A86004:78
Nihil respondes
Nihil respondes: or, A discovery of the extreme unsatisfactoriness of Master Colemans piece, published last week under the title of A brotherly examination re-examined. Wherein, his self-contradictions: his yielding of some things, and not answering to other things objected against him: his abusing of Scripture: his errors in divinity: his abusing of the Parliament, and endangering their authority: his abusing of the Assembly: his calumnies, and namely against the Church of Scotland, and against my self: the repugnancy of his doctrine to the solemn League and Covenant, are plainly demonstrated. / By George Gillespie minister at Edinburgh. Published by authority.Nihil respondes: or, A discovery of the extream unsatisfactorinesse of Master Colemans peece, published last weeke under the title of A brotherly examination re-examined. Wherein, his self-contradictions: his yeelding of some things, and not answering to other things objected against him: his abusing of Scripture: his errors in divinity: his abusing of the Parliament, and indangering their authority: his abusing of the Assembly: his calumnies, and namely against the Church of Scotland, and against my selfe: the repugnancy of his doctrin to the solemne League and Covenant, are plainly demonstrated. / By George Gillespie minister at Edenburgh. Published by authority.
London: printed for Robert Bostock, 1645
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The Repugnancy of his Doctrine to the solemn League and Covenant.
Mr Coleman, pag. 13. acknowledgeth that to assert any ⟨p. 26⟩thing contrary to the solemn League and Covenant, is a great fault in any, in himself more then in divers others, if made out: He having for his own part taken it with the first, and not only so, but having administered it to divers others: Yes, and take this one circumstance more. In his Sermon upon, Jer. 30. 21. at the taking of the Covenant, Septemb. 29. 1643. He answereth this objection against the extirpation of Prelacy. But what if the exorbitancies be purged away, may not I notwithstanding my Oath, admit of a regulated Prelacy? for satisfaction to this objection; He answereth thus, First, we swear not against a Government, that is not. Secondly, we swear against the evils of every Government, and doubtless many materials of Prelacy must of necessity be retained, as absolutely necessary. Thirdly, taking away the exorbitancies, the remaining will be a new Government, and no Prelacy. Let the Brother now deal ingenuously; What did he understand by those materials of Prelacy absolutely necessary to be retained? did he understand the dispensing of the Word and Sacraments, which is common to all Pastors? Or, did he understand the Privileges of Parliament? Were either of those two materials of Prelacy? And if he had meant either of these, Was this the way to satisfy that scruple concerning the extirpation of Prelacy? Again, what was that new Government which he promised them, after the taking away of the exorbitancies of the old? Was it the Ministers doctrinal part? that is no new thing in England. Was it the Parliaments assuming of the corrective part of Church-Government (as he improperly distinguisheth) wholly and solely into their own hands, excluding the Ministry from having any hand therein? This were a new Government I confess. But sure he could not in any reason intend this as a satisfaction to the scruples of such as desired a regulated Prelacy, whose scruples he then spoke to; for this had been the way to dissuade them from, not to persuade them to the Covenant.