348.[That is, “How much changed from that assembly which was formerly!” (Quantum mutatus ab illo Hectore, qui, &c. Virg. Æneid, lib. ii. ver. 274.)—Ed.]349.[“Ult. July, 1648. Post Meridian Sep. xxi. A Declaration of the General Assembly concerning the present dangers of Religion and especially the unlawful engagement in War, against the kingdom of England. Together with many necessary exhortations and directions to all the Members of the Kirk of Scotland.” Records of the Kirk of Scotland, pp. 498-505. Edited by A. Peterkin.—Ed.]350.[At a meeting of the Committee of Estates, on the 6th of January, 1651,—“Rege Presente. The letter from the Presbytery of Stirling to the Commission of the Generall Assembly, still disclaiming the kings intereste, and the unity of all the subjects of the land to assist their countrey against the comon enimey, redd, with the Commission of the Generall Assemblies ansuer therto, redd lykwayes approvin and ordained to be published and printed.” (Balfour's Annales, vol. iv. p. 235). The Commission of the Assembly complained, that the letter of the Ministers of the Presbytery of Stirling, which was printed at Edinburgh 165l, had prefixed to it “the false and odious title of A Remonstrance of the Presbtytery of Stirling against the present conjunction with the malignant partie.” (“Answer of the Commission,” &c. dated Perth, 6 Jan. 1651 p. 19. Printed at Aberdeen, 1651). What Binning now advances is in vindication of the Letter of the Presbytery of Stirling and in reply to the Answer of the Commission. Mr. James Guthrie, and Mr. David Bennet, Ministers at Stirling, were charged by the committee of Estates with training this Letter, and summoned to appear before them, at Perth, on the 19th of February, 1651, to answer for their conduct.—“Acts of Parl., vol. vi. p. 578.”—Ed.] 351.[“And first, we shall desyre every one seriously to consider the case and condition wherein the kingdome is engaged and standeth at this tyme, that now we are not upon an engagement of invasive warre but upon necessary defence against a forraign enemy, who hath not only injustly invaded us, but also (through the holy permissive providence of God) slaine many of our brethren with the sword, subdued a great part of the land, is oppressing the people of God therein, and following his injust designes and intentions against the rest of the kingdome, that in this case, in the ordinary way of providence, according to which men must act, unlesse they would be guilty of tempting God, there is need of, and ought to be employed against the enemy, such a competency of power as is required in right and warrantable prudencie, and may be had, not being of itself sinful. This certainly is mans duety, whatever God, out of his soveraignity, hath done, or may doe in the case of want, or disproportion of meanes.”—Answer of the Commission, ut supra, p. 6.—Ed.] 352.[“In such parts of the kingdome, as are yet free from the oppression of the enemy, and so out of which any men can be raised, there is not a possibility to get such a competencie of power, unlesse there be a more generall calling foorth of the body of the people than hath been before, this as it is most certain in itselfe, so it is most apparent, and evident unto all, that doe understand these parts of the kingdome. And whereas faithfull and honest men in the State, well acquainted with the severall shares of that part of the kingdome, have publickly declared that when all shall be brought together, that can be called foorth of these parts, according to publick resolution, there will scarce be a competent power against the power of the enemy, we cannot but much wonder, if any, not so acquainted therewith, shall hold the contrary, and not give credit to the declaration of honest and faithfull men, especially in authority, the matter being such, as in the immediate knowledge thereof dependeth on sense, and, as to those that have not that knowledge, pertaineth to humane faith, which giveth credit to the testimony testium idoneorum of competent witnesses such as these are whom we have designed.”—Id. pp. 6, 7.—Ed.] 353.[“We need say no more unlesse there were some show of proofe to the contrary. Yet we shall say somewhat particularly to one place that which is said in the case of Amaziah's associating with and taking to him the Israelits for help in his just defence, (2 Chron. xxv. 7: ‘O king let not the army of Israel goe with thee for the Lord is not with Israel even with all the house of Ephraim,’) as being mainly urged and as it seems most to stick with some in the present businesse to which sundry things may be answered, which clear the present businesse from the force thereof. 1. The Israelits were idolaters, and forreiners not so in our case, in either respect. But it is alledged that the reason why Amaziah is disswaded from taking their assistance is because God was not with them, and therefore the same reason having place in manie of these, whom the present resolution comprehendeth, the disswasion hath the same force against them. Therefore 2. God's not being with them may be either conceived and understood, in regard of the estate of grace and reconciliation with God but how-so ever that with many of them God was not in this regard, yet the reason cannot be alledged in this sense because then it would follow by the argument, that we might not take the help of any man out of the estate of grace, for our just and necessary defence, which none will admit, or it may be understood of God's assistance and prospering providence simply. But neither can it be taken thus, because it is certain and clear that God was often with them in this sense in their own cause and quarrells. Therefore it must needs be conceived, in regard of their profession, and religion, which was corrupt and idolatrous. Now the reason thus understood hath not place in our businesse. 3. Yet doe we not find that Amaziah is commanded to exclude any of the subjects of his own kingdom, from acting in that defence, or reproved for not doing of it notwithstanding many of them no doubt were naughty and corrupt in their way, 2 Kings xiv.”—Answer of the Commission, p. 12.—Ed.] 354.[That is, “chiefly.” The strict signification of ut plurimum is, as much as possible.—Ed.]355.[“At the bar of conscience.”—Ed.]356.[“Doeth our mentioning onlie the kingdome in that resolution, import a separation of the kingdome, and the cause in the quarrell against our enemie? Or what logick can draw out such a consequence out of it? Wee do think that the kingdome being in danger by this enemie, the cause also is in danger, and the defending of the kingdome will be the defending of the cause also. And we trust no instruments shall bee employed for the defence of the kingdom to the prejudice of the cause.”—Answer of the Commission, ut supra, p. 19.—Ed.] 357.[“In point of fact.”—Ed.]358.[“On that very account.”—Ed.]359.[Bishop Hall quaintly remarks, that “No devil is so dangerous as the religious devil.” “Suppose the ends of this Engagement to be good, (which they are not,) yet the meanes and ways of prosecution are unlawful, because there is not an equall avoiding of rocks on both hands, but a joyning with malignants to suppresse sectaries, a joyning hands with a black devill to beat a white devill. They are bad physicians who would so cure one disease as to breed another as evil or worse.” (“A Declaration of the Gen. Assembly concerning the present dangers of Religion.” Rec. of the Kirk of Scotland, p. 501.) In the year 1649 the Scottish parliament passed an “Act against Consulters with Devils and Familiar Spirits,” &c. (Acts of the Parl. of Scot. vol. vi. p. 359.) It was supposed that the power of some of these was employed in particular instances for the benefit of mankind. They were therefore distinguished from the others in the same way that white witches or persons who used charms and incantations for curing diseases, &c. were distinguished, but not in the eye of the law, from black witches, or those who practised their art for the purposes of mischief. (Whitelock's “Memorials,” p. 550. See also Sir Walter Scott's “Tales of a Grandfather,” vol. ii. p. 117.) If we look to the strange confessions of many of the unfortunate creatures who were condemned to suffer death for witchcraft in those days, without adverting to the cruel means that were often resorted to with a view to extort from them such confessions, the credulity of the age will not appear to have been so extraordinary as it has been represented. It is impossible not to admire the singular discretion of Dr. Grey, Rector of Houghton Conquest when speaking on this subject: “Nothing,” says he, “more plainly discovers the iniquity of those times than the great numbers of people executed in England and Scotland for witches, if they were guilty, or the barbarous superstition of the times, if they were innocent, which is the more probable.”—“Impartial Examination of the Fourth Volume of Mr. Daniel Neal's History of the Puritans,” p. 96, Lond. 1739.—Ed.] 360.[That is, openly persisting. See “The Answer of the Commission to the Presbytery of Stirling,” p. 11.—Ed.]361.[See “The Nullity of the Pretended Assembly at Saint Andrews and Dundee,” &c., p. 312. Printed in the year 1652. As many had been under age when the Solemn League and Covenant was first sworn the Commission of the General Assembly ordained it to be renewed by their Act, October 6, 1648, joining to it the “Solemn Acknowledgment of Public sins and Breaches of the Covenant, and a Solemn Engagement to all the Duties contained therein.”—Ed.]362.[“We desire it may be remembered that in the beginning of these troubles, anno 1638, when as there were then standing laws in this kingdom, which are not yet repealed to this day, discharging all subjects from rysing in armes, without the kings expresse warrant and command, yet the subjects of this kingdome perceiving themselves in danger to be destroyed by forraign invasion, did fynd these lawes no wayes to bynd up their hands from taking armes, for their just defence and selfe preservation,—these lawes, in the intention of the lawgiver, being made for the preservation of the kingdom and not for the destruction of it.—” Answer of the Commission, pp. 13, 14.—Ed.]363.[See “The Waters of Sihor, or the Lands Defectione,” Wodrow MSS. vol. xvii. pp. 39-41, in Bib. Ad. Peterkin's “Rec. of the Kirk of Scotland,” pp. 619-620.—Ed.]364.[See Note, page 96.—Ed.]365.[That is, “every where and at all times like himself and the same.”—Ed.]366.[We learn from Principal Baillie, (“Letters and Journals,” vol. ii. p. 363,) that Binning had identified himself with the Association of the West, which was required to dissolve itself, by an Act of the Scottish parliament, passed 28th Decem., 1650.—Ed.]367.[Or, general officers.—Ed.]368.[The first or principal proposition in the preceding syllogism.—Ed.] 369.[(Minor probatur,) that is, the second proposition in the preceding syllogism. It will be perceived that the arguments of the author are constructed according to the rules of the Aristotelian logic. A familiar acquaintance with this mode of reasoning continued to be cultivated, at this time, by all who wished to excel in public disputations (Professor Jardine's “Outlines of Philosophical Education in the University of Glasgow,” p. 12. Glas. 1825). In the Westminster Assembly, the different speakers often presented their opinions under the form of syllogisms, which were impugned and defended by employing the usual terms and technical formalities of the dialectic art.—See Lightfoot's “Journal of the Proceedings of the Assembly of Divines.” Works, vol. xiii. pp. 123, 157, 203-205, &c.—Ed.]370.[Aiming at.—Ed.] 371.[Mr. Robert Ramsay, Principal of the University, reminded the Presbytery of Glasgow at their first meeting in June, 1651, “that Mr. Hew Binnen had expresslie protested that it was not lawfull for us to pray for ye succeese of the armie, as it was constitute, and becaus of those who now have power in the same. And farther, the said Mr. Hew Binnen, when notice was taken of these words repeated them over and over agane, and avowed, he wold pray for a blessing to them, yt is, that yet might be converted, but, that he could not pray for success to them as yet are now constitute.”—“Records of the Presbytery of Glasgow.”—Ed.] 372.[Or shudder.—Ed.]373.[For the Instructions given by the Scottish parliament to the Commissioners who went to Breda see “Acts of the Parliament of Scotland,” vol. vi. pp. 513, 514. A copy of the Treaty itself agreed upon by his Majesty Charles II and the Scottish Commissioners and afterwards ratified by parliament, will be found in Thurloe's State Papers, vol. i. pp. 147, 148.—Ed.]374.[That is, “who, because they are wise, are ignorant of that which they know.” (Tu pol, si sapis quod scis, nescis. Terent Eun. iv. 4, 54.)—Ed.]375.[That is, lively or distinct characters.—Ed.]376.[“A fisherman is made wise by a bite.” A Greek proverb, the original of this (ὁ ἁλσευς πληγες νους φυσες) has been preserved in a fragment of Sophocles, Erasmi Adagiorum Chil. Quat. p. 41. Coloniæ 1612. Scholiastes Græci In Sophoc. Tom. iii. p. 602. Argentorati 1788.—Ed.]377.[“Another consequence of this defeat [at Dunbar] was, that every one blamed the other, the one side for purging out too many who might have been of service against the enemy, and these again blamed their opposites for being too remiss, and not well enough purged.”—Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. Robert Blair, p. 113. Edin. 1755.—Ed.]378.[Answer of the Commission, ut supra, p. 8.—Ed.]379.[P. 178 Edin. 1649.—Ed.]380.[Or as a general principle.—Ed.]381.[In opposition to what is here affirmed it is stated in the pamphlet entitled, “A True Representation of the Present Division in the Church of Scotland,” (p. 15.) that the Scottish Reformers did not look upon their conjunction with the Duke of Chatelherault and his followers, “as a cause of that sad stroak, as some would make the world believe, from Mr. Knoxes Sermon at Sterlin. For in the heads of that Sermon, printed in the History of the Church of Scotland, p. 217 Edit. Edinburgh, 1644, in 4to, there is no mention of any such thing but only of their carnal confidence, that possibly they had not sincerely repented of their former opposition, and that they who were late come in were made to feel in their own hearts, how bitter a cup they had made others to drink before them. Nor doth he (as our Brethren's tenets now lead them) presse them to purge out such as were lately admitted, but doth only presse repentance upon all of them.”—Dr. M'Crie presents his readers with an analysis of this sermon of the “great Apostle of the Scots,” as he was called by Beza.—See “Life of Knox,” pp. 192, 193, sixth edit.—Ed.]382.[See page 495 of this edition.—Ed.]383.[“The safety of the people” is “the highest law.”—Ed.]384.Рассматриваемый просто как поэтическая фикция, отчет, который Стаций дал о судьбе Амфиарая, особенно поразителен и красив — (Thebald. lib. vii. ст. 815-823) — Ред.
“Nothing worse
In whate'er cause than impious fellowship,
Nothing of good is reap'd for when the field
Is sown with wrong the ripened fruit is death
So this seer
Of temper'd wisdom, of unsullied honour,
Just, good, and pious, and a mighty prophet,
In despite to his better judgment join'd
With men of impious daring, bent to tread
The long, irremeable way, with them
Shall, if high Jove assist us, be dragg'd down
To joint perdition.”—Potter.