The Nullity of the Pretended Assembly at St Andrews and Dundee, Treatise 2 · Review 11
REVIEW.
I Shall not debate with the Author, whether they have taken upon them judicially to determine the nullity of the Aſſembly at St. Andrews and Dundee, and judicially to condemne the Acts thereof, though he take it for granted, it may be that he have ſome difficulty to prove it from any deed of theirs; but the hinge of this whole buſineſſe in reference to that Aſſembly and the Acts thereof, and the ſetting up and proceeding of the Commiſsion of the Prior Aſſembly of the year 1650. is in this, whether that Meeting at St. Andrews was a lawfull free Generall Aſſembly; for if it was not ſo, then was it null ab initio, and the Commiſſion of the prior Aſſembly are full in power; and therefore are not guilty of uſurpation, or of the aſſuming of any authority, which is not competent for them, but do only exerciſe that which was given them, whereof they have ſtill the juſt poſſeſſion; and the caſe being thus, as I hope it ſhall be made to appear, notwithſtanding of any thing the Author hath ſaid to the contrary, might not the Commiſſion being clearly convinced upon good grounds, of the unlawfulneſſe, unfreedome and corruptneſſe of that Meeting, and the Acts thereof, with the advice of diverſe Miniſters from ſeverall parts of the Land, agree upon this as one o… the Cauſes of the Lords controverſie, and offer and adviſe the …ame to be made uſe of by all the Lords people in this Land Was it a fault in our non-conforming fore-fathers, to bear a teſtimony and give their judgment againſt the ſix corrupt Aſſemblies, and to reckon theſe Aſſemblies among the ſins and guiltineſſe of the Land, and to deſire the Land to be humbled for them. If any of the Presbyteries of theſe times did paſſe a Presbyteriall judgment and ſentence upon the nullity of any of thoſe Aſſemblies, and the iniquity of their Acts, did they wrong in ſo doing? and was this more then any power on earth could do that is inferiour to another Generall Aſſembly? If it be thus, the Church is like to be in an ill caſe, if a Generall Aſſembly once go wrong. I know that Inferiour Judicatories have not power over the Superior, as a Commiſſion or Presbytery over a Generall Aſſembly, but this hinders not if any aſſume to themſelvs the name and power of the Superior to whom they do not belong, and by the pretended authority thereof make unjuſt Acts; but the Inferiour may from the Word of God, and from the Acts and Conſtitutions of the Church, declare the nullity of theſe powers, and the iniquity of theſe Acts. The Author hath taught us, that an Aſſembly both wrong conſtitute and erring, or only wrong conſtitute, is no other wayes an Aſſembly, then a painted Man is a Man; and it can be no great fault for any living Man to diſcover the deceit of an Image, that others be not deceived thereby. He inſinuates, that he could adde mo inſtances not a few: It is like that he hath brought forth theſe in which he conceived the greateſt weight to lye; and if theſe being weighed in the ba…lance be found light, we need not be afraid of what is yet in his treaſure. He ſaith true, that the inſtances which he hath brought, doth not belong formally and directly to the matter in queſtion, but he hath fetched a great compaſs to get them in, ſuppoſing by theſe things to reach ſore blowes to the Profeſſions of the Proteſters, and to diſcover the hypocriſie thereof; but how he hath proven his alleadgeance, I leave it to indifferent men to judge, who may alſo give ſentence of their carriage to the Generall Aſſembly, after the peruſall of his Vindication and this Review.
VINDICATION.
THeir next pretention or profeſſion is, that they look upon the preſent differences of the Lords ſervants of the Miniſtery, as one of the greateſt tokens of the Lord his indignation againſt this Kirk, and that they hold it their duty to be humbled before the Lord in the ſenſe thereof, and by all lawful and ſure means, within the compaſs of their power and ſtation, to endeavour the remedy. Verily, theſe differences are ſo to be looked upon, becauſe of the anger of the Lord, this Land is darkened; a man ſpareth not his brother, Ephraim is againſt Manaſſeh, and Manaſſeh againſt Ephraim, and both againſt Judah. And as all the Lords People and ſervants in the Land have cauſe to be humbled before the Lord in the ſenſe thereof; ſo, ſome of theſe Brethren in a ſpeciall way, as being the main Authors and promoters of theſe rents and diviſions. Let impartiall men look back and conſider the beginning and progreſſe, and every ſtep of the preſent diviſions in this Kirk and Kingdom, ſince the defeat at Dunbar, and ſee who have been the prime Agents thereof. I ſhall but point at ſome particulars, who were they who after the defeat at Dunbar, divided one part of the remnant of the Army from the other (which was the firſt appearing ſtep of our diviſions) and would never ſuffer them to joyn and unite together again, was not the contriving of the Weſtern Remonſtrance the next ſtep of our diviſion, and of it ſelf a moſt diviſive courſe; as containing poſitive determinations of matters of publick and high concernment, & cond…mning approven publick Acts, not only of the State, but alſo of the Gen. Aſſembly by private men, without any advice had or ſought from the Publick Judicatories either of Kirk or State; yea, containing alſo in the cloſe thereof, a band engaging themſelves to proſecute the matters of that Remonſtrance according to their power, a thing judged always in this Kirk a moſt diviſive thing for any privat men to do by themſelves. Was it not ſome of theſe Brethren, who when the Conference was at Pearth upon the Remonstrance oppoſed by all means conjunction with the diſtracted Forces of the Kingdom, and when it was proponed in the Conference, if they injoying their own judgement concerning the diſ-owning of the Kings Intereſt, yet upon other grounds of the quarrel, wherein they agreed with the rest of the Kingdom, would joyn with the reſt of the Forces for defence againſt the common Enemy, did not ſome publickly and plainly profeſſe, that they could not, and they would not joyn: Are not theſe Brethren the men (that becauſe the ſenſe given upon the Weſtern Remonſtrance, though the moſt moderate, and with much tenderneſſe and reſpect of the perſons having hand in it) with-drew themſelves in a moſt tumultuous and diſorderly way, never daigning themſelves to come to the Meeting thereafter, which was the next ſtep of our diviſions. Was it not a diviſive courſe, when the Reſolutions were given to the Parliaments Quare, concerning perſons for to be employed in the defence of their Countrey, preſently to emit and ſpread Papers through the Countrey (under pretence of writing them onelyonly as Letters to the Commiſsion, expreſſing their ſcruples) condemning the ſaid Reſolutions as a defection from the Covenant and former principles, ſuppoſe they thought in their Conſciences theſe Reſolutions to be ſuch: yea, ſuppoſe that really they had contained ſome matter of that kind, & that their Commiſſion had erred (as humanum eſt labi) yet they ſhall never be able to clear themſelves before indifferent Judges, and impartiall of diviſive walking, in diſdaining to come and propone their doubts and reaſons against that Reſolution, in an amicable and modeſt way in the Commiſſion it ſelf, and taking ſuch a way of writing and ſending abroad teſtimonies (as they called them amongſt themſelves, peremptorily condemning, traducing, and tending to the rendring odions, honeſt, faithful] and godly Brethren, and agenting as diligently as they could, to induce others through the Countrey to do the like. Many other inſtances, or divers motions may be given, but by this much let any man judge, if they have not cauſe to be deeply humbled for the diviſions in the Land amongſt the Lords ſervants.