The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

Addition.

Knowing by what craft Satan laboureth continually to keep the world in blindness, I added these two former points, to wit, That ye should not think your self free from the Reformation of Religion, because ye have Bishops within your Realm, neither yet that ye should judge that Religion most perfect, which the multitude by wrong custom have embraced.¹ In these two points doth Satan busily labour; First, That no civill Magistrate presume to take cognisance in the cause of Religion, for that must be deferred to the determinations of the Church. Secondly, That impossible it is, that that Religion should be false, which so long time (so many Councils,² and so great a multitude of men, so divers Nations have allowed, authorised and confirmed. What is the duty of Magistrates, and what power the people hath in such cases granted by God, my purpose is to write in a several Letter to the Nobility and States of the Realm; and therefore to avoid tediousness and repetition of one thing, I now supersede. And as touching the second, if ye rightly consider the testimonies of Scriptures, which I have before alleged, I trust ye shall find that Objection sufficiently answered; for, if the opinion of the multitude ought always to be preferred, then did God injury to the original World, for they were all of one mind, to wit, conjured against God (except Noah and his family.) And if antiquity of time shall be considered in such cases,³ then shall not only the Idolatry of the Gentiles, but also the false Religion of Mahomet be preferred to the Papistry; for both the one and the other is more ancient then is the Papistical religion; yea, Mahomet had established his Alcoran, before any Pope in Rome was crowned with a Triple Crown. But as touching antiquity, I am content with Tertullian to say,⁴ Let that be the most pure and perfect Religion, which shall be proved most ancient; for this is a chief point, wherein I will join with all the Papists on the earth, That their Religion (such as it is this day) is not of such antiquity, as is that which we contend to be the true and only Religion, acceptable before God; neither yet that their Church is the Catholic Church, but that it is of late days in respect of Christs Institution, crept in and devised by man, and therefore am bold to affirm it odious and abominable;