CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH.

That the Covenant to introduce this Discipline is void and wicked, with a short conclusion.

[The Solemn League and Covenant a void and wicked oath.
As imposed upon the subscribers from without.

And undertaken through ignorance and error.

1. It disposes of the rights of a third party, viz. of the king,
without his consent.

Page

282

ib.

ib.

ib.

283

2. It is an oath to commit sin.

284

3. It is invalidated by a prior and inconsistent oath; viz. that of

ranny of

tish Disci

IF the Disciplinarians in Scotland could rest contented to [Arrogandote upon their own inventions, and magnify at home that cy and ty Diana which themselves have canonized, I should leave them the Scotto the best schoolmistress, that is, experience, to feel where pline.] their shoe wrings them, and to purchase repentance. What have I to do with the regulation of foreign Churches, to burn mine own fingers with snuffing other men's candles? Let them stand or fall to their own Master. It is charity to judge well of others; and piety to look well to ourselves.

But to see those very men, who plead so vehemently against all kinds of tyranny, attempt to obtrude their own dreams not only upon their fellow-subjects, but upon their sovereign himself, contrary to the dictates of his own conscience, contrary to all laws of God and man; yea, to compel foreign Churches to dance after their pipe, to worship that counterfeit image which they feign to have fallen down from Jupiter, and by force of arms to turn their neighbours out of a possession of above fourteen hundred years, to make room for their Trojan horse of ecclesiastical Discipline (a practice never justified in the world but either by the Turk or by the Pope); this puts

[There are two pamphlets attributed to Bp. Maxwell (see above in vol. i. p. xxxv.), entitled respectively, "The Trojan Horse of the Presbyterian Government Unbowelled," and "The Burthen of Issachar or the Tyrannical Power and Practises of the Presbyteriall

Government in Scotland," both printed
anonymously in 1646, and to the former
of which Bramhall seems here to allude.
They are very similar to the present
Discourse, both in aim and in matter;
insomuch that Bramhall has been sup-
posed to have written the latter of them.]

BRAMHALL.

R

PART
II.

[Foreign

Churches

ed by the charges here

us upon the defensive part. They must not think that other
men are so cowed, or grown so tame, as to stand still blowing
of their noses whilst they bridle them and ride them at their
pleasure. It is time to let the world see, that this Discipline,
which they so much adore, is the very quintessence of refined
Popery, or a greater tyranny than ever Rome brought forth;
inconsistent with all forms of civil government, destructive to
all sorts of policy, a rack to the conscience, the heaviest
pressure that can fall upon a people, and so much more dan-
gerous, because, by the specious pretence of Divine institu-
tion, it takes away the sight but not the burden of slavery.
Have patience, reader, and I shall discover unto thee more
pride and arrogancy through the holes of a thread-bare coat,
than was ever found under a Cardinal's cap or a triple crown.
All this I undertake to demonstrate, not by some extraordi-
nary practices justified only by the pretence of invincible
necessity (a weak patrociny for general doctrine), nor by the
single opinions of some capricious fellows, but by their Books
of Discipline, by the Acts of their general and provincial 494
Assemblies, by the concurrent votes and writings of their
commissioners.

I foresee that they will suggest, that through their sides I Protestant seek to wound foreign Churches. No: there is nothing not touch- which I shall convict them of here, but I hope will be disavowed, though not by all Protestant authors, yet by all the Protestant Churches in the world. But I must take leave to against the demand of our Disciplinarians, who it is they brand with the odious name of Erastians, in the acts of their Parliaments b and Assemblies, and in the writings of their commissioners d, and reckon them with Papists, Anabaptists, and Independ

brought

Scottish

Discipline.]

Is it those Churches who disarm their Presbyteries of the sword of excommunication, which they are not able to wield? So did Erastus. Or is it those who attribute a much greater power to the Christian magistrate in the managery of ecclesiastical affairs than themselves? So did Erastus, and so do all Protestant Churches. The Discipli

b Declar. Parl. 1648, [p. 6. as reprinted in Lond. in the same year.]

e Syn. Gen. 1647. [scil. in their Declar. and Brotherly Exhortation to their Brethren in England, Aug. 20, Sess. xv. pp. 4, 5.]

[Declar. of Commissioners of the Gen. Assemb. to the whole Kirk and Kingdom of Scotland, March 1, 1648 (i. e. 1648-9), pp. 11, 12, as reprinted at London 1648.]

I.

narians will sooner endure a Bishop or a superintendent to DISCOURSE govern them, than the civil magistrate. And when the magistrate shall be rightly informed what a dangerous edge-tool their Discipline is, he will ten times sooner admit of a moderate Episcopacy, than fall into the hands of such hucksters.

If it were not for this Disciplinarian humour, which will admit no latitude in religion, but makes each nicety a fundamental, and every private opinion an article of Faith, which prefers particular errors before general truths, I doubt not but all reformed Churches might easily be reconciled. Before these unhappy troubles in England, all Protestants, both Lutherans and Calvinists, did give unto the English Church the right hand of fellowship. The Disciplinarians themselves, though they preferred their own Church as more pure (else they were hard-hearted), yet they did not, they durst not condemn the Church of England, either as defective in any necessary point of Christian piety, or redundant in any thing that might virtually or by consequence overthrow the foundation.

Witness that letter which their General Assembly of superintendents, pastors, and elders, sent by Mr. John Knox to the English Bishops; wherein they style them "reverend pastors," "fellow-preachers," and joint-opposers of "the Roman Anti-Christe." They themselves were then far from a party, or from making the calling of Bishops to be Antichristian.

But to leave these velitations and come home to the point: -I will shew, first, how this Discipline entrencheth most extremely upon the right of the civil magistrate; secondly, that it is as grievous and intolerable to the subject.

CHAP. II.

THAT THIS NEW DISCIPLINE DOTH UTTERLY OVERTHROW THE RIGHTS OF
MAGISTRATES, TO CONVOCATE SYNODS, TO CONFIRM THEIR ACTS, TO
ORDER ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS, AND REFORM THE CHURCH WITHIN
THEIR DOMINIONS.

I. i. ALL princes and states invested with sovereignty of [Supremapower, do justly challenge to themselves the right of convoca- siastical

e Gen. Assemb. anno 1566. [Dec. 27. It is in a book called "A Part of a Registre," &c. fol. 125-127; and in

Spottisw., Hist. of Ch. of Scotl., bk. iv.

pp. 198, 199. Lond. 1655.]

cy in eccle

causes a

II.

PART ting national synods of their own subjects, and ratifying their constitutions. And although pious princes may tolerate or part of civil privilege the Church to convene within their territories ansovereign- nually or triennially for the exercise of discipline, and executy.]

necessary

tion of constitutions already confirmed (nevertheless we see
how wary the Synod of Dort was in this particular), yet he
is a magistrate of straw, that will permit the Church to con-
vene within his territories, whensoever, wheresoever they list,
to convocate before them whomsoever they please, all the
nobles, all the subjects of the kingdom, to change the whole
ecclesiastical policy of a commonwealth, to alter the doctrine
and religion established, to take away the legal rights and
privileges of the subjects, to erect new tribunals and courts
of justice, to which sovereigns themselves must submit; and
all this of their own heads, by virtue of a pretended power
given them from Heaven, contrary to known laws and lawful 495
customs, the supreme magistrate dissenting and disclaiming.
"Synods ought to be called by the supreme magistrate, if he
be a Christian," &c.; "and either by himself, or by such
as he shall please to choose for that purpose, he ought to
preside over them." This power the emperors of old did
challenge over general councils1; Christian monarchs in the
blindness of Popery over national synods; the kings of
England over their 'Great Councils' of old, and their Convo-
cations of later timesk; the Estates of the United Provinces
in the Synod of Dort'. This power neither Roman Catholic
nor Protestant in France dare deny to his kingm. None
have been more punctual in this case than the state of

f ["Ecclesia quæ ad convocand. gener. Syuod, est electa, .. in tempore illud supremo Magistratui significabit, ut de re illâ ipsius consensu, et (si placitum illi fuerit aliquos quoque ad classem ablegare) in præsentiâ et ex consilio deputatorum ipsius concludatur."-Syn. Dordrecht.] can. 50. [ap. Ench. Cand. S.M. (see next note), p. 202.]

Enchir. Cand. S. Ministerii, ex decreto Facult. Theol. in Acad. Gron. editum. Svo. 1645, p. 161. [De Minist., Potest., et Discipl. Eccl., § 86.]

h[See authorities in Palmer, On the Church, Pt. iv. c. 9, Pt. v. c. 6.]

[See the Just. Vindic., c. vii; above vol i. pp. 205, 206.]