(WRITTEN BY HER OWN HAND.)
(Concluded from page 427.)
PRESBYTERY AND EPISCOPACY.
NOW, a question may be proposed, How shall we know what religion to choose, there are so many opinions now in the world? That one says, We have the faith; another says, We have it; a third says, None other but we have it: now, which of all these shall we believe?
The truth of it is, it is a difficulty to know who is rightest. But, to be particular: There are two opinions now a-days, Presbytery and Episcopacy. They seem to be both one. They worship all one God, they have all one Bible, preach both one doctrine. There seem to be good men of both sorts, and yet they cannot be reconciled together: for they are opposing and contending one against another as much as any two opinions in the world. And yet, we think, there are not two so-like other as they are. Now, this holdeth us in a strait betwixt two, so that we know not which religion to choose.
For answer to this question there seems to be difficulty: but the Spirit of God, by His holy Word, can resolve it easily. Whereas you say, There are many opinions in the world; it has been so in all the ages of the Church. There have been many false prophets, false priests, and false teachers that have led their people in a wrong way, and yet made them believe that they were right. Let us, therefore, take the apostle’s advice, 1 John iv. i., “Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits.” Do as the noble Bereans did, search the Scriptures and see whether these opinions be founded on the Word of God or not, and choose that religion that goes nearest to the rule of God’s Word, and that which is freest from the inventions of men mixed in with it. Do not say, I was brought up a Presbyterian, and therefore I love that way best; I was brought up an Episcopal, and therefore it is best; whatever religion I was brought up in I think it the best. This is not right reasoning. You must try these, whether they be right or not. Take not your own thoughts of religion, nor yet another’s thoughts of it. May be your fathers were led by bad principles, and you do the same. You must not follow your father’s example, if it be wrong, as you may read, 2 Chron. xxx. 3. We used to say, “We should try ere we trust.” We take nothing on trust but religion. If it were a matter of the greatest indifference, if we be receiving money, we will look if it be good, because abundance of ill money goes through the country: when we go to eat, we look if our meat be clean; if we be going on the sea, we will try if our
ship be good; if we buy an interest, we will look if our security be sufficient. But alas! religion is taken up at our foot, whereas it is the thing that should be of the greatest concern to us before any temporal thing in the world. Therefore, choose impartially that religion which is nearest to God’s Word, and freest of the inventions of men, which have no warrant from the Scriptures. Beg that God would enlighten your eyes, to discern betwixt the right and the wrong way, for if your foot slip into the wrong way, you are then in greater hazard than you are aware of. Whereas you say, you cannot know a difference betwixt Presbytery and Prelacy: assuredly there is one, and a great one too, such as they will never be reconciled together, for as like other as you think them. There are many things like other, that are not of other; counterfeit is like gold, steel is like silver; Bristol stones are like diamonds to those that have not good skill. But let us bring both Presbytery and Prelacy to the goldsmiths of the holy Scripture, and there to be tried.
Ye say, They worship both one God. That is true; but they do not worship Him in like manner. The manner of our worship is to be looked to as well as the object of our worship. It is as great a sin to worship the true God in a wrong way as to worship a false God, which is clear from the first and second commandment. But wherein do they differ in their worship? say you. There is the same difference betwixt the worship of the Presbyterians and the worship of the Episcopalians that was betwixt the worship of the children of Judah and the children of Israel. The children of Judah worshipped God according to His own appointment in the temple at Jerusalem; whereas the children of Israel worshipped the same God, but in a wrong manner: for they followed the new inventions of king Jereboam, who set up calves at Dan and Bethel, which became a sin and snare to them: for which God was very wroth and angry, that they had corrupted the true worship of God for the pleasure of their king: for they say upon the matter, “We will obey our king’s command, though it be contrary to God’s command.” In this they complimented the king with their own conscience for inventing such an easy way of worship. The king again complimented them for their quick obedience to his new invented worship, and advances them, making priests of the lowest of the people, though contrary to God’s command, as we may read, 1 Kings, xii. 31.
Is it not just the same with Presbyterian and Prelatic worship? The Presbyterians worship God according to His own appointment, without any inventions of men whatsoever—purely, without mixture; whereas Prelacy is so mixed with the inventions of men that they are wholly corrupt, both in doctrine and manners; for which the Presbyterians will never agree with them. There are many things wherein they will never agree, but especially these six things, all which are their own invention.
First, The Presbyterians will never agree with Prelacy because
they have invented a new head to the Church. They will have the king to be head of the Church, so that whatever he commands must be obeyed, under pain of rebellion. The king may invent new laws in the Church when he pleases, though they be contrary to God’s command. Yet he was obeyed by the Prelatics and their companions; whatever the king bade them do they did it, and in so doing they complimented the king with their consciences and one of Christ’s titles; they robbed Christ of His royal prerogatives—to be the King and Head of the Church, who is a King of kings and Lord of lords. Psalm ii. 6, “I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” Now the Presbyterians never consent to this, for they will have Christ to be the only Head and Lawgiver to the Church. And be king or prince who will that would take the crown from Christ’s head to set it on theirs, they think it their duty to contend against it with all their might and power, though they should be called traitors and rebels, imprisoned, banished, hanged, beheaded, and tormented, as has been done to many honest men in Scotland for contending for Christ’s kingly authority. They cared not for prince’s feud nor favour if they could not have it with a good conscience. They believed God’s Word to be true which He spoke by the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. xii. 25), “If ye still do wickedly you shall be consumed, both you and your king.” Though otherwise they are the best subjects to their king. They will own, protect, and defend him with their lives and fortunes, but only in the Lord; and in so doing they do but what God commands to be subject to the higher powers. Good kings are a blessing to a kingdom, and they are worse than brutes that will not obey their lawful commands. Now, let us tell our minds as in the sight of God. Whether is Presbytery or Prelacy nearest to God’s Word? The one will have the king head of the Church, the other will have Christ.
Second, Presbytery will never agree with Prelacy because they have invented new officers to the Church—Lord Bishops. This is a compliment the king puts on them, that they shall be great men in pomp and power to rule and overrule their underlings, the curates. And these proud, ambitious men must have My lord, and Please your lordship, at every word, though they pretend to be ministers of Christ; whereas they will not preach twice or thrice in a twelvemonth, and yet they must have so many thousands yearly to maintain them, their coaches and horses: and who but them! This is not like the bishop that Paul describes to Timothy. There must be no lording over Christ’s flock; He is their chief Lord Bishop, and no other deserves the title. The godly in all ages have left their testimony against lordships in the Church. Our great reformer, Mr. John Knox, when King Henry offered him a Bishopric, answered that the proud title of Lordship—it having too great a co-union to antichrist, the Pope—was not tolerable to be in the Church of God. Whereupon the bishops and the rest of the clergy said to him, We are sorry that you will
not agree with our order. He answered, And I am sorry that your order will not agree with Christ’s institution. It was a saying of Mr. Alexander Shields: The Lord Bishop is an institution that God never instituted in the Church; for all the officers of the Church have a relation to the flock, but the Lords Bishops rule over the shepherds themselves. But ye may say these are but men’s thoughts, so not to be regarded; but will you take Christ’s testimony against lordships in the Church? Luke xxii. 24-26. There was a strife amongst the disciples who should be the greatest. Their sweet Lord and Master reproves them and says, “This is the practice of heathens, to exercise lordship over one another, but it must not be so among you; ye must be as servants one to another, and not as lords.” So, then, lordships in the Church are contrary to God’s Word, and are to be abhorred by all true Christians. Have not Lords Bishops been the greatest plague that ever Scotland met with? A bishop betrayed the Church; the bishops have corrupted the Church with their doctrine and manners. Were they not, for the most part, a pack of proud, ambitious, lazy men? If they got their backs and bellies pleased, and their worldly honours kept up, they cared not what became of the poor folk under their charge. They were like so many proud Hamans; because the poor Mordecais would not give them homage, they up with the gallows, and hanged and beheaded as fast as it was in their power. They were rather like tods to worry the sheep than shepherds to protect and feed them.
Now, the Presbyterians will never agree with lordships in the Church, because Christ is the only Lord Bishop. Now, in this whether is Presbytery or Episcopacy rightest?
Third, Presbytery and Prelacy will never agree because Prelacy hath invented a new way of worshipping God by a set form of prayer, which they call “The Book of Common Prayer.” Truly, they have given it a right name, for it is but a common prayer indeed. It is not the book of spiritual prayers, so it cannot be acceptable to God, who only must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Of all the books in the world it is the most useless and unreasonable. To think that a book can teach us to pray to God, whereas it is the office of Christ, as a prophet, to teach. We need not employ Christ when we have a book to teach us. O, what can ail Prelacy at precious Christ that they strike so hard to rob Him of His glorious titles? The king must have one, the bishop another, the service-book a third! O, unreasonable to print prayers! Prayer does not consist in words; Rom. viii. 26, “The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, with sighs and groans which cannot be uttered.” Great Mr. Samuel Rutherford says, They cannot print sighs and groans; so then printed prayers are but toothless and pithless. John Knox, writing to a gentlewoman, exhorts her to beware of the service-book, for it was but the dregs of Popery. It is a most unreasonable book if ye will consider the relation God comes under to His people. He is their Husband, their Father.
What! needs the wife a book to learn her how to speak to her husband, or the child a book to speak to his father? The intimacy that is betwixt them produces converse. But it seems the Prelates and their companions have little intimacy with Christ. For as a godly minister said, They speak to Him as if they had never spoken to Him all their days before. Think they, by their printed prayers, to compliment Christ out of His rights? Many sweet hours the people of God enjoy with Him without a prayer-book. Where got Jacob his prayer-book when he wrestled all night and prevailed? To be sure, printed prayers cannot be called wrestling, so neither can they prevail. What if a man, going to a physician with a distressed and distempered body, one meets him and says, I will give you a book that will teach you how to make your distemper known to the doctor. O! says the man, “That is unreasonable. I know my trouble better than all the books in the world can tell me.” They need not want a prayer-book that have an ill heart. So is this new invented way of worship. The Presbyterians will never agree with Prelacy because it is not of God’s appointment, for in all the Scriptures we never read of a prayer-book. Now, in this whether is Presbytery or Prelacy rightest—to serve God by a form, or in spirit?
Fourth, Presbytery will never agree with Prelacy because they have invented some holy days, nowhere warranted in all the Scripture, such as the 25th of December, which they call Yule-day or Christmas, on which day they say Christ was born. Therefore, in testimony of their thankfulness, they will eat the best meat and drink the best drink that can be had, and in so doing they think they put respect on Christ’s birthday. But the truth is, the observation of this day is rather to please their greedy appetite than any thankfulness for His birth. But that religion goes best down that consists in worldly honours and sensual pleasures. O souls, do ye think that your eating will be pleasing to Him when you are using His good creatures to excess? But how do they know that He was born on this day, or where have we any express command for the observation of it in such a manner? Would you know the original of Yule-day? In the year 1521—in the time when Popery overspread these lands—there was one Julius Cæsar, to whom this day was kept in memory of him, and therefore was called Yule-day; but after this they thought fit to celebrate it to the honour of Christ’s birth, therefore it was called Christmas. Now, you see they have no other warrant for keeping this day than what the Church of Rome has taught them. But some may say, May we not eat good meat on that day as well as on other days? Yes, you may, for under the New Testament all meats may be made use of for the support of nature—all days are alike—but to eat that meat that is prepared for the superstitious observators of Yule-day (it being a sacrifice to an idol) is expressly forbidden; 1 Cor. viii. Now, the Presbyterians will never agree with this, and because they knew not Christ’s particular birthday,
they will every day remember it with thankfulness, it being the blessedest news that ever came to the world; therefore they will not be bound up to a yearly but a daily remembrance.
Fifth, Presbytery will never agree with Prelacy because they are avowed enemies to the work of reformation and godliness, especially to the covenants—both National and Solemn League—which were sworn to both by king and country; and God, in an eminent manner, witnessed with them, in giving His Holy Spirit at that time when it was sworn with lifted up hands. So Scotland was given to God in covenant, and all that were therein. This was our glory beyond all other nations, they being warranted from the Word of God for what they did—2 Kings xi. 17; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 31, 32; Neh. ix. 38. But Prelacy abhors and disdains to be in covenant with God; so much they evidenced in that they put the most contemptible disgrace on it that was possible. They burnt it at the Market Cross of Edinburgh by the hand of the hangman, in the sight of the sun, not being ashamed of what they did; like those in Jer. viii. 31. What unparalleled cruelty did they execute on those that did own the covenant? There was not a godly person that could live in quietness for them, but was hunted to holes and bores, yea, banished out of the kingdom. Some were intercommuned; none durst speak to them, nor give them a meal of meat or a night’s quarters, under pain of death. And when they got any of them among their hands the gallows and the maiden wanted not employment, as well for women as for men. The hangman had an hot trade of it, as the Cross and Grassmarket can testify. O, how did they spue out their venom against any in whom they saw the image of God? You know that it is ordinary to desire to hear the last words of a dying person; but they were so wickedly set against the Lord’s servants, that, when they put them to death, for fear that any should have been edified by them, they caused beat the drums so fast that none could hear them. The reason they gave—O, says they, they are madmen. The truth is, they wanted nothing that lay in their power to make them mad. (Solomon says, “Oppression makes a wise man mad.”) They took their estates from them; they left their families destitute of food and raiment; they were tormented with the boots and thumbkins, which was enough to make them mad; but God wonderfully supported them! They were quartered and their bowels ripped up. Yet this was not all; for after they had beheaded and put them to death, they took their heads and hands, pricked them upon the ports and other public places, that all might see them as they passed by. Mr. Alexander Shields says that the Prelates and their companions did not use so much civility to Christ as the Gadarenes did, for they besought Him to depart out of their coasts; but Prelacy desperately fought Christ out of Scotland. Christ says, “In as much as they did it to these, they did it to me.” But, God be thanked, it lay not in their lordly power so to do. Christ has yet again visited this poor land,
and hath delivered us from their tyrannical government. Now, give your thoughts. What think you of these things?
Sixth, Presbytery will never agree with Prelacy because they have invented a new way of doctrine. They preach up morality as it were saving grace. They say that if we do ill to no man and live honestly with our neighbours, there is no fear of salvation, which is all one as to say that we are justified by the works of the law; which is downright error, as the whole book of Galatians doth testify. Many poor souls have been deluded with this sort of doctrine. The truth is, there can be no true religion without morality—it is absolutely necessary; but our justification is only by Christ’s righteousness. There have been a great many that have been good moralists that have come short of saving grace (Mark x. 20). There is a young man that came a great length; he kept all the commandments, and yet he lacked one thing (Luke xviii.) There is a Pharisee that came a great length (verses 11-13), and yet he came short of saving grace. But let men have never so much morality, if they never knew what it was to see themselves lost by nature, and “that all their righteousness is as filthy rags,” which hath made them run to Jesus Christ for salvation, all the morality in the world will not save you.
Now, do you see a difference betwixt Presbytery and Prelacy? You thought there was none, but events prove the contrary. When the mask is taken off Prelacy’s face it is no more like Presbytery than clay is like gold, or light like darkness. Therefore we may lawfully contend for Presbyterian government against all the opposers thereof.
O bless God, ye inhabitants of Scotland, that God has delivered this poor land from Popery and Prelacy, and beg of God that we may never come under these erroneous bloody butchers’ hands again. There are many in Scotland this day that can set their seal to it that they never knew what a work of conversion was on their spirits, until Presbyterian ministers came among them (they were wholly ignorant of that), and that now, through God’s blessing, have been made to close a bargain with Christ. And they would not return to Prelacy for ten thousand worlds.
But here a question may be proposed. “What if Prelacy come among us again, and it come to that there is not a Presbyterian minister to be heard, under pain of death, may we not hear a curate, if he be a man of blameless life? Better take coarse meat than die for hunger.”
Answer: Were you ever convinced that Presbytery was the way of God; and therefore you have communicated with them, and sworn yourself to the covenanted work of Reformation, be the hazard what will, though persecution should arise? After this to hear a curate! It is perjury, apostacy, and adultery.
First, It is perjury, therefore beware of it. You have sworn to the covenant, as all Scotland have done (for your fathers swore in your name), and yet to hear a curate, one of its avowed enemies; it is no less than a man-swearing of yourselves.
Second, It is apostacy. Beware of it. For the first beginning of it may appear but very small—to hear a curate because he is a man of a blameless life. This will lead you on bit and bit till at last you will make no scruple to hear any of them; and by this means you will apostatize from the truth by drinking in their errors, which are not few.
Third, It is adultery. You know a woman, when she marries a husband, if he of necessity must leave the country for a while, shall she, in a petted fit, take another in his room? No, she must rather have patience until her husband return. It is just so in matters of religion. You must keep yourselves chaste and pure from all others. Though all the powers of wicked men were set against you, you must say, I have married a husband; I cannot take another. I will rather lose my life than be an adulteress. You need not fear want, so as to die for hunger. Your good husband, Jesus (whose cause you have married), will provide spiritual food, and though you want in public, He can make it up in secret. You need not fear. Scotland never wanted pure ordinances in the worst of times, though they were hunted to holes and bores. Beware, then, that you eat not meat mixed with poison, because you cannot get such plenty as you would have. No wise person will do so.
But some may say, Though the curates be not such good men as ye would have them, yet we hope God will pardon us that are their hearers. For answer to this you may read Isa. ix. 16, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”
The truth is, the curates is the rightest name that ever they got. They are even such curates as God, by the Prophet Jeremiah, speaks of: “They have healed the wound of the daughter of my people slightly, crying, Peace, peace, where there is no peace.” Whenever they saw a man or a woman troubled for sin, O, say they, that is but mad melancholy. God is merciful! You never did ill to anybody; what needs you be so feared? And so they cured up the wound slightly. But they forgot that God had more attributes than one. They never told that He was just and holy, and that without holiness they should never see God; so, in so doing, they did not declare the whole counsel of God. In this they erred. Let a man live as he pleaseth all his life, for a little money they would preach a funeral sermon to him at his death as if he had been a saint; yea, there are some that will preach funeral sermons to one fifty years after they are dead and gone. In this they err also, for in all the Scriptures we never read of a funeral sermon for any of the prophets or apostles; neither was it ever heard tell of but so much as since Popery and Prelacy came to the land. Can any then hear the curates with a good conscience, for their doctrine is full of errors? They will make a people believe they are going to heaven because they are morally honest, whereas they never knew what it was to enter in at the
strait gate of conversion. The pangs of the new birth are wholly unknown to them, without which none shall enter into the kingdom of heaven (John iii. 3). There is a book the curates have among them which they call “The Whole Duty of Man,” which book is a clear discovery of their errors; for in all that book there is nothing but morality preached up. The eminent servant of Christ, Mr. James Kirkton, very frequently in the public gave his testimony against this book. He said that it was so far from being the whole duty of man that it was not half the duty of man; for his thoughts were that the whole duty of man consisted in receiving Christ; and in all this book there was never a word of Christ, either as to receiving of Him or employing Him in anything whatsoever. And yet they cry up this book before all others! In their preaching up morality to such a pitch they put an affront on Christ’s righteousness. Indeed, there can be no true religion without morality; it is impossible (James ii. 24-26); but there may be many that have morality and have no true religion, as we may read (Phil. iii. 3-6).
Let us, then, abhor the curates and all their ways, and hear them not, for they are such as Christ speaks of (Matt. xv. 10)—”In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” And let us obey the apostle’s exhortation (Col. ii. 20-22), which is, that we should beware either to “touch, taste, or handle the doctrines or ordinances and commandments of men,” for though they have a show of worship, it is but will-worship. Now let any considerate person, as in the sight of God, declare whether the worship of the Presbyterians or the worship of the Episcopalians be likest to Christ’s institutions, and which of them is freest from men’s inventions.
But some may say, What needs all this ado about our choosing religion? We may be any religion we please, for it will not be asked at the day of judgment whether you were Episcopal or Presbyterian. For answer to this, as we know neither the day nor the hour when the judgment will be, far less do we know what Christ’s procedure against the children of men will be. So then this way of arguing is but a too curious and cunning device to keep the conscience quiet, though full of errors, and ought to be answered with silence; as the wise man says “Answer not a fool in his folly.” But because this is so often in the mouths of those who have an ill-formed judgment among us this day, it is fit that something should be said to it.
First, Ye say what needs all this ado about religion choosing? If religion be such an indifferent thing, what made godly Joshua to be so earnest with the children of Israel to choose whom they would serve? (Joshua xxiv. 15.) There seems there had been a mixed multitude among them who had never come to a point whom they would serve. Therefore he, seeing the evil of this, says to them, “Choose this day whom ye will serve; let there be no longer delay. I put it to your choice, either to serve the God
of your fathers or the gods of the Amorites. I will tell you my choice—but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It was no indifferent thing to Joshua. Likewise godly Elijah. In his time there was a people that would not come to a point whom they would serve. (1 Kings xviii. 21.) Well, thought he that it was an indifferent thing? No. Says he to them, “How long will ye halt between two opinions? If Baal be God, serve him; if God be God, serve him.” Once put it to a close whom ye will serve. Now, if any of them should have said, It matters not much whom we serve; it will not be asked at the great day whether we were for Baal or for God! surely we would have called them fools. Why then do we condemn that in others which we justify in ourselves? Therefore, if Prelacy be the way of God, choose it; and if Presbytery be the way of God, choose it: only do not halt any longer between two opinions.
Second, Whereas you say it will not be asked at you at the day of judgment which of these two you was (consider it was the saying of a godly minister). There will be many things laid to our charge that day that we are little thinking on. For this you may read Matthew xxv. 41-43. There, where Christ is judging these on His left hand, He lays things to their charge that they never thought of. “I was hungry, thirsty, naked, and imprisoned, and you neither fed, clad, nor visited me.”
“O!” say they, “Lord, when saw we thee that way? Many things we could have thought would have been asked us, but we never thought on that.” What the Lord will ask at us we know not; but this we know, that we must give an account of every thought, word, and action, and whether we have walked by the rule that He gave us for our direction or after the customs and inventions of men. It is very observable in this passage of Scripture (Matt. xxv.) Christ does not say to them on His left hand, You persecuted me, you imprisoned me, you took away my interest, so as you left me in a starving condition. No, He lays none of those things to their charge; but this only—you did not sympathise with my poor people when their persecutors did such and such things to them.
From this let us learn, First, never to own, choose, or love that religion that is given to persecution. Second, Let us learn that the omission of duties to the Lord’s people—such as feeding and clothing of them—is as great a sin as if we persecuted them. They shall be recompensed with God’s anger and be cast in utter darkness at the day of judgment that have done any evil to the people of God, and likewise He shall do so to them that have done them no good when they stood in need of it. Then, to be sure, Prelacy may fear the day of counting and reckoning as much as any religion for what they have done. Therefore beware of it, for it hath been a plague to this poor land.
O that all the godly, with one consent, would observe these three things concerning Prelacy.
First, Hate and abhor Prelacy, but do not hate the persons who profess this way; do not to them as they have done to you. Feed, clead, and provide for them as far as their necessity calls for, and your ability assists you. Pray for them, that God may convince them in time; and let your godly conversation among them be such as that, by your meek behaviour, you may win them to the right way.
Second, Believe no ill of Prelacy because that others say it, but try it by God’s Word in all the parts of it; and if it be the right way, keep it; if not, beware of it. The apostle says (Heb. xiii. 9), “Be not carried away with strange doctrines.” How shall I know strange doctrines? Try them, and follow no man’s counsel; follow them that follow Christ.
Third, In all your resolutions against Prelacy let it be in the strength of Christ; otherwise your resolutions will be like Samson’s cords—they will break in the first trial. “And let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.” Many one have come great lengths in profession and yet have made foul defects in their practice. Therefore resolve ye, in Christ’s strength, “to be steadfast and immovable in the way of the Lord” (1 Cor. xv. 58). And come what will, as far as the Lord enables you, with zeal and prudence and godly sincerity, contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
(THE END.)