignes upon the whole Iſle. The Sco… then with moſt earneſt and pitifull entreaties were called upon by their Brethren of England for helpe, where unwilling that their brethren ſhould periſh in their ſight, and a bridge ſhould be made over their carcaſſes for a third warre upon Scotland, when after long triall they had found all their interceſſions with the King for a modern and reaſonable accomodation ſlighted and rejected, they ſuffered themſelves to be perſwaded to enter covenant with their oppreſſed and fainting brethren, for the mantainance of the common cauſe of Religion and liberty, but with expreſſe Articles for the preſervation of royalty in all its juſt rights in his Majeſtie and his poſterity; what unkindnes was here in the Scots to their King?
When by Gods bleſſing on the Scots helpe the oppoſite faction was fully ſubdued, his Majeſtie left Oxford with a purpoſe for London, The Scots ſelling of the King is a moſt falſe calumnie.but by the ſeverity of the ordinances againſt his receivers, he diverted towards Linn, to ſhip for Holland or France; where by the way fearing a diſcovery and ſurpriſe, he was neceſſitate to caſt himſelfe upon the Scots army at New-wark; upon his promiſe to give ſatisfaction to the propoſitions of both Kingdomes, he was received there and came with them to New-caſtle: here his old oaths to adhaere unto Epiſcopacy hindred him to give the expected ſatisfaction. At that time the prime leaders of the Engliſh army were ſeeking with all earneſtnes occaſion to fall upon the Scots, much out of heart and reputation by Iames Grahame and his Irishes incurſions, moſt unhappy for the Kings affaires: Scotland at that time was ſo full of diviſions, that if the King had gone thither they were in an evident hazard of a preſent war both within among themſelfs, and without from England: our friends in the Engliſh Parliament whom we did, and had reaſon to truſt, aſſured us that our taking the King with us to Scotland, was the keeping of the Sectarian Army on foot, for the wrack of the King, of Scotland, of the Presbyterian party in England; as the ſending of his Majeſtie to one of his houſes neer London, upon the faith of the Parliament of England, was the onelyonly way to get the Sectaryes diſarmed, the King and the people ſettled in a peace, upon ſuch tearmes as ſhould be ſatisfactory both to the King and the Scots and all the wel-affected in England. This being the true caſe, was it any, either unjuſtice, unkindnes or imprudence in the Scots to leave the King with his Parliment of England? was this a ſelling of him to his enemyes? the monys the Scots received at their departure out of England had no relation at all to the King, they were ſcarce the ſixth parte of the arreares due to them for bygon ſervice; they were but the one halfe of the ſum capitulat for, not only without any reference to the King, but by an act of the Engliſh Parliament excluding expreſly from that Treaty of the armies departure all conſideration of the diſpoſall of the Kings perſon. The unexpected evills that followed in the Armyes rebellion in their ſeaſing on London, deſtroying the Parliament, murthering the King, no mortall eye could have forſeen. The Scots were ever ready to the utmoſt of their power to have prevented all theſe miſchiefes with the hazard of what was deareſt to them; notwithſtanding of all the hard meaſure they had often received both from the King and the moſt of their friends in England. That they did not in time and unanimouſly ſtur to purpoſe for theſe ends, they are to anſwer it to God, who were the true Authors; the innocency of the Church is cleered in the following treatiſe. Among the many cauſes of theſe miſeries the prime fountaine was the venome of Epiſcopall principles which ſome ſerpents conſtantly did infuſe by their ſpeaches and letters in the cares and heart of the King …o keep him off from giving that ſatisfaction to his good ſubjects which they found moſt neceſſary and due; the very ſame cauſe which ties up this day the hands of covenanters from redreſſing all preſent miſorders could they have the King to joyne with them in their covenant, to quit his unhappy Biſhops, to lay aſide his formall and dead Liturgie, to caſt himſelfe upon the counſels of his Parliaments it were eaſy to prophecie what quickly would become of all his enemies: but ſo long as Epiſcopall and malignant agents compaſſeth him about (though al that comes neer may ſee him as lovely, hopefull, and promiſing a prince for all naturall endowements as this day breaths in Europe, or for a long time has ſwayed a Scepter in Britaine) yet while ſuch unlucky birds neſt in his Cabin, and men ſo ungraciouſly principled doe daily beſiege him, what can his good people doe but ſit downe with mournfull eyes and bleeding hearts, till the Lord amend theſe otherwiſe remediles and inſuperable evils? but I hold here leſt I tranſgreſſe to farr the bounds of an Epiſtle
Th… …eaſon off …he dedication.I count it an advantage to have you Lordſhip my judge in what here and in my following treatiſe, I ſpeak of Religion, the liberties of our country and the Royall Family: I know none fitter then your Lordſhip, both to diſcerne and decerne in all theſe matters. Me thinks I may ſay it without flattery (which I never much loved either; in my ſelf or others) that among all our Nobles for conſtancy in a zealous profeſſion, for exemplary practiſe in publick and privat duties, the merciemercy of God has given to your Lordſhip a reputation ſecond to none. And for a rigid adhaerence to the Rights and Priviledges of your Country, according to that auncient diſpoſition of your Noble Family, noted in our Hiſtorians, eſpecially that Prince of them George Buchanan, the Tutor of your Grand-Father, I know none in our Land who will pretend to go before you; and for the affaires of the King, your intereſt of blood in the Royall Family is ſo well known, that it would be a ſtrange impudency in me, if in your audience I durſt be bold wittingly to give finiſtrous information. Praying to God that what in the candid ingenuity and true zeale of my ſpirit, I preſent under your Lordſhips patrociny unto the eye of the World, for the vindication of my mother Church and Country, from the Sicophantick accuſations of a Stigmatiſed incendiary, may produce the intended effects.
I reſt your Lordſhips in all Chriſtian duty, R. B. G. Hague this 28 May/7 June. 1649.