could prove, that any fuch queftion was, at any time, moved in public or private. Neither could ever fuch a queftion be moved, if the confcience were not pofed; and then, when it muft fpeak, it must of neceffity be unpleasant to tyrants. Thus we have heard both the pofitions and fcruples of this witnefs; let us alfo hear his arguings, that people may punish princes for their idolatry and murder, &c. and therefore much more may difown them and therefore again much more may they forbear to own them, when called; for can a dead man, by law, be owned to be a magiftrate, and keeper of the law. 'Idolatry' (faith he in his conference with Lethington) ought not ' only to be fuppreffed, but the idolater ought to die the death; but by whom? By the people of God, for the commandment was given to Ifrael; yea, a 'command, that if it be heard that idolatry is com'mitted in any one city, that then the whole body of the people arife and deftroy that city, fparing neither man, woman, nor child. But fhall the king alfo be punished? If he be an idolater, I find no privilege granted unto kings more than unto people, to offend God's majefty. But the people may not be judges to their king.-God is the univer'fal judge; fo that what his word commands to be 'punished in the one, is not to be abfolved in the other; and that the people, yea, or a part of the 'people, may not execute God's judgments against 'their king, being an offender; I am fure you have 'no other warrant, except your own imaginations, ' and the opinion of fuch as more fear to offend their princes than God.' In the fame conference we have the inftance of Jehu adduced to prove that fubjects may execute God's judgments upon their princes. It was objected, Jehu was a king before he executed judgment upon Ahab's houfe, and the fact was extraordinary, and not to be imitated. He anfwered, He was a mere fubject; No doubt Jezabel both thought and faid he was a traitor, and fo did many

• others in Ifrael and Samaria. And whereas it was faid, that the fact was extraordinary; I fay, it had the ground of God's ordinary judgment, which 'commandeth the idolater to die the death; and 'therefore I yet again affirm, it is to be imitated of all those that prefer the true honour of the true worship and glory of God, to the affection of flesh and wicked princes. We are not bound, faid Lethington, to follow extraordinary examples, unless we have the like commandment and affurance. I grant, faid the other, if the example repugn to the law, but where the example agrees with the law, and is, as it were, the execution of God's judgment 'exprefled within the fame; I fay, that the examplé approved of God, ftands to us in place of a com. mandment; for as God, in his nature, is conftant and immutable, fo cannot he condemn, in the ages fubfequent, that which he hath approved in his fer. vants before us.' Then he brings another argument from Amaziah who fled to Lachith, but the people fent thither and flew him there. Lethington doubted whether they did well or not: he answered, Where I find execution according to God's law, and God himself not accufe the doers, I dare not doubt of the equity of their caufe: And it appears, God gave them fufficient evidence of his approving the fact, for he bleffed them with peace and profperity. But profperity does not always prove that 'God approves the fact: yes, when the acts of men agree with the law, and are rewarded according to the promise in that law, then the profperity fucceeding the fact is a most infallible affurance that God hath approved it; but fo it is, that there is a pro'mife of lengthening out profperity to them that deftroy idolatry. And again, concluding Uzziah's example, he says there, the people ought to execute God's law, even against their princes, when that their open crimes, by God's law, deferve punish

.

'ment;

'ment; especially when they are fuch as may infect 'the rest of the multitude.'

V. There is another thing for which people have suffered much in our day of blafphemy, rebuke and trouble, which yet we find was not fo odious in our reformers eyes as this dull and degenerate age would reprefent it. That in fome cafes it is lawful and laudable for private perfons, touched with the zeal of God, and love to their country, and refpect to juftice trampled upon by tyrants; to put forth their hand to execute righteous judgment upon the enemies of God and mankind, intolerable traitors, murderers, idolaters; when the ruin of the country, deftruction of religion and liberty, and the wrath of God is threatened, in and for the impunity of that vermin of villains, and may be averted by their deftruction, always fuppofed, that thefe, whofe office it is to do it, decline their duty. The mind of our reformers as to this is manifeft, both in their practice and opinion. We heard before of the flaughter of Cardinal Beaton, and of the fiddler Rizzio: we fhall find both commended by Mr. Knox, giving account how these that were carried captives to France for this caufe from St. Andrew's were delivered. This (faith he), we write, to let the pofterity to come to understand, how potently God wrought ' in preferving and delivering of those that had but 'a fmall knowledge of his truth, and for the love of the fame hazarded all; that if we, in our days, or 'our pofterity that fhall follow, fhall fee a difperfion of fuch as oppose themselves to impiety, or take ' upon them to punish the fame otherwife than laws of men will permit, if fuch fhall be left of men, yea as it were defpifed and punished of God: yet let ' us not damn the perfons that punish vice, (and that ' for just cause,) nor yet despair, but that the fame God that dejects will raife up again the perfons de'jected, to his glory and their comfort; and to let the world understand in plain terms what we mean;

that

that great abufer of this commonwealth, that poultron and vile knave Davie was juftly punished, March 9, 1565, by the counsel and hands of James Douglas, Earl of Morton, Patrick Lord Lindfay, ' &c. who, for their just act, and most worthy of all praife, are now unworthily left of all their breth<ren.' This is not only commended by the author alone, but we find it concluded by all the brethren at that time, when the Queen brought in the idol of the mafs again, and the proud papifts began to avow it Then let it be marked that, The brethren univerfally offended, and espying that the Queen by proclamation did but delude them, determined to put to their own hands, and to punish for example of others; and fo fome priefts in the Weft land were apprehended, intimation was made to others, as to the abbot of Cofragnel, the parfon of Sanquhar, and fuch, that they fhould 'neither complain to the Queen nor council, but fhould execute the punishment that God has appointed to idolaters in his law, by fuch means as they might, wherever they fhould be apprehended.' Upon this the Queen fent for Mr. Knox, and dealt with him earnestly, that he would be the inftrument to perfuade the people not to put hand to punish. He perceiving her craft, willed her Majefty to punish malefactors according to law, and he durft promife quietnefs, upon the part of all them that professed Chrift within Scotland: but if her Majefty thought to delude the laws, he feared fome would let the papifts understand, that without punishment they fhould not be fuffered fo manifeftly to offend God's majefty. Will ye (quoth fhe) allow they hall take my fword in their hand? The fword of justice (faid he) Madam, is God's, and is given to princes and rulers for one end; which, if they tranfgrefs, fparing the wicked, and oppreffing the innocents, they that in the fear of God execute judgment, where God hath 6 commanded, offend not God, although kings do it

' not:

not the examples are evident, for Samuel fpared 'not to flay Agag the fat and delicate king of Ama'lek, whom king Saul had faved; neither fpared Elias Jezabel's falfe prophets, and Baal's priefts, albeit that king Ahab was prefent; Phineas was no 'magiftrate, and yet feared he not to ftrike Zimri and Cozbi in the very act of filthy fornication; ' and fo, Madam, your Majefty may fee that others than magiftrates may lawfully punish, and have punifhed the vice and crimes that God commands to 'be punished.' He proved it also at more length in his appellation, from Deut. xiii. "If thy brother fo

licit thee fecretly, faying, Let us go ferve other "gods, confent not to him, let not thine eye fpare "him, but kill him; let thy hand be firft upon him, "and afterward the hand of the whole people." Of thefe words of Mofes, two things appertaining to our purpose are to be noted: The firft is, that such as folicitate only to idolatry ought to be punished to 'death, without favour or respect of perfon; for he ' that will not fuffer man to spare his fon, wife, &c. 'will not wink at the idolatry of others, of what 'ftate or condition foever they be: it is not unknown

6

that the prophets had revelations of God, which 'were not common to the people; now, if any man 'might have claimed any privilege from the rigour ' of the law, or might have juftified his fact, it fhould 'have been the prophet, but God commands, that the prophet that fhall fo folicitate the people to 'ferve ftrange gods, fhall die the death, notwithstand'ing that he alledge for himself, dream, vifion, or ' revelation, because he teacheth apoftacy from God: hereby it may be feen, that none, provoking the people to idolatry, ought to be exempted from the punifhment of death. Evident it is, that no state, 'condition, nor honour can exempt the idolater from 'the hands of God, when he fhall call him to an ac'count: how fhall it then excufe the people, that they according to God's command, punih not to

death