fconce) Whereby the Profeffors of Chrift come in as Partners in the fame bargain with Antichrifts Vaffals; And the Lords Ark hath a place with Dagon, and its Priefts & Followers confent to it; And the builders of Babel & of JeruSalem ar made to build together, under the fame Protection; and a fluce is opened to let the enemy come in like a flood, which to oppofe the Accepters cannot stand in the Gap nor lift up a Standart against them. Liberty indeed should be Univerfally extended to all the Lords People, as Cyru his Proclamation was General, who is there among you of all His People? his God be with him. But a Toleration of Idolaters, Blafphemers, & Hereticks, as Papifts &c. is odious to God, because it is contrary to Scripture, exprefsly Commanding Idolaters to die the death, and all Seducers & Entycers to Apoftafie from God to be put to death without pity; and Commending all righteous Magiftrats that executed Judgement accordingly, as Afa, Hezekiah &c. yea even Heathen Magiftrats that added their Sanction to the Lawes of God, as Artaxerxes is approven for that Statute, that whosoever will not do the Law of God and of the King, judgement should be executed Speedily upon him. And in the New Teftament this was never repealed but confirmed, in that the fword is given to Magiftrats, not in vain, but to be a terror to, and revengers to execute wrath upon all that do evil, among whom Seducers that are evil workers & Idolaters are chiefly to be ranked, being fuch as do the worft of evil to mankind. Ephefus is commended because they could not bear them which are evil: and Thyatira reproved for Juffering Jezebel by which it appeareth, that our Lord Jefus is no friend to Toleration. It is true this is fpoken against Churchmen; but will any think that will be approven in Civil Powers, which is fo hateful in Church Officers? Surely it will be the duty & honour of thefe horns fpoken of Revel. 17. to eat the whores flesh & burn her with fire: And shall that be restricted only to be done against the great Antichrift, & not be duty against the leffer Antichrifts, the limbs of the Great one? It is recorded of Julian the Apoftate, that among other devices he ufed, to root out Chriftianity this was one, that he gave Toleration openly to all the different Profeffions that were among Chriftians, whereof there

were

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were many heretical in those dayes: which is exactly aped by James the Apostate now for the fame end. It is alfo contrare to the Confeffion of faith Chap. 20. § 4. aflerting that for their publishing fuch opinions, or maintaining of fuch practices, as are contrary to the light of Nature,or to ,, the known Principles of Chriftianity, whether concern,,ing Faith Worship, or Converfation, or to the power ,, of Godliness, or fuch erroneous opinions or practices, as either in their oun nature, or in the manner of pubish,, ing or maintaining them, are deftructive to the external ,,Peace & Order, which Chrift hath eftablished in the Church; they may lawfully be called to account, and ,, proceeded against by the Cenfures of the Church, and by the power of the Civil Magiftrate. And therefore to accept of this Toleration is inconfiftent with the Principles of the Church of Scotland, with the National &SolemnLeague & Covenants, & Solemn Acknowledgment of fins & Engagement to duties,in all which we are bound to extirpate Poperie, Prelacie &c. With the whole tract of Contendings in the fifth Period above related, and particularly by the Teftimony of the Synod of Fife, and other Brethren in the Ministry, against Cramuels vaft Toleration & Liberty of Confcience, mentioned above Pag. 76. for it is plain, if it be not to be fuffered, then it is not to be accepted.

10. Confidering the Termes wherein it is offered, they cannot make fuch a shameful bargain. In the former Proclamation it is granted exprefsly under feveral Conditions, Reftrictions, & Limitations: whereof indeed fome are retracted in the Latter, as the reftriction of it to Moderate Presbyterians, which would feem to be taken off by extend- : ing to all withoat referve to ferve, God in their oun may; but being evidently exclufive of all that would ferve God in Chrifts way, and not after the mode prefcribed, it is fo modified and reftricted that all that will accept of it must be Moderate Presbyterians indeed, which as it is taken in the Court fenfe must be an ignominy to all that have zeal against Antichrist. The Limitation alfo to private houfes and not to outhoufes, is further enlarged to Chappels or places purposely bired but ftill it is ftinted to thefe, which they must bargain

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for

for with Councellors, Shiriffs &c. So that none of thefe Reftrictions & Limitations are altogether removed, but the Condition of taking the Oath only: yet it is very near to an equivalency homologated, by the Accepters acknowledging in the Granter a Prerogative & Abfolute Power over all Lawes, which is confirmed & maintained by their Acceptance. As for the reft that are not fo much as said to be removed, they must be interpreted to remain, as the termes, conditions, reftrictions, & limitations, upon which they are to enjoy the benefite of this Toleration. And what he fayes, that he thought fit by this Proclamation further to declare, does confirme it, that there are further explications, but no taking off of former reftrictions. Hence it is yet clogged with fuch provifions & reftrictions, as must make it very naufeous to all truly tender (1) The refriction as to the Perfons ftill remains, that only Moderate Presbyterians, and fuch as are willing to accept of this Indulgence allanerly, and none other, and fuch only whofe names muft be fignified to thefe Sheriffs, Stewards, Bailifs &c. are to have the benefit of this Indulgence: wherey all the zealous & faithful Presbyterians are excluded, (for these they will not call them Moderate) and all that would improve it without a formal Acceptance, and all who for their former diligence in duty are under the lash of their wicked Law, and dare not give up their names to those who are feeking their lives, muft be deprived of it. (2) It is reftricted to certain Places ftill, which must be made known to fome one or more of the next privie Councellors & whereby they are tied to a dependence on their warrand, and must have their leafe & licence for Preaching the Word in any place, and Field-Meetings are feverely interdicted, though fignally countenanced of the Lord, whereby the Word of the Lord is bound & bounded; and by this Acceptance their bloody Lawes against Preaching in the open fields, where People can have freeft accefs with conveniency & fafety, are juftified. (3) The manner of Meeting is reftricted, which must be in fuch a way as the peace 5 fecurity of the Government in the practice thereof may not be endangered, and again that their Meetings be peaceably held, which is all one upon

the

the matter with the bond of peace, and binding to the good bebaviour fo much formerly contended against by Profeffors, and is really the fame with the Condition of the Cautionary Bond in the Indulgence after Bothuel, of which fee Pag. 129. And further they must be openly 5 publickly held, and all perfons freely admitted to them; which is for the informing trade, expofing to all the inconveniences of Jefuites, and other Spies, & Flies their delations, in cafe any thing be fpoken reflecting on the Government, a great tentation to Minifters. (4) The worst of all is upon ther matter of Preaching. which is fo reftricted & limited, that nothing must be faid or done contrare to the well & peace of his reign, feditious or treasonable; And in cafe any treasonable Speeches be uttered the Law is to take place against the guilty, and none other prefent, providing they reveal to any of the Council the guilt fo committed, as in the former Proclamation: And in the laft it is further declared, that nothing must be Preached or taught, which may any way tend to alienate the hearts of the People from him or his Government. Here is the price at which they are to purchase their freedom (a fad bargain to buy Liberty & fell Truth) which yet hardly can be fo exactly paid, but he may find a pretence for retrenching it when he pleases; for if a Minifter shall Pray for the overturning of a throne of iniquity, or for confounding all that ferve graven Images, and for deftruction to the Pope and all that give their power to that beaft, there will be fomething faid against the well of his Government; Or if any shall hear this and not delate it, then the fame pretence is relevant; Or if he shall Preach against the Kings Religion as Idolatry, and the Church of Rome as Babylon, and difcharge his Conscience & Duty in fpeaking against the Tyrannie of the times; Or let him Preach against any publick fin faithfully, a Popish Citick or Romish Bigot shall interpret it to be an alienation of the Peoples hearts from the King & his Government. But who can be faithful, and Preach in feafon & out of season now, but he must think it his duty to endeavour to alienate the hearts of the People from fuch an Enemy to Chrift, and his abfolute Tyranny, fo declaredly stated against God? What Watchiman must not fee at his indif

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penfable Duty, to warn all People of his Devilish defigns to deftroy the Church & Nation, and Preach fo that People may hate the whore, and this Pimp of hers?. Sure if he Preach the whole Counfel of God, he muft Preach against Poperie & Tyrannie. And if he think this Indulgence from Abfolute Prerogative, granted & accepted on these termes, can fupercede him from this faithfulness, then he is no more the Servant of Chrift but a pleafer of men. Therefore fince it is fo clogged with fo many restrictions, fo inconfiftent with duty, fo contrary to Scripture, fo clearly violatory of Covenant-Engagements, fo cross to the conftant Contendings & Conftitutions of this Church, and Acts of Afs. (See Pag. 80. &c.) it were a great defection to Accept of it.

11. Confidering the Scandal of it, they dare not fo offend the generation of the Righteous by the Acceptance, and dishonour God, difgrace the Proteftant Profeffion, wrong the Intereft thereof, and betray their native Country, as thus to comply with the Defign of Antichrift, and partake of this cruel tender mercy of the beaft; who hath alwayes mifchief in his heart, and intends this as a Preparative for inducing or inforcing all that are hereby lulled afleep either to take on his Mark, or bear the Marks of his fiery fury afterwards. For hereby forreign Churches may think, we are in a fair way of reconciliation with Antichrift, when we fo kindly accept his Harbingers favours. And it cannot but be very stumbling to fee the Minifters of Scotland, whofe Teftimony used to be terrible to the Popish and renouned through all the Proteftant Churches, purchafing a Liberty to themselves at the rate of burying & betraying the Caufe into bondage & reftraint, and thus to be laid by from all active & open oppofition to Antichrifts Defigns, in fuch a season. The world will be tempted to think, they are not governed by Principles but their oun Intereft in this juncture, feeking their oun things more than the things of Chrift; And that it was not the late Ufurpation upon, & overturning of Religion & Liberty that offended them, fo much as the Perfecution they fuftained thereby; but if that Arbitrary Power had

bec