The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

It is not unknown,¹ That the Prophets had Revelations of God, which were not common to the people; as Samuel had the Revelation that Eli and his posterity should be destroyed, That Saul should first be King, and thereafter, That he should be rejected; That David should reign for him. Michaiah understood by Vision,² That Ahab should be killed in the Battle against the Syrians. Elijah saw that dogs should eat Jezebel in the Forts of Jezreel▪ Elisha did see hunger come upon Israel by the space of seven years. Jeremiah did foresee the destruction of Jerusalem, and the time of their Captivity. And so divers other Prophets had divers Revelations of God, which the people did not otherwise understand, but by their affirmation; and therefore in those days were the Prophets named Seers, because that God did open unto them that which was hid from the multitude. Now if any man might have claimed any privilege from the rigour of the Law, or might have justified his fact, it should have been the Prophet: For he might have alleged for himself his singular Prerogative that he had above other men, to have Gods Will revealed unto him by Vision or by Dream; or, That God had declared particularly unto him, that his pleasure was, To be honoured in that manner, in such a place, and by such means. But all such excuses doth God remove, commanding, That the Prophet that shall so solicit the people to serve strange Gods, shall die the death, notwithstanding that he allege for himself Dream, Vision, or Revelation; yea, although he promise miracles; and although that such things as he promised should come to pass, yet I say commandeth God that no credit be given to him, but that he die the death, because he teacheth apostasy and defection from God. Hereby your Honours may easily see, That none provoking the people to Idolatry, ought to be exempted from the punishment of death: For if neither that inseparable Conjunction which God himself hath sanctified betwixt man and wife, neither that unspeakable love grafted in nature, which is betwixt the father and the son, neither yet that reverence which Gods people ought to bear to the Prophets, can excuse any man to spare the offender, or to conceal his offence: What excuse can man pretend, which God will accept?

It is not unknown,¹