Form with humility and Integrity, believing that so it orght to worship
God. But that Presbytery which I compare with the Pap[unr], is such as
appr[unr]priateth to the Outward form, those things which pertain onely
to the Power of the Spirit. Such as by vertue of an Our[unr]
Church forms, assumes a spirituall and civill power to it self; such
as out of the Golden cup of a glorious profession, makes it selfs
drunk with the wine of Fornications with Earthly powers and Interests:
Such as takes to it self the Iron Mace of [unr] force and sury,
to break in pieces at pleasure, Common-wealth, Crownes, consciences, Estates,
and Hearts of men. This is that Presbytery, on which those Enemies,
whom the Lord hath last of all subdued before you, had founded, and
built up that Interest and Strength, by which they opposed the Glorious
out-goings of God before you, and endeavoured your Ruin. This is
that, which I call the Scotch Presbytery, and now compare with the Romish
Papacy.
1. The Comparison is first to be made in those things which I call
Agreements between them, and these are Six.
1. Agreem. Both join in setting up the Scriptures the Word of God
outwardly exprest, as the Letter of that Law, by which all things of Christianity
and Religion are to be judged. So Scouts himself teacheth in
his Preface to his Disputes upon the sentences, that Religion must be
grounded upon a Revelation. In this, not only the Romish-Papist, and
Scotch-Presbyter, but all who pretend with any face to any thing of God
or Christ, do concu[unr]re. But there are two things in a Revelation.
There is Lex Revelara: and Lumen Revelationis, that is the Law Revealed,
and the Light of Revelation. One is the Subject, or Matter:
but the other is the Form, the Life, the Essence of a Revelation. Now
these two parties meet in this, to magnifie the first of these, the Law Revealed.
This they make the foundation of their Throne, the Scepter
of their Government, which as taken singly by it selfe, is but a byeathlesse
Carkasse, or a Dead Letter. Herein a Living Member of Jesus Christ
is in this Point distinguished from all others; He receiveth, ownes,
bowes down to the Law revealed upon this account, because it comes
down from Heaven into his heart in a Light of Divine Revelation.
2. Agreement. These two of whom we speak, do Both after a visible
Judge on Earth, upon whom all Particular Persons are to depend for
the Determining of those two Grand Questions; First, what is scripture;
Secondly, what the sense of that Scripture is. The Romanists
say, That this Judge is the Pope, or an Occumenical Councell.
The Scotch Presbyter is for a Nationall Assembly, or rather
an Occumenicall Assembly, if the Civill Government would bear
it. This Presbyter condemnes the Papist justly because he [unr]
the People to read the Scriptures, in their own Tongu. [unr]
thou, O man, who condemnest another, and [unr] thy self the same thing,