A treatise of civil policy

2. This should expressly contradict our confession, if none were ⟨p. 442⟩obliged to give help and counsel to the Parliament and Estates, except the King in his own person should require it, because Art. 14. it is expressly said, That to save the lives of innocents, or repress Tyranny, to defend the oppressed,—not to suffer innocent blood to be shed; or works pleasing to God, which he rewardeth. Now we are not to think in reason, if the King shall be induced by wicked Counsel, to do tyrannical works, and to raise Papists in Arms against Protestants, that God doth by him as by his Lieutenant, require our help, comfort and counsel, in assisting the King in acts of Tyranny, and in oppression, and in shedding innocent blood; yea our confession tieth us to deny help and comfort to the King in these wicked acts, and therefore our help must be in the things that pertaineth to his Royal Office, and duty only; otherwise we are to repress all tyranny, art 14.

2. This should expresly contradict our confession, if none were ⟨p. 442⟩obliged to give helpe and counsell to the Parliament and Estates, except the King in his own person should require it, because Art. 14. it is expresly said, That to save the lives of innocents, or represse Tyranny, to defend the oppressed,—not to suffer innocent blood to be shed; or workes pleasing to God, which he rewardeth. Now we are not to thinke in reason, if the King shall be induced by wicked Counsell, to doe tyrannicall workes, and to raise Papists in Armes against Protestants, that God doth by him as by his Lieutenant, require our helpe, comfort and counsell, in assisting the King in acts of Tyranny, and in oppression, and in shedding innocent blood; yea our confession tyeth us to deny helpe and comfort to the King in these wicked acts, and therefore our helpe must be in the things that pertaineth to his Royall Office, and duty only; otherwise we are to represse all tyranny, art 14.

4 To save the lives of innocents, to repress Tyranny, to defend the oppressed, are by our confession good works, well pleasing to God, and so is this a good work, not to suffer innocent blood to be shed, if we ay withstand it. Hence it is clear as the Sun, that our confession according to the Word of God, to which King Charles did swear at his Coronation, doth oblige and tie us in the presence of God, and his holy Angels to rise in Arms, to save the innocent, to repress Tyranny, to defend the oppressed. When the King induced by ill counsel sent Armies by Sea and Land, to kill and destroy the whole Kingdom who should refuse such a Service-book, as they could not in conscience receive, except they would disobey God, renounce the confession of Faith, which the King and they had sworn unto, and prove perfidious Apostates to Christ and his Church, what could we do, and that the same Confession, considering our bonds to our dear Brethren in England, layeth bonds on us, to this as a good work also, not to suffer their innocent blood to be shed, but to defend them; when they against all Law of God, of men, of State, of Nations, are destroyed and killed. For my part, I judge, it had been a guiltiness of blood upon Scotland, if we had not helped them, and risen in Arms to defend our selves, and our innocent brethren against bloody Cavaliers. Add to this what is in the 24. Article of the same Confession.