john Carter Brown Library Brown University  

GUARDED   blazon or coat of arms   

A Modest Vindication of Mr. Seton's Address and Petition, To his Majesty's High Commissioner, from the Cavils and Misconstructions of Anonymus  
I Am not at leisure to trifle with the 〈…〉 Author of the perplexed and ●edious Reflections on my short Sermon in behalf of Charity, and my most earnest and humble Petition for a Brotherly Conference. I have studied our SAVIOUR's Sermon on the Mount, and I hope I have profited something at His School, who when He was Reviled, Reviled not again, my Intention is not to amuse the World with Parades, unbecoming a Churchman, nor to do any thing that may purchase me the Character of a Sounding Brass, or Tinkling Cymbal: I have read the Causes of the decay of Christian Piety, and other good Books written in good Language, but I was never at Billingsgate, nor am I versed in its rude Dialect: I know how Haman pleaded against the Jews, and the Fawning Orator Tertullus, against the great Doctor of the Gentiles, the Rapturous Encomiast on Heavenly Charity; I know also how the Archangel managed the controversy betwixt him and a very ill Competitor: But I never thought it worth my while, to bestow spare hours on such trash & dirty pamphlets, as the Presbyterian Eloquence, and the Wicked Answers to it.  
I have long been one of these Mourners who bewail the sad State of Christendom, and the miserable Divisions of this Kingdom in particular, and the fierce Animosities among Us Churchmen, which make the Atheist flout Us▪ the Theist and Socinian lift up his Head, and the Romish Missionary bless himself with swelling Hopes and Triumph in Secret, and warm himself at the fire kindled in Our Bowels.  
I have been sometime in this Place, at the desire of Persons of different Ranks and Characters, who are inclined to hope, that as upon more Occasions than one, I have conform to my Slender Capacity, done some little Services to my King, Country, and Holy Religion, so I might by GOD's Blessing prove Instrumental at this Season, to beget a good Understanding betwixt contending Parties.  
I thank GOD for it, I have hitherto Laboured with some good Success, I find divers Pious and Learned Men amongst my Presbyterian Brethren, I find fellow Mourners for the Distresses of Our Zion, I find his Grace my Lord Commissioner, deserves higher Characters than all the Eloquence I could command, has as yet given him, I find he is not to be taught Manners by the Author of the Reflections, and that he does not think it unworthy of his while, or Serious Thoughts, amidst all the important Cares he is loaden with, to listen to the Friendly and private Conferences of Men of different Persuasions in little Matters; The King himself finds Leasure & Inclination, amidst the rugged Toils of War, to regrat Our unkindly and unseasonable Contentions, and he wishes them at an end; And there are more of his chief Ministers than one, who design to serve GOD Faithfully, and their Royal Master, and their afflicted Country therein.  
I want not overtures of Peace and Union, such as the Generality of this Nation, or at least, those whose Hearts GOD hath touched, shall in time be well pleased with; I seek Peace and pursue it, and there are on both sides, who join cordially their Helping Hands to me, I expect a fair Conference and a good Issue through the Blessing of GOD on it, and I Labour without Wearieness to have all things Right disposed to that Effect; And I will not be interrupted by the nameless Scribbler, but I can and will Pray hearty, That GOD may inspire him with a more Christian and Charitable Temper.  
If at a more Seasonable Juncture, It shall be found expedient to vindicat my se●● and my Brethren, as to our past conduct in some remarkable steps of dubious construction, the little Pen that has been employed sometimes in harder busieness, ma● by the aid of Divine Grace, be able to give the world Satisfactory accounts in these and other Matters, not fit to be touched at this occasion.  
Thus sat I had Written upon sight, and with some tender Sense of unkind usage but upon second thoughts, and finding I had one spare Hour more at my disposal and being such a Penitent as I ought to be: For the fuller satisfaction of the Author and others, I think fit to add in the following▪ Paragraphs, a particular Confession o● the Sins that I and those of my Persuasion are Tashed with, or (if so you please t● Construct it) to lay aside the Author's high Sounding Envelop, and fast of General words, and the Stage and … ce, and all false Logic, and Erring Divinations, and to set His Church in a true Light, and the Society that prove Schismatic to it▪  
1mo. To dispose the most Opinionative Readers to hearken without prejudice t● the Contents of my Address and Petition when published, and to speak Truth of myself and my Brethren, I Denominate us well Affected to the Peace of this Church But I have cried aloud, and not spared, I have lifted up my Voice like a Trumpet, and declaimed against the Sins of GOD's People, and his Select Office-Bearers, and that is to have Jacob's Voice, and Esau's rough Hands.  
2do. I Adorned my Paper with some Scripture all Eloquence; But as Bishop Stillingfleet in the Preface to his Iraenicum, so I unluckily named Procrustes, whose Character every one is not acquainted with, and that smelled too rankly of the Stage, and of unsanctified Heathen Learning; and after such Language of Ashdod, no Wise or Good, Man could take me to be a Minister of the Gospel.  
3tio. With some Emotion of Mind, and a Passionate Zeal, I have Commended the Beauty of Charity, and Magnified her as a Divine Physician, and I thought I had Saint Paul on my side, but that was only a fancy.  
4to. Charity is a Stranger to the World, or she is not, if she be, I was a Fool to speak Good of her; For I might be sure to be beaten for my pains, if she be not there was neither Truth, Charity, no● Wisdom in my complaint.  
5to. To say, or so much as to insinuate that there is any Pride, or Partiality, o● Malice amongst these Churchmen, who have the Government now Lodged in thei● Hands, or that there are any Errors in their Conduct, prejudicial to Peace and Unity is a false assertion, and to tell them of it openly, who can resent to purpose, is no Wisdom.  
6to. Though I have often expostulated in private, with warm men on both sides concerning the mischief that Springs from our Divisions, though some Man's Memory more Charitable than the Authors, may be so kind as to remember that in the Committee at Aberdeen, Anno 1694, I earnestly pressed a Friendly conference with some of the Members, telling them in Express words, that the Devil and the Jesuits had Triumphed too long in our Divisions, and that she was not the True Mother, who cried to divide the living Child; And though my serious Remonstrance was but little heeded: Yet it was Uncharitable in me to insinuate shrewd things of my Presbyterian Brethren, before I had admonished them privately.  
7mo. All these Episcopal Ministers who have been turned out since the Revolution, whither by the Violence of the Rabble, or by Church Judicatories, who can never pass an unjust Sentence, have but got the reward due to their Demerits.  
8vo. There was much Atheism and Irreligion in the late Reigns, and the Bishops and their Accomplices were the Chief occasions of it, but now the Golden Age is returned, and Sin and Satan are Banished at least out of every Presbyterian Congregation, and all this is owing to the present Church Government.  
9no. That all the Episcopal Ministers of Scotland were not at once Spewed out of their places for having complied with abominable Prelacy, the Mother and Nurse of all Wickedness, is a mighty courtesy in the present Church Rulers, though some are apt to think that the greatest share of acknowledgements on this head is due to the Wisdom and Justice of King and Parliament, and to the Love of the people for their Ministry, and the great want to this hour of jure Divino, Presbyterians Qualified for the Sacred Function.  
10mo. Tho we be scared by the Breath of angry Preachers in Face of Parliament, and elsewhere, though we be Characterised as Samaritans, 〈◊〉 have no Right to be Builders of the House of GOD, though in places where we think ●he Gospel was preached with much Fervour and Purity, some have the Good manner●●nd Charity to Pray that GOD may open men's Eyes to see the difference betwixt 〈◊〉 who feed the People with Husks, and such as now give them the true Bread of Life, though we deserve to be accursed from Christ if we ever did, or do Preach another Gospel than himself and his Apostles have ta●●ht us; Yet it is much to be wondered at, that all good and Peaceable Men amongst us, do not readily join a Society, which Entertain so hard impressions of the whole gang, as the Author terms it.  
11mo. I must tell a piece of true History, Whatever Censure I may thereby incur, Anno 1691, when the Committee should have sitten at Aberdeen, & was hindered by a Rabble (to which we had no Accession directly or indirectly) the Ministers of that and other Provinces, were hugely Alarumed by the Citation of no less than 30 Ministers at once, (Many whereof were eminent for Piety and Learning) To answer to invidious Unsubscrived Lybels: There was but little hope of Fair and Candid Proceeding from a judicatory so possessed with Prejudice, and therefore by way of Self-Defence, some expostulating Queries, were drawn up concerning the Committees Intrinsic Right over us as Ministers, that being it which they claimed to act by, and We being unsatisfied as to any Juridical Power they could pretend to, save what was derived from the State, a Protestation against the Intrinsic Power they laid claim to over Us their Brethren in the Ministry, was therefore drawn up, and an Appeal to the King's Justice and Protection, embodied therewith, though not to be made use of till We had employed Our outmost Endeavours for a fair Accommodation.  
Anno 1692. The King it seems was well informed of the State of this Church, and the Rights of its Standing Ministry, and like a true Father of his Faithful Subjects, he was earnest to have Union amongst Us, and all our former differences ended and forgotten; And to that effect 〈◊〉 Formula of Union was concerted, and by his Letters directed about one time to the Assembly and Us, he recommended Concord to both Parties. In obedience to his Royal Order, and out of a sincere Love to Peace, We delegated Commissioners to wait upon the Assembly, and We hoped for good Acceptance, and divers Wise, and peaceable Members of it were for granting our Requests, but the warmer and greater part rejected both the Kings and Our Proposals, and to this day the Breach is keeped up (as We think) without any fault of Ours.  
Anno 1694. While the Committee was coming to Aberdeen, We of that Diocese met among ourselves, and considered what was fit to be done, we remembered what we had resolved upon. Anno 1691, And we thought our Circumstances still the same, and We therefore agreed upon the same Measures as formerly.  
Last Session of Parliament we were called to account upon that head, and upon a very mistaken Supposition (proceeding from partial information) that We had been acted by a principle of Enmity to the Civil Government, and influenced by Great Men ill affected to it, two or three were censured, and the rest overlookt by the Mildness of the King and Parliament.  
Tho this very faithful Account of Matters of Fact may satisfy the Author and others (if they would be so charitable as to believe it) that we have not Almanac Consciences, yet he hath said so, and therefore it must be taken as granted.  
12mo. To think that any private number of Churchmen, can explain the Acts of their own Assembly, so as to satisfy the Scruples of such as demur about them, or that they who can by a power delegated from it, receive any particular Minister, and instruct him sufficiently as to the Terms of Communion, can do the same to two or three Ministers at once; is a vain and impossible Supposition, and to demand a private Conference on the head in Presence of His Majestis High Commissioner, that he may make faithful Report of it to the King, who hath loaded him with that kind of Care, amongst other weighty matters, is an impertinent and indiscreet Proposal; And let the World Judge of it.  
13mo. It's acknowledged that there are but 〈◊〉 small number of Constituents, who give encouragement to Mr. Seton, to tak● the Charge and trouble he is at, for getting Church differences equally settl●●; yet if there were a general Expectation of success in his peaceable designs, a●● encouragement from Authority for that effect, he durst undertake to get his commission signed as yet with some hundreds of unexceptionable Ministers 〈◊〉 to their Moral and Intellectual Endowments, and already qualified or will●●● to qualify according to Law, and by many thousands of sincere Protest●●● Laymen in this Kingdom.  
14to. Tho none of my Constituents lie under the Censure of the Church, save so●● called Intruders, and these merely eo nomine and not for any Immoralities, and though some of them were libeled by, and app●●●●d before the Committee, and nothing proven against them by the Witnesses, who were examined particularly enough, yet the Author says there appeared little difficulty in the probation, therefore I must acknowledge it, and all the world believe it to be true.  
15to. Tho I seriously design a conference, and have very freely communicated to some new aquaintances of my Presbyterian Brethren (who are dear to me because of the true Gospel Spirit I see in them) a part of what, I have to say when that is agreed to; Yet because the Author cannot or will not think on a method how jure divino, and ambulatory men in point of Church Government, may live peaceably together, and jointly carry on the common ends of the Gospel without respect to difference of opinions or practices in matters supposed not to be essential to Religion; And because I mean not to come closely to every point, until I be persuaded that the Author speaks his brethren's mind when he talks of such a conference as I have Petitioned for, as unpracticable, I must therefore be thought to design a parade only, and not be in good earnest.  
16mo. Tho I have Written an Apology in defence of the Civil Government, and that some of the highest Rank in the Kingdom know, and are pleased with what I have done, and though some Men of the Author's good Acquaintance, have with much Bitterness more than once declaimed against my Constituents, and me for taking the Oaths by Law imposed; And though I have not Written to London since I came to this place, nor mean to do so until I can give further accounts, yet the infallible Mr. of Divinations must be believed▪ when he says I am ready enough to spurn at the Government with my heels, and that I sent my Address to London next Post after it was Printed.  
To conclude, and to name not others whom I can prove to have been ill used by Presbyterian Indicatories, if Dr. Sibbald at Aberdeen had been treated as Civil by the presbytery, exercing a large Authority in that place, as by the Committee appointed for Visitation of Colleges, I should be the more ready to believe that the Author had a true kindness for true Ministers of the Gospel, though they should never come to be of the same Judgement with himself as to the Government of the Church; And if the present Church Rulers had not spent more of their Zeal and Spirits on other matters of less importance, than on confronting Atheism, etc. And if he and some of his Brethren would condescend to explain in presence of Honourable Witnesses, a few dubious Clauses in the Acts settled by Authority in favour of the present Church Government, I should be the more easily induced to have favourable thoughts of the Author's bold appeal to GOD, Angels and Men, with which he takes confidence to end his Reflections.