The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…

2. In respect of themselves, they are to consider if by any guiltiness of theirs the Lord be provoked to ⟨p. 250⟩let loose such a spirit, as Solomons sins did procure the renting of the Kingdom. So might they be also counted a cause, bringing▪on that idolatry and defection of Jeroboam from the Truth, as well as from him and his posterity: Also if by their negligence in not providing faithful Teachers to instruct the people, by their conniving at errors, or tolerating them, or otherwayes they may be charged with accession thereto: Thus Jeroboam's appointing the meanest of the people to be Priests, and his beginning defection by his example, (though he seemed not altogether to forsake the true God) disposed the people for a further length, and had influence upon their going a whoring after Baal and other Idols of the Nations: Thus also Solomon was guilty of much gross idolatry by his connivance at it, and taking himself to worldly pleasures and miskenning the things of God, although it's like he did not actually f•ll in that gross idolatry himself. And if Magistrates were seriously reflecting on themselves, and affected with their own negligence and carelessness in preventing of such things, whereof possibly they might find themselves guilty, this were a great length, and other questions would be the sooner cleared, and seriousness would make them find out remedies for such an evil.

2. In respect of themselves, they are to consider if by any guiltinesse of theirs the Lord be provoked to ⟨p. 250⟩let loose such a spirit, as Solomons sins did procure the renting of the Kingdom. So might they be also counted a cause, bringing▪on that idolatry and defection of Ieroboam from the Truth, as well as from him and his posterity: Also if by their negligence in not providing faithfull Teachers to instruct the people, by their conniving at errours, or tolerating them, or otherwayes they may be charged with accession thereto: Thus Ieroboams appointing the meanest of the people to be Priests, and his beginning defection by his example, (though he seemed not altogether to forsake the true God) disposed the people for a further length, and had influence upon their going a whoring after Baal and other Idols of the Nations: Thus also Solomon was guilty of much grosse idolatry by his connivance at it, and taking himself to worldly pleasures and miskenning the things of God, although it's like he did not actually fll in that grosse idolatry himself. And if Magistrates were seriously reflecting on themselves, and affected with their own negligence and carelesnesse in preventing of such things, whereof possibly they might find themselves guilty, this were a great length, and other questions would be the sooner cleared, and seriousnesse would make them find out remedies for such an evil.