Then the Erle of Mortoune, Chancellour, commandit Mr. George Hay to reassoun aganis Johne Knox, in the heid of Obedience dew unto Magistratis; who began so to do. Unto whom Johne Knox said, "Brother, that ye sall ressoun in my contrair I am weill content, because I know you boith ane man of leirnyng and of modestie: but that ye sall oppone your self in the treuth whairof,[1012] I suppoise, your awin conscience is no less perswaded than is mine, I can nocht weill approve; for I wald be sorie that I and ye suld be reputed to ressoun as two scolleris of Pythagoras, to schaw the quicknes of our ingyne, as it wer to ressoune on boith the pairtis. I protest heir befoir God, that whatsoevir I sustene, I do the same of conscience; yea, I dar no moir sustene ane propositioun knawin unto my self untrew, than that I dar teich false doctrine in the publict place: And thairfoir, Brother, gif conscience move you to oppone your self to that doctrine, whilk ye haif heard of my mouth in that maitter, do it bauldlie: it sall nevir offend me. But that ye sall be found to oppone[1013] your self unto me, ye being perswaidit in the same treuthe, I say yit agane, it pleisses me nocht; for thairin may be gritter inconvenient than either ye or I do considder for the present."
The said Mr. George ansuerit, "That I wald oppone my self unto you as willing to impugn or confute that heid of doctrine, whilk nocht onlie ye, but monie utheris, yea, and I my self haif affirmit, far be it from me; for so sould I be found contrarious to my self. For my Lord Secretour knawis my jugement in that heid."
"Marye!" said the Secretour, "ye ar the weall worst of the twa; for I remember weill your ressonyng whan the Quene wes in Caryke."[1014]
"Weill," said Johne Knox, "seing, Brother, that God hes maid you to occupy the chyre of verittie, whairin, I assure, we will aggrie in all principall heidis of doctrine, lat it nevir be said that we disaggrie in disputatioun." Johne Knox wes moved thus to speik, because he[1015] understood moir of the craft than the other did.
"Weill," said Lethingtoun, "I am sumwhat better provydeit in this last heid, then I wes in the uther twa. Mr. Knox, (said he,) yisterday we heard your jugement upoun the 13 to the Romanis; we heard the mynde of the Appossill weill opened; we heard the causses why God hes establissed Poweris upoun the earth; we heard the necessitie that mankynde hes of the same; and we heard the deutie of Magistratis sufficientlie declareit: But in two thingis I wes offendit, and I think sum mo of my Lordis that than wer present. The ane was, ye maid difference betwix the ordinance of God and the persounis that wer placeit in authoritie; and ye affirmed, that men mycht refuise[1016] the persounis, and yit nocht to offend againis Godis ordinance. This is the ane; the uther ye had na tyme to explane; but this methocht ye menit, that subjectis wer nocht bound to obey thair Princes gif thai commandit unlauchfull thingis; but that thai mycht resist thair Princes, and wer nocht ever bound to suffer."
"In verie deid," said the uther, "ye haif rychtlie bayth markit my wordis, and understand my mynd; for of that same jugement I haif lang bene, and so yit I remane."
"How will ye prove your divisioun and difference," said Lethingtoun, "and that the persoun placeit in authoritie may be resistit, and Godis ordinance nocht transgressit, seing that the Appossill says, 'He that resistis [the poweris,] resisteth the ordinance of God.'"
"My Lord," said he, "the plane wordis of the Appossill makis the difference, and the factis of many approved be God, prove my affirmative. First, The Appossill affirmis, that the poweris ar ordanit of God, [for the preservation of quyet and peacebill men, and for the punischment of malefactours; quhairof it is plane, That the ordinance of God,][1017] and the power giffin unto man, is one thing, and the persone clad with the power or with the authoritie, is ane uther; for Godis ordinance is the conservatioun of mankynd, the punischment of vyce, the mentenyng of vertew, quhilk is in it self holie, just, constant, stable, and perpetuall. But men clad with the authoritie, ar commounlie prophane and unjust; yea, thai ar mutabill and transitorie, and subject to corruptioun, as God threitneth thame be his Prophet David, saying, 'I haif said, Ye ar godis, and everie one of you the sones of the Moist Heichest; but ye sall die as men, and the princes sall fall like utheris.' Heir I am assureit, that persounis, the saule and bodie of wyckit Princes, ar threitnit with death: I think, that so ye will nocht affirm is the authoritie, the ordinance and the power, whairwith God hes indeuit sik persounis; for as I haif said, as it is holie, so it is the permanent will of God. And now, my Lord, that the Prince may be resistit, and yit the ordinance of God nocht violatit, it is evident; for the peopill resistit Saule, when he had sworn be the leving God that Jonathan sould die. The peopill, (I say,) swair in the contrair, and delyverit Jonathan, so that ane hair of his heid fell nocht. Now, Saule wes the anoyntit King, and thai wer his subjectis, and yit thai so resisted him, that thai maid him no better than mansworne."
"I doute," said Lethingtoun, "if in so doing the peopill did weill."
"The Spreit of God," said the uther, "accuses thame nocht of onie cryime, but rather praisses thame, and dampnis the King, alsweill for his foolish vow and law maid without God, as for his crewell mynd, that so seveirlie wald haif punischit ane innocent man. But heirin I sall nocht stand: this that followis sall confirm the former. This same Saule commandit Abimelech and the Preistis of the Lord to be slane, becaus thay had committit tressoune, as he allegit, for intercommuning with David: His gaird and principall servandis walde nocht obey his unjust commandiment; but Doeg the flatterar put the Kingis creweltie to executioun. I will nocht ask your jugement, Whidder that the servandis of the King, in nocht obeying his commandiment, resisted God or nocht? or whidder Doeg, in murthering the Preastis, gaif obedience to ane just authoritie? for I haif the Spreit of God, speiking be the mouth of David, to assure me of the one alsweill as of the uther; for he, in his 52d Psalme, dampnis that fact as ane moist crewell murther; and affirmis, that God wald punisch, nocht onlie the commander, but the mercyles executour. And thairfoir, I conclude, that thai who ganestand his commandiment, resistit nocht the ordinance of God.